All that had happened so far, however, was round one, which went clearly in favor of the Muslims. They overwhelmed their enemy despite the fact that they gave away a great deal in numerical strength. They were simply fighting for a cause.

Nothing can motivate people more than faith, and that, the Muslims had in abundance. But even the most ardent of the faithful have their moments of weakness. One such moment came when, to all appearances, the Muslims had all but won the battle.

That unit which Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) placed on Mount Ainain and entrusted with the task of repelling any attempt by the Quraish army to launch a pincer attack on the Muslims, had a very important role in achieving the initial victory.

Despite such strong emphasis, when the Mount Ainain unit of archers — which may be compared in modern warfare terms to artillery units which give cover to the advancing infantry — saw their Muslim brethren start to collect the booty, they felt that the battle was over and that they were free to leave their positions.

Their commander, Abdullah ibn Jubair, was under no illusion that their action went clearly against the express wishes of the Prophet. He reminded them of their instructions. He told them that they were taking the risk that the Prophet would be displeased with them.

However, they did not listen. They sought to interpret the Prophet's instructions as valid only until victory was achieved.

Since victory was achieved — or so they thought — there was no reason for them to stay in their positions, leaving all the booty to their fellow fighters.Therefore, they descended into the battlefield to join in the collection of the booty.

Only Abdullah ibn Jubair remained on top of the hill with a handful of his fellow soldiers, in strict obedience to the Prophet's instructions.

Not long before, the Muslims had fought the Battle of Badr and the dispute over the booty had arisen between different groups of soldiers.The matter was then resolved by clear instructions from God which gave all thosewho fought equal shares in the spoils gained by the Muslims.

The action could be explained only by assuming that memories of the recent past came into play. Just before the advent of Islam, the Arabs were always fighting each other over petty gains. Their battles were never well organized. They were more like two unruly mobs fighting each other.

To stick to certain positions when everything appeared to be over was not exactly comprehensible to their way of thinking.

Attack from Behind

Khalid ibn Al-Waleed, the commander of the right flank of the Quraish army, was a brilliant fighter. His qualities of military leadership were proven in the numerous battles which he subsequently fought for the cause of Islam.In the Battle of Uhud, however, he was fighting against Islam. He realized that the only hope the Quraish had of turning the scales against the Muslims was in the possibility that a chance might offer itself to mount an attack against the Muslims from behind.

While the Quraish fighters were beating a retreat, his eyes were fixed on what was taking place on Mount Ainain.He was assessing the situation and considering the possibility of repeating his earlier unsuccessful attempt to climb the hill from behind.Suddenly he saw the Muslim unit, or rather, most of it, leaving its position in order to join their fellow fighters in the battlefield.

Without the slightest hesitation, Khalid ibn Al-Waleed drove his troops wide, away from the main area of fighting in a semi-circular movement, until he reached the back of Mount Ainain, where he and his soldiers fought the now very thin unit remaining with Abdullah ibn Jubair.Khalid was followed closely by Ikrimah ibn Abu Jahl, the commander of the left flank of the Quraish army, and the two made a quick job of finishing off whatever brave resistance those who remained on top of the hill, as the Prophet had bid them, could put up.

Khalid and Ikrimah then launched a determined attack on the Muslims from behind. They penetrated their ranks, hailing their main idols like Al-Uzza and Hubal. This caused some initial hesitation among the Muslims and a pleasant surprise for the retreating units of the Quraish army.Those units were now able to counter-attack, benefiting from the hesitation of the Muslims.

A woman called Amrah bint Alqamah of the Harithi clan picked up the Quraish flag, which was trampled upon on the ground, and lifted it up so that it was a gathering point for the returning Quraish soldiers.

The speed with which all this happened caught the Muslims by surprise and left them confused.They did not know how the army which a short while ago had been withdrawing in defeat, could attack them from both the front and the rear.

Quite a number of Muslim soldiers were killed, but the state of confusion that spread among them was more disastrous than the number of casualties they suffered.At that moment, someone shouted very loudly: "Muhammad has been killed!" The outcry was repeated and it caused much disturbance to the Muslims.Most of them were truly shaken and many felt that defeat was inevitable.

To Flee or to Fight

The Muslims did not know what was really happening to them. Some of them went right up into the mountain, trying to reach a position of safety. Others simply fled the battlefield.Some were fighting on, defending themselves as strongly as they could.They felt that if they fought until they were killed, that would be the best they could achieve.Others were so surprised and confused that they laid down their swords and arms and stopped fighting.

Some of them started to question themselves and their brethren: "If Muhammad is dead why do we fight on? Is it not better for us to go back to Madinah where our people could work for an accommodation with the Quraish?"

Others felt that it was the moment of decision between Islam and ignorance, and that they would inevitably be killed.