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caravan at Osheira on its way to Yenbo, but it had passed this point by the time the holy plunderers
reached there.

These rich cargoes were very important to the Muslims, who had hardly any effective equipment
to fight the unbelievers for spreading Islam. So, Muhammad tried to enhance his influence in the territory
of Osheira to make the caravan trade more hazardous for the Meccans. His efforts did bear fruit and a
number of tribes living in the area entered into alliance with them. The initial escape of the caravan seems
to have disturbed the apostolic plan and he became determined to waylay Abu Sufyan on his return
journey. During the espionage activities, the Prophet found his son-in-law, Ali, asleep "on the dusty
ground under the shade of a palm grove". Seeing his face soiled , the Prophet, in a pleasantry, said, "Sit
up, O, Abu Turab", and he sprang up immediately, conscious of his neglect. This became his sobriquet
during the rest of his life. This is why he is called "Ali, Abu Turab".

So alarming was the Prophet's resolve to rob the caravan that his Medinite opponents warned
Abu Sufyan's people at Mecca of the impending danger. Damdam, a swift and efficient courier, was im-
mediately sent to Mecca with the bad news.

As a reconnaissance, Muhammad dispatched two scouts, in early January, to the caravan sta-
tion at Al-Haura. They were well received by the chief of the Juheina tribe, who took suitable measures
to protect their identity. His services were thought so valuable that after the battle of Badr, he was re-
warded with the grant of Yenbo.

It was Sunday, the 12th of Ramadan, when realizing the significance of the caravan, the Prophet
set out on the predatory exercise without waiting for the return of his two spies, who were to brief him
on the situation. It seems that the impatience to possess all that the caravan was carrying, played heavily
on the minds of the Muslims. Hearing tales of the expected rich booty, even some non-Muslim citizens
of Medina tried to join the expedition. Having noticed a couple of them, the Prophet called them to his
camel that he rode and asked them about the nature of their business. They told him that they were hea-
then but as their city had extended protection to him, he ranked as their kinsman and they wanted to join
him for plunder. The Prophet replied that it was meant for the believers only, and the unbelievers were
not allowed to participate in such ventures. He emphasized in no uncertain terms: "Believe and fight".
Since this was the only way to share the loot, they confessed that Muhammad was the Prophet of God.
It is then that they got the permission to join his party.

His army, after necessary adjustments, contained 315 men; amongst them eighty were Refugees
i.e. who had emigrated from Mecca with the Prophet, and of the remainder "about one-fourth belonged
to the Aus, and the rest to the Khazraj". They had two horses and thirty camels which they rode in turns
to overcome tediousness of the long hard journey. In terms of size and equipment, it may not be called
an army, but in effectiveness, even the mighty hosts may not be compared with it because it had no
equal in fervor, ferocity and fortitude. Their newly acquired faith was a novel specimen of moral justice
and piety; being based on Jehad, it did not condemn but commended rapine, rape and ruination of un-
believers and held it as the way to secular success in this life and paradisiac comfort in the next world.
The fervor of such a faith, which obliterated all thoughts of loss, defeat and sin, goaded Allah's warriors
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