Muslims’ victory at the intial stage ot the battle

Muslims’ victory at the intial stage ot the battle

The war flared up on the fifteenth of Shaww¡l, the third year of Hegira.[1] In a short time, Muslims were victorious and the enemy troops absconded. Their defeat was not due to the great number of casualties, which, according to the most reliable sources, did not exceed fifty;[2] rather, it was the fall of nine standard-bearers who had been destroyed by Imam `Al¢,[3] causing damage to their spirituality.[4]

On various occasions after the Battle of U¦ud, Imam `Al¢ used to put stress on this event. In the six-member council which was held after the assassination of `Umar ibn al-Kha§§¡b to elect the next caliph, Imam `Al¢ referred to this event as a point of honor and the members of that committee could not deny.[5]

Upon the destruction of the standard-bearers of Quraysh, there was confusion among the enemy’s troops who chose to take flight. Upon their retreat, Muslims started collecting the booty. Most of the archers left their strongholds, assuming that the battle was over. Thus, they did not listen to the warnings of `Abdull¡h ibn Jubayr concerning the Holy Prophet’s orders. (Qur'¡n, 3:152)

The Enemy’s Victory

The archers’ mistake and miscalculation had a tremendous effect on the battle, because Kh¡lid ibn al-Wal¢d attacked that position with two hundred troops and killed `Abdull¡h ibn Jubayr with ten others. He then attacked other Muslims from behind. On the other side, `Amrah bint `Alqamah, together with other women from Quraysh, took up the standards and waved them in the air;[6] so, the battle started over again.[7] Muslims suffered a great blow this time because there was no coordination between the troops and their commanders. There were secondary factors which contributed to this defeat:

(1) A rumor had it that the Holy Prophet was killed.[8]

(2) In those days, the two parties of the military conflict did not have a uniform distinguishing them from the other party. At the battlefield, they were recognized only through slogans. The Muslim troops did not recognize one another; they therefore started drawing swords against one another.[9] For instance, °usayl ibn J¡bir, a Muslim warrior, was killed by his party.[10] However, as soon as Muslims became aware of the situation and started uttering slogans, the conditions changed drastically.[11]

(3) Another factor was the direction of the wind which was blowing from the west, making it hard for Muslims to carry on with the war.[12]

At any rate, much confusion occurred to the Muslim troops most of whom fled the battlefield or climbed the mountain, leaving the Holy Prophet in the battlefield defending Muslims and asking the escapees to stay firm.[13]

Imam `Al¢ and a few warriors resisted the enemies in the battlefield.[14] He fought bravely next to the Holy Prophet, defending him several times.[15]

With his unique perseverance, a Divine call echoed in the sky of U¦ud, “There is no sword beyond Dh£’l-Faq¡r (Imam `Al¢’s sword) and there is no combatant save `Al¢.”[16]

In order to weaken the morale of Muslims, Ab£-Sufy¡n started psychological warfare by uttering the slogan, “Be proud Hubal! Be proud Hubal.” Answering him, the Holy Prophet ordered his men to cry out, “Allah is Greater and more Majestic.” Then Ab£-Sufy¡n said, “We have `Uzz¡ and you have none.” The Holy Prophet asked a Muslim to reply, “We have Allah as our Master; and you have none.”[17]

It is reported that in that battle, seventy Muslims, including °amzah—the Holy Prophet’s uncle—and Mu¥`ab ibn `Umayr, were martyred.

Although Muslims were defeated[18] and the troops of Quraysh were intact, the chiefs of Quraysh who were worried about its consequences[19] preferred to leave Medina and go back to Mecca. They were merely happy that they had avenged their previous losses. All this happened with no damage done to either Medina or the Damascus trade route.

In order to demonstrate that Muslims were still firm and invincible, the Holy Prophet chased the enemy to the land of °amr¡' al-Asad in order to prevent them from attacking Medina.[20]