Ghazwat Dhī al-ʿAmar
Ghazwat Dhī al-ʿAmar—also referred to in some sources as Ghazwat Ghatafān or connected with the episode of Dhāt al-Riqāʿ—is an expedition led by the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ in the early Madinan period, generally dated to 3 AH (624–625 CE). It took place in the region of Najd, at a locality known as Dhī al-ʿAmar, associated with tribal groups from Ghatafān. The expedition is situated within a series of movements aimed at preempting potential threats to Madīnah from nomadic tribes in the central Arabian plateau.
The background to this expedition reflects the shifting strategic environment following the Battle of Badr. While the Muslim community in Madīnah had secured an important victory against Quraysh, new concerns emerged regarding tribes in Najd—particularly Ghatafān—who were reported to be mobilizing or considering hostile action. In response, the Prophet ﷺ undertook expeditions designed to project strength, gather intelligence, and deter potential aggression before it could materialize.
According to the sīrah and maghāzī literature, the Prophet ﷺ advanced toward Najd with a contingent of Companions, though reports vary regarding the exact number. Upon reaching the area of Dhī al-ʿAmar, the Muslim force did not encounter a concentrated enemy formation. Instead, members of the local tribes dispersed into the surrounding terrain, avoiding direct confrontation. As a result, no formal battle took place.
Despite the absence of combat, several narrations associated with this expedition are preserved in the ḥadīth literature. Among the most well-known is the report of an attempted attack on the Prophet ﷺ by an individual—often identified as Ghawrath ibn al-Ḥārith—while the Prophet was resting apart from his companions. According to these accounts, the assailant threatened the Prophet with his sword, asking who would protect him. The Prophet ﷺ replied, “Allāh,” whereupon the man’s weapon fell from his hand. The Prophet then spared him, an act frequently cited as an example of composure, trust in God, and clemency under threat. Variations of this report appear in canonical ḥadīth collections, lending it a higher degree of authenticity than the broader narrative framework of the expedition.
Some historical traditions link this campaign with the practice of Ṣalāt al-Khawf (the prayer of fear), suggesting that the circumstances of potential engagement influenced the development or application of this form of prayer. However, the precise association between Dhī al-ʿAmar and Dhāt al-Riqāʿ remains debated among scholars, with differences in dating, location, and narrative details.
From a strategic perspective, Ghazwat Dhī al-ʿAmar exemplifies the Prophet’s approach to security in the Madinan period: proactive movement into areas of potential threat, reliance on mobility and intelligence, and avoidance of unnecessary confrontation when deterrence could be achieved without battle. The dispersal of opposing groups without engagement indicates the effectiveness of this approach in certain contexts.
In the sīrah tradition, the expedition is therefore understood not as a major military encounter, but as part of a broader pattern of consolidation and stabilization. It reflects the extension of Muslim influence into Najd and the management of tribal relations beyond the immediate environs of Madīnah. The associated ḥadīth narratives further enrich its significance by illustrating themes of divine protection, moral restraint, and Prophetic character.
In sum, Ghazwat Dhī al-ʿAmar occupies a modest yet meaningful place in the chronology of the Prophet’s expeditions. While lacking the scale of major battles, it contributes to an understanding of early Islamic statecraft, frontier security, and the integration of spiritual and strategic dimensions in the conduct of the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ.
## References
1 Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad ibn Jarīr al-Ṭabarī, Tārīkh al-Ṭabarī, trans. Syed Muḥammad Ibrāhīm and Ḥabīb al-Raḥmān Ṣiddīqī (Karachi: Nafīs Academy, 1990), 2: 166. 2 Ṣafī al-Raḥmān Mubārakpūrī, al-Raḥīq al-Makhtūm (Urdu) (Lahore: Maktabah al-Salafiyyah, 1995), 330. 3 Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq ibn Yasār and Abū Muḥammad ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Hishām, Sīrat Ibn Hishām, Urdu trans. Syed Yāsīn ʿAlī Ḥusnī Niẓāmī (Lahore: Idārah Islāmiyāt, 1994), 2: 71. 4 Abū ʿUbayd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Saʿd al-Baṣrī, Ṭabaqāt Ibn Saʿd, trans. ʿAbdullāh al-ʿAmadī (Karachi: Dār al-Ishāʿat, 2003), 1: 271. 5 Muhammad b. ʿUmar al-Wāqidī, Kitāb al-Maghāzī, Urdu trans. Sāʾīm Chishtī (Lahore: Chishtī Kutubkhānah, 2024), 1: 33. 6 Qāḍī Muḥammad Sulaymān Salmān Manṣūrpūrī, Wa-mā arsalnāka illā raḥmatan li’l-ʿālamīn (Lahore: Progressive Books, 2022),2: 153.