Battle
of Uhd
1.
This incitement by
the Jews added fuel to the fire which was
burning in the hearts of the Quraish and they
began to make preparations to avenge the defeat
they had suffered at Bad. A year after this an
army of 3 000 strong marched out of Makkah to
invade Al-Madinah and a battle took place at the
foot of Mount Uhd. The Holy Prophet came out of
Al-Madinah with one thousand men to meet the
enemy. While they were marching to the
battle-field three hundred hypocrites deserted
the army and returned to Al- Madinah but there
still remained a small band of hypocrites among
the seven hundred who accompanied the Holy
Prophet. They played their part and did their
worst to create mischief and chaos in the ranks
of the Believers during the Battle. This was the
first clear indication of the fact that within
the fold of the Muslim Community there was quite
a large number of saboteurs who were always
ready to conspire with the external enemies to
harm their own brethren.
2.
Though the devices
of the hypocrites had played a great part in the
set-back at Uhud the weaknesses of the Muslims
themselves contributed no less to it. And it was
but natural that the Muslims should show signs
of moral weakness for they were a new community
which had only recently been formed on a new
ideology and had not as yet got a thorough moral
training. Naturally in this second hard test of
their physical and moral strength some
weaknesses came to the surface. That is why a
detailed review of the Battle of Uhud was needed
to warn the Muslims of their shortcomings and to
issue instructions for their reform. It should
also be noted that this review of the Battle is
quite different from the reviews that are
usually made by generals on similar occasions.
Historical
Background
The
Islamic army's setback in the Battle of Uhud (A.
H. 3) that resulted from the error of the
archers appointed by the Holy Prophet so boosted
up the morale of the Arab pagans and the Jews
and the hypocrites that they started
entertaining the hope that they would soon be
able to exterminate Islam and the Muslims
completely. Their high state of morale can be
judged from the events that occurred in the
first year after Uhud. Hardly two months had
passed then the tribe of Bani Asad of Najd began
to make preparations for a raid on Madinah and
the Holy Prophet had to despatch an expedition
under Abu Salamah to counteract them. In Safar
A. H. 4 some people of the tribes of Adal and
Qarah asked the Holy Prophet to send some men to
instruct them in Islam. Accordingly six of the
Companions were allowed to accompany them for
the purpose. But when they reached Raji (a place
between Rabigh and Jeddah) they summoned Hudhail
against them who killed four of the Companions
and took the other two (Hadrat Khubaib bin Adi
and Hadrat Zaid bin ad-Dathinnah) to Makkah and
sold them to the enemy. Then in the same month
of Safar on the request of a chief of Bani Amir
the Holy Prophet sent another deputation of 40
(according to others 70) preachers consisting of
the Ansar young men to Najd. But they were also
betrayed. The people of Usayyah and Ri'l and
Dhakwan tribes of Bani Sulaim surrounded them
suddenly at Bir Maunah and slew all of them.
Meanwhile the Jewish tribe of Bani an-Nadir of
Madinah getting encouragement continued to
commit breaches of the treaties; so much so that
in Rabi'ul Awwal A.H. 4 they plotted against the
life of the Holy Prophet himself. Then in Jamadi
al-Ula A. H. 4 Bani Thalbah and Bani Muharib the
two tribes of Bani Ghatafan started making
preparations to attack Madinah and the Holy
Prophet had to go to punish them. Thus after
their setback at Uhud the Muslims went on
encountering repercussions continuously for
seven to eight months.
However,
it was the Holy Prophet's determination and
wisdom and his great Companions' spirit of
sacrifice that changed these adverse conditions
completely within a short span of time. The
economic boycott by the Arabs had made life hard
for the people of Madinah. All the polytheistic
tribes around Madinah were becoming rebellious.
Inside Madinah itself the Jews and the
hypocrites were beat upon mischief. But the
successive steps taken by a handful of the
sincere Muslims under the leadership of the Holy
Prophet not only restored the image of strength
of Islam in Arabia but also increased it
manifold.
