Reports on Taif

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) besieged the people of al-Ta'if but gained nothing from them, so he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "We will go back tomorrow." The Muslims said: "Shall we go back when we have not conquered it?" At this the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "(Then) fight in the morning." So the Companions fought in the morning, and it was they who were wounded. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "We will set off back tomorrow." This pleased the Companions, and at this he (peace and blessings be upon him) smiled.

Sayyiduna Abd al-Rahman bin Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had conquered Makkah, he (peace and blessings be upon him) set out for al-Ta'if, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) besieged the people of al-Ta'if for eighteen or nineteen (days) but could not conquer al-Ta'if. Then one morning or one evening he (peace and blessings be upon him) pressed the siege hard. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) made camp, and at midday he (peace and blessings be upon him) set off, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O people! I will reach (the destination) before you, so I enjoin you to treat my family (itrah) well. And know for certain that the place of my appointment with you is the Pool. By the One in whose hand is my soul, they will most certainly establish the prayer and will most certainly pay the zakah, or I will send to them a man from me, or like myself, who will strike the necks of their fighters and take their offspring captive." The narrator says: The people thought that this man would be Sayyiduna Abu Bakr or Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both). But the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) took the hand of Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: "That man is this one."

It is narrated from Abu al-Zubayr that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) besieged the people of al-Ta'if. Then his (peace and blessings be upon him) Companions came to him (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! The arrows of Banu Thaqif have burned us, so pray to Allah Almighty against them." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Allah! Guide Banu Thaqif." He said this twice. The narrator says: Then Sayyidah Khawlah (may Allah be pleased with her) came to him (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "I have been informed that the daughter of Khuza'ah has many ornaments. So if Allah Almighty grants you the conquest of al-Ta'if tomorrow, please give me her ornaments as a gift." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "What if Allah Almighty has not given us permission to fight them?" At this a man, who in our opinion was Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! Why have you camped against a people concerning whom you have not been given permission to fight?" The narrator says: Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered the people to depart, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) (came and) halted at al-Ji'ranah, and there he (peace and blessings be upon him) distributed the spoils of Hunayn. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) entered from there for Umrah, and then (after the Umrah) he (peace and blessings be upon him) went to Madinah al-Munawwarah.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that on the day of al-Ta'if, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) set free every slave of the polytheists who came out to him (peace and blessings be upon him).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that two slaves came out to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) on the day of al-Ta'if, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) set them both free. One of them was Sayyiduna Abu Bakrah (may Allah be pleased with him). So these two were his (peace and blessings be upon him) mawali (freed slaves).

Abdullah bin Shaqiq narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) besieged Wadi al-Qura.

It is narrated from Abdullah bin Sinan that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) besieged the people of al-Ta'if for twenty-five days, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed against them after every prayer.

Ubaydullah bin Mu'ayyah narrates that two men were wounded on the day of al-Ta'if. The narrator says: They were brought to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and he (peace and blessings be upon him) was told about them. He (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered concerning them that they be buried right where they were found and killed.

Abu Bakr bin Abi Zuhayr al-Thaqafi narrates from his father that he heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) delivering a sermon at al-Naba' or al-Nabawah, and al-Nabawah is part of al-Ta'if. He (peace and blessings be upon him) was saying in his sermon: "Soon you will distinguish the people of Paradise from the people of Hell, and your best people from your worst." The people said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! By what means?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "By good praise and by bad praise. You are the witnesses of Allah on the earth."

Abd al-Malik narrates that while the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was besieging Banu Thaqif, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Since I camped at this place, I have not seen the angel." The narrator says: (On hearing this) Sayyidah Khawlah bint Hakim al-Sulamiyyah (may Allah be pleased with her) went and told this to Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). Sayyiduna Umar came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and mentioned Khawlah's words to him (peace and blessings be upon him), and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Khawlah speaks the truth." Then Sayyiduna Umar advised him (peace and blessings be upon him) to depart, so he (peace and blessings be upon him) departed.

It is narrated from Amr bin Shu'ayb that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) returned from Hunayn after al-Ta'if, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Hand in (even) the needle and thread, for embezzlement from the spoils is Hellfire, and for the one who embezzles it is disgrace and humiliation on the Day of Resurrection." Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) took hold of a hair of a camel and said: "Not even this is mine from this wealth of yours, except the fifth, and even the fifth (in the end) goes back to you."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came from al-Ta'if, he (peace and blessings be upon him) halted at al-Ji'ranah, and there he (peace and blessings be upon him) distributed the spoils. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) performed Umrah from that same place. This took place before the last two nights of Shawwal.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him) that on the day of al-Ta'if he came to own some of his maternal aunts, (but) those aunts then became free from him because they had come into his ownership.