Rabigh 5.62

Rabigh is an ancient town on the western coast of Saudi Arabia, along the Red Sea in the Makkah Region. It is located 17 kilometers northwest of Masjid Miqat al-Juhfah.HistoryUbaydah's Expedition in Batn RabighIn April 623, the Islamic Prophet Muhammad sent Ubaydah ibn al-Harith with a party of sixty armed Muhajirun to the valley of Rabigh. They expected to intercept a Quraysh caravan that was returning from Syria under the protection of Abu Sufyan ibn Harb and 200 armed riders.Haykal, M. H. (1935). Translated by al-Faruqi, I. R. A. (1976). The Life of Muhammad, p. 256. Chicago: North American Trust Publications. The Muslim party travelled as far as the wells at Thanyat al-Murra, where Sa`d ibn Abi Waqqas shot an arrow at the Quraysh. This is known as the first arrow of Islam. Despite this surprise attack, "they did not unsheathe a sword or approach one another," and the Muslims returned empty-handed.Hadith Ghadir Khumm and Hadith al-ThaqalaynThe hadith of the pond of Khumm narrates that the Prophet Muhammad is reported to have pronounced Ali ibn Abi Talib the mawla (patron, master) of those for whom Muhammad was patron. Shia Muslims take and claim this hadith as an announcement and investiture of Ali bin Abi Talib as the first caliph or successor after the Prophet's death and they celebrate this announcement each year as Eid al-Ghadeer. Many Sunnis also accept that the Prophet did actually declare Ali as the mawla, however they refuse to believe that this meant succession to the Prophet. According to the Muwatta by Malik ibn Anas, the oldest book in Islam after the Quran: " 46.3 Yahya related to me from Malik that he heard that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "I have left two things with you. As long as you hold fast to them, you will not go astray. They are the Book of Allah and the Sunna of His Prophet."