Three Standards and Fifty Archers on the Hill

The plan: the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) divided the army into three battalions. The standard of the Muhājirūn was given to Muṣʿab ibn ʿUmayr; the standard of the Aws was given to Usayd ibn Ḥuḍayr; and the standard of the Khazraj was handed to al-Ḥubāb ibn al-Mundhir. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) had the mount of Uḥud towards his back, and when he took a look at the battlefield, he realised there was a potential for attack from the rear, or from the flanks, because there was a small hill in front of them. So the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) placed fifty men — and fifty is a large number, fifty out of an army of seven hundred — fifty men, archers, on top of that hill, and gave them very clear instructions. He said: "Protect our backs. If you see us being killed, do not come to our aid, and if you see us winning, do not join us." And he also told them: if you see the birds flying off with us, do not leave until I send you a message; if you see us victorious over the enemy and trampling them underfoot, do not leave until I send you a message. These two statements were narrated by Imam Aḥmad, so it is very unequivocal, very clear: do not come down, whether they were winning or losing, unless he sent for them. So the instructions were that they hold on to this high-ground position — it is a sniper position; without it, the enemy could outflank the Muslims and attack them from the side or from the rear. So the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) made it very clear that this was a critical position to hold on to — do not give it up. And the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was training his followers to have taqwā, to have obedience: he told them, "Do not fight until I give you orders to fight" — do not act on your own initiative; the amīr has to give permission.