The Quraysh had always represented a material obstacle barring the Message of Islam. A task force thus had to be prepared to overcome it. Bearing this in mind, and with the objective of spreading Islam outside Madinah, the RasulAllah (saaw) began building his army. He (saaw) took several steps by dispatching some expeditions designed to challenge the Quraysh and alarm both the hypocrites and the Jews in Madinah and nearby surroundings. He sent Hamzah (ra) to the seashore in the neighborhood of al-‘Is at the head of thirty riders from the emigrants, with none of the helpers taking part. Such expeditions helped create an atmosphere of war in Madinah, and they also served to frighten the Quraysh, who began to seriously feel the threat coming from RasulAllah (saaw).
