A Preparation for the Greatest Loss Still to Come

Ibn al-Qayyim also says, and this is the last of the lessons to be taken here from the Battle of Uḥud, that the battle of Uḥud was a muqaddimah and an irhāṣ before the death of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). Uḥud was a preparation for the most catastrophic event that will ever happen to the Muslims. Because this event is so great, they needed to be prepared for it; and that is the death of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was everything for the Companions in terms of Islam. They learned Islam from him; he was their source. They didn't have any books to go and consult; they didn't have any scholars to go and talk to; they didn't have any jamāʿāt to recruit them and teach them about Islam. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was their source, and their only source. He was their father; he was everything for them. For them to lose him isn't going to be an easy thing. It is going to be a huge setback, and it will cause a serious psychological effect on the hearts of the Muslims, so they needed to be prepared for that.

That preparation was through this false rumour that spread around on the battleground in Uḥud, that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) had died. And then the ayah was revealed:

Muḥammad is a messenger, he is but a messenger, and there have been many messengers before him. If he dies, the believers shouldn't fall back on their heels and retreat; they should carry on forward with the message. Allah (swt) prepared them through this ghazwah. These are lessons from the Battle of Uḥud.