THE BATTLE OF UHUD


Abu Sufyan had failed to attack the Muslims in Madinah in the past. Infuriated, he had set fire to the Muslim colony and killed two Muslims. To escape when followed by the Muslims, he had started throwing away the sacks of barley, which he had taken as sacks of booty from the Muslims.

On reaching Makkah, Abu Sufyan re-organised a huge army and set out again for Madinah on March 625 AD. in the month of Shawwal. This time three thousand warriors were included in the army of the Quraysh. Out of these, seven hundred were armed to the teeth and led by Safwan bin Umayyah as second commander-in-chief.

The soldiers were clad in coats of mail that protected them from arrows and swords. Two hundred soldiers had horses. These men were being led by Khalid bin Walid who was rated among the world's renowned warriors. His valour, agility, and ability to judge the weaknesses of his adversaries in the battlefield have been appreciated by all the Islamic historians. If this man was showered at by arrows and spears, he would not stray from his sense of purpose.

Khalid bin Walid later entered Faith and showed such feats of bravery and valour that he was bestowed the title of "Saif Ullah" - the sword of Allah by the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). In the third Hijrah year, it was the month of Shawwal when this valiant man had pitched himself against the Muslims to uproot them. Among other chiefs who had joined Abu Sufyan was Abu Jahal's son Ikrimah in whose breast kindled the fire of hatred against the Muslims because they had killed Abu Jahal.

Abu Sufyan's wife Hind was also with them. She wanted to fulfil her desire of cutting the ears and noses of the dead Muslims who might die in the battle. She also intended to make a wreath out of those parts to wear around her neck and avenge her relatives who had died at Badr.

There was another woman in the army named Alqamah Umrah. She was between thirty five and forty years old. She was tall, robust and attractive and her valour in the Battle of Uhud is mentionable as she played a major role in persuading retreating Quraysh army to fight back.

It was on Wednesday March the 20th 625 AD. (which according to Muslim calendar would be 12th of Shawwal, 3 A.H) that the Quraysh army of three thousand soldiers reached Madinah. The southern area of Madinah where the Makkan army arrived was covered by sharp volcanic rocks. The camels and horses could not move about easily here and thus the area was not fit for battle. The army then moved to the north, around Madinah. Abu Sufyan had decided to fight at the foot of mount Uhud, where the earth was sandy and camels could easily move about.

The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was in the Mosque of Quba when the Makkan army approached Madinah. Quba is the first Islamic mosque near Madinah. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) used to go to the mosque once a week and after performing religious obligations he used to hold council with Muslims there. When the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) heard about the Makkan army, he was not surprised at this, since he had anticipated an attack by the Quraysh to avenge their defeat at the battle of Badr.

After encamping at the foot of Uhud, the army of enemy left their horses and cattle to graze in the fields to incite the Muslims for war. The people of Madinah were equally aware of their intentions. During the day and the following night the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) held consultation with chiefs of various tribes to adopt a strategy that the situation called for.

The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) wanted to ensure peace in Madinah during the battle. He was also worried about treachery by the Munafeqeen and other non-Muslim tribes of Madinah.

The chief of Munafeqeen was Abdullah bin Obei. He assured the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) of his loyalty. the Jews also promised not to assault the Muslims from rear. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) accepted their statements. He finalised battle strategies with the tribal chiefs and other Muslims.

Abdullah bin Obei suggested the Muslims should fortify themselves in strong buildings and stay in the city. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) knew that this strategy could keep the Muslims safe, provided they had enough rations to last during the siege. This strategy was suggested by Abdullah bin Obei, who was the leader of the hypocrites, therefore the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) could not trust his loyalty or intentions. The Munafeqeen were devious people. They could have opened the gates of the structures where Muslims fortified themselves to the Qurayshi onslaught.

After listening to Abdullah bin Obei, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) consulted the soldiers. They said, "O Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) of Allah! It would be better to face the Quraysh outside Madinah. We will be restricted in our movements if we remain in the city. We would be free to move about and adopt strategies according to the battle situations if we fought outside the city".

The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) liked their suggestion and gave approval to fight outside the city. It was a habit of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) to consult his companions before making a final decision. He used to approve whatever useful decision was reached upon. He did not like any changes once a decision had been made.

When the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) finally decided to fight outside the city, Abdullah bin Obei again insisted on revising the decision in favour of staying inside Madinah.

The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) answered, "O Abdullah bin Obei, a Prophet, who is entrusted to complete his Prophethood, does not confine himself in buildings when he unsheathes his sword he must keep on moving ahead".

There were three thousand soldiers in the Makkan army and the Muslims only had one thousand. Out of these three hundred returned to Madinah with Abdullah bin Obei. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was left with only seven hundred soldiers.

This time again, the Islamic army had only two horses. The Muslims faced dearth of armour, helmets and other equipment. After finally deciding to face the Quraysh outside Madinah, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) inspected his army. He found it lacking in equipment. The Muslims were not rich enough to arrange military equipment for themselves.

When the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was inspecting the army, he was informed that the Jews might side with the Quraysh after the battle had started. According to the constitution of Madinah, all citizens irrespective of their religion were responsible for defending their city in case of attack by the enemy. Although the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) knew the Jews might change their loyalties, he did not express his doubt. The next day, the Muslim army left Madinah to lay camp at the eastern foot of Mount Uhud



. The Makkan army had already landed on the western foot of this mountain.

The day was Saturday the 15th of Shawwal in the 3 A.H when Abdullah bin Obei, the chief of Munafeqeen left with his companions from the eastern side of Uhud to Madinah thus leaving only 700 Muslims behind. This act proved that the Prophet's (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) suspicion about the Munafeqeen was not unfounded. It is interesting to mention that the Munafeqeen who were apparently Muslims, left the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) while the Jews who were suspected to change loyalties, remained resolute in the battle of Uhud.

Before the battle started, Abu Sufyan's wife Hind addressed her slaves. She told them that anyone among them who killed the leading Muslims, would be set free immediately. She also made rousing speeches to the Makkans to raise their morale; "If you attack the enemy undaunted, we will press you to bosoms at velvet carpets and elate you with the flavour of wine. But if you turn away from the enemy, never will you enjoy our love".

The Muslims had two horses. A'ns rode one of them. When the Muslim army advanced towards the Quraysh, it so happened that due to the movement of the horse a part of A'n's sword was unsheathed. This was taken for a good omen, and was assumed as forecast for the victory of the Muslims. A'ns gladly delivered the good tidings to everyone.

The Muslims made an organised advancement towards the Quraysh. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) advised them to keep united in their flanks that were like a moving fortress. He told them to observe discipline and avoid individual feats of valour as this would lead them to success. The idolaters were four times in strength to the Muslims. In the very early minutes of the battle, the Muslim victory seemed imminent. The Muslims were advancing with full confidence and unity. Their courage, perseverance and valour instilled fear in the hearts of the Quraysh who lost courage and began to retreat.

The Qurayshi camps were nearby. When the Muslims saw them retreating back, they thought that it was time to collect the booty. The camping site of the Quraysh had in addition to great riches, a large number of camels and horses. The Muslims broke away from their lines and started to collect the war booty.

When AliR.A, the flag-bearer of the first flank saw the situation, he called out aloud, "O Muslims! Where are you going? The enemy might deceive us. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) instructed us not to let go the discipline under any circumstances".

The soldiers answered that the Prophet's (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) order was not to break the ranks as long as the battle continued, and now when it was over, there was no need to maintain ranks. After saying this they ran towards the tents of the Quraysh with great fervour.

On the other hand, when the Muslim soldiers who were on guard under Abdullah bin Jabeer at the knoll of "Aineen", saw the Quraysh retreating and the Muslims disbanding for the booty, they also left their place for acquiring their shares. Abdullah bin Jabeer forbade them from doing so. He reminded them of the Prophet's (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) orders that they were not to leave that place under any circumstances. The archers insisted on going below as the Quraysh army was on the retreat. They climbed down the knoll and ran towards the camps. Only twelve soldiers, including Abdullah bin Jabeer were left at the said knoll.

Meanwhile the Makkan soldiers, while on retreat, came face to face with women who had accompanied them to the battle field. It was an old established custom in Arabia that women also participated in the battle to provoke and encourage their men to fight with valour. An Arab poet says, "When we fight, our women watch us in the battle field; their eyes instigate our blood like a bonfire". In such wars where men lost their courage and took to retreat, those women used to dishevel their hair, tear open their collars and run towards their enemies almost semi-naked, so as to enrage their men to fight back.

The same happened in the planes of Uhud that day. When the Qurayshi women saw their men receding, they, led by Umrah Alqamah, dishevelled their hair and tore open their clothes almost to nudity.

Umrah Alqamah shouted to the men of Quraysh, "Where is your sense of honour? It is better for you to face such a small number of Muslims and die with honour than retreat! The person who dies in the battle field is not mocked at, as he has completed his duty and no one questions him about victory. The man who dreads the battlefield and runs away should hide in a house wearing bangles and should nurse the children and cook food like women! You cowards! Go and sit in houses like women. We womenfolk will fight in your place".

The Islamic historians have written that Muslims put to death nine flag-bearers, who belonged to the clan of Abdul Dar. When the last flag-bearer of the Quraysh fell to the ground, Umrah Alqamah bent to pick up the flag and flung at the Muslims with her sword. When the Quraysh saw this they felt ashamed and started to fight back the Muslim army.

This re-attack was utterly un-expected for the Muslims. Muslim soldiers had conjectured that the unbelievers had been completely defeated and that they had been victorious. When they were attacked by the Quraysh, they tried to reorganise but could not do so and suffered heavy losses.

On the other hand, Khalid bin Walid, who had not entered the battlefield, was watching this situation closely. He took full advantage of this commotion and decided to attack the Muslims from the rear. Abdullah bin Jabeer and his eleven companions tried to intercept Khalid bin Walid but were unsuccessful and all the twelve persons were martyred.

Followed by his horsemen, Khalid bin Walid reached at the back of the Muslim lines, who facing resistance from the front, were now cordoned off from both sides and had to face the enemy from both ends.

Alqamah bearing the flag and aided by other women of Quraysh was also instigating soldiers to attack the Muslims. Among the slaves of the Quraysh, there was one named Wahshee. He was in search of the eminent Muslims to attack, so that he could be freed. He could not lay his hands on the prominent persons like Abu BakrR.A, UmarR.A or AliR.A. However, he found HamzahR.A engaged in the battle near him. HamzahR.A was fighting the Quraysh valiantly. When Wahshee saw HamzahR.A's back turned towards him, he exploited the moment to his advantage and hurled his spear forcefully which pierced through his chest. The Prophet's (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) uncle fell down and after a few moments his soul departed him.

When Hind heard the news of Hamzah'sR.A demise, she freed the slave at that very moment. She also took off her necklace and bracelets and gave them to him. She said that she had promised to set him free if he killed HamzahR.A, but she was giving the things in addition for reward.

The sudden and unexpected attack by Khalid bin Walidcaused great confusion in the Muslim army that started to disband. However, some Muslims including Abu BakrR.A, AliR.A and Abu DajanahR.A had formed a cordon around the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) to face the soldiers of Khalid bin Walid. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) told his companions that the place they were standing was within the reach of enemy arrows and they should shift to the upper part of Uhud, where the horses of the infidels would not be able to climb.

The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) expressed his sorrow at the in-discipline of the Muslims. He had instructed them in particular not to break their lines whatever the situation might be. But alas! The Muslims had not acted upon his advice, therefore he did not think they would be aided by Allah, as they had been in the Battle of Badr.

Except those who had been cordoned off and protecting the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), the rest of the Muslims were not putting up much resistance to the attack. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was fighting along with his companions, and climbing Uhud when a rock hurled by Abdullah bin Qamah from a catapult, struck his face and broke his tooth. The very next moment, the Prophet's (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) foot slipped and he fell into a ditch. He was seriously injured (Abdullah bin Qamah and another Qurayshi soldier had been hiding behind a huge rock from where they were using catapult against the Muslims). Meanwhile Khalid bin Walid and some of his men, dismounted from their horses to reach the mountain on foot so as to wipe out all the remaining Muslims. The other men of Khalid started shooting arrows at the Muslims from the foot of the mountain. That was the moment when Abdullah bin Qamah saw the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) falling in a ditch. He immediately ran down the hill into the battlefield and started shrieking aloud; "Beware! Surely Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is killed". This news completely dispirited even those Muslims who were still putting up resistance in the battlefield. In despair, they threw down their weapons and began to flee.

The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) had only been hurt, UmarR.A and AliR.A assisted him out of the ditch. AliR.A quickly fetched some water in his shield from a nearby stream and sprinkled on the Prophet's (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) face. He removed his helmet and tried to revive him. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) had not yet fully recovered when Khalid bin Walid and his men reached the foot of the mountain. One hundred Kufar soldiers started attacking the twelve Muslim soldiers who were steadfastly shielding the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) from attack.

The Muslim strategy, as told before, was to arrange in flanks so that the enemy could not attack from behind. At the heights of Uhud, the situation was different, as the roughness did not allow for such formations. Hence four out of the twelve soldiers were commissioned to protect the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) while the remaining formed a shield around the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). However, all were equally engaged in the fight. The persons appointed to defend the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) were UmarR.A, AliR.A, A'nsR.A and Abu JadanahR.A. All the four were engaged in continuos sword-fight at a ratio of one against ten. The enemy wanted to eliminate them so they could reach the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), but these four companions, irrespective of their own wounds, remained steadfast acting as a firm wall against the enemy. The historians of Uhud have written that these four persons wore helmets on their heads, but were without chain-armour. We should not be surprised, as wearing an armour makes one heavy to move about and fight in the hot areas of Arabia. It is very difficult to use swords while clad in it. The fact that there were uncountable wounds on the bodies of these guards of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) also indicates that they were fighting without any armour, otherwise they would not have received so many wounds.

The Battle of Uhud took place in early March. It was very hot in Madinah. To fight wearing the chain-armour was difficult and painful. The idolaters thought that by eliminating these four persons, they could lay their hands upon the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), therefore they did their utmost to over-power UmarR.A, AliR.A, Abu JadanahR.A and A'nsR.A.

Abu JadanahR.A, unlike his companions could not use sword with great agility. He was soon tired and when his arms became immovable due to fatigue, he stood straight like a shield in front of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), Within seconds, the Quraysh soldiers shot so many arrows at this "live shield" that his body was stuck with arrows like a porcupine. At last, his feet gave way, and he fell down while protecting the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). His face was so grievously wounded that no one except his sister, could recognise him when he was being laid to rest. She recognised him by the shape of his ears.

After Abu Jadanah and A'ns, only two were left to protect the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), they were UmarR.A and AliR.A. AliR.A was drenched red with blood from head to toe, but still he did not leave the Prophet's (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) company. UmarR.A who was a tall and a broad-shouldered man, was using his sword undauntedly and was also raising slogans in his thundering voice to invigorate and encourage the Muslims.

Meanwhile, the Prophet's (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) condition improved and he beckoned Sa'ad bin Abbi Waqas and took his bow and arrows to shoot at the enemy. Those handfuls of the Muslims who were resisting one hundred of the Quraysh were rejuvenated to know that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was alive and again taking part in the battle. They forgot their fatigue and wounds and assailed afresh. They surrounded the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) swiftly and formed new flanks. This new circular formation started advancing in unison as a fortress and it launched a successive attack against the Mushreqeen. Their assault was so vigorous that these ten soldiers compelled Mushreqeen led by Khalid bin Walid, an experienced commander to retreat.

This last part of the Battle of Uhud is amazing and most surprising. The valour, consistency, stability and courage of UmarR.A, AliR.A, Sa'adR.A bin Abbi Waqas and the other Muslims were so intense that they compelled to ebb an army ten times in magnitude. If the companions of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) are counted twelve, then only ten were left with him after the martyrdom of Abu Jadanah and A'ns to reform the ranks of battle and attack the Quraysh.

The commander-in-chief of the Makkan army, Abu Sufyan, said at the end of the battle that he had not seen anyone who could match the valour of those Muslims who had put their lives at stake in the last moments of battle. He had never witnessed a few countable men fighting with such loyalty and devotion for a person.

As previously stated, the battle of Uhud took place in early March - before the spring - when the days were not long. When the brave soldiers of Islam compelled the Makkan army to recede, the sun was setting in the western mountains of Uhud. The battle ended, and the Quraysh army did not try to attack again due to approaching night.

After the battle, two daughters of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), FatimaR.A and Umm-e-KalthoomR.A, came to their father. When the battle began, some Muslim women accompanied the army to the battle-field; FatimaR.A and Umm-e-KalthoomR.A were also among them. It is unclear where these women went when the Muslim army had been thrown in confusion and how FatimaR.A and Umm-e-KalthoomR.A reached their father.

FatimaR.A tried to dress her father's wounds, AliR.A was also drenched in blood. When Abu UbaidahR.A, the physician and surgeon of the Islamic army, inspected AliR.A, he saw eighty critical wounds on his body. Quite astonished, Abu UbaidahR.A spoke, "O Ali! You will have to be tied from head to toe and carried on a stretcher to Madinah. I have never seen a person wounded to this degree and still be able to fight". On the other hand, UmarR.A bin Khatab's body received twenty-one critical wounds. Sa'adR.A bin Abbi Waqas also received twelve serious deep wounds. These men did not care for their wounds as the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was alive and safe.

The sun had not set when Abu Sufyan's wife Hind went out in the battle-field to look for HamzahR.A's corpse. After finding it, she cut open HamzahR.A's chest and belly with a sharp knife, carved out his liver and started chewing it. For this reason, this beastly woman is known as "Hind - the liver eater" in Islamic history. She swallowed some portion of liver. She cut off his nose and ears. Not content with this, she fell avidly upon nearby corpses as well. She cut off their noses and ears, made a necklace by passing a thread through them and wore it while dancing madly.

Besides Hind, another woman of the Quraysh "Salafah Bint Sa'ad" also entered the field in search for the corpse of the Muslim soldier who had killed her son in the battle of Badr. On finding it, this cruel woman cut his head off and shrieking aloud she said, "I will clear this of meat and tissues, dry it and drink water from the back of this skull as long as I live! From today, it will be my water-bowl".

After the Makkan army had left, the Prophet's (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) eyes caught sight of HamzahR.A's corpse. He saw his chest and belly gaped open, liver chewed and thrown aside, nose and his ears also cut. He was extremely grieved and wrathful to see this. He said, "In the next battle between us and the unbelievers, retaliate to HamzahR.A's amputation, I will do the same with thirty of the Quraysh".

At the same moment, Wahi was revealed, which is present today in Surah Al-Nahl in the Holy Qur'an:

126.

And if ye do catch them out,
Catch them out no worse
Than they catch you out:
But if you show patience,
That is indeed the best (course), For those who are patient.
(Surah Al-Nahl; V-126)

When this verse had been revealed, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, "O Allah, I will regress from revenge and adopt patience".

Before the Sun had completely set in, Abu Sufyan re-entered the battle-field and called out aloud, "Is Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) alive?"

He asked this question because of the rumours of the Prophet's (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) martyrdom. First it was decided not to answer him, but UmarR.A could not keep quiet and roared aloud, "Praise be to Allah that our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is alive". Abu Sufyan then said aloud, "Listen then! You killed seventy of our soldiers and chiefs in the battle of Badr and today we have killed the same number to settle the accounts. Yet if you wish to interlock fingers, we will await you at the Fair of Badr next year". He then arrogantly moved back towards his men.

When the enemy had left the battle-field, Muslims who had dispersed, also returned. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) ordered that the bodies of the dead be buried. It is not known whether this task was performed right after the sunset (in which case the task would have continued the whole night) or left for the next day. The Islamic army had to bear the loss of seventy soldiers in this Battle. Sixty-four Ansar and six Mohajirs. The women of Quraysh had amputated most of the Muslim dead taking with them their amputated body parts and organs as souvenirs.

It was a custom among the Arabs to give ablution to the dead to cleanse them, but on that day, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, "The Muslims who had died facing the idolaters were "Shaheed" (martyrs). They were pure and they had made their way straight into Paradise, therefore it was unnecessary to give them ablutions and they were to be buried as such at the foot of Uhud".

The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) then offered funeral prayers for each of the dead praying for each individually. When all the martyrs had been laid to rest, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) praised them and the status they had achieved.

Some historians have written that the Islamic army faced defeat in this battle. This statement requires a strategic contemplation. If we ask a war-veteran what he considers defeat and its indications, he would tell us that if an army takes possession of a country and eradicates its armed forces, then that nation whose country has been seized and army destroyed is believed to be defeated. If an army seizes a country and fails to eradicate its armed forces, then that nation in possession of a regular army is not defeated.

Here for example take the case of the second World War in which Germany occupied a great part of Russia. As Germany was unable to wipe out the Russian army, we cannot say Germany defeated Russia.

In the Battle of Uhud, the army of the infidels neither captured the Muslim state which was Madinah nor eradicated the Islamic army. Though, the Muslims on that day fled and became unnerved, they reorganised their ranks the very next day and as we will tell later, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) lead a regular army back to Madinah when he left the planes of Uhud.

In the Holy Qur'an, the Muslim situation has not been equated with defeat and the Muslims have been consoled about this Battle in Surah Al-Imran, verse 130:

130.

So lose not heart,
Nor fall into despair:
For ye must gain mastery
If you are true in Faith.

In verse 140 is given;

140.

If a wound hath touched you,
Be sure a similar wound
Hath touched the others.
Such days (of varying fortunes)
We give to men and men
By turns: that Allah may know
Those that believe,
And that He may take
To Himself from your ranks
Martyr-witnesses (to Truth).
And Allah loves not
Those that do wrong.

In verse 159 is stated;

159.

It is part of the Mercy
Of Allah that thou dost deal
Gently with them.
Wert thou severe
Or harsh-hearted,
They would have broken away
From about thee: so pass over
(Their Faults), and ask
For (Allah's) forgiveness
For them; and consult
Them in affairs (of moment)
Then, when thou hast
Taken a decision,
Put thy trust in Allah.
For Allah loves those
Who put their trust (in Him).
(Surah Al-Imran)

According to the above mentioned verses, Allah has not considered the Battle of Uhud as the defeat of Muslims and those who turned about from the battle-field were pardoned. Allah also instructed the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) to condone them and forgive them as well.

If the Battle of Uhud is placed in the realm of modern war-fare tactics, it is seen that the Muslims not only remained undefeated, but also remained victorious in protecting their leader and remaining in the battle-field till the last moments of battle. Strategic reasons for the failure of Mushreqeen to eliminate the Muslims are discussed below:

First, the Makkans were not mentally prepared to fight with the Muslims in the open. They had come prepared to eliminate the Muslims sure of receiving the help of Jews and the Munafeqeen for they believed that the Muslims because of their small number, would have fortified themselves within Madinah.

The fact that the Muslim army had come out of Madinah had been surprising for Abu Sufyan and his soldiers. Though there had remained only seven hundred Muslims to face an army of three thousand, yet from the very onset of the battle, the Muslims by dint of their unshakeable faith, had dominated the situation and drived the Quraysh to retreat. If the Muslims had followed the injunctions of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and had not shown haste in plundering, and leaving their ranks and if the women of Quraysh had not shamed their men to return, Abu Sufyan's army would have been comprehensively defeated.

Another reason why the Quraysh could not eliminate the Muslims was the fact that night approached when they had an advantage in the battle field and since battles were not continued in the night according to Arabian custom, this battle had come to an end.

The third reason is the absence of, what we today call, an intelligence system on part of the Quraysh due to which parts of their forces were not aware of their standing in battle or of their foe. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) on the other hand, had an organised system of getting information. He was kept informed of the enemy movements and intentions in time during most of the battle.

The fourth reason for the failure of Abu Sufyan was the fact that he had taken his army back from the foot of the mountain at a time when he could have confirmed his victory upon the Muslims by attacking the tired and wounded Muslim soldiers. He realised his mistake after crossing Uhud, when he reached a place called "Roha". He suddenly decided to return and re-attack the Muslims. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) at once came to know of his intention of fighting again. The fact that this information was gathered so quickly is a major proof of Prophet's (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) organised intelligence system. It is also important to note that at the end of Battle, the scattered Muslims had gathered again and when they entered Madinah, they had their flanks organised in the same way as they were when going out for Battle. When the Muslim army reached Madinah, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) received the news that the army of infidels was returning. The Prophet's (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) faith and determination were so resolute that he told the Muslims that they would have to go out of Madinah again to fight.

All the Muslims who had participated in the Battle, including the wounded ones, were ready to face the enemy again. UmarR.A bin Khatab and Sa'adR.A bin Abbi Waqas, in spite of critical wounds, again joined with the army, but Abu UbaidahR.A, the Muslim physician, forbade AliR.A to leave his bed and said, "If AliR.A goes out again in illness, I am sure that before reaching the streets of Madinah he will pass out, for his wounds are deep and critical".

To teach a lesson to Abu Sufyan's army, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) along with his army reached the place of "Hamra'al Asad" and waited their arrival. Abu Sufyan, who had intentions to return from the place of Roha, was taken over by doubt and he suddenly preferred to go back to Makkah. When it was learnt that the Quraysh army would not return, the Muslim army also marched back to Madinah.

Before the Muslim army departed from Hamra'al Asad, Wahshee the slave who had killed the Prophet's (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) uncle HamzahR.A with his spear, broke off from Abu Sufyan's army and joined the Muslims. He appeared before the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and confessed that he was the murderer of HamzahR.A.

He was neither punished nor any revenge was taken on him. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was of an extremely forgiving nature. However, he asked the slave, who had been set free, never to appear before his eyes. Therefore from that day onwards Wahshee never showed himself before the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). In retribution for the blood of HamzahR.A, Wahshee killed a few of the Prophet's (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) enemies, including Meselmah Kezhab, in later battles.

The Battle of Uhud appeared as an acid test for the Muslims, but the Jews of Madinah started trumpeting that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) had been defeated in this Battle. They taunted and said, if he had been the Prophet of Allah, he would never have been defeated. At this, the following verse was revealed:

146.

How many of the Prophets
Fought (in Allah's way),
And with them (fought)
Large bands of godly men?
But they never lost heart
If they met with disaster
In Allah's way, nor did
They weaken(in will)
Nor give in. And Allah
Loves those who are
Firm and steadfast.
(Surah Al-Imran; V-146

The above verse rendered great solace to the hearts of the Muslims and their spirits revived. The Jews were obstinate and did not give up their intrigues against the Muslims.