Dhat al-Riqāʿ is close to Nakhl, situated between al-Saʿd and al-Shaqrah.

Al-Wāqidī said: al-Ḍaḥḥāk ibn ʿUthmān related to me from ʿUbayd Allāh ibn Maqsam, from Jābir; and Hishām ibn Saʿd related to me from Zayd ibn Aslam, from Jābir; and Mālik and others, from Wahb ibn Kaysān, from Jābir, who said: A merchant arrived with his wares and bought and sold in the Nabataean market. People asked him, “Where have your goods come from?” He replied, “I brought them from Najd, and I have seen the clans of Anmār and Thaʿlaba mustering troops against you, while you seem unaware of them.”

When the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—heard of this, he set out with 400 of his Companions—some say 700. He took the narrow pass, then emerged into the valley of al-Shaqrah, where he halted for a day and sent out reconnaissance parties. They returned to him at nightfall, reporting that they had met no one, though they had stepped on fresh tracks.

The Prophet then advanced with his Companions until he reached the enemy’s encampments, only to find them deserted; the enemy had fled to the mountains and were watching the Prophet from above. Mutual fear took hold of the two sides, and there the Messenger of Allah led his Companions in the Prayer of Fear.

ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Hishām said: It was called Dhat al-Riqāʿ because they patched their banners during that campaign. He also said that Dhat al-Riqāʿ is the name of a tree in that area. Evidently, there were two separate expeditions.

Shuʿayb reported from al-Zuhrī: Sīnān ibn Abī Sīnān al-Duʾalī and Abū Salamah narrated to me from Jābir that he campaigned with the Messenger of Allah toward Najd, and when he turned back, he turned back