Expedition to the Banu Tayy

With regard to Hazrat Ali’s (ra) expedition to the Banu Tayy, it is stated that the Holy Prophet (sa) sent Hazrat Ali (ra) along with 150 men to destroy the idol of the Banu Tayy called Fuls. The Banu Tayy lived to the north east of Medina. During this expedition, the Holy Prophet (sa) gave Hazrat Ali (ra) a large black flag as well as a smaller white flag. In the morning, Hazrat Ali (ra) launched an attack on the people of Hatim and destroyed the idol of Fuls. Hazrat Ali (ra) returned to Medina having acquired a large amount of spoils of the Banu Tayy including captives.

(Ibn Saad, Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, Vol. 2, Sariyah Ali bin Abi Talib ila al-Falas [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar Ihya al-Turath al-Arabi, 1996], 331)