Uhud-Defeat Comes From Disobedience
When the survivors of the defeated Quraysh at Badr to Mecca gathered
to speak with Abu Sufyan. They said, 'Muhammad has best men, so help
us to fight him so that we may avenge those we have lost.' In order to do
this it was agreed that everyone who had had a share in the caravan
should put his profits towards the cost of a new army, which would be
three times as big as the one at Badr. Among those who joined the new
army was an Abyssinian slave called Wahshi; who was known for his
accuracy with the spear. His master, Jubayr ibn al-Mut‟im, said to him,
'Go with the army and if you kill Hamzah, the uncle of Muhammad, in
revenge for my uncle's death, I will set you free when Hind, Abu Sufyan's
wife, heard about this she sent a Wahshi to say that she would clothe him
in gold and silk if he would carry out his master's wish, for she, too,
wanted Hamzah dead because he had both her father and brother.
While the Meccans made their plans, the Prophet's uncle, „Abbas, one
the few Muslims still living in Mecca, sent a letter of warning to the
Prophet (pbuh) in Medina. He told him that Quraysh were setting out
with a huge arm for Uhud, a place just outside Medina. On receiving this
timely warning the Prophet (pbuh) gathered his companions around him
to discuss what they should do. He thought it would be better to wait for
the enemy inside city rather than go out to meet them, because it would
be easier to defend Medinahfrom inside the city walls. But the young
Muslims were go out and face Quraysh. They said, '0 Prophet of Allah,
lead us out against our enemies, or else they will think we are too
cowardly and too weak to fight them.' One of the rulers of Medina, „Abd
Allah ibn Ubayy, however, agreed with the Prophet (pbuh) and advised
him to remain in the city, saying, 'Whenever we have gone out to fight an
enemy we have met with disaster, but none has ever come in against us
without being defeated.'
But when the Prophet (pbuh) saw that the majority were in favor of
going out to meet Quraysh, he decided to do so, and after the Friday
prayer he put on his armor.
The Muslims then set out with one thousand men in the direction of
Mount Uhud which overlooks Medina. The enemy was camped on the
plain below the mountain where they were laying waste the crops of the
Muslims.'Abd Allah ibn Ubayy was angry that the Prophet (pbuh) had not
followed his advice and after going part of the way, turned back for
Medina, taking one third of the entire army with him. This left the
Prophet (pbuh) with only seven hundred men to meet the enormous
Meccan army, which numbered three thousand.
The remainder of the Mus1ims went on until they reached the
mountain of Uhud. There the Prophet (pbuh) ordered them to stand in
ranks in front of the mountain, so that they would be protected from
behind. He then positioned fifty archers on top of the mountain, giving
them the following order: 'Keep the Meccan cavalry away from us with
your arrows and don't let them come against us from the rear, whether the
battle goes in our favor or against us. Whatever happens keep to your
places so that we cannot be attacked from your direction, even if you see
us being slain or booty being taken.' When the Muslims were in position,
the Prophet (pbuh) held up his sword and said, 'Who will use this sword
with its right?' This was a great honor and many men rose to claim it, but
the Prophet (pbuh) decided to give it to Abu Dujanah, a fearless warrior.
Then the battle commenced. The Muslims were well organized and had
the advantage, because although Quraysh had more than four times as
many men, they were tired from their journey and thus not ready to fight.
As a result, the Muslims were able to make a surprise attack, led by Abu
Dujanah, who was wearing a brilliant red turban. As the fighting
increased the Quraysh women, led by Hind, began to beat their drums to
urge their men on. They called out poems to encourage their men to be
brave. 'If you advance, we hug you, spread soft rugs beneath you; if you
retreat, we leave you. Leave and no more love you.'
Abu Dujanah said: 'I saw someone urging the enemy on, shouting wildly,
and I made for him, but when I lifted my sword against him he screamed
and I saw that it was a woman; I respected the Apostle's sword too much
to use it on a woman.' That woman was Hind. As usual, Hamzah, the
Prophet's uncle, fought with great courage, but while leading the Muslims
in a fierce attack, which nearly defeated the Meccans, he was suddenly
and cruelly struck down by the slave Wahshi. Later, Wahshi told how it
happened: 'I was watching Hamzah while he was killing men with his
sword. I... aimed my spear until I was sure it would the mark and hurled it
at him. He came on towards me but collapsed and fell. I left him there
until he died, then I came and took back my spear. Then I went back to
the camp because I did not want to kill anyone but him. My only aim in
killing him was to gain my freedom.'
The Quraysh warriors were soon scattered and forced to retreat. It
looked as though they had been defeated! Seeing this, forty of the fifty
Muslims archers on top of the mountain ran down from their position to
collect booty, for the Quraysh army had left many of their belongings
behind. The archers rushed to take what they could, forgetting the
Prophet's orders. Khalid Ibn al-Walid, Commander of the Quraysh
cavalry, saw what' happening and quickly turned his men around and
ordered them to attack the Muslims from behind. The Muslims were
taken completely by surprise. The Quraysh then began attacking from
both sides at once. Many Muslims were killed and instead of winning
they began to lose the battle.
To add to the confusion, it was rumored that the Prophet (pbuh) had
killed. When the Muslims heard this they were at a loss to know what to
do. Then a man named Anas called out, 'Brothers! If Muhammad (pbuh)
has been killed what will your lives be worth without him? Don't think
about living or dying. Fight for Allah. Get up and die the way
Muhammad (pbuh) died!‟ and on hearing these words the Muslims took
courage.
There had been several cavalry attacks on the position held by the
Prophet (pbuh) and his companions and the Prophet's cheek had been
badly gashed. As the Meccans closed in again he called out, 'Who will
sell his life for us?' At this, five Ansar got up and fought until they were
killed, one by one.
Their places were soon taken, however, by a number of Muslims who
drove off the attackers. Amongst the defending Muslims was Abu
Dujanah who put his arms around the Prophet (pbuh) and made himself
into a human shield. Throughout the remainder of the battle he held on to
the Prophet (pbuh), but as the fighting drew to a close he suddenly let go.
Abu Dujanah was dead, killed by the many arrows in his back that had
been aimed at the Prophet (pbuh). With the defeat of the Muslims,
Quraysh were at last avenged. As they left the field of battle Abu Sufyan
called out to his men, 'You have done well; victory in war goes by turnstoday
in exchange for Badr!' When he heard this, the Prophet (pbuh) told
„Umar to answer him, saying, 'Allah is Most High and Most Glorious. We
are not equal. Our dead are in Paradise and your dead are in Hell!' The
Muslim soldiers then followed the departing Quraysh part of the way to
make sure they were not going to attack Medinah.
After the enemy had left, the Prophet (pbuh) made his way around the
Battle-field to see the extent of the Muslim losses. Many of the most
faithful Muslims had been killed. Among the dead, the Prophet (pbuh)
found the body of his closest friend and uncle, Hamzah, who had been
killed by the slave, Wahshi. At the sight of this, the Prophet (pbuh) said,
'There will never be a moment as sad for me as this.' Hamzah's sister,
Safiyya, came to pray and ask forgiveness for her brother, saying 'We
belong to Allah and to Allah we are returning.' After the Prophet (pbuh)
had prayed over the many dead, he said, 'I tell you that no one has been
wounded in Allah's cause but Allah will remember him and on the Day of
Resurrection will raise him from the dead. Look for the one who has
learned most of the Qur'an and put him in front of his companions in the
grave.' They were buried where they had fallen as martyrs.
Of them Allah says:
“Do not think that those, who were killed for Allah's sake are dead.
Nay, they are alive. With their Lord they have provision. Jubilant (are
they) because of that which Allah hath bestowed upon them of His
bounty, rejoicing for the sake of those that have not yet joined them
because they have nothing to fear or grieve over”.(Qur'an 3.169-170)
It is said that the Prophet (pbuh) swore that no Muslim who had died
for his beliefs would want to come back to life for a single hour, even if
he could own the whole world, unless he could return and fight for Allah
and be killed a second time. The Muslims realised that their defeat had
been caused by their disobedience to the Prophet (pbuh). The Qur'an tells
us that the Muslims had been tested by Allah at Uhud and had failed but
that Allah forgave them their weakness.
“Some of you there are that desire this world, and some of you there
are that desire the next world. Then He turned you from them, that He
might try you; and He has forgiven you; and Allah is bounteous to the
believers”. (Qur'an 3.145)
People living nowadays should learn from the lessons learned by the
early Muslims at Uhud. Disobedience to the Prophet (pbuh) and love for
the things of this world caused their defeat. The same can happen to us as
well. Even if we have no battle like Uhud to fight, we can still die for
Allah's sake by fighting what is bad in ourselves. When the Prophet
(pbuh) came back from a battle he said to his men, 'We have returned
from the lesser war to the greater war.' He meant by this that the struggle
that goes on within every human being to become a better person is the
more difficult battle.
When the survivors of the defeated Quraysh at Badr to Mecca gathered
to speak with Abu Sufyan. They said, 'Muhammad has best men, so help
us to fight him so that we may avenge those we have lost.' In order to do
this it was agreed that everyone who had had a share in the caravan
should put his profits towards the cost of a new army, which would be
three times as big as the one at Badr. Among those who joined the new
army was an Abyssinian slave called Wahshi; who was known for his
accuracy with the spear. His master, Jubayr ibn al-Mut‟im, said to him,
'Go with the army and if you kill Hamzah, the uncle of Muhammad, in
revenge for my uncle's death, I will set you free when Hind, Abu Sufyan's
wife, heard about this she sent a Wahshi to say that she would clothe him
in gold and silk if he would carry out his master's wish, for she, too,
wanted Hamzah dead because he had both her father and brother.
While the Meccans made their plans, the Prophet's uncle, „Abbas, one
the few Muslims still living in Mecca, sent a letter of warning to the
Prophet (pbuh) in Medina. He told him that Quraysh were setting out
with a huge arm for Uhud, a place just outside Medina. On receiving this
timely warning the Prophet (pbuh) gathered his companions around him
to discuss what they should do. He thought it would be better to wait for
the enemy inside city rather than go out to meet them, because it would
be easier to defend Medinahfrom inside the city walls. But the young
Muslims were go out and face Quraysh. They said, '0 Prophet of Allah,
lead us out against our enemies, or else they will think we are too
cowardly and too weak to fight them.' One of the rulers of Medina, „Abd
Allah ibn Ubayy, however, agreed with the Prophet (pbuh) and advised
him to remain in the city, saying, 'Whenever we have gone out to fight an
enemy we have met with disaster, but none has ever come in against us
without being defeated.'
But when the Prophet (pbuh) saw that the majority were in favor of
going out to meet Quraysh, he decided to do so, and after the Friday
prayer he put on his armor.
The Muslims then set out with one thousand men in the direction of
Mount Uhud which overlooks Medina. The enemy was camped on the
plain below the mountain where they were laying waste the crops of the
Muslims.'Abd Allah ibn Ubayy was angry that the Prophet (pbuh) had not
followed his advice and after going part of the way, turned back for
Medina, taking one third of the entire army with him. This left the
Prophet (pbuh) with only seven hundred men to meet the enormous
Meccan army, which numbered three thousand.
The remainder of the Mus1ims went on until they reached the
mountain of Uhud. There the Prophet (pbuh) ordered them to stand in
ranks in front of the mountain, so that they would be protected from
behind. He then positioned fifty archers on top of the mountain, giving
them the following order: 'Keep the Meccan cavalry away from us with
your arrows and don't let them come against us from the rear, whether the
battle goes in our favor or against us. Whatever happens keep to your
places so that we cannot be attacked from your direction, even if you see
us being slain or booty being taken.' When the Muslims were in position,
the Prophet (pbuh) held up his sword and said, 'Who will use this sword
with its right?' This was a great honor and many men rose to claim it, but
the Prophet (pbuh) decided to give it to Abu Dujanah, a fearless warrior.
Then the battle commenced. The Muslims were well organized and had
the advantage, because although Quraysh had more than four times as
many men, they were tired from their journey and thus not ready to fight.
As a result, the Muslims were able to make a surprise attack, led by Abu
Dujanah, who was wearing a brilliant red turban. As the fighting
increased the Quraysh women, led by Hind, began to beat their drums to
urge their men on. They called out poems to encourage their men to be
brave. 'If you advance, we hug you, spread soft rugs beneath you; if you
retreat, we leave you. Leave and no more love you.'
Abu Dujanah said: 'I saw someone urging the enemy on, shouting wildly,
and I made for him, but when I lifted my sword against him he screamed
and I saw that it was a woman; I respected the Apostle's sword too much
to use it on a woman.' That woman was Hind. As usual, Hamzah, the
Prophet's uncle, fought with great courage, but while leading the Muslims
in a fierce attack, which nearly defeated the Meccans, he was suddenly
and cruelly struck down by the slave Wahshi. Later, Wahshi told how it
happened: 'I was watching Hamzah while he was killing men with his
sword. I... aimed my spear until I was sure it would the mark and hurled it
at him. He came on towards me but collapsed and fell. I left him there
until he died, then I came and took back my spear. Then I went back to
the camp because I did not want to kill anyone but him. My only aim in
killing him was to gain my freedom.'
The Quraysh warriors were soon scattered and forced to retreat. It
looked as though they had been defeated! Seeing this, forty of the fifty
Muslims archers on top of the mountain ran down from their position to
collect booty, for the Quraysh army had left many of their belongings
behind. The archers rushed to take what they could, forgetting the
Prophet's orders. Khalid Ibn al-Walid, Commander of the Quraysh
cavalry, saw what' happening and quickly turned his men around and
ordered them to attack the Muslims from behind. The Muslims were
taken completely by surprise. The Quraysh then began attacking from
both sides at once. Many Muslims were killed and instead of winning
they began to lose the battle.
To add to the confusion, it was rumored that the Prophet (pbuh) had
killed. When the Muslims heard this they were at a loss to know what to
do. Then a man named Anas called out, 'Brothers! If Muhammad (pbuh)
has been killed what will your lives be worth without him? Don't think
about living or dying. Fight for Allah. Get up and die the way
Muhammad (pbuh) died!‟ and on hearing these words the Muslims took
courage.
There had been several cavalry attacks on the position held by the
Prophet (pbuh) and his companions and the Prophet's cheek had been
badly gashed. As the Meccans closed in again he called out, 'Who will
sell his life for us?' At this, five Ansar got up and fought until they were
killed, one by one.
Their places were soon taken, however, by a number of Muslims who
drove off the attackers. Amongst the defending Muslims was Abu
Dujanah who put his arms around the Prophet (pbuh) and made himself
into a human shield. Throughout the remainder of the battle he held on to
the Prophet (pbuh), but as the fighting drew to a close he suddenly let go.
Abu Dujanah was dead, killed by the many arrows in his back that had
been aimed at the Prophet (pbuh). With the defeat of the Muslims,
Quraysh were at last avenged. As they left the field of battle Abu Sufyan
called out to his men, 'You have done well; victory in war goes by turnstoday
in exchange for Badr!' When he heard this, the Prophet (pbuh) told
„Umar to answer him, saying, 'Allah is Most High and Most Glorious. We
are not equal. Our dead are in Paradise and your dead are in Hell!' The
Muslim soldiers then followed the departing Quraysh part of the way to
make sure they were not going to attack Medinah.
After the enemy had left, the Prophet (pbuh) made his way around the
Battle-field to see the extent of the Muslim losses. Many of the most
faithful Muslims had been killed. Among the dead, the Prophet (pbuh)
found the body of his closest friend and uncle, Hamzah, who had been
killed by the slave, Wahshi. At the sight of this, the Prophet (pbuh) said,
'There will never be a moment as sad for me as this.' Hamzah's sister,
Safiyya, came to pray and ask forgiveness for her brother, saying 'We
belong to Allah and to Allah we are returning.' After the Prophet (pbuh)
had prayed over the many dead, he said, 'I tell you that no one has been
wounded in Allah's cause but Allah will remember him and on the Day of
Resurrection will raise him from the dead. Look for the one who has
learned most of the Qur'an and put him in front of his companions in the
grave.' They were buried where they had fallen as martyrs.
Of them Allah says:
“Do not think that those, who were killed for Allah's sake are dead.
Nay, they are alive. With their Lord they have provision. Jubilant (are
they) because of that which Allah hath bestowed upon them of His
bounty, rejoicing for the sake of those that have not yet joined them
because they have nothing to fear or grieve over”.(Qur'an 3.169-170)
It is said that the Prophet (pbuh) swore that no Muslim who had died
for his beliefs would want to come back to life for a single hour, even if
he could own the whole world, unless he could return and fight for Allah
and be killed a second time. The Muslims realised that their defeat had
been caused by their disobedience to the Prophet (pbuh). The Qur'an tells
us that the Muslims had been tested by Allah at Uhud and had failed but
that Allah forgave them their weakness.
“Some of you there are that desire this world, and some of you there
are that desire the next world. Then He turned you from them, that He
might try you; and He has forgiven you; and Allah is bounteous to the
believers”. (Qur'an 3.145)
People living nowadays should learn from the lessons learned by the
early Muslims at Uhud. Disobedience to the Prophet (pbuh) and love for
the things of this world caused their defeat. The same can happen to us as
well. Even if we have no battle like Uhud to fight, we can still die for
Allah's sake by fighting what is bad in ourselves. When the Prophet
(pbuh) came back from a battle he said to his men, 'We have returned
from the lesser war to the greater war.' He meant by this that the struggle
that goes on within every human being to become a better person is the
more difficult battle.
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