The Battle of Dhi Amr
Time and Place of this Battle
This battle took place in a location by the name of Dhi Amr and this was an area near the town of Nakhil which is sixty-seven kilometers away from Medina on the road towards Kufa, Iraq. [1] The battle of Dhi Amr took place in the month of Safar, in the year 3 A.H. [2]
Background of this Battle
Prophet Muhammad received news that a man from the tribe of Bani Muharib by the name of Dathur ibn Harith had gathered a number of people around him from the tribes of Bani Muharib and Bani Thalabah in Dhi Amr with the intention of attacking the Prophet. [3]
Account of the Battle
The Muslims proceed towards Dhi Amr
The Prophet of Allah called his companions to gather together and to prepare to leave for Dhi Amr and they set off with 450 people. They went on the road to Manqi and thereafter passed by Khabit (22 kilometers from Medina) and went towards Dhi al-Qissah, towards Najd. Once they arrived, they met with a man from Bani Thalabah named Jabbar. They brought him to the Prophet of Allah and when speaking to the Messenger, he was invited Jabbar to accept Islam, which he promptly accepted. The Prophet then asked the man,
“Do you have any news from the people of your tribe?”
He replied, “No, except that I have heard that Dathur ibn Harith along with a number of people from his tribe have gathered together. If they find out that you have come, they will escape into the mountains and you will not be able to capture them. I will come with you and show you their hiding spots.” The Prophet sent him ahead with Bilal and he and his followers proceeded covertly towards the spot. [3] The enemy’s escape to the mountains The people saw the Prophet of Allah and escaped into the mountains and thus, the Prophet was unable to reach any of them – although the Prophet did see them in the distance on the mountains. [3] The Prophet’s salvation by Divine assistance Eventually, the Prophet of Allah and his companions settled down in their encampment and the Prophet decided that he would go out and complete some things which he needed to do when he got caught in the rain and his clothes became wet. Once the rain passed, he took off his clothes and hung them on a tree to dry in the sun, resting in the shade of the tree. One of the Arabs said to his leader Dathur, “Look at Muhammad! He is separated from his companions! If he was to call out for their help, they would not be able to reach to him in time to assist him! Go and kill him – this is your best opportunity.” Dathur chose a sharp sword and moved stealthy, eventually reaching the Prophet and towering over top of the Prophet of Allah. With his unsheathed sword in his hand he said, “Who will save you from my hand today?!” The Prophet of Allah replied, “Allah.” Dathur fell to the ground and his sword landed at a short distance from where he was. The Prophet of Allah jumped and picked up the sword and said, “Now, who will save you from my hand?” Dathur said, “No one. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His messenger. I swear to Allah that after this I will not gather people against you!” The Prophet of Allah gave him back his sword and Dathur went back to his people. Dathur’s people said to him, “You had the opportunity while the sword was in your hand, why did you not take action?!” He said, “I swear to Allah that I acted as I had intended, however when I was standing above Muhammad, a tall, illuminated man appeared in front of me and hit me in the chest and flung me down to the ground. I realized that this was an angel from Allah and so I bore witness that there is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His messenger. I swear to Allah that after this, I will never gather people to fight against him.” After this, Dathur began to invite his people to Islam. [4]