Surah Al-Taubah 9:38

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَا لَكُمْ إِذَا قِيلَ لَكُمُ انفِرُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ اثَّاقَلْتُمْ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ

9:38 This verse, as well as the following verses, allude to the expedition to Tabûk, a town situated about half way between Madînah and Damascus. The expedition took place against the background of the opposition of the Christian Empire of Byzantium to the Muslims leading up to the conquest of Makkah. The Holy Prophet (pbuh) had sent a peaceful delegation of Muslims to Heracles. Ka‘b bin-‘Umair, the leader of the mission, was killed at a place called Dhât al-Alha. Shurahbil, the Governor of Basra, killed Hârith bin Umair, the Muslim ambassador to Basra. In addition to these events, the Holy Prophet (pbuh) received news that the Emperor of Byzantium was preparing an attack of the Muslim lands in the north with the help of the Governor of Basra. In the 8th year of Hijrah, the Holy Prophet (pbuh) sent a Muslim army of 3000 towards Syria to fight the considerably larger army of Shurahbil and the Byzantines. It is said that the Emperor of Byzantine himself was observing the fight from a place called Hems, having already summoned additional troops under the command of his brother Theodor to assist Shurahbil. Nonetheless, the Muslim forces succeeded in defeating the opposing forces of Shurahbil at Mu‘ta. In retaliation, the Shurahbil allied with the Ghassâns and other tribes of Arabia and began to draw up forces under the command of the Byzantine Emperor.

The situation represented an existential threat to the Islamic community. The Holy Prophet (pbuh) prepared, tackling the difficult task of raising an army sufficient to meet the strong, well-disciplined forces of the Eastern Roman Empire. The Muslim forces undertook a long and arduous journey from Madînah, through deserts, to the confines of Syria in intense heat. Drought and scarcity beleaguered them along the way. In the face of these difficulties, the weak of faith and the hypocrites in Madînah lost heart and displayed extreme reluctance to join the Muslim forces. Finally, about 30,000 followers of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) left Madînah for Syria to engage the Byzantines. By the time the Holy Prophet (pbuh) reached Tabûk, the emperor had decided to withdraw his forces from the frontiers of Arabia. The Holy Prophet (pbuh) was able to return with his army to Madînah without having engaged in a battle. This voluntary withdrawal is yet another example that shows that the Muslim forces were fighting out of defense only. Had it been an act of deliberate aggression, they could have advanced further and confronted the Byzantines after they had undertaken such a long and otherwise purposeless journey through the desert. It also shows that they were not out to plunder or capture Christian property and slaves in Syria, otherwise they would not have let go the opportunity to raid the undefended borderlands. Instead, after incurring heavy expenses in preparing for war, and suffering the hardships of a desert campaign, the Holy Prophet (pbuh) with his men returned without a fight. These are the actions of a spiritual man and not of a worldly conqueror in pursuit of fame and booty. The Tabûk expedition is also appropriately known as Ghazwah al-‘Usra - “the expedition of distress” (cf. 9:117).