Muslims halted at the latter spot to slaughter the sacrificial animals and shave their heads.
The main body of the pilgrims had now performed the basic rites of the lesser pilgrimage, but there  remained those who were entrusted the charge of the weapons. The Prophet had these relieved, and  they went through the same devotions as the others did.
On the morning of the fourth day of the pilgrimage, the notables of Quraish asked A ' li bin Abi Talib to  tell the Prophet peace be upon him to leave Makkah along with his Companions. He, of course, could  not conceive of violating the terms of Al-Hudaibiyah Treaty, therefore he ordered his men to depart for  a village called Sarif where he stayed for some time.
It was during this visit of the Prophet peace be upon him to Makkah for pilgrimage that his uncle
A ' bbas  offered the hand of his sister-in-law, Maimuna - the daughter of Harith, to him. The Prophet peace be  upon him was kind enough to accept this offer since it was an effective step towards cementing the  ties  of relationship between the Prophet peace be upon him and the influential men of Makkah. The  wedding  took place in Sarif.
Narrators attached different designations to this lesser pilgrimage. Some called it the compensatory  lesser pilgrimage, performed instead of that uncompleted of Hudaibiyah; and the other one, given  preponderance by jurists, is the lesser pilgrimage consequent on certain terms of a treaty already  agreed upon. On the whole, compensatory, judicial consent, retribution and reconciliation are all terms  applicable to that visit.
Some military operations, directed against some still obdurate desert Arabians, took place at the  conclusion of the lesser pilgrimage, of which we could mention:
1. A platoon of 50 men led by Ibn Abi Al-A ' wja' was despatched by the Prophet peace be upon  him to the habitations of Bani Saleem inviting them to embrace Islam, but all the words fell on  deaf ears. Fierce fighting erupted between both parties during which the Muslim leader was  wounded, and two of the enemy were captured.
2. Ghalib bin A ' bdullah at t he head of 200 men was despatched to Fadak where they killed some  rebels and a lot of booty fell to their lot.
3. Banu Quda'a had gathered a large number of men to raid the Muslim positions. On hearing the  news, the Prophet peace be upon him despatched Ka'b bin U ' mair Al -Ansari at the head of 15  men to deal with this situation. They encountered the army, and called them to enter into the  fold of Islam but the rebels gave a negative response and showered the Muslims with arrows  killing all of them except one who was carried back home later seriously wounded.
There was also an insignificant skirmish that occurred in Rabi ' Al -Awwal 8 A.H. Shuja' bin Wahab Al -
Asadi, along with 25 men, marched towards Bani Hawazin tribe where they encountered no resistance  but managed to gain some booty.
The Battle of Mu'tah
It was the most significant and the fiercest battle during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allâh peace  be  upon him, a preliminary and a prelude to the great conquests of the land of the Christians. It took  place  in Jumada Al-Ula 8 A.H. / September 629 A.D. Mut ' ah is a village that lies on the borders of  geographical Syria.
The Prophet peace be upon him had sent Al-Harith bin U ' mair Al -Azdi on an errand to carry a letter to  the ruler of Busra. On his way, he was intercepted by Sharhabeel bin A ' mr Al -Ghassani, the governor  of
Al-Balqa' and a close ally to Caesar, the Byzantine Emperor. Al -Harith was tied and beheaded by Al-
Ghassani.
Killing envoys and messengers used to be regarded as the most awful crime, and amounted to the  degree of war declaration. The Prophet peace be upon him was shocked on hearing the news and  ordered that a large army of 3000 men be mobilized and despatched to the north to discipline the  transgressors. It was the largest Muslim army never mobilized on this scale except in the process of  the
Confederates Battle.
Zaid bin Haritha was appointed to lead the army. Ja'far bin Abi Talib would rep lace him if he was  killed,  and A ' bdullah bin Rawaha would succeed Ja'far in case the latter fell. A white banner was raised and  handed over to Zaid.