Chapter 43 : The Battle of Uhud II - Preparations Flashcards
The Birth of Imam Al Hasan [ 2nd Imam ]
- Al Tabari [ Sunni Scholar ] reports :-
” In The 3 AH, In the middle of the month of Ramadhan, Al Hasan, The son of Ali Ibn Abi Talib was born. “
- Shaykh Al Mufid [ Shia Scholar ] reports the same in Kitab Al Irshad whereby he reports a narration from Imam Al Sadiq :-
” The first child to be born from Imam Ali and Fatima Al Zahra was Imam Al Hasan and the birth took place in the middle of the month of Ramadhan. “
- Shaykh Al Tusi in his book Al Amali reports a detailed narration about the birth of Imam Al Hasan [ Chain of Narration is from Imam Zayn Al Abidin ( 4th Imam ) who reports from Asma Bint Umays ( She was assisting Fatima Al Zahra in delivering the child ) ] :-
” When Fatima Al Zahra became pregnant and when she gave birth to Imam Hasan, The Prophet received news of the birth and then arrived at the home of Fatima Al Zahra and said to me ( Asma ) ‘ Give me my son ‘. Imam Hasan was enshrouded in a Yellow Cloth. The Prophet removed it and emphasized that the child should be covered in a White Cloth. The Prophet recites Azan in The Right Ear and The Aqamah in The Left Ear. The Prophet turns to Ali and asks ‘ What name have you given to my son ? ‘ Ali says ‘ O Messenger of God, I would never name him without consulting with you first. ‘ The Prophet says ‘ I too would not name him before my Lord, Glory be to Him. ‘ At that moment, Allah revealed to Gabriel ‘ A son was born to Muhammad therefore descend and give him My Blessings and congratulate him and say to him surely Ali is to you as Harun was to Musa [ Except that there is No Prophet after Muhammad ] so give him [ The Newborn Baby ] the name of Harun’s Son. ‘ When Gabriel revealed the message to The Prophet, The Prophet asked ‘ What was Harun’s son’s name ? ‘ Gabriel said ‘ Shubbar. ‘ The Prophet then said ‘ My tongue is Arabic. ‘ Gabriel said ‘ Name him Al Hasan. ‘ “
Factors Leading to The Battle of Uhud
1) Revenge For The Battle of Badr
2) The Prophet’s Message undermined The Ancestors of The Quraysh [ The Prophet Preached That The Bonds of Faith Supersede The Bonds of Tribes. To The Quraysh, The Message of Islam Insulted Their Forefathers ]
3) The Muslims had blocked all Trading Routes to Syria [ Makkah Depends On Trades Hence The Need For The Quraysh To Fight The Muslim’s To Get Back Their Trading Route’s ]
4) Islam was spreading and there was a need to halt it’s expansion [ The Quraysh Thought They Need To Stop The Political Influence Of The Prophet
- Thus, The Quraysh opted for war due to :-
1) Revenge
2) Religious Threat
3) Economic Threat
4) Political Threat
Abu Sufyan’s Retaliation
- Ibn Ishaq reports that Abu Sufyan had been preparing for retaliation against Muslims immediately after The Battle of Badr
- Abu Sufyan took with him Safwan Ibn Umayyah and Ikrimah Ibn Abi Jahal [ Both had lost their Fathers ] and knocked on every single door of The Quraysh’s Household that contributed to The Caravan of Badr [ Which The Muslims wanted to attack ] and told them to return the profits they got from The Caravan
- Abu Sufyan did this to gather enough funds to start another war with The Muslims
- This is alluded in The Quran :-
” Those who reject their faith spend their wealth to hinder people from the way of Allah. They will spend it, Then regret, Then be overcome. And those who reject their faith shall be gathered in Hell. “
Al Quran [ 8 : 36 ]
The Quraysh Calls For Reinforcements
- The Quraysh realizes that they need reinforcements so they approach some of the neighbouring tribes who had a vested interest in restoring The Trading Routes that had been blocked off by The Muslims
- They reached out to The Major Tribes such as Banu Kinana and Banu Tihama
- Abu Sufyan managed to assemble an army of 3,000 Men and 200 Horses and heads North to Madinah
- Hind Bint Utba [ Lost her Father and her Brother’s during The Battle of Badr ] also accompanies the army and promised Wahshi [ An Ethiopian Slave ] his freedom if he kills either The Prophet, Imam Ali or Hamza in battle
- Wahshi replies :-
” I cannot kill Muhammad because his companions surround him. I cannot kill Ali because he is very alert. I may kill Hamza because anger makes him see nothing. “
- Hind was not the only woman to accompany the army, narrations mention that around 20 - 30 women of The Quraysh also participated
- The women typically offer moral support in the form of poetry and their presence would often deter men from displaying weakness in the battlefield
- The Quraysh were led by :-
1) Abu Sufyan - The Main Leader
2) Khalid Ibn Al Walid - Leader on The Right Flank
3) Ikrimah Ibn Abi Jahal - Leader on The Left Flank
Al Abbas Ibn Abdul Muttalib after The Battle of Badr
- Al Abbas Ibn Abdul Muttalib converted after The Battle of Badr but it seems that he did not publicize his conversion to Islam
- Thus, after The Battle of Badr, he returned to Makkah as an undercover convert
- It is likely that The Prophet wanted him to return to Makkah so he could serve as The Prophet’s eyes and ears on The Quraysh from within Makkah
- Immediately after The Quraysh’s Army leaves, Al Abbas sent a trusted servant to The Prophet and gave all the details about the army
- The servant rushed to Madinah to deliver the news [ Narrations mentions that the trip took only 3 days ]
- The servant finds The Prophet in Quba which is located a few Kilometers outside of Madinah and delivers the letter to The Prophet
- The Prophet tells Ubay Ibn Ka’b to read the letter who tells The Prophet all the details
- The Prophet tells Ubay to keep the information confidential
- The Prophet immediately rushed back to Madinah and speaks to the leaders of The Ansar
- Narrations also note that he sends out spies to check on The Quraysh before disclosing the information to the rest of the Muslim Community
- Notice how cautious The Prophet is when dealing with sensitive information that could lead to war
- He shows how essential it is to verify information regarding security
The Reconnaissance Team
- The Reconnaissance Team ventures out and actually sees the massive army
- They report back to The Prophet that The Quraysh is approximately a 2 day journey away from Madinah
- So probably around 11th Shawal, The Prophet confirms that The Quraysh are close by
- The Prophet has about 48 hours to prepare for what seems to be an inevitable military confrontation
- He summons the entire Muslim Community to deliberate and explore their options
- It is important to note that The Prophet first consulted with the Leaders of The Ansar and then called for a General Meeting
- The Prophet first told the core group around him to get their counsel and then he opens the door for a communal dialogue
- The Prophet is transparent about the information he has received
- He suggests that they remain in Madinah to take advantage of the natural protection provided by the landscape [ Madinah was Naturally Fortified ]
- Interestingly, Abdullah Ibn Ubayy Ibn Salul agreed [ Not because he appreciated The Prophet but because it was simply the better Military Strategy ]
- However, there was a group of younger companions who were adamant about meeting The Quraysh and fighting them outside Madinah [ They felt that remaining in Madinah made them look cowardly ]
- Many of these youth missed on The Battle of Badr and so were enthusiastic about fighting
- These youth continued pressuring The Prophet to go out and meet The Quraysh on the battlefield while many of the senior companions remained silent
- When The Prophet felt that the majority were more keen on going and fighting The Quryash, The Prophet went inside his home to wear his armour
- As soon as The Prophet went inside, some of the older companions rebuked [ Expressed Disapproval ] the younger companions for being overzealous and rash
- Some of the younger companions felt very embarrassed for disagreeing with The Prophet’s suggestion so they sent in Hamza Ibn Abdul Muttalib to The Prophet’s House to tell him that they have changed their minds
- Hamza entered and The Prophet had already put on his armour
- He relayed the message of the younger companions to which The Prophet said :-
” It is not befitting once a Prophet has worn is armour that he takes it off until he fights the enemy. “
Practical Lessons learned in this Chapter
1) The importance of Consultative Leadership. Any good leader knowns that you need the people behind you and you cannot just impose your will on them. Imam Ali has said :-
” Seeking to consult someone [ In One’s Affairs ] is guidance in itself and the one who suffices himself with his own opinion endangers himself. “
2) Appreciate the wisdom of elders
3) Youth have a tendency to be overzealous. This passion and energy is positive if guided. Historically, it was the youth who supported The Mission of The Prophet’s
4) There are certain Islamic Rulings that only apply to The Prophet. In this case, The Prophet stating that he cannot remove his armour is one of those rulings. Other examples includes :-
i) The Night Prayer
ii) Permissibility of Marrying > 4 Wives
5) The younger companions were not blamed even though the choice to go out and meet The Quraysh was not the best option. As a Leader, when you make up your mind and make a decisive decision, you should not caste blame on others
” Thus it is due to mercy from Allah that you are lenient to them and had you been rough, hard hearted, they would certainly have dispersed from around you. Pardon them therefore and ask forgiveness for them and take counsel with them in the affair but when you have decided then place your trust in Allah. Surely Allah loves those who trust [ In Him ]. If Allah assists you then there is none that can overcome you and if He forsakes you, who is there then that can assist you after Him ? And on Allah should the believers rely. “
Al Quran [ 3 : 159 - 160 ]
6) Ibn Ishaq tells us that The Prophet used to wear 2 Suits of Armour. This highlights that Trusting Allah [ Tawakkul ] does not mean that one acts foolishly. You must prepare with everything at your disposal and then place your trust in Allah.
” Prepare against them [ wa a’iddu lahum ] what force [ quwwatin ] you can and horses tethered [ ribat al-khayl ] to frighten thereby [ tarhabuna bihi ] the enemy of Allah and your enemy and others beside them whom you do not know. Allah knows them. Whatever you spend in Allah’s way will be paid back to you fully and you shall not be treated unjustly. “
Al Quran [ 8 : 60 ]
