Wa `alaikum assalamu wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh

Dear questioner, thank you very much for your important question.

The Arab history records some conflicts that occurred during the lifetime of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and before his assuming Prophethood. These troubles happened between Quraish and other Arab tribes and involved armed confrontations which violated the sanctity of the sacred House, i.e. the Ka`bah. The Prophet (peace be upon him) participated in some of these battles and defended his tribe and the Ka`bah bravely.

The war in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) participated is one entitled “The Fijar War”. “This war began with a trifling dispute and escalated into an all-out war. A man named `Urwah Ar-Rahhal ibn `Utbah ibn Hawazin granted his protection to Nu`man ibn Al-Mundhir and his trading caravan, which was travelling to the marketplace of Ukadh. Al-Barradh ibn Qays ibn Kinanah said to `Urwah, "Will you protect him against the Kinanah tribe?" `Urwah said, "Yes, and for that matter, I will protect him against all of mankind.' When `Urwah set out with Nu`man and his trading caravan, Al-Barradh followed close behind, waiting for an opportune moment to ambush `Urwah and kill him by surprise.

Al-Barradh's tribe, the Kinanah, found out about what was happening, and so they too followed in close pursuit, hoping to take their stronger adversaries from the Hawazin tribe by surprise. When `Urwah and the Hawazin found out that they were being followed, they turned around and headed towards the Kinanah tribe, now becoming the hunters instead of the hunted.

They overtook the Kinanah tribe before they were able to enter the inviolable city of Makkah, and the two tribes fought until nightfall, at which time the members of the Kinanah tribe were able to enter Makkah. Since Arabs considered Makkah to be holy, the Hawazin tribe did not pursue their enemy. But on the following day, the fighting began anew, except that this time around, Quraish entered into the fray, lending their support to the Kinanah tribe. In the battles that ensued, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) participated alongside the Quraish, albeit playing a minor role. The word Fijar means wickedness. The reason why the war was given this name is that the inviolability of Makkah was being defiled, and Arabs considered any defilement of Makkah's sanctity to be a wicked and heinous crime. When he mentioned the war later on his life, the Prophet said, "I used to hand arrows to my uncles." At the time, the Prophet (peace be upon him) was either fourteen or fifteen years old; however, it has been said that he was twenty years old.

Then, Al-Fudul Alliance was formed after the Quraish returned from the Fijar War. It was concluded in Dhul-Qi`dah, one of the four inviolable months, and those who were present pledged and swore by Allah that they would be as one hand in their support of any victim against his wrongdoer.

Fudul was an appropriate name for the alliance since Fudul comes from the word Fadl, which means nobility, superiority, and virtue. The Prophet (peace be upon him) who was present at the above-mentioned meeting, said later on in his life, ''When I was a boy, I attended the Al-Mutayyibin Alliance (i.e., the Fudul Alliance) with my uncles. I would not love to have even red camels as a recompense for me breaking (the terms) of that alliance." The owner of red camels during those times would today be equivalent to a millionaire. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said in another Hadith, "I was present in the house of Abdullah ibn Jud`an when an alliance (i.e., the Fudul Alliance) was formed, and I would not love to have in place of that alliance red camels. And if I were invited by it in Islam, I would answer it."

_________________

Source: Taken with modifications from the book entitled “The Noble Life of Prophet Muhammad” by Dr. Ali Muhammad As-Sallabi