Today’s episode will discuss the Battle of Uhud. The battle that took place after Badr is the Battle of Uhud. The Battle of Uhud took place because the Quraysh were defeated in the Battle of Badr. The people of Quraysh wanted people to turn away from Islam and not accept Islam. Not only were they busy with disbelief themselves, but they also wanted people to follow the religion of their forefathers. For this reason, Allah Almighty revealed some verses in the Quran about the disbelievers. Allah Almighty says in this regard:
ndeed, those who disbelieve spend their wealth to avert [people] from the way of Allah. So they will spend it; then it will be for them a [source of] regret; then they will be overcome. And those who have disbelieved – unto Hell they will be gathered.
(Quran 8:36)
The infidels will spend their wealth to keep people away from Islam and their anger. This kind of history is repeating itself even today. The Quraysh were persecuted by everyone for political and religious reasons. It was a disgrace to lose to such a small, obscure tribe in Mecca. This was a psychological trauma for them and they continued to move towards the Battle of Uhud.
The Muslim attack on the Quraysh caravan was a form of commercial blockade on them. They began using the route from Mecca to Yemen as the route from Mecca to Syria became unsafe. Because the Quraysh used to buy raw materials from Yemen and sell them in Syria, and they used to buy raw materials from Syria and sell them in Yemen. The Quraysh understood that the Muslims were about to emerge as a powerful political force. So they became desperate to regain their dominance through another war.
The time was the month of Shawwal in the third year of the Hijri. The Quraysh made extensive preparations for the war. After the Battle of Badr, they began to prepare for this battle throughout the year. They formed a strong army of 3,000 men. The Quraysh called on people from other tribes to participate in this war. The young leaders of the Quraysh led this battle because the old leaders had died in the previous battle.
If this is financed with the goods of the past war entrusted to Abu Sufyan. Abu Sufyan brought this caravan safely back to Mecca after the Battle of Badr. The Quraysh wanted the money from this caravan to finance this war.
The Battle of Uhud was an exception compared to the Battle of Badr because the Quraysh had been preparing for this battle for a long time.
The intelligence department of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was on high alert. Abbas bin (may Allah be pleased with him) used to stay in Mecca and regularly send secret messages to the Prophet (peace be upon him). He was anxious to return to Medina, but the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) asked him to stay in Mecca because of the important duties he had.
He was able to send a message to the Prophet (peace be upon him) in just three days to inform him of the battle of the Quraysh. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) sent Al-Hubbab to verify the authenticity of this news. He went to the Quraysh army and after observing everything, he returned and informed the Prophet (peace be upon him).
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) first went to the chief of the Ansar, Sa’d (may Allaah be pleased with him), for advice. He told him everything about the war and instructed him to keep it a secret. The lesson to be learned from this incident is that secrets should be kept secret, even those close to one’s own family should not be revealed.
Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) consulted with the other companions about what action to take. One side said that we should fight from within Medina. The other group wanted the battle to take place outside Medina because they were worried that the enemy would enter Medina and attack homes. Those who participated in the Battle of Badr were essentially part of this opinion. Under their pressure, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) accepted the second opinion.
Under their pressure, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) accepted the second opinion.
Now the journey towards the battlefield begins. The leaders of the meeting decided on the war. They decided on their destination near the mountain called Uhud. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) decided to set out at night because the Quraysh army would be tired and asleep at that time. And the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) used another strategy, which was to take another route to the battle, where the enemy would not see them while they were passing through.
The Muslim army continued to advance along the road with 1000 soldiers, but in the middle of the road, the hypocrite Ubayda caused trouble. He wanted to return with 300 of his soldiers. But then the intention was to create chaos among the Muslim forces. In your eyes, it may seem that the departure of these 300 soldiers caused a problem, but Allah Almighty used this to separate the hypocrites or traitors.
It is very difficult to recognize hypocrites or traitors. They may take on many forms, but their true form comes out on the battlefield.
In this regard, Allah Almighty says in the Quran:
Allah would not leave the believers in that [state] you are in [presently] until He separates the evil from the good. Nor would Allah reveal to you the unseen. But [instead], Allah chooses of His messengers whom He wills, so believe in Allah and His messengers. And if you believe and fear Him, then for you is a great reward.
(Quran 3:179)
One of the companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) named Abdullah ibn Amir tried to convince the hypocrites by saying: Brothers, we have come to the battlefield. Do not flee, leaving behind the Prophet. Then the hypocrites said, “What kind of war would it be if there were a war? We would have left you behind.” There will be no war here. Abdullah ibn Amr got angry and said, “May the wrath of Allah be upon you, O enemies of Allah.”
Allah Almighty has mentioned these conversations in the Quran:
And what struck you on the day the two armies met was by permission of Allah that He might make evident the [true] believers. And that He might make evident those who are hypocrites. For it was said to them, “Come, fight in the way of Allah or [at least] defend.” They said, “If we had known [there would be] fighting, we would have followed you.” They were nearer to disbelief that day than to faith, saying with their mouths what was not in their hearts. And Allah is most Knowing of what they conceal.
(Quran 3:166-167)
But Allah brought back the morale of the Muslims. In this regard, Allah Almighty says in the Quran:
When two parties among you were about to lose courage, but Allah was their ally; and upon Allah the believers should rely.
(Quran 3:122)
The Prophet (peace be upon him) told those who were under the age of 14 to return and send them to Medina. About 17 teenagers were sent back to Medina. The Prophet (peace be upon him) divided the army into three parts. They are Mu’azir Auj and Hajjaj. The flag of the Muhajir army was given to Musa Bihajjaj. The flag of the outlawed army was given to Ushas bin Hajjaj. And the flag of the Hajjaj tribe was given to Hubbab (may Allah be pleased with him).
Then the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) gave a short speech to the soldiers. In this speech, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said three things: first, to make every effort for war, second, not to be afraid, and three, not to create chaos within the group.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) saw the battlefield from Mount Uhud. Although he had no military knowledge, Allah had given him the knowledge of war. He saw that there was a possibility of an attack from the mountain behind him, so he sent fifty archers to the top of that mountain.
He told them that if you see the enemy attacking us, you shall not shoot arrows without my order, or if you see that we are going to be victorious, you shall not use weapons until I give you my order.
The Prophet’s son gave them clear instructions: If the archers saw that the enemy was attacking from the rear, they should only shoot arrows. This force was led by Abdullah bin Jubair.
At the beginning of the war, Abu Sufyan hatched a conspiracy. He sent a message to the Ansar. He said, “Our enmity is with our brothers. Why are you coming in our way? Get away from our ranks.”
The northern Ansar said, “You Quraysh, when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) migrated to us a few days ago, you threatened us in a letter that you would attack us and make our women your slaves.” The Kurds wanted to create a rift among the Muslims so that they could kill the former one by one.
At the beginning of a war, confrontation was a tradition, and the Battle of Uhud was no exception.
Abu Talha, the standard-bearer of the Quraysh, called on the Muslims to fight him directly in battle. Hearing his words, Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) came out and said, “Today I will either die or send you to Hell.” He started fighting with him saying this. Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) severed Talha’s leg with one blow. Then Talhah fell into a state of shame, his private parts were torn off, and he said, “For the sake of Allah, leave me alone.” Then Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) returned without killing him.
In the first phase of the battle, the Quraysh army could not keep up with the Muslims, instead they were fleeing as they had been. Even the soles of the feet of the women who were fleeing could be seen. Abu Lahab’s wifAbu Sufyan’s wife fled and climbed the mountain.
The situation of the Quraysh had become so bad that their women had no one to protect them, and they were fleeing as best they could. But not all of them fled. Those among the Quraysh who were carrying the flag were quite brave. So those who were carrying the flag continued to fight like heroes. So those who were carrying the flag continued to fight like heroes.
When seven flag bearers died, another one came and grabbed the flag. He held the flag despite being injured, but at one point he tried to run away with the flag, but he fell to the ground with the flag. And then the Quraysh started to flee, and in this regard, Allah Almighty says:
And Allah had certainly fulfilled His promise to you when you were killing the enemy by His permission until [the time] when you lost courage and fell to disputing about the order [given by the Prophet] and disobeyed after He had shown you that which you love. Among you are some who desire this world, and among you are some who desire the Hereafter. Then he turned you back from them [defeated] that He might test you. And He has already forgiven you, and Allah is the possessor of bounty for the believers.
(Quran 3:152)
The Quraysh were devastated by the Muslim attack, and it became difficult for them to remain on the battlefield. The Muslims had full control of the battlefield and began collecting the spoils.
But then a disaster occurred that changed the entire equation of the war. We will discuss this topic in the next episode, Insha’Allah.
