The main purpose of Ghazwat-e-Nabawi (ﷺ) was to establish peace. Explain.

Introduction

The Ghazwat were the campaigns in which the Holy Prophet ﷺ took part in person, mostly between 2 AH and 9 AH. Critics describe them as wars of expansion, while extremists cite them to justify violence. Both views miss their purpose. A close study shows that their main aim was to end aggression, protect freedom of belief and establish lasting peace. This goal is apparent from the Quran, from his conduct and from the results.

Quranic purpose of fighting

Defence against aggression

Permission came only after thirteen years of persecution and expulsion from Makkah.

أُذِنَ لِلَّذِينَ يُقَٰتَلُونَ بِأَنَّهُمْ ظُلِمُوا۟ ۚ وَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ نَصْرِهِمْ لَقَدِيرٌ

"Permission to fight has been given to those who are being fought, because they were wronged. And indeed, Allah is competent to give them victory." (Al-Hajj 22:39)

Protection of worship for all.

… وَلَوْلَا دَفْعُ ٱللَّهِ ٱلنَّاسَ بَعْضَهُم بِبَعْضٍۢ لَّهُدِّمَتْ صَوَٰمِعُ وَبِيَعٌۭ وَصَلَوَٰتٌۭ وَمَسَٰجِدُ يُذْكَرُ فِيهَا ٱسْمُ ٱللَّهِ كَثِيرًۭا …

"…And were it not that Allah checks the people, some by means of others, there would have been demolished monasteries, churches, synagogues and mosques in which the name of Allah is much mentioned." (Al-Hajj 22:40)

Ending persecution, then stopping.

وَقَٰتِلُوهُمْ حَتَّىٰ لَا تَكُونَ فِتْنَةٌۭ وَيَكُونَ ٱلدِّينُ لِلَّهِ ۖ فَإِنِ ٱنتَهَوْا۟ فَلَا عُدْوَٰنَ إِلَّا عَلَى ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ

"Fight them until there is no persecution and worship is for Allah. But if they cease, then there is to be no aggression except against the oppressors." (Al-Baqarah 2:193)

Acceptance of peace.

وَإِن جَنَحُوا۟ لِلسَّلْمِ فَٱجْنَحْ لَهَا وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْعَلِيمُ

"And if they incline to peace, then incline to it also and rely upon Allah. Indeed, it is He who is the Hearing, the Knowing." (Al-Anfal 8:61)

Evidence that peace was the aim

1. Defensive context

The Muslims had been driven from their homes, their property was seized, and Madinah faced repeated threats. Uhud and the Trench took place near Madinah, because the enemy marched against it.

2. Preference for treaties

He made treaties with neighbouring tribes early on, and he concluded the Charter of Madinah. He accepted the seemingly unequal Treaty of Hudaybiyyah rather than fight, saying he would agree to any proposal that respected Allah's sacred limits (Bukhari). Many of his "campaigns", such as Tabuk, ended with treaties and no fighting.

3. A dislike of war

He told his companions: "Do not wish to meet the enemy, and ask Allah for safety. But when you meet them, be patient" (Bukhari, Muslim). This is not the language of a warmonger.

4. Limited casualties

Historians estimate that total deaths on all sides across his campaigns were modest, around a thousand or so, by common estimates. That is a very small number for the unification of a whole peninsula, and small when compared with Arabian tribal wars such as the long Bu'ath conflict or with the wars of contemporary empires.

5. Moral rules

He forbade killing women and children (Bukhari, Muslim), and he prohibited betrayal and mutilation (Muslim). Prisoners at Badr were treated well, and some were freed in exchange for teaching children to read. Rules like these keep the possibility of peace alive.

وَقَٰتِلُوا۟ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّذِينَ يُقَٰتِلُونَكُمْ وَلَا تَعْتَدُوٓا۟ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُعْتَدِينَ

"And fight in the way of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress. Indeed, Allah does not like transgressors." (Al-Baqarah 2:190)

6. Forgiveness after victory

At Makkah he had the power to take revenge, but chose amnesty instead.

قَالَ لَا تَثْرِيبَ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلْيَوْمَ ۖ يَغْفِرُ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمْ ۖ وَهُوَ أَرْحَمُ ٱلرَّٰحِمِينَ

"He said: No blame will there be upon you today. Allah will forgive you; and He is the most merciful of the merciful." (Yusuf 12:92)

Battle-by-battle analysis

Badr (2 AH)

The Quraysh marched with about a thousand men, even after their caravan had reached safety, as Abu Jahl insisted on a show of force. The victory showed the Muslims could defend themselves, deterring further attacks. The prisoners were treated humanely.

Uhud (3 AH)

The Quraysh came to take revenge on Madinah. It was thus a clearly defensive battle.

The Trench (5 AH)

A coalition of about ten thousand laid siege to Madinah. The Prophet ﷺ defended it behind a trench and tried to divide the enemy, avoiding open battle. When the coalition left, he declared that the Quraysh would no longer march against them (Bukhari), marking a turning point towards security.

Banu Qaynuqa, Banu Nadir and Banu Qurayza

According to Muslim sources, these actions followed breaches of the Charter, assassination plots and collaboration with the besiegers. They concerned internal security in a time of war. The treatment of Banu Qurayza remains a subject of historical discussion, and scholars such as Barakat Ahmad have questioned aspects of the traditional account.

Hudaybiyyah (6 AH)

Though not a battle, this mission shows his preference. He came as a pilgrim, and left with a ten-year truce.

إِنَّا فَتَحْنَا لَكَ فَتْحًۭا مُّبِينًۭا

"Indeed, We have given you a clear conquest." (Al-Fath 48:1)

Khaybar (7 AH)

This removed a base that had helped organise the Trench. Its people remained on their land under agreed terms, which is an arrangement rather than destruction.

Makkah (8 AH)

Allies of the Quraysh broke the truce, and he marched with about ten thousand men. By offering safety to those who stayed at home, he took the city with minimal fighting.

Hunayn and Ta'if (8 AH)

The Hawazin gathered a large force to attack. After the victory, he returned their captives at their request, and many became Muslims. He lifted the siege at Ta'if, and he prayed for its people, who later came to accept Islam peacefully.

Tabuk (9 AH)

In response to reports of a Byzantine threat, he marched about thirty thousand men to the northern border. No fighting took place, and he concluded treaties with communities there, such as Aylah.

Results: peace and security in Arabia

Before these campaigns, Arabia was dominated by tribal raids, blood feuds and unsafe roads. By his death, the peninsula was largely at peace. He had predicted that a woman would travel from Hira to the Ka'bah, fearing no one but Allah (Bukhari), and this came to pass. People of various tribes entered Islam in the Year of Delegations (9 AH). In the Farewell Sermon, he abolished blood feuds and declared the sanctity of life and of property.

… وَٱذْكُرُوا۟ نِعْمَتَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذْ كُنتُمْ أَعْدَآءًۭ فَأَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِكُمْ فَأَصْبَحْتُم بِنِعْمَتِهِۦٓ إِخْوَٰنًۭا …

"…And remember the favour of Allah upon you, when you were enemies and He brought your hearts together, and you became, by His favour, brothers." (Aal-e-Imran 3:103)

Objections considered

"Some raids on caravans were offensive."

The Muslims' property had been seized in Makkah, and a state of war already existed. Modern military thinking would see attacks on enemy trade during an existing war as economic warfare, not as unprovoked aggression.

"Why did Islam need force at all?"

The Prophet ﷺ had tried peace for thirteen years. A community facing destruction has a right to defend itself, which is also recognised in Article 51 of the UN Charter.

"Verses in Surah At-Tawbah command war."

These verses addressed specific groups who had broken treaties. The same chapter immediately protects those who kept their treaties (At-Tawbah 9:4), and it grants safety to those who seek it.

وَإِنْ أَحَدٌۭ مِّنَ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ ٱسْتَجَارَكَ فَأَجِرْهُ حَتَّىٰ يَسْمَعَ كَلَٰمَ ٱللَّهِ ثُمَّ أَبْلِغْهُ مَأْمَنَهُۥ …

"And if any one of the polytheists seeks your protection, then grant him protection so that he may hear the words of Allah. Then deliver him to his place of safety." (At-Tawbah 9:6)

Lessons for today

For extremists

The Ghazwat offer no support to terrorism, since they were led by a legitimate head of state, under strict moral rules, and they sought peace.

For states

Force must be the last option, used for just reasons, within limits, and followed by reconciliation. Pakistan's policy in its tribal areas, and its Afghan relations, need just such an approach.

For leaders

A brave commander may also be a great peacemaker.

Conclusion

The Ghazwat-e-Nabawi were primarily defensive campaigns against aggression, not wars of conquest for their own sake. Their purpose appears in the Quranic permission to fight, in his preference for treaties, in the small number of casualties, in strict rules of war, and in his forgiveness after victory. Their outcome was a peaceful and secure Arabia. They therefore show that in Islam, war is a last resort, and peace remains its goal.

The writer can be reached at ma6749429@gmail.com