Guarding the
Highways of Najd
After the Battle of Badr, the movements
of the Quraysh around Madinah decreased and they found an
alternate route for trade which reached Syria through Najd. It
became necessary for Muslims to keep an eye on these regions
as well.
In the month of Rabi al-Awwal, 3rd Hijri,
information that the Banu Tha‘labah and the Banu Muharib
intended to carry out an attack was received. The Prophet (sws)
went to the area with a few hundred men. When they heard that
the Muslims had arrived, the tribes went up to the hills and
did not fight. It was at this time that an interesting
incident occurred. It had started to rain and the Mujahidin’s
clothes, including those of the Prophet (sws) became wet. The
Prophet (sws) hung his clothes on a tree and lay down to take
rest. In the meanwhile, a disbeliever, Da‘thawr came upon him
and, drawing out his sword, asked: “Who would save you from me
today?” The Prophet (sws) answered: “Allah!” The attacker
froze in such terror that his sword fell from his hands. The
Prophet (sws) picked up the sword and asked Da‘thawr who would
save him now from him? He answered that none could save him
and apologized. After that, he recited the words of shahadah
and became a Muslim. The greatness of the Prophet (sws)’s
bravery, his confidence in God and his belief is demonstrated
very clearly through this incident.
In the month of Jumadi al-Thani, a
contingent of 100 soldiers under the leadership of Zayd ibn
Harithah (rt), at al-Qirdah in the same region came across a
convoy of the Quraysh, carrying gold and silver. Frightened by
the Muslims, the latter left this wealth and ran away. The
Muslims seized it and took it with them to Madinah.
A New Plan of the
Quraysh
After their defeat in the Battle of Badr,
the Quraysh decided that the profit earned by the returning
trade convoy from Syria would not be divided among people but,
instead be used for preparations for the next war.
Abu Sufyan attempted to politically
convince both tribes of the Ansars of Madinah, the Aws and the
Khazrj, to remain neutral and let the Quraysh deal with those
of their relatives who had migrated from Makkah to Madinah. A
large number of members of these tribes had accepted Islam and
promised to remain loyal to the Prophet (sws), so their
non-Muslim members were not so influential that they could
convince the others to forego their support to the Prophet (sws).
Hence, Abu Sufyan’s efforts remained unsuccessful.
Preparations to
attack Madinah
The leadership of the Quraysh realized
that their strength would be insufficient to defeat the
Muslims and therefore they obtained services of some
influential people. In the Battle of Badr, the Prophet (sws)
had taken pity on a man called Abu ‘Uzzah and released him on
the condition that he would not take part in any more wars. He
was a poet. Ṣafwan ibn Umayyah convinced him to go to the
tribes settled in Tihamah and incite them so that they would
be ready to cooperate with the Quraysh. In return for this,
Ṣafwan would take all of his responsibilities upon his
shoulders. Similarly, a man called Musafi‘ ibn ‘Abd Munaf was
sent to gain cooperation from the Banu Kananah. These people
were successful in enlisting the support of the Banu Kananah,
the Banu Malik, the people of Tihamah and Ahabish. Abu Sufyan
obtained support from Abu ‘Amir, the leader of Aws, who was
living in Makkah and decided to use his influence in the next
war.
Equipped fully, the army of the Quraysh
and their allies numbered 3,000 individuals, including 700
armoured soldiers and 200 on horseback. Accompanying them were
the daughters and other women of the Quraysh leaders killed
during Badr, so that they could urge their men to bravery.
Three Companions who were guarding the road to Makkah gave the
information of the arrangements and arrival of the Quraysh to
the Prophet (sws). As the Quraysh army descended upon Dhu al-Halifah,
the Muslims stood guard in the city and three honourable
Ansars stood at the doors of Masjid e Nabawi.
The Dream of the
Prophet (sws) and Consultations with the Companions
Just as the Prophet (sws) had been shown
the incidents of the Battle of Badr prior to their taking
place in his dreams, given the glad tidings of one group
overcoming the other and the numbers of the Quraysh being
lesser, similarly he saw a dream related to the Battle of Uhud.
Dreams require interpretation. In the Battle of Badr, the
numbers of the Quraysh were thrice as many, but in reality,
their strength was far less and Muslims had cut them like
vegetables: this was the reality which the Prophet (sws) had
seen in his dream.
Different narrations of the dream exist.
According to Ibn Hisham, the Prophet (sws) spoke about having
a good dream. He had seen that a cow was being slaughtered, a
jag had occurred in his sword and he had pushed his arm inside
an armour. According to Ibn Sa‘d, he saw that he was wearing a
strong armour, the edge of the sword had a jag and a cow was
being slaughtered behind which was a sheep. He interpreted the
armour to be Madinah and the sheep to be the army of the
Quraysh. The cow was the army of the Muslims and the jag in
the sword meant harm to the person of the Prophet (sws). In
our opinion, the coming events were reflected in this dream.
The Prophet (sws) was given signs that this time the fight
would be tough, hence it was not to be taken lightly. The
believers would be martyred in large numbers and much blood
would flow. The defense of the Prophet (sws) would be
inadequate and the enemy would be successful in damaging his
person. The enemy would be saved from any great loss but would
not be able to enter Madinah. The Prophet (sws) would himself
enter Madinah with his Companions.
In the light of these indications from
his dream, the Prophet (sws) consulted his Companions to
develop a strategy to counter the enemy attack. This process
had the benefit that the collective views of the army would be
forthcoming; useful advice would be given which could be used
to prepare a strategy. Additionally, the strength of people
who were in a minority and expressed views different from
others would also be known. At such occasions, the Prophet (sws)
used to put the issue in front of the Companions but would not
express his own opinion. When he put the matter in front of
his Companions and sought their advice before the Battle of
Badr, the people who did not want to face the Quraysh became
obvious. But after listening to all arguments, he gave the
order to march to Badr and made preparations accordingly.
Using the same approach, the Prophet (sws)
informed the Companions of the arrival of the Quraysh and gave
an opportunity to them to discuss the war strategy, but did
not give his own opinion. If he had done so, which Muslim
would have dared to present a different view and thus endanger
his faith? In our view, the narratives that state that the
Prophet (sws) wished to fight while remaining within Madinah
but was forced by some Companions who suggested that they face
the enemy out of the city are based on misunderstandings.
When the Prophet (sws) placed the matter
before his Companions, ‘Abdullah ibn Ubayy, the leader of the
hypocrites advised on fighting while remaining within Madinah.
He said: “Do not venture out of the city. Whenever we have
done so, we have faced losses, but when the enemy has tried to
enter the city, it has faced loss because the men have fought
from the front and women and children can pelt stones from the
rooftops.” The opinion of the sincere Companions was
different. Some Companions whose desire for martyrdom had not
been fulfilled in the Battle of Badr said: “O Prophet of
Allah! Take us toward the enemy. If we remain in the city,
they will gain courage and believe that we are weak and
demonstrating cowardice. We have been looking forward to this
day and now Allah has brought them close to us and reduced our
travel distance.” One Companion said: “No one dared to enter
our city during the times of jahiliyyah: who would dare to do
so in the times of Islam?” One Ansar said: “O Prophet (sws)!
If we do not fight our enemy in the valleys of our city, where
would we fight him?” Nu‘aym ibn Malik (rta) of Bani Salim
said: “O Prophet of Allah! Do not deprive us of Paradise. By
the Being who holds my soul in His captivity, I shall surely
go to Paradise.” Someone asked: “How?” He answered: “Because I
hold Allah and His Prophet dear to me and it is not my way to
run away from the battlefield.” Hamzah (rta) said: “By the
Being who revealed His Book upon you, we will fight with the
enemy on the field.” Muslims talked about their desire for
martyrdom in their speeches and declared that remaining in
siege within the city and fighting from this situation would
be a barrier to the fulfillment of this desire. By assessing
the numbers of hypocrites and those sincere to their faith,
the Prophet (sws) decided to confront the enemy outside the
city.
Departure towards
Uhud
It was Friday. During the sermon, the
Prophet (sws) asked the people to make piety and fear of God
their way of life; be patient and persevere during the war and
obey orders. He asked them to be ready to march towards Uhud,
where the enemy had already taken positions, after the prayer
of Asr. He went inside his house, wore two armours according
to the indications in his dream and took up his weapons. When
he came out, some people, thinking that perhaps they had
insisted too much and forced him to face the enemy outside the
city, said that if he himself wished to confront the enemy
from within the city, he should do so. The Prophet (sws)
replied that when a messenger donned an armour, he did not
take it off. It was not appropriate to his status.
The Prophet (sws) used a less well known
path to Uhud with his 1,000 strong army of soldiers as they
started after ‘Asr. They saw a group of men on their way and
upon inquiry, the Prophet (sws) was informed that they were
the Jewish allies of ‘Abdullah ibn Ubayy. The Prophet (sws)
did not allow them to join the army. It must be remembered
that the Covenant of Madinah included the clause that
religious wars would be fought on the basis of the force of
the signatories and that Jews would not be included without
permission from the Prophet (sws). At night, the Prophet (sws)
rested in a place called Al-Shawt and Muhammad ibn Maslamah (rta)
and his party kept guard.
The next morning, when the Prophet (sws)
gave marching orders, ‘Abdullah ibn Ubayy separated himself
along with 300 soldiers and refused to join the Muslims. The
influential people among the Muslims tried their best to
retain him but he refused to change his decision. It was also
suggested to him that if he did not wish to take part in the
fight, he could just occupy the defense check post, but he
refused, saying that when his opinion was not considered when
developing the war strategy, why should he be part of
implementing a wrong decision? ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn Haram (rta)
of the Banu Salamah advised these people not to leave their
Prophet (sws) and their nation in the difficult times when
they needed help and assistance, but they would not pay heed.
At this, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr (rta) said: “Enemies of Allah! May
Allah destroy you! The Prophet does not need people like you.”
According to some narratives, the Ansars asked for permission
to convince the allied Jews but the Prophet (sws) refused.
This act of ‘Abdullah ibn Ubayy created a
lowering of morale in the army and the Banu Harithah of the
tribe Aws and the Banu Salamah of the tribe Khazraj were
encouraged to avoid the war but they saw reason after
receiving advice from others. At this stage, the Prophet (sws)
gave a speech and explained to people that the faithful did
not rely upon their numbers and resources but upon help and
support from God. It was quite possible that Allah replace the
300 men who had left with a reinforcement of 3,000 angels. In
fact, if they showed steadfastness and if required by a sudden
attack from the enemy, God may even send 5,000 instead of
3,000 angels. The Prophet (sws) inspected the army and sent
young men who were below the age of 15 and who had joined in
their passion for martyrdom, back home. Seven hundred Muslims
proceeded, armed with their belief on help from God. The
Prophet (sws) kept the Mount of Uhud to the rear right and
organized his army lines in a semi circle. There was a hill to
the left at some distance where he installed 50 archers and
instructed their leader, ‘Abdullah ibn Jubayr (rta) to defend
the army against attacks from the left and the back and that,
whatever situation arose, he was to fulfill his appointed duty
and not leave the position until the war ended. He gave
commandership of the cavalry to Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwam (rta) and
that of the un-armoured soldiers to Hamzah ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib
(rta). The flag of the tribe Aws was given to Usayd ibn Hudayr
(rta) and that of Khazraj to Hubab ibn Mundhir (rta). The
Quraysh lined up their forces on the open field keeping the
Mount Uhud to their left. Their foot soldiers were in the
centre and soldiers on horseback were to the right and left of
the army, with Khalid ibn Walid and ‘Ikramah ibn Abi Jahal
leading them.
Stages of the War
Four stages of this war were extremely
significant.
The First
Stage
When the battle began, Abu ‘Amir ‘Abd
‘Amr ibn Sayfi came forward with 50 of his men from the
Quraysh. He had convinced the Quraysh that the tribe of Aws
were his followers and that, upon seeing him, would come over
to their side. With this hope, he stood between the two armies
and addressing the Aws, said: “I am your mentor; come and join
me.” They replied that they welcomed him no more. “O
Transgressor! May God never fulfill your desire.” Upon hearing
this, he said: “My nation has adopted wrong ways after my
departure.”
The Prophet (sws) raised his sword and
asked who would pay the price of this. The Companions asked
what would be this price at which the Prophet (sws) answered
that it should become bent while fighting the enemy. Abu
Dajanah Sammak ibn Kharshah (rta) came forward and said that
he would pay this price. After obtaining the sword, he wound a
red scarf around his head and began to walk in the field with
pride. The Prophet (sws), noting this, said that God did not
like such a stride, but that it was a good act at that time
because the intent was to impress the enemy.
The Prophet (sws) asked to whom the
Quraysh had handed their flag. He was informed that Talhah ibn
Abi Talhah of the Banu ‘Abd al-Dar had the flag. He said that
they, too, would give their flag to the Banu ‘Abd al-Dar,
called Masab bin Umair (rta) and gave their flag to him.
Talhah ibn Abi Talhah gave out the challenge for a single
combat and ‘Ali (rta) came forward. As they fought, ‘Ali (rta)
struck such that Talhah’s skull was split open. Talhah’s
brother Usman took up the flag and Hamzah (rta) sent him on
his way to Hell. After this, the battle was on.
The Muslims demonstrated great feats of
valour and defended every step of the enemy aggressively.
God’s help was with them. Therefore, they attacked the enemy
fiercely and no flag bearer of the Quraysh could put up
resistance against them. Eight flag bearers were killed one
after the other. Qurayshi women sang martial songs to try and
keep up the spirits of their men and awaken their honour but
the battle was so fierce that they were forced to retreat.
Wherever Abu Dajanah (rta) went, he would wound men. Hamzah’s
(rta) valour was worth watching. He destroyed lines and lines
of the enemy as he advanced. The flag of the Quraysh was in
the hands of Artah ibn ‘Abd Shurahbil of the Banu ‘Abd al-Dar
when he was caught and writhed in blood. Turning from him, he
called out to a man, Saba‘ ibn ‘Abd al-‘Uzza and killed him.
After this, a spear thrown by a negro black slave of Jubayr
ibn Mut‘am struck him in his stomach. He tried to attack the
negro but fell down and gave up his life to God. Hamzah (rta)
had killed Mut‘am’s uncle in the Battle of Badr and he had
promised the negro that if he killed Hamzah (rta), he would be
granted freedom. The negro had carried out this act under this
agreement.
When the faithful fought with such
passion and energy, the Quraysh retreated and ran from the
battlefield. The Muslims began to gather the spoils of war. It
seems that this action was premature and that it was conducted
without completely destroying the force of the Quraysh as they
still had some strength left in them. When the archers who
were occupying their posts on the hill saw that the Muslims
had started gathering the spoils, they thought that the war
had ended and that their duty was over. Their commander,
‘Abdullah ibn Jubayr (rta) ordered them to stay at their
positions, but they believed these orders to be unnecessary.
Their argument was that the war was finished, the Quraysh had
left the battlefield and Muslims were considering it an end to
the war. Hence the time had come for them to leave their check
posts. ‘Abdullah ibn Jubayr (rta) said that whatever the
situation in the battlefield, whether the Muslims were facing
victory or defeat, they were not permitted to leave their
positions. Most of the archers did not agree with him and,
except for 10-12 people, the others left their posts and
joined those who were busy in collecting the booty.
The Second Stage
Khalid ibn Walid (rta) was in charge of
the right side of the Quraysh army. He saw an opportunity in
this new situation and led his battalion towards the hill. It
was not difficult to kill the few archers who were left. The
land was now clear for him. The ranks of the Muslims were
already in tumult. Khalid ibn Walid (rta) attacked them from
behind and surrounded them. This unexpected calamity proved to
be a great trial for the Muslims. In the effort to run away
from the battlefield, some rushed towards the hill, others to
the city. In this state of chaos, people were not even
conscious of friend or foe. A Companion, Yaman (rta) appeared
and the Muslims attacked him; his son Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman
kept on saying that he was his father but they would not
listen and martyred him. Every Muslim was courageous and
fought the enemy but because of the destruction of the ranks,
this courage was of no use. At this stage, the faithful took
special precautions to safeguard the Prophet (sws). They
surrounded him so that no ill fated person would be able to
attack him. The Prophet (sws) made efforts to get the Muslims
back into file and called out to them to listen to him and
come towards him but no one was in his senses to look right or
left. Very few Muslims came to the Prophet (sws) and fought
against the enemy with great valour. The Quraysh tried their
best to break the circle around the Prophet (sws) but his
devoted Companions pushed them back. At one stage, when they
faced him in a crowd and pressure built up on his guards, the
Prophet (sws) called out: “Who would sacrifice his life for
me?” Ziyad ibn Sakan Ansari (rta) arrived with five of his
friends and each one of them sacrificed his life for him. When
Ziyad, too fell, and was taking his last breath, the Prophet (sws)
asked for him to be laid near him. He still had a few breaths
left: he laid his head at the feet of the Prophet (sws) and
breathed his last.
Mus‘ab ibn ‘Umayr (rta) stood in front of
the Prophet (sws) as a shield and fought very valiantly until
he was martyred by Ibn Qummah al-Laythi. At this, the Prophet
(sws) called ‘Ali (rta) and handed him the flag of the
Muhajirin. The Quraysh were making efforts to cause harm to
the Prophet (sws). On the attack of one of their groups, he
was wounded by a stone thrown by ‘Utbah ibn Abi Waqqas; his
front teeth were broken, he received a wound on his forehead
and he fell down. ‘Ali (rta) held his hand, Talhah ibn
‘Ubaydullah picked him up and Malik ibn Sanan (rta) sucked his
blood. The Prophet (sws) predicted that whoever wished to see
a living martyr, he should see Talhah ibn ‘Ubaydullah and that
whoever had his blood mixed with his own would not be touched
by fire. Ibn Qummah shouted at this stage that he had killed
the Prophet (sws).
The Qur’an has brought attention to these
stages of the war in the following words:
Allah did
indeed fulfill His promise to you when ye with His permission
were about to annihilate your enemy, until you flinched and
fell to disputing about the order, and disobeyed it after He
brought you in sight [of the booty] which you covet. Among you
are some that hanker after this world and some that desire the
Hereafter. Then did He divert you from your foes in order to
test you but He forgave you: For Allah is full of grace to
those who believe. Behold! you were climbing up the high
ground, without even casting a side glance at any one, and the
Messenger in your rear was calling you back. There did Allah
give you one distress after another by way of requital, to
teach you not to grieve for [the booty] that had escaped you
and for [the ill] that had befallen you. For Allah is well
aware of all that ye do.” (3:152-153)
The Muslims obtained what they had wished
for, which was victory during the first stage; distress after
distress means that their victory at first converted into
defeat and then on top of this grief, they were grieved by the
rumour of the demise of the Prophet (sws). They were already
confronting extremely difficult circumstances and had suffered
a heavy loss of life when they became surrounded by the enemy;
this rumour struck them suddenly as a great calamity. It
spread like wildfire among the Muslims and created despair
amongst them. Many Muslims threw down their weapons, finding
it useless to fight any more. Some started to think of ways
and means to seek amnesty from Abu Sufyan and some saw wisdom
in returning to their tribes. But there was a group within
whom the desire to defeat the enemy gained renewed energy.
They vowed that they would give their lives for the truth for
which the Prophet (sws) had sacrificed his own life. Anas ibn
Naḍr (rta) was one such Companion who brought back a group of
Muslims to stay and fight. He gained martyrdom by fighting
with such courage that his body had about 80 wounds and his
face was beyond recognition. His sister recognized him by a
sign on one of his fingers. In the end, it was this group
whose determination was the turning point and changed the
fortunes of the war.
The Third Stage
The devotees of the Prophet (sws) who
were surrounding him used their bodies as shields. According
to narratives, a person from the Ansar, Ka‘b ibn Malik (rta)
was the first one to recognize the Prophet (sws) in his war
attire. He shouted to the Muslims to inform them that the
Prophet (sws) was alive and safe and that they should gather
around him. This had the desired effect. Abu Talhah Ansari (rta)
came and fired so many spears that 2-3 bows were broken in his
hands. He covered the Prophet (sws) with his armour so that
the spears would strike it. Abu Dajanah used his body as a
shield and took the brunt of the spears on his back. When Sa‘d
ibn Abi Waqqas (rta) came, the Prophet gave him his bow and
arrow and told him: “My mother and father be sacrificed for
you! Keep on firing arrows.” ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn ‘Awf received
wounds in his legs and became crippled for life. As a result
of these actions, the numbers of Muslims fighting swelled,
passions were revived with the news of the Prophet (sws) being
alive and the pressure of the Quraysh began to ease. The
Prophet (sws) moved towards the hill while continuing with his
instructions to fire arrows, and reached the valley of Mount
Uhud. There, he re-organized the Muslims again and set up his
trenches along its slope. Since he was himself wounded, he was
taken inside a cave at some height over Uhud, where his wounds
were washed. His face had been pierced by the links of his
helmet. When Abu ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah (rta) removed these
from his teeth, two of the teeth also came out.
The Quraysh tried to climb the hill but
each time, they were forced to retreat because of stone
pelting from the Muslims. The latter had gained superiority by
virtue of being at a height and the horseback cavalry of the
Quraysh were also useless there. In this situation, the
Quraysh gave up their attempts to overpower the Muslims.
At this stage, both sides raised slogans,
as recorded in history. Abu Sufyan asked: “Is Ibn Abi Kabshah
[the Prophet] amongst you?” At this, the Prophet (sws)
instructed the Muslims to remain quiet. Then Abu Sufyan asked:
“Is Ibn Abi Qahafah [Abu Bakr] among you? Is Ibn al-Khattab [‘Umar]
amongst you?” When he did not receive any response, he said:
“It seems as if everyone is dead.” ‘Umar could not restrain
himself and he said: “O Enemy of Allah! You are a liar. Allah
has ensured that you will come to grief.” Abu Sufyan shouted:
“Glory be to Habal!” At instructions from the Prophet (sws),
‘Umar (rta) raised his voice: “Allah’s is the highest and most
glorious status”. Abu Sufyan again raised a slogan in the name
of a goddess. “We have ‘Uzzah goddess, which you do not have.”
‘Umar answered:” Allah is our Supporter and your supporter is
none.” Abu Sufyan said: Today was the day of revenge for Badr.
Victory gives a chance to everyone. Today we are even.” ‘Umar
(rta) said:” we are not even. Our martyrs have gone to
Paradise and your killed are in Hell.” After this, Abu Sufyan
called ‘Umar (rta) to his side and when he went, asked him:
“Upon oath by God, did we kill Mohammed (sws)?” He answered:”
By God, you were not able to do so. He is present and is
listening to our conversation.” At this, Abu Sufyan said: “
‘Umar! I consider you more truthful and trustworthy than Ibn
Qum’ah” (Ibn Qum’ah had, as explained above, spread the rumour
that the Prophet had been killed). Alright then, we shall
confront each other again next year the same time in Badr. You
will see mutilation of the bodies of some of your killed. But
know that I neither give orders for it, nor did I stop it. I
was neither happy with it, nor was I unhappy”. Saying this,
Abu Sufyan gave orders to his army to return to Makkah.
While a fierce battle was being fought in
Uhud, some extraordinary incidents took place which are worth
mentioning:
1. In the Battle of Badr, a Quraysh
leader, Ubayy ibn Khalaf Jumahi had said to the Prophet (sws)
that he would kill him and he was training a horse specially
for this purpose. The Prophet (sws) had answered: “No.
Instead, I will kill you.” On the day of Uhud, he came running
to the Prophet (sws) on the same horse. When the Muslims tried
to stop him, the Prophet (sws) asked them to let him come. As
he came near, the Prophet (sws) fired an arrow at him. He was
wounded and turned back. Reaching his people, he showed them
his wound and they reassured him saying that it was a slight
wound. But he kept shouting that Muhammad (sws) had killed
him. Later, he died of the same wound.
2. Mukhayyariq, a Jew from the Banu
Tha‘labah said to the Jews that they had a covenant with
Muhammad (sws) and helping him was their duty. They should go
to Uhud to fulfill their obligation. The Jews declined, saying
that it was the day of Sabbath and hence they could not
participate in any activity. Mukhayyariq said that Sabbath did
not place any barrier in such activities. He said this, picked
up his war equipment and left for Uhud, where he was killed,
while fighting. When the Prophet (sws) came to know, he said
that Mukhayyariq was the best among the Jews.
3. One of the men, called Qazman fought
with great courage and killed many idolators. When he was
mentioned to the Prophet (sws), he said that he was among the
people of Hell. When Qazman was wounded, he was brought to a
settlement. People praised him, saying that he had shown great
feats. He should be receiving predictions of Paradise. Qazman
said: “By Allah! I have fought for the glory of my nation. If
it had not come to Uhud, I would not have come either.” Later,
when the pain from his wounds became severe, he committed
suicide with his own arrow.
4. After the war, the Banu ‘Abd al-Ashhal
were searching for their killed when they found ‘Amr ibn
Thabit Asiram lying among those killed. They were very
surprised to see him there as he was an enemy of Islam. He was
seriously wounded. He was asked if he came to give support to
his nation or whether he was attracted by Islam. He said that
he had belief in Allah and the Prophet (sws), accepted Islam
and then taken up a sword to defend Islam, until he fell after
being wounded. Saying this, he died in the arms of people
around him. When the Prophet (sws) was informed, he said that
he would enter Paradise. People would say that Asiram was a
person who had never said a single prayer but would go to
Paradise.
5. ‘Amr ibn al-Jamuh was old and
crippled. He had four sons all of whom would join the Prophet
(sws) in battles. The sons tried to keep their father within
their home during Uhud. He came to complain to the Prophet (sws),
expressing his desire to go to Paradise in his crippled state.
The Prophet (sws) said that he was disabled and that qital was
not obligatory for him. He said to his sons that they should
not stop him; perhaps God had reserved martyrdom for him.
Thus, ‘Amr ibn al-Jamuh went to Uhud and was martyred.
The Fourth
Stage
When the Quraysh had left the
battlefield, the Prophet (sws) descended from the hill, had
the Muslim martyrs identified and made arrangements for their
burial. He instructed that they should not be taken to the
city but buried in the battlefield. Narratives give a figure
for the martyred Muslims between 44 and 70 and those killed
from the Quraysh as between 14-22.
At this point, addressing the Muslims,
the Prophet (sws) said: “after today, the idolaters would not
be able to gain victory over us again, to the time when we
kiss the rukun (Hajr Aswad).”The
Prophet’s comment contained the prediction that the Muslims
would not face a similar situation which they had in Uhud from
the Quraysh until their entry as victors into Makkah.
The Prophet (sws) spent the night in the
valley of Uhud. Thoroughly spent after a tiring day, the
Muslims slept peacefully, but one of the groups was so fearful
of the enemy that at every sound they would worry that the
enemy might be attacking again. In the morning, a rumour
spread that the Quraysh had realized that it had not been a
wise step for them to return to Makkah and that the result of
the war was vague. Hence, they were planning another attack.
The hypocrites had played an important role is spreading this
rumour. They thought that the Muslims would become
disheartened and discouraged with this news. But it so
happened that the loyals shouted: “Allah is enough for us and
he is the greatest Ally” and were ready to fight the idolaters
again with reinforced vigour and courage. The Prophet (sws)
gave instructions for those who had remained steadfast to
follow the enemy. The Muslims started on this new campaign
with full energy and passion. The Prophet (sws) set up camp at
a place called Hamra al-Asad, eight miles from Madinah and
gathered information about the Quraysh. When he was satisfied
that they had left for Makkah, he ordered his army to return.
Referring to this stage, the Qur’an says:
Of those who
answered the call of Allah and the Messenger, even after being
wounded, those who do right and refrain from wrong have a
great reward; Men said to them: “A great army is gathering
against you.” And frightened them: But it [only] increased
their Faith: They said: “For us Allah suffices, and He is the
best disposer of affairs.” And they returned with Grace and
bounty from Allah. No harm ever touched them: For they
followed the good pleasure of Allah. And Allah is the Lord of
bounties unbounded. (3:172-174)
According to Ibn Ishaq, the battle of
Uhud took place on a Sunday, 15th Shawwal.
The Battle of Badr was a war that was a
deciding factor, distinguishing between truth and falsehood
and giving a clear power to the Muslims over the idolaters,
obvious to everyone. In contradiction to this, the Battle of
Uhud was like the verses of mutashabihat (allegorical verses).
In allegorical verses, the reality that is stated is hidden.
It is visible to those who can see but it is not shown to
others. This is why it is open to speculation, creating a
basis for chaos. When an incident is of the nature of an
allegory, its wisdom becomes unclear and an ordinary person
may not be able to decipher its true meaning. Hence people
tend to speculate and spread rumours. The battle of Uhud was a
great trial for Muslims. Their losses were so high that they
were visible to everyone even without bringing them to
attention. Almost every family in Madinah was affected by the
battle. It had become difficult to ascertain whether Muslims
had been victorious or suffered a defeat. People were unable
to identify any benefits or any wisdom gained. In such a
situation, while the mature Muslims with strong faith learned
the right lessons, a large group having evil in their hearts
and desire to create problems found a good opportunity to use
it for their propaganda. The wisdom of God required that the
circumstances of this battle be used as a tool to teach and
train Muslims. Therefore, a detailed and impartial commentary
was given in Surah Al-i ‘Imran.
Propaganda of the
Enemies
The mischief makers made the person of
the Prophet (sws) a special target. They also ridiculed the
promise of God to help the faithful which had been referred to
in Surah al-Anfal after the Battle of Badr. They presented the
future of Islam in such an uncertain manner that many people
actually became doubtful. Their efforts were focused on
creating an environment of mistrust for Muslims.
Those objecting accused the Prophet (sws)
of being an authoritarian and not taking advice from others.
They said that he had personal ambitions for which he did not
refrain from sacrificing the lives and property of his own
companions. If he had been a true well wisher of the Muslims,
he would have accepted the advice of confronting the enemy
while remaining within the confines of Madinah and thus, much
blood of the Muslims would not have been lost.
They mocked the idea that Allah was with
the faithful and provided help to them. They questioned why
the glories of the help which were shown during Badr were not
visible during Uhud? What was this help that came some time
and disappeared at others? The fact was that fighting a war
was a game of resources and strategy. If resources were
available and the right strategy was used, victory was gained
and if there were any mistakes made in these, defeat would be
unavoidable. The faithful too, were governed by this rule.
There was no special relationship between them and God. The
promise to help Muslims in the Qur’an was merely a ruse to
keep them happy.
As this diatribe increased, they started
to say that the future of Islam was extremely doubtful. The
claim that power was the destiny of Islam was merely a threat.
When the Quraysh struggled with some discipline, the Muslims
had to face defeat. If the former made additional efforts and
gathered more resources, there was no reason why they would
not be successful in cutting off Islam from its roots. If
Islam was such a truthful religion, why did it face a
situation wherein it caused every Muslim household to become a
house of mourning?
These were the main objections raised by
the mischief makers and they were addressed in detail by the
Qur’an. It explained that the Prophet (sws) was not an
authoritarian person by nature. In fact, among his qualities
was that of treating everyone with compassion, encouragement
and good wishes. This is why everyone was gathering around him
like moths around a lamp. If he had possessed harshness, or
talked against people or treated anyone badly, no one would
have wanted to be close to him. How could he wish ill upon any
one when he, himself was so fearful of God? He was very well
aware of the fact that if he acted with ill will towards his
nation, he would have to answer for this on the Day of
Judgement. He took each step with the desire to please God. He
worked directly under the supervision of God so there was no
possibility that any of his actions could be wrong. However,
just like other human beings, he was also governed by his
destiny; so, if anything was written in his fate, it was not
possible for him to escape from it.
As far as help from God was concerned,
the Qur’an clarified that help did not mean that if the
faithful entered any field, God would send an army of angels
to help them out. Help from God was given under certain
conditions. For example, that Muslims left for the field with
full sincerity and without a desire for any personal gain to
serve their faith; that they staked all that they possessed;
they did not hesitate in fulfilling their duty; they did not
disobey Allah and His instructions; they did not create
difference of opinion in orders which were given to them and,
desire of worldly possessions did not overtake them in the
battlefield but that whatever they did there, they did keeping
the Day of Judgement in mind. If they fulfilled these
conditions, help from God would be with them. In the early
stage of Uhud, they acted accordingly and hence they received
divine help and this was why they were able to cause losses to
the Quraysh. Later, they allowed their desire for worldly
goods to overtake them. Because of this, when they disobeyed
the Prophet (sws) and his appointed Commander, God’s help was
withdrawn from them and they were left to deal with multiple
sorrows. Whatever happened had the weaknesses of the Muslims
as its cause. In future endeavours, if they were able to
overcome their weaknesses, they would find that God’s help
would be with them.
The promise of the power of Islam was
again reiterated. It was explained that there was no change in
this promise nor had God developed sympathy with the idolaters
that He had begun to give preference to them over Muslims. The
faithful were to reform themselves and get rid of the
weaknesses which had harmed them. If they corrected their
attitude, they would be victorious. Whatever happened in Uhud
contained a message for destruction of the idolaters, provided
people would not only observe the situation superficially but
understand the facts hidden underneath the surface.
Some mischief makers made the large
number of the Muslims killed a matter of debate. Their claim
was that this was the result of a competition in the open
battlefield. It would have been possible to avoid such a loss
of life provided their preventive suggestions had been
accepted. The people who had separated themselves from the
battle before it started were right in what they did. The
error was made by the Prophet (sws). The Qur’an answered this
by saying that those who were making these objections did not
understand that life and death was in the hands of God and the
best of strategies could not evade death. If Muslims had
enclosed themselves within a fortress, the ones who had to die
would have died in any case and the fort would not have been
of any use to them. It was not appropriate for men of courage
to live with cowardice but the most exalted state of loyalty
was to give one’s life while performing one’s duty. There was
no need to pity those who had lost their lives in the way of
God, or to express grief. They had attained the glory which
was better than all the wealth of the world. The martyrs were
enjoying the blessings of their Creator in Paradise and were
wishful that their descendants too would follow their
footsteps and come to meet them. The critics were grieving for
no rhyme or reason.
Commentary on the
Weaknesses of the Faithful
The Qur’an unveiled the mistakes which
had been committed by the faithful so that they could correct
themselves and would not face similar situations in future
endeavours.
The Qur’an said that, during the first
stage, the lack of discipline and patience and desire for
worldly benefits created the first signs of defeat. Therefore,
guidance was given that whenever Muslims started out for a
battle, they were to keep the orders of the Prophet (sws) and
their commander in mind and were not to hesitate to obey them
exactly. Leaving important check posts in order to gather war
spoils was a completely unwarranted act. The attainment of
worldly gain was not based on an individual effort or strategy
but it was a favour from God. He gave whatever He wished to
whomsoever He wished. It was necessary for the faithful to
consider the Hereafter as their target. God did not deprive
those who wanted the Hereafter from the benefits of the world.
Such people received honour in this world and were also
successful in the next.
The Muslims who had expressed doubts when
observing signs of defeat and had started to think of ways to
save their lives were told that this weakness of character was
not becoming of those who possessed faith. It was not the way
of people belonging to Allah to give up at the least sign of a
trial, lose heart or surrender to the enemy. The history of
the companions of messengers of God shows that firstly, they
had never demonstrated such a weakness, and, that if ever they
did suffer a defeat, they put it to their crossing of
boundaries and asked God for forgiveness. When faced with
difficult circumstances, despair was not to overwhelm the
faithful that they lose their determination and courage and
think about surrendering to falsehood.
Many people had been so grieved to hear
of the rumour of the Prophet (sws)’s demise that they had
become disinterested in their own lives. They were asked why
they had developed the misconception that the Prophet (sws)
would live forever? He would return to God one day, so was
their loyalty to Islam only up to the time that he lived? They
had believed in God, possessed His religion; they should
therefore recognise their status. If they turned from their
faith in frustration due to difficulties, it would be no loss
to God but they would themselves be at a great loss.
Significance of the
Battle of Uhud
If an analysis of the Battle of Uhud is
made in the light of the detailed commentary of the Qur’an, it
is clear that this battle was of great significance in God’s
scheme. It was used to strengthen the capabilities of the
faithful and to encourage and use it as a means to elevate the
status of the more sincere.
It has been observed that unless a nation
faces turmoil, it’s abilities remain dormant. The similarity
of situations create collective weaknesses. The time to get
rid of these weaknesses comes when God exposes the nation to a
storm. In this, its capacities are used and this fortifies it.
The Battle of Uhud was a trial for the faithful in which their
strengths and weaknesses were exposed and it became possible
for them to address them properly so that they could struggle
with greater effort for future stages.
This war also purified the ranks of the
Muslims. It exposed the mischief makers who had infiltrated
their files after the Battle of Badr. After this, the faithful
became careful that not only did they need to confront
external forces in future, but also keep an eye on the
subversive activities of ill wishers. If they had not been
exposed at this stage, they could have caused great damage
later.
The battle of Uhud provided every
claimant to faith with a scale with which to make a judgement.
The people who could not maintain their faith and level of
determination were identified, as were those who demonstrated
courageous feats and did not hesitate to lay down their lives
for their religion. God had wanted to encourage some of His
servants and award them an exalted status by giving them
martyrdom. It is not known how many Muslims wished for such a
status and prayed that God would bestow upon them martyrdom.
How many others would have gained encouragement after seeing
their honourable end? Today, it is difficult to ascertain this
fact.
If some weak Muslims entertained the
thought that the Quraysh could overpower Muslims by gathering
more resources and better strategizing, the Qur’an dispelled
this notion. It reassured Muslims that the idolaters would not
be able to gain any benefit from the situation arising as a
result of this battle. Their sense of victory was short lived
and temporary. They would soon lose their courage and Muslims
would gain success. Time proved the Qur’an’s predictions to be
true.
(Translated
by Nikhat Sattar)
_________________________
|