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The Bedouin excuse-makers

المعذّرون من الأعراب

October 630 CE · Rajab 9 AH

Medina

Bedouin came making excuses to the Prophet ﷺ, and God did not excuse them, according to Ibn Ishaq; they were reported to him as a group of Banu Ghifar.

Depth

At a glance

Era
The Prophetic Era
Region
Arabia
Review
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In time

620630640
The Prophetic Era · The Rashidun Caliphate

In space

Medina

Map: Natural Earth, public domain · places and route from the graph

Summary

The excuse-makers among the Bedouin came and made their excuses to the Prophet, but God did not accept them, in Ibn Ishaq's words; it was mentioned to him that they were a party of Banu Ghifar. 1

The account

The excuse-makers among the Bedouin came and made their excuses to him, and God did not accept them — in Ibn Ishaq's phrasing. 1

Ibn Ishaq said: it was mentioned to me that they were a party of Banu Ghifar. 1

Markers of weakness and doubt

  • Ibn Ishaq said: "it was mentioned to me that they were a party of Banu Ghifar" — a marker of weak transmission (p. 162).

Connections

Explore the connections

Occurred at
Medina
Part of
The expedition to Tabuk

People and things also explored

al-Jadd ibn Qays asks leave to stay behind· Four believers lag behind without doubt· Some say: do not march in the heat· The builders of the mosque ask the Prophet to pray in it· The Prophet orders the people to prepare to fight the Byzantines· The three who were left behind after Tabuk· The Weepers: seven who asked to be carried· Uthman funds the army of hardship

Sources

  1. al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, al-Saqqa edition (1355/1936) , 4/162
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “The Bedouin excuse-makers”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/bedouin-excuse-makers/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-16.

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al-Jadd ibn Qays asks leave to stay behind

Al-Jadd ibn Qays of Banu Salima asked the Prophet whether he had any part in fighting the Banu al-Asfar, meaning the Byzantines, and excused himself as a man too fond of women who feared temptation; the Prophet turned away from him and gave him leave. Ibn Ishaq says a verse of Sura al-Tawba was revealed about him, explaining that his falling into temptation by staying behind was greater than what he feared.