In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.
*Al-Mukhtasar fi al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah* (The Abridged Prophetic Biography),
Authored by Shaykh Musa ibn Rashid al-'Azimi,
May Allah preserve him.
The Expedition of al-Ta'if.
Imam al-Bukhari said in his *Sahih*:
"Chapter: The Expedition of al-Ta'if,
in Shawwal of the eighth year [of the Hijrah]."
This was stated by Musa ibn 'Uqbah.
Al-Hafiz [Ibn Hajar] said in *Fath al-Bari*:
"Thus he mentioned it in *Al-Maghazi*,
and it is the view of the majority of the scholars of military expeditions."
The reason for the expedition:
Ibn Ishaq said:
When Thaqif arrived in al-Ta'if,
they locked the gates of their city against them
and prepared fortresses and equipment for battle.
The Prophet's march to al-Ta'if:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) marched to al-Ta'if
as soon as he concluded the Battle of Hunayn,
and he laid siege to them.
Imam Muslim recorded in his *Sahih*
on the authority of Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
"Then we departed for al-Ta'if
and besieged them for forty nights."
Yet Allah, Glorified and Exalted, did not grant His Messenger (peace be upon him) permission to conquer al-Ta'if at that time,
and that was after several attempts by the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) to conquer it.
The two Shaykhs [al-Bukhari and Muslim] recorded in their *Sahih*s
on the authority of 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said:
"The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) besieged the people of al-Ta'if,
but he did not achieve anything against them.
So he said:
'We are returning, if Allah wills.'
That is, turning back.
His Companions said, 'Shall we return without having conquered it?'
So the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said to them:
'Go out to fight in the morning.'
They went out to fight in the morning and suffered many wounds.
So the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said to them:
'We are returning tomorrow.'
That pleased them,
and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) smiled."
Al-Hafiz [Ibn Hajar] said in *Fath al-Bari*:
"The upshot of the report is
that when he first informed them of returning without conquest, they were displeased.
When he saw that, he commanded them to fight.
Yet victory was not granted to them,
and they suffered wounds
because the enemy shot at them from atop the fortress wall;
they struck them with their arrows,
while the Muslims' arrows could not reach those on top of the wall.
When they saw that,
the wisdom of returning became evident to them.
So when he reiterated the decision to return,
it pleased them then.
For this reason, the narrator said:
'He smiled.'"
Praying for the guidance of the people of al-Ta'if:
When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) intended
to withdraw from al-Ta'if,
he prayed for its people to be guided.
Imam Ahmad recorded in his *Musnad* with an authentic chain of narration
on the authority of Jabir ibn 'Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said:
"The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
'O Allah, guide Thaqif!'"
In another wording in *Jami' al-Tirmidhi*,
on the authority of Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
"They said, 'O Messenger of Allah,
the arrows of Thaqif have burnt us,
so pray to Allah against them.'
But the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
'O Allah, guide Thaqif!'"
The Prophet's return
and the distribution of the spoils of Hunayn:
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) returned
to al-Ji'ranah, waiting for Thaqif,
hoping that they might accept Islam
and thereby recover the captive women and offspring taken from them.
When their arrival was delayed,
he proceeded to distribute the spoils of Hunayn among the Muslims.
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) began
with those whose hearts were to be reconciled,
who were prominent chieftains of the Arabs,
reconciling their hearts toward Islam through these gifts.
Imam Muslim recorded in his *Sahih*
on the authority of Rafi' ibn Khadij (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
"The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) gave
Abu Sufyan ibn Harb,
Safwan ibn Umayyah,
'Uyaynah ibn Hisn,
and al-Aqra' ibn Habis,
each one of them one hundred camels."
Imam Muslim recorded in his *Sahih*,
as well as Imam Ahmad and al-Tirmidhi,
on the authority of Safwan ibn Umayyah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
"The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) gave to me on the day of Hunayn,
while he was the most hated of creation to me.
Yet he kept giving to me
until he became the most beloved of creation to me."
And the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) gave
Hakim ibn Hizam (may Allah be pleased with him) one hundred camels.
The two Shaykhs recorded in their *Sahih*s
on the authority of Hakim ibn Hizam (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
"I asked the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) [for wealth], and he gave me;
I asked him again, and he gave me;
then I asked him again, and he gave me.
Then he said:
'O Hakim, this wealth is indeed green and sweet.
Whoever takes it with generosity of soul will be blessed in it,
but whoever takes it with an eager, covetous soul will not be blessed in it,
and he will be like the one who eats and is never satisfied.
And the upper hand is better than the lower hand.'
Hakim said: 'I said, "O Messenger of Allah,
by the One Who sent you with the truth,
I shall never take anything from anyone after you until I depart this world!"'
Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) used to
invite Hakim to take his stipends,
but he would refuse to accept anything from him.
Then 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) invited him to give him his share,
but he refused to accept anything from him.
Thereupon 'Umar said:
'I call you to witness, O assembly of Muslims, regarding Hakim,
that I offer him his rightful share of this state revenue (*fay'*),
but he refuses to take it.'
Thus Hakim never accepted anything from anyone after the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
until he passed away."
Al-Hafiz [Ibn Hajar] said in *Fath al-Bari*:
"Hakim only refrained from taking the stipend,
despite it being his rightful due,
because he feared accepting something from anyone and thereby becoming accustomed to it,
leading his soul beyond what he desired;
so he weaned his soul from it
and left that which brought doubt for that which did not."
And there crowded around the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
those weak in faith from among the new Muslims of the Conquest and others.
Imam Ahmad recorded in his *Musnad* with a good chain of narration
on the authority of 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
"The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) distributed
the spoils of Hunayn at al-Ji'ranah,
and the people crowded around him.
So the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
'Indeed, a servant from among the servants of Allah
was sent by Allah, Mighty and Majestic, to his people,
but they rejected him and wounded his head.
He began wiping the blood from his forehead, saying:
"O Lord, forgive my people,
for they know not."'
'Abdullah said:
'It is as though I am still looking at the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
wiping his forehead,
demonstrating the Prophet's actions.'"
Imam Muslim recorded in his *Sahih*
on the authority of Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
"A man asked the Prophet (peace be upon him)
for a flock of sheep filling the valley between two mountains,
and he gave it to him.
The man returned to his people and said:
'O my people, embrace Islam!
For by Allah, Muhammad
gives gifts like one who does not fear poverty!'
Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
'A man might accept Islam seeking nothing but worldly gain,
yet no sooner had he embraced Islam than it became dearer to him than the world and all that is in it.'"
Imam al-Nawawi said:
"What is meant is that he initially displayed Islam for worldly gain,
without a sincere intention in his heart;
then, through the blessing of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the light of Islam,
it was not long before his heart expanded with true faith,
which firmly established itself within him,
making Islam then dearer to him than the world and everything in it."
*Al-Mukhtasar fi al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah* (The Abridged Prophetic Biography).
Though all the world's longing for one another may endure,
longing for you exceeds all bounds and measure.
May Allah send blessings upon you as long as the call to prayer is raised,
and lips move with remembrance of the Everlasting.