The Battle of Uhud
The Qureshites came out from the Battle
of Badr with an astonishing result which they did not expect. They were
confident of their capability to annihilate the Muslims easily. For the
Qureshites were more numerous and with a bigger reserve and more
logistics. Yet, they suddenly found themselves losing seventy of their
warriors and leaders, along with seventy captives, in a one-day battle.
And above all, the resounding defeat which they received was at the hand
of a group whom they used to belittle.
The Qureshites were unwilling to admit
a final defeat. They lost a battle, but they believed that they would
never lose the war. All they needed was to mobilize forces to which the
Muslims would not be able to stand. The burning hatred in the hearts of
Qureshites and their desire to wash away the shame of the defeat at Badr
and their eagerness to avenge their lost leaders added to their physical
superiority a tremendous psychological strength.
The Qureshites mobilized for the battle
of avenge three thousand fighters compared to nine hundred and fifty
fighters al the Battle of Badr. This army was financed and its logistics
were secured through the gross income of the commercial caravan which
was allotted to the battle of avenge. Thus, the community of Quraish,
one year after the Battle of Badr, marched towards Medina to annihilate
the Muslims, their religion, and their Prophet. The Meccan army arrived
at the area of Ohod which is five miles away from Medina. There, the
expected battle took place.
The Holy Prophet went on deploying his
forces, placing them in strategic positions. He placed fifty marksmen at
the slope of the Mount of Ohod, directing them to protect the back of
the Muslims against the pagan cavalry (which was led by Khalid Ibn
Al-Waleed). He commanded them not to leave their position whether the
Muslims defeated the pagans or the pagans defeated the Muslims.
The Elements of the Islamic Defense
In this second battle of destiny for
the Muslims, the Islamic defense consisted of the same three important
ele- ments which played their roles at the battle of Badr:
1. The ideal leadership of the
Messenger and his firm- ness.
2. The members of the house of the Holy
Prophet and their heroism.
3. An Islamic army consisting of seven
hundred com- panions, the hearts of many of them were filled with faith
and readiness for sacrifice.
The start of the Battle of Ohod
followed the method of the beginning or the Battle or Badr. Talhah Ibn
Abu Talhah ( from Banu Abdul-Dar clan ), the bearer of the banner or the
pagans, challenged the Muslims, saying: "Are there any duelers?" The
respondent to his call was the same respondent of the Battle of Badr.
Ali came to him and when they faced each other between the two hosts,
Ali swiftly dealt him a blow by his sword through which his head was
split. The Holy Prophet was pleased. He exclaimed: AIlahu Akbar (God Is
Great), and so did the Muslims, for the biggest hero of the pagan army
had died .
Abu Saad Ibn Abu Talhah (brother of
Talhah) car- ried the banner and challenged the Muslims, saying
Companions of Mohammad, you allege that your dead go to Paradise and our
dead go to Hell. By Al Lat, you lie. If you were so confident, some of
you could have faced me. Let one of you come to fight me.
Ref: Dr. M. Haykal, Life of Muhammad, p
289
Ali came to him and Abu Saad was not
luckier than his brother Talhah. The men of Abdul-Dar continued re-
placing the bearers of their banner with their men, and the Muslims
continued annihilating them. Ali destroyed Artat Ibn Sharhabeel, Shureih
Ibn Qaridh and their servant, Sawab.
Historians reported that Al-Hamzah
killed Othman Ibn Abu Talhah. Assim Ibn Thabit shot by his arrows Musafi,
and Al-Harith, two sons of Talhah, Al-Zubeir killed their brother Kilab,
and Talhah Ibn Obeidullah killed their other brother Al-Jallas.
Ali and the Banner Bearers
However, Ibn Al-Atheer reported that
Ali, alone, de- stroyed all the standard bearers at the Battle of Ohod
and said that Abu Rafi reported that. And so did Al-Tabari.
Ref: Ibn Al Atheer, Al Kamil, vol 3 p
107
The death of the bearers of the banner
heightened the morale of the Muslims and shook the hearts of the pagans.
Following the death of the banner bearers, the Muslims undertook a
general offensive led by Ali, Al-Hamzah, Abu Dujanh, and others. The
Islamic offensive terrified the pagan army, but the Muslims lost during
this operation a giant hero Al-Hamzah, Lion of God, and uncle of the
Messenger of God. Wahshi, an Abbysinian, transfixed him with his dart
while he was fighting. However, the pagans were forced to flee and leave
their camps. The Muslims entered the pagan camps and went on collecting
what they found of equipment and material without meeting any resistance
from the pagans.
Defeat After Victory
This scene watered the mouths of the
fifty marksmen whom the Prophet placed at the slope of the Mount of Ohod
to protect the back of the Muslims against the pagan cavalry. The
majority of these marksmen left their place and joined the collectors of
the spoils. They did not heed the word of their leader Abdullah Ibn
Jubeir, who reminded them of the instructions of the Messenger which
made it mandatory for them not to leave their place. Not more than ten
of them heeded his words. Noticing the small number of the marksmen,
Khalid Ibn Al-Waleed and his horsemen killed them then started a general
offensive.
The fleeing pagans beheld their
horsemen fighting and attacking. They came back to the battle while the
Muslims were preoccupied collecting the spoils.
The Muslims were astonished and
confused. They start- ed to fight but they did not know whom they were
fighting Many Muslims were killed by the Muslims themselves, then they
fled turning their backs and refusing to look behind, while the
Messenger was calling upon them to come back to the battle. The Holy
Our'an informs us of the situation of the Muslims in this terrifying
hour:
God certainly made good His promise
unto you when you routed them by His leave, until the moment when your
courage failed you and ye disobeyed after He had showed that for which
ye long. Among you are some that hanker after this world and some that
desire the Hereafter. Then did He divert you from your foes in order to
test you. But He forgave you. For God is full of grace to those who
believe. Behold ye were climbing up (the high ground) without casting a
side glance at anyone, and the Apostle was calling you back. There did
God give you one distress after another by way of requital, to teach you
not to grieve for what ye miss, or for (the ill) that had befallen you.
For God is well aware of all that ye do. [Quran 3:151-52]
Who remained with the Prophet
(pbuh&hf)
The companions fled away, concerned
only with their own safety. History recorded seven exceptional Meccans
(Ali, Abu Bakr, Abdul-Rahman Ibn Ouf, Saad Ibn Abu Waqass, Talhah Ibn
Obeidah, Al-Zubeir Ibn Al-Awam, Abu Obeidah Ibn Al-Jarrah); And Seven
exceptional Medi- nites (Al-Hubab Ibn Al-Munthir, Abu Dujanah, Sahl Ibn
Huneif, Assim Ibn Thabit, Saad Ibn Mu ath, As-ad Ibn Hudheir or Saad lbn
Abadah and Mohammad Ibn Musli- mah). These men, according to some
historians, remained with the Prophet when the other companions deserted
him.
Ref: Al Waqidi, Al Maghazi (Conveyed by
Ibn Abu Al Hadeed in his Commentary on Nahjul Balagha, vol 3 p 388
From what we read in Al-Mustadrak by
Al-Hakim, we understand that Ali Ibn Abu Talib was the only defend- er
who stayed with the Prophet for the duration of the battle. The other
companions who were mentioned to be among those who remained with the
Prophet were actually the first ones to come back to the Messenger of
God after they left him. Al-Hakim recorded that Ibn Abbas said:
Ali has four distinctions no one shares with him: He was
the first male who prayed with the Messenger of God. He
was the bearer of his banner in every battle and he was the
one who stayed with him at the Battle on the day of Al-
Mihras (the Battle of Ohod, where there is gathered water
called Al-Mihras ), and he is the one who washed his
blessed body and laid him in his tomb.
Ref: Al Hakim, al Mustadrak, vol 3 p
111
Al-Hakim reported also that Saad lbn
Abu Waqass said: When people left the Messenger on the day of Ohod, I
went aside and said to myself I shall defend myself ... then Al-Miqdad
told him: "Saad, this is the Messenger."
Ref: Al Hakim, al Mustadrak vol 3 p
26-28
Al-Hakim reported also that Al-Zubeir
said about the Battle of Ohod, "And they exposed our back to the horse-
men, so we were attacked from behind, and a man shouted: Mohammad has
been killed. We retreated and the enemies pursued us.
Ref: Al Hakim, al Mustadrak, vol 3 p
27-28
He also reported that Abu Bakr said:
When people left the Messenger of God on the day of Ohod I was the first
one to come back to the Messenger of God ... then he mentioned in the
hadith that Abu Obeidah lbn Al-Jarrah followed him."
Ref: Al Hakim, Al-Mustadrak, vol 3 p 78
The Prophet (pbuh&hf) Participated
The Messenger stayed at the battlefield
with full deter- mination and firmness after the pagans came up to him.
He himself fought vigorously. Saad Ibn Abu Waqaas reported that he
witnessed a man whose face was covered, and he did not know who he was.
The pagans came towards him and Saad thought that they were going to
overpower him. But that man took a handful of gravel and threw it at
their faces and they retreated . . . Finally Saad discovered that that
man was the Prophet. He used his bow and expended all his arrows until
his bow could not be used any longer.
Ref: Ibn Husham, Biography of the
Prophet, v 2 p 78
When the Prophet was exposed to the
enemies by the retreat of his army, Obay Ibn Khalaf tried to attack him.
Some of his companions tried to bar Obay from reaching the Prophet, but
the. Prophet prevented them from doing that. He faced Obay with a blow
which did not seem to be effective. But Obay said: "By God, Mohammad has
killed me...." He told me in Mecca: "I shall kill you. By God, if he
spits on me he kills me." Obay died in "Saraf" while returning to Mecca.
Imam Ali's (as) endeavor
Al-Tabari reported that Abu Rafi said:
The Messenger of God witnessed a group of pagans coming to him. He said
to Ali: Charge them. Ali charged them and forced them to retreat and
killed Amr Ibn Abdullah Al-Jumahi. The Prophet beheld another group
coming and told Ali to charge them and he did. He scattered them and
killed Sheibah Ibn Malik, one of the children of Amir Ibn Lu-ay. Amazed
by Ali's sacrifice Gabriel said:
Messenger of God, what a redeemer Ali is!
The Prophet replied:
He is from me, and I am from him.
Gabriel said:
And I am from both of you.
They heard at that time a voice saying:
There is no youth (full of manhood) but Ali, and no
sword comparable to Zulfiqar (Ali's sword).
Ref: Sayed Muhsin, Al Ameen, in his
Aayan Al Shiah, vol 2 p 195 Al Fairoozbadi, Fadail al Khamsah, vol 2 p
317 (from Tabari) Ibn Al Atheer, In his Biography, vol 2 p 107
A regiment arrived from Kinanah in
which four of the children of Sufyan Ibn Oweif were present. Khalid, Abu
AI-Sha-atha, Abu Al-Hamra, and Ghurab. The Messenger of God said to Ali:
"Take care of this regiment." Ali charged the regiment, and it was about
fifty horsemen. He fought them while he was on foot until he scattered
them. They gathered again and he charged them again. This was repeated
several times until he killed the four children of Sufyan and added to
them six more ...
Ref: Ibn Abu Al Hadeed, in his
Commentary, vol 1 p 372
Ibn Husham reported that the Messenger
fell into one of the pits which were excavated and covered up by Abu
Amir, who expected the Muslims to fall in them. The knee of the
Messenger was cut. Ali held the hand of the Mes- senger and pulled him
up and Talhah Ibn Obeidullah help- ed him until the Prophet stood up.
Ref: Ibn Husham, Biography of Prophet,
vol 2 p 80
Muslim in his "Sahih" (Authentic)
reported that Sahl Ibn Saad said the following:
The face of the Messenger was cut, and
one of his teeth was broken, and the protective dress of his head was
broken. Fatima, daughter of the Messenger, was washing the blood and Ali
was pouring water he brought by his shield from Al-Mihras. Beholding
that the water increased the flow of blood, she burned a mat, put some
of its ashes on the wound and the blood stopped.
Ref: Muslim, in his Sahih, vol 12 p 148
The Conclusion
It would not be difficult for the
reader to infer the following:
1. The Battle of Ohod was one of the
battles on which the future of Islam depended.
2. The death of the bearers of the
banners of the pagan army at the beginning of the battle had its
important effect in raising the morale of the Muslims and breaking the
mo- rale of the pagans who were four times more numerous than the
Muslims. The bearers of the banners in the eyes of the warriors in those
days were the leaders of the army. Their death had a great effect on the
morale of the army. History recorded that Abu Sufyan said to Banu Abdul
Dar:
O Banu Abdul-Dar, we recognize that you
have more right than any other Meccan clan to carry the banner (because
the Meccan tradition gives the clan of Abdul- Dar the right to carry the
banner at war). We were defeated in Badr because of the banner. Hold
your ban- ner firmly and protect it or hand it to us.
This infuriated the clan of Abdul-Dar.
As they refused to surrender their right of carrying the banners Abu
Sufyan said:
Let another banner be added to it."
They said: "Yes, but the additional banner will be carried also by a man
from Banu Abdul-Dar, and nothing other than this will be accepted.
The Meccan pagans witnessed at the
beginning of the battle their banner fallen ten times, and their hearts
fell with the banner ten times. They found, to their astonish- ment,
that they are facing a tremendous power. Ali was the one who destroyed
the banner bearers or most of them. This signalled the defeat of the
Meccan army in the first round.
3. When the Muslims were defeated in
the second round, no one remained with the Prophet except Ali and
thirteen others of the companions of the Messenger. These thirteen were
the first to come back to the Messenger after their flight. It is clear
that Ali's defense in that decisive hour was much more valuable than the
defense of the thirteen companions put together.
The Messenger of clod became the target
of the pagan's attacks. Whenever a regiment aimed at the Prophet Ali
charged the regiment and forced it to retreat.
Thus, we would not be erroneous if we
say that Ali in this decisive battle had the exclusive honor of being
the main defender of the Messenger and his Message, against the forces
which no one other than Ali could face success- fully. The Battle of
Badr laid the foundation of the Islamic state, but the Battle of Ohod
was about to destroy the foundation, had not a small number of heroes
headed by Ali been present.
The pagans found that the Battle of
Ohod ended in their favor. They defeated the army of the Prophet, and
the Mus- lims lost seventy companions, among them the giant hero:
Al-Hamzah, uncle of the Messenger and Lion of God. But the pagan victory
was not decisive. Their target was Mo- hammad and Muhammad was still
alive. He was the biggest danger to them Therefore, it was necessary for
them to have another decisive battle in which they would realize the
goal that they could not realize at the Battle of Ohod.
The Battle of Ohod took place during
the third year after the Hijrah. Two years later, the third decisive
battle in which the pagans gathered their biggest task force, took
place.
Taken from The Brother of the Prophet Muhammad
The Imam Ali by M. Jawad Chirri
Director of the Islamic Center of America
Two Volumes, Harlo Press 1988, Revised Edition
|