Many
geographical sights were scenes of important historic events. The
mountains in the area of Al-Madinah Al-Munwwarah witnessed
significant events in Islamic history. Among these mountains is
Mount Uhud, which was the scene of the famous Battle of Uhud.
Mount
Uhud is located 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) north of Madinah. Uhud has
an attractive look. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
felt relieved on seeing it, and the people of Madinah also loved it
very much.
Mount
Uhud extends from east to west with a slight slope towards the
north. It is 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) in length and from 2 to 3
kilometers (1.2 to 1.9 miles) in breadth. Most of its stones are of
red granite, and some parts of it are almost dark green and black.
It contains some natural cavities (called maharis) where rain water
is collected. The rain water remains throughout the year, for these
cavities are not exposed to the rays of the sun. Close to Mount
Uhud there are some small mounts, like Thawr and `Aynayn. Mount
Thawr is located northwest of Uhud, while `Aynayn is situated to
its southwest.
In
3 a.h. Mount Mount was the scene of the famous Battle of Uhud. The
battlefield was the space between the southwestern base of Mount
Uhud and Mount `Aynayn Mount, a distance of about 1 kilometer (0.6
miles).
Mount
Uhud is also called the Archers’ Mount because it was the field
where the steadfast archers in the Battle of Uhud were killed. The
people of the Quraysh, upset at their defeat in the Battle of Badr
in 2 a.h., wanted to avenge their dead. In coalition with some
other tribes, they gathered a large force to attack the Muslims in
Madinah. They positioned themselves near the hills of Uhud.
The
Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) marched out with the
Muslims to confront them. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon
him) took up his position below the hill. He (peace and blessings
be upon him) arrayed the army in fighting formations, and fifty
archers were posted on Mount `Aynayn under the leadership of
`Abdullah ibn Jubayr to guard the army from any attack from the
rear. They had strict orders not to leave their post, whatever the
outcome of the battle.
The
two armies engaged in fighting. The Muslims seemed to have won
victory over the Makkans, who fell back in disorder after paying a
heavy toll. The Muslims started gathering the booty. Thinking that
the fight was over, the majority of the Muslim archers left their
posts to gather the spoils, disregarding the orders of their leader
to stay in their positions.
On
seeing the archers leaving their posts, Khalid ibn Al-Walid, who
had not yet embraced Islam, seized the opportunity and gathered a
group of the Quraysh fighters, killed the rest of the archers, and
launched a furious attack from the rear. The Muslims were taken so
much by surprise that they did not know what to do. In the general
melee their ranks got disorganized. Seventy of the Prophet’s
Companions, including Hamza ibn `Abdul Muttalib, the Prophet’s
uncle (may Allah be pleased with them), were killed.
After
the battle was over, the martyrs were buried in the field of the
battle. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would visit
their graves and pray for them.
The
Muslims have followed in the footsteps of the Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him) in that regard.
Mount
Uhud had a special place in the heart of the Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him). There were many hadiths reported regarding
that.
`Abbas
ibn Sahl reported from Abu Humayd who said: We went out along with
Allah’s Messenger (may peace and blessings be upon him) in the
expedition of Tabuk. We proceeded until we reached the Valley of
Al-Qura and Allah’s Messenger (may peace and blessings be upon
him) said, “I am going forth, so he among you who wants to move
fast with me may do so; and he who likes to go slowly may do so.”
We proceeded until Madinah was within our sight, and he said,
“This is Uhud, the mountain which loves us and which we love.”
Qatadah
reported from Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) who
said: Allah’s Messenger (may peace and blessings be upon him)
said, “Uhud is a mountain which loves us and which we love.”
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