The Last Prophet of Allah
by Ghulam Nabi Muslim
The Battle of Uhud
The Quraish were defeated in the Battle of Badr. This made them furious and they swore to take revenge. They raised funds and collected a strong army of three thousand brave warriors. They marched towards Madina. This time even the women went with them. They encouraged their men to avenge those who had been killed at Badr.
The Prophet could collect only seven hundred men. This time the battle was fought near the mountain of Uhud, which is only three miles from Madina. The fight began. It was really a great battle. The Muslims fought so bravely that the Meccans had to retreat. The Prophet had left some men to guard a pass. They thought that the enemy was defeated and so they left the place without permission. No one was left to guard the rear of the Muslim army. The great general, Khaild bin Walid, who afterwards conquered Persia and Syria for Islam, was not yet a Muslim. He was with the Quraish. He noticed the mistake. He returned with his men and attacked the Muslims from behind. The Muslims were caught unaware. Many of them were killed. Hamza, the brave uncle of the Prophet, was also slain. Even the Prophet himself was badly wounded and fell senseless into a pit. By that time some Muslims had rallied round the Prophet and fought bravely. The Quraish ran away at last. The Muslims pursued them lest they should return.
Though the Quraish were defeated, yet the Muslims suffered a great loss. Seventy brave and pious servants of Allah were killed in the fight. The Quraish women were mean and cruel. They cut ears, cheeks and noses of the dead and made garlands for themselves. Hinda, the wife of the Meccan commander Abu Sufyan, cut the liver of Hamza and chewed it. Such were the enemies of the Prophet before they accepted Islam.