The siege of Ta'if took place in 630, as the Muslims under the leadership of

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 Common Era, CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Muhammad in Islam, Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet Divine inspiration, di ...

besieged the city of

Ta'if Taif ( ar, , translit=aṭ-Ṭāʾif, lit=The circulated or encircled, ) is a city and governorate in the Makkan Region of Saudi Arabia. Located at an elevation of in the slopes of the Hijaz Mountains, which themselves are part of the Sarat M ...

after their victory in the battles of Hunayn and Autas. One of the chieftains of Ta'if,

Urwah ibn Mas'ud Urwa or Urwah or "Orwah" is a given name of Arabic origin meaning strong support. It may refer to: People * Urwa ibn al-Ward (555–607), pre-Islamic poet * Urwah ibn Mas'ud, semi-legendary chieftain of Taif * Urwah ibn Zubayr (died 713), tabi ...

, was absent in

Yemen Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...

during that siege.The Year of Deputations and Abu Bakr's Leadership of the Pilgrimage
/ref> However, the city did not succumb to the siege. Muhammad brought

trebuchet A trebuchet (french: trébuchet) is a type of catapult that uses a long arm to throw a projectile. It was a common powerful siege engine until the advent of gunpowder. The design of a trebuchet allows it to launch projectiles of greater weigh ...

s
Philosophers of War: The Evolution of History's Greatest Military Thinkers [2 Volumes]: The Evolution of History's Greatest Military Thinkers
'. ABC-CLIO; 21 October 2013. . p. 2. and testudos to use against the fortress, but was unable to penetrate it with these weapons.

Battle

Sunni sources state the following regarding the siege of Ta'if: :

Abu Sufyan ibn Harb Sakhr ibn Harb ibn Umayya ibn Abd Shams ( ar, صخر بن حرب بن أمية بن عبد شمس, Ṣakhr ibn Ḥarb ibn Umayya ibn ʿAbd Shams; ), better known by his '' kunya'' Abu Sufyan ( ar, أبو سفيان, Abū Sufyān), was a prominent ...

lost his first eye in the siege of Ta'if. He told Muhammad of his loss for God to which Muhammad said ''“Which would you prefer: An eye in heaven or shall I pray to Allah that He brings it back?” ''To this Abu Sufyan said he would rather have his eye in heaven. He lost his other eye in the

Battle of Yarmouk The Battle of the Yarmuk (also spelled Yarmouk) was a major battle between the army of the Byzantine Empire and the Muslim forces of the Rashidun Caliphate. The battle consisted of a series of engagements that lasted for six days in August 636, ...

Blockade of Ta'if

A few unsuccessful tries were made by Muhammad's forces to break through the gates of Ta'if. Muhammad may have even used the Roman Testudo formation in this siege, but it was reported that the inhabitants of Ta'if were able to break this siege by dropping hot irons upon the Muslim armies from the city walls. Muhammad allegedly told the people of Ta'if that he would burn and cut down their vineyard, as he saw no other way to make them surrender. Muhammad angered the citizens of Ta'if by offering freedom to slaves who surrendered themselves to Islam. However, only ten people were able to avail themselves of this option and become followers of Muhammad. The siege went on for half a month with little change and soldiers became very impatient. Following consultation with advisors and a prophetic dream, Muhammad ended the siege and withdrew his forces. To aid in the siege of Ta'if, Muhammad sought to get the chief of the Banu Hawazan (called Malik) on his side, and promised the release of his family and the return of all his property if Malik embraced Islam. Malik accepted the offer and became a Muslim, aiding Muhammad in his blockade of Ta'if. Malik disrupted the ability of the citizens of Ta'if to graze their cattle outside of the city, further increasing the difficulty of life inside the walls.

Aftermath

Although the siege was unsuccessful, Muhammad vowed to return to Ta'if after the sacred months in which fighting was forbidden were over. During this period, the inhabitants of

, the

Banu Thaqif The Banu Thaqif ( ar, بنو ثقيف, Banū Thaqīf) is an Tribes of Arabia, Arab tribe which inhabited, and still inhabits, the city of Ta'if and its environs, in modern Saudi Arabia, and played a prominent role in early Islamic history. Durin ...

, sent a delegation to Mecca. They demanded that Muhammad let them continue to worship their goddess

Al-lāt Al-Lat ( ar, اللات, translit=Al-Lāt, ), also spelled Allat, Allatu and Alilat, is a pre-Islamic Arabian goddess worshipped under various associations throughout the entire Arabian Peninsula, including Mecca where she was worshipped alongs ...

for a period of three years, yet had conspired to have him assassinated. When this conspiracy was discovered, and their ambush failed, Muhammad refused the proposal and would only accept their surrender if they agreed to disarm. Eventually the Banu Thaqif consented to Muhammad's request, so they then surrendered and allowed the Muslims into their city.

Participants

Sahaba.net :: Stories of the Companions - An Eye Now or an Eye in Heaven?
*

Tufayl ibn Amr Al-Ṭufayl ibn ʿAmr al-Dawsī (Arabic: الطفيل بن عمرو الدوسي) (died 633) was the chief of the Banu Daws tribe from Tihama in pre-Islamic times. Career He accepted Islam around four years before the hijra in 622 CE and helped ...

Campaigns of Hunayn and al Ta'if
/ref>

References

{{coord missing, Saudi Arabia

Taif Taif ( ar, , translit=aṭ-Ṭāʾif, lit=The circulated or encircled, ) is a city and governorate in the Makkan Region of Saudi Arabia. Located at an elevation of in the slopes of the Hijaz Mountains, which themselves are part of the Sarat M ...

630