…that they enjoyed Allah’s protection even while they neither worshipped Him nor called upon Him; so He made their livelihood harsh and led them far astray in their religion, leaving them in a ẓulf(1)—a cramped, barren corner of the earth—though the clouds passed overhead. Allah then sealed their history with Muhammad, made them the middle nation, strengthened them with those who followed them, and granted them victory over all others—until Allah took His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). At that moment Satan mounted the ride he had been preparing, seized them by the hand, and sought their ruin:
“Muhammad is but a messenger; messengers have passed away before him. If he dies or is killed, will you then turn back on your heels? Whoever turns back on his heels will never harm Allah in the least, and Allah will reward the grateful.” (Qur’an 3:144)
“Those Arabs around you have now withheld their sheep and their camels. Never—though they may claim to have returned to the faith—have they been more grudging toward it than they are today; and never have you been stronger in your religion than you are today, thanks to the abiding blessing of your Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Allah has entrusted you to the All-Sufficient Patron, the One who found him lost and guided him, needy and enriched him:
“You were on the brink of a pit of Fire, and He rescued you from it.” (Qur’an 3:103)
“By Allah, I shall not cease fighting for the cause of Allah until He fulfils His promise, completes His covenant with us, causes those of us who are killed to fall as martyrs destined for Paradise, and leaves those who remain as His vicegerents and the guardians of His progeny upon His earth. This is the true decree of Allah and His word, which never fails:
“Allah has promised those of you who believe and do righteous deeds that He will surely grant them succession in the earth…” (Qur’an 24:55)
Having said this, he descended.
Al-Ḥasan, Qatādah, and others said about the verse,
“O you who believe! Whoever among you turns back from his religion, Allah will bring forth a people whom He loves and who love Him…” (Qur’an 5:54),
that it refers to Abū Bakr and his companions in their battle against the apostates and the withholders of zakat.(2)
Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq said: “When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) died, all the Arabs apostatised except the people of the Two Mosques—Makkah and Madinah. The tribes of Asad and Ghatafān apostatised under Ṭulayḥah ibn Khuwaylid al-Asadī, the soothsayer; Kindah and those near them under al-Ashʿath ibn Qays al-Kindī; Madhḥij and its neighbours under al-Aswad ibn Kaʿb al-ʿAnsī, also a soothsayer; Rabīʿah with al-Maʿrūr ibn al-Nuʿmān ibn al-Mundhir; Ḥanīfah persisted in their error with Musaylimah ibn Ḥabīb, the arch-liar; Sulaym apostatised with al-Fujāʾah, whose name was Anas ibn ʿAbd Yālīl; and Banū Tamīm apostatised with Sajjah the soothsayer.
Al-Qāsim ibn Muḥammad(3) said: “The tribes of Asad, Ghatafān, and Ṭayyʾ rallied behind Ṭulayḥah al-Asadī and dispatched envoys to Madinah. The leading Companions hosted them—everyone except al-ʿAbbās—and then brought them to Abū Bakr with the offer that they would perform the prayer but would not pay zakat. Allah emboldened Abū Bakr to uphold the truth, and he declared, ‘Even if they were to withhold a single hobble-rope, I would fight them.’ He turned them away, and they returned to their clans, informing them of the small numbers in Madinah and whetting their appetite for attack. Abū Bakr therefore stationed guards at the approaches(4) to the city and required the inhabitants of Madinah to be present in the mosque. He said:
‘The land has turned hostile. Their envoys have seen how few you are. You do not know whether they will come by night or by day, and the nearest of them is but a day’s ride away. The people had been hoping that we would agree to their terms…’