A woman from the Ansâr, whose
father, brother and husband were honored with martyrdom, came out desperately
when there was rumor in the air that the Prophet (صلى
الله عليه وآله وسلم) has been martyred. From Al-Madinah in
route to Uhud when someone said to her, "Your father has been
martyred," she asked, "Tell me, is the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) safe?" She was moving ahead when
someone said, "Your brother has been martyred," but she said,
"Tell me about the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله
وسلم)." Then someone said to her, "Your husband has been
martyred." But she put the same question, "Is the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) safe?" In the
meantime the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)
was at a little distance from her and someone pointed out to her that he was
coming. Having seen his noble face, the woman uttered, "All sufferings are
insignificant if you are safe and sound."
On Abdullah bin Ubai's deserting the
Muslim troops and on their number being reduced, some of the Companions
submitted to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)
to seek help from the Jews but he rejected the proposal. The Jews kept waiting
the outcome of the battle in their safe dwellings. Mukhairiq, a person among
the Jews told his people that they must lend support to Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم). "We can't
fight for this is Saturday," they replied. "This is the fighting
between the Prophet and the disbelievers, so Saturday can't stand in the
way." He took his sword and pronounced that in case he was killed, all of
his property should be given to Muhammad (صلى الله
عليه وآله وسلم) and none should go against him. He joined the battle and was
killed.
When the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) came to know of this, he remarked,
"He was the best of the Jews." A hypocrite named Hârith bin Şuwaid
accompanied the Muslims to the battlefield. When the battle broke out, he
killed two Muslims Mujazziz bin Ziyâd and Qais bin Zaid (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) and fled to Makkah. He returned to
Al-Madinah after a couple of days and was killed by Uthmân bin Affân (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم).
In this battle, the Muslim camp
found the hypocrites in their true form and color. The next day, Sunday the
16th of Shawwâl, 3 AH, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله
وسلم) issued orders that only those who were present at the battle
of Uhud would accompany him in pursuit of the disbelievers. So every Muslim,
who had fought at Uhud the day before, followed the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) on his way out of Al-Madinah in spite of
their fatigue and their wounds. The Prophet (صلى الله
عليه وآله وسلم) camped with his followers at Hamra' Al-Asad, about 8 miles
from Al-Madinah where he remained for three days.
At Rawha', it came across the
polytheists minds that they had not won a victory. They said, "What will
we say when we meet the people without any Muslim captives and without booty?
Moreover, we are returning to Makkah in a state that our noted chieftains like Walid
bin Âsi, Abu Umayyah bin Hudhaifah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ
عَنْهُ), Hishâm bin Abu Hudhaifah (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ), Ubai bin Khalaf, Abdullah bin Humaid Asadi, Talhah bin Abu
Talhah, Abu Saeed bin Abu Talhah and a few others, who were the famous chiefs
of Quraish, have been killed." Pressed hard under the demand of his men,
Abu Sufyân showed his inclination to attack Al-Madinah once again.
In this situation Ma'bad bin Abu
Ma'bad passed through Rawha' and informed Abu Sufyân that Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) had already came out
of Al-Madinah with his army and they were already at Hamra' Al-Asad. Perhaps
they will meet you very soon. With this news, great panic and confusion gripped
the polytheists and they fled straight to Makkah for fear of their lives.
Informed of the polytheists' scuttling off to Makkah in a state of
embarrassment, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)
returned to Al-Madinah.
This expedition is known as the
expedition of Hamra' Al-Asad. This event sent tremendous terror into the hearts
of the disbelievers and Al-Madinah was safe from another attack by this army.
It is a grave mistake to think that the Muslims were defeated in the battle of
Uhud. During the first phase of the battle, the disbelievers were routed but
the mistake of the archers led them to stage a comeback. But after some
casualties, the Muslim troops dominated the battle scene once again and the
polytheists fled from the battlefield.
The
Fourth Year of Migration
A
Breach of Promise and Mischief-making
On Muharram 1, 4 AH, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) was informed that a
large number of mischief-mongers of Banu Asad had assembled in Qatan under the
leadership of Talhah bin Khuwailid and Salamah bin Khuwailid with the evil
intent of launching an attack on Muslims. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) dispatched a detachment of 150 Muslim
soldiers headed by Abu Salamah Makhzumi (صلى الله عليه
وآله وسلم) to punish them. But the enemies fled before Abu Salamah (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) reached Qatan. The
Muslim soldiers returned with some cattle of the culprits.
There is a place called Uranah near
Arafât where Sufyân bin Khâlid Hudhalt, a hard-core disbeliever was reported to
be collecting people to attack Al-Madinah. When this news came pouring in, the
Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) dispatched a
detachment headed by Abdullah bin Unais. He made it to the destination
undetected and managed to cut off the head of the leader and escape unhurt.
After a long and arduous journey of eighteen days, he returned to Al-Madinah on
Muharram 23, 4 AH, and laid the head at the feet of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم).
In Safar, 4 AH, by way of treachery,
the Quraish of Makkah sent seven persons from the Adal and Qârah clans to the
Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) saying that their
people have decided to enter the fold of Islam so some persons should be sent
to them to teach Islam. In response to the request, he sent ten teachers (six
according to Ibn Khaldûn) headed by Marthad bin Abu Marthad Ghanawi (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) or Asim (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) bin Thâbit bin Abu
Aflah (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم).
When this party reached Raji', a
water spot, they unfolded their treachery and called in two hundred persons.
When the Muslim party saw itself surrounded, they moved to the top of a hill
and began to fight in self-defense. When the Muslim party could not be
captured, the disbelievers played a trick but they could seize only two while
the rest laid down their lives fighting fiercely.
Those two captured were Khubaib bin
Adi and Zaid bin Dathina (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)
who were taken to Makkah. These two were kept hungry and thirsty for a couple
of days in the house of Hârith bin Âmir. One day a little child of Hârith,
while playing with a knife, drew near Khubaib (صلى
الله عليه وآله وسلم). He had the child seated on his thigh and
put the knife aside. This horrible sight made the mother cry in distress.
Khubaib (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) pacified the woman
saying that he would never kill her child.
After a few days Safwân bin Umayyah
purchased Zaid (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)
to avenge the killing of his father. The Makkans assembled to enjoy the
spectacle of Zaid's murder. From among the spectators, Abu Sufyân stepped
forward and said: "You are going to be killed in a state of hunger and
thirst. Would you like to be with your family members while Muhammad is killed
instead of you?" Zaid (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)
retorted "By Allâh, I would never like to be among my family members while
even a thorn pricks my Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله
وسلم)." Thereupon Abu Sufyân remarked: "Nobody ever had
friends like those of Muhammad." Zaid was then put to martyrdom. Khubaib (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) was taken by Hujair
bin Abu Ihâb.
Khubaib (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) was then brought for execution. He asked if he could offer two
Rak'ah of prayer. Having performed the prayer in complete repose he said to
them, "Were it not that you would think I have delayed out of fear of
death, I would have prolonged the prayer." The executioners then sent him
to his fate.
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