The Military Expeditions of Prophet Muhammad

The Battle of Uhud: A Detailed Account

• In December 624, a large army of around 3,000 men marched from Mecca towards Medina, seeking revenge for their previous loss in the Battle of Badr.
• The Muslim army, with only 700 men after the hypocrites left, decided to march out of the city to face the enemy in the open field rather than defend within the city area.
• The two armies took positions to face each other, with the Meccan army planning a strong central attack on the Muslim infantry and attacking the Muslim flanks from both sides with cavalry.
• The Muslim army was placed in three rows - the spearman, archers, and rest of the infantry - with 50 archers on top of a hill to the left of the Muslim army to repeal the advancement of Meccan cavalry.
• The main battle began when the Meccan standard bearer challenged the Muslims to send their best warrior to duel, and Ali emerged victorious against him and his nine other challengers.
• The Meccan army charged with their full might, but their confidence crumbled when they couldn't break through the Muslim ranks and the Muslim archers on the hill emerged with a counter-attack.
• The Muslim army pierced through the Meccan ranks, causing them to flee haphazardly from the battlefield.
• The Muslim archers station on the hill thought the battle was over and left their station to plunder the enemy camp. The fleeing Meccan cavalry saw the Muslim flank was vulnerable and launched a counter-attack, attacking the Muslim army from the back.
• Chaos and confusion followed as the Muslim army was attacked from both ends, causing the Muslim lines to break and many Muslims to lose their lives, including Hamza and the Prophet himself, who was injured.
• A rumor spread that the Prophet had fallen, shattering Muslim morale and causing them to disperse and flee. However, it was soon confirmed that the Prophet was still alive and bravely resisting the Meccan attempts on his life.
• The Muslim army strategically withdrew and took defensive positions to higher elevation on Uhud mountain, where the Meccan cavalry became ineffective.
• The Muslim army lost around 70-75 companions, almost three times more than the Meccan loss, dealing a great blow to Muslim morale. Both armies knew that this was not the final encounter, and the end game had just begun.