Appearance
Verses 121–129
بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
In the name of Allah, the most Merciful, the most Compassionate
Now the discourse turns back to what the chapter had begun with: Warning the believers of the serious situation they were in; reminding them of God’s favors bestowed on them, that is, true belief, divine help and the fact that God is sufficient for them; teaching them what would lead them to their noble goal; and guiding them to what would make them happy in this life and the hereafter.
It describes the battle of Uḥud. There are some verses referring to the battle of Badr, but they are like supplement inserted here for cross-reference, and as we shall explain later, they are not meant as main topic here.
وَإِذْ غَدَوْتَ مِنْ أَهْلِكَ تُبَوِّئُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ مَقَاعِدَ لِلْقِتَالِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ ١٢١
(3:121) And when you did go forth early in the morning from your family to lodge the believers in encampments for war; and Allah is Hearing, Knowing
‘‘When’’ in Arabic is adverb of time related to a deleted verb example ‘‘Remember’’ or similar verbs; ghadawta translated here as ‘‘you did go forth early in the morning’’ is derived from al-ghadw (to come out early in the morning); at-tabwʾah means to prepare a place for someone, or to put him in a place; maāʿid is plural [seat; translated here as encampment). Ahl of a man, according to al-Rāghib, are those who are joined to him in genealogy or house or other such things like religion, town or handicraft. Thus ahl of a man refers to his wife and all those who are in his house, like wife, child, servant, etc.; also it denotes all who are related to him like his family or clan; residents of a town or followers of a religion are called ahl of that town or religion; artisans and masters of a handicraft are called ahl of that art or handicraft. The word ahl is used for masculine and feminine both; also for singular and plural alike. Its use is exclusively reserved for human beings; ahl of a thing are the people related to it exclusively.
Ahl of the Messenger of God are therefore the people exclusively related to him. Here it refers to a group—not to a single person. It may be understood from the expression, ‘‘you did go forth early in the morning from your family’’, because it may be said, ‘‘You went forth from your relatives and your group’’; but it cannot be said, ‘‘You went forth from your wife’’ or ‘‘from your mother.’’ An exegete has mistakenly thought that ahl refers to singular only, and therefore he had to say that there was some word deleted (but understood) from the verse; according to him the verse means, ‘‘did go forth … from the house of your family.’’ But as you have seen nothing in this verse demands such an interpretation.
The preceding and following verses are addressed to the believers as a group. But the verses under discussion turn from plural to singular; they are addressed not to the believers but to the Messenger of God alone. Apparently this diversion has some connection with the shade of displeasure found in the verses dealing with this battle; there is an undercurrent of reproach, censure and stricture running throughout for what the Muslims had done [in the battle of Uḥud] where they had shown cowardice and lack of will-power and courage. Therefore, whenever a topic comes which exclusively concerns the Prophet, God ignores and disregards the believers and speaks to the Prophet alone. Thus God says: And when you did go forth early in the morning from your family; When you said to the believers: ‘‘Does it not suffice you that your Lord should assist you …’’; You have no concern in the affair; Say: ‘‘Surely the affair is wholly (in the hands) of Allah’’ []; Thus it is due to the mercy from Allah that you deal with them gently, and had you been rough, hard-hearted, they would certainly have dispersed from around you []; And reckon not those who are killed in Allah’s way as dead [].
In all the above verses the plural verbs and pronouns have been changed to singular. It seems as though the speaker is not in a mood to continue the preceding style [of speaking to the whole community] because He is very much annoyed and displeased with them.
It is unlike some other verses coming in between where effectiveness and sharpness of admonition depended on direct talk with the believers and therefore the plural was used. For example: And Muḥammad is no more than a messenger, the messengers have already passed away before him; if then he dies or is killed, will you turn back upon your heals? []; When you ran off precipitately and did not turn towards any one, and the Messenger was calling you from your rear [].
Also it is unlike another intervening verse, that is: Certainly Allah conferred a benefit upon the believers when He raised among them a Messenger from among themselves, reciting to them His communications []. Here God describes His favor on the believers of sending the Prophet to them; and it could be effective and more impressive only if it was supposed as if the Prophet himself were not present there. Ponder on all these verses and you will appreciate the relevance of what we have written.
The verse under discussion means as follows: O Prophet, remember when you did go forth early in the morning from your family in order that you should place the believers in their sectors for war; and God is Hearing (He had heard what was said there) and Knowing (He had known what was hidden in their hearts). The expression, ‘‘you did go forth early in the morning from your family’’, indicates that the battle-ground was nearer to the Prophet’s house. It clearly shows that the two verses refer to the battle of Uḥud, and in this way they are related to other verses which would follow later and which describe the battle of Uḥud. All these verses fit the events which had taken place in Uḥud.
This shows the weakness of the claim that these two verses were revealed about the battle of Badr, or, as someone else said, about the battle of the Confederates. And it is obvious [from the context].
…and Allah is Hearing, Knowing: He is Hearing, He had heard what was spoken there; and Knowing, He knew what was hidden in their hearts. It indicates that some Muslims had spoken there some [undesirable] things, and there were other things which they had not disclosed to others.
Apparently the next clause, ‘‘When two parties from among you had determined that they should show cowardice’’, is related to these two attributes, [that is, God heard and knew the conspiracy and intention of the two parties when they had determined to show cowardice.]
إِذْ هَمَّتْ طَائِفَتَانِ مِنْكُمْ أَنْ تَفْشَلَا وَاللَّهُ وَلِيُّهُمَا ۗ وَعَلَى اللَّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ ١٢٢
(3:122) When two parties from among you had determined that they should show cowardice, and Allah was the guardian of them both, and in Allah should the believers trust.
al-Hamm (what you determine in your heart; intention); al-fashl (weakness with cowardice).
…and Allah was the guardian of them both: This is a circumstantial clause, related to the verb, ‘‘had determined.’’ It is meant as an admonition and reproof, as is the concluding sentence, ‘‘and in God should the believers trust.’’ The connotation is as follows: The two parties had determined to show cowardice although God was their guardian—and a believer should not show weakness and cowardice when he believes that God is his guardian and when he is supposed to entrust all his affairs to God, and whoever trusts in God then He is sufficient for him.
This explanation shows the weakness of an interpretation offered by an exegete who says: ‘‘This intention of the two parties was merely a thought, a notion, not a determination, because God has praised them and said that He was their guardian. Had it been a firm determination and intention, they should have been blamed rather than praised.’’
Comment: I do not understand what he means when he says that it was merely a thought, or a notion. Is this the meaning of cowardice? If so, then everyone present there knew the meaning of cowardice, and it makes no sense to mention it in this context; nor is it called ‘‘determination’’ in Arabic language. Or, does he mean knowledge of cowardice coupled with some intention; a notion with determination to act upon it? [If so, then it was not merely a thought or a notion.] Also, the verse shows that the condition of the two parties was obvious to the others; had it been merely a passing thought without showing any effect on their behavior, others would not have known that they had determined to show weakness and cowardice. Moreover, the reminder that God was their guardian and that the believers must put their trust in God, dove-tails with firm determination, not with a passing thought. And in any case, we have explained that in the present context, the clause, ‘‘and God was the guardian of them both’’, is not intended as a praise, it is a reproof, an admonition.
Perhaps this misunderstanding has sprung up from a tradition attributed to Jābir b. ʿAbdillāh al-Anṣārī, in which he says: ‘‘(This verse) was revealed about us; and I would not prefer if it were not revealed, because God has said, and God was the guardian of them both.’’ The said exegete probably thought that Jabir had taken the clause as a praise.
Even if the said tradition be accepted as correct, Jābir’s theme is different from what that exegete has thought. Jābir means that God then accepted their belief and confirmed that they were believers, because He counted Himself as their guardian, and God is the guardian of those who believe, and as for the unbelievers their guardians are the rebels. Jābir does not mean that this clause implies any praise, when it has been put in this context of clear reprimand and censure.
وَلَقَدْ نَصَرَكُمُ اللَّهُ بِبَدْرٍ وَأَنْتُمْ أَذِلَّةٌ ۖ فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ ١٢٣
(3:123) And Allah did certainly assist you at Badr when you were weak; fear Allah then, that you may give thanks.
The context obviously shows that this verse has been revealed here as a supporting evidence to emphasize the stricture, to complete the reproof. If so, then this too would be a circumstantial clause, like the preceding one, ‘‘and God was the guardian of them both.’’ Its connotation then would be as follows: You should not have determined to show cowardice while God had certainly assisted you at Badr when you were weak. On the other hand, it might be an independent sentence revealed here to remind them of the wonderful assistance provided to them at Badr, when God had sent down the angels to help them when they were weak.
God mentions here the help sent by Him to them at Badr, and compares their present condition with that; and it is known that whoever becomes strong, does so only with God’s help and His assistance, because man, per se, has nothing except neediness and weakness. That is why God says: ‘‘when you were weak.’’
It many be understood from the above that the statement, ‘‘when you were weak’’, does not disagree with such other divine words as, and to Allah belongs the might and to His Messenger and to the believers [], because the believers’ might springs from the might of God, as He says: Then surely all might is for Allah []; and it proceeds from the divine help given to the believers, as God says: And certainly We sent before you messengers to their people, so they came to them with clear arguments, then We gave the punishment to those who were guilty; and helping the believers is ever incumbent upon Us []. In this situation if we look at the condition of the believers, per se, they have got nothing except weakness.
Apart from that, if we look at the believers’ condition in Badr, we shall have to admit that they were certainly weaker in comparison to the strength, might and enthusiasm the polytheists had. And there is no difficulty in ascribing a relative weakness to otherwise mighty ones. God has ascribed it to a people whom He has praised very extensively, when He says: then soon God will bring a people that He shall love them and they shall love Him, humble (adhillah, = lit: weak) before the believers, mighty against the unbelievers [].
إِذْ تَقُولُ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَلَنْ يَكْفِيَكُمْ أَنْ يُمِدَّكُمْ رَبُّكُمْ بِثَلَاثَةِ آلَافٍ مِنَ الْمَلَائِكَةِ مُنْزَلِينَ ١٢٤ بَلَىٰ ۚ إِنْ تَصْبِرُوا وَتَتَّقُوا وَيَأْتُوكُمْ مِنْ فَوْرِهِمْ هَٰذَا يُمْدِدْكُمْ رَبُّكُمْ بِخَمْسَةِ آلَافٍ مِنَ الْمَلَائِكَةِ مُسَوِّمِينَ ١٢٥
(3:124-125) When you said to the believers. ‘‘Does it not suffice you that your Lord should assist you with three thousand of the angels sent down? Yea! if you remain patient and are on your guard (against evil), and they come upon you in a headlong manner, your Lord will assist you with five thousand of the havoc-making angels.’’
al-Imdād is derived from al-madd and signifies giving al-madad (help) continuously.
Balā (Yea) is used for affirmation; al-fawr and al-fawrān means to boil; they say, fār al-qidr (the cooking-pot boiled up); then the word was used to denote hurry and haste. Thus the phrase, min fawrihim hādha (translated here as, in a headlong manner) means, ‘at once’; ‘immediately’.
Obviously, the promise refers to the battle of Badr. It is a conditional promise, and the conditions are given in these clauses, ‘‘if you remain patient and are on your guard and they come upon you in a headlong manner.’’
An exegete has written that it is a promise to send down the angels if they came upon the believers (not ‘‘immediately’’, that is not on the day of Badr, but) after the immediate time, that is after the battle of Badr. Another one has written that it is a promise to send down the angels in all the battles after the Badr, like Uḥud, Ḥunayn and the Confederates. But the wording of the verse does not agree with it.
As for Uḥud, there is obviously nothing in the verses that might allude to coming of the angels on that day. So far as the battles of the Confederates and Ḥunayn are concerned, the Qur’an, of course, says [in other places] that the angels were sent on those days: It says about the battle of the Confederates: … when there came down upon you hosts, so We sent against them a strong wind and hosts that you saw not … []. And it says about the day of Ḥunayn: … and on the day of Ḥunayn … and sent down hosts which you did not see … []. Nevertheless, the wording of the verse under discussion, ‘‘Yea! if you remain patient and are on your guard (against evil) and they come upon you in a headlong manner’’, does not show any general promise.
There is no conflict between this verse which speaks of three thousand angels being sent down at Badr, and the statement of the chapter of al-Anfāl, which says: … so He answered you: ‘‘I will assist you with a thousand of angels following (after others)’’ []. The word, ‘‘following’’, indicates that they would follow others—the ‘‘others’’ referring to the remaining two thousand who would complete the number promised in this verse.
وَمَا جَعَلَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَّا بُشْرَىٰ لَكُمْ وَلِتَطْمَئِنَّ قُلُوبُكُمْ بِهِ ۗ وَمَا النَّصْرُ إِلَّا مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ الْعَزِيزِ الْحَكِيمِ ١٢٦
(3:126) And Allah did not make it but as good news for you, and that your hearts might be at ease thereby, and help is only from Allah, the Mighty, the Wise.
The pronoun ‘‘it’’ refers to the help. ʿInd (near) is an adverb of place, indicating presence. Initially it was used for nearness and presence in place; obviously it was reserved for physical things. Then its circle widened and it was used for nearness in time. Finally it was used for general, and even spiritual, nearness. The Qur’an has used it in various connotations.
The theme of the statement, ‘‘and help is only from God, the Mighty, the Wise’’, when seen in conjunction with the preceding words, ‘‘And God did not make it but as good news for you, and that your hearts might be at ease thereby’’, implies that the phrase, min ʿind allāh (lit: from near God) refers to that ‘‘station’’ of Lordship which every affair and every order emanates from; and without which nothing can suffice, nor can any cause be independent of it. The meaning therefore is as follows: The helper angels have in fact no concern with the promised help; they are merely apparent causes—they bring to you good news and satisfaction of heart. The reality of help is from God, nothing can suffice from Him; He is God, the final destination of everything; the Mighty Who cannot be subdued, the Wise Who is not unaware of anything.
لِيَقْطَعَ طَرَفًا مِنَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا أَوْ يَكْبِتَهُمْ فَيَنْقَلِبُوا خَائِبِينَ ١٢٧ لَيْسَ لَكَ مِنَ الْأَمْرِ شَيْءٌ أَوْ يَتُوبَ عَلَيْهِمْ أَوْ يُعَذِّبَهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ ظَالِمُونَ١٢٨ وَلِلَّهِ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ ۚ يَغْفِرُ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ وَيُعَذِّبُ مَنْ يَشَاءُ ۚ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ ١٢٩
(3:127-129) That He may cut off a portion from among those who disbelieve, or abase them so that they should return disappointed of attaining what they desired. You have no concern in the affair whether He turns to them (mercifully) or chastises them, for surely they are unjust. And whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth is Allah’s; He forgives whom He pleases and chastises whom He pleases; and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
‘‘That’’ is related to the verb, ‘‘And God did certainly assist you at Badr.’’ [He assisted you so that He may cut off].
‘‘Cutting off a portion’’ metaphorically means decreasing their number and debilitating them with slaying and imprisoning, as had happened at Badr where seventy idol worshippers were killed and seventy arrested. al-Kabt means to abase, to exasperate.
The clause, ‘‘You have no concern in the affair’’, is a parenthetic one. It emphasizes the proposition that the authority of cutting off a portion from, or abasing them, is entirely in the hand of God; the Prophet has no concern in this matter—that they should praise and acclaim him if they vanquished and defeated their enemy, and should blame him and remonstrate with him if things went against them; they should not be infirm and grieving, as they had done on the day of Uḥud—as God has narrated.
The next clause, ‘‘whether He turns to them (mercifully) or chastises them’’, is in conjunction with the preceding, ‘‘That He may cut off …’’, and the sentence is continuing. The next verse, ‘‘And whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth is God’s’’, is explicative clause describing why the matter of repentance and forgiveness rests exclusively in the hand of God. The meaning is as follows: The sound arrangement [at Badr] were made by God in order that He might cut off a portion of the polytheists through slaughter and imprisonment, or abase them and disappoint them of attaining what they had desired, or that He might turn to them mercifully or chastise them. As for the cutting off a portion of them and abasing them, it is because all affairs are in His hands, you have no concern in it, (so they should neither praise nor blame you in this affair); and as for repentance and forgiveness, it is because God is the Owner of everything, He forgives whom He pleases and chastises whom He pleases. Even then, His forgiveness and mercy surpasses His chastisement and anger, because He is Forgiving, Merciful.
We have treated the sentence, ‘‘And whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth is God’s’’, as explaining the reason for the preceding two clauses (whether He turns to them [mercifully] or chastises them), because the concluding clauses specifically explain this matter: ‘‘He forgives whom He pleases and chastises whom He pleases.’’
The exegetes have described other ways to show the connection of the words, ‘‘That He may cut off a portion …’’, and the significance of conjunction in the words, ‘‘whether He turns to them or chastises them’’; also, they have given other justifications for the words, ‘‘You have no concern in the affair’’, and for the sentence, ‘‘And whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth is God’s.’’ We have ignored them as there was no use of commenting upon them, because they go against the apparent meanings and the context of the verses. Anyone wanting to see them should consult other bigger commentaries.
Examining Narrations
- al-Ṣādiq said: ‘‘The cause of the battle of Uḥud was as follows: When the Quraysh returned from Badr to Mecca—and it had befallen to them from slaughter and imprisonment what had befallen, because seventy of them were killed and seventy imprisoned—Abū Sufyān said: ‘O people of Quraysh! Do not let your women weep on your dead, because if tear is shed, it would remove the grief and (lessen) the hatred of Muḥammad.’ And when they fought the Messenger of God on the day of Uḥud, they allowed their women to weep and lament; and they proceeded from Mecca with three thousand horses and two thousand foot [soldiers] and brought their women with them.
‘‘When the news reached the Messenger of God, he gathered his companions and exhorted them to fight. ʿAbdullāh b. Ubayy b. Salūl said: ‘O Messenger of God! Do not go out of Medina, so that we fight in its alleys; thus even a weak man, a woman, a slave-boy and a slave-girl would fight on the entrances of the lanes and on the roofs; because never did any people (who attacked us) defeat us when we were within our fortresses and homes; and never did we go out to meet an enemy of ours but they vanquished us.’
‘‘Then Saʿd b. Muʿādh and others from the tribe of Aws stood up and said: ‘O Messenger of God! Never did anyone from the Arabs have any ambition against us while we were polytheist worshipping idols; how can they then be emboldened against us and you are among us? No: (we shall not rest) until we go out to them and fight them; whoever then among us will be killed shall be a martyr, and whoever among us is saved will have fought in the way of God.’
‘‘So, the Messenger of God accepted his advice and came out with a group of his companions, fixing their places at the battle-ground; as God says: And when you did go forth early in the morning from your family but ʿAbdullāh b. Ubayy b. Salūl and a group of Khazraj who followed his opinion, held back from [the Prophet].
‘‘The Quraysh appeared at Uḥud. The Messenger of God had positioned his companions—they were seven hundred men—and lodged ʿAbdullāh b. Jubayr with fifty archers at the mouth of the mountain-pass; [the Prophet] was worried that the [enemy] might ambush from that side. Therefore, he said to ʿAbdullāh b. Jubayr and his companions: ‘If you see that we have defeated them until we have pushed them inside Mecca, you should not leave this place; and if you see that they have overcome us until they have pushed us into Medina, you should not leave [here], but stick to your posts.
‘‘Abū Sufyān hid khālid b. Walīd with two hundred horses with this [very idea of] ambush, and said to him: ‘When you see that we [two forces] have mixed together, you come over to them from this mountain-pass, so that you will be [attacking them from] behind them.’
‘‘The Messenger of God mobilized his companions; and gave the standard to the Commander of the faithful (ʿAlī). The Helpers attacked the polytheists of the Quraysh, and [the enemy] suffered an ignominious defeat. The companions of the Messenger of God laid hold of the masses of the [Quraysh]. Khālid b. Walīd came with his two hundred horse over ʿAbdullāh b. Jubayr; but they confronted them with arrows, and Khālid retreated. The group of ʿAbdullāh b. Jubayr saw the companions of the Messenger of God looting the masses of the enemy; they said to ʿAbdullāh b. Jubayr: ‘Our companions are taking away (all) the booty; should we remain without any booty?’ ʿAbdullāh told them: ‘Fear God, because the Messenger of God had indeed directed us not to leave our post.’ But they did not listen to him, and began slinking away one by one, until they left their station unattended, and ʿAbdullāh b. Jubayr was left there with (only) twelve men.
‘‘The standard of the Quraysh was in the hand of Ṭalḥah b. Abī Ṭalḥah al-ʿAbdī (from Banū ʿAbd al-Dār); ʿAlī killed him; then Abū Saʿīd b. Abī Ṭalḥah took the standard and ʿAlī killed him. The standard fell down. Then Musāfiʿ b. Abī Ṭalḥah took it but ʿAlī killed him too—until he killed nine people from Banū ʿAbd al-Dār. Finally their standard was taken up by a black-slave of theirs, Ṣawāb by name. ʿAlī reached him and cut off his right hand; he took the standard in his left hand; ʿAlī struck at it and cut it off too, but he embraced it to his chest with his two amputated hands. Then he turned towards Abū Sufyān and said: ‘Have I absolved Banū ʿAbd al-Dār from blame?’ Then ʿAlī struck at his head and killed him. The standard fell down; then Ghamrah bint ʿAlqamah al-Kināniyyah took and raised it.
‘‘Khālid b. Walīd came down to ʿAbdullāh b. Jubayr—and his companions had fled leaving him with a few persons. [Khālid] killed [all of] them at the mouth of the pass, and then attacked the Muslims from behind. Quraysh were fleeing away when they saw their standard raised again, and they gathered around it, and the companions of the Messenger of God suffered utter defeat. They started climbing the mountains helter-skelter.
‘‘When the Messenger of God saw the rout, he removed the helmet from his head and called (them, saying): ‘Come to me; I am the Messenger of God; come to me; where are you running away from God and His Apostle?’ Hind bint ʿUtbah was in the middle of the (Quraysh’s) army; whenever any Qurayshite fled, she offered him a kohl-stick and a kohl-container, telling him: ‘You are but a woman, better use this kohl.’
‘‘Ḥamzah b. ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib was attacking the enemy. When they saw him, they fled; none stood against him. Hind had promised Waḥshī that if he killed Muḥammad or ʿAlī or Ḥamzah, she would give him so-and-so much. (Waḥshī was an Ethiopian slave of Jubayr b. Muṭʿim.) Waḥshī said: ‘As for Muḥammad, I was unable (to harm) him; and as for ʿAlī, I found him on his guard, always looking (all around him), so there was no hope of getting at him; therefore, I decided to ambush Ḥamzah. I saw him knocking the people down, destroying them. Then he passed by me, stepped on an undercut bank of a stream and fell down; I took my spear, shook it (taking aim) and threw it to him; it pierced his waist and came out between his legs (pubic region); then I went to him, ripped his stomach open, took out his liver and brought it to Hind; I said to her, ‘‘This is Ḥamzah’s liver.’’ She put it into her mouth trying to chew it. But God made it in her mouth like a knee-cap, so she took it out and threw it.’ The Messenger of God said: ‘God sent an angel who took it and returned it to its place.’) Waḥshī said: ‘Then I came(back) to him, and I cut his genitals, removed his ears and amputated his hands and legs.’
‘‘There remained no one with the Messenger of God except Abū Dujānah Simāk b. Kharashah and ʿAlī. Whenever any group attacked the Messenger of God, ʿAlī faced them and repulsed them; (it continued) until his sword was broken; then the Messenger of God gave him his sword, Dhu al-Fiqār. The Messenger of God retired to a side of Uḥud and stood there; and ʿAlī continued fighting them so (valiantly) that he had got seventy wounds on his head, face, body, belly and legs—as narrated by ʿAlī b. Abraham in his al-Tafsīr. Thereupon, Gabriel said: ‘Verily, this is indeed the support, O Muḥammad!’ Muḥammad replied; ‘Surely he is from me and I am from him.’ Gabriel said: ‘And I am from you two.’ ’’
- Abū ʿAbdillāh said: ‘‘The Messenger of God looked at Gabriel (sitting) on a golden chair between the heaven and the earth, and he was saying: ‘There is no sword except Dhu al-Fiqār, and there is no hero except ʿAlī.’ ’’ (Majmaʿ al-bayān)
- al-Qummī narrates: ‘‘There (also) remained with the Messenger of God Nasībah bint Kaʿb al-Māziniyyah—and she used to go with the Messenger of God in his battles to treat the wounded—and her son was with her. He wanted to retreat and go back (to Medina); but she attacked him and said: ‘O my son, where are you fleeing from God and His Messenger?’ Thus she made him come back. Then a man attacked and killed him,. Thereupon, she took her son’s sword and attacked that man, and striking at his thigh she killed him. The Messenger of God said (to her): ‘May God bless you, O Nasībah.’ She was protecting the Messenger of God with her chest until she was extensively wounded.
‘‘Ibn Qamīʾah attacked the Messenger of God; and he had said: ‘Show me Muḥammad. May I be damned if he gets away (from me).’
Then he hit [the Messenger of God] on his shoulder and cried: ‘I have killed Muḥammad, by al-Lāt and al-ʿUzzā.’ ’’ (al-Tafsīr)
Author’s comments: There are some other traditions about the events of Uḥud, some of them disagree with this one in some details. For example:
(a) This tradition gives the number of the polytheists as five thousand, while most of the traditions say three thousand.
(b) It says that it was ʿAlī who killed all the nine standard-bearers of the enemy. Other traditions support it; and Ibn al-Athīr has narrated it in his history, al-nil, from Abū Rāfiʿ. But another group of narrations attributes slaying of some of them to some others. But meditation on these events supports what the present tradition says.
(c) It says that it was Hind who made a covenant with Waḥshī regarding the murder of Ḥamzah. Some Sunnī narrations say that it was not Hind but Waḥshī’s master, Jubayr b. Muṭʿim, who had entrusted this task to Waḥshī, promising to emancipate him on his slaying Ḥamzah. But the fact that Waḥshī had taken Ḥamzah’s liver, not to Jubayr, but to Hind, supports the present tradition.
(d) This tradition says that all Muslims had fled away, except ʿAlī and Abū Dujānah. It is agreed upon by almost all traditions. But some other narrations add some more names, and if you add all the names it would appear that there had remained about thirty persons with the Messenger of God. But those traditions cancel each other. If you ponder on the events and the circumstantial evidence, the truth will become clear to you. You should not forget that these stories and traditions are a sort of witness for various tendencies—for and against—and have passed through many bright and dark strata before reaching us.
(e) This tradition says that God sent an angel who returned Ḥamzah’s liver to its place. This statement is not found in most of the traditions. A different version is found in some other narrations. For example, (the author of) al-Durr al-manthūr, narrates from Ibn Abī Shaybah, Aḥmad and Ibn al-Mundhir from Ibn Masʿūd, inter alia, in a hadith that he said:
‘‘Then Abū Sufyān said: ‘There was some mutilation of the people [that is, of Muslim martyrs], although it was not done by the majority of us. Neither I ordered it nor forbade it; neither I liked it nor disliked it; neither it pleased me nor displeased me.’ ’’ [Ibn Masūd] said:
‘‘Then they looked, and there was Ḥamzah with his belly ripped open. Hind took his liver and chewed it, but she could not eat it. The Messenger of God asked: ‘Did she eat any part of it?’ They said: ‘No.’ [The Messenger of God] said: ‘God could not allow any part of Ḥamzah to enter the Fire.’ ’’
Traditions, both ours and others’, say that the Messenger of God was seriously wounded that day; there was skull fracture in his forehead, and his incisors were broken and middle incisor damaged …
- Ibn Isḥāq, ʿAbd b. Ḥamīd, Ibn Jarīr and Ibn al-Mundhir narrate from Ibn Shahāb, Muḥammad b. Yaḥyā b. Ḥayyān, ʿĀṣim b. ʿAmr b. Qatādah and al-Ḥaṣīn b. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān b. ʿAmr b. Saʿd b. Muʿādh and others—all have narrated some of the events of the battle of Uḥud: They have said: ‘‘When Quraysh suffered on the day of Badr, and the scattered remnants of their army reached Mecca, and Abū Sufyān too returned with his trade-caravan, then ʿAbdullāh b. Abī Rabīʿah, ʿIkrimah b. Abī Jahl and Ṣafwān b. Umayyah together with some other Qurayshites (whose fathers, sons and/or brothers were killed in Badr), went to him. They talked with Abū Sufyān and all those who had any trade-goods in that caravan and suggested [as follows]: ‘O people of Quraysh, surely Muḥammad has aggrieved you and killed your best personalities. Therefore, help us with this wealth to fight against him, in order that we may take revenge of our casualties from him.’ They did so. Then the Quraysh resolved to fight the Messenger of God, and came out with the flower of their army. They also took their women with them for their protection and also in order that they would not flee (from the battle-ground). Abū Sufyān came out at the head of the army. They proceeded until they came down at ʿAynayn—a mountain in the depth of al-Sanjah on a canal in the valley adjoining Medina.
‘‘When the Messenger of God and the Muslims heard about the polytheists that they had come down where they did, the Messenger of God said: ‘I have seen (in dream) a cow slaughtered, and saw the tip of my sword jagged, and saw that I had put my hand in an invulnerable coat of mail, and I interpreted it (to mean) Medina. Therefore, if you think (it advisable), you should stay inside Medina and leave them where they have come down; then if they stayed (there) they would be staying in the worst place, and if they entered [our City] we should fight them in it.’
‘‘The Quraysh occupied their position at Uḥud on Wednesday, and stayed there on Thursday and Friday. The Messenger of God proceeded after praying the Friday-prayer and reached the mountain-pass of the Uḥud. The two [forces] met on Saturday, 15th Shawwal, the third year [of hijrah].
‘ʿAbdullāh b. Ubayy agreed with the opinion of the Messenger of God that they should not go out to meet the enemy; and the Messenger of God disliked going out of Medina. But some Muslims—some from among those whom God later honored with martyrdom in Uḥud, and some others who had missed the battle of Badr and were not present on that occasion—said: ‘O Messenger of God, come out with us against our enemies, so that they should not think that we were afraid of them or felt weaker.’ ʿAbdullāh b. Ubayy said: ‘O Messenger of God, stay inside Medina and do not go out to meet them. Because, by God, we never went out of it to meet an enemy of us but he bested us, and never did an enemy enter Medina to fight us but we vanquished them. Therefore, let them be, O Messenger of God; then if they stayed they would stay with difficulty; and if they entered [the City] even the women, children and men would fight them with stones from above [the roofs]; and if they returned, they would return disappointed as they had come.’
‘‘But the people were still urging the Messenger of God [to proceed out of Medina]—these were the people who wanted to fight against the enemy. [This continued] until the Messenger of God entered [his house] and wore his cuirasses—and it was on Friday after the prayer—then he came out to [the companions]. In the meantime the people regretted [their persistence] and said [to the Prophet]: ‘We have compelled the Messenger of God and it was not good of us. Therefore you may sit back if you wish.’ The Messenger of God said: ‘It is not proper for a prophet—once he has put on his cuirasses—to remove them without waging the war.’
‘‘The Messenger of God came out with one thousand of his companions. When they were proceeding between Medina and Uḥud, ʿAbdullāh b. Ubayy went back with one-third of the people, [leaving the Prophet]. The Messenger of God proceeded on. When he was passing through the story-field of Banū Ḥārithah, a horse whisked its tail which caught the sword-tip [of the rider] and pulled it out. The Messenger of God (who liked good omens but did not believe in bad ones) said to the owner of the sword: ‘Gather your sword, because I find that swords will surely be drawn today.’ The Messenger of God went on until he came down at the mountain-pass of the Uḥud from the run of the valley to the mountain. He kept Uḥud at his back, and took position for the battle—and there were seven hundred persons with him.
‘‘The Messenger of God gave the command of the archers—and they were fifty in number—to ʿAbdullāh b. Jubayr, and said to him: ‘Protect us from the mountain [side] by arrow, so that they do not come to us from our behind; you stay at your place, no matter the battle goes against us or for us; [because] we shall be attacked from your side.’ The Messenger of God was wearing two coats of mail.’’ (al-Durr al-manthūr)
Ibn Jarīr narrates from al-Suddī in a hadith, enter alia: ‘‘The Messenger of God proceeded to Uḥud with one thousand men. He had promised them victory if they would remain patient. Then ʿAbdullāh b. Ubayy returned back with three hundred persons. Abū Jābir al-Salamī pursued them to call them back; but they thwarted his efforts and said to him: ‘We do not know how to fight; and if you listen to us you too should come back [to Medina] with us.’ ’’ (ibid.)
al-Suddī said about the words: When two parties from among you had determined that they should show cowardice: ‘‘They were Banū Salmah and Banū Ḥārithah who wanted to return when ʿAbdullāh b. Ubayy went back, but God protected them; and the Messenger of God remained with seven hundred men.’’ (ibid.)
Author’s comments: These were two clans from among the Helpers: Banū Salmah from the Khazraj and Banū Ḥārithah from the Aws.
- Ibn Abī Isḥāq, al-Suddī, al-Wāqidī, Ibn Jarīr and others have narrated: ‘‘The polytheists reached Uḥud on Wednesday in Shawwāl, 3 A.H., and the Messenger of God proceeded to meet them on Friday; and the battle took place on Saturday, 15th Shawwāl. The incisors of the Messenger of God were broken and his face was wounded. Then the Emigrants and the Helpers returned after fleeing away; and seventy of the Muslims were martyred. The Messenger of God stood firm accompanied by those who had remained with him until he removed [the enemies]. The polytheists had mutilated a group [of martyrs], but Ḥamzah was mutilated worst of all.’’ (Majmaʿ al-bayān)
Author’s comments: There is a great number of traditions about the events of Uḥud. We have narrated, and shall narrate later, only a few of them, on which depends understanding of the verses revealed on this subject. These verses throw light on its various aspects:
Some deal with the cowardice of those who retreated or disagreed with each other or wanted to return to Medina cowardly.
Others admonish and censure those who had fled leaving the Messenger of God in the thick of the battle—although God had forbidden them to do so.
Still others praise those who were martyred before the others had fled, and those who bravely stood firm and did not leave the Prophet, and continued to fight till their last breath.
Lastly, there are verses extolling those who steadfastly continued to fight till the end of the battle but were not martyred.