27 February 2011
*: May the Peace, Blessings & Mercy of Allah be upon him
TMQ: Translation to the nearest meaning of the Qur’an
The Archers
The Prophet now chose out his best archers: of these he attached to himself Zayd, Sa'd his cousin of Zuhrah, and Sa'ib the son of Uthman ibn Maz’un amongst others; but he told fifty of them to take up their position on a rise a little to the left of his main force. He put over them 'Abd Allah ibn Jubayr, a man of Aws, and gave them their orders, saying: "Keep their cavalry from us with your arrows. Let them not come upon us from bur rear. Be the tide of battle for us or against us, stay at this post! If ye see us plundering the enemy, seek not to have a share in it; and if ye see us being slain, come not to our aid."? He said to their leader: “Drive off the horses from us by means of arrows, lest they should attack us from behind (the rear). Whether we win the battle or lose it, stand steadily in your position and mind that we are not attacked from your side.”
“If you see us snatched into pieces by birds, do not leave this position of yours till I send for you. And if you see that we have defeated the enemy and trodden on them do not desert your position till I send for you.” With the assignment of this squad and locating it on the mountainside and the issuance of those strict military orders, the Messenger of Allah* blocked the only groove that might lead the idolaters stealthily to the rear of Muslim ranks and might even enable them to encircle them in an encompassment procedure.
Political Manoeuvres Of Quraish - dividing the Muslims (then and now):
A little time before the break out of the battle, Quraish made some endeavours to sow the seeds of discord and dispute among the Muslims. First, Abu Sufyan sent to the Helpers a message saying: “Leave us alone to fight our cousins and do not interfere. If you stand aside, we will not fight you; for fighting you is not a target of ours.” But that attempt proved to be fruitless.
Undespaired by the first failure, Quraish made another attempt, for the same purport but now with the assistance of a traitor called Abu Amir Al- Fasiq, whose name was Abd Amr bin Saifi. He was called a monk, but the Messenger of Allah* nicknamed him Al-Fasiq (i.e. perverted transgressor; dissolute). As he was the head of Aws in Al-Jahiliya, he could not tolerate Islam when it came. He announced his enmity to the Messenger of Allah* in public. He left Medina for the Quraishites in Mecca to rally them against the Messenger of Allah* and to urge them to start the fight against him. He claimed that he was obeyed and esteemed by his people and that as soon as they saw him come they would join him immediately. So he was the first one among the mob and slaves of Quraish to show resistance. He called out unto his people, recognized them and said: “O kinfolk of Aws! I am Abu Amir.” Their reply was “No eyes of anybody shall be consoled by viewing you, O Fasiq.” Hearing them say so, he said: “My people must have been afflicted by an evil after my departure.” Therefore when the fight broke out, he fought them fiercely and pelted his people with stones, as well. That was how the second attempt of Quraish to sow the seeds of discord among people of Faith. This, however, revealed the great terror of the Quraishites cast in their hearts in spite of their supremacy in number and equipment.
Battle of Uhud commences
It was a wise and carefully-laid plan which revealed the genius of military leadership that the Prophet* possessed. No other leader could have drawn a more accurate or wise plan. Although he approached the site later than the enemy, he managed to occupy better positions. He made the rocky mountainside to function as shield for the army’s rear and right flank. He was able, by blocking the only vulnerable gap on the side, to provide additional maximum protection for the rear as well as the left wing. For fear of possible defeat, and to deter the Muslims from fleeing, in which case they would fall easy prisoners in the hands of the enemy, he chose a high place for encampment. Moreover a strategic site of this sort would surely inflict heavy losses on the polytheists if they thought of approaching or occupying his positions. In a further step, he reduced the enemy to a narrow scope of choice when they were cornered for encampment in geographically low positions that would avail them nothing of the benefits of any possible victory; at the same time they would not be able to escape the pursuit of the Muslims in case victory sided with the latter. To make up for the quantitative shortage in fighting personnel, he chose a picked body of fighters to stand at the front.
Abu Dujanah and the Prophet's sword
Having put on another coat of mail he took up a sword and brandished it, saying: "Who will take this sword, together with its right?" Immediately Umar went to take it, but the Prophet turned away from him, saying again: "Who will take this sword, together with its right?" Zubayr said he would take it, but again the Prophet turned away, repeating his question a third time. "What is its right," O Messenger of God?" said Abu Dujanah, a man of Khazraj, "Its right," said the Prophet, "is that you should strike the foe with it until its blade be bent." "I will take it, together with its right," he said, and the Prophet gave it to him. He was a valiant man, who gloried in battle. His red turban was well known, and among the Khazraj it was called the turban of death. When he put it on, as now he did, winding it round his helmet, they knew that he meant to inflict great slaughter on the enemy; and none could doubt that this was his firm intention as sword in hand he strutted up and down between the lines. Seeing him, the Prophet said: "That is a way of walking which God detests, save at such a time and place as this."! Abu Dujana was a man of courage who used to swagger at war. He had a red band which he wore round his head. Whenever he was head-banded everybody knew that he was determined to fight to death.
Abu Dujana, recognized by the red band worn round his head, came forth, fighting with the sword of the Messenger of Allah*. He was determined to pay its price at all costs. He killed all the idolaters that stood on his way splitting and dispersing their ranks. Az-Zubair bin Al-Awwam said: “I felt angry and discouraged when the Messenger of Allah* refused to give me the sword but gave it to Abu Dujana. I said to myself: ‘I am his paternal cousin — the cousin of his aunt Safiya — a Quraishite, besides, I was the first who demanded it and yet he favoured him to me. By Allah, I will watch how he will use it.’ So I followed him, I saw him take out his red band and wear it round his head. Seeing him like that, the Helpers said, Abu Dujana had worn the band of death.’ Then he set out saying loudly: l ‘I am the one whom my intimate friend made covenant with, when we were under the palmtrees on the mountain side. The covenant that we made was that I should not fight at the rear. But fight at the front heroically with the sword of Allah and His Messenger.’ No one stood the way of Abu Dujana but was killed. There was a man among the idolaters whose only target was to finish off the wounded Muslims. During the fight Abu Dujana drew near that man; so I implored Allah that they might engage in combat. They in fact did and exchanged two sword-strokes. The idolater struck Abu Dujana, but he escaped it and it pierced into his leather shield. The idolater’s sword now stuck to it, Abu Dujana struck him with the sword and killed him. Into the thick of the battle, he rushed to kill a person who was inciting the enemy to fight the Muslims.
The Standard Bearers
The idolaters applied the rows system in the mobilization of their army. The general leadership of the army was entrusted to Abu Sufyan Sakhr bin Harb, who would be in the centre-position of the army. Khalid bin Al-Waleed was on the right wing; whereas ‘Ikrima, the son of Abu Jahl was on the left. Safwan bin Omaiya was in charge of infantry men. The archers were under the command of Abdullah bin Abi Rabia. As for the standard, a squad of Bani Abd Ad-Dar were in charge to bear it. Thus was the distribution of the posts of the army ever since Abd Munaf had already assigned them. Abu Sufyan, the general leader, reminded his men — the standard bearers — of what had happened to Quraish on Badr Day (i.e. battle) when their standard bearer, An-Nadr bin Al-Harith, was captured. In an attempt to wage their anger and enmity to the Muslims he said: “O Bani Abd Ad-Dar! You have been assigned bearers of our standard and you know that the standard is the first thing that the enemy attacks. Should it fall, we fall down too. Therefore, I say either you guarantee its safety or leave it for us, and we will certainly suffice you that task.” Abu Sufyan’s attempt seemed to be fruitful. For his speech made Bani Abd Ad-Dar so extremely angry that they threatened him and almost attacked him for that. Addressing him, they said: “You want us to deliver you the custodianship of the standard? Tomorrow when we fight them, you will witness our deeds.” As a matter of fact, they fought bravely and stoodfast in defence of the standard till they were all killed.
Hanzalah
One of the brave adventurers of that day was Hanzala Al-Ghaseel — He was Hanzala bin Abu Amir. Abu Amir was the very monk that was nicknamed Al-Fasiq’ (i.e. the dissolute, evildoer). He is the very one that we have recently mentioned. Hanzala, who was newly married, left his wife’s bed for Al-Jihad. When he faced the idolaters on the battlefield, he made his way through their ranks till he reached their leader Abu Sufyan Sakhr bin Harb and had almost killed him, if he had not been ordained to be a martyr. For at that moment he was seen by Shaddad bin Al-Aswad who struck him to death.
The Muslims are winning
The archers squad whom the Messenger of Allah* located on the Archers Mountain, had the upper hand in administering the war activities to go in favour of the Muslim army. The Makkan horsemen — commanded by Khalid bin Al-Waleed, supported by Abu Amir Al-Fasiq — had for three times attacked the left wing of the Muslim army with the aim of crushing it and then infiltrating into the rear to create a sort of confusion and disorder in the ranks of the Muslims and subsequently inflict heavy defeat on them. But thanks to the dexterity and great efforts of the archers, the three assaults were thwarted.
War activities went on and on fierecly with the Muslims in full command of the whole military developments until the idolaters finally staggered and retreated, leaving all motives of alleged pride, and affected dignity in oblivion, and their standard trodden by the feet of the fighters with none ever courageous enough to approach it. It seemed as if the three thousand idolaters had been fighting thirty thousand Muslims and not merely several hundreds.
Hadith
Hadith 22 of Nawawi's 40 Hadith:
Abu Abdullah Jabir bin Abdullah al-Ansari reported that a man questioned the Messenger of Allah* saying: "Do you see, if I pray the prescribed (prayers), fast during Ramadhan, treat the lawful as permissible and treat the forbidden as prohibited, but do nothing more than that, shall I enter Paradise?” He (the Prophet, sallallahu Alayhi wasallam) answered: “Yes.” [Muslim]
This man who questioned the Prophet* was an-Nu'maan bin Qawqal. One thing that we notice about the hadith is that Hajj and Zakah are not mentioned even though they make up the five Pillars of Islam. According to some scholars, the person who asked the question passed away (in the Battle of Uhud) before hajj was made an obligation. As for zakah, it is possible that it also was not yet made an obligation; alternatively, the person questioning was not a person of wealth and therefore was not required to pay zakah.
One scholar has said : "What is apparent from his statement 'treat as forbidden that which is Haram' is two issues. The first: that he believes those things to be forbidden. The second: that he does not perform those actions, which is different from the case of treating the Halal as permissible, as in the latter case it is sufficient to believe that they are permissible [without actually performing all of them]."
The author of al-Mufham said that in this hadith the Prophet* did not mention to the questioner any of the voluntary actions, and this is a proof indicating the permissibility of leaving all of the voluntary actions. But the one who does so, and does not perform anything from the voluntary deeds, has deprived his soul of a tremendous profit and an immense reward. And the one who persists upon leaving something from the Sunnah is considered to have a deficiency in his Religion, and an impairment to his decency and justice.
And here the Prophet* left out the Sunnah and other voluntary acts in his advice to the man to make the Religion easy for him, due to his having recently accepted Islam, as excessive obligations may have alienated him from the Religion. And he* knew that if the man established himself upon Islaam and if Allah opened his heart to the Deen, then he would, of his own accord, seek those voluntary actions which the other Muslims sought. Also, it is possible that the Prophet* did not mention the voluntary deeds in his advice so that the man would not wrongly assume that such actions are also obligatory.
And similarly in another hadith: A man asked the Prophet* about the Salah (Prayer), so he* told him that they are five. So the man said : "Am I required to perform any more [other than these five] ?" to which the Prophet* replied "No, except that which you perform voluntarily". Then the man asked about the Fasting, and the Hajj and other prescribed matters, and the Prophet* answered him [in a similar manner]. Then at the end of this the man said: "By Allah, I will not increase upon this, nor will I perform less than it", to which the Prophet* said : "He will be Successful if he is truthful", and in another narration "If he holds onto that which he has been commanded with then he will enter Paradise".
And the Sunnah and voluntary deeds have been prescribed to complete and beautify the Obligatory deeds. So in the case of this questioner, and the one mentioned before him, the Prophet* did not include in his advice the voluntary deeds in order to make the Religion easy for them, until their own understanding of the Deen increased, which would then lead to a desire to attain the reward of the voluntary deeds.
So he who preserves the deeds obligatory upon him, and performs them in their time, without leaving anything from them or violating any of their requisites, then he will attain a tremendous and immense Success - may Allah grant us that. And similarly, he who comes with the obligatory deeds and then follows that up with additional voluntary deeds will achieve a Success even greater than the first.
These obligatory acts mentioned in the hadith that will lead a person to Paradise require strong belief in Allah, commitment and continuous efforts. Only then will it be an easy task to achieve. This hadith implies that the mustahab (or sunnah or preferable deeds) are not necessary for one to be able to enter Paradise. What counts or what matters is fulfilling the obligatory acts. However, we are encouraged to perform preferable deeds according to our capacity and whenever possible. The significance of performing preferable acts is that it will lead us in getting closer to Allah subhana wa ta’ala. In addition, preferable deeds compensate for our shortcomings in performing the obligatory acts.
News:
Turmoil in Libya: This was briefly discussed. The continued fighting and killing in cities across Libya where the people are rising up against the western-backed dictator and fried – Colonel Ghaddafi. It is well known that he is a tyrant and persecutes Muslims. There are many stories of him doing unspeakable things to sincere Muslims. It is also well known that he denies the Sunnah and its significance in Islam. We should not have any sympathy for tyrants like this and pray that victory for the Muslims is close.
Homework from 27 February 2011:
1a. Seerah: What happened to Wahshi after he assasinated Hamzah?
1b. Seerah: Read the verses from the Surah that was revealed after the Battle of Uhud and chose your favourite verses (and why you have chosen these)? HINT ~ These are between verses 121 - 179 of Surah al-Imran
2. What do you understand from the next (number 22) of Nawawi's 40 Hadith:
On the authority of Abu Malik al-Harith bin 'Asim al-Ash'ari, who said: The Messenger of Allah* said: "Purification is half of iman (faith). Saying 'Al-Hamdulillah' (Praise be to Allah) fills the scales. Saying 'Subhanallah wa al-Hamdulillahi' (Exhalted be Allah and Praise be to Allah) fills the space between the heavens and the earth. Salah (prayer) is a light. Sadaqah (charity) is a proof. Sabr (patience) is a shining glory. The Qur'an is an argument either for you or against you. Everybody goes out in the morning and sell themselves, thereby setting themselves free or destroying themselves." [Muslim]
3. News Topics from this week: Suggested Topics: Libya, Banks. Any interesting news articles from the week that relate to Islam or the Muslims? Bring a clipping or print out if you can...
