THE BATTLE OF UHUD

The defeat, however, did not teach the Quraysh a lesson. On the contrary, it only made them angrier. Bent on wiping out the shame of their defeat, they began to prepare for a second attack on a much larger scale. They raised an army of more than 3000 warriors and, mad with revenge, marched to Madinah, led by Abu Sufyan.

The Battle of Uhud took place in 624 AD. The enemy numbered 3000, while the Prophet’s men numbered only 700. However, the Muslims successfully drove back their attackers with God on their side. The enemy started retreating, leaving behind large quantities of booty. The Muslims were about to win the battle when forty archers, whom the Prophet had sent to the hillside to guard the pass, saw the retreating army and thought that if they remained on the hill, they would lose their share of the booty. So most of them ran away from their posts. This left the way open for a counter-attack.

When Khalid bin Walid, still a non-Muslim, saw the pass undefended, he led his men behind the hill and killed the few archers who stood guard. Then he fell upon the Muslims from the rear. Seeing this, the fleeing Quraysh leaders turned back. The Muslims were thrown into utter confusion. The Prophet himself was wounded. However, the Muslims stood like a solid stone wall around the Prophet and beat back all attacks with superhuman courage. Many fell dead, and several were wounded. They had gone to the extent of sacrificing their lives to save the Prophet from the enemy onslaught. Slowly the enemy was beaten back.

The Quraysh lost 14 men, while the Muslims lost 70. Among the dead was Hamzah, the Prophet’s uncle. First, the Prophet grieved over the loss of this brave soul. Then, the martyrs were buried with deep sorrow, and the Muslims returned to Madinah.

The Quraysh knew at heart that the Muslims would have won the battle had not the fateful mistake of a few Muslims turned their victory into defeat. So for two years, they did not attempt to invade Makkah.