Who was the person that came to kill the Prophet (pbuh) and finally became a Muslim?

Dear Brother / Sister,

EXPEDITION OF ANMAR: This expedition is also called "Expedition of Dhu-Amr" and "Expedition of Ghatafan" along with "Expedition of Anmar".

Awrath bin Harith, who was the bravest member of Sons of Muharib and who was full of the feeling of revenge and fury due to the Battle of Badr, provoked people and gathered a troop of soldiers. They settled in a place called Dhu-Amr in Najd. After a while, Awrath bin Harith ascended on a rock and addressed his soldiers as follows:    

- O heroes! We have not forgotten Badr and we will not forget it. It is an inerasable black mark on our foreheads.

Some soldiers shouted by raising their spears:

- Revenge! Revenge!

- Calm down please!!

Awrath continued:

- Revenge, of course, but what kind of a revenge?

When he spoke, he squeezed his teeth and clenched his fist as if he was crushing something unseen.

- Let us take such a revenge that we shall plunder anything around Yathrib. We shall take away whatever we can carry and break and burn the others.

They shouted all together:

- Let us beat and break. Let us burn and demolish!

...

It was the twelfth or Rabiulawwal in the third year of the Migration.

...The place, number and intention of the enemy were told to the Prophet by the intelligence of the Muslims. The Prophet (pbuh) appointed Uthman bin Affan as his deputy and proceeded to the region where the enemy settled with four hundred and fifty Companions.

...

When some Companions encountered Jabbar from Sons of Thalaba on the way, they caught him and started to question him:  

- O Jabbar! Stop! Where are you going?

- To Yathrib.

- Are you going to Madinah like that to travel while your tribe is getting ready to attack Madinah?

- No. I do not know about what Sons of Thalaba are doing. However, I heard that Awrath bin Harith was trying to gather people for an expedition.

- What else?

- That is all. I do not know anything else.

...

Jabbar was quite calm and he sounded trustable.
 

...The Companions who caught him took him to the Messenger of Allah and told him about the conversation that took place. Jabbar was probably worried about his life but he was surprised by an offer. He was caught by the Muslims when his tribe was getting ready to attack Madinah though he was unaware of it. They could have harmed and even killed him…

However, they did not kill him because they were Muslims; they were distinguished slaves of Allah. Jabbar was worried about his life but he was not even harassed and insulted. What is more, the Prophet (pbuh) invited him to accept Islam with a warm and soft voice. Jabbar became a Muslim at once without any difficulty.

He gave the Muslims the following information:

- O Messenger of Allah! They cannot dare to encounter you. If they hear about the advance of the Islamic army, they will probably flee to the mountain. I can guess where they will hide. If you allow me to come with you, I will show you their points of hiding.

...If there is jihad somewhere, it is fard for every Muslim to take part in that jihad. It was also fard for Jabbar since he became a Muslim.  

The Prophet (pbuh) accepted his offer assigned him to Bilal al-Habashi.

...

When the glorious Islamic army arrived at Dhu Amr, it began raining intensely.

...It turned out to be as Jabbar said. The so-called heroic army of the polytheists ran toward the mountainous area when they heard that the Islamic army was coming.

...As the Islamic army was proceeding, the rain got heavier. Those who had shields tried to protect themselves from the rain but the believers and the Prophet got completely wet.  

...It rained heavily for a while and subsided. The sun appeared and the grey clouds moved away. A rainbow appeared and it started to get warmer. Everybody was trying to dry their clothes.   

...

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) went to a desolate place in the valley, took off his clothes and hung them on a short tree to dry out. The Prophet (pbuh) lay down on the soft sand under the sun while his clothes were drying. He lay down on his right side and placed his right hand under his right cheek.

Those who were watching the believers from the places they were hiding on the mountain ran to Awrath, gasping for breath.

- O Awrath! Muhammad is away and alone under a tree. It is time to do whatever you can now. Come on.

Awrath said,

- You stay here; I will kill him.

... He took his sword and approached the tree under which the Prophet (pbuh) was lying by concealing himself. He stood at the head of the Prophet. He was facing his enemy with his sword. He was shivering a bit. The person whom everybody wanted to kill him was sleeping alone in front of him.  

The Prophet (pbuh) opened his eyes, realized what was happening and stood up suddenly but he could not reach his sword.  

Awrath, who felt sure that he would kill the Prophet (pbuh), shouted. His sound was harsh; his hands were full of greed and his right hand, holding the sword, was in the air.

- O Muhammad! Who shall protect you against me now? We are alone. You have no sword but I have one. Tell me. Who will save you from me?

Awrath was shouting and he relied on his power and sword; he thought he would beat the magnificent person facing him. What a wretched thought!

The Prophet (pbuh) gave a calm answer, which surprised Awrath:

- O Awrath! Allah will save me and embarrass you...

Awrath felt a bit afraid when he saw that his opponent was so calm despite his own fury and severity. He spoke very little but confidently. Just then, Jibril (Gabriel) arrived and struck him in the chest hard.  

Awrath fell back, dropping the sword from his hand; the sword stopped in front of the Prophet (pbuh). The Prophet picked up the sword and stood at the man's head suddenly; Awrath was like an insect on the sand and the Prophet (pbuh) was like a formidable mountain with the sword. Awrath thought, “Alas! That is all. I was going to kill him but now he is going to kill me.” He was in sweat.

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) asked the man lying near his feet:

- O Awrath! Who shall protect you against me now?

...His own sword was shining in the sun, ready to cut off his head; the yellow soil, yellow sand and the face of Awrath assumed the same color. The wind that blew could not make his hair, which had stuck to his forehead, move. He wiped the salty sweat that came to his eyes with his sleeve. He tried to soften his throat, which had dried, by gulping. Then, he started to beg softly:  


- I have made a mistake!

- Yes, you have made a mistake but your real mistake is insisting on unbelief. The source of your mistakes is your unbelief. The absolute truth will not change whether you believe or not. Come and bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

Awrath was in astonishment. He spoke by stuttering:  

- You could have killed me.

The Prophet (pbuh) smiled. His cheeks were pink like rose buds:

- We have not come to kill people. We inform people about the eternal life.

...The heart of Awrath softened. His eyes were full of warm tears. He started to utter kalima ash-shahada as he was getting up:

- Ashhadu anla ilaha illallah wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan abduhu wa Rasuluhu.

The Prophet (pbuh) passed the sword to Awrath with a smile that became more beautiful with his snow-white teeth.

...When his shy hand reached out for the sword passed by the Prophet, this new believer grasped wisdom fully.

- O Messenger of Allah! You are the best person among people.

...

Definitely...

He is the best and most superior person among people and creatures.


...

The Prophet (pbuh) sent Awrath back to his troop. When he approached his soldiers, they started to ask him:

- As far as we could see from this distance, you were over Muhammad with your sword but you suddenly fell down. We could not understand what happened.

Awrath sat on a high rock, took off his turban, wiped the sweat of his forehead and answered their questions one by one:

- Yes, what you saw was true. I was standing next to him when a tall person in white, whom I could not understand from where he came, hit me on the chest very hard. It was such a hard blow that I fell down to one side and my sword to the other side.  

The soldiers were surprised. One of them asked,

- Who was the person that hit you?

- Jibril, the angel that brought revelation to our Prophet.

The soldiers started to talk and move. They said,

- O Awrath! You said, "our Prophet". Was it a slip of tongue?

Awrath stood up from the rock he was sitting on and looked at his soldiers; then, he started to talk:

- Alhamdulillah, I became a Muslim. I advise you to become Muslims too. Whatever Muhammad says is true.

The face of Awrath was shining brightly.

...

Some of the members of the Sons of Thalaba and Sons of Muharib embraced Islam. Thus, it became clear why the Prophet sent him back to the polytheists. Those who did not embrace Islam could not say anything to him because it was impossible for them to resist this hero, whose strength increased with belief.

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