The raid on Amarr ( ar, غزوة ذي أمر), also known as the Raid on Ghatafan, occurred directly after the

Invasion of Sawiq The Invasion of Sawiq occurred after the Quraysh's defeat in the Battle of Badr. After suffering the ignominious defeat at the Battle of Badr, Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, the Quraysh leader, vowed that he would not bathe until he avenges his defeat. ...

in the year A.H. 3 of the Islamic calendar, March 624. The expedition was ordered by

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 ...

after he received intelligence that the Banu Muharib and Banu Thalabah tribes were planning to raid the outskirts of

Madinah Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the Holiest sites in Islam, second-holiest city in Islam, ...

. Therefore, Muhammad launched a pre-emptive strike with 450 men. When the enemies heard of the imminent arrival of Muhammad, they quickly fled. The Muslims also captured a man who later converted to Islam and acted as their guide. This event is mentioned in

Ibn Hisham Abū Muḥammad ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Hishām ibn Ayyūb al-Ḥimyarī al-Muʿāfirī al-Baṣrī ( ar, أبو محمد عبدالملك بن هشام ابن أيوب الحميري المعافري البصري; died 7 May 833), or Ibn Hisham, e ...

's biography of Muhammad, and other historical sources.Ibn Hisham 2/44 and 45. Note: Book contains a list of battles of Muhammad in Arabic, English translation availabl
here
/ref>

Background

A month after the

, Muhammad learnt that some clans of the

Ghatafan The Ghaṭafān ( ar, غطفان) were an Arab tribal confederation originally based northeast of Medina. The main branches of the Ghatafan were the tribes of Banu Abs, Banu Dhubyan and Ashja'. They were one of the Arab tribes that interacted wi ...

tribesmen had gathered troops at Dhu Amar in Nejd. So, Muhammad led an expedition of 450 fighters to search out the enemy and disperse them. He left

Uthman Uthman ibn Affan ( ar, عثمان بن عفان, ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān; – 17 June 656), also spelled by Colloquial Arabic, Turkish and Persian rendering Osman, was a second cousin, son-in-law and notable companion of the Islamic proph ...

in charge of Medina. This was the largest military exercise led by Muhammad prior to the

Battle of Uhud The Battle of Uhud ( ar, غَزْوَة أُحُد, ) was fought on Saturday, 23 March 625 AD (7 Shawwal, 3 AH), in the valley north of Mount Uhud.Watt (1974) p. 136. The Qurayshi Meccans, led by Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, commanded an army of 3,000 m ...

Raid

However, the enemy got wind of Muhammad’s departure and took to hiding. Muhammad’s army was able to capture one man who gave information about the Ghatafan’s hideout. The enemy soon heard of Muhammad’s approach and they took sanctuary on the tops of the hills.

Attempted assassination

Attempted assassination in Quran

According to the Muslim scholar Sami Strauch, it is reported in

Sahih Bukhari Sahih al-Bukhari ( ar, صحيح البخاري, translit=Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī), group=note is a ''hadith'' collection and a book of '' sunnah'' compiled by the Persian scholar Muḥammad ibn Ismā‘īl al-Bukhārī (810–870) around 846. Al ...

that it was raining, and Muhammad took his garments off and hung them on a tree to dry, while the enemy was watching,

Ghwarath ibn al-Harith Ghawrath ibn al-Harith also known as Du'thar ibn al-Harith was a companion (Sahaba) of Muhammad. He was the first person to try and assassinate Muhammad during the Invasion of Dhi Amr. Assassination attempt According to Muslim scholar Sami Str ...

went to attack Muhammad. He threatened Muhammad with his sword and said "Who will protect you from me on this day?" Then according to Muslim scholars the Angel

Gabriel In Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), Gabriel (); Greek: grc, Γαβριήλ, translit=Gabriḗl, label=none; Latin: ''Gabriel''; Coptic: cop, Ⲅⲁⲃⲣⲓⲏⲗ, translit=Gabriêl, label=none; Amharic: am, ገብር� ...

came and thumped Ghawrath in the chest and forced him to drop his sword. Muhammad then picked up the sword and said "Who will protect you from me?" Ghawrath replied: "No one, and I testify there is no God worthy of worship but Allah" and he then converted to Islam. The Quran says regarding this incident: Muhammad spent 11 days on this expedition and then returned to Medina.

Attempted assassination in Hadith

Sahih al Bukhari mentions this incident:

Attempted assassination in Biographical literature

This incident is also mentioned in

Ibn Sa'd Abū ‘Abd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Sa‘d ibn Manī‘ al-Baṣrī al-Hāshimī or simply Ibn Sa'd ( ar, ابن سعد) and nicknamed ''Scribe of Waqidi'' (''Katib al-Waqidi''), was a scholar and Arabian biographer. Ibn Sa'd was born in 784/785 C ...

Kitab Al-tabaqat Al-Kabir, Volume 2.{{cite book, last=Sa'd, first=Ibn, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_vnXAAAAMAAJ&q=dried, title=Kitab al-tabaqat al-kabir,By Ibn Sa'd,Volume 2, year=1967, publisher=Pakistan Historical Society, asin=B0007JAWMK, pages=40, quote=So the apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him, put off his two garments and spread them on a tree to be dried and lay himself down (for rest). In the meantime a man from the enemy called Du'that ibn al-Harith came with a sword"

Notes

624 Campaigns led by Muhammad Angelic apparitions