The Battle of Uhud

After the crushing defeat at Badr, the Quraysh burned with desire for revenge. Abu Sufyan ibn Harb had sworn not to wash his hair until he had fought the Muslims. In Shawwal of the third year after the Hijrah (March 625), he assembled a powerful army of 3,000 fighters, including 700 men in armour and 200 horsemen, with 3,000 camels as pack animals. Women of the Quraysh, led by Hind bint 'Utba (the wife of Abu Sufyan), accompanied the army to spur the men on and prevent them from fleeing as they had at Badr.

When the news reached Madinah, the Prophet ﷺ called the Companions together for consultation. He himself preferred a defence from within Madinah: the city had sturdy stone houses and narrow streets that offered a defensive advantage. 'Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul, the chief of the hypocrites, supported this plan.

However, younger Companions who had missed Badr and ardently longed for martyrdom urged an open confrontation outside the city. Hamza ﵁ exclaimed: “By the One Who has sent down the Qur’an, I will not eat today until I have fought them with my sword outside Madinah!” The Prophet ﷺ, following the wish of the majority, donned his armour and marched northward with 1,000 men.

On the way, at the lava rocks of al-Shawt, 'Abdullah ibn Ubayy turned back with 300 of his followers. He justified his desertion with the words: “He obeyed them and ignored me. Why should we get ourselves killed, people?” This betrayal, the loss of a third of the army just before the battle, was a heavy blow. Only 700 Muslims remained to face the 3,000 Quraysh. Allah ﷻ revealed concerning this: “And that He might make evident those who are hypocrites”

Surah Aal-Imran (3:167).

At Uhud the Prophet ﷺ once again displayed his brilliant strategic insight. He positioned the Muslim army with Mount Uhud at their back (to the north), so that the enemy could not attack them from behind. The mountain formed a natural fortress that fully protected the northern flank.

The most crucial element of his plan concerned Jabal al-Rumat (the Archers’ Hill), a small, strategically situated hill at the southern edge of the battlefield. The Prophet ﷺ stationed 50 archers there under the command of 'Abdullah ibn Jubayr ﵁ with an unambiguous order: “Protect our rear. Do not leave this position, even if you see birds carrying off our flesh. Whether we win or lose, stay at your post!”

Facing them, the Quraysh drew up in battle order: the infantry in the centre, flanked by the cavalry. Khalid ibn al-Walid, who would later become one of the greatest generals of Islam, but at that moment was still an unbeliever, commanded the right wing with 100 horsemen on the eastern side. 'Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahl, son of the Abu Jahl who had fallen at Badr, led the left wing with another 100 horsemen on the western side.

Behind the Quraysh lines, the women of the tribe beat tambourines and sang war songs. Hind bint 'Utba moved among the ranks and sang: “We are the daughters of the stars, we tread on soft carpets. If you advance, we embrace you. If you flee, we leave you, a parting without love!” Her presence reminded the men of the Quraysh of their fallen kinsmen at Badr and kindled in them a fiery thirst for revenge.

The battle opened, according to Arab tradition, with single combats. The Quraysh standard-bearer Talha ibn Abi Talha al-'Abdari stepped forward and demanded an opponent. Bearing the standard was an honour entrusted to the clan of the Banu 'Abd al-Dar, and they defended this duty with fanatical courage.

'Ali ibn Abi Talib ﵁ accepted the challenge and killed Talha with a single blow. Then one standard-bearer after another took up the banner, and one after another was struck down. In total, nine successive standard-bearers of the Quraysh fell, mainly to the swords of 'Ali ﵁ and Hamza ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib ﵁, the “Lion of Allah”, the uncle of the Prophet ﷺ.

The courage of the Muslims was overwhelming. Abu Dujana ﵁, a fighter from the Ansar, received from the Prophet ﷺ his own sword and tied on his distinctive red headband, the sign that he would fight to the death. He charged into the Quraysh ranks and struck left and right, leaving a trail of destruction behind him. The Muslims pressed deeper and deeper into the enemy lines.

The Quraysh lines began to waver. Their infantry was driven back toward their own camp. Women and children who had been waiting behind the lines began to flee. The first phase of the battle was an unmistakable Muslim dominance: it seemed as if Badr would repeat itself.

On the Archers’ Hill, the 50 archers under 'Abdullah ibn Jubayr ﵁ held their position, and their rain of arrows made it impossible for Khalid ibn al-Walid to attack the Muslim flank.

“And indeed, Allah fulfilled His promise to you when you were killing them by His permission”

Surah Aal-Imran (3:152)

This was the turning point of the Battle of Uhud: the moment when certain victory turned into disaster, and all of it through a single act of disobedience.

While the Quraysh withdrew in disorder and their camp began to empty, the archers on Jabal al-Rumat saw Muslim fighters below plundering the enemy tents and gathering spoils of war. The temptation was too great. Despite the explicit command of the Prophet ﷺ, “Do not leave this position, even if you see birds carrying off our flesh,” about 40 archers abandoned their post and ran down to take part in the division of spoils.

'Abdullah ibn Jubayr ﵁ implored them to stay: “Have you forgotten the command of the Messenger of Allah?” But they answered that the battle was over and the enemy in flight. Only about 10 archers remained loyal to their post with their commander.

Khalid ibn al-Walid, with the keen military eye that would later earn him the title “the Sword of Allah”, saw the opportunity at once. The hill that had held him back the entire battle was now virtually undefended. He led his 100 horsemen in a wide arc around the eastern side of the battlefield, charged up the hill and overwhelmed the remaining defenders. 'Abdullah ibn Jubayr ﵁ and his loyal archers fought to the last man and fell as martyrs.

At the same time, 'Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahl led his cavalry around the western side. The two cavalry wings closed like pincers on the rear of the unsuspecting Muslims.

The Quraysh infantry, hearing the war cry “Hubal is exalted!” and seeing the cavalry appearing behind the Muslim lines, resumed the attack with renewed fury. The Muslims suddenly found themselves in a deadly encirclement: Quraysh infantry in front and cavalry behind. The confusion was total. In the dust and tumult, fighters could barely tell friend from foe, and some Muslims accidentally wounded their own comrades.

“Until, when you lost courage and disputed about the matter and disobeyed after He had shown you what you love; among you are some who desire this world, and among you are some who desire the Hereafter”

Surah Aal-Imran (3:152)

What followed was the darkest hour of the early Muslim community, a trial that would be etched deep into its collective memory.

Hamza ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib ﵁, the beloved uncle of the Prophet ﷺ and the “Lion of Allah”, fell as a martyr. Wahshi ibn Harb, an Ethiopian slave of Jubayr ibn Mut’im, had been promised freedom by Hind bint 'Utba if he killed Hamza. Wahshi, a master of the throwing spear, waited hidden behind a rock. When Hamza ﵁ had struck down a Quraysh fighter, Wahshi hurled his spear with deadly precision; the spear pierced Hamza’s belly below his navel. The Lion of Allah fell and died as a martyr.

In the heat of the battle, Mus’ab ibn 'Umayr ﵁, the standard-bearer of the Muslims, was killed. Mus’ab ﵁ resembled the Prophet ﷺ in stature, and his death set the rumour spreading: “Muhammad has been killed!” The words spread like wildfire over the battlefield. Many Muslims lost heart and fled; others fought on in despair, convinced that all was lost. Some laid down their weapons and said: “If Muhammad is dead, why should we still fight? Go back to your people and ask for mercy.”

The Prophet ﷺ himself was severely wounded. A stone had struck his face and caused a cut, two rings of his helmet had been driven into his cheek, and one of his front teeth had been broken. The blood streamed down his face as he said: “How can a people succeed who have wounded the face of their Prophet?” Allah ﷻ revealed in answer: “It is not for you to decide”

Surah Aal-Imran (3:128).

A small group of the bravest Companions formed a protective ring around the wounded Prophet ﷺ: Abu Bakr ﵁, 'Umar ﵁, 'Ali ﵁, Talha ibn 'Ubaydillah ﵁ (who lost his hand defending the Prophet ﷺ), Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas ﵁ (who shot arrows in defence), and Abu 'Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah ﵁ (who pulled the helmet rings out of the Prophet’s face with his teeth and lost two of his own teeth in the process). Fighting, they withdrew to a mountain pass on the slopes of Mount Uhud.

Hind bint 'Utba, who had lost her father and brother at Badr, sought out the body of Hamza ﵁ and mutilated it; she cut out his nose, ears and liver as an act of revenge. When the Prophet ﷺ later saw the mutilated body of his beloved uncle, his grief was so great that he swore to take revenge on thirty Quraysh. But Allah ﷻ revealed: “And if you punish, then punish in the same way that you were punished. But if you are patient, that is better for those who are patient”

Surah an-Nahl (16:126). The Prophet ﷺ chose patience.

“Muhammad is but a messenger; messengers have passed away before him. If he were to die or be killed, would you then turn back on your heels?”

Surah Aal-Imran (3:144)

The withdrawal ended in a narrow mountain pass high on the flank of Uhud, where the Quraysh cavalry could not readily follow. A large boulder blocked the opening. The Prophet ﷺ wore two coats of mail that day and was so severely wounded that he could not climb it. Talha ibn 'Ubaydillah ﵁ crouched beneath him, ignoring his own maimed hands, and lifted him until he stood upon the rock. Of that act the Prophet ﷺ said that Paradise had become obligatory for Talha ﵁.

In the pass the handful of remaining fighters came to a halt for the first time that day. 'Ali ibn Abi Talib ﵁ went down to al-Mihras, a hollow in the rock in which water gathered, and filled his shield. The water smelled foul and the Prophet ﷺ would not drink from it; he washed the blood from his face with it and said that the wrath of Allah ﷻ is great against him who has made the face of His Messenger ﷺ bleed.

Fatima ﵂ washed the wound further, but the more water she used, the more heavily it bled. She burned a piece of palm-leaf matting and pressed the ashes onto the wound, after which the bleeding stopped.

Above them a party of Quraysh horsemen appeared on the slope. The Prophet ﷺ said that it was not for them to stand above the Muslims, upon which 'Umar ibn al-Khattab ﵁ went up the slope with a number of the Emigrants ﵃ and drove them back down. The mountain pass held, and for the first time since the reversal the Prophet ﷺ was beyond the reach of the enemy.

When the fighting died down and the Quraysh had cooled their revenge, Abu Sufyan mounted his horse and rode to the foot of the mountain where the Muslims had taken refuge. A remarkable exchange followed:

Abu Sufyan called out: “Is Muhammad among you?” The Prophet ﷺ ordered his Companions not to answer. Abu Sufyan called again: “Is Ibn Abi Quhafa (Abu Bakr) among you?” Silence. “Is Ibn al-Khattab ('Umar) among you?” Silence. Abu Sufyan concluded: “They are all dead! For had they been alive, they would have answered.”

'Umar ﵁ could no longer restrain himself and shouted: “You lie, O enemy of Allah! Allah has preserved for you that which will humiliate you!” Abu Sufyan answered: “Hubal is exalted!” At which the Prophet ﷺ instructed his Companions to reply: “Allah is the Highest and the Most Exalted!” Abu Sufyan called out: “We have al-'Uzza and you do not!” The Prophet ﷺ said: “Answer him: Allah is our Protector and you have no protector.” Finally Abu Sufyan declared: “Our appointment next year at Badr!” The Prophet ﷺ told 'Umar ﵁ to answer: “That is an appointment between us.”

The Quraysh withdrew toward Makkah without attacking Madinah itself. Although they had taken revenge for Badr, they had not won a decisive victory: the Muslim community remained intact, the Prophet ﷺ was alive, and Madinah was unharmed. It had not been a conquest, but a punitive expedition.

The 70 Muslim martyrs were buried on the battlefield itself, on the spot where they had fallen, as the Prophet ﷺ had commanded. Hamza ﵁ and 'Abdullah ibn Jahsh ﵁ were laid together in one grave. This burial ground, the Cemetery of the Shuhada (martyrs), exists to this day as a sacred place at the foot of Mount Uhud.

The grief of the Prophet ﷺ for his uncle Hamza ﵁ was immense. When the women of Madinah wept over their fallen men, the Prophet ﷺ said: “But for Hamza there are no mourners.” When the Ansar heard this, they sent their women first to the house of the Prophet ﷺ to weep over Hamza, a custom that long continued.

The Battle of Uhud was above all a lesson in obedience. The archers who left their post, against the explicit command of the Prophet ﷺ, caused the reversal. The Qur’an confirmed this lesson unambiguously:

“If a wound has touched you, a similar wound has touched the others. And these days, We alternate them among the people, that Allah may make evident those who believe and that He may take from among you witnesses”

Surah Aal-Imran (3:140)