17. THE BATTLE OF UH.UD (2)

Abu Sufyān was the brother of Ummu Jamīl who was the wife of Abū Lahab, the Prophet’s uncle. His name was Sakhr b. H...arb b. Umayyah. He was a leader of the aristocratic party in Mecca. He was a respected merchant and led the great Meccan caravan several times. His eldest son H...anzalah was killed in the battle of Badr. His other son ‘Amr was taken prisoner, but afterwards he was exchanged for one Muslim who was fallen into Abū Sufyān’s hands when going to Mecca as pilgrim. His daughter Ramlah married a Muslim and emigrated with him to Abyssinia where she bore her daughter H...abībah. She was then called Umm (Mother of) H...abībah.
In Abyssinia Ramlah’s husband converted to Christianity leaving her and her family without provider. When the Prophet learned about her condition he sent a letter to the emperor of Abyssinia asking to marry her. In this way she would remain Muslim and would find a protector when she returned to Mecca. Thus the Prophet was Abu Sufyān’s enemy and son-in-law at the same time.
Abū Sufyān wanted to take revenge for the Meccan defeat at the battle of Badr a year before. The size of his army was one thousand men. At the Battle of Uh.ud the Meccan army became three thousand men. His wife Hind promised her slave Wah.shī to free him if he killed H...amzah, the Prophet’s uncle. He did and was later set free. The Prophet was hurt, and there was a rumour that he had been killed.
The battle of Uh.ud is so important in Islamic history. It was the second battle in Islam and the first Muslims’ defeat. There were many Qur’ānic verses revealed to the Prophet after the battle of Uh.ud concerning this battle, although it was not mentioned by name in the verses. Some of these verses are as follows:
سَنُلْقِي فِي قُلُوبِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا الرُّعْبَ بِمَا أَشْرَكُوا بِاللَّهِ
مَا لَمْ يُنَزِّلْ بِهِ سُلْطَانًا وَمَأْوَاهُمُ النَّارُ وَبِئْسَ مَثْوَى الظَّالِمِينَ. وَلَقَدْ صَدَقَكُمُ
اللَّهُ وَعْدَهُ إِذْ تَحُسُّونَهُمْ بِإِذْنِهِ حَتَّى إِذَا فَشِلْتُمْ وَتَنَازَعْتُمْ فِي الْأَمْرِ وَعَصَيْتُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا
أَرَاكُمْ مَا تُحِبُّونَ مِنْكُمْ مَنْ يُرِيدُ الدُّنْيَا وَمِنْكُمْ مَنْ يُرِيدُ الْآَخِرَةَ ثُمَّ صَرَفَكُمْ عَنْهُمْ لِيَبْتَلِيَكُمْ
وَلَقَدْ عَفَا عَنْكُمْ وَاللَّهُ ذُو فَضْلٍ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ. إِذْ تُصْعِدُونَ وَلَا تَلْوُونَ عَلَى أَحَدٍ وَالرَّسُولُ
يَدْعُوكُمْ فِي أُخْرَاكُمْ فَأَثَابَكُمْ غَمًّا بِغَمٍّ لِكَيْلَا تَحْزَنُوا عَلَى مَا فَاتَكُمْ وَلَا مَا أَصَابَكُمْ وَاللَّهُ
خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُون. ثُمَّ أَنْزَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ الْغَمِّ أَمَنَةً نُعَاسًا يَغْشَى طَائِفَةً مِنْكُمْ وَطَائِفَةٌ
قَدْ أَهَمَّتْهُمْ أَنْفُسُهُمْ يَظُنُّونَ بِاللَّهِ غَيْرَ الْحَقِّ ظَنَّ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ يَقُولُونَ هَلْ لَنَا مِنَ الْأَمْرِ مِنْ
شَيْءٍ قُلْ إِنَّ الْأَمْرَ كُلَّهُ لِلَّهِ يُخْفُونَ فِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ مَا لَا يُبْدُونَ لَكَ يَقُولُونَ لَوْ كَانَ
لَنَا مِنَ الْأَمْرِ شَيْءٌ مَا قُتِلْنَا هَاهُنَا قُلْ لَوْ كُنْتُمْ فِي بُيُوتِكُمْ لَبَرَزَ الَّذِينَ كُتِبَ
عَلَيْهِمُ الْقَتْلُ إِلَى مَضَاجِعِهِمْ وَلِيَبْتَلِيَ اللَّهُ مَا فِي صُدُورِكُمْ وَلِيُمَحِّصَ
مَا فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُورِ.
(آل عمران:۱٥۱-۱٥٤).
“Soon shall We cast terror into the hearts of the unbelievers
[i.e., Abu Sufyān and his followers for departing away from the
battle of Uhud], for that they joined partners with Allah, for which
He had sent no authority [i.e., proof]: their abode will be the Fire:
and evil is the home of the wrong-doers! Allah did indeed fulfil His
promise to you when ye with His permission were about to annihilate
your enemy [i.e., in the battle of Uhud]—until ye flinched and fell to
disputing about the order [i.e., not to leave the post and maintain
discipline], and disobeyed it after He brought you in sight (of the
victory) which ye covet. Among you are some that hanker after this
world and some that desire the Hereafter. Then did He divert you
from your foes in order to test you. But He forgave you [i.e., for
not annihilating you because of your sin]: for Allah is full of grace
to those who believe. Behold! Ye were climbing up the high ground,
without even casting a sideglance at any one, and the Messenger
in your rear was calling you back. There did Allah give you one
distress after another by way of requital [the first distress was that
many of them were killed and wounded and they lost booty: the second
grief was the news that the Prophet was killed], to teach you not to
grieve for (the booty) that had escaped you and for (the ill) that had
befallen you. For Allah is well aware of all that ye do. After (the
excitement) of the distress, He sent down calm on a band of you
overcome with slumber. [i.e., to the believers, so that they did not
suffer the distress], while another band [i.e., the hypocrites] was
stirred to anxiety by their own feelings, moved by wrong suspicion
of Allah—suspicions due to ignorance. They said: ‘Have we any
hand in the affair?’ Say thou: ‘Indeed, this affair is wholly Allah’s.’
They hide in their minds what they dare not reveal to thee. They
say (to themselves): ‘If we had had anything to do with this affair,
we should not have been in the slaughter here.’ Say: ‘Even if
you had remained in your homes, those for whom death was
decreed would certainly have gone forth to the place of their
death;’ but (all this was) that Allah might test what is in
your breasts and purge what is in your hearts.” 79
So the battle of Uh.ud was a test who was truly a Muslim and who was a hypocrite. Those who did not want to fight were not true believers. There is an English proverb saying, “A friend in need is a friend indeed.” If a Muslim is called to fight in the way of Allah and does not hesitate to answer the call for Allah’s sake, he is a Muslim.
What have these verses to do with us? Well, we have fought many battles and we have been defeated several times worse than the battle of Uh.ud, but we never learn from the battle of Uh.ud. Hopefully, one day we shall learn.

Footnote:
79. Qur’ān, Āl ‘Imrān [3]:151-154