The Battle of Uḥud

The Battle of Uḥud is a good deal more complicated, because initially there was success. There was success, and then, unfortunately, the position was reversed, and the Muslims could have been wiped out altogether had it not been for certain mistakes made by the disbelievers of Quraysh, and for Allah (swt) not permitting it. That is what is to be examined. Some fifty-five verses now treat of the Battle of Uḥud, and there are immense lessons to be drawn from it, because, as has been said, there was success at first, and then something close to a defeat, until the outcome became, as it were, half and half. Allah (swt) here provides warning; Allah provides understanding; Allah (swt) provides criticism — He critiques certain of the mistakes that were made; and Allah (swt) gives praise as well: where there are things to be praised, He praises them. Anyone who has read the story of the Battle of Uḥud — and anyone who has not should obtain a book of sīrah — will know the various complications and the turns the battle took.

What happened at first was that about seventy of the leaders of the Quraysh — a great many of those who had been plotting against Islam — it should be remembered that this took place after the Prophet (peace be upon him) had moved to Madīnah Munawwarah. Having suffered thirteen years of persecution in Makkah Mukarramah, he moved to Madīnah Munawwarah, and now there was a battle with these people. In that battle, seventy of the great leaders of the Quraysh were killed. That was massive, and the boost to morale was correspondingly great. It also meant that others had to take their places; that is when Abū Sufyān became a leader, because the whole of the old guard had gone. For the Quraysh it was a major setback — an enormous setback. So they gathered together and resolved to attack Madīnah Munawwarah, and that is why the Battle of Uḥud took place. They summoned their forces; they assembled a very great force, and they came to take their revenge. This happened in Shawwāl of the third year of the Hijrah, under the leadership and command of Abū Sufyān — who later becomes a Muslim. He is also a father-in-law of the Prophet (peace be upon him), before he becomes Muslim: his daughter is married to the Prophet (peace be upon him).

So they came and attacked Madīnah Munawwarah. They were three thousand strong. Three thousand strong. They had two hundred horsemen, cavalry. They had seven hundred in full armour — armoured men, seven hundred of them. They brought three thousand camels with them, which indicates supplies, for supplies are needed in a war; there were no aeroplanes in those days. And they brought with them five hundred women^** to assist. When a people took their women out to battle in those days, it meant that they were in earnest. So five hundred women came along; and with them belongs the story of Hind. To confront this force there were, among the Muslims, only about seven hundred: seven hundred against these three thousand with all their equipment.

In this battle the Prophet (peace be upon him) shows his mastery of planning, as the commander par excellence — over and above his being the Prophet (peace be upon him), and all that this entails. Those who go for ʿUmrah or Hajj are generally taken on a tour of the site. This is at Uḥud, only a few miles from Masjid al-Nabawī. There are the mounts there — several hills and mounts — and among them a small one called Jabal al-Rumāt. It became Jabal al-Rumāt afterwards; whether it always bore that name is not known. It means the mountain of the archers, and it stands in a very strategic position. Whoever holds that mount, that small hill, has secured himself against attack from one side, and need only concern himself with the other.

Given everything that was happening, and all the equipment the people of Makkah had brought, the Prophet (peace be upon him) shows his mastery here: he disposed everyone in small forces around the field, with the fifty archers on this hill, in such a way as to disperse the enemy forces. They were unable to make full use of their cavalry, and had in fact to fight on foot, it seems; they were dispersed in that sense. The Prophet (peace be upon him) instructed the archers — it was ʿAbdullāh ibn Jubayr (may Allah be pleased with him) whom he set over them; there were fifty archers, and ʿAbdullāh ibn Jubayr was their leader — and he said: you must not move from here, come what may. It does not matter, he said, if we are defeated; even if scavengers come and pick at the bodies, and consume the bodies of the martyrs, you must stay here. That instruction was of the utmost importance.