Seven Beneath His Feet

The Muslims had to retreat, so the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was trying to organise that retreat — retreats can be catastrophic if they are not commanded well, and he wanted to organise it and to protect the Muslims while they were retreating. The enemy was now gaining the upper hand and attacking in full force, getting closer to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). So he asked: whoever will repel them will be his companion in Paradise — that is how difficult the situation was, the Messenger of Allah promising Paradise to whoever would succeed in stopping the attacks of the disbelievers that were reaching him. One of the Anṣār volunteered, and he fired his arrows at the enemy until he was killed. So the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) asked for a volunteer another time, and another Anṣārī came up, and he too was killed. A third time, a third Anṣārī stood up, and then a fourth, and then a fifth, and every time they were killed. This shows the sacrifice of the Anṣār, and it also shows the disastrous effect this attack of Quraysh was having — it was a strong attack, until seven of the Anṣār died. Seven bodies lying under the feet of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), to defend him — and that is why they were called Anṣār. They did not receive this title, this honour given to them in the Qur'an and by the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), for nothing; they earned it.

In Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib says, "I never heard the Prophet of Allah swear by both his parents to anyone except Saʿd ibn Abī Waqqāṣ. At Uḥud, I heard him say, 'Saʿd, shoot! May my father and my mother be your ransom.'" That is how pleased the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was with the performance of Saʿd ibn Abī Waqqāṣ. And another hero, standing next to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and defending him, was Ṭalḥah ibn ʿUbaydillāh, may Allah be pleased with him.^** This is narrated by Anas ibn Mālik in the Musnad of Imām Aḥmad: at the Battle of Uḥud, Abū Ṭalḥah was shooting from directly in front of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), who was shielding himself behind him. As the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) raised himself up to see where the arrows would strike, Abū Ṭalḥah would say, bringing his chest up to its full height, "Let it be so. May my father and my mother be your ransom, O Messenger of Allah. No arrow will hit you — my chest will be in the way of yours." He would also say, "I am sturdy, Messenger of Allah. Direct me according to your needs, and order me to do whatever you want." These were the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).