A Battle with Bani Dhibbah
Time and Place
This battle took place in the month of Shawwal in the year 6 A.H. [1]
The Cause of the Battle
Al-Kulayni, in Furu al-Kafi, with a chain of narration from Aban bin Uthman al-Ahmar al-Bajali al-Kufi narrates from Imam al-Sadiq that he said,
“A group of people from the tribe of Bani Dhibbah who had become sick, came to see Prophet Muhammad. The Prophet said to them, ‘Stay here (in Medina), so that once you become healthy, I can send you to a battle’. They replied to him saying, ‘Send us outside of Medina to stay’. The Prophet directed them towards a litter of camels that had been given as alms so that they could drink from the milk and recover faster. However, once these people became healthy and regained their strength, they killed three men who were protecting the camels and proceeded to steal the camels.” [2]
Development of the Battle
When news of the offense of Bani Dhibbah reached the Prophet, he sent Ali ibn Abi Talib with a group of men to go after them immediately. The tribe of Bani Dhibbah became trapped in a valley and could not figure out which way to go, and it was there that Ali captured them and brought them to the Prophet. At this point, the following verse was revealed to the Prophet, “Indeed the requital of those who wage war against Allah and His Apostle, and try to cause corruption on the earth, is that they shall be slain or crucified, or have their hands and feet cut off from opposite sides or be banished from the land.” [3] After the required investigation and conclusions were arrived to, the Prophet chose the punishment of amputation and gave the order for their hands and feet (as the Quran has prescribed in that they be amputated from opposite sides – meaning the right hand and left foot or left hand and right foot) as opposed to both from one side [4].
The Context of Revelation According to Tabrisi
Tabrisi says the following in his commentary of the Quran, Majma al-Bayan:
“This verse was revealed about the people of Arin who entered the city of Medina to accept Islam. However, the physical environment and climate of Medina caused them trouble and they developed a sickness such that their faces became yellow. The Prophet of Allah ordered for them to go to the camels that had been given as alms. That is, he ordered them to go outside of Medina and drink from the milk of the camels. They did as they were ordered, however once they recovered, they became apostates and attacked the guards of the camels, killing them and ended up stealing the camels. The Prophet of Allah ordered that they be captured and that their hands and feet be cut from opposite sides.” (Al-Fadhl bin al-Hasan al-Tabrisi, Majma al-Bayan fi Tafsir al-Quran Volume 3 Page 291)).