Expedition of al-Abwa (Waddan)

The expedition of al-Abwa (also called Waddan) was the first expedition the Prophet led in person, in Safar 2 AH (August 623 CE), with seventy men of the Muhajirun; he left Sa'd ibn Ubada in charge of Medina. ¹

The expedition's banner was white, carried by Hamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib; the Prophet went out to intercept a Quraysh caravan as far as the places of Waddan and al-Abwa, meeting neither ambush nor battle. ^{1 2}

On this expedition the Prophet concluded a treaty of alliance and non-belligerence with Amr ibn Makhshi al-Damri, chief of Banu Damra: the Prophet would not raid Banu Damra nor they him, they would aid no one against him and he none against their enemies. The Prophet's absence lasted fifteen nights before he returned to Medina. ^{1 3}