IN ORDER TO TERRORIZE ABU SUFYAN AND HIS COMPANY, THE PROPHET AND HIS COMPANIONS GO ON HIS TRAIL
Moosa Ibn ‘Uqbah said, after summarizing the incident of Uhud and the Messenger of Allah’s return journey to Madinah: A man from the people of Makkah came to Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and he inquired from him about the movement of Abu Sufyan and his men and the man said: “They have disembarked at an open-air and I overheard them trading blames, one group saying to the other: ‘You have not achieved anything. You had them in your grasp, then you let them go without slaughtering them. Now they still have men gathering to fight against you.’ On hearing this, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, ordered his Companions, in spite of their excruciating injuries, to follow their trail. He said: “No one should follow me except those who partook in the war.” ‘Abdullah Ibn Ubayy said: “I will march along with you.” “No,” the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, vehemently objected. In Spite of their tribulation, the injured Companions responded to Allah and His Messenger and set out with him. Allah says in His Noble Book: Those who answered (the Call of) Allah and the Messenger (Muhammad) after being wounded; for those of them who did good deeds and feared Allah, there is a great reward. (Soorah Aal ‘Imran 3:172)
He (the narrator) added: Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,) permitted Jabir to join him when it was mentioned to him that he remained behind in Madinah because his father commanded him to stay back and care for his sisters.
Ibn ‘Abbas said concerning the Verse: Allah (Alone) is Sufficient for us (Soorah Aal ‘Imran 3:173) Ibrahim said it when he was thrown into the fire and Muhammad also said it when it was said to him: Verily, the people (pagans) have gathered against you (a great army), therefore, fear them. But it (only) increased them in Faith, and they said: “Allah (Alone) is Sufficient for us, and He is the Best Disposer of affairs (for us).” (Soorah Aal ‘Imran 3:173) Al-Bukhari related it exclusively.
Al-Bukhari related from ‘A’ishah concerning the Verse: Those who answered (the Call of) Allah and the Messenger (Muhammad) after being wounded; for those of them who did good deeds and feared Allah, there is a great reward. (Soorah Aal ‘Imran 3:172) She said to ‘Urwah: “O my nephew! Your father, AzZubair and Abu Bakr were amongst them (i.e. those who responded to the call of Allah and the Messenger on the day (of the Battle of Uhud). When Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, suffered what he suffered on the day of Uhud and the pagans left, the Prophet was afraid that they might return. So he said, ‘Who will go on their (i.e. pagans’) trail?’ He then selected seventy men from amongst them (for this purpose) among whom were Abu Bakr and Az-Zubair.” This is how AlBukhari related it.
This wording is extremely strange for the popular version among the authors of books on Islamic military history is that those who went with Allah’s Messenger, peace be upon him, to Hamra Al-Asad were the same people who partook in the Battle of Uhud; they were seven hundred in total as mentioned earlier and seventy of them were martyred.
Ibn Jareer related through ‘Awfi Ibn ‘Abbas who said: Allah put fear into the heart of Abu Sufyan on the Day of Uhud after what occurred from him, so he returned to Makkah. The Battle of Uhud occurred in Shawwal. The merchants used to set out in Dhul-Qa‘dah for Madinah and they would disembark at AlBadr As-Sughra once every year. So they set out after the Battle of Uhud. Many of the Muslims were wounded and they complained to Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, about that. The pain of their situation became aggravated. So the Messenger chose the people who would accompany him on the trail from the willing ones. He said to us: “Right now, they are coming for Hajj and they will not be capable of something similar till next year.” Then Shaitan came in order to terrify his friends; he said: ‘Hosts have gathered against you.’ So the people objected to following the Prophet so he said: “I am going even if no one follows me.” So Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthman, ‘Ali, Talhah, Az-Zubair, Sa‘d, ‘Abdur-Rahman Ibn ‘Awf, Abu ‘Ubaidah, Ibn Mas‘ood and Hudhaifah among seventy others stood with him. Thus, they went on the trail of Abu Sufyan till they reached As-Safra.’ Then Allah revealed: Those who answered (the Call of) Allah and the Messenger (Muhammad) after being wounded; for those of them who did good deeds and feared Allah, there is a great reward. (Soorah Aal ‘Imran 3:172) This narration is also strange.
Ibn Ishaq related: When Allah’s Messenger returned to Madinah, ‘Abdullah Ibn Ubayy, according to what Az-Zuhri narrated to me, used to stand unobjectionable to address the people every Friday. It used to be a distinction to his personality and his clan who saw it as a honor that one of them, whenever the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, got up on Friday to address the people, would corroborate: “This is the Messenger of Allah in your presence. Allah has ennobled and honored you with his presence (in your misdt) so help and strengthen him, listen and obey him and then he would sit. After his misdemeanor at the Battle of Uhud and upon the people’s return to Madinah, ‘Abdullah Ibn Ubayy again wanted to act as he used to whenever the Prophet rose to address the people. Infuriated by his turncoat attitude, the Muslims seized him by his cloth and told him: “Sit down! O enemy of Allah, you are not fit for that endeavor, not after what you have done.” He angrily went out overstepping the necks of people while fuming: ‘By Allah, it is as if I have said something wrong whereas I merely stood to consolidate his affair.’ Some Ansari met him at the entrance of the Mosque and they asked: “Woe to you, what happened to you?” He said: “I stood to consolidate his affair and a group of his Companions pounced on me, pulled me and tongue-lashed me as if I said something bad when I stood to consolidate his affair.” The Ansaris said: “Return so that Allah’s Messenger may seek Allah’s forgiveness for you.” Arrogantly, ‘Abdullah Ibn Ubayy said: “By Allah, I do not have any desire for him to seek forgiveness on my behalf.” Then Ibn Ishaq cited some of the Verses of the Qur’an that were revealed concerning the story of Uhud in Soorah Aal ‘Imran from the Verse: And (remember) when you (Muhammad) left your household in the morning to post the Believers at their stations for the Battle (of Uhud). And Allah is All Hearer, All-Knower. (Soorah Al ‘Imran 3:121) till a complete sixty Verses were revealed and he discussed them.
We (the author) have also extensively and sufficiently discussed that in our book, At-Tafseer.
I say: None of the polytheists were captured except for Abu Azzah Al-Jumahi, according to what was related by Ash-Shafi’i and others. Allah’s Messenger ordered his execution and it was carried out by AzZubair in his presence. It is also said that it was ‘Asim Ibn Thabit Ibn Abul-Aflah who executed him.
By: Ibn Katheer
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