The spoils of war

The Muslims stayed in Je’rana for more than ten days on their way back from Ta’if. The Prophet waited for the Hawazen to repent and reclaim their property and families. Not one of them, however, showed up. At last, the Prophet took one fifth of the booty and distributed it among the Muslims of weaker faith in order to win their hearts. He also gave large shares to those who had not embraced Islam, hoping that Islam would become dear to them.

Abu Sufyan, for example, received 1,600 dirhams worth of silver and one hundred camels. His two sons, Yazeed and Muawiya, received the same amount. Sawfan bin Umayya was given three hundred camels. Hakim bin Hazaam, Harith bin Harith bin Kaldah, Uyaynah bin Hisn, Aqra bin Habis, Abbas bin Mardas, Alqama bin Alatha, Malik bin Auf, Ala bin Haritha, Harith bin Hisham, Jubayr bin Mur’im, Suhayl bin Amr, Huyaitib bin Abdul Uzza and others received one hundred camels each, while many others were given forty or fifty camels each.

The news of the Prophet’s lavish distribution of the booty to so many people spread far and wide. Here was a man who gave and gave without stint. The Bedouins grew greedy and began to demand gifts from the Prophet . Some even chased him and pinned him against a tree. A Bedouin in a mad frenzy pulled the cloak off the Prophet’s back. “Return my cloak,” the Prophet said. “I swear by Allah, He Who holds my life in His hands, if I had as many cattle as Tihama has trees, I would have distributed them all to the people. You will find me neither a miser, nor a coward, nor a liar.”

He then cut a lock of hair from the hump of a camel and said: “By Allah, I have kept nothing from the spoils for myself, not even this hair. Deposit everything you took from the enemy so that it can be divided, even a needle and thread. Stealing will result in disgrace, infamy and fire for the guilty on the Day of Resurrection.”

The people, overcome with shame and fear at the Prophet’s words, deposited everything they had collected from the enemy. After this, the Prophet asked Zayd bin Tabit to distribute the spoils.

The Ansar’s Complaint

Some of the Ansar were aghast that the Prophet was giving away such a large portion of the spoils to the Quraysh while the Ansar received nothing. The last in faith, the most reluctant in battle had become the first in line for the fruits of victory. Someone among the Ansar said in outrage, “How can the Quraysh get everything when blood is still trickling from our swords?” The chieftain of the Ansar, Sa’s bin Ubada , told the Prophet of their sense of hurt and resentment.

“Tell them to assemble so that I can speak with them,” the Prophet said. After praising Allah and mentioning themselves, the Prophet said: “O Ansar, you have shown displeasure because I gave some goods to such and such people so that they may embrace Islam. You, however, I entrusted with Islam. O Ansar are you not satisfied that these men should take away sheep and goats while you go back with the Prophet of Allah? I swear by the One Who holds the life of Muhammad in His hand, if there had been no migration, I would have been one of the Ansar myself. If everyone took one path, and the Ansar took another, I would follow the Ansar. O Allah, have mercy on the Ansar, their sons and their sons’ sons.”

After hearing the Prophet’s words, the Ansar began to see things in perspective. They wept until their beards were drenched. “We are satisfied that the Prophet is with us,” they said.