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In the ninth year the expedition of Tabuk (the difficult expedition) took place, it was during the hottest days, the days of shelter and fruits. This was the hardest time for the people to set out. When the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم wanted to set out he encouraged the companions to give in charity, ‘Uthmān رضي الله عنهgave three hundred camels with their saddle blankets and one thousand Dinar, the Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم then said: “whatever ‘Uthmān does after this day, no harm shall come to him,” the rest of the companions gave according to their ability.
Most of the hypocrites stayed behind abandoning the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم along with three of the best companions without any excuse, Ka’b ibn Mālik, Hilāl ibn Umayyah and Mirārah ibn Ar-Rabi’, they all sought pardon from the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم when he returned to Al-Madinah, Allah sent down about them the following verse: “And [He also forgave] the three who were left behind [and regretted their error]” ‘At-Tawbah: 118’. Allah had forgiven the three companions due to their truthfulness, however Allah shamed and blamed the hypocrites in the same Surah and sealed their hearts. This Surah was also referred to as ‘the exposure’ for how it exposed the hypocrites.
During this expedition, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم made and wrote treaties with Ayla, the people of Jarba, Adhrah and Ukaydar that they would pay al-jizyah (taxes) to live under the covenant of the muslims. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم stayed in Tabuk for eighteen days then left because no fighting had taken place. When he returned to Al-Madinah Allah commanded him to destroy the masjid of the hypocrites: “And [there are] those [hypocrites] who took for themselves a mosque for causing harm and disbelief and division among the believers and as a station for whoever had warred against Allah and His Messenger before…” the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم destroyed the masjid and this was last expedition the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم participated in himself.
