Appointment as Amir of Medina during the Battle of Ghatafan

The Battle of Ghatafan took place in Muharram or Safar 3 AH. Whilst setting off towards Najd in order to travel to Ghatafan, the Holy Prophet (sa) appointed Hazrat Uthman (ra) as the amir of Medina in his absence. Therefore, in this respect, he was not able to partake in this expedition either.

(Ibn Saad, Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, Vol. 3, Uthman bin Affan [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, 1990], p. 41)

With regard to the details of this expedition, Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad Sahib (ra) states:

“Upon the proposal of a renowned warrior from among themselves named Dau‘thur bin Harith, the people of the Banu Tha‘labah and Banu Maharib, which were tribes of the Banu Ghatafan, began to assemble in a place called Dhi Amr, situated in Najd, with the intention of launching a sudden attack upon Medina. However, since the Holy Prophet (sa) would keep a constant watch on the movements of his enemies, he was able to receive timely intelligence as to the deadly motives of these tribes. Therefore, in the likeness of a vigilant general, as a pre-emptive measure, the Holy Prophet (sa) assembled a force of 450 Companions and set out from Medina towards the end of Muharram 3 AH, or in the beginning of Safar 4 AH.

“Advancing swiftly, the Holy Prophet (sa) reached close to Dhi Amr. As soon as the enemy was informed of the arrival of the Holy Prophet (sa), they quickly climbed to the nearby mountains in order to secure themselves and when the Muslims reached Dhi Amr, the plain was empty. However, the companions managed to apprehend a Bedouin named Jabbar, who belonged to the Banu Tha‘labah. The Companions took him captive and presented him before the Holy Prophet (sa).

“When the Holy Prophet (sa) enquired of him as to the facts, it was ascertained that all of the people from the Banu Tha‘labah and Banu Maharib had secured themselves in the mountains and they would not confront the Muslims in an open field. With no other alternative, the Holy Prophet (sa) was compelled to order a return. Nonetheless, the benefit which was indeed derived from this Ghazwah was that the threat posed by the Banu Ghatafan at the time was temporarily averted.”

(Sirat Khatamun-Nabiyyin, Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad (ra), p. 463)