Ghazwat Dūmat al-Jandal

Another ghazwah is Ghazwat Dūmat al-Jandal. Dūmat al-Jandal is about 450 kilometres north of Madīnah. Al-Wāqidī states: "He therefore" — referring to Muḥammad (peace be upon him) — "he therefore organised his men and left with a force of one thousand Muslims. They travelled by night, keeping under cover by day. He had a guide with him from Banū ʿUdhrah, named Madhkūr, who was a skilled tracker." The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) travels this long distance of 450 kilometres to go and meet with the people of Dūmat al-Jandal, whom he heard were gathering a force to advance towards Madīnah and attack him. So again we can see, again and again, that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) doesn't even give them a chance to march towards him. He would go and meet them on their own territory, and fight with them in their own territory. He wouldn't even allow them to come close to Madīnah, and that is, again, to show the strength of the Muslims.

This happened in the fifth year of the Hijrah, and it was against the tribe of Quḍāʿah, and they ran away when they heard that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) approached. And because the movement of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was stealthy — he was travelling at night and sleeping during the day — he surprised them when they were unaware. He took over some of their cattle, and they just ran away from him; and he stayed there for a few days, and none of them showed up to fight. So the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) comes back victorious.