BATTLE OF HUNAYN

The fall of Makkah was not taken kindly by all the tribes. The Banu Thaqif and the Hawazin, who lived between Makkah and Taif, were greatly upset by the developments in Makkah. Sensing the danger to their freedom and to their position as the most important tribes of the region, they turned hostile and collected a large army. This army was encamped in the valley of Hunayn, to which a narrow pass was the only entrance.

Expert archers hid behind rocky crags. The Prophet arrived with an army of 12,000. The Muslims, filling between the narrow rocky walls of the pass, panicked under the sudden heavy rain of arrows from the hidden archers. About 11,000 of the 12,000-strong Muslim army turned and fled, unprepared for this sudden attack. However, the Prophet and some of his close companions showed no signs of panic, putting their entire trust in God. God sent His help as promised. Thus, despite this first setback, the course of the battle was altered. The Muslims won an extraordinary victory. 6,000 members of the Hawazin tribe were taken prisoner. They were proven war criminals, and, according to the prevailing custom, they should all have been put to death. But the Prophet pardoned them all and set them free without setting any conditions.

This extraordinary and unexpected pardon impressed these insolent people so much that they all entered the fold of Islam. After the conversion of the Hawazin tribe, the rebel Thaqif tribe of Taif lost courage. But, within one month, they all surrendered and embraced Islam.