The battle of Uhud is one of the most remarkable and memorable battles in the history of Islam. The battle was fought between Muslims and Quraysh on 7^th Shawwal in the 3rd Hijri. This battle took place after the one year of Battle of Badr in which Muslims were the conquerors and Quraysh faced a humiliating defeat.

MAIN CAUSE OF THE BATTLE OF UHUD

The battle of Uhud can also be called the Battle of Revenge as the Quraysh tribe were the enemies of Muslims, and the Holy Prophet (PBUH) fought the battle of Badr in the 2nd Hijri, and even though the number of Muslims was very low, Allah made Muslims win and the Quraysh were defeated. They did not keep silent after defeating them, and after one year of the Battle of Badr, they decided to fight again against the Muslims to take revenge for their defeat. 

NUMBER OF MUSLIMS IN THE BATTLE OF UHUD

The Holy Prophet (PBUH) was in Madinah at that time and found out about the plotting of Quraysh against Muslims. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) consulted with his companions on where the battle should take place. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) wanted the battle to happen inside Madinah but the majority of the companions of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) suggested fighting outside the city of Madinah. The Holy Prophet agreed with the majority and decided to fight outside the Madinah. 

Abdullah Bin Ubay who was also among the Muslim army decided to leave the Muslim army and backed out from the battle as he was against the idea of fighting outside Madinah. Thus, he left the Muslim army along with his 300 soldiers. Now the number of Muslim soldiers was only 700 while the Quraysh army had 3000 soldiers.

WOMEN WHO FOUGHT AGAINST THE MUSLIMS IN THE BATTLE OF UHUD

Many Non-Muslim women of that time also participated in the battle of Uhud as it was against the Muslims. The names are as follows:

1. Hinda – daughter of Utba
2. Umm-e-Hakeem the granddaughter of Abu Jahl
3. Fatima sister of Khalid bin Waleed

Even though the number of Muslims was very less, they did not fear or get disappointed and followed the command of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and went towards the valley of Uhud to fight with the enemies.

WHO WON THE BATTLE OF UHUD?

The Muslim forces initially had the upper hand but faced a setback due to a strategic error. A group of archers left their designated position on the battlefield, which allowed the Quraysh cavalry to attack the Muslims from the rear. This unexpected turn of events resulted in confusion and caused the Muslim forces to suffer losses. The result of this battle was indecisive.

MENTION OF THE BATTLE OF UHUD IN THE QURAN

ALLAH (SWT) mentioned the battle of Uhud in the verses of Surah Al –Imran. One of the verses of the Surah is as follows:

Surah Al Imran, Verse 121:

“And Allah had certainly fulfilled His promise to you when you were killing the enemy by His permission until [the time] when you lost courage and fell to disputing about the order [given by the Prophet] and disobeyed after He had shown you that which you love. Among you are some who desire this world, and among you are some who desire the Hereafter. Then he turned you back from them [defeated] that He might test you. And He has already forgiven you, and Allah is the possessor of bounty for the believers.“

SUMMARY OF THE BATTLE OF UHUD

The Muslim soldiers along with the Holy Prophet (PBUH) were ready to fight the enemies of Islam. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) commanded 50 archers to stay on the top of the hill with their arrows and bows so that they could attack the people of Quraysh when they reached the valley. The archers were ready with their weapons and acted upon the command of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). They attacked the opponents as soon as they watched them. Many people of the Quraysh tribe were killed due to the attack of Muslim archers so they started to move back and were returned accepting their defeat. 

Meanwhile, the Muslim archers did not wait for the permission of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and left their spots to collect the booty of the battle. The people of Quraysh saw that the Muslims had left their place, and they attacked back. Many Muslims were killed, and chaos was created. Also, the Rumour was spread that the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) was also martyred by the attack of the enemies, which disheartened the Muslims and made them lose their spirit.

After some time it was found that the Holy Prophet (PBUH) is alive but he (PBUH) was badly injured and had wounds on his face and forehead also the teeth of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) were broken due to the fight, Enemies tried to attack the Holy Prophet (PBUH) to kill him but the Muslim soldiers and companions of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) protected him from the attack of enemies.

Hazrat Hamza (RA) who was the strongest soldier and the brave warrior of the Muslim army lost his life in this battle and got martyrdom.

LESSONS LEARNT FROM THE BATTLE OF UHUD

Despite the fact that Muslims lost this battle and many Muslims were martyred on the battlefield, the battle of Uhud is an exemplary battle for the Muslims as it has taught the following lessons:

• Importance of obedience and discipline. The Muslim archers left their place without the permission of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) which became the turning point of the battle and circumstances changed completely.
• The Muslims were taught through the verses of Surah Al Imran to trust ALLAH and his plans. As ALLAH knows everything and he knows what’s best for his people
• The Muslims learned that they should not make such mistakes in future conflicts and not only in battlegrounds, the Muslims should be united and disciplined while fighting for the right.
• Although Muslims made mistakes that turned victory into defeat, ALLAH (SWT) and the Holy Prophet (PBUH) forgave the Muslims and did not give them any punishment. ALLAH through his verses encouraged Muslims and commanded them to strive for better and move on 

FINAL WORDS

The battle of Uhud taught the Muslims that how the bad days of life should be tackled, and how we should learn from our mistakes and should never be discouraged and disappointed with the defeats. We should accept the circumstance and keep our faith and trust stronger in ALLAH (SWT).

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