The
Battle of Uhud, 3 AH
The contemptible defeat of the Makkans
had infuriated them to the extreme, while the Jews and the hypocrites of
Al-Madinah were making all-out efforts to light the fires of revenge.
Furthermore, Hindah the wife of Abu Sufyân, whose father and brother were
killed at Badr, was doing all she could to create a sense of shame at the
ignominious defeat and loss of pride and prestige besides the loss of precious
lives. Abu Sufyân who had achieved the status of undisputed chief after the
large-scale massacre of the Quraish chieftains, started upon massive
preparations to avenge the defeat.
The trade caravan which had returned
from Syria prior to the battle of Badr, brought a huge profit of fifty thousand
Mithqâl (Mithqâl is a kind of weight equaling 4.3 gm approx.) of gold and one
thousand camels. But the goods, instead of being distributed among the
shareholders, it was decided, were to be utilized for providing weapons and
armor to the army that was burning with the rage of revenge. Poets were sent to
other tribes of Arabia and they played their role in activating people to rise
up to help the Makkans against the followers of Islam. As a result, all of Banu
Kinânah and the people of Tihâmah came to their help besides other allies of
the Quraish. Ahbâsh (the Abyssinians residing near Makkah) were also enlisted
for the purpose. Singers of military songs and the women were exciting the
polytheist troops to strong action and were also to be brought to the front
lines. The whole year was devoted to large-scale military preparations and they
were aided and abetted by the Jews and the hypocrites at all levels.
A heavily armed troop of three
thousand warriors proceeded to Al-Madinah at the beginning of the month of
Shawwâl. Wives and daughters of the slain chieftains also accompanied the army
to see with their own eyes the spectacle of the killers being killed. Poets
were also fanning the fire of maddening anger and instigating the soldiers to
storm into the settlement of the believers with new vigor. Hindah, the daughter
of Utbah was the leader of the women's section as her husband Abu Sufyân was at
the head of the Makkan army.
Jubair bin Mut'im had an Abyssinian
slave named Wahshi who was skilled in the art of throwing lances and seldom
missed his target. Jubair bin Mut'im promised to set him free if he killed
Hamzah (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم), while Hindah struck
a deal with the same person that if he did away with Hamzah (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم), she would give all of her jewelry to
him.
The polytheist army reached near
Al-Madinah. Being informed, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه
وآله وسلم) summoned the Companions and asked them to give their advice
about the fresh menace. Abdullah bin Ubai (the leader of the hypocrites),
considered to be among the Muslims, was also present. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) was in favor of
facing the enemy within the bounds of Al-Madinah. It was also because he had
recently dreamt that a little portion of the edge of his sword had dropped and
he inferred from this that an open encounter with the enemy might cause some
loss. He had also dreamt that he had put his hand in armor. By armor he meant
Al-Madinah. Abdullah bin Ubai also supported the view of fighting the enemy
inside Al-Madinah and he felt he might have some advantage by this. However,
the majority of the Companions favored the idea of facing the enemy outside of
Al-Madinah. Although the old ones preferred to fight from inside Al-Madinah,
the young ones differed and showed a burning desire to go out.
The 14th of Sha'bân was Friday. The
consultations being over, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه
وآله وسلم) led the Friday prayer and then came out of his house clad in
armor and armed with his weapons. Now it flashed into their minds that they had
differed from his opinion and might, therefore, be overtaken by some calamity.
They submitted, "You are at liberty to change your opinion into action and
we are ready to follow suit." But the Prophet (صلى
الله عليه وآله وسلم) kept to the majority opinion as he had no
specific Revelation to follow. Moreover, he liked to satisfy the fervent desire
of those who were restless enough to prove their mettle in the battlefield as
they weren't able to display their valor in the battle of Badr.
Thus, leaving behind Umm Maktum (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) in Al-Madinah, the
Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) moved onward at the
head of one thousand soldiers.
Mischief
of the Hypocrites:
In the morning, he reached near Uhud
mountain, Abdullah bin Ubai, the wicked hypocrite, broke away with his three
hundred followers pretending that since his opinion of fighting inside
Al-Madinah was not accepted, he and his men would not take part in the battle.
Now the Muslim army consisted of merely seven hundred fighters. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) had also returned
the boys of young age before. Soon they arrived at the foot of Mount Uhud. The
Makkan army had already pitched its tents there. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) encamped keeping Mount Uhud to their
back. The next day, on Sha'bân 15, 3 AH, the battle broke out.
Before the battle, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) had put 50 archers
under Abdullah bin Jubair (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)
at a mountainside and ordered them strictly to stay there until further order,
without leaving the place whatever may be the condition. They were to obstruct
the enemy if it comes on the Muslims from the rear.
The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) then drew up his troops for battle, he
appointed Zubair bin Al-Awwâm (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)
as the commander of the right wing and Mundhir bin Amr (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) was given the left wing of the army.
Hamzah (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) was put in as the
advance guard, Mus'ab bin Umair (صلى الله عليه وآله
وسلم) was chosen as the standard-bearer of Islam and Abu Dujânah (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) was fortunate enough
to receive the Prophet's sword. Out of excessive joy he marched on giving an
air of vanity. Thereupon the Prophet (صلى الله عليه
وآله وسلم) remarked: "Such gestures are disliked by Allâh, but it is
permissible while facing the enemy on the battlefield."
The Quraish, on the other hand, set
their ranks in order and put Khâlid bin Walid (still a disbeliever) as the
commander of the right wing of their force with one hundred cavalry soldiers
under his command. Irimah bin Abu Jahl (still a non-Muslim) was the commander
or the left wing with an equal number of soldiers to lead. Banu Abdud-Dâr had
been the standard-bearers of the Quraish army since the long past.
In order to get them excited, Abu
Sufyân told them rudely that their performance in the battle of Badr brought
them misfortune. They should keep it and fulfill its right otherwise it would
be handed over to someone else. Banu Abdud-Dâr persistently kept the standard
with them and promised to fight gallantly. The commander of the Quraish's
archers was Abdullah bin Rabi'ah. The enemy force consisted of three thousand
soldiers against seven hundred men in the Muslim camp.
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