The spoils of war remained undivided and the Prophet (sa) wished it to remain that way for the time being as he could, no doubt, expect to receive a deputation from the Hawazin requesting leniency and return of some of the confiscated property. However, Allah had decreed in the Koran that the Prophet (sa) should receive one fifth of the spoils and until he disposed of its responsibility it remained a burden to him for he was never one to hoard wealth. Allah had also instructed that charity should be spent on those attracted to belief and this applied to the new converts from the Koraysh whose faith needed to be strengthened and encouraged.

"The obligatory charity shall be only for the poor and the needy and those who work to collect it, and to influence hearts (to belief) and for ransoming captives, and debtors in the Way of Allah and the destitute traveler. It is an obligation from Allah. Allah is Knowing, Wise." Koran 9:60

From the vast herd of twenty-four thousand camels the Prophet (sa) gave Abu Sufyan a hundred camels who then asked for a hundred camels each of his two sons Yazid and Muawiyah.

The Upper Hand Is Better Than the Lower.

Lady Khadijah's nephew, Hakim, was given a hundred camels and asked for two hundred more to be added. The Prophet (sa) agreed but told him that whosoever took it in charity of his soul would be blessed by it, but whosoever took it for pride of his soul would not be blessed by it, and that he would become like one who eats but is never satisfied. The Prophet (sa) continued to advise him that the upper hand is better than the lower and that he should begin his giving with his family on account of their dependency upon him.

Hakim was deeply moved by the Prophet's advice and told him that from now onward he would not accept anything from anyone else other than he. He also retracted his additional request for the extra two hundred camels. Safwan and Suhail were among those mentioned as eligible recipients in the Koran and were also given a hundred camels as were others of similar inclination.

The Conversion of Safwan

Later that day Safwan, who had already received his camels, rode together with the Prophet (sa) through the valley. In one part of the valley there was a pass which was particularly lush with vegetation and it was there that some of the herds had been taken to graze.

It was indeed a beautiful, refreshing sight to see such an abundance of grazing livestock. The Prophet (sa) noticed how taken Safwan was by the sight and asked, "Does this pass please you?" whereupon he replied, "Indeed it does!" "Then," said the Prophet (sa) "it is yours, and all that is in it." The overwhelmed Safwan exclaimed, "I bear witness that no soul could be full of such goodness as this, if it were not the soul of a Prophet." Then in all sincerity he proclaimed, "I bear witness that there is no god except Allah, and that you are His Messenger."

The Conversion of Suhail

To be amongst Muslims could not help but make an impression upon Suhail and moreover he had just witnessed the miraculous victory at Hunain when all odds appeared to be against them. He had also been blessed to accompany the Prophet (sa) and had been greatly impressed as well as touched by his noble, gentle character. Suhail had also been reunited with his son, Abdullah, and observed how upright he had become on account of his new faith and no longer felt in his heart any resistance to Islam, so he too became a Muslim.

Three years later, when Abdullah was martyred, Abu Bakr went to console Suhail whereupon he replied, "I have heard that the Messenger of Allah (sa) said, 'A martyr shall intercede for seventy of his people.' It is my hope that my son will not begin with anyone before me."

Other Conversions

Amongst the other converts at Jiranah were several notables from the Makhzum tribe. The two brothers of Abu Jahl embraced Islam as did Khalid's half-brother Hisham; Zuhair, the son of the Prophet's aunt Atikah, who had many years before the Migration been instrumental in bringing about the cessation of the boycott levied against the persecuted Muslims in Mecca.

Impatience

The remaining spoils of war were not distributed immediately and several started to grow impatient for their share, however, the Prophet (sa) preferred to wait a few more days to see if the Hawazin and their allies intended to send a deputation to request the return or ransom some of the confiscated property.

Several days had now passed and there neither word nor sign of a deputation and it seemed that no one was coming so the Prophet (sa) decided enough time had elapsed and that the spoils of war could now be distributed amongst his followers and so much to the delight of everyone the distribution began.

Amongst those taken captive were the family and property of Malik, the commander of the Hawazin, and so with great wisdom and diplomacy the Prophet (sa) arranged for both them and their property to be escorted to his maternal aunt Atikah in Mecca for safe keeping and therefore not for distribution for the time being.

The Arrival of the Deputation

The distribution of the spoils of war had just finished when a deputation from the Hawazin arrived. Amongst those accompanying the delegation was the brother of Harith, the Prophet's foster-father, who, upon meeting the Prophet (sa) told him that fourteen of his tribe had been Muslims for sometime and that the remainder of his tribe had recently embraced Islam. Harith's brother had come to the Prophet (sa) to ask leniency for the Hawazin with whom his tribe had kindred ties.

Harith's brother was of the opinion that on account of the Prophet's connection with his own tribe, the tribe of Hawazin should also be considered as part of his extended family and said, "We nursed you on our laps and suckled you at our breasts." After presenting his case he then proceeded to ask the Prophet (sa) to be generous towards them. The Prophet (sa) told him that they had waited for several days for them to come and present their claim, but when they had not arrived the spoils of war had been distributed.

Then, the Prophet (sa) asked which was dearer to them, their children and wives, or their possessions, to which they replied, "Return our children and wives to us." The Prophet (sa) told them that the families given to him and the sons of Abd Al Muttalib were theirs, and that he would make an appeal for the return of the others. Then he told them that after he had led the noon prayer they should stand up and say, "We ask the Messenger of Allah (sa) to intercede for us with the Muslims, and we ask the Muslims to intercede for us with the Messenger of Allah (sa)." And so when the time arrived their spokesman arose and made the request to the congregation.

A Beautiful Reunion.

As the congregation remained seated after the prayer the Prophet (sa) addressed them and explained that they were asking for the return of their wives and children. The Ansar and Muhajir were quick to respond and the women and children allotted to them were released immediately. Other tribes followed their example whilst others refused until they received a promise that they would be compensated in the future. However, one young woman chose not to return to her tribe.

The Farewell

As the deputation prepared to leave the Prophet (sa) fulfilled his promise and gave Shayma, his foster-sister, some more camels, sheep and goats. Just as they were about to depart the Prophet (sa) inquired about their commander, Malik, and was told that he was with the tribe of Thakif at Ta'if. The Prophet (sa) asked them to convey a message to him, which was that if he came to him as a Muslim he would return not only his family and possessions to him, but an additional herd of one hundred camels.

In the meantime, Malik could not help but reflect upon the miraculous turn of events at Hunain neither could he dismiss the matter from his mind. When a messenger arrived at Ta'if the Prophet's message was conveyed to him whereupon he left Ta'if and journeyed back with the messenger to the Prophet (sa) where he embraced Islam. Malik's conversion was sincere, it was not just to regain his family and property, and in the days that followed it was he who played a major role in destroying the resistance at Ta'if.

Wisdom in Distribution.

The wisdom of the Prophet (sa) was not always immediately understood by some of his followers. The recent events were somewhat of a puzzlement as they were unable to comprehend why the Prophet (sa) had been so generous to chieftains and other nobility, who had not as yet embraced Islam or whose Islam was not yet deep rooted. They wondered why he appeared not have been so generous to those whose Islam was well established and were, for the most part, poor.

The Prophet (sa) knew better than anyone else that Islam had power in itself to work upon the heart, and understood the underlying Koranic wisdom of giving to "those attracted to the belief," and had acted in accordance with its injunction of the distribution. Sa’ad from the tribe of Zurah, like some others, had not as yet understood this wisdom and inquired why he had given Uyaynah from the tribe of Ghatafan, and Akra from the tribe of Tamim a hundred camels each whilst he had given nothing to his faithful, pious follower Juayl from the tribe of Damrah who was very poor.

The Prophet (sa) replied gently saying, "By Him in whose Hand is my soul, Juayl is worth more than a world full of men such as Uyaynah, Hisan's son, and Akra, Habis' son; therefore I reconciled their souls so that they might submit to Allah, whereas I have entrusted Juayl to the submission he has already made." Sa’ad and several of the Muhajir who had gathered around him were overwhelmed by the magnitude of the Prophet’s statement and it was then that they understood the wisdom of his actions.

Murmurings also stirred from the Ansars, who had supported the Prophet (sa) even before his arrival in Medina, as well as others from the Muhajir. Neither party could comprehend why they had received just four camels each, or their equivalent in sheep or goats, from the bountiful spoils of war, when they witnessed others, such as the Koraysh -- who they considered less deserving, and far wealthier than themselves -- being given much greater rewards. The discontent started to grow amongst the Ansars as satan, the stoned and cursed, caused them to think that the Messenger of Allah (sa) had rejoined his tribe and taken to favoring his people.

Now it was being said, "We would like to know where this comes from. If it is from Allah we can accept it with patience, but, if it is none other than a thought which occurred to the Messenger of Allah (sa), we ask him to favor us as well."

The Dearest to Me

Not long after the Prophet (sa) became aware of the murmurings and said, "It is true that I have given to some and not to others. Those to whom I did not give are dearer to me than those to whom I gave. I gave to those in whose hearts I felt was anxiety or unease; the others I left in their faith, understanding and self-reliance that Allah has instilled in their hearts."

However, Abdullah, Masood's son went to the Prophet (sa) to tell him directly of the discontent and repeated the murmurings. As the Prophet (sa) listened to Abdullah his facial expression changed and he asked, "Who then is just if Allah and His Messenger are not?" He continued, "May Allah have mercy on Moses, he was caused more distress than this and was patient."

Abdullah felt ashamed of himself for drawing the Prophet's attention to the matter and promised himself that he would never, ever again communicate anything of this kind to him. Then the Prophet (sa) turned to the Ansars and said referring to the new converts, “Aren’t you pleased that the people return with wealth but you return with the Prophet of Allah (sa) in your care?”

Tears welled up in their eyes and with tears of regret they wept as they replied: “We are indeed pleased with Prophet of Allah (sa)!” As the Ansars began to realize the Prophet's wisdom they too felt ashamed and sorry they had questioned his decision, for there had never been a time when he had been unfair to them and knew that he would never do anything to earn the displeasure of Allah, and wept again because they had fallen prey to the whisperings of satan, the stoned and cursed.