The Battle of Autas or Awtas was an early battle involving Muslim forces, fought in the year 630 in

Awtas Autas or Awtas () is a location in Saudi Arabia where the Battle of Hunayn and the Battle of Autas took place. Awtas is located between Mecca and Taif at a distance of fourteen to fifteen Miles from Mecca. It is located in the Hunayn or Hunain ...

, after the

Battle of Hunayn The Battle of Hunayn () was a conflict between the Muslims of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the tribe of Qays in the aftermath of the conquest of Mecca. The battle took place in 8 AH () in the Hunayn valley on the route from Mecca to ...

, but prior to the

siege of Ta'if The siege of Ta'if took place in 630, as the Muslims under the leadership of Muhammad besieged the city of Ta'if after their victory in the battles of Hunayn and Autas. One of the chieftains of Ta'if, Urwah ibn Mas'ud, was absent in Yemen ...

. Muhammad came with 12,000 fighters against a coalition of tribes. An ambush took place and a rain of arrows were fired on the Muslims. The Muslims, however, came out victorious.

Background

A league of mountain tribes hostile to Muhammad formed an alliance to attack him. The league consisted of Thaqifs,

Hawazin The Hawazin ( / ALA-LC: ''Hawāzin'') were an Arab tribe originally based in the western Najd and around Ta'if in the Hejaz. They formed part of the larger Qays tribal group. The Hawazin consisted of the subtribes of Banu Sa'd, and Banu Jusham, a ...

s, Joshimites, Saadites and several other hardened mountain tribes. According to Islamic tradition the valley of the Banu Sa'd (who Irving called "Saadites") is where Muhammad was nurtured as a child and was also purified by an Angel.. Note: A Full version of this book is available free on Google books The Thaqifs were idolaters who worshipped

Allāt Al-Lat (, ), also spelled Allat, Allatu, and Alilat, is a pre-Islamic Arabian goddess, at one time worshipped under various associations throughout the entire Arabian Peninsula, including Mecca, where she was worshipped alongside Al-Uzza and ...

. They controlled the productive area of

Ta'if Taif (, ) is a city and governorate in Mecca Province in Saudi Arabia. Located at an elevation of in the slopes of the Hijaz Mountains, which themselves are part of the Sarawat Mountains, Sarat Mountains, the city has a population of 563,282 pe ...

, and were also the tribe which drove Muhammad out of Ta'if, pelting stones at him in the public square, when he was first preaching

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

Battle

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

went to Autas with 12,000 men. As the Muslim army passed through the valley of Hunain, a group of hostile tribes fired rain of arrows on the Muslims. The attacked surprised the Muslims, and many fled away from the arrows. Only nine men remained with Muhammad. After a while the Muslim regrouped and gathered around Muhammad. They then marched to Autas, after a confrontation, the tribes were defeated and the Muslims captured a large amount of war booty. ''Page 31 in which volume?''

Aftermath

After the battle, some women were captured by the Muslim army. Muslim men were in doubt whether is it Halal to sell these women into slavery or not, since they had seen their husbands and knew their husbands are alive. They asked prophet and he revealed this Ayah from Surah An-Nisa: "And also forbidden to you are all married women (muhsanat) except those women whom your right hands have come to possess (as a result of war)."

References

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مختصر سيرة الرسول
الشيخ عبد الله بن محمد بن عبد الوهاب نسخة محفوظة 04 يوليو 2017 على موقع واي باك مشين. Campaigns led by Muhammad 630s conflicts, Autas 630