Siege of Ta'if

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Campaigns of Muhammad
Badr – Banu Qaynuqa – Uhud – Banu Nadir – The Trench – Banu Qurayza – Hudaybiyyah – Khaybar – Mu'tah – Mecca – Hunayn – Autas – Ta'if – Tabouk

The Siege of Taif took place in 630 CE, as the Muslims besieged the city of Taif after their victory in the Battle of Hunayn and Autas. However, they held their position and did not succumb to the siege. One of their chieftains, Urwah ibn Mas'ud, was absent in Yemen during that siege^[1].

1 Battle
2 Aftermath
3 Participants
4 References
5 See also

[edit] Battle

Sunni sources state regarding the Siege of Ta'if:

Banu Daws, one of the tribes living to the south of Mecca, were fully acquainted with the use of the catapult and had experience in tank-led assaults upon high fortifications. Al-Tufayl, one of its leaders, who had accompanied Muhammad ever since the conquest of Khaybar, stood at the Prophet's side always on the ready to fulfill his wishes. At Muhammad's command, al Tufayl speeded to his tribe with a request for their assistance, and they responded by bringing with them their tools of war. Reaching al-Ta'if four days after the Muslim siege began, they put their catapult to immediate use. They also brought their tanks into the battlefield, and sent a number of their men under their cover to the fortified walls. The soldiers of Ta�if, however, were clever enough to force the men of Banu Daws to flee. Having heated pieces of iron to red hot temperatures, they threw these missiles onto the tanks and put them to flame. The Muslim soldiers which the tanks were covering had to flee or be burnt alive. As they emerged from under their tanks, they were shot at with arrows and a number of them were killed. Having failed at this new effort, the Muslims became convinced that there was no way to storm the fortresses of Ta'if. ^[2]

Abu Sufyan ibn Harb lost his first eye in the Siege of Taif. He told Muhammad of his loss for Allah to which Muhammad said “Which would you prefer: An eye in heaven or shall I pray to Allah that he brings it back?”To this Abu Sufyan said he would rather have his eye in heaven. He lost his other eye in the Battle of Yarmouk^[3]

[edit] Aftermath

Although the siege was unsuccessful, the inhabitants of Ta'if, the Banu Thaqif, send a delegation to Mecca shortly after the siege and, resulting in them adopting Islam ^[1].