The expedition of TABUK has been called that of the ``HARDSHIP'' and hence in the above verse, ©THE HOUR OF HARDSHIP¨. Muslims were never in so much difficulty and hardship as they were in the incident of TABUK:ِ

      It was a hot summer time and also a time of great famine. Besides that, it was the season of harvest for the little products that they could have produced. On the other hand, the distance of TABUK from Medina was a very long one, and they had not enough mounts to carry them, and had to use their animals alternately. Even some of them had no shoes to wear, and had to walk by bare feet upon the hot gravels of the desert! As for food, they could not even provide for few dates for daily meal! After all, this time the enemy was not a chief Arab tribe: He was the Roman Emperor, who was one of the two super power of the time in the world!

      TABUK was the farthest point that the prophet travelled to. There was a large fortified castle with very thick walls, towers, battlements, surrounded by a moat which was named TABUK, and the land around the castle was also named after the great building as TABUK.

      The land around TABUK was the common border of the Eastern Rome with Arabia. The Romans for the fear of Islam's daily progress, mobilized 40 thousands of forces to vanquish the new religious movement, or at least to stop its progress.

      Due to his inevitable long absence from Medina, and for fear of the hypocrite's plots and conspiracy, the prophet deputed HAZRAT Imam Ali (AS), as his successor in Medina, although he was indeed in need of such that veteran commander and warrior, as he was.