The Patrol of al-Abwa or Waddan occurred on the 12th of

Rajab Rajab ( ar, رَجَب) is the seventh month of the Islamic calendar. The lexical definition of the classical Arabic verb ''rajaba'' is "to respect" which could also mean "be awe or be in fear", of which Rajab is a derivative. This month is re ...

in the second

Hijri year The Hijri year ( ar, سَنة هِجْريّة) or era ( ''at-taqwīm al-hijrī'') is the era used in the Islamic lunar calendar. It begins its count from the Islamic New Year in which Muhammad and his followers migrated from Mecca to Yathr ...

or in Safar of the same year. Muhammad took a force of 70 men and when he reached Waddan, the Quraysh were not present. However, the

Banu Damrah The Banu Damrah were a tribe from around the time of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. They were involved in a conflict with him during the Invasion of Waddan and resided around al-Abwa area of Saudi Arabia. See also *List of expeditions of Muhammad ...

met with Muhammad and they established a peace agreement for mutual cooperation and safety. No fighting occurred during this campaign.

Events

After

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mon ...

and his followers had migrated to

Medina Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the Holiest sites in Islam, second-holiest city in Islam, ...

in 622, the Muslims attacked several of the

Quraysh The Quraysh ( ar, قُرَيْشٌ) were a grouping of Arab clans that historically inhabited and controlled the city of Mecca and its Kaaba. The Islamic prophet Muhammad was born into the Hashim clan of the tribe. Despite this, many of the Qu ...

's caravans traveling from

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow v ...

. During the patrol to Waddan, a Muslim force sought one of the Quraysh's caravans, but was unable to engage with it. The expedition encountered a group of men from the Banu Damrah clan of the

Banu Kinanah The Kinana ( ar, كِنَاَنَة, Kināna) were an Arab tribe based around Mecca in the Tihama coastal area and the Hejaz mountains. The Quraysh of Mecca, the tribe of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, was an offshoot of the Kinana. A number of mod ...

tribe in the area, and negotiations between the two camps began. A pact of friendship between the Muslims and the

was then produced. According to Muslim scholar

Muhammad al-Zurqani Muhammad al-Zurqani (1645–1710 CE ) ( ar, محمد الزرقاني) was a Sunni Maliki Islamic scholar. Name His full name was Imam Abu-Abd-Allah "Ibn Fujlah" Muḥammad ibn ʻAbd al-Bāqī al-Azhari al- Zurqānī al-Maliki. Biography ...

, the treaty read:

"This document is from Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, concerning the Banu Damrah in which uhammadestablishes for them safety and security in their wealth and lives. They can expect support from the Muslims unless they oppose the religion of Allah. They are also expected to respond positively if the Prophet seeks their help."

The treaty meant that both parties were forbidden from raiding each other, joining confederations hostile to one another, or supporting each other's enemies.

William Montgomery Watt William Montgomery Watt (14 March 1909 – 24 October 2006) was a Scottish Orientalist, historian, academic and Anglican priest. From 1964 to 1979, he was Professor of Arabic and Islamic studies at the University of Edinburgh. Watt was one ...

saw this as a deliberate attempt by Muhammad to provoke the Meccans.
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References

{{coord missing, Saudi Arabia Campaigns led by Muhammad Waddan Muhammad in Medina