Tabuk
The far-northern oasis; furthest point and namesake of the final ghazwa.
Hijri 9 AH CE 630 CE
An oasis in the far north of Arabia, ~650 km northwest of Madinah toward the Byzantine frontier — the furthest point reached by a Muslim army in the Prophet’s ﷺ lifetime and the namesake of the Expedition of Tabuk (Rajab 9 AH).
Geography
In the Prophet’s ﷺ day a desert spring; today the largest city of northern Arabia (population 500,000+, a land of gardens) — fulfilling the Prophet’s ﷺ prophecy to Mu’adh ibn Jabal that “this land will become greenery and gardens.”
Significance in the Seerah
- The turning-point of the expedition, where the thirst-stricken Jaysh al-Usrah was saved when water gushed after the Prophet ﷺ washed in the last slither of the spring.
- The Prophet ﷺ camped here ~10–19 days; no battle was fought — the Byzantines/Ghassanids did not appear — but frontier chiefs submitted and paid jizya (e.g. Yuhanna of Ayla).
- It was the last ghazwa of the Prophet’s ﷺ life.
Key events here
- The Expedition of Tabuk (Rajab 9 AH / 630 CE), and the associated story of Ka’b ibn Malik.
Cross-references
The Expedition of Tabuk · The Story of Ka'b ibn Malik (The Three Who Stayed Behind) · Madinah (Yathrib) · The Battle of Mu'tah · Muhammad ﷺ · Seerah Timeline
Sources
- S011 — Yasir Qadhi Seerah EP 087–090. Sahih Bukhari & Muslim (the water miracle; the Mu’adh prophecy); Ibn Ishaq/Ibn Hisham, al-Waqidi.