BATTLE OF UHAD

One year after the defeat at Badr, The Quraysh started their march towards Madina with 3,000 fighters under the command of Abu Sufyan. This time, they had women folks with them to encourage their men to fight and not flee. Uhad is a mountain 5 miles from Madinah. In the month of Shawwal, 3 A.H. the second decisive battle between the Muslims and the idolaters of Quraysh was fought. The Noble Prophet (s.a.w.a.s.) came out with 700 to 1,000 men and after inspecting the landscape he ordered to camp so that the mount of Uhad was at their back so as to form a natural line of defense. But there was a gap in the mountain where he placed 50 archers with very clear instructions not to leave their place irrespective of who was winning.

In this battle, the elements of Islamic defense were:

                Ideal leadership of the Noble Prophet (s.a.w.a.s.) and his firmness,

                The members of the family of the Noble Prophet (s.a.w.a.s.) and their heroism,

                Muslim army of 700 companions, hearts of many of them were filled with faith and                     sacrifice,

Hostilities started from Quraysh when Talha ibn Abu Talhah, their standard bearer came out and challenged for a duel. The Lion of Allah, Imam Ali (a.s.) responded and swiftly struck his head and he died. The Quraysh replaced their standard bearers one after another and The Lion of Allah sent them to Hell one after another. (Al-Atheer and also Al-Tabari)

The wife of Abu Sufyan, Hind along with other women of Quraysh was singing which lacked spirituality or freedom or moral virtues. Rather it was promoting material comforts e.g. the words were: “We are the daughters of Tariq. We walk on costly carpets. If you face the enemy, we will sleep with you, but if you show back to the enemy and flee, we shall disengage from you.”

After the death of Quraysh standard bearer, the Muslim undertook a general offensive led by Imam Ali (a.s.), Hazrat Hamzah (a.s.), Abu Dujanah and others. The Pagans were forced to flee and the Muslims started collecting the war spoils without any resistance.

Hind had brought her Abissinian slave, Wahshi, and promised him of huge reward of gold etc. if he killed Hazrat Hamzah. He waited behind a rock and at an opportune moment threw his javelin toward Hazrat Hamzah which killed him.

The Muslim victory turned into defeat as the majority of Muslim’s attention changed from fighting for Islam in the path of Allah to the love of war booty. They ignored the orders given by the Noble Prophet (s.a.w.a.s.) and forty out of fifty archers left their post to join in collecting the war booty. Khalid bin Walid, one of the commanders of Quraysh saw a weak point in the Muslim defenses and quickly attacked the Muslim army who had kept their weapons on the ground and collecting war booty. The Fleeing army under Abu Sufyan also returned and the Muslims were crushed from both sides and started fleeing. Shaytaan cried out that: “Muhammad has been killed.” The number of Muslims martyred was 70 and the Quraysh suffered 45 casualties.

Sir John Glubb wrote in the book: “The Great Arab Conquests” of 1963: “The surprise was not confined to the rank and file of the Muslim army; it was total. Some of the leading companions of the Prophet were also carried away with others before the charge of the enemy. Among the fugitives were both Abu Bakr and Umar.” “When Masaab ibn Umayr, the standard bearer of Muslims fell on the ground, Ali lifted the banner from the ground. Hence, Ali was thus as much a symbol of the destruction of idolatry and polytheism as he was the symbol of the rise and rebirth of Islam.”

Hind also extracted the liver of Hamzah (a.s.) and tried to chew it and in the history, she is known as the “liver eater”

In Surah Al-Imran Ayah 153: “Behold, you were climbing up the high ground, without even casting a side glance at anyone, and the Apostle in your rear was calling you back, there God gave you one distress after another by way of requital, to teach you not to grieve for the booty that had escaped you, and for the ill that had befallen you…”

Imam Ali (a.s.) was the only one who remained with the Prophet. Abu Rafi said in Al-Tabari: “The Prophet saw a group of pagans coming to him, he told Ali to charge them and Ali cleared them away. It went on many times. Jibra’il told the Messenger of God: “What a redeemer Ali is!” The Prophet replied: “He is from me and I am from him”. Jibra’il said: “I am from both of you! They heard at that time, someone saying: “There is no youth (full of manhood) but Ali, and no sword comparable to Zulfiqar.”

Sources used: A Restatement of the History of Islam and Muslims by Sayyid Ali Asghar Razwy, WIKIPEDIA

Battle of Uhad Shia.org, Brother of the Prophet Muhammad by M Jawad Chirri, Islamic occasions