Now we will get to the heart of our discussion today, which is Battle of Hunayn. The Quraysh were the most powerful political force against Islam before the conquest of Mecca. Even after the conquest of Mecca, a group remained against the Muslims and their presence is mentioned in the Quran.
We [angels] were your allies in worldly life and [are so] in the Hereafter. And you will have therein whatever your souls desire, and you will have therein whatever you request [or wish].
(Quran 41:31)
The two cities being discussed here are Mecca and Taif. The Shakib tribe lived in Taif. The two tribes of Hunayn and Quraysh were constantly at war with each other to prove their superiority. After the conquest of Mecca, the Hawa Sin tribe became anxious. Because their existence and dignity were threatened. They were worried because they could not accept that someone from the Quraysh clan would come and establish authority over them through a Muslim state. He clearly understood that the Prophet Muhammad’s next target was Taif. Because Ta’if is the strongest rival after Mecca.
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had previously gone to Taif to preach Islam and they had insulted him badly. They had no sense of courtesy or hospitality, so they decided to attack the Muslims before they attacked them. Several tribes, including the Hunayn tribe, led by Malik ibn Aws, prepared a large army of deserters. When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) heard about their gathering, he set out from Mecca with 12,000 soldiers. Akhtar Hussain (may Allah be pleased with him) was appointed as the governor of Mecca.
Due to the large number of soldiers, some of the companions started saying that we will be victorious today, but we will discuss later the verses revealed in the Quran regarding this issue.
The weather on the day of the battle was very hot and dry. The Muslim army began to advance through the valley of Hunayn. After going some distance, arrows suddenly began raining down on them from all sides. The Muslim army was taken aback by such a sudden attack. Then the cavalry attacked them. The Muslim army broke into pieces and fled in all directions.
Malik ibn Aws plan was to hide in the passes and attack the Muslim army as soon as they arrived, and his plan was successful. Then, only the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and some Mujahideen soldiers remained on the battlefield. In this regard, Allah Almighty says in the Quran:
Allah has already given you victory in many regions and [even] on the day of Hunayn, when your great number pleased you, but it did not avail you at all, and the earth was confining for you with its vastness; then you turned back, fleeing.
(Quran 9:25)
The weak believers began to flee, and Abu Sufyan, seeing their condition, said that they would surely reach the shore of the sea. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was still standing alone in the field, shouting to the people, “Where are you running away to? I am the Messenger of Allah, come back to me.” However, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) continued to move forward and said, “I am the son of Abdullah and the Messenger of Allah.” He had with him a small group of Mujahideen.
Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) called Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) to call the rest of the people. Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) called them and they regained their senses. He started calling the Ansar and the Mujahideen one by one and on hearing his call, they all quickly appeared on the field.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) was surrounded by 100 companions. Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) took a handful of dust in his hand and pointed a dust at the polytheists and said, “You are destroyed!”
Then the dust fell into the eyes of the archers, causing them to miss an arrow, and this was a miracle from Allah. Then the scene of the war began to change.
Then Allah sent down His tranquillity upon His Messenger and upon the believers and sent down soldiers angels whom you did not see and punished those who disbelieved. And that is the recompense of the disbelievers.
(Quran 9:26)
The army of Allah was the angels. Zubair (may Allah be pleased with him) said: We saw black clouds in the sky, but when they descended, we saw black ants, like a carpet of black ants. Then the enemy forces started to retreat and flee.
Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) recovered the wealth they had thrown away, and the number of prisoners of war was 6,000. The Prophet (peace be upon him) ordered all wealth to be collected and stored in a place called Ziyan. And appointed Masud ibn Amr as the caretaker. He did not distribute this wealth until he returned from the Battle of Taif and retired.
The biggest lesson from this war is that victory comes from Allah. Trust in Allah, not in numbers and strength. Regarding war, Allah Almighty says in the Quran:
Allah has already given you victory in many regions and [even] on the day of Hunayn, when your great number pleased you, but it did not avail you at all, and the earth was confining for you with its vastness; then you turned back, fleeing. Then Allah sent down His tranquillity upon His Messenger and upon the believers and sent down soldiers angels whom you did not see and punished those who disbelieved. And that is the recompense of the disbelievers. Then Allah will accept repentance after that for whom He wills; and Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.
(Quran 9:25-27)
In this verse, Allah Almighty describes the Battle of Hunayn. Initially, the Muslims were overconfident and happy due to the number of soldiers. In the second verse, Allah Almighty describes the condition of these Muslims, who were unable to handle the sudden attack and fled in fear. In the next verse, Allah describes how He helped the Muslims, strengthened their hearts, and sent an army to their aid.
