049 - The Prophet SAW Injured | Uhud Part 4

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We have around 10-15 reports about the Prophet PBUH at Uhud. The issue comes with piecing together the events. Every original source has it's own formation. We all have bits of the puzzle but how one puts them together varies.

The Prophet PBUH and the 9 Sahaba

The assumption —which is not mentioned in the narration— is that this happened at the very beginning of Khalid's counter attack. When the sahaba are dispersed around the battlefield, the group that was with the Prophet PBUH was only 9 people. Amongst them were Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas (سعد بن أبي وقاص) and Talha ibn Ubaydillah (طلحة بن عبيد الله) - the rest were all Ansar, whose name we do not know. So 2 Muhajirun and 7 Ansar. Abu Bakr RA, Umar RA, and all other sahaba are dispersed elsewhere, because the assumption is that the war has finished and the Muslims have won. So when Khalid ibn al-Walid returns, the Prophet PBUH is only with a very small band. And we said that initially, the Prophet PBUH began shouting out to the Muslims, "Be careful! They're coming from behind you!" as Allah said in the Qur'an [3:153].

Again, we're piecing this together: Probably this group of 9 understood they need to flee, because 9 is not going to withstand 150; and the only advantage they have is that of distance (they can see the force of Khalid in the distance, and it'll take quite a few minutes for Khalid to get to the Prophet PBUH); thus they decide to run into the mountains, find shelter, and hide before Khalid and his contingent come. We can also assume amongst the Ansar were those who know the mountain like the back of their hands; whereas the Quraysh didn't have a clue. So the Ansar most likely knew exactly where to go to hide in secrecy. The Quraysh just saw a massive mountain and had no idea where the Muslims would be.

As we know, the Prophet PBUH sought refuge in a small narrow opening into the mountain - it's not even a cave, it's just a crevice inside. Perhaps only 1 or 2 people can physically be in at the same time. It appears someone in the group knew exactly where to go. As they were heading there, the contingent of the Quraysh came close; so the Prophet PBUH asked to the sahaba, "Who will take on these people? He shall be my companion in Jannah." Talha immediately offered, but the Prophet PBUH told him to stay with him. An Ansari then offered, and the Prophet PBUH let him go. Why did he keep Talha? Because Talha was the best of them, and so he wanted to save Talha for the very end. So one of the Ansar went, and he died a shaheed fending off the coming army.


Now, what is happening here? We're trying to piece this together. So we have 9 of the sahaba, most likely they are taking retreat in the mountain, and they are trying to throw off the scent of their retreat by making sure nobody follows them where they are going. So perhaps one by one they are going to lure the Quraysh to another location so that they are not going to the Prophet PBUH. And so one interpretation is that the Prophet PBUH is sending one Ansar each time to lure the Quraysh to another location - as a decoy. And this continued to happen until finally all 7 of the Ansar died a shaheed. Every single time Talha is saying, "I will go next." But the Prophet PBUH kept saying no until finally it was only Talha, Sa'd and the Prophet PBUH.

In the entire seerah, perhaps this is the most critical moment; because —no doubt the people of Ta'if were nasty and mean, but they didn't intend to kill him; they intended to humiliate him; whereas here is war, it's an open battle— there is no protection after Allah then Sa'd and Talha. There is nothing in the seerah as dangerous and critical as this point. (Even in the Hijrah it was just Suraqa they faced.)

Both Talha and Sa'd were expert archers, and Talha was a great warrior as well. We can assume by now the Prophet PBUH had reached the cave. Both Talha and Sa'd began throwing volleys of arrows to anyone who would be seen in the distance scouring the land, whiffing up the sand trying to find out where the Prophet PBUH is. And there's a narration that somewhat proves this. It says the Prophet PBUH would be looking outside to see if he could find anyone coming, and Talha would say, "May my mother and father be given in ransom for you, O Messenger of Allah! Do not look outside! Perhaps a stray arrow will come and strike you! My chest instead of your chest, O Messenger of Allah! Let me be guard in front of the crevice." It shows us Talha and Sa'd were there with the Prophet PBUH.

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"May My Mother and Father Be Given in Ransom to You":

Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas RA

Sa'd too threw volleys of arrows at the Quraysh, so much so it's said the Prophet PBUH started finding arrows on the ground and handing it to Sa'd to fire. And he said something to Sa'd which Sa'd was always proud of for the rest of his life, and no other sahaba had ever had this phrase used by the Prophet PBUH for him, and that phrase was: "Fidaka abi wa ummi (فداك أبي وأمي - May my mother and father be given in ransom for you)! Shoot, O Sa'd, shoot!" This phrase "fidaka abi wa ummi (May my mother and father be given in ransom for you, i.e. I will sacrifice my mother and father for you)", the sahaba used it for the Prophet PBUH all the time (Abu Bakr, Umar, etc., everybody used it; that's how they addressed him PBUH; it's the highest expression of respect when you address somebody [indeed giving yourself up is easy, but giving your parents up for somebody else isn't - it really shows your determination]; and nobody deserves that it be used to other than to the Prophet PBUH), but the Prophet PBUH never used it for anybody in his whole life except for Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas RA in the Battle of Uhud. This is the only time. That's what the chroniclers of seerah say - the Prophet PBUH never combined between his parents in this phrase except for Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas RA.

And of course both Sa'd and Talha are of the 10 elites Promised Paradise, so all of this is expected.

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"If You Had Only Said Bismillah":

Talha ibn Ubaydillah RA

Another incident is reported: Now when all 7 of the Ansar died and Talha is the only one left armed as a warrior, (Sa'd only had his bows and arrows [and from this we assume he was among the archery team in the first half of the battle]), one more person comes up the mountain, so the Prophet PBUH sends Talha to deal with him. In the fight, some of Talha's fingers are chopped off, and he cries out 'حس (hiss)!' meaning 'ouch!' The Prophet PBUH said, "If you had only said 'بسم الله (bismillah)' [instead], the angels would have lifted you up while the people are watching you, and they would have taken you up to the skies."

And Talha fought the man and killed him.

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"It Became the Better of My Two Eyes":

Qatada ibn al-Nu'man al-Awsi RA

And during this time, (again we're piecing it together,) some of the sahaba began figuring out where the Prophet PBUH was. One of them was an Ansari by the name of Qatada ibn al-Nu'man al-Awsi (قتادة بن النعمان الأوسي) RA. And he narrates another tidbit: "On the Day of Uhud, the Prophet PBUH gave me a bow. And I continued to use it so much that it was no longer flexible." (Note 1: This was in the cave.) (Note 2: This shows us the Prophet PBUH has collected instruments; so he has an extra bow to give to Qatada. [And this means as he's going up the mountain, he's collecting bows and arrows. Indeed he was the one handing arrows to Sa'd.]) So Qatada's bow lost its flexibility, and he narrates, "When the arrows continued to come, I decided to use my body to shield the Prophet PBUH." Indeed arrows, they come out of nowhere - you don't even know it's there until it's too late, especially when you have groups of archers shooting at you. It's very deadly. (And that's why our Prophet PBUH said in a hadith, "The real strength is in arrows. The real strength is in arrows," - because you cannot fight against arrows, and horses do not run into volleys of arrows.)

Qatada further narrates, "And I started monitoring the arrows. Every time an arrow comes, I tried to block it so that it doesn't hit the Prophet PBUH. Until I saw an arrow coming and I could only use my face to protect the Prophet PBUH, I did so, and the arrow hit my eye. When the Prophet PBUH saw this, he began to cry and said, 'O Allah! Qatada has protected your Prophet with his face! So let his eye become the best eye! And let it be the most precise in eyesight!'" The Prophet PBUH made du'a and took the arrow out; and Qatada says that eye healed instantly, and, "It became the better of my two eyes, and the more precise of my two eyes!"

This miracle took place in front of the sahaba.

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The Prophet PBUH Injured

During this chaos, the Prophet PBUH was wounded. How many times and by whom? Some say once, some say twice; Allahu a'lam, but if you look at the reports, it appears he PBUH was wounded at least three separate times in three separate locations. Again, this is one of those gray areas. For sure he was wounded, but how many times and where, we must piece it together.

1. So one report mentions Utbah ibn Abi Waqqas (عتبة بن أبي وقاص) who is fighting with the Quraysh, the blood brother of Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, threw stones at the Prophet PBUH which hit him in the face and injured his lips. This seems to be one injury. We assume this happened when they were running up to the cave.

2. Another was from Utbah ibn Abi Waqqas again, and this appears to be the most severe injury. He launched an arrow from far away, and it entered into the chink of the armor of the Prophet PBUH, and it went straight through his cheek and dislodged the lateral incisor tooth. And the arrow was stuck in his cheek. This was the worst wound.

3. And there's one more wound, either by Abdullah ibn Shihab (عبد الله بن شهاب) or by Abdullah ibn Qami'a (عبد الله بن قمئة) - it was a short distance wound with a sword. This one, again, we aren't sure when it took place. Abdullah ibn Qami'a/Shihab came with his horse and raised his sword to strike the Prophet PBUH. Talha ibn Ubaydillah protected the Prophet PBUH with his shield, but it didn't deflect fully. It minimized the blow, but nonetheless hit the helmet of the Prophet PBUH - the force of the sword caused the armor/helmet of the Prophet PBUH to damage and go inside his cheekbone.

So it appears there were two wounds to his face PBUH.

The Prophet PBUH continuously wiped the blood from his face, and it's reported in Sahih Muslim that he said, "How can a nation be successful when they have injured their own prophet..." In another version, he said, "How can they expect Allah's mercy when they do this to their prophet who is calling them to Islam..."

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Allah SWT Reprimanded the Prophet PBUH

The Prophet PBUH said, "How can a nation be successful when they have injured their own prophet..." "How can they expect Allah's mercy when they do this to their prophet who is calling them to Islam..."

At this (when they went back to Madinah), Allah revealed a verse in Surah Ali-Imran that applies to this particular phrase of the Prophet PBUH - a beautiful verse that really demonstrates the meaning of the kalimah shahada, the reality of tawhid. Allah says:

لَيْسَ لَكَ مِنَ الْأَمْرِ شَيْءٌ أَوْ يَتُوبَ عَلَيْهِمْ أَوْ يُعَذِّبَهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ ظَالِمُونَ

"Not for you, [O Muhammad, but for Allah ], is the decision whether He should [cut them down] or forgive them or punish them, for indeed, they are wrongdoers" [3:128], i.e. "You have no matter/share in this issue." "This is not yours to decide." "You have no share in dictating who will be forgiven and who will be punished."

It's a harsh, blunt way to phrase it. The word "شىء (shai)" literally means "nothing." So Allah says whether He forgives or punishes is no business of the Prophet PBUH. "Yes, they have wronged you, but you cannot say they cannot be forgiven." And subhan'Allah what does this show us other than the reality of who is Allah and who is the slave. Even the Prophet PBUH, despite being who he is, he does not control the affairs of the heaven and the earth. Allah says in the Qur'an, "Your job is to spread (preach), and My job is to give Judgment" [see 13:40]. And if even the Prophet PBUH is being told this, then how about us? (Subhan'Allah, if people just understood this one incident, there would be no shirk in the Muslim ummah. There are groups in our times that believe the Prophet PBUH will decide who will go to Paradise and who will go to Hell. This is clearly wrong.)

This incident shows us the human nature of our Prophet PBUH. He bleeds, and he utters some words. But it's said when this ayah came down, the Prophet PBUH made du'a for these people, "O Allah, forgive my people, because they do not know." And indeed many of them were forgiven. Khalid ibn al-Walid was the best example.

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It All Happened for a Divine Wisdom

Now the question arises: Wasn't Allah SWT protecting the Prophet PBUH? Clearly He was. In Sahih Bukhari, Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas narrates that he saw the Prophet PBUH on the Day of Uhud being guarded by two 'people' wearing the whitest of white fighting a fierce battle; and he never saw them before or after Uhud. (Clearly they were angels.) So the question is: Can the angels fall short? Of course not. So what does this mean? It means the injuries the Prophet PBUH sustained were done for a wisdom. Allah intended it and there is great wisdom and benefit for us to learn.

Had it not been for that protection, he would not have lived through the incident. The angels protected his *life* by the permission of Allah SWT. No doubt, with some scars and wounds, but it all happened with the qadr of Allah. And we will talk about some of the wisdoms in the next episode.

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The Death of Mus'ab ibn Umayr RA That Led to the Spread of Misinformation

Another thing that happened was the death of Mus'ab ibn Umayr RA (as we discussed in previous episode).

He had the same skin color as the Prophet PBUH, and it's also said his facial features somewhat resembled the Prophet PBUH. Further it's said he was wearing a cloak given to him by the Prophet PBUH. Thus putting this together, we understand that when Abdullah ibn Qami'a killed Mus'ab, he assumed he killed the Prophet PBUH; and then he began screaming at the top of his lungs, "I have killed Muhammad!! I have killed Muhammad!!" And the news spread like wildfire amongst the Quraysh that were still there, and amongst the small groups of Muslims.

And we learn this news turned out to be hugely advantageous to the Muslims. Why? Because when the Quraysh heard this, it was the number one incentive for them to 'pack up their bags' and leave.

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Martyrdom of Anas ibn al-Nadr RA

So when this news spread, it's said it hugely demoralized the sahaba. They did not know what to do. Some of them just put their sword down and sat. In Sahih Bukhari it's narrated that Anas ibn al-Nadr (أنس بن النضر) RA, the uncle of Anas ibn Malik RA, passed by a group of sahaba sitting down and he said, "Why aren't you fighting? The enemy is here!" They said, "Haven't you heard? The Prophet PBUH has been killed." Anas replied, "Even if the Prophet PBUH has been killed, the Lord of the Prophet PBUH has not been killed! And besides, what will you do with life now that the Prophet PBUH is dead? Let us go and die as he died!" And so Anas went on with his sword. Along the way, he met Sa'd ibn Mu'adh (سعد بن معاذ) RA and said to him, "O Sa'd! Verily, I can smell the fragrance of Jannah from behind that mountain!" i.e. he senses his death is coming. And he says, "O Allah, I ask Your forgiveness for what these (my fellow Muslims) have done, and I disassociate from what they (the Quraysh) have done!" And he threw himself into the battle and fought so ferociously that his entire body was disfigured. Not a single portion of his body was recognizable.

Eventually the Muslims found a body of somebody with over 80 wounds from top all the way down, and they didn't recognize who the body was until Anas's sister came and recognized him by the tips of his fingers. Allah revealed for him in the Quran, Surah al-Ahzab verse 23:

مِّنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ رِجَالٌ صَدَقُوا مَا عَاهَدُوا اللَّهَ عَلَيْهِ ۖ فَمِنْهُم مَّن قَضَىٰ نَحْبَهُ وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَنتَظِرُ ۖ وَمَا بَدَّلُوا تَبْدِيلًا

"Among the believers are men who have proven true to what they pledged to Allah." [see Qur'an, 33:23]

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Ka'b ibn Malik RA Found the Prophet PBUH

By now the rumor began spreading that the Prophet PBUH had passed away, and yet still the sahaba are frantically searching, "Perhaps we will find him!" One of the first to recognize the Prophet PBUH was Ka'b ibn Malik (كعب بن مالك) RA - he recognized him by his eyes, the piercing and brightness of them. And he shouted, "O Muslims, rejoice! For the Prophet PBUH is alive!" But the Prophet PBUH told him to remain quiet, as it is not the smartest thing to let everyone know your whereabouts right now. So Ka'b handed the Prophet PBUH his own armor so the people would not recognize him, and he wore the Prophet's PBUH armor so the people would think he is the Prophet PBUH and target him. And it's said by the end of the battle, he had over 10 stabs/wounds.

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Main Sahaba Joining Back

Now the Prophet PBUH was joined by Abu Bakr, Umar, Ali, Zubayr ibn al-Awwam, etc.

(Side note: Zubayr married Asma bint Abu Bakr; Zubayr's father al-Awwam married Safiyyah the aunt of the Prophet PBUH. Zubayr is the hawari [حوارى - disciple/special companion] of the Prophet PBUH. And he's related to the Prophet PBUH in multiple ways: He is Khadija's nephew [i.e. he is the Prophet's PBUH nephew]; his mother is the Prophet's PBUH aunt [i.e. he is the Prophet's PBUH cousin]; and he is married to Asma the sister of Aisha [i.e. he is the Prophet's PBUH brother-in-law].)

When the sahaba rushed up to protect the Prophet PBUH, Abu Bakr RA says he saw one man fighting and protecting the Prophet PBUH. And he said he made du'a it is Talha, "O Allah, let it be Talha," and indeed it was. Further he said, "While I was rushing up, another man rushed passed me so fast. It was Abu Ubaydah Amir ibn al-Jarrah (أبو عبيدة عامر بن الجراح). And we both got to the Prophet PBUH and saw that two arrows pierced his helmet." In other versions it's one arrow and one broken tip of the armor. (Again, there's a little bit of gray area; Allah knows best, but clearly there were two wounds in each cheek of the Prophet PBUH.) When they saw this arrow, Abu Bakr RA rushed forward to try to dislodge it from the Prophet PBUH, but Abu Ubaydah kept begging Abu Bakr RA, "Let me do this," until Abu Bakr RA gives in.

Two things are stuck in the face of the Prophet PBUH. How are you going to dislodge it? What does Abu Ubaydah do? He bites onto the arrow with his teeth, and gently pulls it out. And he bites so hard he loses one/two teeth in the process because he wants the pain to be on him and not the Prophet PBUH. Then Abu Bakr RA insists it's his turn for the other side. But Abu Ubaydah says, "No, I've done one, I'm going to do the other." He does the same thing and he again loses/breaks one of his premolars. (Abu Ubaydah therefore remained without these 3-4 teeth for the rest of his life.)

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The Only Pagan to Be Killed at the Hands of the Prophet PBUH:

Ubay ibn Khalaf

Some time around this —most likely before the sahaba rushed up, so actually this should have been spoken about before— one more scene takes place. Ubay ibn Khalaf (أبي بن خلف), the filthy, evil mushrik, who did so much vulgar taunting, the one who had a long list of disgusting mannerisms; Allah gave him a special dishonor: he was the only pagan to be killed directly with the hands of the Prophet PBUH.

To set this up, let us go back a bit. It's narrated that during the days in Makkah, Ubay ibn Khalaf would mock the Prophet PBUH like nobody else mocked him. He tells the Prophet PBUH, "I'm going to kill you one day!" They are both Qureshi but he still said it. And one day, he taunted the Prophet PBUH, "I have a special horse that I am feeding the best barley and grain, in order that it grows fat and healthy so that I can kill you while I ride it!" And this is the only time the Prophet PBUH ever responded to a taunt; he said, "No. Actually, I will be the one killing you, insha'Allah."

On the Day of Uhud, Ubay was on that same horse and he saw the Prophet PBUH from afar. So he aligned his horse to face the Prophet PBUH. (And of course on a horse you have huge advantage: the blow of your sword has extra force from the momentum of the horse, you have speed and agility, you can strike down below and the guy on the ground can't aim for your head, etc.) So Ubay charged on his horse. When the sahaba saw this, they huddled around the Prophet PBUH. But the Prophet PBUH said, "No, he is mine." And the Prophet PBUH jumped up, grabbed a spear from one of the sahaba, and as Ubay comes rushing, he dodges Ubay's blow, and directly pierces the armor straight into the neck of Ubay ibn Khalaf. It didn't go all the way through - it rather lodged slightly in. And Ubay began screaming, "Muhammad has killed me!" and he rushed back to the contingent of Khalid. They took him off, pulled off his armor, etc., and said, "Don't worry, this wound will heal," but Ubay said, "This is not a minor wound, it's a death wound! Wallahi, if he [the Prophet PBUH] had just spat in my face, I would have fallen dead!" - Ubay is realizing this is that promise being met, "No. Actually, I will be the one killing you, insha'Allah." And indeed, he died in the Valley of Sarif (وادي سرف) (~20 minutes' drive to the north of Makkah/Masjid al-Haram in our time). So he didn't actually get home, and was buried in some no man's land in the middle of nowhere.

It's mentioned in the books of seerah that many years later, Ibn Umar passed by this valley at night, and he saw a fire that frightened him. He went to find out what this fire is, and he found Ubay ibn Khalaf (his image) coming out of that fire and is crying out, "Thirst! Thirst!" He is in a state of thirst. And immediately, an angel behind him said, "Do not give him anything. This is the one whom the Prophet PBUH has killed." In a hadith, the Prophet PBUH said, "Allah's anger becomes more severe on anyone whom the prophets kill."

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Severity of the Wounds of the Prophet PBUH

Bukhari mentions when the Prophet PBUH returned home, Fatima RA tried to wash the wounds off the Prophet's PBUH face. Ali RA continued to pour water, but it kept on bleeding. Until finally Fatima burns some date palm leaves, makes a paste out of it, and glues the wound shut. It shows us again how severe the wounds were.

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Muslim Women Helping the Wounded

It's also narrated the women of the Ansar played some role in helping the wounded. They took an active role in being nurses and giving water to the sick on the battlefield. Generally speaking, the women did not participate in military expeditions - but Uhud was different as (i) it was walking distance from their houses, and (ii) it was a time of need and necessity.

We learn that Aisha RA and Ummi Sulaym (أم سليم) were running around the battlefield helping with water canisters, food, etc.

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"Answer Him Back: 'Allah SWT is Mightier and Has More Honor!'"

The battle came to an end. How do we know the battle finally came to an end? By the conversation that took place between Abu Sufyan and the Muslims.

Abu Sufyan comes back. (The assumption is after Khalid's forces couldn't find the Prophet PBUH, someone called him back to Uhud.) He stands at the mountain and cries out, "Is Muhammad alive?! Answer me!" And the Prophet PBUH told Umar and Abu Bakr, "Don't answer him." And Abu Sufyan asks twice more and doesn't get an answer. Then he asks, "Is the son of Abu Quhafa (i.e. Abu Bakr) alive?" The Prophet PBUH said, "Don't answer." Then he asks, "Is the son of al-Khattab (i.e. Umar) alive?" The Prophet PBUH said, "Don't answer." (Side note: Notice even Abu Sufyan who's a pagan at this time, as early as the Battle of Uhud, he recognizes who is number one and number two after the Prophet PBUH. How unfortunate are some of the Muslims in our times who disrespect these two sahaba. Even a mushrik, kafir at the time understands who is number one and two. What can be said for those who can't even see this.)

When Abu Sufyan gets no response, he begins to exalt, "We have killed all of them!!" At this Umar RA could not contain his anger, he shouted out from afar, "You are lying, O enemy of Allah! For verily, Allah has caused all of them to live! And they will remain to harm you at another day!" Now that Abu Sufyan got this confirmation, he said, "Today in retaliation for the Day of Badr! And war is in turns (i.e. one day for you, one day for us)!" He is basically saying, "This is our victory and revenge for Badr!" Then he says, "You shall find amongst the dead mutilation - I did not command them to do this, but I am not angry with it either!" So Umar RA responded back, "They are not the same! Our dead are in Jannah! Your dead are in Jahannam!" And Abu Sufyan shouted out, "U'lu Hubal (Hubal, be honored)!" (Hubal is the main idol in front of the Ka'bah.) Here the Prophet PBUH said, "Answer him back." The sahaba asked, "How do we respond?" The Prophet PBUH said, "Say to him: 'Allah SWT is mightier and He has more honor!'" Then Abu Sufyan responded, "We have Uzza! You have no Uzza!" (Uzza is another major idol.) The Prophet PBUH said, "Answer him back." The sahaba asked, "With what?" The Prophet PBUH said, "Say to him: 'Allah will protect us! And you have no Protector!'"

Ibn Qayyim comments on this in his Zad al-Ma'ad (زاد المعاد - Provisions of the Hereafter) that when Abu Sufyan called out, "Is so-and-so alive?" The Prophet PBUH said, "Don't respond to him," but when Abu Sufyan mocked Allah by praising the idols, the Prophet PBUH said, "Respond!" This shows how the Prophet PBUH didn't want shirk and kufr to go unchallenged. If they want to mock him and the sahaba, that's one thing, but to insult Allah, that is not tolerable.

Abu Sufyan then made a promise that they would meet one more time, one year from the day (the Day of Uhud) [i.e. in 4 AH], at the Plains of Badr.

[Transcribed by Br. Safwan Khan & Faizan]
safwan-khan@hotmail.com
[Revised by Br. Syed Haq & MAR, February 2021]