Ghazwa-e-Tabuk (9 A.H.) — The Last Great Expedition

In the ninth year of Hijrah, reports reached Madina that the Byzantine Empire, in alliance with certain Arab tributary tribes, was assembling a mighty army on the northern frontier with the intention of crushing the rising light of Islam. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (Sallallaho Alaihi Wa Aalihi Wasallam) — who normally concealed the direction of his expeditions for strategic reasons — this time openly announced the destination, so that every believer might make full preparation for the long and arduous march. It was the height of a scorching summer, dates were ripe, water was scarce, and the way to Tabuk lay through burning deserts; for these reasons this army came to be known as Jaish-ul-Usrah, the Army of Distress.

The blessed companions responded with a spirit of unmatched sacrifice. Hadrat Uthman-e-Ghani (RA) equipped one-third of the army from his own wealth; Hadrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (RA) brought forth the entirety of his household possessions; Hadrat Umar Farooq (RA) offered half of all he owned; and even the poorest of the Muslims contributed handfuls of dates. With about thirty thousand men — the largest force yet gathered under his blessed banner — the Holy Prophet (SAWAW) marched to Tabuk. The Byzantine army, upon hearing of his advance, withdrew without offering battle. The Holy Prophet (SAWAW) stayed there for some days, concluded treaties with the northern chieftains, and returned in triumph to Madina without a single engagement — yet with the frontier of Islam firmly secured and the awe of the believers established in the hearts of nations.

The Deputations — Aam-ul-Wufood (9 A.H.)

Following the safe return from Tabuk, the ninth year of Hijrah came to be known as Aam-ul-Wufood, the Year of Deputations. From every corner of the Arabian Peninsula, tribes sent their delegations to Madina to declare their acceptance of the blessed Deen of Islam at the sacred hands of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAWAW). With this, the age of major warfare drew to its close, and the light of Islam spread peacefully across the length and breadth of Arabia.

The Blessed Desire for the First and Last Hajj

When the tenth year of Hijrah dawned, the heart of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Sallallaho Alaihi Wa Aalihi Wasallam) inclined towards the performance of Hajj — the great pillar of Islam which he had not yet undertaken after its obligation was revealed. It was his blessed desire that every Muslim who had embraced Islam up to that time should accompany him in this sacred pilgrimage, so that they might witness and learn from him, with their own eyes, the rites of Hajj in their perfect form. Accordingly, an announcement was made throughout Madina and dispatched to every settlement, town and tribe of Arabia that the Holy Prophet (SAWAW) himself intended to perform Hajj in that blessed year, and that all believers who were able should join his sacred caravan.

This heart-melting announcement filled every believing soul with a longing that had no parallel. From the farthest villages and remotest deserts, Muslims began pouring into Madina — men, women, children, the old and the young — leaving their homes, their harvests, and their trades, only to attain the honour of performing Hajj in the blessed company of the Beloved of Almighty Allah.

Departure from Madina and the Blessed Ihram

On the 25th of Zil-Qa'dah, 10 A.H., the Holy Prophet (SAWAW) set out from Madina with a caravan of more than one hundred and twenty-four thousand blessed companions — some traditions record the number even higher. Along the way at Zul-Hulaifah — the Miqat of the people of Madina — he performed Ghusl, donned the two seamless sheets of Ihram, offered two Rak'ats of prayer in Masjid-e-Shajarah, and raised the blessed voice of Talbiyah — "Labbaik Allahumma Labbaik…" — until the whole horizon trembled with the response of a hundred thousand voices proclaiming the Oneness of Almighty Allah. Hadrat Ali-ul-Murtaza (Alaihis Salato Was Salam), who was at that time on a mission in Yemen, made haste with his blessed detachment and joined the sacred caravan on the way.

Arrival in Makkah and the Rites of Hajj

After a journey of several days, the blessed caravan entered Makkah on the 4th of Zil-Hijjah. The Holy Prophet (SAWAW) performed the Tawaf of the sacred Kaaba, the Sa'i between Safa and Marwah, and taught the assembled Muslims every rite of Hajj by his own noble example — teaching by action what he had already taught by revelation.

The Farewell Sermon at Arafat (9 Zil-Hijjah, 10 A.H.)

On the 9th of Zil-Hijjah, mounted upon his blessed she-camel Qaswa in the plain of Arafat, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Sallallaho Alaihi Wa Aalihi Wasallam) delivered the immortal Khutbah-e-Hajjat-ul-Wida — the Farewell Sermon — before an assembly the like of which the earth had never seen. He declared the sanctity of every Muslim's life, wealth and honour; abolished the customs of pagan ignorance beneath his blessed feet; established the rights of women and of the servant; commanded justice, kindness and the fear of Almighty Allah; and finally left among his Ummah two heavy trusts — the Book of Allah and his Ahl-e-Bait — declaring that whoever holds fast to them will never go astray. It was on this blessed day, upon that blessed plain, that the final Ayah of the Holy Quran descended — "This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favour upon you and have chosen for you Islam as your religion."

The Return Journey and Arrival at Khumm-e-Ghadeer

After completing every rite of the blessed Hajj at Mina — the sacrifice, the shaving of the head, the Tawaf-e-Ziyarah and the Rami of the Jamarat — the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAWAW) began his return journey towards Madina at the head of the vast sacred caravan. On the 18th of Zil-Hijjah, 10 A.H., the caravan reached a plain lying between Makkah and Madina, near the pond of Juhfah — a place known as Khumm-e-Ghadeer, the Pond of Khumm. Here, the Holy Prophet (SAWAW) suddenly commanded the caravan to halt. Those who had gone ahead were called back, and those who were still behind were awaited, so that the entire assembly of over one hundred thousand blessed companions might gather together at this one blessed spot, in the burning heat of the noonday sun. And it was here, at Khumm-e-Ghadeer, that the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Sallallaho Alaihi Wa Aalihi Wasallam) prepared to proclaim the most historic declaration of his blessed mission…