Sebaik sahaja utusan itu kembali, Rasulullah ﷺ menyiapkan tentera dan mengisytiharkan jihad di luar Semenanjung Arab. Baginda ﷺ mula memantau berita mengenai Rom dan Parsi, dan memandangkan baginda ﷺ mempunyai sempadan dengan Rom, baginda ﷺ sentiasa mengumpulkan maklumat perisikan tentang mereka. Baginda ﷺ menjangkakan bahawa Risalah Islam akan merebak dengan pantas sebaik sahaja ia sampai ke luar Semenanjung Arab. Oleh itu, baginda ﷺ yakin bahawa al-Sham (Syria Raya pada hari ini) akan menjadi titik tembus. Sejak Badhan, gabenor Kisra di Yaman, memeluk Islam, baginda ﷺ merasa yakin bahawa tiada bahaya yang akan datang dari sana, lalu baginda ﷺ mula memikirkan untuk menghantar tentera ke al-Sham bagi memerangi Rom. Maka pada bulan Jumada al-Ula, tahun ketujuh Hijrah, iaitu hanya beberapa bulan selepas perjanjian Hudaybiyah, baginda ﷺ mengumpulkan pasukan elit seramai tiga ribu pahlawan dan melantik Zayd bin Harithah sebagai panglima mereka. Baginda ﷺ bersabda kepada mereka, “Jika Zayd cedera, Ja’far hendaklah mengambil alih, dan jika Ja’far cedera, ‘Abdullah bin Ruwahah hendaklah mengambil alih.”

As soon as the envoys returned, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) prepared the army and declared Jihad outside the Arabian Peninsula. He (pbuh) began monitoring the news about the Romans and the Persians, and since he had frontiers with the Romans he was constantly gathering intelligence about them. He (pbuh) anticipated that the Message of Islam was about to spread rapidly once it had reached beyond the Arabian Peninsula. Therefore, he was sure that al-Sham (greater Syria today) would be the breakthrough. Ever since Badhan, the governor of Chosroes in Yemen, had embraced Islam, he (pbuh) was assured against any imminent danger emanating from there and began to think about sending troops to al-Sham to fight the Romans. So in the month of Jumada al-Ula, in the 7th year of the Hijrah, i.e. just a few months after the treaty of Hudaybiyah, he (pbuh) gathered an elite force of three thousand warriors and appointed Zayd ibn Harithah as their commander. He (pbuh) said to them, “If Zayd gets hurt, Ja’far should take charge and if Ja’far gets hurt, ‘Abdullah ibn Ruwahah should take charge.”.

Tentera itu bergerak, dan Khalid bin al-Walid (yang telah memeluk Islam selepas perjanjian Hudaybiyah) turut berada di antara mereka. Rasulullah ﷺ berjalan bersama mereka hingga ke pinggir Madinah. Baginda ﷺ memerintahkan mereka supaya tidak mencederakan mana-mana wanita, orang yang cacat, atau kanak-kanak, dan supaya tidak menebang mana-mana pokok atau memusnahkan mana-mana bangunan. Kemudian baginda ﷺ dan seluruh kaum Muslimin yang lain berdoa untuk mereka dengan berkata, "Semoga Allah bersama kamu, memelihara kamu dan mengembalikan kamu kepada kami dalam keadaan selamat dan sejahtera."

The army set off, and Khalid ibn al-Walid (who had embraced Islam after the treaty of Hudaybiyah) was among them. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) marched with them to the outskirts of Madinah, he (pbuh) instructed them not to harm any women, those with a handicap, or children, or to cut any trees or destroy buildings. Then he (pbuh) and the rest of the Muslims prayed for them saying, “May Allah be with you, protect you and return you to us safe and well.”.

Tentera itu terus berarak, dan para pemimpinnya menyusun rancangan perang mereka, dengan memutuskan bahawa ia hendaklah menjadi serangan yang pantas dan menentukan. Mereka memutuskan untuk mengejutkan penduduk al-Sham, sebagaimana Rasulullah ﷺ sentiasa lakukan dalam peperangannya. Para komander tentera bersetuju dengan rancangan ini lalu bertolak untuk melaksanakannya. Namun, apabila mereka sampai di Mu'an (di utara Arab), mereka mendapat tahu bahawa Sharhabeel al-Ghassani, gabenor Heraclius di al-Sham, telah mengumpulkan tentera seramai 100,000 pejuang untuk menentang mereka. Berita itu mengejutkan mereka, dan mereka berkhemah di Mu'an selama dua malam sambil memikirkan apa yang harus dilakukan kini kerana berhadapan dengan tentera yang sebegitu gerun. Pilihan yang paling digemari ialah supaya mereka menulis kepada Rasulullah ﷺ untuk memaklumkan jumlah musuh, dan jika baginda ﷺ menghantar bantuan, maka baguslah; jika tidak, mereka akan menunggu arahan baginda ﷺ.

The army marched on and its leaders drew up their war plan, deciding that it should be a quick and decisive assault. They decided to take the people of al-Sham by surprise, just as Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) always did in his raids. The army commanders agreed on this plan and set off to accomplish it. However, when they reached Mu’an (north of Arabia) they learned that Sharhabeel al- Ghassani, Heraclius’ governor of al-Sham had gathered an army of 100,000 fighters to confront them. The news came as a shock to them and they en- camped at Mu’an for two nights thinking what to do now that they were faced with such a formidable army. The most favored option was for them to write to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) informing him about the enemy’s numbers, and if he (pbuh) sent reinforcements well and good, otherwise they would await his orders.

‘Abdullah ibn Ruwahah mendorong orang-orang dengan berkata, “Wahai kaum sekalian! Demi Allah, yang kalian benci adalah apa yang kalian keluar untuknya: yakni syahid. Kita tidak memerangi musuh dengan jumlah, kekuatan, atau banyaknya pasukan, tetapi kita memerangi mereka dengan agama ini yang dengannya Allah (SWT) telah memuliakan kita. Maka majulah! Kedua-dua pilihan itu baik: kemenangan atau syahid.” Orang-orang pun tergerak oleh kata-kata ini dan iman mereka menguat. Maka mereka pun maju hingga sampai di desa Masharif. Ketika musuh mendekat, kaum Muslimin mundur ke sebuah desa bernama Mu’tah. Di sanalah pertempuran antara mereka dan orang-orang Rom bermula.

‘Abdullah ibn Ruwahah encouraged the men saying, “O men! By Allah, what you dislike is that which you have come out for: viz. martyrdom. We are not fighting the enemy with numbers or strength or multitude, but we are fighting them with this Deen with which Allah (swt) has honored us. So come on! Both prospects are fine: victory or martyrdom.” The men were roused by these words and their Iman strengthened. They, therefore, went forward until they reached the village of Masharif. When the enemy approached the Muslims withdrew to a village called Mu’tah. There, the battle between them and the Romans began.

Ia adalah salah satu pertempuran paling sengit yang pernah terjadi, kematian dan pertumpahan darah membayangi. Pertempuran itu antara tiga ribu orang Muslim yang siap untuk syahid, dan dua ratus ribu orang kafir (seratus ribu orang tambahan dikirim untuk memperkuat tentara Romawi) yang berkumpul untuk memusnahkan pasukan Muslim. Pertempuran berlangsung sengit dan Zayd ibn Harithah berperang sambil memegang panji Rasulullah ﷺ; dia maju tanpa henti jauh ke dalam jantung pasukan musuh, tanpa sedikit pun takut akan akibatnya. Dia berjuang dengan gagah berani kerana tahu bahawa itu adalah syahid di jalan Allah; keberaniannya luar biasa, kepahlawanannya tiada tandingan, sehingga dia gugur akibat luka-luka yang disebabkan oleh tombak musuh yang mengoyak tubuhnya. Kemudian Ja'far ibn Abi Talib mengambil alih panji itu; dia adalah seorang pemuda tampan berusia 33 tahun. Dia juga berperang dengan gigih, menentang maut, sehingga musuh mengepung kudanya yang berwarna roan, lalu dia melompat turun, memotong urat kaki kudanya, dan maju ke jantung pasukan musuh sambil menebas mereka dengan pedangnya, hingga seorang tentara Romawi menebasnya dan membelahnya menjadi dua, membunuhnya. 'Abdullah ibn Ruwahah mengambil panji itu dan maju dengannya sambil menunggang kudanya. Dia harus memaksa dirinya sendiri kerana merasa enggan untuk maju. Kemudian dia meneruskan dan berperang sehingga dia juga terbunuh. Lalu Thabit ibn Arqam mengambil alih panji itu dan berkata, "Wahai kaum Muslimin! Berkumpullah di sekitar seorang lelaki." Maka mereka berkumpul kepada Khalid ibn al-Walid. Dia mengambil panji itu, mengumpulkan kaum Muslimin di sekelilingnya dan menyusun mereka, sambil terus berusaha menahan musuh. Dia berhasil membatasi pertempuran hanya pada beberapa bentrokan kecil hingga malam tiba.

It was one of the fiercest battles ever, death and blood baths loomed. The battle was between three thousand Muslims who were ready for martyrdom, and two hundred thousand disbelievers (an extra 100,000 men were sent to reinforce the Roman army) gathered to destroy the Muslim force. The fighting was fierce and Zayd ibn Harithah fought holding the Messenger of Allah’s banner, he went forward unabated deep into the heart of the enemy’s forces, not fearing for one moment the consequences. He fought bravely knowing that it was martyrdom in the way of Allah, his courage was phenomenal, his heroism unmatched, until he died of the wounds caused by the enemy’s spears that ripped his body. Then Ja’far ibn Abi Talib took over the banner; he was a handsome young man 33 years of age. He too fought hard, defying death until the enemy surrounded his roan (horse), so he jumped off and hamstrung her and went forward into the heart of the enemy striking them with his sword until a Roman struck him and cut him in half, killing him. ‘Abdullah ibn Ruwahah took the banner and advanced with it riding his horse. He had to put pressure on himself as he felt reluctant to go forward. He then proceeded and fought until he too was killed. Then Thabit ibn Arqam took over the banner and said, “O Muslims! Do rally around one man.” So they rallied to Khalid ibn al-Walid. He took the banner and gathered the Muslims around him and organized them trying all the while to keep the enemy at bay. He managed to restrict the fighting to a few skirmishes until night had fallen.

Pada malam hari, Khalid ibn al-Walid merangka satu rancangan berundur yang bijak setelah menyedari besarnya tentera musuh berbanding bilangan tenteranya yang sedikit. Dan mengikut rancangan yang telah digariskan dengan teliti itu, Khalid memerintahkan sebahagian tenteranya untuk membuat kekecohan dan bunyi bising di bahagian belakang, supaya pihak musuh menyangka bala bantuan telah tiba. Apabila mereka berbuat demikian, pihak musuh menjadi takut dan menahan diri daripada menyerang orang Islam; mereka bahkan bergembira apabila Khalid tidak menyerang mereka. Kemudian Khalid berundur dan membawa tenteranya kembali ke Madinah, bukan sebagai pemenang, bukan juga sebagai pihak yang kalah, tetapi setelah mencapai satu kejayaan yang cukup besar.

During the night, Khalid ibn al-Walid drew up a shrewd withdrawal plan having realized the magnitude of the enemy’s army compared to the meager numbers of his. And following his carefully drawn up plan, Khalid ordered a section of the army to create some uproar and noise at the rear to let the enemy into thinking that reinforcement had arrived. When they did so, the enemy became frightened and refrained from attacking the Muslims, they were even elated when Khalid did not attack them. Then Khalid withdrew and took his troops back to Madinah, not victorious, nor defeated, but having achieved quite a considerable feat.

Komandan-komandan dalam pertempuran ini serta para pejuangnya sentiasa mengetahui bahawa maut sedang memanggil mereka, namun mereka berjuang dengan gagah berani lalu terbunuh. Islam memerintahkan orang Muslim untuk berperang di jalan Allah, membunuh dan dibunuh, dan jenis peperangan inilah yang dianggap sebagai pelaburan yang paling tepat, kerana ia adalah Jihad di jalan Allah. Dia berfirman dalam Surah at-Taubah,

The commanders of this battle and its warriors had known all along that death was beckoning to them, yet they fought heroically and were killed. Islam commands the Muslim to fight in the way of Allah, kill and be killed, and it is this type of fighting that is regarded as the soundest investment, for it is Jihad in the way of Allah. He I says in Surah al-Taubah,

"Sesungguhnya Allah telah membeli daripada orang-orang yang beriman diri dan harta benda mereka dengan balasan bahawa mereka akan memperoleh syurga. Mereka berperang pada jalan Allah, lalu mereka membunuh dan terbunuh. Itulah janji yang benar daripada-Nya yang termaktub dalam Taurat, Injil dan Al-Qur'an. Dan siapakah yang lebih menepati janjinya daripada Allah? Maka bergembiralah dengan jual beli yang telah kamu lakukan itu. Dan itulah kejayaan yang besar." [At-Taubah, 9:111].

“Verily, Allah has purchased of the believers their lives and their properties; for the price that theirs shall be the Paradise. They fight in Allah’s Cause, so they kill (others) and are killed. It is a promise in truth which is binding on Him in the Torah and the Gospel and the Qur’an. And who is Truer to his Covenant than Allah? Then rejoice in the bargain which you have concluded. And that is the supreme success.” [At-Tauba, 9:111].

Itulah sebabnya wira-wira itu berjuang walaupun kematian yang pasti menanti mereka. Seorang Muslim berperang apabila tiada jalan lain yang tinggal selain berperang, sama ada kematian itu pasti atau tidak. Dalam jihad, perkara tidak diukur dengan bilangan musuh dan senjatanya, mahupun dengan jumlah mereka yang ramai, tetapi dengan hasil yang dicapai, tidak kira setinggi mana pengorbanan yang diperlukan, tanpa mengira kesudahannya.

That is the reason why those heroes fought despite the certain death that faced them. The Muslim fights if there is no other way left but to fight and regardless of whether death is certain or not. In Jihad, matters are not measured by the number of the enemy and its weaponry, nor by its multitude, but by the result it achieves no matter how high the sacrifice is, regardless of the outcome.

Peperangan orang Islam dengan Rom di Mu'tah adalah sangat penting. Para panglima tidak mempunyai pilihan selain menghadapi musuh dalam pertempuran, walaupun kematian sedang menanti. Oleh itu, seorang Muslim tidak sepatutnya takut kepada mati, dan tidak sepatutnya memikirkan apa-apa selain berjuang di jalan Allah (swt). Rasulullah ﷺ telah mengetahui sejak awal bahawa menghantar tentera baginda ke negara Rom untuk memerangi mereka di sepanjang sempadan mereka adalah berbahaya, namun ia perlu dilakukan untuk menggerunkan mereka dan untuk menunjukkan bagaimana orang beriman berperang, serta bagaimana keberanian dan keimanan mereka tidak tertandingi walaupun jumlah mereka sedikit. Risiko itu berbaloi untuk diambil kerana ia membuka jalan bagi jihad selanjutnya oleh orang Islam demi menyebarkan Islam dan melaksanakannya di tanah-tanah yang mereka takluki. Risiko dan pengembaraan itu berjaya kerana ia menjadi pendahuluan kepada peperangan Tabuk dan memberikan pukulan berat kepada orang Rom, yang menggigil ketakutan memikirkan untuk berhadapan dengan orang Islam sekali lagi sehinggalah Al-Sham berjaya ditakluki.

The Muslims’ war with the Romans in Mu’tah was absolutely crucial, the commanders had no choice but to engage the enemy in battle, despite the fact that death was beckoning. Thus, it is that the Muslim should never fear death, nor should he consider anything else but to fight in the way of Allah (swt). The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) had known all along that sending his troops to the Roman state to fight them along their frontiers was dangerous, but it was necessary to scare the life out of them and to demonstrate how the believers fight and how their courage and their belief were unmatched despite their paltry numbers. The risk was worth taking for it paved the way for further Jihad by the Muslims in order to spread Islam and implement it in the lands that they would conquer. The risk and the adventure was successful for it turned out to be an introduction to the battle of Tabuk and it landed a heavy blow against the Romans who shivered at the prospect of facing the Muslims again until Al-Sham was conquered.