Fighting in Ranks

What was the strategy of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) in fighting? The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used a tactic that was not used by the Arabs before — it might have been used by other armies in other nations, but it was not the method of fighting among the Arabs. The method of fighting among the Arabs was al-karr wa al-farr, to attack and withdraw, to attack and withdraw, to attack and withdraw, and it was pretty much a disorganised attack. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), however, employed the method of ranks: he would line up the army in two or three or more ranks, the first rank armed with lances, and the ranks in the back armed with arrows, the archers — so that the archers would fire from behind while the ranks in front fought with their lances to prevent the advance of the cavalry's attack. This was a new tactic employed by the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), new to the Arabs at least, matching the way Allah says in Sūrat al-Ṣaff:

Indeed, Allah loves those who fight in His cause in a row, as though they are a single structure, joined firmly. This method, called in Arabic zaḥf, was probably the method employed by the Romans and the Persians, and it gives the leader greater control over the army than simply attacking and withdrawing in a disorganised fashion. That is how the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) would fight in the majority of his battles; it is called al-ṣaff.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was also encouraging and inspiring the army, and that was an instruction from Allah — Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, told him:

O Prophet, urge the believers to battle, urge them, inspire them. If there are among you twenty who are steadfast, they will overcome two hundred, and if there are among you a hundred who are steadfast, they will overcome a thousand of those who have disbelieved, because they are a people who do not understand.