An Islamic Treasury of Virtues
11. Islamic Values
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this and upon his handing over the small amount of
gold he had with him, he was allowed to continue
on his way to Madinah. When the Prophet heard of
what had befallen Suhayb, he said, several times,
“Suhayb has made a good profit!”
(IBN KATHIR,
TAFSIR)
RETREAT AND FIGHT ANOTHER DAY
It was at Mutah, a village situated in present-day
Jordan, that” a battle took place in 8 AH between
the 3,000-strong Muslim and Byzantine forces,
numbering 100,000. Three commanders of the
Muslim army were slain one after another,
whereupon the standard of the Muslims was
handed over to Khalid ibn Walid, who took a
command and knit the ranks together. The enemy
advance was so firmly checked that they drew back
enough for the Muslims to beat an orderly retreat.
Considering it unwise to advance again, Khalid
then returned to Madinah with the one thousand
troops who had survived. As they entered
Madinah, crowds of men and women lined the
route, jeering and throwing dust in their faces as
they passed.
