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:
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:
In Sahih Muslim it is stated that the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) said:
In Ash-Shifa — a book by ‘Ayad Al-Qadi — it is related that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:
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 thirty-nine or thirty-five wounds, and his fingers (i.e. the forefinger and the one next to it — got paralyzed.
In a version by Qais bin Abi Hâzim — authorized by Al-Bukhari, he said: “I saw the hand of Talha paralyzed. That was because he protected the Prophet (Peace be upon him) with it in Uhud Battle.”
At-Tirmidhi stated that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) then said about Talha: “He who desires to see a martyr walking on the ground, let him look at Talha bin ‘Ubaidullâh.”
Abu Da’ûd At-Tayalisi on the authority of ‘Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her), said: “Whenever Uhud Day (i.e. battle) was mentioned, Abu Bakr used to say: ‘That was Talha’s day (i.e. battle)’. Abu Bakr recited a verse of poetry about him: ‘O Talha bin ‘Ubaidullâh! Paradise is due to you as water-springs are due to deer to drink out of.’ At the awkward and most delicate circumstances, Allâh, Glory is to Him, sent down His invisible Help. In a version by Sa‘d — cleared and authorized in Sahih Al-Bukhari and Muslim — he said: “I saw the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) on Uhud Day with two men — 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 As-Siddiq (May Allah be pleased with 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 Al-Jarrah, 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 Al-Khudri, 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 head-banded 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.
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:
- 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."
- 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.”
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:
So they stood in rows behind him. Then he said:
“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.
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:
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:
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:
And to end in a comprehensive commentary on its results 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.
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