Battle of Uhud PDF
Battle of Uhud PDF
Battle of Uhud PDF
Battle of Uhud
Battle of Uhud
Part of the MuslimQuraish Wars
Date
Belligerents
Muslims of Medina
Quraish of Mecca
Abu Sufyan
Khalid Ibn al-Walid
'Amr ibn al-'As
Strength
700 infantry; 50 archers, 4 cavalry 3,000 infantry; 200 cavalry
Light
The Battle of Uhud (Arabic: azwat Uud) was fought on Saturday, March 19, 625 (3 Shawwal 3 AH in
the Islamic calendar) at the valley located in front of Mount Uhud, in what is now northwestern Arabia.[1] It occurred
between a force from the Muslim community of Medina led by the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and a force led by
Abu Sufyan ibn Harb from Mecca, the town from which many of the Muslims had previously emigrated. The Battle
of Uud was the second military encounter between the Meccans and the Muslims, preceded by the Battle of Badr in
624, where a small Muslim army had defeated a larger Meccan army.
Marching out from Mecca towards Medina on March 11, 625 AD, the Meccans desired to avenge their losses at Badr
and strike back at Muhammad and his followers. The Muslims readied for war soon afterwards and the two armies
fought on the slopes and plains of Mount Uud.
Whilst outnumbered, the Muslims gained the early initiative and forced the Meccan lines back, thus leaving much of
the Meccan camp unprotected. When the battle looked to be only one step away from a decisive Muslim victory, a
serious mistake was committed by a part of the Muslim army, which altered the outcome of the battle. A breach of
Battle of Uhud
Muhammad's orders by the Muslim archers, who left their assigned posts to despoil the Meccan camp, allowed a
surprise attack from the Meccan cavalry, led by Meccan war veteran Khalid ibn al-Walid, which brought chaos to the
Muslim ranks. Many Muslims were killed, and even Muhammad himself was badly injured. The Muslims had to
withdraw up the slopes of Uud. The Meccans did not pursue the Muslims further, but marched back to Mecca
declaring victory.
For the Muslims, the battle was a significant setback: although they had been close to routing the Meccans a second
time, their breach of Muhammad's orders in favor of collecting Meccan spoils reaped severe consequences. The two
armies would meet again in 627 AD at the Battle of the Trench.[2]
Background
Muhammad had preached the religion of Islam in Mecca from 613 to 622. He had attracted a small community of
followers, but also drew staunch opposition from the rest of the Quraysh, the tribe that ruled Mecca and to which he
belonged. The Muslims fled Mecca in 622 after years of persecution and established themselves at Medina (formerly
known as Yathrib), Medina means City. The Quraysh had seized the properties and families of Muslims in Mecca
and dispatched caravans, containing seized Muslim property to Damascus which the Muslims intercepted and raided.
The Meccans sent out a small army to punish the Muslims and stop their raiding. At the Battle of Badr in 624, a
small Muslim force defeated the much larger Meccan army.[3]
Many Muslims considered this unexpected victory a proof that they had been favored by God and believed they were
assured such victories in the future.[4] A number of the leading tribesmen of Quraysh had been killed at Badr and so
leadership passed to Abu Sufyan. He forbade the mourning of the losses at Badr, for he was eager to exact revenge
upon Muhammad, vowing to conduct a retaliatory raid on the city of Medina. Several months later, Abu Sufyan
accompanied a party of 200 men to the city, obtaining temporary residence with the chief of the Jewish tribe Banu
Nadir and learning more of the current situation in Medina. He and his party then left Medina, burning down two
houses and laying waste to some fields in fulfillment of his vow. Further skirmishes between the Meccans and the
Muslims would occur thereafter.[5]
Battle of Uhud
Encounter at Uhud
A group of approximately 1,000 Muslim men set out on
late Friday from Medina and managed to circle around the
Meccan forces. Early the next morning, they took a
position on the lower slopes of the hill of Uhud. Shortly
before the battle commenced, 'Abd-Allah ibn Ubayy (the
chief of the Khazraj tribe) and his followers withdrew their
support for Muhammad and returned to Medina, with
reports suggesting Ibn Ubayy's discontent with the plan to
march out from Medina to meet the Meccans. Ibn Ubayy
and his followers would later receive censure in the Qur'an
for this act.[9]
What ye suffered on the day the two armies Met,
was with the leave of Allah, in order that He might
test the believers,And the Hypocrites also. These were told: "Come,
fight in the way of Allah, or (at least) drive (The foe
from your city)." They said: "Had we known how to
fight, we should certainly have followed you." They
were that day nearer to Unbelief than to Faith,
saying with their lips what was not in their hearts but
Allah hath full knowledge of all they conceal.
(They are) the ones that say, (of their brethren slain),
while they themselves sit (at ease): "If only they had
listened to us they would not have been slain." Say:
"Avert death from your own selves, if ye speak the truth."
Battle of Uhud
ibn Abi Talib), the young cousin of Muhammad, rushed forth and struck Talhah down in a single blow. Talhah's
brother, `Uthman, ran forward to pick up the fallen banner the Meccan women willing him on with songs and the
loud beating of timbrels. Hamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib emerged from the Muslim ranks, bringing him to a similar fate
as Talhah. It was their family that was responsible for the Meccan army's standard-bearing, and thus one by one,
Talhah's brothers and sons went to retrieve the Meccan banner and fight unsuccessfully, until they all eventually
perished.[13]
Following the duels, general engagement between the two armies commenced. Meccan confidence quickly began to
dissolve as the Muslims swept through their ranks. The Meccan army was pushed back, and repeated attempts by its
cavalry to overrun the left Muslim flank were negated by the Muslim archers.[14] Enjoying the best of these early
encounters, the Muslims pierced through the Meccan lines, with victory appearing certain. However, it was the
detachment of the Muslim archers, disobeying Muhammad's strict orders to remain stationary, that would shift the
outcome of the battle, as they ran downhill to join in the advance and despoil the Meccan camp, leaving the flank
vulnerable.[12]
At this critical juncture, the Meccan cavalry led by Khalid ibn al-Walid
exploited this move and attacked the remaining minority of Muslim
archers who refused to disobey Muhammad's orders and were still
positioned on the hill. From there, the Meccans were then able to target
and overrun the Muslim flank and rear. Confusion ensued, and
numerous Muslims were killed. Most notably was Hamza, who had
been thrown down in a surprise attack by the javelin of the Ethiopian
slave of Hind, Wahshi ibn Harb. While the Meccan riposte
strengthened, rumors circulated that Muhammad too had perished. It
Grave of Hamza, Mount Uhud, Medina
emerged, however, that Muhammad had only been woundeddue to
missiles of stone which resulted in a gash on his forehead and lip. It is
recorded that Ali ibn Abi Talib alone remained, fending off the assaults of Khalid's cavalrymen. According to Ibn
Atheer, "The Prophet became the object of the attack of various units of the army of Quraish from all sides. Ali
attacked, in compliance with Muhammad's orders, every unit that made an attack upon him and dispersed them or
killed some of them, and this thing took place a number of times in Uhud."[15]
After fierce hand-to-hand combat, most of the Muslims managed to withdraw and regroup higher up on the slopes of
Uhud. A small faction was cut off and tried to make its way back to Medina, though many of these were killed. The
Meccans' chief offensive arm, its cavalry, was unable to ascend the slopes of Uhud in pursuit of the Muslims, and so
the fighting ceased. Hind and her companions are said to have mutilated the Muslim corpses, cutting off their ears
and noses and making the relics into anklets. Hind is reported to have cut open the corpse of Hamza, taking out his
liver which she then attempted to eat.[16] Abu Sufyan, after some brief verbal exchanges with Muhammad's
companion, Umar (Umar ibn al-Khattab),[17] decided to return to Mecca without pressing his advantage.
The battle is generally believed by scholars to be a defeat for the Muslims, as they had incurred greater losses than
the Meccans. Chase F. Robinson, writing in the Encyclopaedia of Islam, states the notion that "the Muslims suffered
a disheartening defeat is clear enough." Other scholars such as William Montgomery Watt disagree, noting that
while the Muslims did not win, the Meccans had failed to achieve their strategic aim of destroying Muhammad and
his followers; and that the Meccans' untimely withdrawal indicated weakness on their part.[18] The battle is also
noted for the emergence of the military leadership and tactical military genius of Khalid ibn al-Walid, who would
later become the most famous of all Arab generals during the Islamic expansion era, in conquering the Sassanid
Empire and Byzantine held Syria.[19]
Battle of Uhud
Aftermath
Muhammad and the Muslims buried the dead on the battlefield, returning home that evening. The Meccans retired
for the evening at a place called Hamra al-Asad, a few miles away from Medina. The next morning, Muhammad
sent out a small force to hurry the Meccan army on their way home. According to Watt, this was because
Muhammad realized that a show of force was required to speed the Meccans away from Medinan territory. The
Meccans, not wanting to be perceived as being chased away, remained nearby for a few days before leaving.[20]
Muslim reaction
For the Muslims, the battle held a religious dimension as well as a military one. They had expected another victory
like at Badr, which was considered a sign of God's favor upon them. At Uhud, however, they had barely held off the
invaders and had lost a great many men. A verse of the Qur'an revealed soon after the battle cited the Muslims'
disobedience and desire for loot as the cause for this setback:[21]
Allah did indeed fulfil His promise to you when ye with His permission Were about to annihilate your
enemy,-until ye flinched and fell to disputing about the order, and disobeyed it after He brought you in sight
(of the booty) which ye covet. 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 Allah is full of
grace to those who believe.
Qur'an, sura 3 (Al-i-Imran), ayah 152
According to the Qur'an, then, the misfortunes at Uhud largely the result of the rear guard abandoning their
position in order to seek booty were partly a punishment and partly a test for steadfastness. Firestone observes
that such verses provided inspiration and hope to the Muslims, sacralizing future battles that they would experience.
He adds that rather than demoralizing the Muslims, the battle seemed to reinforce the solidarity between them.[22]
Further conflict
Abu Sufyan, whose position as leader was no longer undisputed, set about forging alliances with surrounding
nomadic tribes in order to build up strength for another advance on Medina. The success of the Meccans' rousing of
tribes against Muhammad reaped disastrous consequences for him and the Muslims with two main losses: one was
where a Muslim party had been invited by a chieftain of the Ma'unah tribe, who were then killed as they approached
by the tribe of Sulaym; while the other was when the Muslims had sent out instructors to a tribe which stated it
wanted to convert to Islam the instructors had been led into an ambush by the guides of the would-be Muslim
tribe, and were subsequently killed.[23] Soon thereafter, Muhammad became convinced that the Jewish tribe Banu
Nadir harbored enmity towards him and were plotting to kill him. The Banu Nadir were expelled from Medina after
a fifteen-day siege, with some relocating to the oasis of Khaybar and others to Syria.[24] Abu Sufyan, along with the
allied confederate tribes, would attack Medina in the Battle of the Trench, two years after the events at Uhud (in
627).
Historical record
Most of the information available about the events is derived from the siramaghazi traditions (biographical
narratives and documentation of military campaigns) of the early centuries of Islam. The general sequence of the
events gained consensus early on, as demonstrated in the text of Ibn Ishaq, an early biographer of Muhammad.
Accounts of the battle are derived mainly from descendants of the participants. Much of the basic narrative and
chronology, according to Robinson, is reasonably authentic, although some of the more elaborate details such as
the exact scale of the Muslim defeat may be doubtful or difficult to ascertain.
For the early Muslims, it was certain that there were verses of the Qur'an referring to this event, and Muslim
exegetes identified areas echoing the battle or lessons of Uhud. According to Ibn Ishaq, the Qur'anic chapter (sura)
Battle of Uhud
l-Imrn contains 60 verses, "in which there is a description of their battle, and blame for those who he rebuked."
Other verses have also been connected to the battle by exegetes, such as 33:23. Robinson, citing the judgement that
Uhud was a trial for the Muslim community, concludes that the "Uhud accounts both narrated history and taught
enduring lessons, perhaps especially to those Muslims familiar with the first fitna."
Modern references
The battle of Uhud is the second of the two main battles featured in Moustapha Akkad's 1976 film centering on the
life of Muhammad, Mohammad, Messenger of God. The other battle featured is the battle of Badr.[26] The battle of
Uhud is also depicted in the 2004 animated film, Muhammad: The Last Prophet, directed by Richard Rich.[27] The
cave in Mount Uhud where Muhammad rested temporarily during the battle has also received recent media attention
in the light of proposals by some Islamic scholars for it to be destroyed.[28]
Notes
[1] Watt (1974) p. 136
[2] Cambridge History of Islam 1A (1977) pp. 47-48
[3] Peters (1994) pp. 211214
[4] Watt (1974) pp. 142143
[5] Watt (1974) pp. 132135
[6] "Uhud", Encyclopedia of Islam Online
[7] Watt (1974) p. 135
[8] Guillaume 813
[9] Watt (1974) p. 137
[10] Review: The lesson of Uhud defeat (in Arabic) (http:/ / www. amrkhaled. net/ articles/ articlesprint1767. htm)
[11] Muir; Weir (1912) p. 258
[12] Watt (1974) pp. 138139
[13] Muir; Weir (1912) p. 259
[14] Muir; Weir (1912) p. 260
[15] Reasons for the battle of Uhud (http:/ / www. ezsoftech. com/ islamic/ ohod. asp)
[16] Ibn Ishaq (1955) 380388, cited in Peters (1994) p. 218
[17] Ibn Ishaq records this exchange as follows:
[18] See:
Battle of Uhud
Cambridge History of Islam 1A (1977) pp. 4748
Firestone (1999) p.132
[19] See:
Andrae; Menzel (1960) p. 150;
Nafziger; Walton (2000) pp. 16-18;
Watt (1974) p. 200
[20] See:
Watt (1981) p. 432;
An early Muslim historian, al-Waqidi, records 'Amr ibn al-'As (a Meccan commander) as saying:
[21] Watt(1974) p. 144
[22] Firestone (1999) p. 132
[23] Watt (1974) pp. 147148
[24] Nadir, Banu-l. Encyclopedia of Islam Online
[25] Akram, Agha Ibrahim (2004), Khalid bin al-Waleed - His Life and Campaigns, Oxford University Press: Pakistan, ISBN 0-19-597714-9
[26] Review: The Message (http:/ / www. dvdtimes. co. uk/ content. php?contentid=5335). Mark Campbell, 24 April 2004.
[27] "Muhammad The Last Prophet": A Movie Below Expectations (http:/ / www. islamonline. net/ English/ News/ 2002-10/ 10/ article28.
shtml). Islamonline.net.
[28] Call to destroy Uhud cave rejected (http:/ / www. arabnews. com/ ?page=1& section=0& article=76682& d=23& m=1& y=2006). 23
January 2006, ArabNews . Retrieved 2007-06-07.
References
Books and journals
Andrae, Tor; Menzel, Theophil (1960). Mohammed: The Man and His Faith. New York: Harper Torchbook.
OCLC 871364.
Firestone, Rueven (1999). Jihad: The Origin of Holy War in Islam. Oxford University Press.
ISBN0-19-512580-0.
Holt, P. M.; Bernard Lewis (1977a). Cambridge History of Islam, Vol. 1A. Cambridge University Press.
ISBN0-521-29136-4.
I. Ishaq and A. Guillaume (October 2002). The Life of Muhammad. Oxford University Press, USA; New
Impression edition. ISBN0-19-636033-1.
Muir, William; Weir, T. H. (1912). The Life of Mohammad. Edinburgh: John Grant. OCLC 5754953.
Nafziger, George F.; Walton, Mark W. (2003). Islam at War: a history. Westport, CT: Praeger.
ISBN0-275-98101-0.
Peters, F.E (1994). Muhammad and the Origins of Islam. Albany: SUNY Press. ISBN0-7914-1875-8.
Watt, W. Montgomery (1974). Muhammad: Prophet and Statesman. United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.
ISBN0-19-881078-4.
Watt, W. Montgomery (1981). Muhammad at Medina. Oxford University Press; New edition.
ISBN0-19-577307-1.
Encyclopedias
Robinson, C. F. "Uhud". In P.J. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel and W.P. Heinrichs.
Encyclopaedia of Islam Online. Brill Academic Publishers. ISSN 1573-3912.
Vacca, V. "Nadir, Banu-l". In P.J. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel and W.P. Heinrichs.
Encyclopaedia of Islam Online. Brill Academic Publishers. ISSN 1573-3912.
Battle of Uhud
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Battle of Uhud.
License
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
//creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/