Consultation Over a Plan

Abdullah ibn Ubayy, a leading personality of the Khazraj, who at one time spoke very harshly to the Prophet when he feared for his Jewish allies of the Qaynuqa tribe, supported the Prophet's view.

He said:

Messenger of God, before the advent of Islam we used to fight in Madinah. We would keep our women and children in our fortified homes, giving them plenty of stones. We would also build shelters and fortifications to close the gaps between the outer buildings so that the whole city would be like a big fort.

Women and children would throw stones and other missiles from rooftops while we fought in the streets and alleys. Our  city is indeed a virgin. No enemy has ever tried to enter it without being defeated, and we have never gone out to meet an enemy without regretting it.

Let them, Messenger of God, stay where they are. They are in an uncomfortable abode, and if they go back they will have achieved nothing. Their objectives will have been foiled. Take my word on this, because it is the opinion supported by history.

Several young men advanced a different view. They felt that they had missed much by not turning out at the Battle of Badr and they were keen to meet the enemy this time. They asked the Prophet to lead them to meet the enemy outside Madinah.

A number of mature men, known to have the best interests of Islam at heart, said:

We fear that the enemy may think, if we do not go out to meet them, that we feel weak and cowardly. This may tempt them to launch a bold attack on us. In Badr you had only 300 people and you achieved a great victory. Today we can provide a much larger  number of soldiers. We have been hoping for such an encounter and praying God to make our hopes come true. Now we have the enemy at our doorstep, so let us meet them where they are.

Malik ibn Sinan said to the Prophet:

We can have one of the two best alternatives: either we shall achieve victory with the help of God — and that is decidedly our aim — or we shall die as martyrs. As far as I am concerned, I do not care which will come to pass. Both are very good.

Hamzah ibn Abdul-Muttalib, the Prophet's uncle, who was in his early fifties, said: "By Him who has sent down His Book to you, I shall taste nothing today until I have fought them with my sword outside Madinah."

Al-Numan ibn Malik said: "Messenger of God, why do you keep us from heaven? By God Who is the only deity, I will get into it."

The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked him: "On what grounds?"

He answered: "Because I am a man who loves God and the Prophet and does not flee from battle."

Iyas ibn Aws said:

It worries me that the Quraish should be able to return and say: "We have besieged Muhammad and his companions in the fortifications and hills of Yathrib [Madinah]."

They will then feel that they can have a go at us at any time. Moreover, they have grazed on our farms, and unless we defend our farms they will not be fit to be planted again.

Khaithamah — whose son Saad was killed at Badr — said:

I missed the Battle of Badr when I was keen to take part in it. I was so keen then that I tossed with my son for which of us would have the privilege of joining you there. He won the toss and became a martyr. I was so eager that martyrdom would be mine.

Last night I saw my son in my dream, looking his best, enjoying the fruits of Paradise. He said to me: "Come and join us here in heaven, for I have found that God fulfils His promises."

I swear, Messenger of God, that I am longing to join him in heaven. I am very old and I would love to meet my Lord. Pray God to grant me martyrdom soon, so that I can join my son in heaven.

Abdullah ibn Jahsh said: "My Lord, I pray you to enable me to meet the enemy tomorrow, and that they kill me and open my stomach and cut my nose and ear. When you ask me why they have done that to me, I will answer: Because I believe in you!"

It has been frequently said that only the young Muslims in Madinah were keen to go out and meet the enemy outside, while the more mature people supported the view of the Prophet. These quotations provide a more accurate picture.

Indeed, those who preferred to go out and meet the enemy where they had encamped were not only in a majority, they also represented a broad section of the Muslim community. Had he wished, the Prophet was able, indeed, to impose his opinion, and no one would have questioned him.

He, however, wanted to teach his companions a lesson in leadership. He wished to drive home to them the fact that he who has the authority must not impose his own will. He must consult his companions because through consultation the right course of action will emerge.

He also wanted them to face up to their responsibilities. The decision was that of the majority and they all shared in the responsibility for taking such a decision. The Prophet then accepted the will of the majority.

At noon, when it was time for Friday prayer, he emphasized in his sermon the need for consolidated action in fighting and told them that they would achieve victory if they fought hard and endured whatever hardship they might face.

Most people were happy with the Prophet’s decision, but some of them felt that they had forced him to take action against his better judgment. Many Muslims went to their homes to get ready for battle and came back to the mosque.

The Prophet led them in the mid-afternoon Asr Prayers, and instructed them to keep their women and children in their fortified homes, before he went into his rooms to get ready.

Second Thoughts

Discussion was still going on among the Muslims in the mosque on the advisability of going out to meet the enemy or staying in Madinah. Right from the beginning, quite a few shared the Prophet’s opinion that it was better to stay.

Many others had second thoughts, not because they were reluctant to meet the enemy but because they felt that it was wrong for them to make the Prophet do something against his own wishes.

Two of the leading figures of the Ansar, Saad ibn Muadh and Usaid ibn Hudair, said to them:

You have forced the Prophet to decide to go out and meet the enemy, when you know that he receives revelations from on high. You would be better advised to leave the matter to him. Whatever he commands you, you should do, and when you see that he is inclined to something or to a certain point of view, you had better follow his inclination.

While they were having this discussion the Prophet came out of his rooms wearing his armor. Those who had pressed for meeting the enemy outside Madinah said to him: "Messenger of God, it is not for us to disobey you. Do as you please and we will follow you."

He answered: "I have asked you to stay and you refused. It is not for a Prophet who has worn his armor to lay it down until God has judged between him and his enemies. Obey my orders and remain steadfast and you will achieve victory."

The Prophet realized that it was important that he should not seem to vacillate between two different points of view. Once a decision is made, it should be carried out. Hesitation, especially at a time when the enemy is on the doorstep, is exceedingly dangerous.

This lesson in consultative government which he taught his companions was of paramount importance. They realized, as all Muslim generations would come to realize, that a ruler may have to take an attitude contrary to his own opinion if it meets the wishes of a broad section of the Muslim community.

This is an essential characteristic of Islamic government. But once a decision is made everybody, including the ruler — or the Prophet in this case — should help to see it implemented.

When the Muslims completed the mobilization of their forces, their army was about 1,000-men strong. The Prophet split them into three divisions, with a flag for each division.

Usaid ibn Hudair was given the flag of one of the two Ansari tribes, the Aws, while Al-Hubab ibn Al-Mundhir was given the flag of the Khazraj. The third flag was that of the Muhajirun, which was carried by Musab ibn Umair.

Only a hundred of the Prophet's companions had body armor. Ibn Umm Maktum,4 a blind man from the Muhajirun, deputized for the Prophet in conducting the affairs of Madinah and led the prayers in the mosque.

When the Prophet reached a place called Al-Shaikhain, he stopped to inspect his army. He found that there were several young boys in the ranks and ordered them to go back. Among these boys were Rafi ibn Khadij and Samurah ibn Jundub.

The Prophet was told that Rafi was a good marksman with bow and arrows, so he let him stay with the army. On hearing that Rafi was allowed to stay, Samurah wept and said: "The Prophet has allowed Rafi and refused me, while I am stronger than him and can beat him."

When the Prophet learnt of this, he asked the two boys to wrestle. As Samurah came out the winner, the Prophet allowed him also to stay.

A Split in the Ranks

Before long, it was night and the army spent the night at Al-Shaikhain. Muhammad ibn Maslamah was put in charge of the guards who kept watch over the army and Dhakwan ibn Qais was in charge of the Prophet's own bodyguard. Before dawn, the Muslim army started to move until it reached an orchard between Madinah and Uhud called Al-Shawt.

At that point, Abdullah ibn Ubayy — who, as we have noted, had opposed the idea of the Muslims meeting the enemy outside Madinah — deserted the army and went back with no fewer than 300 soldiers. The reason he gave for his desertion was that the Prophet "had obeyed the young boys in preference to me. Why should we, then, kill ourselves at this place?"

Abdullah ibn Amr ibn Haram went after the deserters, trying to persuade them to return. He appealed to them not to split the ranks of the Muslims and not to let down their people and the Messenger of God when the enemy was on the doorstep.

His entreaties, however, were in vain. They simply were not prepared to listen. They said in a tone of sarcasm: "We do not believe that there will be any fighting. If we knew that fighting would take place, we would join you."

When he realized that his words were falling on deaf ears, Abdullah ibn Amr gave them a piece of his mind and left them.

This was certainly no small matter. The breach in the ranks of the Muslims was very serious indeed. One-third of the army had left. Now the Muslims were outnumbered four to one. But the desertion was not without its advantages. It was clear that those people who left with Abdullah ibn Ubayy did not have the interests of Islam at heart.

As such, they could not be expected to fight for it, risking their own lives. Their presence would then have been of no great use. The cause of Islam can be served only by those who are dedicated to it and are prepared to risk their lives for it. Hence the desertion by the hypocrites meant that only such people remained as could be counted upon to fight hard and remain steadfast regardless of the consequences.

The Quran says that two groups of the believers were so badly affected by the desertion of the hypocrites that they were on the point of losing heart. These were the soldiers from the two clans of Harithah and Salamah.

Only God's grace helped them regain their confidence and put their trust in God: "Two of your groups were about to lose heart, but God was their protector. In God shall the believers trust." (Aal `Imran 3:122)

Here God is telling the believers about their own thoughts. What took place in the minds of those two groups was known only to themselves, but God knows every single thought that flashes into anybody's mind.

He is here reminding the Muslims that only through His grace are they protected against any evil thought that occurs to them.

To be continued…