The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 1) — Page clxxxiii
GENERAL INTRODUCTION After a little while, the Prophet returned to consciousness. The guards who surrounded him sent out messengers to tell Muslims to assemble again. A disrupted force began to assemble. They escorted the Prophet to the foot of the hill. Abu Sufyān, the enemy commander, seeing these Muslim remnants, cried aloud, "We have killed Muḥammad. " The Prophet heard the boastful cry but forbade the Muslims to answer, lest the enemy should know the truth and attack again and the exhausted and badly-wounded Muslims should have again to fight this savage horde. Not receiving a reply from the Muslims, Abū Sufyan became certain the Prophet was dead. He followed his first cry by a second and said, "We have also killed Abū Bakr. " The Prophet forbade Abū Bakr to make any reply. Abū Sufyān followed by a third, and said, "We have also killed 'Umar. " The Prophet forbade 'Umar also to reply. Upon this Abū Sufyan cried that they had killed all three. Now ‘Umar could not contain himself and cried, "We are all alive and, with God's grace, ready to fight you and break your heads. " Abū Sufyān raised the national cry, "Glory to Hubal. Glory to Hubal. For Hubal has put an end to Islam" (Hubal was the Meccans' national idol). The Prophet could not bear this boast against the One and Only God, Allah, for Whom he and the Muslims were prepared to sacrifice their all. He had refused to correct a declaration of his own death. He had refused to correct a declaration of the death of Abu Bakr and of ‘Umar for strategic reasons. Only the remnants of his small force had been left. The enemy forces were large and buoyant. But now the enemy had insulted Allah. The Prophet could not stand such an insult. His spirit was fired. He looked angrily at the Muslims who surrounded him and said, "Why stand silent and make no reply to this insult to Allah, the Only God?" The Muslims asked, "What shall we say, O Prophet?" "Say, 'Allah alone is Great and Mighty. Allah alone is Great and Mighty. He alone is High and Honoured. He alone is High and Honoured. " " ་་ The Muslims shouted accordingly. This cry stupefied the enemy. They stood chagrined at the thought that the Prophet after all had not died. Before them stood a handful of Muslims, wounded and exhausted. To finish them was easy enough. But they dared not attack again. Content with the sort of victory they had won, they returned making a great show of rejoicing. In the Battle of Uḥud, Muslim victory became converted into a defeat. Nevertheless, the battle affords evidence of the truth of the Prophet. For in this battle were fulfilled the prophecies the Prophet had made before going into battle. Muslims were victorious in the beginning. The Prophet's beloved uncle, Hamzah, died fighting. The commander of the enemy was killed early in the action. The Prophet himself was wounded and many Muslims were clvii