Expedition of Al-Kudr (Banu Sulaym)

Historical overview

In Shawwal 2 AH (May 624 CE), merely seven days after returning from the Battle of Badr, news reached Medina that the Banu Sulaym and Ghatafan tribes were gathering forces at the watering place of al-Kudr to launch a raid against the Muslim state. In response, Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) rapidly assembled a force of 200 mounted troops and marched towards al-Kudr to preempt the attack. Upon learning of the rapid Muslim advance, the hostiles fled into the surrounding rocky valleys, abandoning their livestock. The Muslim forces secured the site without bloodshed, capturing five hundred camels as spoils of war and maintaining control of the region for three days before returning to Medina. This expedition demonstrated Medina's proactive defence capability and effectively deterred bedouin tribes from launching raids against the fledgling Muslim community.

Historical context and how to read this record

This record presents Expedition of Al-Kudr (Banu Sulaym), dated in the archive as 2 AH / 624 CE and associated with Karkarat al-Kudr, Hijaz. The date, place, summary, named groups, terrain features, and references shown here come from the bundled or published event record. They provide a concise entry point for study, while the linked source notes remain the place to check what each historical or religious text actually reports. A label in the archive is not, by itself, proof that every chronology, number, or interpretation is agreed across historians.

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Record timeline and tactical markers

1. Archive date: 2026-10-07 · 2 AH / 624 CE
2. Recorded setting: Karkarat al-Kudr, Hijaz
3. Map feature 1: Arid central depression around water well
4. Map feature 2: Basalt volcanic outcroppings
5. Map feature 3: Nomadic retreat routes towards Harrah
6. Schematic marker 1: Muslim Cavalry Force · Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) · 200 riders
7. Schematic marker 2: Banu Sulaym Bedouin Host · Tribal leaders of Banu Sulaym · Unknown (scattered)

Marker ordering is a reading aid, not a chronological claim about the event.

Forces and commanders

• Muslim Cavalry Force — Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) (200 riders)
• Banu Sulaym Bedouin Host — Tribal leaders of Banu Sulaym (Unknown (scattered))

Geography: water and landscape

• Karkarat al-Kudr Well (well)
• Arid central depression around water well
• Basalt volcanic outcroppings
• Nomadic retreat routes towards Harrah

Sources

• Ibn Hisham, Sirat Rasul Allah, Vol. 2, pp. 43-44
• Al-Tabari, Tarikh al-Rusul wa al-Muluk, Vol. 2, p. 482
• Al-Waqidi, Kitab al-Maghazi, Vol. 1, pp. 182-184
• Ibn Sa'd, Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, Vol. 2, p. 30

More 3D maps

• Karbala · The Plain of 61 AH
• Battle of Badr · Wells and Two Slopes
• Khaybar · Basalt Harrat and Fortified Oases
• Hijrah Route · Makkah to Madinah
• Najaf & Kufa · The Historic Plain
• Siffin · Euphrates Campaign Landscape