Quran Garden

Session 452

Chapter 3

Verse 121

Remember when you left your home at dawn to assign battle positions to the believers: God hears and knows everything.  (Chapter 3: Verse 121)

After their humiliating defeat in the battle of Badr, the disbelievers of Quraysh wanted to take revenge for their brothers who were killed or taken captive.  Their leader at the time, Abu Sufyan, said to his friends, "Tell your women not to weep, for crying washes the sorrow away.  We do not want relief; we want revenge!" Abu Sufyan was referring to the fact that when a grieving person cries, they feel better, which he did not want.  Had the women grieved and wept, the heat of revenge would have cooled off, but Abu Sufyan wanted to maintain the anger.  The result was an army of three thousand fighters ready for the next battle of Uhud.  The Muslim army, on the other hand, was only seven hundred. 

Verse 120 of Al Imran ended with the phrase "But, if you are steadfast and conscious of God, their scheming will not harm you in the least: God encircles everything they do." Allah wants to give us a real-life example of this issue from the Battle of Uhud. 

The "home" referred to in this verse is the house of Aisha, may God be pleased with her, because the Messenger was with her at the time.  He, peace be upon him, consulted his companions on the matter of the gathering army of Quraysh.  One of the hypocrites, Abdullah Ibn Ubay Ibn Salul, said, "O Messenger of God, every time we went out to face an enemy outside the city walls they defeated us, and every time an enemy entered the city we defeated them.  We should stay here and defend the city.  If the enemy enters, the men will fight them, and our women and the children will shower them with rocks until they flee."  Most of the Ansar of Medina shared this opinion. 

Some companions suggested going out to the enemy and fighting them on a battlefield.  They said, "O Messenger of God, let's go and meet the enemy so they do not see us as cowards hiding behind walls." They persisted on this opinion until the Prophet, peace be upon him, agreed.  He returned home, put on his armor, and grabbed his weapon.  Those who urged him to fight outside Medina started to worry that they may have pressured their Messenger too harshly.  When he came out to them, they said, "We compelled you, O Messenger of God.  We should not have done that.  Please stay in the city if you do not want to go." Muhammad, peace be upon him, replied, "It does not befit any prophet of God who has worn his armor to put it down until he fights."  And so the Muslims left Medina for war.  God says:

Remember when you left your home at dawn to assign battle positions to the believers: God hears and knows everything.  (Chapter 3: Verse 121)

"To assign battle positions" is to point to each believer his place and role in battle.  It is a spot they have to guard and return to during the fight.  The word "positions" refers to places of stability because war is the act of charging and then falling back, and the one that holds firm gains on the enemy with God's help.  The Messenger commanded the fighters to make their position their home on the battlefield, so they could return to it if they got pushed.  Their fate and faith depended on it.  God says, "But, if you are steadfast and conscious of God, their scheming will not harm you in the least: God encircles everything they do."

Next, Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, turned to the archers and assigned Abdullah bin Jabir as their commander.  There were fifty archers in total, and the Prophet said to them, "Stand firm in the spots I have assigned to you and protect our backs; if you see us victorious, do not join us, and even if you see us being killed, do not aid us." Sadly, during the battle, the archers violated this critical command of God's Messenger.  Allah wanted this harsh lesson to happen in the presence of His Messenger to teach the believers that following the commander's orders is the core of military discipline.  If you violate the order of your commander, even if Muhammad is your leader, you will be defeated.   

At the beginning of the battle, the winds of victory were with the believers, and the army of Quraysh was falling apart.  The Muslim fighters began to push the enemy back and collect the loot left behind by the fleeing enemy.  The archers, who were stationed on high grounds, looked on as the spoils of war were gathered by their fellow Muslims; they feared that nothing would be left for them.  Lured by greed, the archers left their battle positions and rushed down to the field.  Khalid ibin Al-Waleed, who was not a Muslim at this time, seized the opportunity and circled his cavalry to surround the Muslim army.  With their back exposed, the tide turned as the Muslims were pressured from the front and rear.  News that Prophet Muhammad was killed spread, morale crumbled, and the Muslim fighters started fleeing the battle.  Upon this, the Prophet, peace be upon him, started calling, "Gather around me, o servants of God," until a group of his companions gathered.  They said, "O Messenger of God, we will defend you as we defend our mothers and fathers, but we heard that you were killed, so we left."

Some people say that Islam was defeated at Uhud.  We answer, no!  Islam was victorious, but the Muslims were not.  How, you may ask?  We answer that had the Muslims won on that day despite violating the order of the Prophet, then Islam would have been defeated.  Is there any value to the teachings of God and His Messenger if nothing happens when you violate them?  Would any words of the Prophet hold value if people did not have to listen?  

The historical investigation of the battle of Uhud found that it was neither a defeat nor a victory for either side.  No prisoners of war were taken by either army.  Quraysh did not gain any land or influence, and they could not enter Medina.  But the Muslims learned a big lesson: always obey your Messenger.  God says:

Remember when you left your home at dawn to assign battle positions to the believers: God hears and knows everything.  (Chapter 3: Verse 121)

And, in another chapter:

When God and His Messenger have decided on a matter that concerns them, it is not fitting for any believing man or woman to claim freedom of choice in that matter: whoever disobeys God and His Messenger is far astray.  (33:36)

Allah reminds us of the responsibilities of the military leader as the one who draws up plans and assignments: this is the right wing, this is the left wing, here is where the infantry stands, and this is when the cavalry charges.  The Almighty concludes the verse by saying, "God hears and knows everything," so the believers would know that the Almighty witnessed His Messenger positioning the believers, and He was fully aware of their thoughts and actions afterward.