The ninth year after the Migration
It is called the Year of the Delegations because of the numerous delegations that came to visit him ﷺ
The following were amongst them:
1. the delegation from Najrän, who had come to debate about the Prophethood of ‘Īsā [Jesus]. Their visit led to the Most High’s words, ‘Verily, the example of Īsā in Allah’s sight is like that of Ādam whom He created from dust…’ [Qur’an 3: 59].
Also, the Verse of the Challenge (mubāhalah) was revealed against them, which is His Most High’s words, ‘Whoever l disputes with you regarding him [Isā] after knowledge has om come to you, then say, “Come, let us call our children and your children, our women folk and your women folk, and ourselves and yourselves, and then let us challenge each other by invoking Allah’s curse upon those of us who are lying’ [Qur’an 3: 61];
2. the Bani Tamim delegation. Regarding them, the Qur’anic words were revealed, ‘Verily, most of those who call you from
outside your private rooms have no intelligence’ [Qur’an 49: 4];
3. the Bani Hanifah delegation, and with them was Musaylimah ibn Ḥabīb al-Ḥanafi, who had not yet claimed what he claimed [later]. They departed from the Messenger of Allah, ﷺ and when they reached al-Yamāmah, the enemy of Allah [Musaylimah] apostatised and falsely claimed Prophethood and lied to them;
4. the Tayy’ delegation; among them was Zayd al-Khayl, who was their chief. They accepted Islam and remained true to it. He ﷺ said to him [Zayd], ‘You are Zayd al-Khayr [goodness]. No Arab has been described to me as
ing some virtue, except that I found him to be less than his description upon meeting him; yet the sole exception [to this rule] was Zayd al-Khayl, for he was described by words that did not do him justice’;
5. the Bani Zabīd delegation, headed by ‘Amr ibn Ma’dikarib. They accepted Islam and returned to their land; however, this ‘Amr apostatised after the Prophet ﷺ passed away;
6. the delegation from Yemen, about whom he ﷺ said, ‘The people of Yemen have come to you; they are the most soft and delicate hearted. Faith is Yemeni and wisdom is Yemeni’;
7. the Kindah delegation;
8. the Thaqif delegation, and [many] others.
The Expedition of Tabūk took place this year. It is [also] called ‘the Sole’ (al-Fardah), because it is the only one that took place in that year, and he ﷺ did not embark upon a expedition after it until he passed away. Allah Most High called it ‘the Hour of Difficulty’ because it happened at a time of severe drought, heat and lack of provisions and mounts. wordpress.com
The reason behind it was that when the Prophet ﷺ had finished from military operations against the Arabs, he ﷺ then ordered the people to prepare to attack the Byzantines and encouraged the affluent to assist those who were poor. Upon this encouragement, ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan spent one thousand dinars and [bought] nine-hundred camels and fifty horses for the expedition; thus, he was called ‘the Organiser of the Army of Difficulty.’ The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘O Allah, be pleased with ‘Uthman, for I am pleased with him.’ And he [also] said, ‘There is nothing that ‘Uthman does after today that can harm him.’
Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and stationed his troops on Thaniyyah al-Wadā’, and the Muslims rallied around him; they were seventy thousand, and it has also been said that they were thirty thousand. ‘Abd-Allah ibn Ubayy and those with him stayed behind out of cowardice, hypocrisy and treachery. Regarding them, the Chapter of Dissociation (Surah al-Bara’ah) was revealed, which Ibn ‘Abbas called ‘the Exposer;’ he said, ‘It [the chapter] continued to reiterate, “And amongst them, and amongst them,” until they thought that not one of them had been excluded from it.’ Others remained behind, not out of hypocrisy or treachery, but rather out of the inclination to comfort and lethargy, and they are those whose repentance Allah accepted. There were others who stayed behind, whom Allah Most High excused in His words, ‘There is no sin incurred by the weak, the sick…’ [Qur’an 9: 91].
Aal-e-Qutub Aal-e-Syed Abdullah Shah Ghazi 