Battle of Uhud

The Battle of Uhud ( Ġazwat ‘Uḥud ) was fought on March 19, 625 AD (3 Shawwal 3 AH in the Islamic calendar ) at the valley located in front of Mount Uhud , in what is now North-Western Arabia . It occurred between a force from the Muslim community of Medina led by the Islamic prophet Muhammad , and a force led by Abu Sufyan ibn Harb from Mecca , the town from which many of the Muslims had previously emigrated (See Hijra ). The Battle of ‘Uḥud was the second military encounter between the Meccans and the Muslims, preceded by the Battle of Badr in 624 AD , where a small Muslim army had defeated the much larger Meccan army. Marching out from Mecca towards Medina on March 11, 625 AD, the Meccans desired to avenge their losses at Badr and strike back at Muhammad and his followers. The Muslims readied for war soon afterwards and the two armies fought on the slopes and plains of Mount ‘Uḥud. Whilst heavily outnumbered, the Muslims gained the early initiative and forced the Meccan lines back, thus leaving much of the Meccan camp unprotected. When the battle looked to be only one step far from a decisive Muslim victory, a serious mistake was committed by a part of the Muslim army, which shifted the outcome of the battle. A breach of Muhammad's orders by the Muslim archers, who left their assigned posts to despoil the Meccan camp, allowed a surprise attack from the Meccan cavalry , led by Meccan war veteran Khalid ibn al-Walid , which brought chaos to the Muslim ranks. Many Muslims were killed, and even Muhammad himself was almost killed and came out badly injured. The Muslims had to withdraw up the slopes of ‘Uḥud. The Meccans did not pursue the Muslims further, but marched back to Mecca declaring victory. The two armies would meet again in 627 AD at the Battle of the Trench .

The Battle of Uhud ( Ġazwat ‘Uḥud ) was fought on Saturday, March 19, 625 (3 Shawwal 3 AH in the Islamic calendar ) at the valley located in front of Mount Uhud , in what is now northwestern Arabia . It occurred between a force from the Muslim community of Medina led by the Islamic prophet Muhammad , and a force led by Abu Sufyan ibn Harb from Mecca , the town from which many of the Muslims had previously emigrated . The Battle of Uhud was the second military encounter between the Meccans and the Muslims, preceded by the Battle of Badr in 624, where a small Muslim army had defeated a larger Meccan army. Marching out from Mecca towards Medina on March 11, 625 AD, the Meccans desired to avenge their losses at Badr and strike back at Muhammad and his followers. The Muslims readied for war soon afterwards and the two armies fought on the slopes and plains of Mount Uhud. Whilst outnumbered, the Muslims gained the early initiative and forced the Meccan lines back, thus leaving much of the Meccan camp unprotected. When the battle looked to be only one step away from a decisive Muslim victory, a serious mistake was committed by a part of the Muslim army, which altered the outcome of the battle. A breach of Muhammad's orders by the Muslim archers , who left their assigned posts to despoil the Meccan camp, allowed a surprise attack from the Meccan cavalry , led by Meccan war veteran Khalid ibn al-Walid , which brought chaos to the Muslim ranks. Many Muslims were killed, and even Muhammad himself was badly injured. The Muslims had to withdraw up the slopes of Uhud. The Meccans did not pursue the Muslims further, but marched back to Mecca declaring victory. The two armies would meet again in 627 AD at the Battle of the Trench .

Second major battle in early Islam Belligerents Muslims of Medina Quraysh of Mecca Commanders and leaders Muhammad ( WIA ) Ali ibn Abi Talib Hamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib † Abdullah ibn Jubayr † Mundhir ibn Amr Zubayr ibn al-Awam Abd-Allah ibn Ubayy (Defected) 'Ubadah ibn al-Samit Abu Sufyan Hind bint Utbah Ikrimah bin Abu Jahl Amr ibn al-As Khalid ibn al-Walid Strength 754 total 700 Infantry 50 archers 4 cavalry 3,200 total 3,000 infantry 3,000 camels 200 cavalry Casualties and losses 62 –75 killed 22 –35 killed Location within Saudi Arabia The Battle of Uhud was a major engagement between early Muslims and the Quraysh during the Muslim-Quraysh War . The battle was fought in a valley north of Mount Uhud near Medina on Saturday, 23 March 625 AD (7 Shawwal, 3 AH), After suffering defeat at the Battle of Badr and having their caravans endlessly attacked and plundered by Muhammad 's side, the Quraysh finally saw the necessity to take strong measures. Their chief, Abu Sufyan , then set out for Medina with 3,000 troops to confront Muhammad. The early phase of the fighting saw the Muslims gaining the initiative. The Quraysh vanguard began faltering and retreated, leaving their camps vulnerable. However when Muslim victory seemed near, the Muslim rear guard who were tasked to defend a hill to protect against a possible encirclement, abandoned their positions to collect spoils of war left by the fleeing enemy. This turn of events was exploited by the Quraysh general Khalid ibn al-Walid who launched a daring cavalry strike in the undefended rear and encircled the Muslims, thus turning the tide of battle. The battle was seen as a significant setback for the Muslims and a minor victory for the Quraysh as they would return with an even larger force in the Battle of the Trench . Miniature from volume 4 of a copy of Mustafa al-Darir’s Siyar-i Nabi (Life of the Prophet). The sealed nectar: biography of the Noble Prophet . There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ).

625 battle of the Muslim–Quraysh War Belligerents First Islamic State Quraysh Commanders and leaders Muhammad ( WIA ) Ali ibn Abi Talib ( WIA ) Hamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib † Abu Bakr Umar Abu Dujana ( WIA ) Abdullah ibn Jubayr † Mundhir ibn Amr Al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam Abd Allah ibn Ubayy (defected) 'Ubadah ibn al-Samit Talha ibn Ubayd Allah ( WIA ) Abu Sufyan ibn Harb Hind bint Utba Ikrima ibn Amr Amr ibn al-As Khalid ibn al-Walid Safwan ibn Umayya Ali ibn Umayya Jabala ibn Al Hanbal † Strength 754 total 700 Infantry 50 archers 4 cavalry 3,000 total 1,450 infantry 1,450 camels 100 cavalry Casualties and losses 62 –75 killed 22 –35 killed Location within Saudi Arabia The Battle of Uhud ( Arabic : غزوة أحد , romanized : Ghazwat ʾUḥud ) was fought between the early Muslims and the Quraysh during the Muslim–Quraysh wars in a valley north of Mount Uhud near Medina on Saturday, 23 March 625 AD (7 Shawwal, 3 AH). After the expulsion of Muslims from Mecca , the former began raiding the caravans of the latter. The conflict came to a head at the Battle of Badr , in which the Meccans were defeated. In retaliation for their losses, the Quraysh chief, Abu Sufyan ibn Harb , set out for Medina with 3,000 soldiers to confront Muhammad and the Muslims. The early phase of the fighting saw the Muslims gaining the initiative. The Quraysh vanguard began faltering and retreated, leaving their camps vulnerable. However, when Muslim victory seemed near, the Muslim rear guard who were tasked to defend a hill to protect against a possible encirclement, abandoned their positions to collect spoils of war left by the fleeing enemy. This turn of events was exploited by the Quraysh general Khalid ibn al-Walid who launched a daring cavalry strike in the undefended rear and encircled the Muslims, thus turning the tide of battle. The battle was seen as a significant setback for the Muslims and a minor victory for the Quraysh as they would return with an even larger force in the Battle of the Trench . Miniature from volume 4 of a copy of Mustafa al-Darir’s Siyar-i Nabi (Life of the Prophet). "The Battle of Uhud - Islamestic" . 11 October 2023. There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ).