ve, in fact, no trustworthy evidence for their
support; some are altogether without foundation, and some of them are
wrongly termed as expeditions for warring purposes. _Ghazavat_ is
wrongly understood by European writers as meaning "plundering
expeditions." Deputations to conclude friendly treaties, missions to
teach Islam, embassies to foreign chiefs, mercantile expeditions,
pilgrims' processions, parties sent to disperse or chastise a band of
robbers, or to watch the movements of an enemy, spies sent to bring
information, and forces dispatched or led to fight with or check an
enemy are all called "_Ghazavat_" (expeditions,) "_Saraya_" and "_Baus_"
(enterprises and despatches). Thus the number of Mohammad's expeditions
has been unduly exaggerated, first by biographers, who noted down every
expedition or warlike enterprise reported in the several authentic and
unauthentic traditions long after their occurrences, and did not at all
trouble their heads by criticising them; and secondly by giving all
missions, deputations, embassies, pilgrims' journies, and mercantile
enterprises under the category of "_Ghazavat_" and "_Saraya_," lately
construed by European writers as "plundering expeditions," or "a
despatch of body of men with hostile intents." The biographers, both
Arabian and European, have gone so far as to assert that there were 27
expeditions led by Mohammad in person, and 74 others headed by persons
nominated by himself, making in all 101. This number is given by Ibn Sad
Katib Wakidi (vide _Kustalani_, Vol. VI, page 386). Ibn Is-hak also
gives the number of Mohammad's expeditions to be 27, while others led at
his order are put down at 38 only (vide _Ibn Hisham_, pp. 972 and 973).
Abu Yola has a tradition from Jabir, a contemporary of Mohammad, who
mentions only 21 expeditions. But the best authority, Zeid-bin-Arqam, in
the earliest traditions collected by Bokhari, _Kitabul Maghazi_, in two
places in his book, reduces the number to 19, including all sorts of
expeditions and the number in which he was with Mohammad. Out of these
alleged 27, 21, 19 and 17 expeditions, there were only 8[21] or 9,[22]
in which an actual fighting took place. Even the latter minimized
numbers are not deserving of confidence. The actual expeditions are as
follow:--

1. Badr.
2. Ohad.
* Muraisi.
3. Ahazab.
* Koreiza.
4. Khyber.
* Mecca.
5. Honain.
* Tayif.

There are no good authorit