Battle of Uhud - The Second Muslim-Quraysh Battle

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The Battle of Uhud (Ghazwa-e-Uhud) was the second major battle between Muslims and the Quraysh of Makkah in 3 AH (625 AD). It was fought in the valley of Mount Uhud (north of Madinah). Despite initial gains, Muslims suffered heavy casualties during the battle due to the indiscipline approach of newly converted young Muslims. But this battle remained indecisive as Quraysh could not destroy the city-state of Madinah, and the two armies met again in 5 AH for the Battle of Trench.

Causes of the Battle of Uhud

  1. The Battle of Badr in 2 AH proved disastrous for Quraysh, during which they lost 70 men, including several tribal chiefs. Now, they were anxious to take revenge for their defeat and reinstate their reputation in Arabia.
  2. After the defeat at Badr, the Jews of Madinah also invited Quraysh for another invasion of Madinah and assured their full support for Quraysh against Muslims despite their treaty with Muslims. Jews were feeling pressure due to the gaining of strength by Muslims after their victory at the Battle of Badr.
  3. Arabian poets and Qurayshi women were encouraging their men for revenge on their dead ones in the Battle of Badr through emotional appeals.
  4. Three months after the Battle of Badr, new Qurayshi leader Abu Sufyan invaded the suburbs of Madinah with 200 riders and set fire few homes and palm trees. Muslims chased him, but he retreated safely. This event enraged Muslims.

Encampment of Both Armies at Uhud

Abu Sufyan became the chief of Quraysh after the demise of many Qureshi leaders in the Battle of Badr. He gathered 3,000 men and went towards Madinah to fight against Muslims on the last dates of Ramadan 3 AH.

When Muslims knew about the intentions of Quraysh, Muhammad (PBUH) summoned a meeting to decide on the location of new battles. Muhammad (PBUH) and most senior members favored fighting in Madinah. However, many younger Muslims demanded to fight the battle outside Madinah. Muhammad (PBUH) accepted the majority view and moved towards Uhud with 1,000 men.

Before the start of the battle, Abdullah ibn Ubayy (leader of the Khazraj tribe) left the battlefield with his 300 men over a protest for not accepting his view of fighting inside Madinah. This incident reduced the number of Muslim warriors to 700 men compared to 3,000 Makkan fighters.

Muslims positioned themselves on the slopes of Mount Uhud, which helped them to protect their rear and right side from Makkan cavalry with Mount Uhud. On the left side, there was a hill pass where Muhammad (PBUH) put 50 archers under the command of Abdullah bin Jubair (RA) to prevent any Makkan invasion from the left flank and strictly ordered them not to leave their positions no matter what happens on the battlefield. The purpose of these measures was to keep the Makkan forces in front of the Muslim army.

From the Makkan side, Amr ibn al-As was commanding the cavalry, while Khalid ibn al-Walid and Ikrimah ibn Abi-Jahl were commanders of the right and left flanks, respectively.

Events during the Battle of Uhud

The two adversaries fought this battle on 3rd Shawwal 3 AH (19th March 625 AD). In the beginning, several Makkan fighters, including standard-bearers, were killed by Muslims in duels. Then the general fight started, during which the Muslim army pushed the Makkan forces back and penetrated their lines.

At that time, Muslims thought they were closer to another victory after Badr, and a few started looting the spoils of war. Later, they were also joined by most of the archers of the mountain pass, and only ten of them remained stationed there.

At this moment, Khalid bin Walid (commander of Quraysh’s right flank) invaded the Muslim army from behind after getting rid of the remaining archers on the mountain pass. This surprise attack confused the Muslim army, and Makkan cavalry from both the front and rear sides took full advantage of this chaos. Muslims lost dozens of their men, and even Muhammad (PBUH) suffered few injuries. At this critical time, only a handful of Muslims remained around Muhammad (PBUH) to safeguard him against the attacks of Makkans.

Later, Muslims managed to take shelter on the mountain slopes, making it difficult for the Makkan cavalry to continue their attacks. After that, Abu Sufyan took his men away by declaring his victory instead of defeating the Muslims. The next day, a small Muslim force pursued the Makkans beyond Hamra al-Asad (8 miles from Madinah).

Muslims suffered at least 70 casualties during the battle, including Muhammad’s (PBUH) uncle Hamza (RA). Quraysh lost more than 20 men.

Reasons for Muslims’ Defeat at the Battle of Uhud

  • The hypocrite Abdullah ibn Ubayy left the Muslim army with his 300 men before the start of the battle. It badly affected the Muslims numerically and psychologically.
  • There were several newly-converted Muslims in the Muslim Army. Due to their inexperience, it was not possible to keep discipline like in the Battle of Badr.
  • After initial gains, a few Muslims started looting the spoils of war, and most of the archers also joined them after leaving their positions on the mountain pass. Khalid bin Waleed took advantage of the opportunity and attacked the Muslims from behind after crossing the hill pass. It was the main reason for Muslims’ damage.
  • The false news of Muhammad’s (PBUH) martyrdom also broke the spirits of Muslims.

Effects of the Battle of Uhud

·       The Battle of Uhud exposed the hypocrites who left the battle without any solid reason to harm Muslims.

·       The battle also proves the military intelligence of Muhammad (PBUH). After following the orders of Muhammad (PBUH), Muslims initially gained ground despite their weakness on the battlefield. However, when archers ignored his orders, the Muslims suffered heavy losses.

·       Different Arabian tribes became afraid of Muslims after their victory in the Battle of Badr. But after the Battle of Uhud, they restarted their anti-Muslim activities. 

·       The Jewish tribe of Banu Nadir was expelled from Madinah after the Battle of Badr due to their violation of the Charter of Madinah, which forced other Jewish tribes to maintain peace with Muslims. But after the Battle of Uhud, the other Jewish tribes also started conspiracies against Muslims. 

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