The Prophet ﷺ handpicked 8 of the Muhajirun, placed his cousin Abdullah ibn Jahsh in charge, and gave him a sealed letter with instructions to travel two days northeast before opening it, for secrecy and misdirection. The letter directed the group to proceed instead to Nakhla to watch the movements of the Quraysh, with permission for any companion to turn back. On the way, the shared camel of Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas and Utbah ibn Ghazwan went missing; the pair stayed behind to search for it while the remaining 6 continued to Nakhla, arriving on the 30th of Rajab, the last day of the sacred month. There they sighted a small, undefended Qurayshi trade caravan. After debating the dilemma of the closing sacred month, they attacked: one caravaneer was killed and two were taken prisoner, among them al-Hakam ibn Kaisan. When the party returned to Madinah, the Prophet ﷺ told them, "I didn't command you to fight," and initially refused any share of the booty. The Quraysh publicized the bloodshed in the sacred month across Arabia, and the Prophet ﷺ, per Ibn Ishaq, felt great stress over the valid criticism. Allah then revealed Qur'an 2:217, acknowledging the gravity of fighting in the sacred month while affirming that the Quraysh's persecution, disbelief, and expulsion of the Muslims from Makkah were graver sins still. The Prophet ﷺ then accepted the booty and the prisoners, and stipulated that they would not be released until Sa'd and Utbah reached Madinah safely, which they eventually did after finding their camel.
Outcome: Two prisoners were eventually ransomed and released; one, al-Hakam ibn Kaisan, had already accepted Islam.
The first expedition in which the Muslims took captives and booty, and the occasion of Qur'an 2:217's revelation on fighting in the sacred months. One of the two prisoners, al-Hakam ibn Kaisan, accepted Islam after his ransom was paid: the first of a recurring pattern in later battles of prisoners converting once their ransom reached the Prophet ﷺ.
Other events recorded in 2 AH. Their order within the year is not established; use the storyline above for the sequence.
Now a Muslim: I embraced Islam only after my ransom reached the Prophet ﷺ, so that the wealth would remain in his hands.
You go ahead: leave us in the desert, and we will find our camel; the expedition must go on.
When this letter of mine is read to you, proceed to Nakhla. Watch the movement of the Quraysh and inform us of their preparations and actions. Do not force any of your companions to go: whoever wants to come back can come back.
Whoever wants shahada and is eager to meet Allah, let him come with me. And whoever doesn't may go back to Madinah. But as for me, I am going to proceed onwards to Makkah.
We will not release these two prisoners until our two companions reach us safely.
The two prisoners were the Quraysh caravaneers captured at Nakhla; the two companions were Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas and Utbah ibn Ghazwan, who had fallen behind on the outward journey searching for their lost camel.
I didn't command you to fight.
Said to the Nakhla party on their return, after they had killed a caravaneer and taken captives during the Sacred Month of Rajab, though the Prophet ﷺ had sent them only to gather information.
يَسْـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلشَّهْرِ ٱلْحَرَامِ قِتَالٍۢ فِيهِ ۖ قُلْ قِتَالٌۭ فِيهِ كَبِيرٌۭ ۖ وَصَدٌّ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَكُفْرٌۢ بِهِۦ وَٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْحَرَامِ وَإِخْرَاجُ أَهْلِهِۦ مِنْهُ أَكْبَرُ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ۚ وَٱلْفِتْنَةُ أَكْبَرُ مِنَ ٱلْقَتْلِ
“They ask you about the Sacred Month — about fighting therein. Say, 'Fighting therein is great [sin], but averting [people] from the Way of Allah and disbelief in Him and [preventing access to] al-Masjid al-Haram and the expulsion of its people therefrom are greater [evil] in the Sight of Allah. And fitna is greater [evil] than killing...'”
Revealed regarding the killing during the Sariyya Nakhla, which took place on the last day of the sacred month of Rajab.