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Posted by msk2000 on 11/30/07 19:19
As for 'Ubaydah, he had wounded his enemy but was wounded himself, and
so his two companions killed the wounded Meccan and carried 'Ubaydah
back to the safety of the Muslim ranks. After this, the two armies
attacked each other and fighting broke out all around. The sky was
filled with arrows. The Muslim army held its ground against the great
army of Quraysh and even though the Muslims were much fewer in number,
they gained a great victory, destroying the Meccan army and killing
most of its leaders. Among the leading Meccans who died were Abu Jahl
and Umayyah ibn Khalaf, who was killed by his former slave, Bilal.
Seeing that their leaders were nearly all dead, the remainder of
Quraysh retreated. The Prophet (pbuh) sent word to Medinah to tell
them of the victory. He then gathered up the spoils of war and divided
them equally among the Muslims. Some of the Meccans had been taken
prisoner and the Prophet (pbuh) gave orders that they should be
treated well until their relatives from among Quraysh came to fetch
them.
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
"Ye (Muslims) did not slay them, but Allah slew them and thou
(Muhammad) threwest not when thou didst throw, but Allah threw, so
that He might test the believers by a fair test from Him. Lo! Allah is
All-hearing, All-Knowing". (Koran viii.17)
Uhud-Defeat Comes From Disobedience
When the survivors of the defeated Quraysh at Badr to Mecca gathered
to speak with Abu Sufyan. They said, 'Muhammad has the best men, so
help us to fight him so that we may avenge those we have lost.' In
order to do this it was agreed that everyone who had had a share in
the caravan should put his profits towards the cost of a new army,
which would be three times as big as the one at Badr. Among those who
joined the new army was an Abyssinian slave called Wahshi; who was
known for his accuracy with the spear. His master, Jubayr ibn al-
Mut'im, said to him, 'Go with the army and if you kill Hamza
h
the uncle of Muhammad, in revenge for my uncle's death, I will set you
free when Hind, Abu Sufyan's wife, heard about this she sent a Wahshi
to say that she would clothe him in gold and silk if he would carry
out his master's wish, for she, too, wanted Hamzah dead because he had
both her father and brother.
While the Meccans made their plans, the Prophet's uncle, 'Abbas, one
the few Muslims still living in Mecca, sent a letter of warning to the
Prophet (pbuh) in Medina. He told him that Quraysh were setting out
with a huge army for Uhud, a place just outside Medina. On receiving
this timely warning the Prophet (pbuh) gathered his companions around
him to discuss what they should do. He thought it would be better to
wait for the enemy inside city rather than go out to meet them,
because it would be easier to defend Medinahfrom inside the city
walls. But the young Muslims were go out and face Quraysh. They said,
'0 Prophet of Allah, lead us out against our enemies, or else they
will think we are too cowardly and too weak to fight them.
One of the rulers of Medina, 'Abd Allah ibn Ubayy, however, agreed
with the Prophet (pbuh) and advised him to remain in the city, saying,
'Whenever we have gone out to fight an enemy we have met with
disaster, but none has ever come in against us without being
defeated.'
But when the Prophet (pbuh) saw that the majority were in favor of
going out to meet Quraysh, he decided to do so, and after the Friday
prayer he put on his armor.
The Muslims then set out with one thousand men in the direction of
Mount Uhud which overlooks Medina. The enemy was camped on the plain
below the mountain where they were laying waste the crops of the
Muslims.'Abd Allah ibn Ubayy was angry that the Prophet (pbuh) had not
followed his advice and after going part of the way, turned back for
Medina, taking one third of the entire army with him. This left the
Prophet (pbuh) with only seven hundred men to meet the enormous Meccan
army, which numbered three thousand.
The remainder of the Muslims went on until they reached the mountain
of Uhud.
There the Prophet (pbuh) ordered them to stand in ranks in front of
the mountain, so that they would be protected from behind. He then
positioned fifty archers on top of the mountain, giving them the
following order: 'Keep the Meccan cavalry away from us with your
arrows and don't let them come against us from the rear, whether the
battle goes in our favor or against us. Whatever happens keep to your
places so that we cannot be attacked from your direction, even if you
see us being slain or booty being taken.' When the Muslims were in
position, the Prophet (pbuh) held up his sword and said, 'Who will use
this sword with its right?' This was a great honor and many men rose
to claim it, but the Prophet (pbuh) decided to give it to Abu Dujanah,
a fearless warrior. Then the battle commenced. The Muslims were well
organized and had the advantage, because although Quraysh had more
than four times as many men, they were tired from their journey and
thus not ready to fight.
As a result, the Muslims were able to make a surprise attack, led by
Abu Dujanah, who was wearing a brilliant red turban. As the fighting
increased the Quraysh women, led by Hind, began to beat their drums to
urge their men on. They called out poems to encourage their men to be
brave. 'If you advance, we hug you, spread soft rugs beneath you; if
you retreat, we leave you. Leave and no more love you.'
Abu Dujanah said: 'I saw someone urging the enemy on, shouting wildly,
and I made for him, but when I lifted my sword against him he screamed
and I saw that it was a woman; I respected the Apostle's sword too
much to use it on a woman.' That woman was Hind. As usual, Hamzah, the
Prophet's uncle, fought with great courage, but while leading the
Muslims in a fierce attack, which nearly defeated the Meccans, he was
suddenly and cruelly struck down by the slave Wahshi. Later, Wahshi
told how it happened: 'I was watching Hamzah while he was killing men
with his sword. I aimed my spear until I was sure it would hit the
mark and hurled it at him.
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