The second pledge of al-Aqaba

In the pilgrimage season of the thirteenth year of the mission, June 622 CE, some seventy men of Yathrib came with the pilgrims of their people, and agreed with the Prophet to gather in the glen at al-Aqaba in the middle of the days of Tashriq, by night and in complete secrecy. ¹ It was called the Greater Pledge of al-Aqaba. ²

Ka'b ibn Malik relates that they concealed their affair from the polytheists of their people, and invited Abd Allah ibn Amr ibn Haram to Islam, and he accepted Islam and attended al-Aqaba and was a chief. They then went out after a third of the night, slipping away like sand grouse, and gathered in the glen; they were seventy-three men and two women. ^{1 3}

The Prophet attended with his uncle al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, who was then of his people's religion, and wished to attend his nephew's affair and secure it for him. He was the first to speak, telling the Khazraj that Muhammad was of their side, as they knew, and that they had protected him from his people. If they thought they would fulfil what they invited him to and protect him from those who opposed him, let them take that upon themselves; but if they thought they would hand him over after leaving, let them leave him now. ³ They said they had heard what he said and asked that the Prophet speak. ³

Ahmad relates from Jabir the terms: to hear and obey in ease and in laziness; to spend in hardship and in ease; to command right and forbid wrong; to stand up for God and not fear the blame of any blamer; and to support the Prophet when he came to them and protect him from what they protect themselves, their wives and their sons, and for them is Paradise. ⁴ In Ibn Ishaq's account al-Bara' ibn Ma'rur took his hand and said they would protect him from what they protect their loincloths; Abu al-Haytham ibn al-Tayyihan asked about the ropes between them and the Jews, and whether the Prophet would then return to his people. The Prophet said: "Blood for blood, destruction for destruction; I am of you and you are of me; I fight whom you fight and make peace with whom you make peace." ⁴

Al-Abbas ibn Ubada ibn Nadla stood up and told them that they were pledging to fight the red and the black; if they were going to hand him over after their wealth was exhausted and their notables killed, let them leave him now. They said they would take him on those terms, and that for them was Paradise. ⁵ As'ad ibn Zurara stood up and said: "Gently, people of Yathrib; we did not drive the bellies of camels to him except that we knew he was the Messenger of God; if you can endure this, take him; if you fear for yourselves, leave him." ⁵

The pledge began with the handshake, and As'ad was the first to take the Prophet's hand. They said to As'ad: take your hand from us, for by God we will not abandon this pledge nor revoke it. ⁵-⁶ The Prophet took the general pledge, and the pledge of the two women was by word, for he never shook hands with a woman who was not lawful to him. ⁶ Then he asked for twelve chiefs, nine from the Khazraj and three from the Aws, and told them they were guarantors over their people, as the disciples were guarantors for Jesus, and that he was guarantor over his people. ⁶-⁷

When the agreement was complete and the people were about to disperse, a devil cried out from a height with the loudest voice: "O people of al-Akhashib, is there anything for you in Muhammad and the Sabi'a with him? They have gathered to fight you." The Prophet said: "This is the devil of the Aqaba." Then he ordered them to go back to their camps. ^{7 8} Al-Abbas ibn Ubada offered that they fall upon the people of Mina with their swords the next day, but the Prophet said he had not been commanded to do that, and ordered them back; they slept until morning. ⁹

• The book says that some of the Banu Abd al-Ashhal attributed the leading role to Abu al-Haytham ibn al-Tayyihan; Ka'b said it was al-Bara' ibn Ma'rur; the book holds that the first was As'ad ibn Zurara. ⁶