The Excellent Exemplar - Muhammad — Page 67
THE EXCELLENT EXEMPLAR — MUHAMMAD 67 forth against Islam. Within a month of the fall of Mecca and while the Prophet was still in the town, he had to go forth to face an army of seventy thousand men at Hunain. On this occasion a force of two thousand Meccans, many of whom had not yet professe d Islam, had also joined him, for though not Muslims they had accepted the Prophet’s authority. The battle, even before it was fairly joined, took an adverse course, and the Muslim forces were thrown into utter confusion. The Prophet was left with only twelve companions, but he spurred his mule forward, saying: “I am a true Prophet and no impostor. I am the grandson of Abdul Muttalib. ” At the same time he asked his uncle, Abbas, who was near him, to stand on an eminence and call out to the Emigrants and the Helpers that the Prophet of God summoned them. This helped rally the Muslim forces and the batt le that ensued ended in complete victory (9:25 - 26). On this occasion Abu Sufyan, a recent and reluctant convert, gave proof of his rapid inner conviction by holding fast to the stirrup of the Prophet and exposing himself to extreme danger. The enemy abando ned great booty on the field of battle and many prisoners were taken, which brought in large sums in ransom. Instead of distributing all this among the Muslim forces, according to custom, the Prophet chose to distribute it among the people of Mecca and tho se living in the neighborhood of Mecca, Muslim and non - Muslim alike. This occasioned some disappointment among sections of the Muslim army, but most of them reconciled themselves to the Prophet’s decision and accepted it cheerfully. The result of the battle of Hunain seemed to assure peace in the peninsula proper, but when the Prophet returned to Medina