Tabuk expedition

E170771

The Tabuk expedition was a late 9th-year AH military campaign led by the Prophet Muhammad toward the northern frontier of Arabia, notable for its logistical difficulty and for ending without actual combat.

All labels observed (4)

Label Occurrences
Expedition of Tabuk 1
Ghazwat Tabuk 1
Tabuk expedition canonical 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (50)

Predicate Object
instanceOf campaign of Muhammad
military expedition
aftermath no Byzantine counterattack on Medina after the expedition
alsoKnownAs Ghazwat Tabuk
linked to: Tabuk expedition
arabicNickname Jaysh al-‘Usrah
armySizeApprox around 30,000 men
associatedTheme condemnation of hypocrites who stayed behind
praise of those who contributed and participated despite hardship
associatedWith Qur’anic verses in Surah At-Tawbah
cause desire to deter Byzantine threat
reports of Byzantine military preparations in the north
to secure northern frontier of the emerging Muslim state
commandStructure Muhammad as supreme commander
direction north of Medina
durationApprox around 20 days at Tabuk plus travel time
financing significant contributions from wealthy Companions
financingContributor Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf
Abu Bakr
linked to: Abu Bakr al-Siddiq

Umar ibn al-Khattab
Uthman ibn Affan
garrisonLeftInMedina Ali ibn Abi Talib (according to many reports)
linked to: Ali ibn Abi Talib
gregorianYearApprox 630 CE
hijriYear 9 AH
historicalSignificance last major expedition personally led by Muhammad
marked the northern limit of Muhammad’s personally led campaigns
internalEffect test of faith and commitment of the Muslims of Medina
leader Muhammad
location Tabuk
nickname Army of Difficulty
notableFor ending without actual combat
extreme heat
logistical difficulty
long distance from Medina
scarcity of water and provisions
opponent Byzantine Empire
opponentType Byzantine forces and Arab Christian allies (anticipated)
politicalEffect assertion of Muslim authority in northern Hijaz and southern Levant borderlands
demonstration of Muslim military readiness against Byzantium
region northern Arabia
religiousContext Islam
result Byzantines did not engage
Muslim strategic show of force
extension of Muslim influence in northern Arabia
no major battle fought
startingPoint Medina
treaty agreement with the people of Aylah (Eilat)
agreement with the people of Jarba and Adhruh
treaties with local Christian Arab chiefs
tribute jizyah from some northern tribes and towns
typeOfArmy volunteer force from Medina and surrounding tribes

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (4)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Surah At-Tawbah associatedEvent Tabuk expedition
Repentance addressesEvent Expedition of Tabuk
linked to: Tabuk expedition
Tabuk expedition alsoKnownAs Ghazwat Tabuk
linked to: Tabuk expedition
سورة براءة mentionsEvent غزوة تبوك
linked to: Tabuk expedition