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THE BATTLE OF UHUD
Some events prior to the battle
The
victory of Badr alerted to Islam all the hostile forces in Arabia. The Muslims were in a
state of unease, and endured the wrath of most of the neighboring societies.
The
Jewish tribes around Madina were disinclined to honour the agreements they had concluded
with God’s Messenger after his Emigration from Makka. During the Battle of Badr they
were symphathetic with the idol-worshipping polytheists rather than with the Muslims.
After the Battle of Badr these tribes openly promoted the Quraysh and other Arab tribes to
urge them to unite against the Muslims. They also collaborated with the hypocrites, who
were apparently an integral part of the Muslim body-politic. To serve the same end, that
is, to sabotage the spread of Islam, they fanned the flames of old animosities between the
Aws and Khazraj, the two tribes of Madinan Muslims. In particular, the chief of Banu
Nadir, Ka‘b ibn Ashraf, went to Makka personally and recited stirring elegies for the
Makkans who had been slain in Badr, in order to provoke the Quraysh into hostile action
against the Muslims. Also, this Ka‘b spoke slanders against the Muslims and satirized
God’s Messenger in the poems he composed.
Their
violation of treaty obligations exceeded all reasonable limits. A few months after the
Battle of Badr, a Muslim woman was indecently treated by some Jews of Banu Qaynuqa, the
most hostile to the Muslims among the Jewish tribes. In the fighting that followed a
Muslim was martyred and a Jew killed. When God’s Messenger reproached them for this
shameful conduct and invited them to remain faithful to the obligations of the treaty they
had concluded with him, they threatened him, saying: ‘Do not be misled by your
encounter with a people who had no knowledge of warfare, and so you had good luck with
them. By God, if we were to wage war against you, you would know that we are the men of
war.’
Finally,
God’s Messenger launched an attack on Banu Qaynuqa, and banished them from the
outskirts of Madina. In addition, upon the order of God’s Messenger, Muhammed ibn
Maslama killed Ka’b ibn Ashraf and put an end to his mischief.
The reasons of the battle
The
Quraysh were smarting from the defeat of Badr. Their women were mourning almost everyday
over their warriors killed at the Battle of Badr and encouraged them to wage war on the
Muslims. In addition, the Jewish efforts to arouse their feelings of revenge were like
pouring oil on flames. Within a year they attacked Madina again with an army of three
thousand, including 700 in coats of mail and 200 cavalry.
Preliminaries to the battle
Informed
of the Makkans’ march upon Madina, God’s Messenger took counsel with his
Companions as to how best to resist the Quraysh. He had had a dream that he was in his
coat of mail with his sword notched and that some oxen were being slaughtered, and
interpreted it as meaning they should defend themselves from within the boundaries of
Madina; also that a leading member of his kinsmen, together with some others of his
Companions, would be martyred. Also, he knew that the Makkan army was coming with the
intention of doing battle in open ground, and if, therefore, they defended themselves from
within Madina, the Makkan army could not continue a long siege. With this plan he also
stressed once more that the Muslims are, in reality, the representatives of peace and
security and therefore they resort to force only when it is inevitable for them either to
eliminate the obstacle put before their preaching of Islam or to defend themselves or
their faith and country against any attack.
However,
there were several young people who longed for martyrdom and felt aggrieved at not having
had the opportunity to fight in the Battle of Badr. They were of the opinion that the
enemy should be resisted outside the confines of Madina. God’s Messenger gave in to
the demands of the majority and decided to march out of the city to meet the enemy.
Nevertheless, those young people repented, upon the warning of the elders, of having
insisted on their opinions to march out of Madina, and the elders came to God’s
Messenger to inform him that the young people had changed their minds. The Messenger, upon
him be peace and blessings, replied to them:
It does
not befit a Prophet to take off his coat of mail after he has put it on.
Advisory system of government
An
advisory system of government is an indispensable article of the Islamic constitution. The
advice of the learned, of the pious and of persons of sound judgement and expert knowledge
who enjoy the confidence of people, is always to be sought, and these persons, in turn,
are expected to speak out and express their opinions according to the dictates of their
conscience with precision and integrity. This advisory system is so important to a Muslim
community that in the Qur’an God praises the first, exemplary Muslim community as a
community whose affair is by counsel between them (al-Shura, 42.38). This importance
becomes more explicit when the fact that this first community was led by the Prophet
himself is taken into consideration, who never spoke out of caprice and on his own
authority but spoke what was revealed to him by God (al-Najm, 53.3-4). It is because of
this that God’s Messenger preferred the opinions of the majority to his own. But,
since he had to execute the decision they had concluded after consultation in full
submission to and confidence in God, he should not be expected to change his decision. For
this would, first of all, have led those in authority to exert pressure upon others to
accept their opinions. Second, if a leader changes his decision according to individual
feelings and fancies, it can cause him to lose his authority and reliability. Third, any
hesitation shown by the leader passes fear and anxiety on to his followers and leads them
to conflicting ideas. In addition to all these, if God’s Messenger, upon him be peace
and blessings, had changed his decision, and chosen to defend the Muslims from within the
boundaries of Madina with some undesired result, it would have caused those of the
opposing view to criticize the Messenger and the leading Companions. Apart from this,
spoils and honour gained through a defensive war could be considerably less than those
coming from a battle in an open field, this too might have led some people to be
dissatisfied and raise voices of complaint.
In his
every word and deed, God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, set an example
to be followed by his Umma. All the reflections above refer to the kind of behaviour he
showed prior to the Battle of Uhud and in his saying: It does not befit a Prophet to take
off his coat of mail after he has put it on.
Dramatic events and last measures prior to the battle
God’s
Messenger, accompanied by a thousand warriors, left Madina for Uhud, a volcanic hill only
a few miles from the western outskirts of Madina, with a plain stretching before it.
However, half way to the destination ‘Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul broke away along
with his three hundred men. This, happening as it did just before the commencement of the
battle, caused such perplexity and confusion that the people of Banu Salama and Banu
Haritha wanted to turn back, but were persuaded not to.
God’s
Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, advanced with the remaining seven hundred
Muslims, much less in number and equipment than their enemies, and lined up his troops at
the foot of Mount Uhud in such a manner that the mountain was behind and the Quraysh army
in front of them. There was only a mountain pass from where the Muslims could be subjected
to a surprise attack. God’s Messenger posted fifty archers there as guards under the
command of ‘Abdullah ibn Jubayr, instructing him neither to let anyone approach nor
to move away from that spot, adding: Even if you see birds fly off with our flesh, still
you must not move away from this place.
The
standard of God’s Messenger was again in the hands of Mus‘ab ibn ‘Umayr.
Zubayr ibn ‘Awwam commanded the cavalry and, Hamza, the infantry. The army was ready
to begin the battle. In order to encourage his Companions, the Prophet had brought forth a
sword and asked: Who would like to have this sword in return for giving its due? Abu
Dujana asked: ‘What is its due?’ It is to fight with it until it is broken, the
Prophet answered. Abu Dujana took it and was engaged in fighting. Sa‘d ibn Abi Waqqas
and ‘Abdullah ibn Jahsh prayed to God to make them encounter the strongest soldiers
of the enemy. Hamza, the uncle of the Prophet and who was known as the Lion of God, wore
an ostrich feather on his breast. The verse revealed to describe the godly persons around
previous Prophets pointed also to them:
Many a
Prophet there was, with whom a large number of God-devoted men fought. They fainted not
for anything that befell them in the way of God, neither weakened, nor did they abase
themselves. God loves the steadfast. Nothing else did they say but, ‘Our Lord,
forgive us our sins, and that we exceeded in our affair, and make firm our feet, and help
us against the people of the unbelievers.’ And God gave them the reward of the world
and the good reward of the Hereafter. God loves the good-doers. (Al ‘Imran, 3.
146–8)
The
Stages of the Battle of Uhud
In the
first stage of the battle, the Muslims defeated the enemy, so easily so that Abu Dujana,
with the sword the Prophet had given him, advanced as far as the central part of the
Quraysh army and, encountering Hind, the wife of Abu Sufyan, who was the commander of the
Quraysh army, attempted to kill her but, ‘in order not to dirty the sword given by
the Prophet with the blood of a woman’, spared her life.30 ‘Ali had killed Talha
ibn Abi Talha, the standard-bearer of the enemy. Those who took hold of the standard of
the Quraysh one after the other had all been killed by either ‘Ali or ‘Asim ibn
Thabit or Zubayr ibn ‘Awwam. After that, the self-sacrificing heroes of the Muslim
army like Hamza, ‘Ali, Abu Dujana, Zubayr ibn ‘Awwam, and Miqdad ibn ‘Amr
thrust themselves into the ranks of the enemy and put them to flight.
When the
enemy began to flee the battlefield, the Muslims occupied themselves with the spoils. The
archers on the mountain pass saw their brothers collecting booty, and said to themselves.
‘God has defeated the enemy, and our brothers are collecting the spoils. Let us go
and join them.’
‘Abdullah
ibn Jubayr tried to persuade them not to leave their posts by reminding them of the
Prophet’s directive, but they answered: ‘He ordered us to do that without
knowing that the matter would come to what we now see’. Except a few who remained at
their posts, they took part in collecting booty. Khalid ibn Walid, who was at that time an
unbeliever and who commanded the Quraysh cavalry, seized this opportunity. He rode with
his men around Mount Uhud and attacked the flank of the Muslim army through the pass.
‘Abdullah ibn Jubayr’s depleted forces tried unsuccessfully to resist the
attack.
The
fleeing soldiers of the enemy also returned and joined the attack from the front and the
scales of the battle turned against the Muslims. The suddenness of these attacks by
outnumbering forces, from both the rear and the front, caused great confusion among the
Muslim ranks. The enemy forces wanted to either seize God’s Messenger alive or kill
him, and attacked him from all sides, striking with swords, thrusting with spears,
shooting arrows and hurling stones. Those who defended him fought heroically.
Hind, the
wife of Abu Sufyan, had lost her father and brothers in the Battle of Badr and urged
Wahshi, a black slave, to kill Hamza. When the scales of the battle turned against the
Muslims, Hamza thrust himself into the ranks of the enemy like a furious lion. He had
killed almost thirty of them when the lance of Wahshi struck him just above the thigh and
pierced it. Hind came forward and ordered Hamza’s stomach to be split open. She
mutilated his body and chewed his liver.
"O
God, forgive my people, because they do not know (the truth)"
Ibn
Kami‘a martyred Mus‘ab ibn ‘Umayr, the standard-bearer of God’s
Messenger and who had been fighting before him. Mus‘ab resembled God’s Messenger
in build and complexion. This resemblance led Ibn Kami‘a to announce that he had
killed God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings. Meanwhile, the Messenger
himself had been wounded by a blow of the sword and stones hurled at him. He fell in a pit
and, bleeding profusely, stretched his hands and prayed: O God, forgive my people, because
they do not know (the truth).
Great sacrifices and examples of unparalleled heroism
The
rumour that the Prophet had been martyred led many Companions to lose courage. But, in
addition to those like ‘Ali, Abu Dujana, Sahl ibn Hunayf, Talha ibn ‘Ubayd
Allah, Anas ibn Nadr and ‘Abdullah ibn Jahsh, who fought self-sacri-ficingly, some
Muslim women, having heard the rumour, hastened to the battlefield. Of them, one from Banu
Dinar called Sumayra had lost her husband, father and brother, but she was asking about
God’s Messenger. When she saw him, she said: ‘All the misfortunes mean nothing
to me as long as you are alive, O God’s Messenger!’ Another one, named Umm
‘Umara, fought before the Messenger so heroically that the Messenger told her: Who
else can endure all that you endure? That pride of womanhood took this opportunity to ask
the Messenger to pray God for her: ‘O Messenger of God! Pray to God to join me in
your company in Paradise!’ The Messenger prayed: O God, join her with me in Paradise!
She responded to this prayer: ‘Whatever happens to me from now on, I will not care it
any more .’34 Anas ibn Nadr heard the rumour that God’s Messenger had been
martyred. He fought so valiantly that he suffered eighty wounds.35 They found Sa‘d
ibn Rabi’ giving his last breath. He had received seventy wounds. His last words were
‘Convey my greetings to God’s Messenger. I sense the fragrance of Paradise from
behind Uhud.’
Besides
Abu Dujana and Sahl ibn Hunayf, ‘Ali stood in front of God’s Messenger, upon him
be peace and blessings, and defended him during the battle. Once, the Messenger pointed to
him some of the enemy who had come down from the hill. ‘Ali repelled them. Then, the
Messenger pointed to him some more of the enemy. Again he attacked them and put them to
flight. The Prophet then pointed to him another group of the enemy. Yet again ‘Ali
attacked them and put them to flight.
Despite
the indescribable resistance of the Muslim warriors around God’s Messenger, upon him
be peace and blessings, defeat seemed inevitable until Ka’b ibn Malik, seeing
God’s Messenger, shouted: ‘O Muslims! Good tidings for you! This is God’s
Messenger, here!’ The scattered Companions advanced toward him from all sides,
rallied around him, and led him to the safety of the mountain.
The
Reasons for the Setback at Uhud
Before
passing on to explain the reasons for the setback suffered at Uhud, it should be pointed
out that the Companions have, after the Prophets, superiority over all the other people in
virtue. They were honored with being the comrades and trainees of the greatest of the
whole creation, one for whose sake the universe was created and who was sent as a mercy
for all the worlds, that is, the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings.
Therefore, according to the rule, the greater the blessing, the greater the
responsibility, they had to be the most sensitive in obeying God and His Messenger. We
read in the Qur’an that, for example, whoever of the Prophet’s wives commits
manifest indecency, the punishment for her will be doubled because they are not like any
other women (al-Ahzab, 33. 30, 32). Likewise, a sin committed by the Companions, small as
it may be, deserves severe punishment. They are all included in those ‘foremost in
belief and nearness to God’, and they are the ones whose conduct is an example
followed by later generations, so they should be pure in belief and intention, sincere in
worship and devotion, upright in conduct and extremely careful in refraining from sins and
disobedience.
Secondly,
God has raised the Community of Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, as the best
community who enjoin the good and forbid the evil, and believe in One God (Al ‘Imran,
3.110) and also appointed them as a ‘middle nation’ so that they may be
witnesses to mankind, and that the Messenger may be a witness to them (al-Baqara, 2.143).
But, in the first years of the Madinan era, the community of the Companions consisted of
true believers and hypocrites, so God wanted to sift those who were truly His witnesses
against all mankind, and also to see who among them strove hard in His Way and remained
steadfast (Al ‘Imran, 3. 141–2). The Battle of Uhud, therefore, became a
decisive test to sift out the sincere and steadfast from the hypocritical and wavering
ones, and served to make the Islamic community more stable and formidable than before.
After
these preliminary notes, we can summarize the reasons for the reverse which the Muslims
experienced in the second stage of Uhud.
1.
God’s Messenger, being the Commander-in-chief of the Muslim army supported by Divine
Revelation, was of the opinion that they should stay within the confines of Madina, but
the younger Companions, inexperienced and full of excitement, urged him to march out of
the city. This was a mistake, even though for the sake of obtaining the rank of martyrdom
in the Way of God, since the Messenger tended to apply different tactics in battles and
knew in advance that the Quraysh army was coming to fight in an open field.
2.
The second disobedience on the part of the Companions showed itself when the archers whom
the Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, had posted to defend the army against any
attack from the rear, left their posts. They misinterpreted the order of God’s
Messenger that they should not move away from their places even if they saw birds fly off
with the flesh of their brothers fighting on the battlefield, and took part in collecting
booty.
3.
The hypocrites numbering three hundred, one third of the whole army, cut themselves off
from the army half-way and returned to Madina. This undermined the morale of Banu Salama
and Banu Haritha, who were only persuaded with difficulty not to leave. Moreover, there
was still a small group of hypocritical people who demoralized the Muslim ranks during the
course of the battle.
4.
A number of the Companions did not remain sufficiently patient. They acted, in certain
respects, in a manner inconsistent with the dictates of piety and were lured by material
wealth.
5.
There were some among the believers who had thought that as long as God’s Messenger
was in their midst and as long as they enjoyed God’s support and help, the
unbelievers could never triumph over them. However true this was, they came to understand
by the setback they suffered that deserving God’s help requires, besides belief and
devotion, deliberation and strategy, and steadfastness. They also perceived that the world
is a field of testing and trial:
Many ways
of life and systems have passed away before you; journey in the land, and behold how was
the end of those who did deny (the Messengers). This is an exposition for mankind, and a
guidance and an admonition for the God-fearing. Faint not, nor grieve, for you shall gain
mastery if you are true believers. If a wound has touched you, a like wound already
touched the (unbelieving) people (at Badr); such days We deal out in turn among men, that
God may see who are the believers, and that He may take witnesses from among you; and God
loves not the evil-doers; and that God may prove the believers, and blot out the
unbelievers. (Al ‘Imran, 3. 137-141)
6.
Those who had not taken part in the Battle of Badr sincerely prayed God for martyrdom.
They were deeply devoted to the cause of Islam and longed for their meeting with God. Some
among them like ‘Abdullah ibn Jahsh, Anas ibn Nadr, Sa‘d ibn Rabi’,
‘Amr ibn Jamuh and Abu Sa‘d Haysama, may God be pleased with them all, tasted
the pleasure of martyrdom and the martyrdom of the others was delayed. The Qur’an
sings the praises of them as follows:
Among the
believers are men who were true to their covenant with God; some of them have fulfilled
their vow by death (in battle), and some are still awaiting, and they have not changed in
the least. (al-Ahzab, 33.23)
7.
Any success or triumph lies in the hand of God, Who does whatever He wills and cannot be
questioned concerning His acts. Belief in the Unity of God requires that a believer must
always ascribe to God his accomplishments and never appropriate for his self anything
good. If the decisive victory of Badr gave some of the Muslims some sort of self-pride and
if they imputed the victory to their own prudence and wise arrangement or some material
causes, this, too, would have taken a part in their setback in Uhud.
8.
There is an important point worth mentioning concerning the setback the believers suffered
in Uhud. Among the Quraysh army there were some eminent soldiers and commanders such as
Khalid ibn Walid, Ikrima ibn Abi Jahl, ‘Amr ibn al- ‘As and Ibn Hisham, each of
whom had been destined by God to serve Islam very greatly in the future. They were the
ones most esteemed and respected among the people. For the sake of their future service
for Islam, God may not have willed to hurt their feelings of honour completely. So, as
expressed by Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, the Companions of the future defeated the Companions
of the present in the second stage of Uhud.
The Qur’an on the Battle of Uhud
Finally,
the following verses are to explain the reasons of that setback together with its
aftermath, and the lessons which should be taken from it:
Did you
suppose you should enter Paradise without God seeing who of you have struggled and who are
patient? (Al ‘Imran, 3.142)
Muhammad
is naught but a Messenger; Messengers have passed away before him. Will you, if he should
die or is slain, turn back on your heels? If any man should turn back on his heels, he
will not harm God in any way; and God will recompense the thankful. It is not given to any
soul to die save by the leave of God, at an appointed time. Whoso desires the reward of
this world, We will give him of this; and whoso desires the reward of the other world, We
will give him of that; and We will recompense the thankful. (Al ‘Imran, 3.
144–5)
God
fulfilled His pledge to you when by His leave you blasted them, until you lost heart, and
quarrelled about the matter, and disobeyed, after He had shown you that you longed for.
Some of you sought this world and some of you sought the next. Then He turned you from
them, that He might try you; and He has pardoned you; and God is bounteous to the
believers. When you were going up, not twisting about for anyone, and the Messenger was
calling you in your rear; so He rewarded you with grief after grief that you might not
sorrow for what escaped you neither for what smote you; and God is aware of the things you
do. (Al ‘Imran, 3. 152–3)
Those of
you who turned away on the day two hosts encountered – Satan made them slip because
of some of their lapses; but God has pardoned them; God is All-Forgiving, All-Clement. (Al
‘Imran, 3. 155)
O
believers, be not as the unbelievers who say concerning their brothers, when they journey
in the land, or are upon expeditions, ‘If they had been with us, they would not have
died and not been slain’ – that God may make that an anguish in their hearts.
For God gives life, and He makes to die; and God sees the things you do. If you are slain
or die in God’s way, forgiveness and mercy from God are a better thing than what they
amass; surely if you die or are slain, it is unto God you shall be mustered. (Al
‘Imran, 3.156–8)
If God
helps you, none can overcome you; but if He forsakes you, who then can help you after Him?
Therefore in God let the believers put all their trust. (Al ‘Imran, 3. 160)
Why, when
an affliction visited you, and you had visited twice over the like of it, did you say,
‘How is this?’ Say: ‘This is from your own selves; surely God is powerful
over everything’. And what visited you, the day the two hosts encountered, was by
God’s leave, and that He might mark out the believers; and that He might also mark
out the hypocrites, to whom it was said: ‘Come, fight in the way of God, or
repel!’ They said, ‘If only we knew how to fight, we would follow you.’
They that day were nearer to unbelief than to belief. (Al ‘Imran, 3.165–7)
Count not
those who were slain in God’s way as dead. They are alive with their Lord, by Him
provided, rejoicing in the bounty that God has given them, and joyful in those who remain
behind and have not joined them yet: that no fear shall be on them, neither shall they
sorrow, joyful in blessing and bounty from God, and that God leaves not to waste the wage
of the believers. (Al ‘Imran, 3. 169-171)
God will
not leave the believers in the state in which you are, till He shall distinguish the
corrupt from the good, and God will not inform you of the Unseen; but God chooses out of
His Messengers whom He wills. Believe you then in God and His Messengers; and if you
believe and are God-fearing, there shall be for you a mighty wage. (Al ‘Imran, 3.179)
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The last stage of the Battle of Uhud and the campaign of
Hamra’ al-Asad
After the
confusion at Uhud, his Companions rallied around the Prophet, upon him be peace and
blessings. He was wounded and fainted, and many of his Companions were also wounded. They
had retreated to the safety of the mountain. When the Quraysh army began to leave the
battlefield, thinking they had taken revenge for the defeat at Badr and seeing that they
were unable to crush the resistance of the Muslims, they mounted their camels and, only
leading their horses (not riding), they headed for Makka.
God’s
Messenger was apprehensive that the Makkan polytheists might return and launch a second
attack on Madina. On the second day of Uhud, therefore, he ordered those who had taken
part in the Battle of Uhud the day before to gather and urged them to pursue the
unbelievers. Although some people from Banu ‘Abd al-Qays, appointed by Abu Sufyan,
tried to discourage the Muslims to confront the Quraysh once more, saying. ‘The
people have gathered against you, therefore fear them,’ this only increased the
heroes of Islam in faith, and they answered: ‘God is sufficient for us; what an
excellent Guardian He is!’ (Al ‘Imran, 3. 173).39
Most of
them were seriously wounded; some were even unable to stand and were carried by their
friends. At this highly critical moment, they girded up their loins and were prepared to
lay down their lives at the behest of God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and
blessings. They accompanied him to Hamra’ al-Asad, eight miles from Madina.
The
Makkan polytheists had halted and were deliberating among themselves about launching a
second attack on Madina to crush the power of God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and
blessings. However, when they saw the believers, whom they thought they had defeated so
shortly before, coming towards them, they failed to muster sufficient courage and carried
on to Makka.
It was
the prudence and military genius of God’s Messenger that a defeat resulted in a
victory. The enemy could not find the courage in themselves to march upon Madina, a few
miles away, and had to go on towards Makka in the face of the resolution showed by the
believers. God revealed the following verses in praise of the Muslim heroes who had
participated in this campaign:
Those who
answered God and the Messenger after the wound had smitten them – to all those of
them who did good and feared God, shall be a mighty wage; those to whom the people said,
‘The people have gathered against you, therefore fear them’; but it increased
them in faith, and they said, ‘God is sufficient for us; what an excellent Guardian
He is!’ So they returned with blessing and bounty from God, untouched by evil; they
followed the good pleasure of God; and God is of bounty abounding. (Al ‘Imran, 3.
172–4)
Towards
the Battle of the Trench
The
Jewish tribe of Banu Nadir were originally sworn allies of the Muslims in Madina but they
secretly intrigued with the Makkan pagans and the Madinan hypocrites. They even tried
treacherously to take the life of the Prophet while he was on a visit to them, breaking
both the laws of hospitality and their own sworn alliance. God’s Messenger asked them
to leave the strategic position which they occupied, about three miles south of Madina.
They agreed to this but when ‘Abdullah ibn Ubayy, the chief of the hypocrites,
assured them that his party would help them in case of war, the Banu Nadir demurred.
The
Muslim army then besieged them in their fortresses and, seeing that neither the Makkan
polytheists nor the hypocrites in Madina stirred a finger to help them, the Banu Nadir had
to leave the city. They were dismayed but their lives were spared, and they were given ten
days in which to remove themselves, their families, and such goods as they could carry.
Most of them joined their brethren in Syria and the others in Khaybar.
While
returning from the Battle of Uhud, Abu Sufyan had challenged the Muslims to another
encounter at Badr the following year. But when the appointed time arrived, Abu
Sufyan’s courage failed him to fight against God’s Messenger. As a face-saving
device he sent an agent, Nu‘aym ibn Mas‘ud, who was then an unbeliever, to
Madina who spread the rumour that the Quraysh were making tremendous war preparations and
that they were gathering a huge army which no other power in the whole of Arabia would
resist. However, when the Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, reached Badr with an
army of fifteen hundred fighters, they found there no one to fight with them. They stayed
at Badr for eight days awaiting the threatened encounter, and when no sign of the Quraysh
army appeared, they returned to Madina. This campaign was called Badr al-Sughra (Badr the
Minor).
In the
fifth year after the Hijra, God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, was
informed that the desert tribes of Anmar and Sa’laba had decided to attack Madina.
Accompanied by 400 fighters, he reached Zat al-Riqa’ and hearing that the enemy
tribes had fled, returned to Madina.
After
this campaign, God’s Messenger marched upon Banu Mustaliq, a pagan tribe of Arabia.
Banu Mustaliq had made preparations of war against the Muslims. With an army of 700
warriors, God’s Messenger attacked them and defeated them.43 On the way back to
Madina, the intrigues of the hypocrites to bring about dissension between the Emigrants
and Helpers were brought to naught. The verses sent down revealed all their secrets and
how polluted their inner world was (al-Munafiqun, 63. 1-11). |