When the Prophet’s blessed face got wounded

The Uhud mountains were growing more prominent on the horizon as Khälid's horse kept

trotting. Khälid's mental state was such that it appeared he was in no hurry to go ahead. But at times, he would pull back the reins so fast as if he could not lose any more time. The destination towards which he was heading was, however, somewhat blurred in his mind. Occasionally, he felt a magnetic power pulling him on and on. But at other times, he felt a power rising within

him trying to push him back.

"Khälid!" he heard a voice which in fact had risen from inside him, but he mistook it for real. He pulled up the horse-rein and looked front and back, but could not see anything other than sand.

The voice continued, "Khälid! Is it true what I have heard?" Khälid recognized the voice. It was his friend 'Ikrimah's. Just a day back,'Ikrimah was reasoning with him, "If you think that

Muhammad is a Prophet chosen by Alläh, then throw away this thought from your heart. Muhammad is nothing but a killer of scores of our relations. Do not forget your tribe, Khälid,

which has vowed to kill Muhammad before the sun sets."

Khälid gave a slight jerk to the rein and the horse recommenced its trot. His mind once again raced back to the Battle of Uhud where he had been searching the noble Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم .He was keen on fulfilling the resolution of Quraish to assassinate Alläh's Prophet before sunset. The scene re-appeared before Khälid when the Muslim archers had left their position at the 'Ainain hill, taking

advantage of which he had led a swift attack against them. He had slaughtered 'Abdulläh bin Jubair and his nine archer companions who had stayed behind at their position in deference to Alläh's Prophet's صلى الله عليه وسلم command. The Quraish who had run away after the successful Muslim charge were now returning and reorganizing.

The Muslims had lost this battle as a result of disobeying their Prophet's command. Khälid and Abü Jahl's son 'Ikrimah were experts in the art of war. It was now quite easy for them to kill all

the Muslims one by one. Now, other than Alläh none could help them. Khälid observed that the Muslims were now divided into two groups. The larger group was on one side, away from and

unaware of their commander, the noble Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم .But some archers were standing steadfast

with the noble Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم .They were the heroic companions who had not even cast a look upon the battle-spoils. Abü Dujänah, Sä'd bin Abï Waqqäs, 'Alï, 'Abdur Rahmän bin 'Auf, Abü Bakr, Abü 'Ubaidah, Talhah bin 'Ubaidulläh, Mus'ab bin 'Umair – May Alläh be pleased with all of them – were prominent among the thirty of them. Out of the fourteen women who had come to look after the wounded mujähids, two were with Alläh's Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم .One was Umme 'Umärah, the other Umme Aiman, an Ethiopian lady. Umme Aiman had been the Prophet's wet-nurse in his childhood. The remaining twelve ladies were still busy lifting up the wounded, bringing them back and bandaging them. Khälid was searching for the Prophet but he did not have the freedom to look around much in the battlefield. He had a battalion of cavalrymen under his command which he had kept in his full control. He was not a votary of blind attack. He held the opinion that the first charge should

come on that weak vein of the enemy which will force them to surrender without waiting before the second.

The thirty martyrdom-seekers

Now, after four years, as he traveled alone in the desert, he could picture the galloping horses in his mind. He could hear the zooming arrows. The slogans of Muslims were echoing in his mind.

He guessed that the Muslims were shouting slogans just to give the impression that they were not afraid of death. The smile filled with sarcasm and hatred reformed on his lips even now. He had made up his mind that he would kill as many Muslims as possible, imprisoning as few as possible. He was still unable to find where the holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was. He saw that Abü Sufyän who had come back along with the fleeing Quraish was attacking the larger portion of the Muslim army, and the Muslims were fighting back valiantly. Considering it to be the last battle in life, the Muslims demonstrated such fearlessness and gallantry that the vastly outnumbering Quraish were rattled.

Khälid felt a storm of rage rising through him when he saw this. He ordered his horsemen to

attack the Muslims. He put back his sword in his sheath and held out the lance in his hand. He attacked the Muslims from the rear. With this lance, he began killing them one after the other.

Every time his spear entered the body of a Muslim, he would shout out: "I am Abü Sulaimän!!" With every charge of his spear, the battle cry could be heard: "I am Abü Sulaimän!!"

Today, four years later, as he traveled towards the headquarters of Muslims, the city of Madïnah,

he could hear his own battle cry: "I am Abü Sulaimän!" He could not remember how many Muslims' bodies his lance had pierced that day. He had even forgotten Alläh's Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم .A little later, he had come to know that the Muslims were no more under their Prophet's command, and that 'Ikrimah had gone towards the Muslims' Prophet.

It was a fact that the Prophet's صلى الله عليه وسلم command had collapsed, and the situation on the field was so out of control that he could no more organize the Muslims. But he was also unwilling to leave

the battle-field. He wanted to try saving the lives of his companions. As a matter of fact, the situation was so hopeless that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم should have left the battle front. But he kept trying to get to a better strategic position. He knew that the Quraish would be hunting for him and that there would soon be a fierce attack on his squad. The Prophet started walking towards a hill. His

companions had him in a circle.

He had not walked long when 'Ikrimah charged with his horsemen. Somehow an infantry troop of Quraish got the news that 'Ikrimah was attacking the holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم .They too joined the all out charge. There was now no question of escaping alive for the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم or for any of his companions. His thirty companions and the two ladies with his squad had formed a wall of flesh and blood around him. Khälid recalled that the holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was also renowned for his physical strength. The most well-known evidence was that he had lifted up and knocked down Rukänah, the acclaimed wrestler of 'Arab. Now, it was time for one more demonstration of his strength, in the battlefield this time. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم himself broke the wall of flesh and blood formed by his fidäyïn, the

martyrdom-seeking companions. There was a bow in his hand and he also had arrows in his quiver. Khalid was at that time engaged with the larger portion of the Muslim army. When later he was told that Alläh's Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم ,his thirty companion men and two women had stood their ground against the horsemen and footmen of Quraish, he could not believe his ears. He had reiterated that this strength could not be merely physical. It was, no doubt, some 'other' power.

From then on, the question had been troubling him: "Can Faith become strength?" He could not get the answer from anybody in his tribe because at once he would be slandered that Muhammad's magic had captivated him.

So, today with this question at the top of his mind, he was traveling towards Madïnah. The Uhud mountains were rising above the horizon. The four-year old memories took him once again to the foot of Uhud where he could hear his own name: "Abü Sulaimän! Abü Sulaimän!!"

In his mind he tried to figure out how these thirty men and two women could have fought against these many horsemen and footmen of Quraish. The noble Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was showering arrows with his own hands. His companions would again and again come forward to keep him in their protective circle. According to a war-chronicler, the prophet would repeatedly break the circle

around him and rain arrows in whichever direction the enemy approached from. His physical strength was more than that of a common man. He would pull the bowstring so forcefully that

whenever an arrow shot by him struck a person, it would come out from the other side of his body. He shot so many arrows that once when he pulled the bowstring, the bow broke. He gave the remaining arrows in his quiver to Sa'd bin Abï Waqqäs with whom none could compete in marksmanship. Even the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم commended his shooting skill.

On the one side, the Muslims were getting slaughtered at the hands of Abü Sufyän and Khälid, and were fighting till the last drop of blood flowed out from their bodies. On the other, the Prophet's thirty martyrdom-seekers and two ladies were putting up such a valiant resistance as if their spirits, instead of their bodies, were fighting. Historian Tabarï writes that each of the Muslims singlehandedly fought against four to five men of Quraish at the same time. Their style was such ferocious that either the Quraish-men would step back or the solitary Muslim fighter, weighed down by wounds, would fall down.

By my deities! I will kill you

When the Quraish observed this heroic fightback from the holy Prophet's martyrdom-seekers, they stepped back and started shooting arrows as well as throwing stones at the Muslims. At that time, some Quraishï riders had been racing their horses to attack the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم ,but his companions' arrows bored through their bodies forcing them to retreat. As a counter to this, the Quraishï soldiers shot a cloud of arrows and stones from all the four sides.

'Ikrimah later informed Khälid that Abü Dujänah stood up in front of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم as human-shield with his back towards the attackers. Abü Dujänah was at once carrying out two tasks. He was giving his arrows to Sa'd bin Abï Waqqäs who was shooting arrows quite vigorously. He was also trying to shield the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم from arrows. In the shower of arrows and stones, none could see what state Abü Dujänah was in. When Abü Dujänah ُنهْعُ َهللا ي َض ِر َat last fell over, people saw that so many arrows had pierced his back that it looked like the back of a porcupine.

Many of the Prophet's companions sacrificed their lives to protect the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم .Their unprecedented valour cast such terror in 'Ikrimah's and his cavalrymen's hearts that they pulled back. Quraish felt tired too. The noble Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم surveyed the condition of his companions and

found blood everywhere, but there was no time for bringing back the injured and bandaging them. The enemy had stepped back only to charge once again.

"I am waiting for one more man of Quraish," the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, "who will come to kill me. He should have come by now."

"But who is he?"

"Ubai bin Khalaf," the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم replied.

Ubai bin Khalaf was one of the severest opponents of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم .He was a resident of Madïnah. When he came to know that Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم had claimed prophethood for himself, he visited the Prophet one day and mocked him. The Prophet remained calm and tolerant, and invited him towards Isläm.

"Do you think I am so weak that I will embrace this baseless belief of yours?" Ubai bin Khalaf had retorted insolently. "Listen carefully to what I say, Muhammad! Have a look at my horse some day. I am feeding and fattening it up for the time when you challenge Quraish for a battle in future. Stop dreaming about Badr. I will ride that very horse and you will find me in the battlefield in front of you. I vow by my deities that I will kill you by my own hands!"

According to the more reputable and widely followed book Fazäile A'mäl, Ubai bin Khalaf was a resident of Makkah (Volume 1, Chapter 2, Hadïth 6). The book reads:

"Ubai bin Khalaf was one of the most active and severe enemies of Isläm among the disbelievers of Makkah. Before the Hijrah, he used to announce to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم most insolently, "I have reared a horse, which I feed very well; I will slay you one day riding on its back." Once the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم replied to him, "Inshä Alläh! You shall meet your end at my hands." In the battle of Uhud, he ran about in the field in search of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم saying, "If Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم is not slain today, then I stand no chance of surviving." He at last found the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and advanced to attack him. The companions decided to finish him off before he reached the Prophet, but the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم stopped them. When he came near, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم took a spear from one of the companions and struck him with it, causing a little scratch on his neck. He staggered and fell down from his horse and then fled towards his camp crying, "By Allah, Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم has killed me!" His people tried to console and told him that it was only a bruise and there was nothing to worry about, but he would say, "Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم had once announced to me in Makkah that he would kill me. By Allah, had he only spat at me, I would be no more." It is said that he cried like a bull. Abü Sufyän, who was very active on that day, put him to shame for crying in that manner over a slight wound, but he said, "Do you know who has inflicted this injury upon me? It was none other than Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم .By Lät and 'Uzzä! if my agony be distributed over all the people of Hijäz, none of them would survive. Since the time he had declared that he would kill me, I was sure that I would meet my death at his hands. If he only spat at me after that declaration, I would be no

more." So he died on his way back, at a day's journey from Makkah."

"Ubai!" Alläh's Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم had replied with a smile on his lips, "Life and death are in control of Alläh who has granted me prophethood and assigned me the duty of guiding the misguided. Don't utter a word from your mouth which none but Alläh can fulfill. Isn't it also possible that you come to kill me but instead get killed yourself by my hands?"

At these words of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم ,Ubai bin Khalaf gave a derisive sneer and went his way.

Now, in the battle of Uhud, Alläh's Prophet remembered Ubai. No sooner had he mentioned him than a rapidly advancing horse came into view at some distance. Everyone looked in that direction.

"My beloved friends!" the noble Prophet said to his companions, I have a feeling that this rider advancing towards us is none but Ubai. If he turns out to be Ubai, then don't stop him. Let him come before me and close to me."

Historians Wäqidï, Mugäzï and Ibn Hishäm report that the rider was none other than Ubai himself. He roared his challenge, "Beware Muhammad! Ubai has arrived! Look! I am riding the same horse that I had shown you."

"Alläh's Prophet!" three or four of Prophet's صلى الله عليه وسلم companions came forward and requested him, "Allow us to finish him off before he comes near you."

"No," Alläh's Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم forbade, "Let him approach. Let him come close. … Make way for him."

The noble Prophet had a helmet with chains on his head. Its chains were hanging in front of his face and on his left and right temples. He had a lance in his hand, while his sword was inside the sheath. Ubai's horse had come close.

"Come forward, Ubai!" Alläh's Prophet challenged him. "None but me will fight you now." Ubai bin Khalaf stopped his horse close to the Prophet and guffawed scornfully. Perhaps he was fully confident that he would be able to kill the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم .His sword was also in the sheath. The Prophet went close to him. He was riding a very sturdy horse while the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was on foot. Ubai had not even pulled out his sword when the Prophet sprang towards him and struck him with his lance. He leaned towards a side to escape the attack, but the charge did not go in vain.

The blade of the Prophet's صلى الله عليه وسلم lance struck him under his collarbone. He fell from his horse breaking his ribs.

Chroniclers write that the Prophet's attack was not so lethal that a man of sturdy build like Ubai could not get up. Alläh's Prophet rushed to attack him again, but he had fallen on the other side

of his horse. Probably, it was terror or because the Prophet's صلى الله عليه وسلم charge was sudden and unexpected, he lost courage. He got up and fled leaving behind his horse. He kept screaming,

"Muhammad has killed me! O Quraishï people! Muhammad has slayed me!"

When some Quraishï me saw his injuries, they consoled him that none had killed him. It was only a minor bruise. But no one knows what had happened to him that he kept saying, "I will not

survive! Muhammad had said that I will be killed by his hands!"

Historian Ibn Hishäm even writes that Ubai said these words too, "If Muhammad had just spat upon me, I could not have stayed alive." When the Battle of Uhud ended, Ubai left for Makkah along with Quraish. When they made a halt on the way, Ubai died.

The lips of the Mercy to Mankind صلى الله عليه وسلم

bleed

Even now after four years, Khälid could vividly reminisce about the occasion. He was sure that the Quraishï army would exterminate the Muslims. But the way the Muslims were sacrificing their lives had clearly rattled Khälid. It looked as if the Quraishï horses too were scared of the Muslim infantrymen. Khälid spurred his horse to look for Abü Sufyän while the ferocious battle raged. At last he found him.

"Aren't we capable of handing out a decisive defeat to Muslims?" Khälid had asked Abü Sufyän.

"Were the milks of Quraishï mothers defective that they are getting frightened by the handful of Muslims?"

"See Khälid!" Abü Sufyän explained to him, "As long as Muhammad remains with them, well and alive, these Muslims will not accept defeat until the last drop of blood has flown out from

their bodies."

"Why don't you assign this duty to me?" Khälid inquired.

"No!" Abü Sufyän said like a command, "You better go to your cavalrymen. Without your leadership, they may scatter. As for Muhammad and his companions, I am sending out foot soldiers to deal with them."

Today, as he traveled towards Madïnah, Khälid rued that Abü Sufyän had trampled upon his aspirations. For him, killing Alläh's Prophet was a duty. By slaying Muhammad, he wished to attain the pleasure of his grand deities, Hubal and 'Uzzä. Nevertheless, he thought it imperative to follow his commander's instruction and so, he went away towards his horsemen. He felt assured that there would only be a few of Muhammad's companions left with him, and that killing him would not be a difficult task now. And after this, the Muslims would never again be able to rise. Khälid had clear memory of the situation of the battlefield. From a small hillock, he had observed that the earth had become red with blood over a large area at the foot of Mount Uhud. At some places, horses were wriggling while at others men bathed in blood were groaning. Nobody was in a fit state to take away the wounded.

He looked again. The foot soldiers of Quraish had advanced close to the noble Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and had

managed to break the circle of his companions around him. Three of the Quraishï men – 'Utbah bin Abï Waqqäs, 'Abdulläh bin Shihäb and Ibn Qumaiyyah – started pelting stones at the holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم .Amazingly, 'Utbah's own brother Sa'd bin Abï Waqqäs was fighting to protect the holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم .The companions of the holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم were now almost nil in number, or they had scattered around fighting the enemy. The stones pelted by 'Utbah broke the Prophet's two lower teeth, and his lower lip got injured. 'Abdulläh's stone made a deep wound on the Prophet's صلى الله عليه وسلم forehead. Ibn Qumaiyyah advanced close and threw a stone with such force that two of the rings of the hanging chains of the Prophet's helmet broke off and sank into his cheek, severely fracturing his jawbone. The Prophet made his best effort to attack the enemy with his lance, but they were not coming close enough.

In the meantime, so much of his blood had spilled out that he fell down. At that moment, one of his companions, Talhah who was fighting other Quraishï men at some distance saw the Prophet

and rushed towards him. Hearing his battle cry, his other companions too gathered around. The Quraishï men who had felled the Prophet with stones were about to attack him with sword when

Sa'd bin Abï Waqqäs launched an attack on his own brother 'Utbah. Seeing the ferocity of Sa'd's charge, 'Utbah fled away.

Talhah supported the Prophet to enable him to rise up. He was completely conscious.

Meanwhile, the Prophet's صلى الله عليه وسلم companions had forced the Prophet's attackers to flee. Historians say that it was becoming difficult to keep Sa'd in control. He was raging, "I would like to kill my brother and rip him to pieces who dared to attack my Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم in my presence." He was trying to pounce upon the Quraish singlehanded. With great difficulty, the companions stopped him. In fact, had it not been Alläh's Prophet's command, he could not have been stopped.

Umme Aiman shot with arrow

Probably, the Quraish were now exhausted to the hilt. They turned away from the battle. It was then that the Prophet's companions paid attention towards his wounds. The women accompanying the Muslims gave him water to drink and cleaned his wounds with clothes. It was then seen that the broken rings of helmet-chains had penetrated his cheekbone. One of the companions, Abü 'Ubaidah, the son of a renowned surgeon of 'Arab, came forward to try to pull

out the helmet rings. But he could not do it with his hands. At last, Abü 'Ubaidah succeeded in pulling out one of the rings with his teeth. When he tried to pull out the second ring, it came out

but so did Abü 'Ubaidah's two front-teeth. After this, he got the nickname of Al Athram, meaning the person without front-teeth. Later on, he got famous with this name.

Umme Aiman, who had been the Prophet's صلى الله عليه وسلم wet nurse in his childhood, was leaning above the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم .By then, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم had regained some of his strength. Then, from nowhere, an arrow zoomed into Umme Aiman's back and a loud guffaw was heard at some distance. When

the companions turned in that direction, they saw a Quraishï, Hibbän bin Al 'Ariqah laughing heartily at some distance. He had a bow in his hand. It was he who had shot this arrow. He turned back laughing continually. Alläh's Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم gave an arrow to Sa'd bin Abï Waqqäs saying, "Let him not return without this arrow in his body." Sa'd who was particularly renowned for archery throughout all the tribes, placed the arrow in his bow and shot at Hibbän. The arrow landed in Hibbän's neck. Now, it was the turn of Sa'd's companions to laugh. Hibbän took some staggering steps and fell down.

Today, as Khälid kept advancing towards Madïnah, and the Uhud mountains kept rising high and above the horizon, he thought back of some of his friends. The differences in beliefs had made

one brother enemy of the other, but Khälid wondered whether some people considered their faiths true merely because they have been following it. To correctly differentiate between truth and falsehood, a strong personality was required.

A question once again started irking him. Why am I going to Madïnah? To force my faith upon them or to impose their belief on myself? He could hear Abü Sufyän's voice, just a day old, "Is it true that you are going to Madïnah? Has the blood of Walïd frozen in your veins?"

Traveling in the deserts, these voices pursued him for some distance. Then he was lost in the memory of those of his friends against whom he had fought and whose blood had flowed in his presence. One of them was Mus'ab bin 'Umair. The Quraishï men who had turned away from the battle had not gone far when Khälid spurred his horse and caught up with Abü Sufyän. He asked him where they were going leaving the battle incomplete, even though the Muslims had lost their spirits. Abü Sufyän too wished that the battled reached a decisive conclusion. So, some of the Quraish riders turned back towards the battle on the spot. Khälid had seen where the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was. But once again, Abü Sufyän sent

Khälid in some other direction and ordered other men to attack the Prophet. But now, some more Muslims had gathered around the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.

"I have killed Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم"

Once again Ibn Qumaiyyah attempted to break the protective circle of Muslims and reach the holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم .At that time, Mus'ab bin 'Umair نههْع َللاه ي َض ِر َwas standing beside the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم

and Umme 'Umärah was giving drinking water to two or three wounded Muslims lying near her.

When she saw the Quraishï men charging once again, she left the injured mujähids, took the sword of one of them and stood up to face the oncoming Quraishïs. She could not reach the first

Quraishï rider who came with the onslaught, so she swiped her sword at his horse. The horse fell down and the rider toppled over on its other side. Umme 'Umärah leapt over the horse to strike him and was successful in wounding him. He got up and fled back.

Mus'ab bin 'Umair remarkably resembled the holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم in form and physique. Ibn Qumaiyyah mistook him for the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and made an assault on him. Mus'ab was prepared and he confronted Ibn Qumaiyyah. They continued their fencing match for some time but then Mus'ab suffered a lethal slash from Ibn Qumaiyyah and he fell down. He was martyred. Umme

'Umärah saw Mus'ab falling down. Filled with rage, she attacked Ibn Qumaiyyah with her sword but he was wearing armour and the attacker was a woman, so he did not suffer any wound. Ibn

Qumaiyyah attacked her shoulder with full force wounding her severely and causing her to fall down.

Then the noble Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم who was close by, charged towards Ibn Qumaiyyah, but he swiftly changed his stance and struck the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم .The sword fell on the Prophet's helmet, slipped down and hit his shoulder. Right beneath him, there was a pit. Wounded, he stepped back and fell over into the pit. Ibn Qumaiyyah moved back and shouted at the top of his voice, "I have killed Muhammad!" He made a round of the battle-field with this slogan. His voice was heard by the Quraishïs as well as the Muslims.

Quraish, as expected, celebrated the news. As for the Muslims, it had a disastrous effect on their morale. They lost heart and started towards the Uhud mountains, away from the enemy. "Devotees of the Prophet!" Some of the fleeing Muslims heard the battle-cry. "If the Prophet is no more with us, then curse be upon us if we continue to live! What sort of devotees are you that the Prophet has been martyred and you are retreating, scared of death!" The Muslims stopped. The battle-cry had done its work. They were furious. Though they were on foot, they pounced upon the Quraishï riders. They were the riders under and Khälid's and 'Ikrimah's commands.

Today, Khälid looked back at the countless number of Muslims whose bloods his hands had spilled. One of them was Rifä'ah bin Waqash. A pang of pain rose up in Khälid's heart. There was a feeling in him that he had been spilling blood without purpose. But at that time, he

believed the Muslims to be his worst enemies.

The Muslims' resistance had crumbled. They had lost their drive. How long could the foot soldiers withstand the riders? Left with no option, they began retreating towards the hill. The noble Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم ,too, was going towards a narrow valley along with his companions. Just as the Muslims had left their position to collect the battle spoils and turned the tide of battle against

themselves, so were the Quraishï men now flocking upon the Muslim corpses and wriggling wounded warriors to gather battle spoils. Some of the Quraishïs went in pursuit of the noble Prophet. But his companions made such a valiant counter-attack that most of them were killed and the remaining few fled. The noble Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم had now reached an elevation and was surveying the situation. Out of the thirty companions who had been standing close to him, fourteen had been martyred. Among the survivors, most were injured. He observed the battle field from the elevation but could not see any Muslim. The Muslims, thinking that the Prophet

has been martyred, had scattered around in despair and gloom. Some had returned to Madïnah, others had taken positions inside the mountains anticipating Quraish's reprisal.

Here the Prophet got a chance to pay attention towards his wounds. His daughter Fätimah

رضی للہ who had exhausted herself looking for the Prophet everywhere, suddenly found him and reached there. Nearby there was a spring. Hazrat 'Alï brought water from there in some vessel and gave to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم to drink. Hazrat Fätimah started washing his wounds. She was sobbing inconsolably.

"Celebrate! Our Prophet is alive!

Khälid today remembered that the news of the noble Prophet's death had given him a kind of spiritual comfort, but just then, a battle-cry had astonished him. The echo of this cry could be heard in the valley to a great distance. Someone was shouting with a roaring voice – "Celebrate, Muslims! Our Prophet is alive and safe!" This battle-cry had made Khälid smile while causing him grief at the same time. He had told himself that some Muslim had gone mad.

The story was that many Muslims had dispersed in ones and twos, and some of them had retreated to safe places. One such Muslim was Ka'b bin Mälik who kept wandering till he reached that area of the mountain where the holy Prophet was taking rest. Overwhelmed with emotion as he saw the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم ,he had shouted out the cry: "Our Prophet is alive!" All the Muslims who had scattered alone or in small groups of two to four came running at this battle cry. Hazrat 'Umar too had reached Alläh's Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم on hearing this slogan.

Before this, Abü Sufyän had been examining each and every body lying in the battle field in the hope of finding the noble Prophet's holy body. On meeting any Quraishï, he would ask, "Haven't you seen Muhammad's dead body?" During this search, Khälid appeared in front of him.

"Khälid!" Abü Sufyän enquired, "Haven't you seen Muhammad's body?"

"No," Khälid replied and then leaned slightly towards Abü Sufyän to ask, "Are you sure Muhammad has been killed?"

"Of course," Abü Sufyän responded, "there was no way he could escape from us. Do you doubt it?"

"Yes, Abü Sufyän!" said Khälid. "And I will remain in doubt till I see with my own eyes.

Muhammad is not someone to get killed so easily."

"It looks as if Muhammad's charm has possessed you," commented Abü Sufyän haughtily. "Wasn't Muhammad one of us? Weren't you familiar with him? The one responsible for so many of murders and destructions had to get killed himself some day. Muhammad has been killed. Go and search for him. Try to identify his body. We will cut off his head and take it to Makkah."

Exactly at that time, the roar of Ka'b bin Mälik's slogan was heard, "Muslims! Celebrate, our Prophet is alive and safe." Then like a blast of thunder, the voice kept banging and resounding throughout the battle-field and the valley of Uhud.

"Did you hear, Abü Sufyän?" said Khälid. "Now, I will tell you where Muhammad is? I am going to attack him but I can't assure you I will be able to kill him."

Some time back, Khälid had seen the noble Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and his companions on their way to the insides of the mountains, but he was far away then. Khälid was not one of those who easily accept defeat or leave their ambitions unfulfilled. He gathered some of the riders under his command and started towards that part of the mountains where he had seen the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.

Noted historian Ibn Hishäm's writings indicate that when the noble Prophet saw Khälid ascending with his horsemen to the hill where the Prophet was, he spontaneously prayed to Alläh, "Alläh, the Lord of Majesty! Stop them there and now!"

Khälid in the company of his horsemen kept ascending the hill. It was like a pass which went on narrowing. The horses had to form a single queue. The noble Prophet was wounded and exhausted. When Hazrat 'Umar saw Khälid and his horsemen's ascent, he drew his sword and

came down a little."Ibn Walïd!" Hazrat 'Umar challenged him, "If you know how to fight, then just observe the narrowness of your mountain pass and the steep ascent facing you. Will you and your horsemen ever be able to escape from our hands?"

Khälid was well-versed with the art of battle-craft. He had seen that the place was not suitable for charging with horses from different directions around the enemy. In fact, it was perilous.

Silently, Khälid turned back his horse and descended back with his horsemen.

Desecration of Muslim corpses

The battle of Uhud had ended. Quraish could claim superiority for causing more casualties to the Muslims, but nonetheless the battle had ended without win and loss.

"But it was our defeat," Khälid felt like hearing his own words, "Muslims were 700 while we were 3000. We had two hundred horses. We would have achieved success only if we had killed Muhammad."

Khälid felt a rattle in his body. A state of rage mingled with sorrow gripped his body and his teeth began to chatter. The last scenes of the battle started appearing before his eyes. He jerked

his head to toss away the dreadful visions from his mind, but they kept humming round him like flies. He felt ashamed of himself. Warriors never do such things.

When Khälid was returning in response to Hazrat 'Umar's battle-cry, he glanced upon the battle-field from his vantage position. The corpses lay there scattered. Perhaps there were unconscious wounded amongst them too. Neither the Muslims nor the Quraish had till now come forward to take away the bodies. Khälid saw Abü Sufyän's wife, Hind. With a dagger in her hand, she was rushing towards the bodies. At her gesture, the Quraish women who had accompanied the army to the battle-ground followed her. Hind was examining each and every body. Tall, slightly plump and strongly built, she was gazing at every body. If a body lay face down, she would hit it with her foot and invert it to check who it was. She asked the women with her too to look for Hamzah's body.

Finally, she found Hamzah's body. Like a hungry beast, she started tearing apart the body. She cut away some organs and threw them aside. Then she looked at the women standing close to her. "What are you looking at standing here?" she roared in a mad rage. "Look, what I have done to the body of the killer of my father, uncle and son. Go forth and do the same to every dead body of the Muslims. Cut off their noses and ears and bring here."

When the women had gone to violate and tear apart the bodies of Muslims, Hind slashed Hamzah's نههْع َللاه ي َض ِر َabdomen with her dagger. She inserted her hand inside it. Her hand came out with Hazrat Hamzah's liver which Hind severed off with her dagger. She didn't stop at this.

She cut a piece of Hazrat Hamzah's liver and put it inside her mouth chewing it like carnivores.

But a short while later she cast out the liver-chunk. It was clear that she had tried to swallow in the liver but it did not get down.

Khälid saw Abü Sufyän standing at a distance. This savage act of Hind had left a bad taste in Khälid. He was a warrior. He believed only in attacking from front in a duel. This violation of enemies' dead bodies not only disgusted it, he in fact appeared outraged.

On seeing Abü Sufyän, Khälid spurred his horse, and rode in his direction stopping near him.

"Abü Sufyän!" Khälid's voice was indignant and contemptuous. "Do you approve of this savagery of your wife and other women?"

Abü Sufyän did not answer but his eyes told him that he too disliked this savagery.

"Why are you silent? Abü Sufyän!"

"You can see for yourself, Khälid. Hind is in a mad rage now. If you or I try to stop here now, she might turn on us as well," said Abü Sufyän disapprovingly. Khälid did know something about Hind, so he did not carry on the argument. Abü Sufyän's head was hung low in shame. Jerking his horse's reins, Khälid turned back and rode in another

direction. Khälid too could not stand the sight.

After chewing and casting out the liver of Hazrat Hamzah's body, Hind looked back. Behind her stood Jubair bin Mut'im's slave Wahshï bin Harb. In his hands shone the lance with which Hamzah Hazrat martyred had.

"What are you doing here, Ibn Harb?" said Hind in a commanding voice. "Go and chop the Muslims' bodies into pieces."

Wahshï ibn Harb was a man of few words. He usually tried to make most of his communications through gestures. Here too he, instead of obeying Hind, spread his hands before her staring at the golden necklace hanging from her neck. Hind was reminded of her word to Wahshï at once. She had promised him that if he killed the killer of her father, uncle and son, he would get all the ornaments that were on her body in prize. Now Wahshï had come for the prize. Hind took all of her ornaments and placed them on Wahshï's spread out palms. A smile appeared on Wahshï's face as he turned to go back. Hind appeared to have been possessed by the ghost of victory and

revenge at the time.

"Wait, Ibn Harb!" Hind called her in a frenzied voice. When he was back, Hind said, "I had promised you my jewelry if you cooled my heart by killing Hamzah. But you deserve more."

Gesturing towards the Quraish women, she said, "You know well which of them are slaves. There are young and charming among them too. You may take with you whichever of the slave

girls takes your fancy."By habit, Wahshï bin Harb silently stared at Hind's face for a few moments, but his stare did not cross over to the slave girls. He shook his head and went his way.

A little later in the grim airs of the battle-field, Hind's loud and melodious voice could be heard.

According to historian Ibn Hishäm, these are some of the words of the song she sang melodiously:

We have settled our account for the Battle of Badr,

We have fought a bloody battle in return for a bloody battle.

My sorrow for 'Utbah was beyond my tolerance,

'Utbah was after all my father.

I was grieving over my uncle too, as also my son,

But now my breast is cooled and comforted.

I have fulfilled my vow.

Wahshï has put a salve on my heart's wound.

I shall remain forever obliged to Wahshï,

Till the time my bones turn into earth inside the grave.

Abü Sufyän and Hazrat 'Umar's argument

Abü Sufyän could not bear to see this horrible scene. He had already turned his face and went away. Now, he said to two of his companions that he could not believe that the noble Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم

was still alive.

"Khälid might have seen someone else from the distance and believed him to be Muhammad," said somebody to Abü Sufyän.

Saying that he would rather find it out himself, Abü Sufyän went towards the narrow valley from where Khälid had retreated with his riders. He stood at a high point from where he could easily see the Muslims huddled in groups.

"O followers of Muhammad!" shouted Abü Sufyän loudly. "Is Muhammad alive among you?"

The noble Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم heard this voice but he gestured the Muslims present close to him to remain quiet. Abü Sufyän repeated his question in an even louder voice. Even then he got no reply.

"Is Abü Bakr alive and present among you?" asked Abü Sufyän loudly. Again he got no reply. Even after asking the question thrice, there was silence on the Muslim side.

"Is 'Umar alive?" enquired Abü Sufyän. The Muslims stayed silent as before.

Abü Sufyän turned his horse around. He looked down. Many Quraish men were standing there eager to know the true news of the Prophet.

"O people of Quraish!" announced Abü Sufyän in a high voice, "Muhammad has died. Abü Bakr

and 'Umar also are no more alive. Now the Muslims would be terrified by even your shadows.

Celebrate and dance!"

The Quraish started dancing and raising a ruckus but a roaring voice silenced them.

"O ALLÄH'S ENEMY!" echoed Hazrat 'Umar's voice from the peak of the hillock. "Don't lie so brazenly. All the three people whom you are announcing dead by name, are alive. Don't fool

your tribesmen. We all are alive to punish you for your sins."

Abü Sufyän roared with a sarcastic laughter and called out, "Ibn Khattäb! May your God protect you from us! Are you still thinking of punishing us? Are you really sure that Muhammad is still alive?"

"By Alläh! Our Prophet is alive," roared Hazrat 'Umar in response, "and listening to each and every word of yours."

It was a tradition in 'Arab that the chiefs or commanders of both the warring parties would shower arrows of ridicule and scorn over each other at the end of battle. Following this tradition, Abü Sufyän was engaged in a war of words with Hazrat 'Umar. "You are unaware of

the grandeur of Hubal and 'Uzzä," said Abü Sufyän.

Hazrat 'Umar looked towards the holy Prophet for guidance. The Prophet did not have an extraordinarily high voice, so he told the Hazrat 'Umar what to reply.

"O worshipper of falsehood!" said Hazrat 'Umar loudly, "Be aware of Alläh's grandeur, who is the greatest and the mightiest."

"We have a god like Hubal and a goddess like 'Uzzä," said Abü Sufyän. "Do you have a comparable god or goddess?"

"We have Alläh," the noble Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم asked Hazrat 'Umar to say. Hazrat 'Umar called out, "You have no Alläh." "The battle has been finished," said Abü Sufyän. "You were victorious in Badr, and we have got revenge at the foot of this mountain. Next year again, we shall challenge you for a battle in the field of Badr."

"In Shä Alläh!" Hazrat 'Umar repeated Alläh's Prophet's words loudly. "Alläh willing, our next meeting will be in the field of Badr only." Abü Sufyän turned his horse around. The horse had hardly taken two steps when Abü Sufyän stopped it.

"''Umar, Abü Bakr and Muhammad!" Abü Sufyän's voice was grave this time. "When you take away your dead bodies from the battle-field, you will find some bodies, whose organs have been chopped off and they have been sliced and slashed. By Alläh! It was not on my command and I have not in the least approved this disgusting treatment of your dead bodies. If you blame me for this, I will consider this an insult." Abü Sufyän once again turned around his horse and spurred it on.

Muslim spies killed treacherously

As it rode on, Khälid's horse turned its direction on its own accord. But Khälid did not stop it. He understood that the horse has smelled water. A little distance later, the horse started descending down a slope. Khälid was reminded of this place. During their return after the Battle of Uhud, the Quraish had halted here for some time. Below there was sufficient store of water in a pool. The horse galloped rapidly towards water and stopped there. Khälid jumped down the horse, knelt down at the pool and started sprinkling his face with handfuls of water. After a little rest, he sat down resting his back upon a rough rock. He remembered the time when the Quraish were returning after the Battle of Uhud. They had halted at a short distance away from Madïnah.

During that halt, the Quraish chiefs had started disputing. Some said that they should continue with their return to Makkah while the others held that they should go back and make one more charge at the Muslims.

Safwän ibn Umayyah said, "We haven't got defeated. But still if you think that the Muslims are very weak now, then have a look at your own army. Even we have suffered. We should take the risk of a fresh encounter with the Muslims. It is possible that luck might not favor us."

As the argument raged on, some Quraish men brought two arrested travels before their chiefs. The chiefs were informed that these two who claim to be travelers were wandering around our

camps. They even asked four or five of our men where they were headed to. The two stood by their story before Abü Sufyän and other chiefs too. They said they were travelers and named a

place to which they were headed. When their shabby clothes were taken off by Abü Sufyän's order, dagger and swords fell down from inside. They were asked why they had hidden these weapons. Khälid had a sharp eye. He suspected them to be Muslim spies. They were made to stand before the entire Quraish army who were then asked to identify the spies.

Two or three Quraish men said that they recognized the duo, that they were residents of Madïnah.

"I know this one very well," one of the Quraish men got up and said. "I had seen him fighting with me."

"Just say with your own tongues that you are Muhammad's spies," Abü Sufyän said to the duo, "and we shall let you off. I will forgive your lives." One of the duo admitted.

"Ok, then you may go," said Abü Sufyän. "We forgive both of you."

The two who were really Muslim spies and had come to find out Quraish's plans, walked towards their camels in relief and joy. At Abü Sufyän's gesture, several archers put arrows on their bows and shot them at the Muslims from behind. Both fell down having been struck with several arrows, and could not rise up again.

"Do you understand the meaning of this?" said Abü Sufyän to the chiefs standing near him. "Sending spies shows that the Muslims have not yet accepted defeat. They plan to attack us now or a while later. So, immediately leave for Makkah and prepare for the next battle."

Somebody informed the Prophet that the bodies of both our spies were lying at the place where the Quraish had halted the previous day, and that the Quraish have left for Makkah.

It was the first major battle that Khälid had fought, but he was convinced that he was unable to defeat the Muslims. Today, four years later, he was engrossed in the thought that the strength the

Muslims possess is not that of common men. It is some mystery which he has not been able to solve yet. He was also reminded of some flaws in the Quraish. He had disapproved of some of their acts and behaviors. He also remembered two very charming Jew women who had mingled with the Quraish chiefs. He was aware that the Jews were trying to dominate over the Quraish using their feminine beauty to use them against the Muslims. He was not fond of this underhand

tactic but when one of these two women met Khälid one day, he felt that what she was saying sprang from intellect and wisdom. The woman's glamour and youth had a perceptible effect but Khälid too could not resist the charm in her words. For a while she kept him captivated. When his horse neighed, Khälid woke up from this daydream with a jolt. He got up quickly, rode the

horse and continued on his road to Madïnah.

End....