PROPHET MUHAMMAD (PBUH)’s BIOGRAPHY : The Battle of Hunayn.1
(8th year of the Migration, 5 Shawwal Saturday / AD 630, January 27)
With the conquest of Makkah, almost all of the Qurayshis became Muslims. The conquest affected the tribes that were the allies of the Qurayshis; they started to have nice feelings about Islam and Muslims, and showed interest in Islam. This interest was regarded as a sign that they would be allies of the Messenger of God.
However, there were some tribes that were deprived of this interest: The tribes of Hawazin and Thaqif were the leaders of them. They were known to be the fierce enemies of the Prophet and Muslims. Though many Arab tribes became loyal to the Messenger of God, they could not end their enmity. They deceived themselves because they were the strongest tribes of that region and assumed groundless pride.
When the Messenger of God conquered Makkah and became allies with the Qurayshis and many other tribes, Hawazin and Thaqif tribes decided to make preparations and attack Makkah. Their aim was to attack Makkah suddenly before the Prophet could attack them.
The leaders of both tribes expressed their intention when they talked to each other. They said, “There is nothing that can prevent Muhammad from attacking us. What is appropriate for us is to attack him before he attacks us.”[ Ibn Sa’d, Tabaqat, Vol. 2, p. 149. ]
As a matter of fact, they formed an army consisting of twenty thousand soldiers under the command of Malik b. Awf, the leader of Hawazins, with the participation of the people from the tribes around. Malik b. Awf, their commander, made all of the women, children and sheep join the army so that the soldiers would fight bravely and would not run away.
The enemy army consisting of twenty thousand people settled in a place called Awtas together with the women, children and animals.[ Ibn Hisham, Sirah, Vol. 4, p. 80; Tabari, Tarikh, Vol. 3, p. 126. ]
The Prophet is Informed about the Situation
When the Messenger of God heard that Hawazin and Thaqif tribes came together in order to attack the Islamic land, he immediately sent Abdullah b. Abi Hadrad to the enemy so that he would gather some information.
Abdullah wondered among the enemy soldiers in disguise for a few days and collected necessary information. He heard Malik b. Awf, the commander of the army, say the following to the other commanders:
“This will be the last fight of Muhammad. The people that he has fought up to now were people unaware of fighting. That is why, he defeated them.
When it is dawn, line your animals, women and children behind you. Then line your soldiers.
When you see the Muslims, you will attack them.
Break the sheaths of your swords and attack at once like one single man. Know it very well that victory belongs to the party that attacks first!”
After collecting this information, Abdullah returned to Makkah and informed the Prophet about what he had heard.
The Prophet Prepares the Army
When the Messenger of God was informed that a big army had been prepared against him, he acted very fast to attack them in the place where they had settled.
Meanwhile, he said to Safwan b. Umayya, who had a lot of weapons and armor but who had not become a Muslim yet, “O Abu Umayya! We will go and fight the enemy tomorrow. Lend your weapons to us.”
Safwan said, “O Muhammad! Do you want to take them by force and not give them back?”
The Prophet said, “No... I want to borrow them; I will pay for the ones that will be broken and that will get lost.”
Thereupon, Safwan gave him armor for one hundred people and weapons that will be enough for them; he also undertook the duty of carrying them to the place of fighting upon the request of the Prophet.[ Ibn Hisham, ibid, Vol. 4, p. 83; Tabari, ibid, Vol. 3, p. 127. ]
The Prophet appointed Attab b. Asid, who was a young man aged twenty, as the governor of Makkah on the day of the conquest of Makkah. He also appointed Muadh b. Jabal to teach Islam and the Quran in the city.[ Ibn Hisham, ibid, Vol. 4, p. 83; Tabari, ibid, Vol. 3, p. 127. ]
The Islamic Army Leaves Makkah
It was the fifth of the month of Shawwal in the 8th year of the Migration.
The Islamic army consisting of twelve thousand soldiers under the command of the Messenger of God set off from Makkah toward the place where the enemy army had settled. Two thousand soldiers were Makkans. There were also about eighty polytheists in the army. Many notables of the Quraysh were among these eighty people. They wanted to see which party would win and to get some booty.
The Prophet had not led such a big army before. However, he knew that the number of the soldiers was not enough for the victory. He knew that it was God Almighty who granted victory and who caused defeat and that man was obliged to make perfect preparations that will enable him to gain victory. Therefore, he did not show any traces of pride though he was leading such a big and magnificent army.
However, some mujahids who trusted in the number of the soldiers said,
“We will not be defeated due to insufficient number of soldiers today.”[ Ibn Hisham, ibid, Vol. 4, p. 87. ]
However, they had defeated many armies that were more crowded than them and that had more weapons than them several times with the help of God. The Victory of Badr was a very clear example. The Battle of Khandaq and Muta were visible examples. However, they talked as if the only element to bring victory was the number of soldiers.
Naturally, the Messenger of God did not like what they said and showed it through his attitude.
It was Tuesday, 11th of the month of Shawwal.
The Messenger of God and his army arrived at the valley of Hunayn, which had many slopes and descents, narrow passes and hidden ways.
At dawn, he arranged his army in ranks. He gave the flags and the standards to their bearers.
Hazrat Ali had the standard of the Muhajir Muslims; Sa’d b. Abi Waqqas and Hazrat Umar had their flags. Hubab b. Mundhir and Usayd b. Khudayr had the standards of Ansar Muslims.
Sons of Sulaym under the command of Khalid b. Walid formed the vanguards of the Islamic army.
The Messenger of God acted very cautiously. He was on his horse, Duldul. He had put on two armored shirts; there was a cap on his head and a helmet.[ Ibn Sa’d, ibid, Vol. 2, p. 150. ]
The Messenger of God, who feared the Creator more than everybody and who worshipped Him more than everybody, obeyed the material laws of God Almighty in daily life called “Adatullah” more than everybody and observed those rules very carefully. He showed his situation against the enemy very clearly. Though he was under the protection of God and was helped by God, he put on two armored shirts when people put on only one and he had a cap and a helmet on his head.
The Prophet ordered his army to go down the valley of Hunayn in order to take the enemy by surprise. The vanguards under the command of Khalid went down the valley first; they were unaware of the plans and movements of the enemy. They were attacked by the arrows of the enemy that had ambushed in two places overlooking the valley. The attack of the arrows astonished the mujahids in the narrow valley, which was not suitable for military maneuvers. It was still dark, which made things harder for them. The vanguards had to retreat; after them, the new Makkan Muslims who had voluntarily joined the army started to retreat. The retreat was about to turn into a defeat.
The situation was very delicate; the scene was very painful.
There were only about one hundred mujahids around the Messenger of God. The enemy was coming toward them with their twenty thousand soldiers. The Prophet called out, “O people! Where are you going? Come toward me! I am Messenger of God! I am Muhammad b. Abdullah.”
The battlefield was like Doomsday. The camels were hitting each other; the horses were neighing and causing a lot of tumult and fear.
The Messenger of God was sitting on Duldul like a statue of bravery though everybody was retreating and running away and the enemy forces were coming toward him like a flood. He did not move back even one step; he had no signs of fear; he was full of courage, hope and strength. Only that hero of the heroes could stand bravely against the enemy that consisted of twenty thousand soldiers in this tumult.
The Hatred and Enmity in the Hearts are Revealed
When the Islamic army faced such an unexpected defeat, some Qurayshis started to utter bad words.
Abu Sufyan b. Harb said, “This defeat cannot be stopped.”
Safwan b. Umayya had not become a Muslim yet. However, he did not like what Abu Sufyan said. He said to Abu Sufyan, “May soil and stones fill your mouth!
Meanwhile, Safwan b. Umayya came and said to him, “Good news! The spell has been broken today; it has lost its effect.” Safwan b. Umayya said to him,
“Shut up! May God tear your mouth! I prefer a Qurayshi to rule over me than a Hawazin.”
Suhayl b. Amr said, “Muhammad and his Companions can never recover and fight again.”
Abu Jahl’s son Ikrima, who had just become a Muslim, said, “It is not appropriate to talk like that!” He added,
“God has control over everything. Muhammad cannot do anything. If the war is against him today, it will definitely be in favor of him tomorrow.”
Suhayl was surprised when he heard what Ikrima said, “You used to say just the opposite.”
“By God, we used to insist on things that were not appropriate. We did not think very well; we kept on worshipping some stones that could neither harm nor help us.”[ Halabi, Insanu’l-Uyun, Vol. 3, p. 70. ]
God Almighty Protects His Prophet from an Assassination
During this defeat, some of the Qurayshis that had not become Muslims yet thought about killing the Prophet. Shayba b. Uthman was one of them.
His father was killed during the Battle of Uhud; he was full of the feelings of revenge and hatred. He drew his sword. He wanted to approach the Prophet from the right side of the Prophet. He saw that Hazrat Abbas, the Prophet’s uncle, was standing there with his sword shining in his hand. He thought, “I cannot approach him while his uncle is there.” Then, he moved to the left side of the Prophet. He wanted to attack from that direction. However, he saw that Abu Sufyan b. Harith, the Prophet’s cousin was standing there. He thought, “His cousin will help him.” This time, he wanted to approach the Prophet from behind. He approached him and wanted to lift his sword. There was nothing that could prevent him from hitting the Prophet. Just then, a blaze of fire appeared between him and the Prophet. Shayba shivered and felt scared. He thought the blaze was going to scorch him. He closed his eyes due to his fear and moved back. Only then did he realize that the Prophet was protected by God.
While he was moving back, the Messenger of God turned toward him smiling and said, “O Shayba! Come here!”
Shayba, who had dared to kill the Prophet a minute ago, was shivering and shaking in fear. He went to the Prophet, who put his blessed hand on his chest and prayed: “O God! Remove all of the delusions of Satan from him.”
All of a sudden, the feelings of revenge and hatred in his heart disappeared and were replaced by belief and love of the Prophet. Shayba described that moment as follows: “By God, before he removed his hand from my chest, there was nobody more beloved to me from him.”
Then, the Prophet said, “O Shayba! Come on, fight the unbelievers!”
“I fought in front of the Messenger of God with my sword. I wanted to protect him with my soul and everything. If my father had been alive and appeared in front of me, I would definitely have killed him with my sword.”[ Ibn Qayyim, Zadu’l-Maad, Vol. 2, p. 208; Ibn Sayyid, Uyunu’l-Athar, Vol. 2, p. 191. ]
Thus, a person who once said, “I will not be subject to Muhammad even if all Arabs and non-Arabs become subject to him” could not resist the attraction of the light the Messenger of God brought and embraced Islam.
The Islamic Army Gathers Strength Again
When the Messenger of God, who had been left with only a handful of mujahids, saw that the enemy was coming toward them like a flood, he wanted to spur Duldul, his horse, and fight them; however, Abbas was holding the reins and Abu Sufyan b. Harith was holding the stirrup of Duldul and trying to prevent the Prophet.
During this tumult, the Messenger of God said to his uncle Abbas, who was holding the reins of Duldul, “O Abbas! Call out this, ‘O Ansar! O Companions who paid allegiance to the Messenger of God under Samura tree! Where are you?’” Abbas called out in a strong voice.[ Ibn Hisham, ibid, Vol. 4, p. 87; Tabari, ibid, Vol. 3, p. 128. ]
The strong voice resonated through the valley. The mujahids who were running away stopped. After the dawn, it was getting bright; similarly, the mujahids came to their senses by getting rid of the fear that covered their hearts. It dawned on them; they said, “Where are we going? Who are we leaving the Messenger of God to?”
They looked as if they had woken up from a deep sleep. They remembered their promise to the Messenger of God and started to come to their senses. The feet that were running away started to run toward the Prophet, who was like a statue of courage in this tumult. The same thing had happened during the Battle of Uhud, too. The courage, strength and perseverance of the Messenger of God had prevented the Islamic army from a worse situation.
The mujahids that surrounded the Prophet drew their swords and started to attack the enmy. The clangs of the swords were accompanied by the takbir sounds of the mujahids. The enemy soldiers were terrified and frightened all of a sudden.
Heroic Companions like Hazrat Uthman, Hazrat Ali and Abu Dujana fought in front of the Messenger of God by using their bodies as shields for the Messenger of God. Hazrat Ali discouraged the enemy soldiers with his agility and courage.
During this most severe moment of the fighting, the Messenger of God stood up on the stirrups of Duldul and said, “Now, the oven has heated; the war has become hot!”[ Ibn Hisham, ibid, Vol. 4, p. 87; Ibn Sa’d, ibid, Vol. 2, p. 151; Tabari, ibid, Vol. 3, p. 129. ]Then he looked at the terrifying scene and called out, “I am the Messenger of God. This is no lie!”[ Ibn Sa’d, ibid, Vol. 2, p. 151. ]
With those words, he stated that prophethood and telling lies would not be together and that he believed in the help promised by God. This call was the harbinger of victory, which was the reward of patience and perseverance.
Meanwhile, Hazrat Ali and Abu Dujana killed one of the standard-bearers of the enemy. When Hawazins saw that their standard-bearer was killed, they started to feel scared.
