Lessons from Uḥud - Part One
Introduction
The greatest people to have ever walked the surface of this earth are the Prophets of Allāh (عليهم السلام), and then the Noble Ṣaḥābah of Muḥammad صلى الله عليه وسلم. We have many lessons and pearls of wisdom to extract from their lives, which will guide us in the scenarios we face in life.
During the golden age of Islām (the time of Muḥammad صلى الله عليه وسلم and the Ṣaḥābah رضي الله عنهم), the Battle of Uḥud occurred. It was the second battle fought by the Muslims against the disbelievers of Quraysh. In our posts of #LessonsFromUḥud, we intend to draw on some amazing lessons which can be learnt following this event, in order to guide our mindsets to that which pleases Allāh.
An important point to note is that, when the Ṣaḥābah made any mistake, it serves as a lesson for us. They are forgiven by Allāh and He is pleased with them - رضي الله عنهم.
The Battle of Uḥud
The Battle of Uḥud was the second ghazwa [battle] fought by the Muslims and the Quraysh. The battle is named after Mount Uḥud which is situated approximately 2 miles from Madīnah – it was here where the battle took place. The battle occurred in the month of Shawwāl, 3 AH. The Quraysh, being hungry for revenge after the embarrassing defeat they faced at Badr, were eager to pursue the Muslims in Madīnah. Their men consisted of 3000; 700 of which were fully armoured. They even took their womenfolk along with them as an encouragement to face the enemy ferociously. In the Arab tradition, this would incite warriors towards fighting with resolute valour and bravery.
When Rasūlullāh صلى الله عليه وسلم became aware of the Quraysh’s plan, he consulted the Ṣaḥābah رضي الله عنهم regarding the best course of action. Senior Ṣaḥābah رضي الله عنهم expressed their opinion of protecting Madīnah by fighting the Quraysh on the outskirts. The younger Ṣaḥābah رضي الله عنهم however, wished to fight the Quraysh outside of Madīnah – these courageous young men were driven by their desire for martyrdom; they felt upset at being unable to participate in the monumental battle of Badr, and wished to take the opportunity of Uḥud with full force. Rasūlullāh صلى الله عليه وسلم eventually decided to fight outside of Madīnah, and donned his armour.
When the Muslims set out for battle, they were 1000 in number. However, this soon changed as they moved closer towards Uḥud. The leader of the hypocrites, ʿAbdullāh ibn Ubayy ibn Salūl turned back with 300 of his men. His opinion was that the Muslims should attack the enemy within the boundaries of Madīnah, but not due to the same reasons as that of Rasūlullāh صلى الله عليه وسلم and Ṣaḥābah رضي الله عنهم. His hypocrisy was increasingly becoming apparent, as he only wanted to fight if there was something to be gained.
Rasūlullāh صلى الله عليه وسلم appointed 50 archers at the back of Mount Uḥud. He appointed ʿAbdullāh ibn Jubayr رضي الله عنه as their amīr [commander]. The role of the archers was extremely important. They were to protect the back of the Muslims by being stationed at Uḥud, as they’d be able to see the Quraysh making any surprise attacks. Rasūlullāh صلى الله عليه وسلم gave the archers very clear, unequivocal instructions. They were not to come down and join the rest of the Muslims unless they received instructions from Rasūlullāh صلى الله عليه وسلم. In the ḥadīth of Barrā ibn ʿĀzib رضي الله عنه, Rasūlullāh صلى الله عليه وسلم said, “Do not leave this place; if you should see us conquering the enemy, do not leave this place, and if you should see them conquering us, do not (come to) help us," [Bukhārī 4043].
When the battle commenced, the Muslims had the upper hand. Ṣaḥābah رضي الله عنهم were piercing through the enemy, to the extent that the Mushrikīn began fleeing. Heroes such as Abū Dujānah رضي الله عنه, Abbās ibn Muṭṭalib رضي الله عنه and many others displayed their bravery and courage. Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse when the Muslim archers abandoned their posts. Assuming the battle was over and the Muslims had won, the archers saw the other Muslims gathering the ghanā’im [spoils of war]. Despite ʿAbdullāh ibn Jubayr رضي الله عنه (their amīr) repeatedly reminding them about the clear instruction of Rasulullāh صلى الله عليه وسلم. Forty of the archers left (out of 50). Due to this mistake, the tides changed for the Muslims.
The cavalry of Khālid ibn Walīd and ʿIkrimah ibn Abī Jahal then took this opportunity to outflank the Muslim army. They smashed into the back of the Muslims. When the Quraysh saw this, they attacked from the other side. This disorientated the Muslims who were now fighting from both directions.
If this wasn’t bad enough, Shayṭān shouted a false rumour that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم had been killed in battle. This grieved the Ṣaḥābah رضي الله عنهم greatly, as he was everything to them. The Muslims dispersed into three groups: (1) those who ran back to Madīnah (2) those who were in a state of shock, but eventually joined the third group (3) those who were with Rasūlullāh صلى الله عليه وسلم. The battle was fierce, and the Muslims suffered a huge loss with 70 Ṣaḥābah رضي الله عنهم becoming shahīd (martyrs) - many of whom were mutilated. The Muslims retreated to the mountain of Uḥud, but the Quraysh were not willing to pursue them. Following the battle, many āyāt (verses) were revealed to console the Ṣaḥābah رضي الله عنهم.
Above is an overview of the battle, however we do recommend the readers to read up about this battle in the books of sīrah inshāʾAllāh, for a more detailed understanding.