Expedition of Tabuk
غزوة تبوك
غزوہ تبوک
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58 local-first recordsHistorical overview
In Rajab 9 AH (630 CE), Prophet Muhammad led an expedition of 30,000 Muslim soldiers north to Tabuk near the Byzantine frontier. Triggered by reports of Byzantine and Ghassanid troop concentrations threatening northern Arabia, the march occurred during severe summer heat and drought, earning the force the title Jaysh al-Usrah (the Army of Hardship). Upon reaching Tabuk, the Muslims found no active Byzantine army arrayed against them. Prophet Muhammad stationed his troops near the spring of Tabuk ('Ayn Tabuk) and established diplomatic alliances with local northern rulers, including Yuhanna ibn Ru'bah of Ailah, as well as the leaders of Jarba, Adhruh, and Maqna, securing the northern borders through peace treaties and jizyah agreements. The expedition demonstrated the growing reach of the Islamic state across the Arabian Peninsula without major bloodshed and solidified control over critical trade routes heading into Bilad al-Sham.
Historical context and how to read this record
This record presents Expedition of Tabuk, dated in the archive as 9 AH / 630 CE and associated with Tabuk, Northern 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
- Archive date: 2026-10-05 · 9 AH / 630 CE
- Recorded setting: Tabuk, Northern Hijaz
- Map feature 1: Arid desert plateau and basalt outcrops
- Map feature 2: Ayn Tabuk oasis basin
- Map feature 3: Northern trade road towards Sham
- Map feature 4: Surrounding sandstone ridge lines
- Schematic marker 1: Muslim Main Camp · Prophet Muhammad · ~30,000 men (3,000 cavalry)
- Schematic marker 2: Delegations of Ailah & Adhruh · Yuhanna ibn Ru'bah · Diplomatic envoys & local garrisons
- Schematic marker 3: Reported Northern Outposts · Local Byzantine Prefects · Dispersed border garrisons
Marker ordering is a reading aid, not a chronological claim about the event.
Forces and commanders
- Muslim Main Camp — Prophet Muhammad (~30,000 men (3,000 cavalry))
- Delegations of Ailah & Adhruh — Yuhanna ibn Ru'bah (Diplomatic envoys & local garrisons)
- Reported Northern Outposts — Local Byzantine Prefects (Dispersed border garrisons)
Geography: water and landscape
- 'Ayn Tabuk (Spring of Tabuk) (oasis)
- Arid desert plateau and basalt outcrops
- Ayn Tabuk oasis basin
- Northern trade road towards Sham
- Surrounding sandstone ridge lines
Sources
- Ibn Hisham, al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah, Vol. 2, pp. 515-537
- Tarikh al-Tabari, Vol. 3, Events of 9 AH
- Al-Waqidi, Kitab al-Maghazi, Vol. 3, pp. 989-1025
- Ibn al-Athir, al-Kamil fi al-Tarikh, Vol. 2