The Year of Grief
The year 619CE was a year of deep grief for Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. A few months after
the lifting of the ban, his beloved wife Hazrat Khadijah رضي الله عنهاpassed away.
She had been a blessing for the Prophet ﷺfor twenty-five years, she had comforted
him and believed in his prophethood when he himself was not sure of his calling.
She had been his wife, companion, friend, and counsellor, and the mother of his
children. It was soon after Hazrat Khadijah’s رضي الله عنهاpassing away that
Prophet Muhammad’s uncle, Abu Talib, fell ill. The clan leaders now renewed
hostilities and asked him if he could arrange a compromise between his nephew and
their leaders. They asked that he, Hazrat Muhammad ﷺ, should let them be and they
would let him be. The Prophet ﷺstood firm in what he believed to be true and
would not compromise over the Quraysh's wish that he should accept that there is no
god but Allah, and renounce all worship apart from Him. The meeting failed and
broke up soon afterwards. Abu Talib passed away. With his death, the leadership of
the Banu Hashim passed on to Abu Lahab, who was one of the Prophet’s ﷺmost
violent opponents.
The Prophet’s ﷺVisit to Taif
The persecutions against the Holy Prophet ﷺ, after the death of his protector Abu
Talib, were relentless. Dust and sword were thrown at him as he went about Makkah
with his mission. People lay in wait for him outside his house to throw abuse and
stone him as he walked past. His Companions رضي الله عنهمwere subjected to the
worst kinds of torture and punishments. He was insulted and called names. When the
Prophet ﷺheard of a tribe that lived in the valley of Taif, he decided to go
there and present Islam to them. The shrine of al-Lat stood near the centre of
Taif, and people from the whole of Arabia visited it. He hoped that this tribe
might be more receptive than the Quraysh. So the Prophet ﷺmade his way to Taif
and spoke to the three leaders of the tribe. Instead of listening to him, they
began to chase him away. The rowdies and slaves of the tribe were set upon him and
he was wounded and bled so much that his shoes were soaked in blood. This rejection
and treatment from the people of Taif was a very sad and humiliating experience for
the Prophet ﷺ, and this was the most traumatic incident in his life until then.
The Prophet ﷺhad only asked for shelter, food, and a chance to speak of Islam.
But he was mocked and refused. When he returned, he turned to the Quraysh like the
Prophet ﷺ, indignant at how one of their own had been so treated, and this gave
the Prophet ﷺthe chance to re-enter Makkah in peace.
Not wanting to go back to Makkah to the same conditions, which had made him leave
two days ago, the Prophet ﷺtried to seek the protection of many influential men.
The Battle of Uhud
Abu Sufyan’s wife Hind purchased a slave, Wahshi, who was a renowned marksman and
promised him his freedom if he killed Hamzah رضي الله عنهwho had killed her father
and brother in the Battle of Badr. The Jewish poet Ka’b was hired by Abu Sufyan to
compose poetry ridiculing the Prophet ﷺand instigating the clans to oppose him.
The planning and preparations for battle were in progress, but what really angered
the Muslims was to confront the Muslims with the appearance of a coat of arms taken
off a martyr in Badr by Zayd, the Prophet’s ﷺadopted son.
When Prophet Muhammad ﷺwas informed of the imminent Makkah attack in a letter
sent to him from Makkah by his uncle Abbas, signed it, he warily armed Makkah army
of more than 3,000 soldiers was being dispatched shortly to wage war against the
Muslims tribe.
A council of war was called by the Prophet ﷺin the new year of 625, to devise
plans to confront the Makkah army. The main question faced was whether to fight in
Madinah or to face the formidable Makkans from out of the town. The older and wiser
Companions رضي الله عنهمwere better defined the town with the more militarily
inexperienced youth who took the might outside the city limits as victory was a
guarantee. This included Hazrat Hamzah رضي الله عنه. The Prophet ﷺdecided to go
with the majority and fought in the battlefield. The Prophet ﷺwished the city be
defended as a fortress like those of the Jews. The mighty number of Quraysh made
the Muslims retreat to a low rise in Badr. The Prophet ﷺresolved this dilemma by
allowing Ibn Ubayy to stay behind with his three hundred men, where he was himself
unsure of the integrity of the Muslim warriors designed to occupy the slopes of
Uhud then gradually descend. Khalid ibn Waleed and his forces slipped through a gap
and routed the Muslims.
Wars with Makkah
The Battle of Badr, 624
The Prophet’s ﷺwar with Makkah was for one reason only: struggle for the survival
of Allah’s word. The migration of Prophet Muhammad ﷺand the Muslims to Madinah
had turned the Makkans more hostile and they continued to send spies to Madinah,
destroying the first truce and inciting other enemies to attack them.
The Prophet ﷺknew that one weakness of the Quraysh was their caravan trade, and
if he could block that trade they would be forced to make peace with him. Having
been a Makkan trader himself, he knew the routes they would take, the hauls they
would risk, and the goods to fight in emergencies. After Hijra, the Muslims were
given permission to strike when provoked, as revealed in Surah Hajj, verse 39:
“Permission to fight is given unto those who fight because they have been wronged;
and Allah is able to give them victory.”
The first few attempts to tackle the Makkans met with little success but by 624,
the Muslims were better prepared. As Prophet Muhammad ﷺkept up the pressure, the
Quraysh sent their caravans away. The Muslims had spies who sent information from
inside Makkah. One valuable cargo with Abu Sufyan in Makkah’s caravan route gave
them prior signs of war.
Abu Sufyan was also worried about the loss he was taking and had to change his
route to avoid the danger of the Muslims presence. He sent messages back to Makkah
asking for an urgent army to be dispatched to protect him. A thousand strong army
responded, led by Abu Jahl. The Muslims, however, were already in preparation with
only a few hundred fighters. Prophet Muhammad ﷺled them out of Madinah and camped
at Badr, near a water source.
The Quraysh reached later and took a position. The Muslim army waited and watched.
Abu Jahl stood boasting of their power. Abu Sufyan changed his path and reached
safety. However, Abu Jahl, hungry for vengeance, marched on.
When the Prophet ﷺcame to know the aggressive plans of the Quraysh, he convened
his Companions رضي الله عنهم. Even the Banu Hashim joined in, though they were not
in the fight, to take the Muslims’ expectation or stay back and accept the attack.
When the two armies met at Badr on the 17th of Ramadan, the Muslims were far fewer
in number and ill-equipped. Yet their faith and unity prevailed. In a bold move,
Hazrat Ali رضي الله عنهand others were chosen to fight in duels and showed their
strength. Then, a group of angels were sent by the order of Allah, as per the
Qur’an, and supported the Muslims. Abu Jahl was killed, and the Quraysh fled in
panic. It was the first major victory of the Muslims, and the day was marked with
celebration. The Prophet ﷺprayed to Allah for one Muslim success. When the young
men Ansar joined in, he wept in relief.
