The Battle of Uhud

The battle of Uhud, which is also called as ‘Ghazwa e Uhud’ was fought on 15^th Shawwal, 3^rd Hijrah and 625AD. This battle was between Madinah leaded by Prophet Mohammed (SAWS) and Makkah leaded by Abu Sufyan ibn Harb. The Battle of Uhud was the second battle in Islam after Battle of Badr, which took place one year earlier.

This battle took place because the people of Makkah, the Quraysh, the Mushriks (Non-Believers), decided to take revenge for the loss they faced in Battle of Badr. Their status was shaken after Badr and they wanted to regain their reputation.

Strength of the Quraysh Army:

So the Quraysh assembled their Army of 3000 Men and started their journey from Makkah to Madinah on the 7^th of Shawwal, 3^rd Hijrah. They had 200 Horses and 3000 Camels. Out of the 3000 men, 700 had coats of mail. Almost 16 Women participated in the battle which included Hind – the wife of Abu Sufyan, Umme Hakeem – the Grand Daughter of Abu Jahl and Fatima – the Sister of Khalid Ibn Waleed. Abu Sufyan was the main leader of the Quraysh Army. On his right side was Khalid Ibn Walid and on the left was Ikrimah bin Abi Jahl and so, these 3 people were the main leaders of Uhud.

Planning the Battle Strategy:

When Rasulallah (SAWS) heard about the Army coming towards Madinah, he held a meeting with the Sahaba (RA) about fighting with the Quraysh. There were 2 opinions in the discussion.

• We should fight within Madinah and use is as a Fortress.
• We should fight in the open Battle Field on the plains of Uhud.

The first opinion was of Rasulallah (SAWS) and Abdullah Ibn Ubay. Rasulallah (SAWS) adopted this opinion as a strategic point of view, as it was better to fight from a place that you are well aware of. But Abdullah Ibn Ubay agreed to this because he was afraid to go out and fight in the open.

The Second opinion was of the braver young Sahabas who really wanted to fight the Mushriks and wanted to do so in an open Battle Field. They did not have a chance to fight in the Battle of Badr, so defeating the Mushriks was their first and only priority. This was the vocal or majority opinion among the two.

The meeting went on for some time and after a long discussion, Rasulallah (SAWS) agreed to the youth, left the meeting and went inside his house to put on his armor. All the while, the Senior Sahabas and older companions were quiet when the younger ones were in discussion with Rasulallah (SAWS).

Now there is an important point to discuss over here. Notice the wisdom and respect of the older companions. Firstly, they wanted to accept the advice of Rasulallah (SAWS). And secondly, they did not argue with the youth in his presence. This is the height of etiquette and respect being demonstrated here by the older Sahabas. Because when the discussion was going on, they could have silenced the youth to be quiet, as Rasulallah (SAWS) had already made the decision to fight within Madinah. But isn’t this rude and disrespectful? Fighting and having a dispute in front of the Rasulallah (SAWS)? They could have had the harshness and won the agreement, but they kept quite out of the respect for Rasulallah (SAWS). This shows us the amount of respect that they have, that they are not even going to rebuke the younger Sahaba, that they know something to be wrong, just waiting for the Rasulallah (SAWS) to go outside and then they are going to rebuke. This is really the height of respect which is unimaginable, which can never be seen today.

After Rasulallah (SAWS) went inside, they asked the young Sahabas that why did they forcefully persuade Rasulallah (SAWS) to fight on the plains, when the decision was already made by him to fight within the City? The younger Sahabas felt embarrassed and realized that they had forced Rasulallah (SAW). They said that they will now accept whatever Rasulallah (SAWS) decides. So they sent Hazrat Hamza (RA) to go inside his house to inform him of the youth’s decision.

So Hazrat Hamzah (RA) went inside and informed him of the decision by the youth, that they will accept anything that Rasulallah (SAWS) decides. After this was informed to him, he said that the decision has been made, he has already worn his armor and a Prophet does not remove the suit of armor until he has fought the enemy.

Now there are a couple of things to observe here also.

Firstly, there is a special Shariyah for the Prophets. They have certain laws that are not applicable to common people. They have a code that they need to operate by, which is unique for them. For example, it was Wajib for the Rasulallah (SAWS) to pray Tahajjud every single night, but not for us. There were other aspects that Rasulallah (SAWS) was able to do but we cannot. He would fast for 3 days at a time without any food or drink. When the Sahabas tried to follow him, they could not. Many of them fainted because of hunger. Rasulallah (SAWS) forbade them and mentioned, ‘I am not like one of you. Allah provides me food and drink in a way he will not provide you’. Subhan Allah!!

So in this case, if the Rasulallah (SAWS) had removed the armor, what kind of impression would it give to common people like us?  Taking off the armor would be interpreted as a defeat, a hesitation and unwillingness to fight. So when a Prophet wears armor, he never takes it off until the war is over. It is in their Shariyah.

Secondly, there is yet another very important thing to learn from the Wisdom of Rasulallah (SAWS). He felt confident staying in Madinah. But he knew, like every good leader knows, that you need the people behind you. And you cannot impose and force your will on them; even though the Rasulallah (SAWS) could have imposed his will on any of them. But he did not. He wanted all them to follow him and thus he respected their opinions by going through a consultation. As Allah (SWT) mentions in the Holy Quran, “WA AMRUHUM SHURA BAINAHUM”. The way of dealing with matters is to have consulting opinions. Below is the complete Aayah from Surah Al Imran,

فَبِمَا رَحْمَةٍ مِّنَ اللّهِ لِنتَ لَهُمْ وَلَوْ كُنتَ فَظًّا غَلِيظَ الْقَلْبِ لاَنفَضُّواْ مِنْ حَوْلِكَ فَاعْفُ عَنْهُمْ وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ وَشَاوِرْهُمْ فِي الأَمْرِ فَإِذَا عَزَمْتَ فَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللّهِ إِنَّ اللّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُتَوَكِّلِينَ

(O My Esteemed Beloved!) What a mercy of Allah that you are lenient with them! Had you been stern and hard-hearted, people would have deserted, scattering away from around you. So pardon them, and pray for their forgiveness, and consult them in (important) matters. But once you make up your mind, then place your trust in Allah. Surely, Allah loves those who trust Him. (3:159)

Now what is really amazing, perhaps the most amazing thing of the whole incident is that once the decision was made to fight in the Battlefield, the younger Sahabas were not criticized after that. None of the Senior Sahabas came to the youth and said that because of you, the Rasulallah (SAWS) had to change his decision. As Allah (SWT) mentions,

فَإِذَا عَزَمْتَ فَتَوَكَّلْ  – “But once you make up your mind, then place your trust in Allah”

That when you attend a Shura, a council meeting and you come to a decision and make up your mind, never look back. Because the decision is in the will of Allah (SWT) and now that the decision is made, nobody should blame anybody else. This is why the Senior Sahabas never criticized the youth for the rest of their lives. Subhan Allah!! Everything that the Sahaba did is a lesson for all of us.

So the Prophet wore the suit of armor. In fact, there is a narration that the Prophet wore 2 layers of armor. Why? Was he afraid of his life? Certainly not the case! Despite the fact that Allah had promised to protect him and he does not need armor at all. But he still wore the armor to show us, that when one wants to engage in any sort of mission or endeavor, we have to follow the rules. We cannot just blindly and foolishly say “Tawakkal Alallah” (Put your trust in Allah) and go to the Battle field without shielding ourselves. So Rasulallah (SAW) wanted to demonstrate to the Sahabah that it was foolish not to dress up for the battle and have your preparations. As Allah (SWT) mentions in the Quran,

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ خُذُواْ حِذْرَكُمْ فَانفِرُواْ ثُبَاتٍ أَوِ انفِرُواْ جَمِيعًا

O believers! Take your precautions (to safeguard yourselves), then set out as separate units or march off all together.

Strength of the Muslim Army:

Rasulallah (SAW) then divided the Muslim Army into 3 main groups.

• Muhajiroon – under the leadership of Musab Ibn Umair
• Aus – under the leadership of Usaid ibn Hudayr
• Khazraj – under the leadership of Al Hubab ibn al Munzir

These were the 3 leaders in the Muslim Army. They only had a few horses and 100 suits of Armor among a 700 of men. This was the first time in the History of Islam that Women also participated in the Battle. Their main duty was to supply water to the wounded Soldiers and to wash and dress wounds. They made their way to the Mountain of Uhud on the late afternoon on Friday, which was the 14^th of Shawwal, the 3^rd year of Hijrah.

The Mountain of Uhud:

Now let us know about the mountain of Uhud. The mountain of Uhud is not a single mountain as many of us think. It is a series of different mountains which is over a mile long. They are located on the North-West side of Madinah. Presently, Uhud is only a few minutes’ drive and around 3 Miles from the Masjid An Nabawi, and considered to be a part of the city, but it was outside Madinah at the time of Battle. And Madinah was so small that the entire core of the city would fit inside what is now the Masjid An Nabawi. And the graveyard which is also known as ‘Jannat Ul Baqi’ was outside the city.

There is a lot of significance of the Mountain of Uhud. There is a hadith in which Rasulallah (SAW) said, “Uhud is a mountain of Jannah.” There are several opinions of Ulama for this Hadith. Some say, this could mean that Uhud is a very sacred mountain. Others say, this could also mean that Uhud could be transported into Jannah.

There is another Hadith in which the Rasulallah (SAW) was once entering Madinah from North and has to pass Uhud on the way. When he saw the mountain of Uhud, he said,

“UHUD JABALUN YUHIBBUNA WA NUHIBBUHU” – Uhud is a mountain that loves us and we love it.

So it is a sign of Iman to love the mountain of Uhud. Subhan Allah!!

It is narrated in Sahih Muslim that once, the Rasulallah (SAW) with Abubakr, Umar and Usman (RAhum) were climbing the mountain of Uhud and it began to shake and tremble. The Prophet tapped it with his feet and said,

“USBUT UHUD. FA INNAMA ALAIKA NABIYYIUN WA SIDDIQUN WA SHAHEEDAIN” –

Calm down UHUD. Because you have on you now, a Nabi a Siddique and 2 Shaheeds.

Rasulallah (SAW) was referring to Himself as ‘Nabiyyun’, Hazrat Abubakr as ‘Sidduqun’ and Hazrat Umar and Usman (RAhum) as ‘Shaheedain’. And as we know, Hazrat Umar and Usman (RAhum) were martyred (Shaheed).

Now coming back to the battle of Uhud, the question arises why Rasulallah (SAW) decided to choose the Mountain of Uhud, after the decision was made to fight from the Battlefield. When the decision was made from the younger Sahaba that they wanted to fight from the battlefield, he needed to think the best location to face the enemy. An open battlefield would have been a disaster because the enemy was 4 times more in strength than the Muslims. But by going to Uhud, Rasulallah (SAW) maximized the possibility of winning with small quantity of Muslims, because 3 sides of Uhud were blocked for the Quraysh. The Muslims needed to face the enemy from only one side, which was a narrow patch which made it a focused point to concentrate on the enemy. There was another opening in which Rasulallah (SAW) asked 50 archers to stand on a small mountain called Jabal Ruma, to stop anyone from coming through that path. So now, the Muslims were totally protected, as they stood with Uhud on the back of them and facing towards Madinah. Nobody could come from the back side, the right and left. So by his strategy Rasulallah (SAW) maximized the effectiveness of a small Army against a large Army. That was the advantage of going to Uhud, so his decision was perfect.

We don’t even need to point out the military genius of Rasulallah (SAW), that without any Military training or knowledge, he came out with this plan. This was in his own knowledge, as Allah (SWT) is the one who provides him with knowledge.

Retreat of the Munafiqeen (Hypocrites):

Now we come to one of the main events of Uhud. While the Muslims were marching towards Uhud, Abdullah ibn Ubay and his people began slinking away from the group backwards, for the intention of returning back to Madinah. He did not even have the courage to inform Rasulallah (SAW) that he did not want to fight the battle. They whispered amongst themselves in their group and started marching back to Madinah, breaking themselves from the Army. The Sahaba asked them where they were going.

Abdullah Ibn Ubay replied, “He listened to some youths and ignored my advice. Why should we risk our lives fighting him, when he hasn’t listened to us?” He was referring to Rasulallah (SAW) that he did not listen to Abdullah Ibn Ubay and listened to the young Sahaba for fighting the battle from Uhud instead of within Madinah. So he was showing his true colours for the first time that he was a Munafiq, which means a Hypocrite.

One of the main benefits of the Battle of Uhud is that Allah (SWT) wanted to display the reality of hypocrites (Munafiqeen). The Muslims until this point were innocently unaware of how evil the hypocrites were. And they really needed to know, so that they are not betrayed by them in the many other Battles that are yet to come … like Khandaq, Khaibar, etc. So Allah (SWT) wanted to remove the filth and dirt from the pure. When the group of Abdulla Ibn Ubay separated from the Muslims, which is when it was proven that there were hypocrates among the Muslims and they were the dirt that had to be removed from the pure. It was the Battlefield that separated the Mu’mineen from Munafiqeen. As it is mentioned in the Holy Quran,

مَّا كَانَ اللّهُ لِيَذَرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَلَى مَآ أَنتُمْ عَلَيْهِ حَتَّىَ يَمِيزَ الْخَبِيثَ مِنَ الطَّيِّبِ وَمَا كَانَ اللّهُ لِيُطْلِعَكُمْ عَلَى الْغَيْبِ وَلَكِنَّ اللّهَ يَجْتَبِي مِن رُّسُلِهِ مَن يَشَاء فَآمِنُواْ بِاللّهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَإِن تُؤْمِنُواْ وَتَتَّقُواْ فَلَكُمْ أَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ

And Allah will never leave the Muslims in the situation you are in (now) until He distinguishes the impure from the pure. (179:3)

So one of the main points of the battle is to separate the evil from the good.

The withdrawal of Abdullah Ibn Ubay led to a decrease of nearly 300 people from the Muslim Army, making the final strength to 700 and these were the ones who fought in the Battle of Uhud. These were the 700 who defended Islam. Because of these 700 men, Islam increased globally to what we have today.

The Battle:

The night fell and both armies had reached Uhud. The next morning was the 15 of Shawwal which was a Saturday and both the armies knew that at sunrise, the battle will start. In the morning, Rasulallah (SAW) looked at the battlefield and saw that there was a potential of attack from the rear because there was an opening on the other side of a small hill called Jabal Ruma. So Rasulallah (SAW) placed 50 archers on the top of that hill and gave them very clear instructions. He said,

“Protect our backs. If you see us being killed, don’t come to our aid. And if you see us winning, do not join us. If you see the vultures flying off with us, don’t leave until I send you a message. If you see us victorious over the enemy and trampling them under foot, do not leave until I send you a message.”

So the Quraysh began the preparations for war. The first issue is always a ‘Mubarazah’ (one on one). So Talha Bin Abi Talha from the Quraysh Army came out and asked, “Who will fight me?” Hazrat Ali Ibn Abi Talib (RA) stood up and said that he will fight him. They fought for a short while and Hazrat Ali (RA) defeated him. As soon as Talha was defeated, the Muslims charged towards the Quraysh Army with full force which knocked them down. The Mushriks were not able to sustain the assault despite their powerful and well-armed Army. The initial attack was devastating for the Quraysh because the Muslims had the advantage because they were charging with force. They made their way all the way to the end. The Muslims were winning and the enemy was fleeing the Battleground. The Quraysh were defeated and they had almost lost the battle.

But the tides were turning. The archers who were instructed by Rasulallah (SAW) to ‘remain on the hill and not to move. If you see us winning, do not come down until I tell you. If you see us losing and vultures picking on our bodies, do not come down until I tell you.’ In the heat of the battle when emotions take over, the Archers saw that the Muslims had won and were gathering booty. And they also wanted to go and join the Muslim Army. But their ‘Amir’ Abdullah ibn Jubair said, “don’t you remember the instructions of Rasulallah (SAW) that we should not come down until he tells us so?” They replied that the battle is over. And out of the 50 Archers, 40 of them left, disobeying the orders of Rasulallah (SAW), leaving only 10 archers on the Hill.

Attack from the rear by Khalid Ibn Walid:

Khalid Ibn Al Walid and Ikrimah bin Abi Jahl were the head of the cavalry of Quraysh. When they saw the path beside the Hill was exposed and the 40 archers had left their posts, they quickly took advantage of that and came from the back of the hill to attack the Muslim Army. Because the Muslims were not expecting that, they were taken by surprise. When the Army of Quraysh saw that they were being attacked from the back side, they also started to charge towards them. So the Muslims were sandwiched in between, as both sides were being attacked now by the Quraysh, from the front and from the rear. This instance disoriented the Muslim soldiers, because they are now fighting on both directions. That is when the Muslims were defeated and they started getting martyred.

Injury of Rasulallah (SAWS):

It is said that only 12 men remained around Rasulallah (SAW) and the enemy started breaking towards him. Rasulallah (SAW) was hit by a rock and fell on his side, breaking his front teeth slashing his forehead and splitting his lips. So Rasulallah (SAW) was himself injured in the battle of Uhud.

It was Ibn Qamiah who shot Rasulallah (SAW) at his cheek, and it was Utbah Ibn Abi Waqqas who hit on the lip and lower tooth. While Rasulallah (SAW) was wiping the blood off his face, he said, “How could any people prosper who struck their Prophet and broke his front teeth, while he called people to Allah?”

Then the rumor started spreading that Rasulallah (SAW) was also martyred in the battle. This rumor spread rapidly like wildfire. Some of the Muslims, when they saw the defeat, and when they heard that Rasulallah (SAW) was martyred, they suggested to send an envoy to Abdullah Ibn Ubay to get a truce from Abu Sufyan. So some Muslims were really defeated and the defeat reached to their hearts. The Muslims had to retreat and Rasulallah (SAW) was trying to organize that retreat. But retreats can be catastrophic when they are not commanded well. So the enemy was gaining the upper hand and was attacking with full force, and was getting closer to Rasulallah (SAW). So Rasulallah (SAW) asked the Sahaba, “whoever will repel them, will be my companion in Paradise”. That is how difficult the situation was, that Rasulallah (SAW) was promising paradise to the one who succeeds in stopping the attacks of the Quraysh. So one of the Ansars came forward and fought until he was martyred. Rasulallah (SAW) asked for a volunteer a second time and another Ansar came and was also martyred. Like this, 7 of the Ansars died one after the other. Allahu Akbar! How lucky they were to be promised Jannah by Rasulallah (SAW) himself. May Allah be pleased with them all.

Abu Talha (RA) was shooting from directly in front of Rasulallah (SAW) and was protecting him, making himself as a shield. Abu Talha (RA) brought his chest to its full height and said, “May my Father and my Mother be your ransom O Messenger of Allah, No arrow will hit you. My chest will be in the way of yours.” Allahu Akbar! Such were the loving Sahabas of Rasulallah (SAW).

After the Battle:

Meanwhile, Rasulallah (SAW) went up to the mountain of Uhud and took shelter in a crevasse. Climbing the mountain was very difficult for Rasulallah (SAW) because he was injured, so Abu Talha (RA) carried him up. When they climbed up the mountain, the battle stopped and Abu Sufyan approached them. He asked, “Is Mohammed (SAW) alive?” And he heard no answer. Then he asked, “Is Abubakr (RA) alive?” No response. “Is Umar alive?” No response. So Abu Sufyan was happy and he told his people that all these people have been killed. But Hazrat Umar (RA) could not stand hearing what Abu Sufyan was saying. So he said that all of the three that you mentioned are alive. So Abu Sufyan replied, “A Battle for the battle of Badr.” Meaning that one day you win and one day we win. Then he started chanting, “Raise up Hubal. Raise up Hubal.” Hubal was one of their idols which were placed in the Kaaba. Rasulallah (SAW) asked the Sahaba to respond.

Their conversation went like this,

Abu Sufyan: “U’loo Hubal” (Raise up Hubal)

Rasulallah (SAW): “Allahu A’la Wa Ajal” (Allah is Higher and more Glorious)

Abu Sufyan: “Lanal Uzza Wala Uzza Lakum” (We have Uzza and you don’t) – Uzza is another one of their idols.

Rasulallah (SAW): “Allahu Maulana Wala Maula Lakum” (Allah is our Master and you have no Master)

Martyrdom of Hazrath Hamza (RA):

Two of the Taba’een once went to visit Wahshi who was old at the time and wanted to hear from him, how he martyred Hamza Bin Abdul Muttalib (RA). Washi said that I will narrate the story to you as I narrated it to Rasulallah (SAW).

“I began following Hamzah (RA) and I kept hiding from him to go behind him, until I finally stepped out from behind the bush. Hamzah’s back was behind me and I threw my Javelin with the most force that I could. It shot in from behind and came into the front and the Javelin was half in the body now. Hamzah (RA) turned around to try to fight me but before he could raise his sword, he collapsed and expired.”

We can never imagine how devastating it was to Rasulallah (SAW). Hamzah (RA) was his uncle and he loved him so much. It was one of the saddest moments in the life of Rasulallah (SAW). On the battlefield, Rasulallah (SAW) asked if anyone saw the death spot of Hamzah (RA). One of the Sahabas said that he saw his body and they went together. When Rasulallah (SAW) saw his body, he choked. His stomach was opened and his insides were pulled out. This is because Hind Bin Utbah, the wife of Abu Sufyan wanted to eat the Liver of Hamzah (RA), and she ordered that his liver be pulled out and brought to her. This is the state how Rasulallah (SAW) saw his uncle in. Rasulallah (SAW) never wanted to see the face of the Wahshi again because it would bring back memories of his Uncle.

Hazrath Abu Dujanah (RA):

Rasulallah (SAW) held his sword in his hand and asked the Sahaba, “Who will take the sword from me?” So many of the Sahaba volunteered but then Rasulallah (SAW) asked, “Who will take the sword along with its rights?” The Sahaba asked Rasulallah (SAW), “What are the rights of this Sword?” Rasulallah (SAW) said, “For you to strike the enemy until it bends.” Now the Sahaba were thinking how can a sword be bent? But Abu Dujanah (RA) came forward and said, “I will take the Sword O Rasulallah (SAW)”.

When Abu Dujanah would fight, he would put on a red headband. That was the sign that he was going to war. And he started to march in front of the Army with pride, strutting in front of the enemy. Rasulallah (SAW) said, “That is the way of walking that Allah (SWT) dislikes, except in circumstances like this”. Abu Dujanah (RA) took the sword and in order to bend it, he wreaks havoc in the ranks of the enemy and splits them. He cleaved the path with it through the middle of the Mushrikeen.

Abdullah Ibn Zubair (RA) narrates the story of a scene that he witnessed on the day of Uhud. “There was a man among the enemy who executed every Muslim after he had wounded him. I prayed to Allah to bring that Mushrik and Abu Dujanah (RA) together. And they did meet. They exchanged a couple of blows. The Mushrik then struck at Abu Dujanah (RA) who saved himself with his shield, and the Mushrik’s sword was trapped in it. Then Abu Dujanah (RA) struck and killed him.

Kaab Ibn Malik (RA) said, “I saw a Mushrik heavily armored. He was striking the Muslims hard and saying, “come on you sheep, gather for slaughter.” Then I saw one Muslim fully armored waiting for him. I went behind him and began comparing the Muslim with the Mushrik. I kept on waiting until they met. The Muslim then struck a blow on the Mushrik with his sword on his shoulder and the sword came right through to his Thigh cutting him into two pieces. Then the Muslim covered his face and said, “What about that Kaab? I am Abu Dujanah.””

Martyrdom of Musab Ibn Umayr (RA):

Musab Ibn Umayr (RA) was most likely killed by the forces of Khalid Ibn Walid. He was targeted because unlike those who were collecting the Booty, he was still carrying the Flag. His right hand was cut off and he held the flag with his left hand. Now he is completely defenseless and the left hand is cut off. To defend the Honor of the Muslim Army, he still holds the flag with the two stumps of what is left of both his arms. He was then martyred with multiple stabs and wounds but till the end, he did not leave release the grip on the flag of Muslim Army.

Hamnah Bint Jahsh (RA), Wife of Musab Ibn Umayr (RA):

Hamnah Bint Jahsh (RA) was the sister of Abdullah bin Jahsh. After the Battle, the Sahaba told her that her Father has passed away. She said, “INNA LILLAHI WA INNA ILAIHI RAJIOON”

They told her that her Brother Abdullah has passed away. She was calm and said, “INNA LILLAHI WA INNA ILAIHI RAJIOON”

Then they said that her Husband Musab Ibn Umayr died. Then she screamed. When Rasulallah (SAW) saw that, he said, “A woman’s husband has a very special place with her.” And he made Dua for her, as she lost the three closest men to her.

Saad Ibn Ar Rabia (RA):

He was one of the leaders of Al Ansar. Rasulallah (SAW) wanted to know what happed to him and one of the Ansar went looking for him. He found Saad (RA), who was in his last moments. Saad said, “I am among the dead. Inform the messenger of Allah of this. Saad Ibn Ar Rabia says to you, “May Allah reward you on our account better than he ever rewarded any Prophet on account of his nation.” And greet the people from me and tell them, “You will find no excuse with Allah, if Harm comes to your Prophet while you still have one eye to blink”. Then he died.

Subhan Allah! These are the Ansar, who gave victory to the religion of Allah (SWT).

There were a total 70 Shuhada (Martyrs) on the day of Uhud. Many people say that the Muslims had lost the Battle of Uhud. But they were in fact victorious, because they were successful in protecting Rasulallah (SAW). The most important benefit was that the Hypocrites, the ‘Munafiqeen’ were now exposed and the Muslims knew whom to trust and whom not to. The Muslims who were killed were Martyrs and promised Jannah, whereas the Kuffar from the Quraysh would be promised the fire of Jahannum. The Muslims had learnt from their mistakes and they now knew never to make the same mistakes again. We say that it was a mistake but the destiny was Allah’s, and he makes anyone win or lose as he pleases. Because Allah knows what’s best in the past, present and the future.