(They question thee (O Muhammad) with regard to warfare in the sacred month…) [2:217].
Abu 'Abd Allah Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah al-Shirazi informed us> Abu'l-Fadl Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah ibn Khimayruwayh al-Harawi> Abu'l-Hasan 'Ali ibn Muhammad al-Khuza'i> Abu'l-Yaman> al-Hakam ibn Nafi'> Shu'ayb ibn Abi Hamzah> al-Zuhri who said: “'Urwah ibn al-Zubayr informed us that the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, sent a military expedition and appointed 'Abd Allah ibn Jahsh al-Asdi as its leader. This expedition proceeded until they reached Nakhlah where they found 'Amr ibn al-Hadrami leading a trade caravan for the Quraysh. That day was the last day of the sacred month. The Muslims were divided in their opinion. Some of them said: 'We know for certain that today belongs to the sacred month, we are of the view that you should not violate it because of greed'. The opinion of those who desired the stuff of this world gained the upper hand; they attacked Ibn al-Hadrami, killed him and seized his camels. Ibn al-Hadrami was the first person to be killed in a fight between the Muslims and the disbelievers. The disbelievers of the Quraysh heard about the incident and sent a delegation to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace. They said to him: 'Do you allow fighting in the sacred month?' As a response, Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse (They question thee (O Muhammad) with regard to warfare in the sacred month…)”.
Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Harithi informed us> 'Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn Ja'far> 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad al-Razi> Sahl ibn 'Uthman> Yahya ibn Abi Za'idah> Muhammad ibn Ishaq> al-Zuhri that he said: “The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, sent 'Abd Allah ibn Jahsh with a group of Emigrants [in a military expedition]. One of the men who accompanied him, 'Abd Allah ibn Waqid al-Laythi, killed one of the disbelievers, 'Amr ibn al-Hadrami, in the last day of Rajab; they also captured two prisoners and seized the camels of the disbelievers. When the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, found out, he told them: 'I did not command you to fight in the sacred month'. But the Quraysh said: 'Muhammad has violated the sacred month'. It was then that was revealed (They question thee (O Muhammad) with regard to warfare in the sacred month) up to His saying (for persecution is worse than killing…), i.e. they were still persecuting you in Allah's Sacred Precinct after you had believed, and this is greater in the sight of Allah than fighting the disbelievers during the sacred month while they still disbelieved in Allah”.
Said al-Zuhri: “When this verse was revealed, the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, kept the camels and agreed to free the two prisoners in exchange of a ransom. Once Allah, exalted is He, had removed the worry that had overcome those who had taken place in the aforementioned military expedition, they longed for Allah's reward. They said: 'O Prophet of Allah! Is it possible that we take part in a military expedition and we do not get the reward that those who fight for the sake of Allah get?' Thereupon, Allah, exalted is He, revealed (Lo! those who believe, and those who emigrate (to escape the persecution) and strive in the way of Allah…) [2:218]”.
Some Qur'anic exegetes said: “The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, sent 'Abd Allah ibn Jahsh - the son of the Prophet's paternal aunt - in the month of Jumada II, two months before the Battle of Badr, and a mere 17 months after his arrival to Medina, [in a military expedition] along with eight men from the Emigrants, namely, Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas al-Zuhri, 'Ukkashah ibn Mahsan al-Asdi, 'Utbah ibn Ghazwan al-Salmi, Abu Hudhayfah ibn 'Utbah ibn Rabi'ah, Suhayl ibn Bayda', 'Amir ibn Rabi'ah, Waqid ibn 'Abd Allah and Khalid ibn Bukayr. He wrote for their leader, 'Abd Allah ibn Jahsh, some instructions and said to him: 'Go, by the name of Allah! But do not read the instructions until you have traversed a distance of two days travel. Once you have traveled for two days, open the letter and read it to your fellow companions, after which you can proceed to what I have commanded you to do. Do not coerce any of your fellow companions to follow you'. 'Abd Allah traveled for two days, after which he dismounted and opened the letter. It read: 'In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. To proceed: Keep going with the grace of Allah, along with whoever follows you from among your fellow companions, until your reach the valley of Nakhlah. There, look out for the caravan of Quraysh, that haply you may bring us some news about it'. When 'Abd Allah read the letter, he said: 'I hear and obey'. After informing his fellow companions about the content of the letter, he told them that the Prophet instructed him not to coerce any one of them to follow him. But when they reached Ma'din, above al-Furu', Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas and 'Utbah ibn Ghazwan lost a camel which they were trailing. They asked permission to stay behind to try to find their camel, and permission was granted to them. 'Abd Allah proceeded with the rest of his fellow companions until they reached the valley of Nakhlah, between Mecca and Medina. As they were waiting there, the camels of Quraysh, which were carrying raisins, tanned skins and some of the merchandise of Ta'if, came their way. The Qurashites who accompanied the caravan included 'Amr ibn al-Hadrami, al-Hakam ibn Kaysan, 'Uthman ibn 'Abd Allah ibn al-Mughirah, Nawfal ibn 'Abd Allah, the latter two being from the Banu Makhzum. When these men saw the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, they became scared. 'Abd Allah ibn Jahsh said: 'They are scared of you. Let one of you shave his head and then go to them. Once they see his shaved head, they will feel safe, thinking that we are pilgrims'. They shaved the head of 'Ukashah who then went to them. When they saw him, they said: 'These are pilgrims, no harm shall come to you', and felt therefore safe. This was on the last day of Jumada II. But they were not absolutely certain whether it was the last day of Jumada II or the first day of Rajab. They deliberated with each other. Some of them said: 'If you let them go tonight, the sacred month will begin and then you will be safe from them'. They all agreed to attack those people. Waqid ibn 'Abd Allah al-Tamimi threw an arrow at 'Amr ibn al-Hadrami and killed him. He was the first idolater to be killed by a Muslim. Al-Hakam and 'Uthman were taken prisoners. These were the first prisoners in Islam. Nawfal, on the other hand, escaped and could not be captured by the Muslims. The believers then led the camels and the two prisoners and went back to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, in Medina. The Quraysh cried: 'Muhammad has violated the sacred month, a month in which the one who is fearful is safe and the period when people spread for their livelihoods. He has shed blood and taken other people's properties as booty in this sacred month'. The people of Mecca heaved abuse at the Muslims who were still among them. They said: 'O apostates! You have violated the sacred month by your engagement in fighting'. The Jews took this incident as a good omen. When the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, heard of this, he said to 'Abd Allah ibn Jahsh and his fellow companions: 'I did not command you to fight in the sacred month', and he suspended his judgement concerning the captured caravan and the two prisoners. Those who took part in this military expedition were mortified; they thought they were doomed and felt utterly helpless. They said: 'O Messenger of Allah! We killed Ibn al-Hadrami and in the evening we saw the moon of Rajab. We do not know therefore whether we had killed him in the month of Jumada II or in Rajab'. People debated this matter a great deal, and then Allah, exalted is He, revealed (They question thee (O Muhammad) with regard to warfare in the sacred month). At that point, the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, kept a fifth of the caravan - this was the first fifth ever taken in Islam - and divided the rest on those who took part in the military expedition, and this became the first booty ever captured in Islam. The people of Mecca then sent for ransom for their prisoners. But the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, said: 'No, we shall wait until Sa'd and 'Utbah come back. If they fail to come back, we will kill the prisoners in retaliation'. When 'Utbah and Sa'd came back, the two prisoners were ransomed”.
As for al-Hakam ibn Kaysan, he later embraced Islam and stayed with the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, in Medina. He was martyred in the Battle of Bi'r Ma'unah. 'Uthman ibn 'Abd Allah went back to Mecca and died there as a disbeliever. Nawfal had forced his horse, at the Battle of the Ditch, to jump over the ditch. He fell with his horse in the ditch, causing his death and the death of his horse. Allah, exalted is He, killed him there and when the idolaters requested to retrieve his corpse in exchange for money, the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give peace, said: “Take him! His corpse is vile and his blood money is vile too”.
This is then the occasion of revelation of the saying of Allah, exalted is He: (They question thee (O Muhammad) with regard to warfare in the sacred month…) as well as that of the subsequent verse.
Asbab Al-Nuzul by Al-Wahidi , trans. Mokrane Guezzou