Flowers for the Women Wearing Veils - Volume II — Page 27
27 The Battle of Hunain is a famous battle which occurred between the Muslims and the Kuffaar. Some of Mecca ’s new ly converted Muslims and Kuffaar participated in this battle. They had asked and received permission from the Holy Prophet sa to join the battle. However, as they were not completely familiar with the religious teachings, when the Islam ic troops set off , these people began to walk ahead in an arrogant manner and boast that they would kill the enemy. They boasted , “ W e will destroy the m. Just let them come and face us; we will show them how a battle is fought. ” The enemy which the Muslim army had set out to engage was particularly known for their skill in archery. The enemy had lined up its archers on the right and the left of a mountain ous path which lay e n route. When some of the Holy Prophet’s sa troops went ahead of the army, the hidden archers suddenly attacked the Muslim army with a volley of arrows. Because the pass was narrow, and the attack was sudden, and the leading troops consisted mainly of d isbelievers of M ecca and new Muslims, the result was the troops could not withstand the attack and they turned and r a n away. As a result of the stampede of their horses and camels, the companion s’ ra horses and camels also began to run away. T o the extent that at one point, only twelve people remained standing near the Holy Prophet sa , while an army of four thousand stood before him. The enemy was firing arrows from both sides [ of the pass ]. The Holy Prophet sa stood in that narrow pass with only twelve companions gathered around him. A t th is point, Ha z rat Abu Bakr ra grabbed the reins of Holy Prophet’s sa horse and said, “O Messenger of Allah ! Going forward at this time is not advisable. Once the Muslim troops gather again , we will move forward. Ad vancing right now is too dangerous. ” When the Holy Prophet sa saw this, he replied , “ Abu Bakr, l et go of the reins of my horse. The messengers of God do not run away from the battlefield. ” Then he spurred his horse forward towards the enemy. H e began to recite t hese words: ا 5 ﻧ ﱠ ﺎ ا ﻟ ﻨ ﱠ RSِ T ﱡ َﻻ ﻛ 5 ِﺬ ْب ا 5 ﻧ ﱠ ﺎ ا ْﺑ ُﻦ َﻋ [ْ ِﺪ ا ﻟ \ ُﻤ ﻄ ﱠ ِﻠ ْﺐ [I am a prophet. I am not a liar. I am the son of Abdul Muttalib. ] ‘ I am a prophet. I am not a liar. However, upon seeing me act in this way, that I am advancing on my own towards an army of four thousand , do no t fall prey to the misconception that I possess some godly powers. I am the son of Abdul Mutalib and I am a human being like you. Ye t , it is the importance of the responsibilities which God has assigned to me which demands that I advance towards the enemy without any fear of danger. ’