Expedition of Rabigh
سرية رابغ
c. April 623 CE · Shawwal 1 AH
An expedition led by Ubayda ibn al-Harith in Shawwal 1 AH with 60 Muhajirun; witnessed the first arrow shot in Islam by Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas and the defection of al-Miqdad and Utba ibn Ghazwan to the Muslims.
At a glance
- Era
- The Prophetic Era
- Region
- Arabia
- Review
- Draft Completeness 2/5 · Help complete it
In time
Sides
Summary
In Shawwal 1 AH (April 623 CE) the Prophet sent a second detachment under his cousin Ubayda ibn al-Harith ibn al-Muttalib with sixty riders of the Muhajirun; they met a company of Quraysh at Batn Rabigh. 1
The encounter and the shooting
The detachment's banner was white, carried by Mistah ibn Uthatha; over Quraysh was Abu Sufyan Sakhr ibn Harb (or, it is said, Ikrima ibn Abi Jahl) with two hundred riders. 1 2
The two sides exchanged arrows without drawing swords; Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas shot the polytheists with an arrow — the first arrow shot in God's cause in Islam. 1
The two Companions' defection
The detachment witnessed the joining of two Companions who had come out with Mecca's army as a means of escape: al-Miqdad ibn Amr al-Bahrani and Utba ibn Ghazwan al-Mazini crossed over to the Muslims and returned with them to Medina. 1 3
Connections
- Occurred at
- Rabigh
- Had participant
- Ubayda ibn al-HarithSa'd ibn Abi Waqqasal-Miqdad ibn AmrUtba ibn GhazwanMistah ibn UthathaAbu Sufyan ibn HarbThe MuhajirunQuraysh
- Part of
- The Prophetic Era
People and things also explored
The Battle of BadrExpedition of NakhlaMeccaThe Battle of UhudExpedition of al-KharrarExpedition of al-SawiqExpedition of BuwatThe Muhajirun
Sources
- al-Raheeq al-Makhtum — Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri, p. 198
- Zad al-Ma'ad — Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, 2/84
- al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, 1/597
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “Expedition of Rabigh”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/expedition-of-rabigh/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-12.