The Life of Muhammad by Ibn Ishaq

Chapter 5. The Battle of Uhud, 625CE

The Quraysh grieve over their dead

The total number of Quraysh slain at Badr was fifty, among them warriors of the noblest families. On news of the defeat, Muhammad’s treatment of the bodies, and the killing of fugitives and prisoners, their kinsfolk went into mourning and bewailed their dead, whilst being forced to pay large ransoms to redeem those who had been taken prisoner. 

   The survivors returned to Mecca, and some wrote poetry, saying, ‘They died nobly, they did not betray their families for strangers of other lands, like you, Muhammad, who have taken other tribes as your companions instead of us – a wretched deed, a wicked, hateful crime, and a severance of all ties of blood!’

   Hind, wife of Abu Sufyan and daughter of Utba, in particular, bewailed the father, son, uncle and brother she had lost at Badr, and swore undying vengeance against Muhammad and his companions. 

The Quraysh and their allies set out to attack Medina 

After the Battle of Badr, Abdullah, son of Abu Rabia, and Ikrima, son of Abu Jahl, and Safwan, son of Umayya, went with the other men whose fathers, sons, and brothers had been killed in the battle, and consulted Abu Sufyan, and those who had invested in the caravan, saying, ‘Men of the Quraysh, Muhammad has wronged us and slaughtered our noblest men, so let us use this wealth to do battle against him, and wreak vengeance for those we have lost.’ 

   And so, [in 625CE], a year after the Battle of Badr, the Quraysh marched forth [to Medina] under the command of Abu Sufyan with the finest of their army, and their black troops and their allies from the Beni Kinana, and the people of the low countries. And women in howdahs accompanied them to incite their wrath and prevent them from turning back. 

   Jubayr b. Mutim called for an Abyssinian slave of his named Wahshi, who was an excellent spear-thrower, and said, ‘Go forth with the army, and if you kill Muhammad's uncle, Hamza, in revenge for my uncle, Tuayma b. Adiy, I will set you free.’ 

   And whenever Hind d. Utba, the wife of Abu Sufyan, who had lost her father, son, uncle and brother at Badr, encountered Wahshi, she would say to him, ‘Come on, you father of blackness, quench your thirst for vengeance and ours!’ 

   And so the Quraysh proceeded until they halted in the fertile plain beside the hill of Uhud near Medina.

Muhammad prepares for battle

When Muhammad learned of the arrival of the Quraysh, he determined to stay within the city walls. [Muhammad always received advance warning from his uncle al-Abbas and other sympathisers in Mecca of everything the Quraysh were planning and doing.]

   ‘I dreamt that I thrust my hand into a strong coat of mail and I take that to represent Medina,’ he said. 

   Abdullah b. Ubayy, leader of the Khazraj, agreed, saying, ‘O apostle of God, remain in Medina, and do not go forth to fight the enemy. Every time we have left the city, we have met with defeat, whereas no one has ever come against us without being beaten back’. 

   But those who wanted to go out to fight the Quraysh, [hoping for martyrdom and Paradise,] kept pressing Muhammad very urgently, until finally, he went into his house and donned his armour.  Meanwhile, his followers reconsidered, saying that if he did decide to stay inside Medina, they would support him after all. Muhammad said, ‘It is not right for a prophet who has donned his armour to take it off until he has engaged in battle,’ so he marched forth with a thousand of his companions. 

   But when they arrived at al-Shaut, Abdullah b. Ubayy deserted with a third of the army, saying, ‘Muhammad has taken their advice, not mine! Why should we want to get ourselves killed here?’ 

   And he led his faint-hearted followers back to Medina.

Muhammad’s army arrives at Uhud 

Muhammad marched on until he came to the valley of Uhud. He then drew up his troops for battle, about 700 men, saying ‘Do not engage the enemy until I give the word.’ 

   He put Abdullah b. Jubayr in command of the fifty archers, and said, ‘Defend us against the enemy cavalry with your arrows and do not let them attack us from the rear. Whether the battle goes in our favour or not, be sure to hold firm to your position so that they cannot surprise us from your direction.’ 

The Battle of Uhud

Muhammad then put on two coats of mail and gave the flag to Musab. The Quraysh drew up their troops, about 3000 men with 200 horses which they had led along with them. Their cavalry on the left flank was commanded by the warrior Khalid b. al-Walid, and on the right by Ikrima b. Abu Jahl. 

   As the two armies met, Hind and the other women sang and beat their tambourines behind the men to urge them on. As the battle continued, the fighting became fierce. Abu Dujana fought with the sword Muhammad had given him until he had penetrated deep into the Quraysh ranks, whilst Hamza fought until he had killed one of the Quraysh standard bearers. 

  Wahshi said afterwards, “I went out to look for Hamza until I saw him in the midst of the battle, like a huge camel, slaying men with his sword, and overcoming all resistance. I was making my way stealthily towards him, hiding myself behind trees or rocks, when suddenly Siba got to him first. When Hamza saw him, he shouted, ‘Come here, you son of a female circumciser!’” [The practice of female circumcision, or the ritual excision of the clitoris to ensure purity and chastity of women, is an ancient pagan practice condoned by the apostle and made ‘sunna’ [good practice] under Islam to the present day.]

   “Hamza then killed Siba with a single swift blow to the head. I balanced my spear until I was sure that it would hit the target, and threw my spear at him. It pierced Hamza’s belly and came out between his legs. He staggered towards me, but collapsed and fell. I waited for him to die, then went back and pulled my spear out of his corpse, and left the battle, for I had no business with anyone but him and my only object was to win my freedom.” 

The Quraysh flee and the Muslim archers desert their post

Then Allah kept His promise and sent down aid to the Muslims. They killed many Quraysh with the sword, cutting them off from their camp and putting them to flight. One of the Muslims described how he found himself looking at the anklets of Hind and her companions as they tucked up their skirts and fled to avoid being captured. 

   Then, seeing the flight of the Quraysh, and anxious to get their share of the spoils, the Muslim archers on the heights deserted their post. They turned and made for the Quraysh camp, thus leaving their comrades open to attack by the Quraysh cavalry, who charged down into the rear of the Muslim ranks. One of the Quraysh killed Musab and shouted, ‘I have killed Muhammad!’ and when the Quraysh heard this, they turned back and gathered again round their fallen standard, and launched a fresh attack against the Muslims.  

The rout of the Muslims

This time it was the Muslims who were put to flight, and many died at the hands of the Quraysh. It was a day of trial and testing in which Allah honoured several with martyrdom. Muhammad was felled by a stone. One of his teeth was broken and his face was gashed. As the enemy surrounded him, he cried, ‘Who will give his life for us?’ and Ziyad. b. al-Sakan with five of the Ansar came to his aid. 

   They fought in Muhammad’s defence, man after man being killed until only Ziyad was left fighting, until even he was mortally wounded. Then a company of Muslims came back and drove the enemy away from Muhammad. He ordered them to bring Ziyad to him, and made his foot a support for Ziyad’s head. Thus Ziyad died with his face on the apostle’s foot. 

   Then Ka’ab b. Malik recognised Muhammad and shouted, ‘Courage, all Muslims, here is the apostle of Allah!’ 

   But Muhammad motioned to him to be silent. He was helped up the mountain to the shelter of some rocks, and brought water to wash the blood from his face. As he poured it over his head, he cursed his enemies, saying, ‘Allah’s wrath be upon he who bloodied the face of His apostle!’ 

Hind takes revenge on the Muslims

As the victorious Quraysh scoured the battlefield [searching for Muhammad’s body], Hind and the other women began mutilating the bodies of the dead Muslims. They cut off noses and ears, and Hind turned them into anklets and necklaces. She gave her own anklets and necklaces and earrings to Wahsi, the slave of Jubayr. She even cut out Hamza’s liver and tried to eat it, but she could not swallow it and cast it aside. 

   Then she climbed a high rock and screamed at the top of her voice, ‘We have taken revenge for Badr, and a battle that follows a battle is always bloody! The loss of my father Utba, my brother and his uncle and my eldest son was more than I could bear! I have now kept my promise and satisfied my thirst for revenge! I shall thank Wahshi for as long as I live, until my bones rot in the grave!’

Abu Sufyan addresses Muhammad

Before leaving, Abu Sufyan went to the top of the mountain and shouted loudly, ‘Victory in war goes in turns. Glory to Hubal! Today is our revenge for Badr!’ 

   Muhammad told Omar to get up and answer him and say, ‘Allah is the highest and most glorious! We are not equal. Our dead are in Paradise; yours are in Hell!’ 

   ‘Tell me in the name of God, Omar, is Muhammad slain?’ asked Abu Sufyan.

   ‘By Allah, he is not! He is listening to what you are saying now,’ replied Omar.

   Then Abu Sufyan called out to Muhammad, ‘Some of your dead have been mutilated. By God, it gives me no satisfaction, but I feel no anger either. We will meet again at Badr next year.’ 

   And the Muslims said, ‘Yes, it is an appointment between us.’

   As soon as the Quraysh were out of sight, Muhammad and his companions descended to the field of battle. The number of Muslims killed including both emigrants and Ansar was sixty-five men. On the Quraysh side, the loss was only twenty-two.

Allah orders the casting of terror into the hearts of unbelievers

The day of Uhud was a day of tribulation, misfortune and soul-searching in which Allah tested the faithful and exposed the hypocrites, those who professed faith with their lips whilst concealing unbelief in their hearts. 

   Among the many verses of Sura 3 of the Quran which Allah sent down to Muhammad concerning the day of Uhud were these: ‘This is a declaration to mankind: a guide and a warning to the righteous. Take heart and do not despair. Have faith and you will triumph. If you suffered a defeat, so did the enemy. We alternate these events among mankind so that Allah may know who the true believers are and choose martyrs from amongst you (Sura 3. 138-140).’

   ‘We shall cast terror into the hearts of the unbelievers because they serve other gods for whom no sanction has been revealed. Hell shall be their home, and dismal indeed is the dwelling-place of wrong-doers (Sura 3.151).’

Muhammad orders the death of Abu Afak

Muhammad then ordered the death of al-Harith, b. Suwayd who on the day of Uhud, had killed a fellow Muslim with whom he had a personal feud. Although al-Harith begged the apostle for forgiveness, the apostle ordered him to be beheaded.

   On hearing of al-Harith’s death, Abu Afak, an elderly sheik of the Beni Amr b. Auf, expressed his opposition to the apostle in poetry, saying, ‘Long have I lived, but never have I seen such a group of people more true to themselves and their allies than the Aus and Khazraj, sons of Qayla, men who overturned mountains and never submitted to anyone. Then along came a rider who split them in two, describing all kinds of things as ‘halal’ or ‘haram’. If you had really believed in glory or kingship, you would have followed Tubba!’

   ‘Who will deal with this rascal for me?’ asked the apostle, whereupon Salim b. Umayr went straight out and slew Abu Afak [by piercing his liver with a sword as he slept in a courtyard on a summer night.] 

   Afterwards, one of the Muslims praised Abu Afak’s murder in poetry, saying, ‘You mocked the faith of Allah and the prophet Muhammad. I swear by he who was your father, evil is the son he produced! So one of the faithful gave you a stab in the night, saying, ‘Take that, Abu Afak, in spite of your age!’ 

Muhammad orders the death of Asma d. Marwan  

Asma was a Jewish poetess, wife of a man of the Beni Khatma, living in Medina. When Abu Afak was killed for being disrespectful to the apostle, she too expressed her dissent saying, ‘I scorn the Aus and the Khazraj. You are in thrall to a complete stranger. What good do you expect from this man after the murder of your leaders? You are like starving men waiting for a bowl of broth! Is there no one with the courage to take him by surprise and cut off the hopes of those who have expectations of him?’ 

   When the apostle was told what Asma had said, he asked his companions, ‘Who will rid me of Marwan’s daughter?’ 

   On hearing this, Umayr b. Adiy al Khatmi went to Asma’s home that very night, and slew her as she slept [surrounded by her children and with a baby suckling at her breast. He flung the babe aside and pierced Asma through the heart with his sword until it came out behind her]. 

   The next morning, when he came to the apostle and told him what he had done, Muhammad said, ‘Umayr, you have served Allah and His apostle well.’ 

   Umayr asked if there would be any repercussions, and the apostle replied, ‘No, two goats wouldn’t butt their heads about her!’ 

   So Umayr went back to his tribe, the Beni Khatma, where there was great commotion among the people about the murder of Bint Marwan. She had five sons, and Umayr went to them and said, ‘O sons of Khatma, it was I who slew Bint Marwan. Defy me if you dare, and don’t keep me waiting!’ 

   From that day forth, Islam gained control over the Beni Khatma. Until then, those of them who were believers had kept the fact secret. The day after Bint Marwan’s assassination, the whole tribe became Muslims because they had seen the power of Islam. 

Muhammad orders the killing of Khalid b. Sufyan

After the Battle of Uhud, Muhammad summoned Abdullah b. Unays and told him that he had learned that Khalid b. Sufyan, chief of the Beni Lihyan,  was preparing to attack the Muslims, and that Abdullah was to go and assassinate him. 

   So Abdullah went forth until he came across Khalid accompanied by several women in a howdah for whom he was seeking a resting place. Abdullah bowed his head in prayer as he approached Khalid, and on being asked who he was, replied, ‘An Arab who has been told about the fact that you are gathering an army against this man Muhammad, and wants to join you!’

   Khalid confirmed that he was doing so. Abdullah then walked alongside him for a little while and then he took the first opportunity to slay Khalid with his sword. Then he rode off, leaving the women bending over Khalid’s body. When Abdullah returned to the apostle [and threw Khalid’s head down before him], Muhammad exclaimed, ‘So the mission was successful!’ [Yet another murder showing that for Muslims, Islam overrides all previous codes of honour or hospitality, and that any treachery or lies used in the cause of Allah to bring about the death of unbelievers are praiseworthy acts rewarded with Paradise.]

The Beni Lihyan take revenge on the Muslims at al-Raji 

The following month, a deputation of tribesmen from the Beni Adal and the Beni al-Qara, allies of the Beni Lihyan, came to the apostle, claiming that some of them had already accepted Islam, and asking him to send some Muslims back with them to instruct them in the faith. So Muhammad sent them six companions led by Marthad b. Abu Marthad. However, when they reached al-Raji, a well belonging to the Beni Hudhayl in the district of the Hijaz, the tribesmen betrayed them and called on the Beni Hudhayl to attack them. 

   The Muslims were caught completely off guard when attacked by armed men, so they snatched up their own swords to defend themselves. The tribesmen swore by God that they did not intend to kill them, but merely wanted to get some money for them from the people of Mecca. Three of the Muslims fought bravely to the death, but three surrendered and were taken to Mecca to be sold. When they reached al-Zahran, one of the Muslims broke his bonds and drew his sword, but his captors simply kept a safe distance from him and stoned him to death.

The Quraysh kill Zayd b. al-Dathinna and Khubayb b. Adiy

The other two captive Muslims, Khubayb and Zayd, were taken to Mecca. Khubayb was sold to Hujayr b. Abu Ihab to kill him in revenge for his father at Badr. Likewise, Zayd was sold to Safwan b. Umayya to kill him in revenge for his father Umayya b. Khalaf, and they took him out of the sacred area to kill him. Then the Quraysh took Khubayb out to al-Tanim to crucify him. When they raised him up, bound to a long piece of wood, he called on Allah to curse them, saying, ‘O Allah, count them all and kill them one by one, and let not one escape!’ 

   Then they killed him, God have mercy on his soul. 

   Muawiya, son of Abu Sufyan, used to relate how he was there that day, and how his father threw him to the ground so that Khubayb’s curse would pass over him. [Muawiya, son of Abu Sufyan and Hind d. Utba, would become fifth caliph in 661CE after the death of Ali, and his son Yazid would later kill Muhammad’s grandson Hassan at Kerbala.]

   Afterwards, Hassan b. Thabit wrote poetry, saying ‘Farewell, Khubayb, may Allah reward you well, in the Eternal Gardens with beautiful houris among your companions!’ 

Muhammad sends Amr b. Umayya al-Damri to kill Abu Sufyan 

After the killing of Khubayb and his companions, the apostle sent Amr b. Umayya al-Damri with one of the Ansar, with orders to go to Mecca and assassinate Abu Sufyan. As they entered the city, Amr held in readiness a small dagger shaped like an eagle’s feather, prepared to kill anyone who laid hold of him, but as they left the Kabah, Amr was recognized by someone who shouted at the top of his voice, ‘That’s Amr b. Umayya, the known assassin!’ Then the Quraysh rushed at them, crying, ‘By God, Amr is here, up to no good! He always brings evil in his wake!’ 

   Amr and his companion ran off at full speed, took to the hills and found shelter in a cave where they spent the night, having successfully eluded their pursuers who returned to Mecca. 

Amr b. Umayya cruelly kills a Bedouin for mocking Islam

After killing a Meccan who came too near to their hiding place, the two Muslims remained in the cave for two days until the pursuit had died down. Amr fled towards al-Safra on foot, whilst his companion rode back to the apostle. 

   Amr reached the valley of Dajnan, and took shelter in a cave, when a one-eyed man of the Beni al-Dil, a clan of the Beni Bakr, came in leading a sheep. He asked Amr who he was, and Amr said that he was also one of the Beni Bakr. The man then lay down beside Amr, and raising his voice began to sing, ‘I won’t be a Muslim as long as I live, nor heed to their religion give.’ 

   Amr waited until the Bedouin was asleep and snoring and then killed him, as he boasted afterwards, ‘in the most terrible way that any man has ever been killed, by thrusting the end of my bow into his good eye and bearing down on it until it came out of the back of his neck!’ 

   Amr then fled back to Medina, and at al-Naqi, came across two Meccans who had been sent to spy on the apostle. Amr called on them to surrender, and when they refused, he shot one of them dead [with an arrow], and the other surrendered. Amr tied him up and took him to Muhammad. Afterwards, Amr recounted how he had tied his prisoner’s thumbs together with his bowstring, and how when Muhammad saw him, he laughed so heartily that his back teeth could be seen, and when Amr told him what had happened, Muhammad blessed him. [Amr, ruthless ruffian and assassin, was loved by the apostle, and became one of his most intimate warriors and companions.]