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The Nakhla Raid was the 7th Caravan Raid which was ordered by the Prophet Muhammad.This raid was a Saariya(battles which the prophet ordered) in which Abdallah Jahsh was the Commander.^{[2] [3]}

Muslim scholars claim that the caravan raids were justified even if terror tactics were used, because Muslims were persecuted and driven out of Mecca, as well as their goods seized. Another argument is that Muslims were being threatened and the Quraysh were building up their arsenal of weapons, so it was allright to capture their goods and weapons, for a long term goal of survival.^[4]

Initially Muhammad condemned the killing of the non combatant in the forbidden month, but later justified it because a new Quran verse was revealed suggesting that "Persecution of muslims, is worse than killing a non muslim".

Participants

After his return from the first Badr encounter (Battle of Safwan), Muhammad sent AbdAllah b. Jahsh in Rajab with eight emigrants and without any Ansar for another operation.

Abd Allah Jahsh was a maternal cousin of Muhammad. The participants in the raid were: Abu Haudhayfa , Abd Allah b Jahsh, Ukkash b. Mihsan, Utba b. Ghazwan, Sa’d b. Abi Waqqas, Amir b.Rabia, Waqid b. Abd Allah and Khalid b. al-Bukayr.

Background

Muhammad gave Abd Allah b. Jahsh a letter, but not to be read until he had travelled for two days and then to do what he was instructed to do in the letter without putting pressure on his companions. Abd Allah proceeded for two days, then he opened the letter; it told him to proceed until he reached at Nakhla, between Mecca and Taif, lie in wait for the Quraysh and observe what they were doing.

Abd Allah b. Jahsh told his companions that whoever chose martyrdom was free to join him and whoever did not could go back. All the companions agreed to follow him (a few biographers write that two Muslims decided not to be martyrs and chose to return to Medina). Sa’d b. Abi Waqqas and Utbah b. Ghazwan lost a camel that they were taking turns to ride. The camel strayed and went to Buhran. So they went out looking for the runaway camel to Buhran and fell behind the raiding party.

As instructed by the Prophet, Abd Allah and the rest of the party then proceeded, and soon they arrived at Nakhla. Nakhla was a valley to the east of Mecca, about half-way to Taif. It was the usual route to Syria for the Meccan caravans. Muhammad had the secret information that a rich Meccan caravan, lightly guarded, laden with dry raisin, wine leather and other goods was soon to pass by the route.

Attack

Four Quraysh men guarded this donkey caravan. They were:

• Amr b. al-Hadrami. He was the leader of the caravan.
• Uthman b. Abd Allah b. al-Mughirah.
• Nawfal b. Abd Allah b. al-Mughirah, Uthman’s brother.
• Al-Hakam b. Kaysan, the freed slave (Mawla)of Hisham b. al-Mughirah.

Soon the Meccan caravan arrived at Nakhla guarded by the four Quraysh men. When they saw the Muslims they were afraid of them.

One of Abd Allah b. Jahsh’s men, Ukkash b Mihsan, was shaven in head to hide the real purpose of their journey and to give the Quraysh the impression of lesser Hajj (Umra); for, it was the month (Rajab) when hostilities were forbidden. When the Quraysh saw the shaven head of Ukkash, they thought that the Muslims were on their way for pilgrimage and they felt relieved and safe and started to prepare food for themselves. However critics of Islam claim that:

"this was how the first band of Muslim Jihadists deceived their prey"

. Due to the prevalence of a sacred month, either at the beginning of Rajab, or at the end of it(the opinion among the historians vary), Rajab being one of the four sacred months when there was a total ban on warfare and bloodshed in the Arabian Peninsula, Abd Allah b. Jahsh was, at first, hesitant to attack the caravan.

Nevertheless, after much deliberation, the Muslims did not want this rich caravan to escapend. So they decided to kill as many Quraysh as they could and take a large booty.

They attacked the Quraysh while they (the Quraysh) were busy preparing their food. In the short battle that ensued, Waqid b. Abd Allah killed Amr b. Hadrami, the leader of the Quraysh caravan. Nawfal b.Abd Allah escaped. The Muslims took Uthman b. Abd Allah and al-Hakam b. Kaysan as prisoners. Abd Allah b. Jahsh returned to Medina with the booty and with the two captured Quraysh men. The follower also were going to give 1/5 of the booty to Muhammad.

Aftermath

Since this bloodshed took place during a sacred month, Muhammad was quite unhappy about what had happened.

The Quraysh also spread everywhere the news of the raid and the killing by Muhammad in the sacred month. Therefore, he rebuked them (the Muslims) for fighting in the sacred month . He said:

I did not instruct you to fight in the sacred month

Then Muhammad claimed that a new verse (2:217) regarding fighting in the sacred month was revealed by God, and Muhammad is believed to have change his mind.

They question thee (O Muhammad) with regard to warfare in the sacred month. Say: Warfare therein is a great (transgression), but to turn (men) from the way of Allah, and to disbelieve in Him and in the Inviolable Place of Worship, and to expel His people thence, is a greater with Allah; for persecution is worse than killing. And they will not cease from fighting against you till they have made you renegades from your religion ^{[Qur'an 2:217]}.

This revelation permitted Muhammad to conduct war during the sacred months. Then Abd Allah b. Jahsh divided the booty, and Muhammad accepted 1/5 of the booty. He also decided to make more money by asking ransom for the two captives.

However, Muhammad refused to accept the ransoms from the Quraysh until the two of his men, Sa’d b. Abi Waqqas and Utbah b. Ghazwan returned from searching the straying camel. He was afraid that the Quraysh might kill them if they found them. When Sa’d and Utbah returned unharmed, Muhammad released the two Quraysh prisoners on payment of their ransom of one thousand six hundred (1,600) Dirhams.It was said that, soon after his release, Hakam b. Kaysan became a Muslim.

Later, he was killed at the battle of Bir Mauna. The other prisoner, Uthman b. Abd Allah returned to Mecca and died as an unbeliever.

The Islamic name of this first successful raid is the ‘Nakhla Raid.’ It was also the first raid on which the Muslims seized their first captive, and the first life they took.

This successful raid on the Quraysh caravans gravely alarmed the Meccans, because their prosperity completely depended upon the regular and un-interrupted trade to Syria.

The trading with Abyssinia and Yemen was of lesser importance. Even the trading caravan towards Abyssinia and Yemen did not look safe from the marauding army of Muhammad. The Nakhla attack also greatly unnerved the Meccans. They now believed that Muhammad had very little respect for life, and absolutely no concern for the sanctity of the sacred months. So the Meccans resolved to avenge the bloodshed. However, the Quraysh restrained their hostility. Muhammad still had a few of his followers residing at Mecca, including his own daughter, Zaynab. The Quraysh did not take any revenge on the remaining followers of Muhammad (including Muhammad’s daughter) at Mecca, neither did they make any attempt to harass his daughter, Zaynab.

Muhammad, after the success at Nakhla, contemplated a more severe and mortal attack on the Quraysh. Allah now gave him the permission to fight the unbelievers in verses 22:39-42, 2:190-194. As well, the raid at Nakhla was justified by the ‘expulsion’ of the believers from Mecca. However some critics of Islam argue, the true reason was “until the religion became God’s alone.” That meant, until all the Meccans (or the world) accepted Islam. ^[5]

References

1. ^ Al-Mubarakpuri, Saifur Rahman (2002), When the Moon Split, DarusSalam, p. 148, http://books.google.co.uk/books-id=xJL6gxPUV4EC&pg=PA147&dq=the+first+sariyya#v=onepage&q=the%20first%20sariyya&f=false 
2. ^ Haykal, Husayn (1976), The Life of Muhammad, Islamic Book Trust, p. 218, ISBN 9789839154177, http://books.google.co.uk/books-id=fOyO-TSo5nEC&pg=PA218&dq=raid+on+quraysh+caravan#v=snippet&q=first%20raids&f=false 
3. ^ Nakhla Raid, 2008, http://mercytomankind.net/TheLifeOfMohamedDir/AbdullahIbnJahshRaid.html 
4. ^ Haykal, Husayn (1976), The Life of Muhammad, Islamic Book Trust, p. 219, ISBN 9789839154177, http://books.google.co.uk/books-id=fOyO-TSo5nEC&pg=PA219&dq=our+views+of+these+raids&as_brr=3#v=onepage&q=&f=false 
5. ^ Al-Mubarakpuri, Saifur Rahman (2002), When the Moon Split, DarusSalam, p. 148, http://books.google.co.uk/books-id=xJL6gxPUV4EC&pg=PA147&dq=the+first+sariyya#v=onepage&q=the%20first%20sariyya&f=false