The Battle of Uhud
• Location: The big and lengthy valley
which joined the trade route of Syria with Yemen is called Wadiul Qura.
• The battle of Uhud took place on
Saturday, the 7th of Shawwal, 3 AH (January or February 625 AD).
• Leadership: Muslim Army: The Holy
Prophet (SAW)
• Polytheist: Abu Sufyan
• Quantity:
·
Muslim
Army: 700 Companions
·
Polytheist:
3000
Ins and outs for Battle of
Uhud:
The Makkans came out
from the Battle of Badr with heavy causalities result which they did not expect.
They were confident of their capability to crush the Muslims easily. Because of
they were more copious and with a bigger reserve and more logistics. Yet, they
suddenly found themselves losing seventy of their warriors and leaders, along
with seventy captives, in a one-day battle. And above all, the resounding
defeat which they received was at the hand of a group whom they used to be
little.
The Makkans were unwilling to admit a final defeat. They
lost a battle, but they believed that they would never lose the war. All they
needed was to mobilize forces to which the Muslims would not be able to stand.
The burning hatred in the hearts of Qureshites and their desire to wash away
the shame of the defeat at Badr and their eagerness to avenge their lost leaders
added to their physical superiority a tremendous psychological strength.
The Makkans militarized for the battle of avenge three
thousand fighters compared to nine hundred and fifty fighters at the Battle of
Badr. This army was financed and its logistics were secured through the gross
income of the commercial caravan which was allotted to the battle of avenge.
Thus, the community of Quraish, one year after the Battle of Badr, marched
towards Medina to thrash the Muslims, their religion, and their Prophet. The
Meccan army arrived at the area of Uhud which is five miles away from Medina. There, the expected battle took place.
Wadiul Qura The Uhud region
The big and lengthy valley which joined the trade route of
Syria with Yemen is called Wadiul Qura. Different Arab tribes and the Jews took
up their abode at a spot where necessities of life were available. A number of
villages, therefore, came into existence and their sides were fences by stones.
Yathrib (which was later named Madinatur Rasul i.e., city of Prophet) was
consider to be center of these villages.
Whoever came from Makkah to Madina was obliged to enter
there from the southern side. However, as this region was stony and it was
difficult for an army to move into it, the army of Quraish bent its route and
established itself in the north of Madina in the valley named 'Aqiq', situated
at the foot of Mt. Uhud. This area was fit for all sorts of military operations
as there was no palm-grove in it and the land was also even. Madina was more
defenseless from this side because there were very few natural obstacles in
this part.
The Holy Prophet (SAW) Came out from Madina
The prophet offered Friday prayers and then left Madina for
Uhud with an army consisting of one thousand men. He did not take with him
persons like Usamah bin Zayd Harith and Abdullah bin Umar on account of their
tender age, but two young men named Samurah and Rafe, who were not more than
fifteen years of age, participated in the battle, because, in spite of their
being young, they were good archers. The Prophet (S.A.W.) reached Uhud in the
morning of Saturday, the 7th of Shawwal, 3 AH (January or February 625 AD).
Arrangement of the two armies
The Islamic forces organized themselves opposite the
invading and aggressive forces of Quraish (Khalid bin Walid on right, Ikrimah
bin Abu Jahl on left, Abu Sufyan in middle). The Muslim army selected as their
camping place a point which had a natural barrier and protection at the back of
it in the shape of Mt. Uhud. There was, however a particular gap in the middle
of the mountain and it was probable that the enemy forces might turn round the
mountain and appear at the back of the Muslim army through that gap and might
attack them from behind.
In order to avoid this danger the prophet posted two groups
of archers on a mount and addressed their Commander Abdullah Jabir in these words:
"You should drive away the enemies (which were led by Khalid bin Walid) by
shooting arrows. Don't allow them to enter the battlefield from behind and take
us by surprise. Whether we are victorious or defeated, you should not vacate
this point.
The components of the Islamic defense In this second battle
of destiny for the Muslims, the Islamic defense consisted of the same three
important elements which played their roles at the battle of Badr:
1. The ideal leadership of the Messenger and his firmness.
2. The members of the house of the Holy Prophet and their
heroism.
3. An Islamic army consisting of seven hundred companions,
the hearts of many of them were filled with faith and readiness for sacrifice.
The start of the Battle of Uhud followed the method of the
beginning or the Battle of Badr. Talhah Ibn Abu Talhah (from Banu Abdul-Dar
clan), the bearer of the banner or the pagans, challenged the Muslims, saying:
"Are there any duelers?" The respondent to his call was the same
respondent of the Battle of Badr. Ali came to him and when they faced each
other between the two hosts, Ali swiftly dealt him a blow by his sword through
which his head was split. The Holy Prophet was pleased. He exclaimed: Allahu
Akbar (God Is Great), and so did the Muslims, for the biggest hero of the pagan
army had died. It is a remarkable incident that Talha the first standard bearer
of the Meccans lost one of his legs by a stroke of Ali's sword, fell down and
his lower garment being loosened, he became naked. Ali, instead of finishing
him, turned his face from him and hit him no more. When Prophet asked Ali why
he had spared the man, he said the man was nude and entreated for the sake of
Allah to spare his life.
Abu Saad Ibn Abu Talhah (brother of Talhah) carried the
banner and challenged the Muslims, saying Companions of Mohammad, you allege
that your dead go to Paradise and our dead go to Hell. By "Al Lat",
you lie. If you were so confident, some of you could have faced me. Let one of
you come to fight me.
Hazrat Ali (RA) came to him and Abu Saad was not luckier
than his brother Talhah. The men of Abdul-Dar continued replacing the bearers
of their banner with their men, and the Muslims continued thrashing them. Hazrat
Ali (RA) destroyed Artat Ibn Sharhabeel, Shureih Ibn Qaridh and their servant,
Sawab.
Hazrat Ali (RA) and the banner bearers
However, Ibn Al-Atheer reported that Hazrat Ali (RA), alone,
destroyed all the standard bearers at the Battle of Uhud and said that Abu Rafi
reported that. And so did Al-Tabari.
The death of the bearers of the banner heightened the morale
of the Muslims and shook the hearts of the pagans. Following the death of the
banner bearers, the Muslims undertook a general offensive led by Hazrat Ali
(RA), Hazrat Al-Hamzah (RA), Hazrat Abu
Dujanh (RA), and others. The Islamic offensive terrified the pagan army, but
the Muslims lost during this operation a giant hero Al-Hamzah, Lion of God, and
uncle of the Messenger of God. Wahshi bin Harb, an Abyssinian (Ethiopian slave
of Mut'am), stabbed him with his arrow while he was fighting. However, the
pagans were forced to flee and leave their camps. The Muslims entered the pagan
camps and went on collecting what they found of equipment and material without
meeting any resistance from the pagans.
The warriors of Quraish were fighting for the sake of lust?
It is learnt from the verses, which Hind and other women
were reciting with tambourines to instigate the warriors of Quraish and to
incite them to blood-shed and revenge, that these people were not fighting for
the sake of spirituality, purity, freedom and moral virtues. On the contrary
they were prompted by sexual and material consideration. The song which the
women sang with tambourine and a particular tune amongst the rows of the army
was: "We are the daughters of Tariq. We walk on costly carpets. If you
face the enemy we shall sleep with you, but if you show your back to the enemy
and flee, we shall disengage ourselves from you".
Victory Changes into Defeat (Due to negligence of those
persons who vacated the passage)
We may mention here as to why the warriors of Islam were
victorious. It was due to the fact that till the last moment of their victory
they had no motive except that of jihad in the path of Allah, acquisition of
His pleasure, conveying the message of Allah and the removal of every
impediment in its path.
Why were they defeated thereafter? It was because, after
achieving victory, the aim and intention of most of the Muslims underwent a
change. Attention towards the treasure, which the army of Quraish had
themselves thrown in the battlefield and had fled, affected the sincerity of a
large group and they ignored the orders given by the Prophet.
Here are the details of the event: While explaining the
geographical conditions of Uhud we had mentioned that there was a particular gap
in the middle of Mt. Uhud and the Prophet had entrusted fifty archers under the
command of Abdullah Jibir to guard the valley behind the battle front and had
given these orders to the commander of the group: "Prevent the enemy from
passing through the gap in the mountain by shooting arrows and don't vacate
this point at any cost whether we are defeated or victorious".
The fire of warfare blazed up on both the sides. Every time
the enemies wished to cross this valley they were repulsed by the archers.
When the army of Quraish threw away their weapons and
property on the ground and ignored everything else to save their lives, a few
brave officers of Islam whose oath of allegiance was perfectly sincere pursued
the enemy outside the battle-field. But the majority ignored the pursuit and
placing their weapons on the ground began collecting the treasure and imagined
that the battle had come to an end.
The persons guarding the valley behind the battle front also
decided to avail of the opportunity and said to themselves: "It is useless
for us to stay here and it is profitable that we too should collect the
booty". Their commander, however, reminded that the Prophet had ordered
that whether the Muslim army gained victory or was defeated they should not move
from their post. Majority of the archers, who were guarding the passage,
opposed their commander and said: "0ur staying here is useless and the
Prophet meant only that we should guard this passage when the battle was in
progress, but now the fighting has ended".
On the basis of this false presumption forty men came down
from the vigilance post and only ten persons remained there. Khalid bin Walid,
who was a brave and experienced warrior and knew from the very start that the
mouth of the passage was the key to victory and had attempted many times to
reach at the back of the war-front through it, but had to face the archers,
took advantage of the small number of the guards this time. He led his soldiers
towards the backside of the Muslim army and making a surprise attack reached at
the party of the Muslims. The resistance by the small group which was stationed
above the mount could not prove effective till all the ten persons after
putting up a tough fight were killed at the hands of the troops of Khalid bin
Walid and Ikrimah bin Abi Jahl. Soon after that the unarmed and neglectful
Muslims were subjected to a severe attack of the enemy from behind.
After having gained possession of the sensitive point Khalid
sought the collaboration of the defeated army of Quraysh, which was in a state
of flight, and strengthened the spirit of resistance and perseverance of
Quraysh with repeated shouting and cries. On account of disruption and
confusion, which prevailed in the ranks of the Muslims, the army of Quraish
soon surrounded the Muslim warriors and fighting commenced between them once
again.
This defeat was due to the negligence of those persons who
vacated the passage for their material gains and unintentionally cleared the
way for the enemy in such a manner that the mounted soldiers under orders of
Khalid bin Walid entered the field from behind.
The attack by Khalid was supported by an attack by Ikrimah
bin Abi Jahl and unprecedented and surprising disorder prevailed in the forces
of Islam. The Muslims had no alternative but to defend themselves as a
scattered group. However, as liaison with the command had also been disrupted
they did not succeed in defending themselves and suffered heavy casualties, so
much so that some Muslim soldiers were unintentionally killed by other Muslims.
The attacks by Khalid and Ikrimah strengthened the morale of
the army of Quraysh. Their retreating forces re-entered the field and lent them
support. They encircled the Muslims from all sides and killed a number of them.
The rumour about the Prophet’s killing spreads
A brave warrior of Quraysh named Laythi attacked Mus'ab bin
Umayr, the daring standard-bearer of Islam, and after exchange of a number of
blows between them the standard-bearer of Islam was killed. As the Muslim
warriors had hidden their faces Laythi thought that the person killed was the
Prophet of Islam. He, therefore, shouted and informed the chiefs of the army
that Muhammad had been killed.
This rumor spread from man to man in the army of Quraysh.
Their chiefs were so happy that their voices were ringing in the battlefield
and all of them were saying: "O people! Muhammad has been killed! O
people! Muhammad has been killed!"
Publicity of this false news encouraged the enemy and the
army of Quraysh came into motion. Every one of them was keen to participate in
cutting the limbs of Muhammad so that he might secure a high status in the
world of polytheism.
This news weakened the morale of the warriors of Islam much
more than it gave strength to the morale of the army of the enemy, so much so that
a considerable majority of Muslims abandoned fighting and took refuge in the
mountains and none of them, except a few, who could be counted on fingers,
remained in the field.
Ibn Hisham, the famous historian, writes thus: "Anas
bin Nazr, the uncle of Anas bin Malik says: "When the army of Islam came
under pressure and the news of the death of the Prophet was afloat, most of the
Muslims thought of their own lives and every person took refuge in one corner
or the other". He adds: "I saw a group of Muhajirs and Ansar,
including Umar bin Khattab and Talhah bin Ubaydullah Taymi, who were sitting in
a corner and were anxious for themselves. I said to them with a tone of
protest: "Why are you sitting here?" They replied, "The Prophet
has been killed and it is, therefore, no use fighting". I said to them:
"If the Prophet has been killed it is no use living. Get up and meet
martyrdom in the same path in which he has been killed".
According to many historians, Anas said: "If Muhammad
(SAW) has been killed his Lord is alive". And then he added: "I saw
that my words had no effect on them. I put my hand to my arms and began to
fight with determination". Ibn Hisham says that Anas sustained seventy
wounds in this battle and none could identify his dead body except his sister.
Al-Hakim reported that Abu Bakr said: "When people left
the Messenger of God on the day of Uhud I was the first one to come back to the
Messenger of God ... then he mentioned in the hadith that Abu Obeidah lbn
Al-Jarrah followed him."
Five persons conspire to kill the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.)
At the time when the army of Islam was faced with disorder
and chaos, the Prophet was being attacked from all sides. Five notorious men of
Quraysh determined to put an end to his life at any cost. They were:
1. Abdullah bin Shahib who wounded the forehead of the
Prophet.
2. Utbah Abi Waqqas who, by flinging four stones, broke his
ruba'iyat (Ruba'iyat are the teeth (four in number) which are between the front
teeth and the canine teeth) teeth of the right side.
3. Ibn Qumi'ah Laythi who inflicted a wound on the face of
the Prophet. The wound was so severe that the rings of the Prophet's helmet
penetrated into his cheeks. These rings were extracted by Abu Ubaydah Jarrah
with his teeth and he lost four of his own teeth in doing so.
4. Abdullah Hamid, who was killed, at the time of attack, at
the hands of the hero of Islam, Abu Dujanah.
5. Abi Khalf. He was one of those persons who fell at the
hands of the Prophet himself. He faced the Prophet at the time when He (the Prophet)
had managed to reach in the valley and some of his companions had come round
him, on having identified him. Abi Khalf advanced towards the Prophet. The
Prophet took a spear from Hasis bin Simmah and thrust it in the neck of Abi
Khalf as a consequence of which he fell down from his horse.
Although the wound sustained by Abi Khalf was minor, he had
become so much terrified that when his friends consoled him he could not
compose himself and said: "I said to Muhammad in Makkah that I would kill
him and he said in reply that he would kill me, and he never tells a lie".
All was over with him on account of the wound and fear, and after some time he
breathed his last on his way back to Makkah.
Defense associated with success and renewed victory
It will not be inappropriate if we give the name of 'renewed
victory' to this part of the history of Islam. What is meant by this victory is
that contrary to the expectations of the enemies, the Muslims succeeded in
saving the Prophet from death. And this was the renewed victory, which fell to
the lot of the army of Islam.
In fact, however, the heavy burden of this victory fell on
the shoulders of a few persons who could be counted on fingers. These were the
persons who protected the Prophet by risking their own lives and in fact it was
due to the self-sacrifice of this minority that the State of Islam remained
intact and this luminous candle did not extinguish.
Brief role of self-sacrificing Hazrat Ali (A.S.) in this battle
Ibn Athir says: "The Prophet become the object of the attack
of various units of the army of Quraysh from all sides. Ali attacked, in
compliance with the Prophet's orders, every unit that made an attack upon him
(the Prophet) and dispersed them or killed some of them, and this thing took
place a number of times in Uhud. In the meantime the Archangel Jibreel came and
praised the devotion of Ali before the Prophet and said: 'It is the height of
sacrifice which this officer is displaying'. The Prophet confirmed the remark
of Jibreel and said: 'I am from Ali and Ali is from me'. Then a voice was heard
in the battlefield saying: La Fata Illa Ali, La Saifa Illa Zulfiqar [There is
no brave man except Ali and there is no sward which renders service except
Zulfiqar (which was in the hands of
Hazrat Ali(RA)].
