Ar Raheeq Al Mukhtum THE BATTLE OF UHUD

 » Ar Raheeq Al Mukhtum

THE BATTLE OF UHUD
The defeat at Badr was an ignominy which the Quraishites pride could not leave unavenged. Revenge
was, therefore, the catchword all over Makkah. The Makkans even forbade lamenting over their
murdered people, or ransoming their captives at Badr Battle lest the Muslims should realize the grave
degree of sadness and feeling of tragedy they were experiencing.
In the wake of Badr event, Quraish was in common consent and started fresh preparations to launch an
overall war against the Muslims in order to restore their blemished prestige and wounded pride. The
most enthusiastic polytheists desiring to go into a new battle were ‘Ikrimah bin Abi Jahl, Safwan bin
Omaiyah, Abu Sufyan bin Harb, and ‘Abdullah bin Abi Rabi‘a. They were determined to crush the
commonwealth of Islam once and for all. Emissaries were sent to all the tribes to make common cause
against the rising Faith. As a consequence of this, they managed to enlist the support of two well known
tribes
l “
Verily, those who disbelieve spend their wealth to hinder (men) from the path of Allâh, and so
will they continue to spend it; but in the end it will become an anguish for them. Then they will
be overcomed.” [8:36]
They also devised other ways of recruitment including hiring poets to entice the tribes into fighting the
Muslims. Safwan bin Omaiyah allured Abu ‘Azza, the poet to work in this context in return for riches
after the war or supporting his daughters if killed. Incidentally, this poet was prisoner of war (in the
context of the Badr events) in the hands of the Muslims and the Prophet (Peace be upon him) was
gracious enough to release him unransomed provided he would not engage in fight against him.
Abu Sufyan nursed the most grudge against Muslims because he had lost most of his supplies in AsSawiq
invasion,
In the light of these successive failures, Quraish precipitated and accelerated their preparations for a
decisive battle with the Muslims. At the turn of the year everything was ready for the move. The
Makkans also decided to take their women along with them for they might arouse them to fight
manfully. Thus a contingent of three thousand pitched warriors, of whom seven hundred were mailed
soldiers and two hundred well-mounted cavalry with three thousand camels and fifteen women
marched towards Madinah. The general leader was Abu Sufyan bin Harb, the cavalry under the
leadership of Khalid bin Al-Waleed assisted by ‘Ikrimah bin Abi Jahl, and Bani ‘Abd Ad-Dar were
entrusted with the flag.
Old deep-seated feelings of hatred, with heart-based grudge enveloped the whole process
foreshadowing bitter, bloody revenge-instigated fighting between the two parties.
Meanwhile Al-‘Abbas bin ‘Abdul Muttalib, was closely watching the military movements and preparations
for war, and these were all included in an urgent message sent by him to Prophet (Peace be upon him)
who received it while he was in Qubâ’ Mosque. Ubai bin Ka‘b read the letter to the Prophet (Peace be
upon him), who asked him to be reticent with respect to its serious contents. He hurried back to
Madinah, convened a meeting with the Helpers and Emigrants and conducted with them serious
consultations as regards the measures to be taken.
The whole of Madinah was put on the alert and all men were heavily armed even during prayer in
anticipation of any emergency. A group of Helpers volunteered to guard the Prophet(Peace be upon
him) and kept watchful eye all night at his door, amongst whom there were Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh, Usaid bin
Hudair and Sa‘d bin ‘Ubadah. Lest they should be taken by surprise, armed groups of the Medinese began to police the entrances and roads leading to the city. To reconnoitre the movements of the
polytheists, Muslim platoons began to patrol the routes for any probable enemy raids.
The Makkan army, on the other hand, continued the march along the usual western road. On reaching
Al-Abwâ’, Hind bint ‘Utbah, Abu Sufyan’s wife, suggested that they dig up the grave of the Prophet’s
mother, but the leaders of the army refused to do so for fear of the consequent results. The army then
followed Wadi Al-‘Aqeeq and turned right to encamp themselves at a place called ‘Ainain near Uhud
Mountain. That was on Friday, 6th Shawwal, 3 A.H.
A CONSULTANT ASSEMBLY FOR A DEFENCE PLAN:
The scouting party of Madinah conveyed the news of the Makkan army step by step. Then the
Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) held a head military consultation assembly to exchange views
about the situation. He told them about a dream he had. He said: “By Allâh, I have dreamt of — I
implore Allâh to be a dream of bounty — cows slaughtered and that there was a groove at the pointed
top of my sword, and that I had inserted my hand into an immune armour.”
The interpretation of ‘the cows’ was that some of his men were killed, and ‘the groove at the pointed
top of his sword’ was that a member of his House would be hurt. As for ‘the armour’ it was Madinah.
Then he offered a suggestion that his Companions should not go out of Madinah and that they should
encamp themselves within the city. He was of the opinion that the enemies should be left in the open to
exhaust themselves and thus the Muslims would not risk a battle. But if they thought of attacking
Madinah, Muslim men would be ready to fight them at the mouths of lanes; whereas Muslim-women
would help from over the house roofs.” ‘Abdullah bin Ubai bin Salul — the head of the hypocrites; who
attended the meeting as a chief of Al-Khazraj — supported the Prophet ’s plan.
As a matter of fact his agreement was not based on the righteousness of the plan but rather on
personal benefit. He did not want to fight. On the contrary he secretly aimed at being far away from
fight. However it was Allâh’s Will that he should be disclosed and disgraced in public — for the first
time. It was His Will that the curtain which concealed their disbelief behind should be uncovered and
pulled down. Allâh’s Will enabled the Muslims to recognize the reality of those snakes that were
creeping within their garments and inside the sleeves of their clothes. Thanks to Allâh they recognized
them in one of the most critical times of their lives.
Some of the best honourable Companions, who had missed Al-Jihâd in Badr invasion, suggested that
the Prophet (Peace be upon him) should go out of Madinah and urged him to accept their point of view.
One of them said: “O, Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him), for long time we have been looking
forward to this day; and we have implored Allâh to make such a day draw near. Thanks to Allâh it is
time to fight. So let us go out and fight our enemies lest they should think that we have lost heart and
do not dare to fight them.” Hamza bin Abdul Muttalib the paternal uncle of the Prophet (Peace be upon
him), who had already covered the ornaments of his sword with idolaters’ blood in Badr Battle, was
ahead of those enthusiastics who urged him to go out and meet the disbelievers. He said to the Prophet
(Peace be upon him): “By Allâh, Who has sent the Book down unto you, I will not taste food till I fight
them with my sword outside Madinah.”
After weighing carefull the pros and cons of the issue, it was decided that the enemy should be resisted
outside the city at Uhud.
DIVIDING THE ISLAMIC ARMY INTO PHALANXES DEPARTURE TO THE BATTLE
-FIELD:
Ascending the pulpit at the Friday congregational prayer, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) urged the
people in his sermon to fight courageously. “If you remain steadfast,” he said “you will be helped by the
Power of the All- Mighty.” Then he commanded his men to make ready for the battle. Most of them
rejoiced greatly.
He led the afternoon prwith crowds of people. Then he entered his house accompanied by his two friends Abu Bakr and ‘Umar. They helped him dress and wear his headcloth. He armed himself and
wore two armours one over the other. He wore his sword and went out to meet people.
People were waiting for him impatiently. Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh and Usaid bin Hudair blamed people for
pressing on the Prophet (Peace be upon him). They said: “You have forced the Messenger of Allâh
(Peace be upon him) to fight the enemy outside Madinah.” Therefore they were determined to leave the
whole matter to the Prophet (Peace be upon him), and blamed themselves for what they had already
done. When the Prophet (Peace be upon him) came out, they said: “O Messenger of Allâh, we should
have not disagreed with you. So, you are free to do what you desire. If you prefer to stay inside
Madinah we will stay with you. Upon this the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) remarked: “It
does not become a Prophet that once he had put on armour, he should take it off, until Allâh has
decided between him and the enemy.”
THE PROPHET (Peace be upon him) DIVIDED HIS ARMY INTO THREE BATTALIONS:
1.Al-Muhajireen battalion, under the command of Mus‘ab bin ‘Umair Al-‘Abdari.
2.Al-Ansari-Aws battalion was commanded by Usaid bin Hudair.
3.Al-Ansari-Khazraj battalion with Al-Hubab bin Al-Mundhir to lead it.
The army consisted of a thousand fighters; a hundred of them armoured; another fifty horsemen. He
appointed Ibn Umm Maktum to lead the people in prayer in Madinah. Departure was announced and the
army moved northwards with the two Sa‘ds, who were armoured, running in front of the army.
Upon passing along Al-Wada‘ mountain trail he saw a well-armed battalion, which were detached from
the main body of the army. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) inquired who they were and he was told
that they were Jews and were allies of Al-Khazraj. They told him that they wanted to contribute to the
fight against the idolaters. “Have they embraced Islam?” The Prophet (Peace be upon him) asked. “No,”
they said. So he refused admitting them and said that he would not seek the assistance of disbelievers
against the idolaters.
PARADING THE ARMY:

As soon as he reached a location called Ash-Shaikhan, he paraded his army. He dismissed those whom
he considered to be disabled or too young to stand the fight. Among them were ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar bin
Al-Khattab. Usama bin Zaid; Usaid bin Zaheer, Zaid bin Thabit, Zaid bin Arqam. ‘Araba bin Aws, ‘Amr
bin Hazm, Abu Sa‘eed Al-Khudri, Zaid bin Haritha Al-Ansari, Sa‘d bin Habba and Al-Barâ’ bin ‘Azib,
Sahih Al-Bukhari pointed out that he had shared in the fight that day.
The Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) allowed both Rafi‘ bin Khadaij and Samura bin Jundub to
join the army — though they were too young. The former proved to be skillful at shooting arrows; the
latter wrestled the former and beat him. The admission of Rafi‘ made Samura say: “I am stronger than
him, I can overcome him.” When the Prophet (Peace be upon him) heard this saying he ordered them
to wrestle. They did. Samura won so he was also admitted.
PASSING THE NIGHT BETWEEN UHUD AND MADINAH:
As night fell upon them there, they performed both the sunset and the evening prayers and spent the
night there as well. Fifty people were chosen to guard the camp and go round it. Muhammad bin
Maslama Al-Ansari, the hero of the brigade of Ka‘b bin Al-Ashraf, was in charge of the guards. Whereas
Dhakwan bin ‘Abd Qais undertook the responsibility of guarding the Prophet (Peace be upon him), in
particular.
THE REBELLION OF 'ABDALLAH BIN UBAI AND HIS FOLLOWERS:

At the end of the night and just before it was daybreak, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) moved and  when he got to Ash-Shawt he observed the dawn prayer. There he was close enough to the enemy that
they could see one another. It was there that ‘Abdullah bin Ubai — the hypocrite — rebelled against the
Muslims. One-third of the army withdrew with him — that is to say three hundred fighters. He said, “We
do not know why we shall kill ourselves.” He claimed that his withdrawal was no more than showing
protest against the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) who had already refused his opinion and
accepted that of the others.
Undoubtedly that was not the real cause of his detachment. If it had been the refusal of his opinion —
as the hypocrite claimed — there would have no sense whatsoever for his joining the Prophetic army. If
it had been so, he would have refused to go out with the army from the very beginning of the march.
As a matter of fact the real purpose of this rebellion, withdrawal and detachment — at this delicate and
awkward position and time — was to produce bewilderment, confusion of mind, and disorder in the
Muslims army who were within the sight and hear range of the enemy who were also looking forward to
seeing more and more dissension on the side of the Muslims, like themselves. They also aimed at
breaking the high morale of the believers. That would accelerate — in their opinion — the breakdown
and consequently the death of Muhammad, his faithful Companions and Islam as a whole. The way
would then be clear for the reclaim of presidency, which that hypocrite had lost on the advent of Islam
into Madinah.
Short of Allâh’s Care, the hypocrite’s plot would have been successful. Banu Haritha of Al-Aws and Banu
Salama of Al-Khazraj were partially impressed by the hypocrite’s behaviour. Both of them were
overwhelmed by confusion and they had almost started to withdraw, but Allâh’s Care saved them from
that disgrace. About their incident Allâh says:
l “When two parties from among you were about to lose their heart, but Allâh was their Wali
(Supporter and Protector). And in Allâh should the believers put their trust.” [3:122]
‘
Abdullah bin Haram — the father of Jabir bin ‘Abdullah — attempted to stop their withdrawal. He
reminded the hypocrites of their duty at this delicate and awkward condition, but in vain. He followed
them, reproached them and urged them to go back saying: “Come and fight in the way of Allâh or at
least be defenders.” They said: “If we had known that you would really fight we would have not gone
back.” Having despaired of them, he addressed them saying: “May Allâh cast you away, you enemies of
Allâh. Allâh will certainly suffice His Prophet.” Allâh says about those hypocrites:
l “
And that He might test the hypocrites, it was said to them: ‘Come, fight in the way of Allâh or
(at least) defend yourselves.’ They said: ‘Had we known that fighting will take place, we would
certainly have followed you.’ They were that day, nearer to disbelief than to Faith, saying with
their mouths what was not in their hearts. And Allâh has full knowledge of what they
conceal.” [3:167]
THE REMINDER OF THE ISLAMIC ARMY ARE ON THE MOVE TO UHUD:

With the remainder of fighters, the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) moved towards the enemy.
After the rebellion and withdrawal of the hypocrites, the number of soldiers was reduced to seven
hundred only.
The camp of idolaters was situated in such a place that the many roads leading to Uhud were almost
blocked by them. So the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) said to his men: “Which man of you
can lead us to where the people (i.e. the idolaters) are, along a short track that does not pass by
them?” Abu Khaithama said: “O Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him), I am the man you need.”
Then he chose a short track that led to Uhud passing by Harrah Bani Harithah and their farms, leaving
the idolaters’ army westwards.
On their way they passed by Ha’it (i.e. the field) of Marba‘ bin Qaizi, who was a blind hypocrite. When
Marba‘ felt and realized that they were the Prophetic army, he started throwing earth at their faces, so they rushed to kill him, but the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:
l “
Do not kill him. He is blind in heart and eyes.”
The Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) went along till climbed down the hillock of Uhud at the
slope of the valley. He camped there with his army facing Madinah while their backs were to the hills of
Uhud mountain. So the army of the enemy stood a barrier between the Muslims and Madinah.
THE DEFENCE PLAN:
TheMessenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) mobilized his army. He arranged them into two rows to
prepare them for fight. He selected fifty skillful archers that formed a squad and made them under the
command of ‘Abdullah bin Jubair bin An-Nu‘man Al-Ansari Al-Awsi Al-Badri. He issued his orders to
them to stay where they were — on a mountain(side) at the south bank of Qanat Al-Wadi (i.e. a canal
of the valley), south east of Muslims camp at about one hundred and fifty metres from the Islamic
army. Later on this mountain was called the Mountain of Archers.
The Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) clarified the mission of this squad in words he directed to
them. He said to their leader: “Drive off the horses from us by means of arrows, lest they should attack
us from behind (the rear). Whether we win the battle or lose it, stand steadily in your position and mind
that we are not attacked from your side.”
He added:
l
“
Defend our backs! If you see us slain. Do not come to assist us; and if you see gaining grounds,
do not share us.”
In a version by Al-Bukhâri the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:
l “If you see us snatched into pieces by birds, do not leave this position of yours till I send for you.
And if you see that we have defeated the enemy and trodden on them do not desert your
position till I send for you.”
With the assignment of this squad and locating it on the mountainside and the issuance of those strict
military orders, the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) blocked the only groove that might lead
the idolaters stealthily to the rear of Muslim ranks and might even enable them to encircle them in an
encompassment procedure.
The assignments of posts and responsibilities for the rest of the army were performed by the Prophet
(Peace be upon him) as follows: On the right wing, he appointed Al-Mundhir bin ‘Amr. On the left he
appointed Az-Zubair bin Al‘Awwam,
Allâh (Peace be upon him) selected the top and the most courageous group to be in the vanguard of the
army. They were notable for their readiness, alertness and bravery and estimated to be equal to
thousands of men.
It was a wise and carefully-laid plan which revealed the genius of military leadership that the Prophet
(Peace be upon him) possessed. No other leader could have drawn a more accurate or wise plan.
Although he approached the site later than the enemy, he managed to occupy better positions. He
made the rocky mountainside to function as shield for the army’s rear and right flank. He was able, by
blocking the only vulnerable gap on the side, to provide additional maximum protection for the rear as
well as the left wing. For fear of possible defeat, and to deter the Muslims from fleeing, in which case
they would fall easy prisoners in the hands of the enemy, he chose a high place for encampment.
Moreover a strategic site of this sort would surely inflict heavy losses on the polytheists if they thought of approaching or occupying his positions. In a further step, he reduced the enemy to a narrow scope of
choice when they were cornered for encampment in geographically low positions that would avail them
nothing of the benefits of any possible victory; at the same time they would not be able to escape the
pursuit of the Muslims in case victory sided with the latter. To make up for the quantitative shortage in
fighting personnel, he chose a picked body of fighters to stand at the front.
The army of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) was thus fully mobilized on Shawwal 7th, 3 A.H.
THE MESSENGER OF ALLAH IMPLANTS THE SPIRIT OF BRAVERY AMONG HIS ARMED FORCES:

The Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) forbade the Muslims to start the fight without having an
order from him. He, then, wore two armours — a front armour and a back one. He urged his
Companions to fight and spurred them to show stamina and steadfastness at fight. He started to
implant the spirit of boldness and bravery in them. To wage and inflame his Companions and in order to
standfast in the fight, he took a sharp sword, held it in his hand and called out unto his Companions
and said: “Who is ready to take this sword and give it its proper due?” Many a man set out to take it.
Some of them were ‘Ali bin Abi Talib, Az-Zubair bin Al‘
Awwam
and
‘Umar
bin
Al-Khattab.
But
it
was

granted
to
none.
Abu
Dujana
Sammak
bin
Kharsha
inquired:
“O
Messenger
of
Allâh,
what
is
its
price?”

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: “It is to strike the enemy’s faces with it till it was bent.” So Abu
Dujana said: “O Messenger of Allâh I will take it for that price.” and he was given the sword.
Abu Dujana was a man of courage who used to swagger at war. He had a red band which he wore
round his head. Whenever he was head-banded everybody knew that he was determined to fight to
death. Therefore as soon as Abu Dujana took the Prophet ’s sword, he banded his head and started
strutting amongst the fighters.
Watching him doing that, the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) said: “This is a sort of walking
that Allâh detests except in such a situation.”
RECRUITMENT OF THE MAKKAN ARMY:
 
The idolaters applied the rows system in the mobilization of their army. The general leadership of the
army was entrusted to Abu Sufyan Sakhr bin Harb, who would be in the centre-position of the army.
Khalid bin Al-Waleed was on the right wing; whereas ‘Ikrima, the son of Abu Jahl was on the left.
Safwan bin Omaiya was in charge of infantry men. The archers were under the command of ‘Abdullah
bin Abi Rabi‘a.
As for the standard, a squad of Bani ‘Abd Ad-Dar were in charge to bear it. Thus was the distribution of
the posts of the army ever since ‘Abd Munaf had already assigned them. This assignment had been
inherited from Qusai bin Kilab — as we have previously alluded to in an early phase of this book. No
one had the right to compete them with it. It was consistent with their traditions that they had inherited
from their ancestors.
Abu Sufyan, the general leader, reminded his men — the standard bearers — of what had happened to
Quraish on Badr Day (i.e. battle) when their standard bearer, An-Nadr bin Al-Harith, was captured. In
an attempt to wage their anger and enmity to the Muslims he said: “O Bani ‘Abd Ad-Dar! You have
been assigned bearers of our standard and you know that the standard is the first thing that the enemy
attacks. Should it fall, we fall down too. Therefore, I say either you guarantee its safety or leave it for
us, and we will certainly suffice you that task.”
Abu Sufyan’s attempt seemed to be fruitful. For his speech made Bani ‘Abd Ad-Dar so extremely angry
that they threatened him and almost attacked him for that. Addressing him, they said: “You want us to
deliver you the custodianship of the standard? Tomorrow when we fight them, you will witness our
deeds.” As a matter of fact, they fought bravely and stoodfast in defence of the standard till they were
all killed.  POLITICAL MANOEUVERS OF QURAISH:
A little time before the break out of the battle, Quraish made some endeavours to sow the seeds of
discord and dispute among the Muslims. First, Abu Sufyan sent to the Helpers a message saying:
“Leave us alone to fight our cousins and do not interfere. If you stand aside, we will not fight you; for
fighting you is not a target of ours.” But that attempt proved to be fruitless. What could such a wicked
scheme do to those whose Faith was as solid and firm as mountains?! The Helpers reply was
undoubtedly disappointing and contrary to Abu Sufyan’s expectations.
The zero-hour was due. The two parties drew nearer. Undespaired by the first failure, Quraish made
another attempt, for the same purport but now with the assistance of a traitor called Abu ‘Amir AlFasiq,
whose
name
was
‘Abd
‘Amr
bin
Saifi.
He
was
called
a
monk,
but
the
Messenger
of
Allâh
(Peace

be
upon
him)
nicknamed
him
Al-Fâsiq
(i.e.
perverted
transgressor;
dissolute).
As
he
was
the
head
of

Aws
in
Al-Jahiliya,
he
could
not
tolerate
Islam
when
it
came.
He
announced
his
enmity
to
the

Messenger
of
Allâh
(Peace
be
upon
him)
in
public.
He
left
Madinah
for
the
Quraishites
in
Makkah
to
rally

them
against
the
Messenger
of
Allâh
(Peace
be
upon
him)
and
to
urge
them
to
start
the
fight
against

him.
He
claimed
that
he
was
obeyed
and
esteemed
by his
people
and
that
as
soon
as
they
saw
him

come
they
would
join
him
immediately.

So he was the first one among the mob and slaves of Quraish to show resistance. He called out unto his
people, recognized them and said: “O kinfolk of Aws! I am Abu ‘Amir.” Their reply was “No eyes of
anybody shall be consoled by viewing you, O Fâsiq.” Hearing them say so, he said: “My people must
have been afflicted by an evil after my departure.” Therefore when the fight broke out, he fought them
fiercely and pelted his people with stones, as well.
That was how the second attempt of Quraish to sow the seeds of discord among people of Faith. This,
however, revealed the great terror of the Quraishites cast in their hearts in spite of their supremacy in
number and equipment.
THE EFFORT OF THE QURAISHITE WOMEN AT WAGING THE ZEAL OF MEN:
 
Quraishi-women participated in the battle led by the wife of Abu Sufyan, Hind bint ‘Utbah. They
wandered among the rows of the idolaters, tapped on tambourines, encouraged men to fight, inflamed
the emotions of heroes, lancers, swordsmen and brave fighters. At one time they addressed the
standard-bearers:
l “O Bani ‘Abd Ad-Dar!
O home defenders,
Strike with your sharp swords …”
And at another time they would wage people’s zeal by singing:
l “
If you fight (bravely), we will embrace
and unfold mats to welcome you.
But if you flee from the battlefield, we leave you,
Desert you and no more love you.”
THE COMBAT:
 The two parties approached and grew very close to each another. The phases of fight started. The first
combatant was the standard-bearer, Talha bin Abi Talha Al‘
Abdari,
who
was
the
most
distinguished

idolater. He was one of the bravest men of Quraish fighters. Muslims nicknamed him ‘the ram of the
battalion.’ He came forth riding a camel and challenged the Muslims to a single combat. People
refrained from fighting him due to his bravery; but Az-Zubair bin Al‘
Awwam
advanced
for
the
fight.
He

did
not
give
the
‘Ram’
any
chance
to
fight
but
fell
on
him
like
a
lion
on
his
camel’s
back,
pulled
him

down to the ground and slaughtered him with his sword.
The Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) who was watching that wonderful incident exclaimed:
Allâhu Akbar that is ‘Allâh is the Greatest’ and the Muslims exclaimed Allâhu Akbar too. He praised AzZubair
when
he
said:

l “
Every Prophet has a disciple and Az-Zubair is a disciple of mine.”
Soon the general engagement ensued and the fight of the two parties grew fierce everywhere on the
battlefield. The strain of the fight was centred round the carriers of the standard. After the death of
their leader Talha bin Abi Talha, Banu ‘Abd Ad-Dar alternated the mission successively. Talha’s brother,
‘
Uthman, ran forward and seized the standard which lay by the lifeless body of his brother, chanting:
“The standard-bearer has the right to dye its shaft in blood, till it be beaten in his hand.” Hamzah bin
‘Abdul Muttalib attacked and dealt him a blow that cut his arm and shoulder and went down to his navel
to uncover his lung.
The standard was raised up again by Abu Sa‘d bin Abi Talha; but Sa‘d bin Abi Waqqas shot him with a
deadly arrow that hit him at his throat and made his tongue hang out breathing his last.
In another version it was narrated that Abu Sa‘d lifted the standard up and challenged the Muslims to
fight him. ‘Ali bin Abi Talib went forth. They exchanged two blows. Then ‘Ali gave him a terminal blow
that finished him off.
Musafi‘ bin Talha bin Abi Talha then hoisted the standard, but was soon shot with an arrow by ‘Asim bin
Thabit bin Abi Al-Aqlah. His brother Kilab bin Talha bin Abi Talha followed him picked the banner and
lifted it up; but Az-Zubair bin Al-‘Awwam attacked him and managed to kill him. Their brother Al-Jallas
bin Talha bin Abi Talha lifted the banner up but Talha bin ‘Ubaidu-Allâh stabbed him to death. They also
said that it was ‘Asim bin Thabit who managed to deal a terminal blow to him.
All those six people killed round and in defence of the standard, belonged to one house, the house of
Abi Talha ‘Abdullah bin ‘Uthman bin ‘Abd Ad-Dar. Another man from Bani ‘Abd Ad-Dar, called Artat bin
Sharhabeel carried the standard but he also was killed by ‘Ali bin Abi Talib. Others said it was Hamzah
who killed him not ‘Ali.
Then it was Shuraih bin Qariz who was killed by Quzman — he was a hypocrite who fought for prestige
only, not in defence of Islam. Abu Zaid ‘Amr bin ‘Abd Munaf Al-‘Abdari lifted the standard up but he was
killed by Quzman too. A son of Sharhabeel bin Hashim Al-‘Abdari hoisted it again and was also killed by
Quzman.
So we see that ten fighters of Bani ‘Abd Ad-Dar — the standard-bearers — were annihilated. Seeing
that none of ‘Abd Ad-Dars survived to carry the standard, a slave of theirs — called Sawab — came to
raise it. The slave showed more admirable sorts of bravery and steadfastness than his former masters.
Sawab, the slave went on fighting till his hand was cut off. So he knelt down and embraced the banner,
leant it against his chest and neck lest it should fall down to the ground. He remained fighting steadily
and steadfastly till he was killed. In the meanwhile he did not stop saying: “O Allâh, have I been
excused?” After the death of the slave Sawab, the standard fell down to the ground, and remained
there as there was no one to carry it.
Whilst the brunt of the battle centred around the standard, bitter fighting was going on everywhere on
the battlefield. The spirit of Faith overwhelmed the Muslims’ ranks; so they rushed among the idolaters
as if they had been an outbreak of a destructive flood that overflowed and knocked down all dams and
barriers standing in its way “I seek death, I seek death.” That was their announced motto on Uhud Day.

Abu Dujana, recognized by the red band worn round his head, came forth, fighting with the sword of
the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him). He was determined to pay its price at all costs. He killed
all the idolaters that stood on his way splitting and dispersing their ranks. Az-Zubair bin Al‘
Awwam

said:

“
I felt angry and discouraged when the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) refused to give me the
sword but gave it to Abu Dujana. I said to myself: ‘I am his paternal cousin — the cousin of his aunt
Safiya — a Quraishite, besides, I was the first who demanded it and yet he favoured him to me. By
Allâh, I will watch how he will use it.’ So I followed him, I saw him take out his red band and wear it
round his head. Seeing him like that, the Helpers said, ‘Abu Dujana had worn the band of death.’ Then
he set out saying loudly:
l ‘I am the one whom my intimate friend made covenant with, when we were under the palmtrees
on
the
mountain
side.

The covenant that we made was that I should not fight at the rear.
But fight at the front heroically with the sword of Allâh and His Messenger.’
No one stood the way of Abu Dujana but was killed. There was a man among the idolaters whose only
target was to finish off the wounded Muslims. During the fight Abu Dujana drew near that man; so I
implored Allâh that they might engage in combat. They in fact did and exchanged two sword-strokes.
The idolater struck Abu Dujana, but he escaped it and it pierced into his leather shield. The idolater’s
sword now stuck to it, Abu Dujana struck him with the sword and killed him. Into the thick of the battle,
he rushed to kill a person who was inciting the enemy to fight the Muslims. Upon this the person
shrieked and lo! it was a woman. Abu Dujana spared her saying: ‘I respect the Prophet ’s sword too
much to use it on a woman.’ The woman was Hind bint ‘Utbah.”
Describing the same incident, Az-Zubair bin Al‘
Awwam
said:
“I
saw
Abu
Dujana
raising
a
sword
over

the
parting
part
of
Hind
bint
‘Utba’s
head
then
he
moved
it
off.
I
said
to
myself:
‘Allâh
and
His

Messenger know best.’ (i.e. know why he acted like that).”
Hamzah bin ‘Abdul Muttalib displayed wonderful feats of gallantry againstthe overwhelming odds which
stood unparalled and created consternation and confusion in the disbelieving hosts. Heroes dispersed
off his way as if they had been tree-leaves blown away by strong wind. In addition to his effective
contribution to the annihilation of the idolaters who stood in defence of the standard, he was even of
much greater effect at fighting against men of bravery and distinguished horsemen. It was Allâh’s Will
that he be murdered when he was at the top. He was not killed in a face-to-face fight on the battlefield
—
 in the normal way by which heroes die — but rather assassinated in the dead-dark as was the
custom of killing generous and noble men that were impossible to kill in an honourable fight.
Assassination of Asadull
âh (the Lion of Allâh) Hamzah bin ‘Abdul Muttalib:
Hamzah’s assassin, Wahshi bin Harb, described how he killed Hamzah. He said:
“
I was a slave working to Jubair bin Mut‘im, whose paternal uncle Tu‘aimah bin ‘Adi was injured at Badr
Battle. So when Quraish marched to Uhud, Jubair said to me: ‘If you kill Hamzah, the uncle of
Muhammad, stealthily you shall be manumitted.’ ”
“So I marched with the people to Uhud.” He used to describe himself as, “I am a picaro good at
spearing.” “So when the two parties fought, I set out seeking Hamzah. I saw him amidst people fighting. He was like a white and black striped camel, striking severely with his sword and no one could
stand on his way. By Allâh! When I was getting ready and trying to seize the fit opportunity to spear
him, hiding sometimes behind a tree or a rock hoping that he might draw nearer and be within range —
at that moment I caught sight of Siba‘ bin ‘Abd Al‘
Uzza
going
closer
towards
him.
When
Hamzah

observed
him,
he
said:
‘Come
on!
O
son
of
the
‘clitoris-cutter.’
—
for
his
mother
used
to
be
a

circumciser. Then he struck one strong stroke that could hardly miss his head.”
Wahshi said: “Then I balanced my spear and shook it till I was content with it, then I speared him and
it went down into his stomach and issued out between his legs. He attempted moving towards me but
he was overcome by his wound. I left him there with the spear in his entrails till he died. Then I came
to him, pulled out my spear and returned to the encampment place. I stayed there and did not go out,
for he was the only one I sought. I only killed him to free myself. So as soon as I got back to Makkah, I
became a free man.”
BRINGING THE SITUATION UNDER CONTROL:
 
Although the death of Asad (Lion) of Allâh and His Messenger — Hamzah bin ‘Abdul Muttalib — was a
great loss, the Muslims maintained full control over the whole situation on the battlefield. On that day,
Abu Bakr, ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab, ‘Ali bin Abi Talib, Az-Zubair bin Al-‘Awwam, Mus‘ab bin ‘Umair, Talha
bin ‘Ubaidullâh, ‘Abdullah bin Jahsh, Sa‘d bin Ar-Rabî‘ and Anas bin An-Nadr and others — all of them
fought so fiercely, effectively and efficiently that they broke the strong will of the idolaters and
scattered them.
FROM HIS WIFE'S LAP TO SWORD
-FIGHTS AND SORROWS:
One of the brave adventurers of that day was Hanzala Al-Ghaseel — He was Hanzala bin Abu ‘Amir. Abu
‘Amir was the very monk that was nicknamed ‘Al-Fâsiq’ (i.e. the dissolute, evildoer). He is the very one
that we have recently mentioned. Hanzala, who was newly married, left his wife’s bed for Al-Jihâd
(Fight in the cause of Allâh). He set out the moment he heard of the call to Al-Jihâd. When he faced the
idolaters on the battlefield, he made his way through their ranks till he reached their leader Abu Sufyan
Sakhr bin Harb and had almost killed him, if he had not been ordained to be a martyr. For at that
moment he was seen by Shaddad bin Al-Aswad who struck him to death.
THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE ARCHERS SQUAD TO THE BATTLE:
 
The archers squad whom the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) located on the Archers Mountain,
had the upper hand in administering the war activities to go in favour of the Muslim army. The Makkan
horsemen — commanded by Khalid bin Al-Waleed, supported by Abu ‘Amir Al-Fâsiq — had for three
times attacked the left wing of the Muslim army with the aim of crushing it and then infiltrating into the
rear to create a sort of confusion and disorder in the ranks of the Muslims and subsequently inflict
heavy defeat on them. But thanks to the dexterity and great efforts of the archers, the three assaults
were thwarted.
War activities went on and on fierecly with the Muslims in full command of the whole military
developments until the idolaters finally staggered and retreated, leaving all motives of alleged pride,
and affected dignity in oblivion, and their standard trodden by the feet of the fighters with none ever
courageous enough to approach it. It seemed as if the three thousand idolaters had been fighting thirty
thousand Muslims and not merely several hundreds.
Ibn Ishaq said: “Then Allâh sent down His Help unto the Muslims and verified His Promise to them.
They chased the idolaters and evacuated them from their camp. No doubt it was a certain defeat.” In a
version by ‘Abdullah bin Az-Zubair that his father had said: “By Allâh, I was watching the servants of
Hind bint ‘Utbah and her women friends fleeing with their garments gathered up. No one was there to
prevent us from capturing them.”  In another version by Al-Barâ’ bin ‘Azib — mentioned in Sahih Al-Bukhâri — he said: “When we fought
them, they fled, and their women could be seen fleeing in the mountains with their anklets and legs
revealed.” The Muslims pursued the enemies putting them to sword and collecting the spoils.
THE ARCHERS' FATAL MISTAKE:
While the small army of Islam were recording the second absolute and clear victory over the Makkans
—
 which was no less in splendour and glory than the first one at Badr — the majority of the archers on
the mountainside committed a fatal mistake that turned the whole situation upside down, and
constituted a source of heavy losses amongst the Muslims. It has almost brought about the murder of
the Prophet (Peace be upon him), and left a very bad impression on the fame and dignity they
deservedly earned at Badr Battle.
We have already spoken about the positive orders given to the archers to hold on to their position
whatever the course of the main engagement. In spite of those strict orders, and their leader’s —
‘
Abdullah bin Jubair — warning, forty archers deserted their posts, enticed by the too soon roar of
victory as well as worldly avarice for the spoils of war. The others, however, nine in number and
‘Abdullah, their leader, decided to abide by the Prophet ’s order and stay where they were until they
were given leave or killed to the last. Consequently the cleft was left inadequately defended .
The shrewd Khalid bin Al-Waleed seized this golden opportunity to turn swiftly round to the rear of the
Muslim army and encompass them. Exterminating Ibn Jubair and his group, they fell promptly upon the
rear of the Muslims and his horsemen uttered a shout that signalled the new military developments.
The polytheists returned once again to counterattack the Muslims. An idolist woman — called ‘Umra bint
‘
Alqama Al-Harithiyah — rushed to the lying-on-earth standard, picked it up and hoisted it. The
idolaters gathered together around the standard and called out unto one another till they encircled the
Muslims and stoodfast to fight again.
THE MUSLIMS CONSEQUENTLY GOT ENTRAPPED BETWEEN TWO MILLSTONES.
The Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) was then among a small group of fighters — nine in
number at the rear of the army, watching the engagement and braving the Muslim fighters. Khalid and
his men took him by utter surprise, and obliged him to follow either of two options:
1.To flee for his life and abandon his army to its doomed end, or
2.To take action at the risk of his life, rally the ranks of the Muslims again and work their way
through the hills of Uhud towards the encompassed army.
The genius of the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him), his peerless and matchless courage made
him opt for the second course. He raised his voice calling out unto his Companions: “Slaves of Allâh.”
He did that though he knew that hisloud voice would be heard by the idolaters before it was heard by
the Muslims. He called out unto them risking his life in this delicate situation.
The idolaters, indeed, recognized him and reached his position even before the other Muslims could do
so.
The encompassment of the Muslims revealed three categories of people: The first group were those
who were only interested in themselves and they went so mad that they fled. They left the battlefield
and did not know what happened to the others. Some of this group fled as far as Madinah. Some others
went up the mountain.
The second Muslim group were those who returned to the battle, but mixed with the idolaters in such a
way that they could not recognize one another. Consequently some of them were killed by mistake. On
the authority of Al-Bukhari, he states that ‘Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) said: “When it was
Uhud Battle, the idolaters were utterly defeated. Satan then called out: ‘O slaves of Allâh. Beware the rear (i.e. the enemy is approaching from behind)’. So those who were at the front turned back and
fought the ones who were behind.”
Then Hudhaifah caught sight of his father ‘Al-Yaman’ about to be killed by other Muslims. So he said:
“
O servants of Allâh! Beware! This is my father. This is my father.” ‘Aishah (May Allah be pleased with
her) said: “But they did not part with him till he was killed.” Hudhaifah then said: “May Allâh forgive
you.” And ‘Urwa said: “By Allâh, from that time on Hudhaifah has always been blessed and wealthy till
he died.” That was because he forgave them and refused to take any blood-money for his father’s
murder but recommended that it be spent in charity.
This Muslim group suffered from great bewilderment, and disorder prevailed among them. A lot of them
got lost and did not know where to go. At this awkward time they heard someone calling: “Muhammad
is killed.” This news made them even more bewildered and almost out of sense. Their morale broke
down, or almost did in a great number of individuals. Some of them stopped fighting, slackened, and
cast down their weapons. Others thought of getting in touch with ‘Abdullah bin Ubai — the head of the
hypocrites — and seeking his assistance to fetch them a security pledge from Abu Sufyan.
Anas bin An-Nadr passed by those people who were shuddering of fear and panic, and inquired: “What
are you waiting for?” They said: “The Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) has been killed.” “What
do you live for after Muhammad (Peace be upon him)? Come on and die for what the Messenger of
Allâh (Peace be upon him) has died for.” Then he said: “O Allâh I apologize for what these people (i.e.
the Muslims) have done; and I swear disavowal of what the idolaters have perpetrated.” Then he
moved on till he was encountered by Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh who asked him: “Where to, Abu ‘Umar?” Anas
replied: “Ah, how fine the scent of the Paradise is! I smell it here in Uhud.” He went on and fought
against the idolaters till he was killed. Nobody but his sister could recognize his dead body. It had been
cut and stabbed by over eighty swords, arrows or spears. It was by the tip of his finger that she — after
the battle — recognized him.
Thabit bin Ad-Dahdah called unto his people saying:
“
O kinfolk of Helpers, if Muhammad (Peace be upon him) were killed, Allâh is Everlasting and He never
dies. Fight in defence of your Faith. Allâh will help you and so you will be victorious.” A group of Helpers
joined him and all set out and attacked a battalion of Khalid’s horsemen. He kept on fighting till he and
his friends were killed.
An Emigrant passed by a Helper who was besmeared by blood. He said: “O fellow! Have you heard of
Muhammad ’s murder?” The Helper answered: “If Muhammad (Peace be upon him) were killed, then he
must have completed the delivery of the Message. So fight in defence of your religion!”
With such boldness and encouragement, the Muslims soon recovered their spirits, came round to
senses and desisted the idea of surrender or contacting the hypocrite ‘Abdullah bin Ubai. They took up
arms and resumed the fight attempting to make way to the headquarters, particularly after the news of
the Prophet ’s death had been falsified. The glad tidings nerved them, and helped them to manage
quite successfully the break of the military blockade, and concentrate their forces in an immune place
to resume a relentless and fierce fight against the polytheists.
The third group of Muslims were those who cared for nothing except the Prophet (Peace be upon him).
At the head of them were notable Companions like Abu Bakr, ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab, ‘Ali bin Abi Talib
and others (May Allah be pleased with them), who hastened to protect the Prophet (Peace be upon
him) through unrivalled devotion.
As those groups of Muslims were receiving the blows of the idolaters and resisting instantly, the fight
flared up around the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him), who had only nine people around him.
We have already mentioned that when the idolaters started their encompassment there were only nine
persons around the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him); and that as soon as he called out unto the
Muslims: “Come on! I am the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him),” the idolaters heard his voice and recognized him. So they turned back and attacked him with all their power before any of his
Companions ran to his aid.
A violent raging struggle broke out between the nine Muslims and the idolaters during which peerless
sort of love, self-sacrifice, bravery and heroism were revealed.
Muslim, on the authority of Anas bin Malik narrated that the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him)
along with seven Helpers and two Emigrants, was confined to a trap when the idolaters attacked him.
The Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) then said: “ He who pushes back those idolaters, will be
housed in Paradise.” or “He will be my Companion in Paradise.” One of the Helpers stepped forward and
fought the idolaters in defence of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) till he was killed. Then they attacked
the Messenger (Peace be upon him) again. The same process was repeated again and again till all the
seven Helpers were killed. Then the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) said to his two Quraishite
Companions: “We have not done justice to our Companions.”
The last of those seven Helpers was ‘Amara bin Yazeed bin As-Sakan, who kept on fighting till his
wounds neutralized him and he fell dead.
THE MOST AWKWARD HOUR IN THE MESSENGER'S LIFE:

After the fall of Ibn Sakan, the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) remained alone with only those
two Quraishites. In a version by Abu ‘Uthman — authorized in As-Sahihain— he said: “At that time,
there were none with the Prophet (Peace be upon him) except Talha bin ‘Ubaidullâh and Sa‘d bin Abi
Waqqas. That was the most awkward and dangerous hour for the Prophet (Peace be upon him), but it
was a golden opportunity for the idolaters who promptly took advantage of it. They concentrated their
attack on the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and looked forward to killing him.
‘Utbah bin Abi Waqqas pelted him with stones. One of the stones fell on his face. His lower right incisor
Ruba‘iya (i.e. the tooth that is between a canine and a front tooth) was injured. His lower lip was
wounded. He was also attacked by ‘Abdullah bin Shihab Az-Zuhri who cleaved his forehead. ‘Abdullah
bin Qami’a (Qami’a means ‘a humiliated woman’), who was an obstinate strong horseman, struck him
violently on his shoulder with his sword; and that stroke hurt the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon
him) for over a month — though it was not strong enough to break his two armours. He dealt a heavy
blow on his cheek. It was so strong that two rings of his iron-ringed helmet penetrated into his holy
cheek. “Take this stroke from me, I am Ibn Qami’a.” He said while striking the Messenger with his
sword. The Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) replied — while he was wiping the blood flowing on
his face: “I implore Allâh to humiliate you.” (i.e. Aqma’aka Allâh). In Al-Bukhâri it is stated his incisor
broke, his head was cleaved, and that he started wiping the blood off it and saying: “(I wonder) how
can peopwho cut the face of their Prophet (Peace be upon him) and break the incisor of his — he who
calls them to worship Allâh. How can such people thrive or be successful?” About that incident, Allâh,
Glory is to Him, sent down a Qur’ânic verse saying:
l “Not for you [O Muhammad (Peace be upon him) but for Allâh] is the decision; whether He turns
in mercy to (pardons) them or punishes them; verily, they are the Zâlimûn (polytheists,
disobedients, and wrong-doers).” [3:128]
At-Tabarani states that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: “Allâh’s Wrath is great on those who
besmear the face of His Messenger,” observed silence for a short while and then resumed saying:
l “
O Allâh, forgive my people for they have no knowledge.”
In Sahih Muslim it is stated that the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) said:
l “
My Lord, forgive my people for they have no knowledge.”

In Ash-Shifa — a book by ‘Ayad Al-Qadi — it is related that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:
l “O Allâh, guide my people for they have no knowledge.”
It is quite certain that killing the Prophet (Peace be upon him) was their primary aim, but the two
Quraishites — Sa‘d bin Abi Waqqas and Talha bin ‘Ubaidullâh, who showed great and rare courage and
fought so fiercely and boldly that — though they were only two — were able to stop the idolaters short
of realizing their aim. They were of the best skillful Arab archers and kept on militating in defence of the
Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) till the whole squad of idolaters was driven off him (Peace be
upon him).
The Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) emptied his quiver of arrows and said to Sa‘d bin Abi
Waqqas: “Shoot, an arrow Sa‘d. May my father and mother be sacrified for you.” The Prophet (Peace be
upon him) had never gathered his parents except in the case of Sa‘d — a privilege granted to him for
his efficiency.
In a version by Jabir — authorized by An-Nasa’i — concerning the attitude of Talha bin ‘Ubaidullâh
towards the gathering of idolaters around the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) — when there
were only some Helpers with him — Jabir said: “When the idolaters reached him, the Messenger of
Allâh (Peace be upon him) said: ‘Who will suffice us their evils (i.e. fight them back)?’ Talha said: ‘I
will.’” Then Jabir mentioned the advance of the Helpers to fight and how they were killed one after the
other in a similar way to Muslim’s narration — “When all the Helpers were killed, Talha proceeded
forward to fight as much as the other eleven ones did till his hand was hurt and his fingers were cut off.
So he said: ‘Be they cut off!’ The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: ‘If you had said: In the Name of
Allâh, the angels would have raised you up before the people’s very eyes.’” Then he said: “Allâh drove
the idolaters off them.” In Al-Ikleel — a book by Hakim — it is stated that Talha had sustained thirtynine

 dressed in white defending him fiercely — I have never seen similar to them neither before Uhud nor
after it.” In another version: “He means to say that they were Gabriel and Michael”.
All those events happened in no time. If the Prophet ’s elite Companions had realized the grave
situation immediately, they would have rushed on the spot and would not have left him sustain these
wounds. Unfortunately, they got there after the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) had been
wounded and six of the Helpers killed, the seventh was staggering under the brunt of wounds and
desperately militating in defence of the Prophet (Peace be upon him). However as soon as they arrived
they encircled the Messenger with their bodies and weapons and were alert enough to prevent the
enemies from reaching him. The first one who returned to give help, was his cavemate Abu Bakr AsSiddiq
(May Allah be pleased him).
 
In a version by ‘Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) recorded in Ibn Hibban’s Sahih, she narrated
that Abu Bakr had said:  “When it was Uhud Day and at the time that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) was left behind, I was the
first to go back and see him. Before him I saw a man fighting to shield him from the enemies. I said to
myself: ‘I wish he were Talha. Let my father and mother be sacrificed for you. (O Allâh) Let him be
Talha! Let my parents be sacrificed for you!’ On the way, I was overtaken by Abu ‘Ubaidah bin AlJarrah,
who
was
then
moving
as
swiftly
as
a
bird.
We
both
rushed
to
dress
the
Prophet
’s
wounds.

There
we
found
Talha
suffering
from
serious
wounds
before
the
Messenger
of
Allâh
(Peace
be
upon

him).
The
Prophet
(Peace
be
upon
him)
said:
‘See
to
your
brother.
His
deed
entitled
him
for
an
abode

in
Paradise.’
I
noticed
that
two
rings
of
the
iron-ringed
helmet
had
penetrated
his
cheek.
So
I
set
out
to

take
them
out;
but
Abu
‘Ubaidah
demanded:
‘By
Allâh,
O
Abu
Bakr
—
I
beseech
you,
let
me
do
it

myself.’
Fearing
to
hurt
the
Prophet
(Peace
be
upon
him)
he
started
pulling
one
of
the
two
rings
out

very
slowly
and
carefully
with
his
mouth.
Then
he
pulled
the
arrow
out
by
his
mouth,
too.

Consequently,
his
front
tooth
fell.
Then
I
proceeded
to
pull
the
second
out;
but
Abu
‘Ubaidah
besought

me
to
leave
it:
‘O,
Abu
Bakr,
I
adjure
you
by
Allâh
to
let
me
do
it.’
He
pulled
the
second
ring
very

slowly
and
carefully
with
his
mouth
—
till
it
came
out.
The
Messenger
of
Allâh
(Peace
be
upon
him)

said:
‘See
to
your
brother.
He
has
proved
to
be
worthy
of
being
housed
in
Paradise.’
We
approached

Talha
to
cure
him
but
found
out
that
he
had
had
some
ten
sword-strokes
in
his
body.
(This
showed
how

efficiently
Talha
had
fought
and
struggled
on
that
day).”

At those awkward moments of that day, a group of Muslim heroes gathered around the Prophet (Peace
be upon him) forming a shield to protect him from the idolaters. Some of them were Abu Dujana,
Mus‘ab bin ‘Umair, ‘Ali bin Abi Talib, Sahl bin Haneef, Malik bin — Sinan the father of Abu Sa‘îd AlKhudri,
Umm‘Amara,
Nusaiba
bint
Ka‘b
Al-Mâziniya,
Qatada
bin
An-Nu‘man,
‘Umar
bin
Al-Khattab,

Hatib
bin
Abi
Balta‘a
and
Abu
Talha.

The number of idolaters was steadily increasing; and their attacks, naturally, got severer. Their press
had increased to an extent that the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) fell into one of the holes
dug and designed by Abu ‘Amir Al-Fasiq to be used as traps. His knee scratched and ‘Ali helped him by
grasping his hand up. Talha bin ‘Ubaidullâh took him in his lap till he could stand upright. Nafi‘ bin
Jubair said: I heard an Emigrant say: “I have witnessed Uhud Battle and watched how arrows had been
hurled from all directions at the Prophet (Peace be upon him). None of them however hit him.
‘
Abdullah, bin Shihab Az-Zuhri said: ‘Guide me to Muhammad (Peace be upon him)! By Allâh, If I didn’t
kill him, I would not hope to live.’ Although the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) was next to
him, alone — but he did not observe him. Safwan, a co-polytheist of his, blamed him (for not
translating his words into deeds), but ‘Abdullah swore that he did not see him [the Prophet (Peace be
upon him)] and added that he might be immune to our attempts on his life. He also said that four of
them pledged to maa fresh attempt and kill him, but also to no avail.
The Muslims showed unprecedented rare heroism and marvellous sacrifices. Abu Talha — for instance
—
 shielded the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) by his body and used his chest to protect him
against the enemy arrows. Anas related that on Uhud Day when people dispersed off the Prophet
(Peace be upon him), Abu Talhah was a skillful sort of archer who would pull arrows so much that he
broke two or three bows that day. When a man passed along with a quiver full of arrows, the Prophet
(Peace be upon him) would say: “Spread the arrows to Abu Talhah!” Then when the Prophet (Peace be
upon him) watched people shooting, Abu Talhah would say: “I sacrifice my father and mother for your
safety. Do not go too close lest an arrow of theirs should hit you. I would rather die than see you hurt.”

Abu Dujana stood before the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) and used to protect him from the
arrows by his back. Hatib bin Balta‘a followed ‘Utbah bin Abi Waqqas — who broke the honourable
incisor [of the Prophet (Peace be upon him)] — struck him with the sword, cracked his head and took
his mare and sword. Sa‘d bin Abi Waqqas was so keen to kill his brother ‘Utbah, but he could not;
however, Hatib could.
Sahl bin Haneef — a hero archer — who had pledged to die in the cause of Allâh, also played a
prominent part in Uhud hostilities.
The Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) himself was involved in shooting arrows. In a version by Qatadah bin An-Nu‘man that the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) shot so many arrows that the
two ends of his bow were flattened. So Qatadah bin An-Nu‘man took it to remain with him for good. On
that day his eye was so hurt that it fell down onto his cheek; but the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon
him) reput it in its socket with his hand and it became the better and the more sharp-sighted of the
two.
On that day ‘Abdur Rahman bin ‘Awf kept on fighting till his mouth was hurt and got broken. He
sustained over twenty wounds, some in his leg, and that lamed him.
Malik bin Sinan, the father of Abi Sa‘eed Al-Khudri sucked the blood out of the Prophet ’s cheek till he
cleaned it. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: “Spit it!”. But Malik said: “By Allâh, I will never spit
it”. Then he set out to fight. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) then said: “He who wants to see a man
of the people of Paradise, let him look at this one.” No sooner had he resumed fighting than he was
martyred in the thick of the battle.
Umm ‘Amarah participated in the fight too. She encountered Ibn Qami’a in combat, and sustained a
slight wound on her shoulder, but she herself also struck him with her sword several times but he
survived because he was wearing two armours. She, however, went on striking until her wounds
counted twelve.
Mus‘ab bin ‘Umair, in his turn, fought fiercely and violently defending the Prophet (Peace be upon him)
against the attacks of Ibn Qami’a and his fellows. He was carrying the standard with his right hand. In
the process of fighting, it was cut off, so he grabbed the standard in his left hand till this was also
amputated so he knelt down and shielded it with his chest and neck. Ibn Qami’a then killed him,
mistaking him for the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) on account of resemblance in
appearance. Only then did Ibn Qami’a shout ‘Muhammad (Peace be upon him) has been killed.’
No sooner had Ibn Qami’a uttered that ominous sentence than consternation spread among
Muhammad’s followers, and their morale was drastically reduced. Consequently, confusion and a
miserable state of disorder prevailed amongst them. Whilst the rumours managed to adversely act
amongst the Muslims, it alleviated the sharp impact of the assaults of the polytheists who came to
believe that they did really achieve their final objective and so they turned towards mutilating the dead
bodies.
When Mus‘ab was killed, the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) delivered the standard to ‘Ali bin
Abi Talib. ‘Ali, in conjunction with the other Companions, went on fighting bravely and set marvellous
examples of heroism, courage and endurance in both defence and attack.
Then the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) made his way to his encircled army. Ka‘b bin Malik,
who was the first one to recognize the approaching Prophet (Peace be upon him), shouted as loudly as
he could: “O folks of Muslims, be cherished! The Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) is here.” But
the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) signed to him to stop lest his position should be located by
the idolaters. Upon hearing the shout, the Muslims immediately raced towards the source of the shout
which brought about thirty Companions to gather around the Prophet (Peace be upon him). With this
assembled number of his Companions, the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) started drawing a
planned withdrawal to the hillocks nearby.
Hostilities of the enemy grew fiercer than ever with the aim of foiling the plan of withdrawal of the
Muslims. Their attempts however proved to be fruitless due to the heroic steadfastness of the lions of
Islam.
‘
Uthman bin ‘Abdullah bin Al-Mugheerah — one of the enemy horsemen — progressed towards the
Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) while saying: “Either I kill him [i.e. Muhammad (Peace be upon
him)] or I will be killed.” The Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) moved to encounter him but his
mare tripped into some holes. So Al-Harith bin As-Simma combated with the enemy, and struck him on
his leg so he went lame, then he finished him off, took his arm and overtook the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him).
But later on another Makkan horseman, called ‘Abdullah bin Jabir, attacked Al-Harith bin As-Simma,
and struck him on the shoulder with his sword and he was carried to the camp of the Muslims suffering
from serious wounds. Anyway that very idolater did not escape death, for Abu Dujana — the red headbanded
hero
and
adventurer
—
struck
him
heavily
and
cut
his
head
off.

During this bitter fight, a desire to sleep overwhelmed the Muslims — that was a security and
tranquillity to help His slave Muslims as the Qur’ân spoke in this context. Abu Talhah said: “I was one of
those who were possessed by a desire to sleep on Uhud Day. On that day my sword fell off my hand
several times. Again and again it fell down and again and again I picked it up.”
In a regular withdrawal and with great bravery and boldness, the Muslims finally retreated to the cover
of Mountain Uhud. Then, the rest of the army followed them to that safe position. In this manner, the
genius of Muhammad (Peace be upon him) foiled that of Khalid bin Al-Waleed.
Ibn Ishaq related that: “When the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) was going up the hillock, he
was followed by Ubai bin Khalaf who was saying: ‘Where is Muhammad (Peace be upon him)? Either I
kill him or I will be killed.’ The Companions of Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said: ‘O Messenger of
Allâh, do you mind if one of us combats with him?’ But the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him)
said: ‘Leave him!’ So when he drew nearer, the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) took the spear
from Al-Harith bin As-Simma. He shivered violently in such a way that made all of them scatter in all
directions violently and impulsively. Then he faced him, observed his clavicle through a gap between
the wide opening of the armour and the part of his neck enclosed by. He speared him in that spot. The
effect of the stroke was so strong that it made him roll off his horse over and over. When he returned
to Quraish, they found that he had only had a small scratch in his neck. So when blood became
congested he said: ‘By Allâh, Muhammad has killed me.’ Hearing him say so, they said: ‘By Allâh you
are afraid to death. By Allâh, you are possessed by a devil.’ He replied: ‘He had already told me when
we were in Makkah: ‘I will kill you.’ By Allâh, had he spate on me, he would have killed me.’ Eventually,
the enemy of Allâh breathed his last at a place called Sarif, while they were taking him back to
Makkah.” In a version by Abul-Aswad, on the authority of ‘Urwa: He was lowinglike a bull and saying:
“By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, if (the pain) I am suffering from now were distributed among
the people of Al-Majaz, it would cause them to die.”
During the withdrawal of the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) up to the cover of the mountain,
a big rock blocked his way. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) tried to mount it, but having worn a short
heavy armour, and being seriously wounded — he could not ascend it. Readily enough Talha sat in a
position that enabled the Prophet (Peace be upon him) to stand on his back. Then he lifted him up till
he stood on it. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) then said: “Talha, after this job, is eligible for the
Garden (Paradise).”
When the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) settled down in his head quarters in the hillock, the
idolaters started their last attack upon the Muslims. Ibn Ishaq related that: “While the Prophet (Peace
be upon him) was on the way to the hillock, a group of Quraishite elite ascended the mountain. They
were led by Khalid bin Al-Waleed and Abu Sufyan. So the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him)
implored his Lord saying: ‘O Allâh, they (i.e. the idolaters) should not be higher (i.e. in position or in
power) than us (i.e. the Muslims). Therefore ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab and some of the Emigrants fought
the idolaters till they drove them down the mountain.
In Al-Maghazi — a book by Al-Umawi — it is stated that the idolaters went up the mountain. So the
Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) said to Sa‘d: “Drive them off.” “How can I drive them off by
myself (i.e. without anyone to assist).” But the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) repeated the
phrase three times. Sa‘d then took an arrow out of his quiver, shot it at one of them and killed him. He
said: “Then I took another one I know (to be good) and I shot with it another man. Then I took a third I
know and killed a third one. Consequently they climbed down the mountain. I said to myself, ‘this must
be a blessed arrow.’ I put it in my quiver.” He kept it with him till he died. His children kept it with them
ever after.  MUTILATION OF THE MARTYRS:
That was the last attack made by the idolaters against the Prophet (Peace be upon him). Being almost
certain of his death, the idolaters returned to their camp and started preparations to go back to
Makkah. Some of them involved themselves in mutilating the killed Muslims, and so did their women.
Women and men cut off the ears, the noses, the genitals of the martyrs. They even cut open their
bellies. Hind bin ‘Utbah — for instance — ripped open the liver of Hamzah and chewed it; but finding it
unpleasant, she spat it out. She even made the ears and noses of Muslims into anklets and necklaces.
Two incidents occurred during the last hours of the fight. Which revealed for certain how far the
Muslims were ready to fight and sacrifice in the way of Allâh:
1.Ka‘b bin Malik said: I was one of those Muslims who fought in Uhud and witnessed the
polytheists’ act of barbarity in mutilating the dead bodies, but I passed them because I couldn’t
stand it. Then I saw an armed stout idolater pass through the Muslims and say: “Gather them up
and combine them in the way that sheep are gathered and slaughtered.” Similarly I saw an
armed Muslim waiting for him. I walked towards them till I stood behind him. Comparing both of
them, I found that the disbeliever was better than the other in arms and figure. I kept on
watching them till they were engaged in single combat. The Muslim thrust at the disbeliever with
his sword that went down his hip and split it into two. When the Muslim unveiled his face, he
said: “What about that, Ka‘b. I am Abu Dujana."
2.Some Muslim women came to the battlefield when the fight was over. Anas said: I saw ‘Aishah
bint Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him) with Umm Sulaim. Their garments were gathered
up so I could see their anklets. They carried water bags on their shoulders and emptied them
into the mouths of people. Then they would go back to fill them and come back to do the same.
‘Umar said: “Umm Saleet used to carry water bags to us on Uhud Day.”
When Umm Aiman, who was one of those Muslim women who saw the defeated Muslim fighters
entering Madinah, she started throwing dust at their faces rebukingly saying: “Here is a spinning wheel,
take it! and give up carrying swords.” Then she raced to the battlefield. There she watered the
wounded. Hibban bin Al‘
Arqa
shot
an
arrow
at
her,
she
fell
down
and
her
clothes
were
lifted
up.
Seeing

that,
the
enemy
of
Allâh,
burst
into
laughter.
That
sight
upset
the
Messenger
of
Allâh
(Peace
be
upon

him), so he gave Sa‘d bin Abi Waqqas an arrow lacking an arrow-head and said “Shoot it”. Sa‘d shot it,
it pierced the idolater’s throat. He fell down and some parts of his body were revealed. The Messenger
of Allâh (Peace be upon him) then laughed so much that his molars could be seen. Sa‘d avenged her
and Allâh responded to her supplication.
As soon as the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) reached the defile, ‘Ali bin Abu Talib went out
and filled his water container with water from Al-Mihras. ‘Al-Mihras’ is said to be hollow (concaved) rock
containing plenty of water. It was also said that it is a water spring in Uhud mountain. Anyway, ‘Ali
brought that water to the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) to drink. Finding that it smelt bad he
refused to drink it, but only washed the blood off his face and poured some of it over his head saying:
Allâh’s Wrath is great on those who besmeared His Messenger’s face with blood.
Sahl said: “By Allâh, I know who washed the wound of the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) and
who poured out water for him and what (substances) his wound was treated with: His daughter
Fatimah washed it, whereas ‘Ali poured water out of the container. When Fatimah realized that water
increased the flow of blood, she took a piece of straw mat, burnt it a little and stuck it to the wound so
blood ceased flowing.”
Muhammad bin Maslamah brought him fresh water to drink. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) drank
and supplicated Allâh to provide him with good things. Owing to the wounds and their bad effects on his
body, the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) led his followers in prayer in a sitting posture and so
did the Muslims.
When the preparations of the idolaters for departure came to an end, Abu Sufyan went up the mountain and called out: “Is Muhammad (Peace be upon him) among you?” They did not answer him. Then he
asked “Is Ibn Abi Quhafah (i.e. Abu Bakr) among you?” They did not answer. He asked again: “Is ‘Umar
bin Al-Khattab among you?” They did not answer him; for the Prophet (Peace be upon him) forbade
them answering him. He only asked about those three. That is because he and his people knew quite
well that the call to Islam depended to a large degree on those men. Abu Sufyan then said: “As for
those three, we have relieved you of.” ‘Umar could not help but talking, so he said, “O enemy of Allâh,
those whom you have just mentioned, I tell you that they are still alive. Allâh has maintained what you
hate.” Abu Sufyan answered: “The mutilation of your killed is something I did not order it; but it did not
displease me.” Then he shouted: “Hubal (an idol), let it be sublime!” The Prophet (Peace be upon him)
said: “Why do you not reply?” “What shall we say?” They asked him. “Say: Allâh is more Sublime and
Exalted and Mightier as well.”
He said: “Al-‘Uzza (i.e. an idol) is ours but you have no ‘Uzza.” “Why do you not reply?” The Prophet
(Peace be upon him) said. “What shall we say?” They inquired. He said: “Say Allâh is our Protector, but
you have no protector.”
Abu Sufyan said: “Well deeds! Today is a vengeance for Badr Day. This for that. War is attended with
alternate success.” ‘Umar’s reply was: “No. They are not the same. Our killed men are housed in
Paradise; but yours are in Fire.”
Then Abu Sufyan said: “Come on, ‘Umar!” The Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) said: “Go and
see what the matter is.” He went there. Abu Sufyan asked him: “I beseech you by Allâh’s Name to tell
me the truth: Have we killed Muhammad (Peace be upon him)?” ‘Umar said: “O Allâh, ‘No’ and now he
islistening to you words.” He said: “For me, you are more truthful than Ibn Qami’a, and even more
reliable.”
Ibn Ishaq said: When Abu Sufyan and those who were with him were leaving he called out notifying:
“
We will meet again at Badr next year.” The Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) said to one of his
men: “Say: ‘Yes, it is an appointment for both of us.’”
Later on, the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) dispatched ‘Ali bin Abi Talib to trace them out. He
said to him: “Pursue them and see what they are going to do, and what they aim at. If they dismount
horses and ride on camels’ back, this means that they are heading for Makkah; but if they ride horses
and lead camels unmounted, they are leaving for Madinah. By the One, in Whose Hand my soul is, if
they attacked Madinah I would march to them there and I would fight them.” ‘Ali said: “I went out and
traced them to see what they were up to. I saw them mounting camels and leaving the horses
unmounted. They were heading for Makkah.”
After the departure of the Quraishites, people went out to check the identity of the killed and the
wounded. Zaid bin Thabit said: “The Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) sent me on Uhud Day to
seek Sa‘d bin Ar-Rabî‘ and said: “When you see him, say: ‘peace be upon you from me.’ and say to him
‘
the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) says: How do you feel?’” Zaid said: “I started wandering
about checking the killed till I came across Sa‘d when he was dying — with about seventy strokes or
stabs of a sword, a spear and an arrow in his body.So I said: “O Sa‘d, the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be
upon him) sends you his greetings. and says ‘peace be upon you, tell me how do you feel?’” Sa‘d said:
“
And let peace be upon the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him), too. Tell him, I smell the scent of
the Paradise. And tell the Helpers, my people, ‘you shall not be excused before Allâh if the Messenger of
Allâh (Peace be upon him) is hurt and your eyes are blinking’ (i.e. you are still alive and not dead).”
Then he died.
They came across Al-Usairim — ‘Amr bin Thabit, whom they had already urged to embrace Islam but
refused. They saw him among the wounded on the verge of close death. “What has he come here for?
We have parted with him and he was still too obdurate to accept Islam as his religion”. They asked him:
“
What made you come here? Is it out of zeal to defend your people or is it because of an inclination to
Islam?” He said: “It is (certainly) an inclination to Islam. I believe in Allâh and in His Messenger. I have fought with the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) till I have got what you see,” and then he
immediately died. They told the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) about him. Hearing that, he
said: “He is one of the inhabitants of Paradise.” “Although he had not offered one single prayer,”
narrated Abu Hurairah.
Qazman, who was found among the wounded, fought heroically, and killed seven or eight idolaters. He
was weakened by the wounds he had sustained, they carried him to the habitation of Bani Zufr. The
Muslims gave him glad tidings of the Paradise. But he said: “By Allâh I have fought out of a zeal to my
people. Had it not been for that I would have never fought.” When his wounds worsened he committed
suicide. The Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) had already said whenever he was mentioned to
him: “He is an inhabitant of Fire.” This is the end of those who fight for a national cause or in a way
other than that of raising up the Word of Allâh, though they fought under the banner of Islam or even
in the army of the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) or of his Companions.
Contrary to Qazman there was a Jew of Bani Tha‘labah among the killed. He said to his people, “O folk
people of Jews! By Allâh you have already known that it is imperative to support Muhammad (Peace be
upon him).” They said: “Today is Saturday.” He said: “There is no Saturday for you.” He took his sword
and the war equipment and said: “If I were killed, my property should be put at Muhammad’s disposal”.
Then next morning he kept on fighting till he was killed. The Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him)
said about him, “Mukhaireeq is the best Jew.”
BURIAL OF THE MARTYRS:
 
The Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) supervised the martyrs’ burial and said: “I bear witness
that anyone who is wounded in the way of Allâh, Allâh will resurrect him with his wound bleeding a
liquid which is blood-like in colour but musk-like in scent.”
Some of the Companions carried their men killed in the war to Madinah, but the Messenger of Allâh
(Peace be upon him) ordered that they should be sent back in order to be buried where they were
killed. He ordered that they should not be washed but buried as they were after stripping them off their
armours and leather clothes. He used to bury every two or three martyrs together in one grave and
even join two men in one garment while saying: “Who is the more learned of the Qur’ân?” and he
would commit him to earth first. He would say: “I bear witness to those on the Day of Resurrection.” He
buried both ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin Haram and ‘Amr bin Al-Jamuh in one grave due to the affection they
used to possess to each other.
They missed the coffin of Hanzalah, they sought it and found that it was on a spot nearby with water
dripping off it. The Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) told his Companions that the angels were
washing him and said: “Ask his wife”. They asked her and she confirmed that he had been in a state of
ceremonial impurity. That was why Hanzalah was called ‘Ghaseel Al-Malâ’ikah’ (i.e. the one washed by
the angels).
When the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) saw how his uncle and foster brother, Hamzah, was
mutilated, he was extremely grieved. When his aunt Safiyah came to see her brother Hamzah, the
Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) ordered her son Az-Zubair to dismiss her in order not to see
what happened to her brother. She refused and said, “But why should I go away. I have been informed
that they have mutilated him. But so long as it is in the way of Allâh, whatever happens to him satisfies
us. I say: Allâh is Sufficient and I will be patient if Allâh wills.” She approached, looked at him and
supplicated Allâh for him and said: “To Allâh we all belong and to Him we will verily return.” and she
implored Allâh to forgive him. Then the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) ordered that he should
be buried with ‘Abdullah bin Jahsh — who was his nephew as well as his foster brother.
Ibn Mas‘ud said: We have never seen the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) weeping so much as
he was for Hamzah bin ‘Abdul Muttalib. He directed him towards Al-Qiblah, then he stood at his funeral
and sobbed his heart out.
The sight of the martyrs was extremely horrible and heart-breaking. Describing Hamzah’s funeral, Khabbab said: “No shroud long enough was available for Hamzah except a white-darkish garment.
When they covered his head with it, it was too short to cover his feet. Similarly if they covered his feet
his head would be revealed. Finally they covered his head with it and put some plant called ‘Al-Idhkhir’
to cover his feet.”
Al-Imam Ahmad reported that when it was Uhud Day and the time that the idolaters returned, the
Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) said:
l “
Istawoo (i.e. form rows as for prayer) so that I offer thanks and praise to my Lord, the Great
and the All-Mighty.”
So they stood in rows behind him. Then he said:
l “O Allâh, no one can withhold what You permit or permit what You withhold. No one can guide
whom You decree to go astray or make go astray the one whom You guide. No one can grant
provisions you have withheld and no one can withhold what you grant. No one can near what You
ordained to be distant, or detach what You decree to be close. O Allâh, spread onto all of us Your
Mercy, Your Grace, and Provisions.”
“
O Allâh, I implore You to grant me permanent bliss that neither changes nor vanishes. O Allâh,
You Alone we seek for Help at hardships. You Alone we resort to for security on a day of terror. O
Allâh, to You Alone I resort to protect us frthe evils of Your grants (i.e. the evils they may lead us
to) and from the evils of Your deprivation. O Allâh, make us love Faith and make it pleasant and
beloved wholeheartedly by us! Make disbelief, ungodliness and disobedience detestable to us. Let
us be among those who are rightly guided. O Allâh, make us live as Muslims and cause us to die
as Muslims; and make us join with the righteous but not with the disgraced and misled ones. O
Allâh, make Your enmity befall the disbelievers, who belie Your Messenger and divert from Your
righteous way. O Allâh, let Your wrath, Your chastisement and Your enmity befall the
disbelievers, and those on whom You sent down the Book. Let them be afflicted with war decreed
by You. O Allâh, the Author of Truth.”
After committing all the martyrs to earth, and after offering praise and supplication to Allâh, the
Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) went back to Madinah.
On his way back, matchless examples of love and devotion were revealed by the truthful women
believers; in no way less great than the men’s heroic deeds in the fight.
Hamnah bint Jahsh met the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) on the way back, and he
announced the death of her brother — ‘Abdullah bin Jahsh — to her. She said: “To Allâh we belong and
to Him we will verily return. I ask Allâh’s forgiveness.” Then he announced the death of her maternal
uncle Hamzah bin ‘Abdul Muttalib. She said: “To Allâh we belong and to Him we will verily return. I ask
Allâh’s forgiveness.” But when he announced the death of her husband Mus‘ab bin ‘Umair to her, she
shouted and woed. Seeing her doing so, the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) said: “The
woman’s husband is extremely dear to her.”
He passed by a woman of Bani Dinar whose husband, father and brother were all killed at Uhud. When
their death announced, she said: “How is the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him)?” They said:
“
Well indeed. O mother of so... Thanks for Allâh; he is well and as good as you desire.” She said: “Let
me see him.” They pointed at him. Seeing him she said: “All misfortunes are nothing so long as you are
safe.”
Umm Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh came running to see the Prophet (Peace be upon him). At that time her son was
holding the rein of his mare. Seeing his mother, he said to the Prophet (Peace be upon him): “O
Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him). This is my mother.” The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: “
She is welcome”; and he stopped and waited for her. When she drew near, he consoled her, for her
killed son ‘Amr bin Mu‘adh. But she said: “So long as I see you are safe, my misfortune will certainly go
into oblivion.” Then the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) supplicated Allâh for the relatives of
those who were killed at Uhud and said: “Cheer up! Umm Sa‘d and bear good tidings to their kindred
that all their people killed in the battle are comrades in Paradise and they are intercessors for all their
kinsfolk.” She replied, “O Messenger of Allâh, we are satisfied. Who would cry on them after this
cheerful news?” Then she resumed saying: “O Messenger of Allâh, invoke Allâh (for those who stayed
behind)” He said: “O Allâh keep sorrow off their hearts! And console them with their misfortunes.
Compensate those who stayed behind with goodness and welfare.”
In the evening of that day — i.e. Saturday, the seventh of Shawwal, 3rd year A.H. — the Messenger
arrived in Madinah. As soon as he reached his house, he handed his sword to his daughter Fatimah and
said: “O daughter, wash the blood off this sword. By Allâh it has been helpful to me today.” ‘Ali bin Abi
Talib handed her his sword and said: “And wash the blood of this sword too. By Allâh, it has been
helpful to me today.” So the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) said: “Sahl bin Haneef and Abu
Dujana have been as courageous as you are in the fight.”
Most of the narrations confirmed that seventy Muslims were killed and most of them, sixty-five,
Helpers; forty-one of whom were from Khazraj and twenty-four from Aws. This, besides one Jew and
four Emigrants.
As for the polytheists, twenty-two of them were killed, but some versions speak of thirty-seven; after
all, Allâh knows best.
On Saturday night, the eighth of Shawwal, and after their return from Uhud, the Muslims spent that
night in an emergency case — though they were dead-beat, extremely exhausted. They stayed on the
alert, and spent that night guarding the outlets and inlets of Madinah. They were specially busy
guarding their general leader, the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) for fear that some suspects
could commit an unexpected folly.
HAMRA' AL
-ASAD INVASION:
The Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) on his part, spent the night pondering over the situation.
He feared that the idolaters might think — while they were still on their way to Makkah — of reversing
their way and diverting to Madinah after they had realized that they had availed nothing of that victory.
They might regret and decide to invade Madinah as a compensation. Therefore the Messenger of Allâh
(Peace be upon him) was determined to go out in pursuit of the Makkan army.
The Prophet (Peace be upon him) called out unto people and ordered them to march to encounter the
enemy of Islam. That was on Sunday morning — next day to Uhud — the eighth of Shawwal. He said:
“
Nobody will march to the fight except those who have already participated in Uhud fight.” ‘Abdullah bin
Ubai said: “I will march out with you.” “No,” said the Prophet (Peace be upon him).
Whilst the Muslims were suffering a lot from painful pains and deep anxiety, they responded to his call
positively. Jabir bin ‘Abdullah implored the Prophet (Peace be upon him) to allow him join them in that
fresh invasion on account that he always had a liking to witness all the battles that the Prophet (Peace
be upon him) was involved in. He had not participated in Uhud because his father asked him to stay in
Madinah with his sisters . And he was granted his wish.
The Muslims marched out until they reached a place called Hamra’ Al-Asad — about eight miles from
Madinah. He encamped there. In that place Ma‘bad bin Abi Ma‘bad came to the Messenger of Allâh
(Peace be upon him) and professed Islam. Some people said that he remained an idolater; he simply
desired to give the Messenger some advice out of abidance by a covenant between Khuza‘ah (his tribe)
and Bani Hashim. He said “O Muhammad (Peace be upon him)! By Allâh, we feel great sorrow for what
had happened to you and to your Companions. We really hope you will not suffer again.” So, the
Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) suggested that he overtake Abu Sufyan and discourage him from pursuing his evil intentions.
The Messenger’s fears of a possible return of the idolaters proved to be absolutely true. For no sooner
had the idolaters dismounted and encamped at Ar-Rawhâ’ — a place thirty-six miles from Madinah,
than they started reproaching one another. A group of them said to another one: “You did nothing. You
broke down their force but you left them. There are still some distinguished men among them who will
probably gather people up to fight you again. So let us go back and annihilate them and crush down
their forces.”
It was in fact a hasty decision taken by shallow-minded people who misjudged the potential power and
morale on both parties, that is why an eminent leader of Quraish, Safwan bin Omaiyah, tried to
dissuade his people from pursuing that venture, saying: “O people. Do not do such a thing! For I fear
that he will gather up those who had stayed behind and did not share in Uhud. Go back home as
winners. For I am not sure of what turn will the consequences take if you get involved in such a fight. It
might be to your prejudice in the final place.” Notwithstanding that weighty argument, the majority of
the polytheists were determined to embark on that risky undertaking.
Ma‘bad bin Abu Ma‘bad meanwhile arrived on the scene and tried to exaggerate the danger awaiting
them in order to thwart their plan, he said: “Muhammad (Peace be upon him) has marched to meet you
with a large host of fighters, I have never seen something similar to it before. He has mustered all the
troops whohave tarried and did not share in Uhud. They surely regret what they have missed and want
to compensate for it now. Their hearts are filled with hate and resentment.” Abu Sufyan said: “Woe to
you! What do you suggest?” He said: “By Allâh, I see that you would not leave till he comes and you
see the heads of their horses; or till the vanguard of his army turns up to you from behind that hill.”
Abu Sufyan said: “By Allâh, we have reached a common consent to crush down the Muslims and their
power.” The man, once more with an implied warning, advised him to stop it.
In the light of this news, the resolution and determination of the Makkan army failed and panic and
terror took firm hold of them. They consequently deemed it safest to complete there withdrawal back to
Makkah. They, however, as an alternative, started a hostile nerve propaganda aiming at dissuading the
Muslims army from pursuing them. A caravan belonging to ‘Abd Qais happened to pass by towards
Madinah. Abu Sufyan, in the context of his propaganda, asked them to communicate a message to
Muhammad (Peace be upon him) to the effect that the Makkans had rallied their ranks to annihilate the
Messenger and his Companions, in return Abu Sufyan promised to give the people of the caravan loads
of raisins at the forum of ‘Ukaz the following year.
The people of the caravan conveyed the message to the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) at
Hamrâ’ Al-Asad, but to no effect, on the contrary, Abu Sufyan’s words augmented them in Faith. Allâh
says:
l “…
And they said: ‘Allâh (Alone) is Sufficient for us, and He is the Best Disposer of affairs (for
us). So they turned with Grace and Bounty from Allâh. No harm touched them; and they followed
the good Pleasure of Allâh. And Allâh is the Owner of Great Bounty.” [3:173,174]
After the arrival of the caravan on Sunday, the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) stayed at
Hamrâ’ Al-Asad for three days — Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday — 9-11 Shawwal, 3 A.H. and then
returned to Madinah. Before his return, he took Abu ‘Azza Al-Jumahi as a prisoner of war. Incidentally,
this man had also been captured at Badr but on account of his poverty, and the large family he
supported, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) had been gracious enough to release him on condition that
he would not involve himself in war against the Muslims again. Abu ‘Azza did not keep his promise and
took part in Uhud hostilities on the side of the polytheists. Here again he implored Muhammad (Peace
be upon him) for pardon but the latter told him that a believer wouldn’t be taken twice in the same
snare. He then deservedly merited the sentence of death which was executed by Az-Zubair or, in
another version, by ‘Asim bin Thabit.  A Makkan spy, called Mu‘awiyah bin Al-Mugheerah bin Abi Al-‘As, was sentenced to death too. This spy
was the grandfather of ‘Abdul Malik bin Marwan on his mother side. When the idolaters went back after
Uhud, Mu‘awiyah came to his paternal cousin ‘Uthman bin ‘Affan (May Allah be pleased with him)
‘
Uthman gave him shelter — after securing the Prophet ’s permission — on condition that if he was
caught there after three days, he would be killed. But he did not comply with it, so when the Muslim
army left Madinah, he stayed there for more than three days during which he was spying for Quraish.
So when the army returned, Mu‘awiyah fled out of Madinah. The Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon
him), on this account, ordered Zaid bin Harithah and ‘Ammar bin Yasir to pursue him and kill him. So
he was killed.
Undoubtedly, the invasion of Hamrâ’ Al-Asad is not a separate invasion, but rather a part, or more
specifically, a sequel to Uhud.
That was Uhud Invasion with all its stages and details. It has for long been discussed by scholars and
men of research. Was it a defeat or not? Doubtlessly, the military superiority in the second phase of the
battle was in favour of the polytheists who could successfully direct the steering mechanism of
hostilities and inflict heavy losses in lives on the Muslims. Admittedly, a part of the believers were
clearly defeated, but this could never be considered a Makkan victory.
The Makkan army failed to occupy the camp of the Muslims. The greater bulk of the Madinese army,
chaos and confusion notwithstanding, did not take to escape, on the contrary they showed matchless
and heroic resistance and managed to gather themselves again around their headquarters fighting
bravely and courageously. They, moreover, did not allow the Makkans to run after them in pursuit.
Neither Muslim captives were taken nor spoils were gained by the Makkans. The enemies of Islam were
also too cowardly to conduct the third phase of war, and impress their superiority on the battlefield, on
the contrary, they were in hot haste to evacuate the field even before the Muslims did. Madinah itself,
the capital of the Muslims, was only a stone’s throw from the lines of the enemy, and vulnerably
exposed, yet the polytheists were not bold enough to storm it to plunder its wealth or capture the
Muslim women therein.
These suggestive details in fact support our argument that the event of Uhud was just a precious
occasion on which the Makkans managed only to inflict heavy losses on the Muslims but failed to
achieve their ultimate goals of annihilating the Muslim army in the process of their encompassment
operation. After all, it is not unusual for conquerors to sustain such casualties and losses, but these
could under no circumstances be regarded as victory for the hostile party.
The incident of Hamrâ’ Al-Asad is interesting in this regard. It is a curious sight indeed of a victorious
army in retreat for fear of disgrace and defeat, and the crestfallen and crippled group of Muslims in
pursuit.
Uhud Battle in the final judgement was just one phase of military activities in the whole process of war
between two hostile parties each of whom earned their legitimate portion of both success and failure
and then desisted further engagement but without cowardly escape or resigned surrender. In this
sense, this battle could be rightly regarded as an inseparable war.
In this context, Allâh says:
l “
And don’t be weak in the pursuit of the enemy; if you are suffering (hardships) then surely, they
(too) are suffering (hardships) as you are suffering, but you have a hope from Allâh (for the
reward, i.e. Paradise) that for which they hope not.” [4:104]
The verse explicitly identifies both attitudes as regards losses and hardships as identical. Both parties
concluded the war operations and went back neither victorious nor vanquished.
THE OBSERVATIONS OF THE NOBLE QUR'AN ON THE BATTLE OF UHUD:
  Some Qur’ânic verses were revealed to shed light on the most decisive phases of the battle
successively, adduce quite clearly the cause that led to that heavy loss, and illustrate the vulnerable
areas that were still persisting in the souls of some believers as regards their duties in forging a
decisive attitude with respect to the noble objectives for which the Muslim Community, was created and
was supposed to accomplish.
The Noble Qur’ân also spoke about the attitude of the pretenders to Faith and made clear the hostility
and hatred that they harboured against Allâh and His Messenger. The Words of Allâh managed as well
to erase all traces of ambiguities and insinuations, raised by the hypocrites and their allies, the Jews —
the authors of conspiracy and intrigue hatching — and which were still in active operation in the hearts
of some weak-of-heart Muslims.
The laudable judgement and long-sought objectives that were attributable to the battle of Uhud, were
also another topic for the Noble Qur’ân to dwell on at length. Sixty verses relevant to the battle were
revealed giving full account of the first phase of the battle:
l “
And (remember) when you [Muhammad Peace be upon him) ] left your household in the
morning to post the believers at their stations for the battle (of Uhud).” [3:121]
And to end in a comprehensive commentary on its results and moralities:
l “
Allâh will not leave the believers in the state in which you are now, until He distinguishes the
wicked from the good. Nor will Allâh disclose to you the of the Ghaib (unseen), but Allâh chooses
of His Messengers whom He pleases. So believe in Allâh and His Messengers. And if you believe
and fear Allâh, then for you there is a great reward.” [3:179]
LESSON AND MORALITIES:
 
Ibn Al-Qaiyim has made a pointed reference to the battle of Uhud and given full elucidation of the
Divine benefits and moralities that resulted from it. Some Muslim scholars, on the authority of Ibn
Hajar, said: The reverse in Uhud resulted from the neglect on the part of the archers of the explicit
command of the Prophet (Peace be upon him), and leaving the spot which they were ordered to
safeguard to the end. In other words, the success of the Muslims depends upon their obedience to the
Prophet (Peace be upon him). As long as they carry out his behests, Allâh will help them in facing all
kinds of odds. But when they will set aside his commands in their pursuit of worldly riches, they are
bound to come to grief. Another relevant issue of great significance says that it is customary for
Prophets to be tried with different adversities; nevertheless, the final outcome is positively in their
favour. Should the Muslims be victorious all the time, great many pretenders to Faith will enter the fold
of Islam, and consequently the clear line of demarcation between true believers and hypocrites will
become blurred. Contrarily, if the Muslims were to be defeated all the time, the final objective of the
ministry of Prophets will not be effected. It is wise then to combine both success and failure so that
sifting between true Muslims and hypocrites could be realized.
In the aftermath of the battle of Uhud, the hypocrites disclosed their real intentions in words and in
deeds, consequently, the Muslims got to realize the existence of those wicked elements working
secretly in their own homeland; and of course there would be appropriate measures to be taken in due
course of time.
A third point in this context refers to purposeful deferment of victory in some areas in order to check
the pride of the soul and teach the believers how to observe full patience in times of adversity. Trials
and tests are provided by Allâh in order that the true believers could deservedly occupy their abode in
the blessed Hereafter. Martyrdom, the highest ranks that the true friends of Allâh could occupy, is
provided by Allâh to function as a passport, granted by the Lord, leading to Paradise. In brief, fight in
the cause of Allâh is a golden opportunity for the true believers to have their sins effaced, and a
Divinely-devised event for the disbelievers and enemies of Allâh to face destruction and annihilation in
recompense for their disbelief, tyranny and transgression.