Ridda Wars

Causes of Ridda Wars

We can divide the causes of the Ridda Wars into long term causes, short term causes and the catalyst which sparked the entire conflict.

Long term causes

The long term causes of the Ridda Wars lay in the ancient history of the tribal structure in the Arabian peninsula. For centuries before Islam, the basic unit of society had been the tribes. The customs and religious practices of these tribes were handed down through the generations.

With Muhammad's rise to power, the basic unit of society shifted from the tribes to whether or not someone was a Muslim. With this shift in identity came new religious practices, new customs laid down by Muhammad, and new social structures since people could now intermarry with anyone in the Umma, regardless of which tribe they were from.

Many tribes had converted to Islam not because they believed in the Prophet's message, but because they saw that there was no point in resisting Muhammad as the dominant military and political power in the region. Moreover, Muhammad controlled all the trade routes into the Arabian peninsula. Therefore, historian Fred Donner argues that many tribes converted simply because they needed to if they wanted to be able to eat and survive.

This meant that many tribes' allegiance to Islam had been a decision of necessity, rather than a genuine conversion. As a result, once the Prophet Muhammad died and there was a crisis of leadership in the Muslim community, many tribes took the opportunity to revert to their old practices.

Short term causes

Many tribes resented the zakat tax that they were forced to pay under the Prophet Muhammad. This tax meant that all Muslims of a certain social standing had to pay alms to be distributed among all the people. For many, this meant paying money to be given to people who had just a few years back been their mortal enemies.

Catalyst of the Ridda Wars

The catalyst that sparked the beginning of the Ridda Wars was the death of the Prophet Muhammad in June 632. This left a crisis of leadership in the Muslim community, since Muhammad never stated who his successor should be. Even when Abu Bakr, who had been a close friend of Muhammad, was appointed the new caliph, several prominent Muslims, such as Muhammad's son-in-law Ali, continued to oppose his rule for a time.

Many tribes therefore took the opportunity of this sudden weakness in the Muslim community to declare their independence from Islamic rule and religion.

Period of the Ridda Wars

Caliph Abu Bakr divided his army into eleven divisions, each of which were sent to a different region to subjugate a different rebel tribe. This strategy was very effective for three reasons:

• It meant that Abu Bakr's enemies could not attack Medina while his army was on campaign against a different tribe.

• It isolated Abu Bakr's enemies, preventing them from forming alliances with one another.

• It stopped Abu Bakr's enemies from striking back.

Caliph Abu Bakr's chief commander was Khalid ibn al-Walid. He was very loyal to the cause of Islam and had played a significant role in helping Muhammad achieve victory at the Battle of Uhud in 625. Khalid's forces were sent to subdue the most powerful of Caliph Abu Bakr's enemy tribes.

Military Campaigns

Here is a table summarising Abu Bakr's numerous campaigns and battles.

As you can see, Abu Bakr and Khalid's forces were almost always successful. Their one significant defeat was at the hands of Musaylima.

Effects of the Ridda Wars

What were the main outcomes of these campaigns?

1. Caliph Abu Bakr unified the entire Arabian peninsula under Islamic rule.

2. Islam became embedded in local culture across Arabia.

3. Khalid gained notoriety as a military commander.

4. The scene was set for Caliph Abu Bakr to launch invasions against the Sassanian Empire and the Byzantine Empire.

5. Caliph Abu Bakr's position as leader was consolidated.

Ridda Wars Importance

Muhammad had attempted to unify the Arabian peninsula in the cause of Islam. He had succeeded to an extent. However, the tribes' loyalties to him were weak and there were still areas that he had yet to extend his influence to. With the Ridda Wars, Caliph Abu Bakr unified the whole of the Arabian peninsula under Islam, thus fulfilling Muhammad's wish.

The Ridda Wars also created a strong base from which Abu Bakr and the later caliphs could extend their influence into Byzantine and Sasanian territories.

Finally, the Ridda Wars consolidated Caliph Abu Bakr's position as undisputed leader of the Muslim community.

Ridda Wars Historiography

The historian Elias S.Shoufani provides a rather different take on the Ridda Wars. He argues that most of the tribes that Caliph Abu Bakr's armies subdued had never agreed to pay the zakat tax or follow Muhammad in the first place. This means they can't really be seen as apostates, 'rebels' who turned against the Islamic community, so much as tribes who had kept their independence.

Therefore, he argues that most of the Ridda Wars should be seen as wars of conquest into new territories that Muhammad's influence never really reached during his lifetime. Only the tribes in Central Asia can be legitimately seen as wars of apostasy - reinforcing Muslim power over rebel tribes.²

From this perspective, the importance of these campaigns is more than just consolidating Islamic power in the Arabian peninsula. It was actually the rapid Muslim conquest of the entire Arabian peninsula in no less than a year and a half.