Expedition of Dumat al-Jandal
غزوة دومة الجندل
غزوۂ دومة الجندل
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58 local-first recordsHistorical overview
In Rabi' al-Awwal 5 AH (626 CE), Prophet Muhammad led an army of 1,000 Muslims north towards Dumat al-Jandal, a key trade crossroads near the Syrian border. Reports had reached Medina that local Bedouin tribes, prominently Banu Kalb, were intercepting merchant caravans and assembling a force to threaten Medina. To maintain the element of surprise, the Muslim army marched by night and concealed themselves by day. Upon hearing of the rapid Muslim approach, the hostile tribal gathering dispersed into the surrounding mountains and desert, abandoning their herds and supplies. The expedition successfully secured the northern trade route, demonstrated Medina's military reach deep into the northern Arabian frontier, and established local stability without heavy casualties.
Historical context and how to read this record
This record presents Expedition of Dumat al-Jandal, dated in the archive as 5 AH / 626 CE and associated with Dumat al-Jandal, Al-Jawf Region. 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
- Archive date: 2026-10-03 · 5 AH / 626 CE
- Recorded setting: Dumat al-Jandal, Al-Jawf Region
- Map feature 1: Oasis depression valley
- Map feature 2: Rocky limestone plateau
- Map feature 3: Caravan route junction
- Map feature 4: Surrounding desert dunes
- Schematic marker 1: Muslim Advance Corps · Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) · 1,000 soldiers
- Schematic marker 2: Banu Kalb & Allied Tribes · Local chieftains of Banu Kalb · Several scattered tribal contingents
Marker ordering is a reading aid, not a chronological claim about the event.
Forces and commanders
- Muslim Advance Corps — Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) (1,000 soldiers)
- Banu Kalb & Allied Tribes — Local chieftains of Banu Kalb (Several scattered tribal contingents)
Geography: water and landscape
- Dumat al-Jandal Spring Oasis (oasis)
- Local Oasis Wells (well)
- Oasis depression valley
- Rocky limestone plateau
- Caravan route junction
- Surrounding desert dunes
Sources
- al-Tabari, Tarikh al-Rusul wa al-Muluk, Vol. 8, pp. 2-4
- Ibn Hisham, al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah, Vol. 2, pp. 213-214
- al-Waqidi, Kitab al-Maghazi, Vol. 1, pp. 402-404