Where the story is told and the background

Most of the passage from Quran 3:121 to 3:175 is about Uhud. It begins by reminding the Prophet ﷺ of the morning when he left his family to station the believers for battle, and says that Allah is Hearing and Knowing. Quran 3:122 adds that two parties among the believers were about to lose courage, but Allah was their ally.

The Quraysh came seeking revenge for Badr. In Sahih al-Bukhari (3039), after the battle, Abu Sufyan said that this was a day in return for the day of Badr, and that war goes back and forth. Books of biography place the battle in the third year after the Hijra, but the Quran does not mention the date.

The plan and the archers

In Sahih al-Bukhari (3039), al-Bara' ibn Azib (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Prophet ﷺ placed a group of fifty archers under Abdullah ibn Jubayr (may Allah be pleased with him). He told them: "Do not leave this place of yours until I send for you", whether they saw the Muslims prevail or saw them snatched by birds.

At first the Muslims prevailed and the enemy fled. Some of the archers then said, "The spoils, the spoils." Abdullah ibn Jubayr reminded them of the Prophet's ﷺ order, but they went anyway. Their faces were turned away, and the Muslims came back in retreat. In this report, only twelve men remained with the Prophet ﷺ while he was calling the others from the rear, and seventy Muslims were killed.

Quran 3:152 describes this moment. Allah had made good His promise while they were defeating the enemy by His permission, until they lost courage, disputed about the order and disobeyed after He showed them what they loved. Among them were some who wanted this world and some who wanted the Hereafter. Then Allah turned them away from the enemy to test them, "and He has already forgiven you".

The Prophet is wounded

Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported in Sahih Muslim (1791) that on the day of Uhud the Prophet's ﷺ front tooth was broken and his head was wounded. He wiped the blood from himself and said: "How can a people succeed who wounded their Prophet and broke his tooth while he calls them to Allah?" Then Allah revealed Quran 3:128: the decision is not for you but for Allah.

Quran 3:144 says that Muhammad is only a messenger, and messengers passed away before him, so the believers should not turn back on their heels if he dies or is killed. Some commentators say this was revealed when a rumour spread that he had been killed.

In Sahih al-Bukhari (3039), Abu Sufyan called out asking whether Muhammad, Abu Bakr and Umar were among the people. The Prophet ﷺ told his companions not to answer, until Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) could not stay silent. When Abu Sufyan boasted of his idol, the Prophet ﷺ told them to answer: "Allah is higher and more majestic", and "Allah is our Protector, and you have no protector."

After the setback

Quran 3:154 says that after the distress Allah sent security as drowsiness over a party of them. Quran 3:155 says that those who turned back were made to slip by Satan because of something they had earned, "but Allah has already forgiven them". It also reminds them that they had struck the enemy twice as much at Badr (3:165), and that what happened was by Allah's permission to make the believers known (3:166).

Allah comforted them: "Do not weaken and do not grieve, and you will be superior if you are believers" (3:139). He said that wounds touch the other side too, and He alternates these days among people (3:140). Quran 3:169-171 says not to think of those killed in the cause of Allah as dead, but as alive with their Lord, receiving provision.

One of them was Hamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib (may Allah be pleased with him), the Prophet's ﷺ uncle. Wahshi, who killed him, later told in Sahih al-Bukhari (4072) how he did it, and that he came to the Prophet ﷺ, who asked him to keep his face away. After the Prophet's ﷺ death, Wahshi went out against Musaylima the Liar and struck him with his spear, hoping to make up for Hamza.

Quran 3:172-174 praises those who responded to Allah and the Messenger after being wounded. When told that people had gathered against them, it increased their faith, and they said, "Sufficient for us is Allah, and He is the best Disposer of affairs." Some commentators relate these verses to the day after Uhud.

What the Quran does not tell us, and the mountain

The Quran does not name the archers or their leader, give the numbers of the armies, or say the date. The hadith name Abdullah ibn Jubayr, give the number of fifty archers, and say that seventy Muslims were killed. Other details come from biographies and are not repeated here.

The Quran itself says that Allah forgave those who turned back (3:152 and 3:155), so we speak of the companions with respect.

Anas reported in Sahih al-Bukhari (4084) that when Uhud appeared to the Prophet ﷺ, he said: "This is a mountain that loves us and we love it." In the same narration he added: "O Allah, Ibrahim made Makkah sacred, and I make sacred what is between its two lava fields."

Lessons from this story

  • Obey clear guidance, even when it seems that the matter is finished. Quran 3:152 links the setback with losing courage, disputing about the order and disobedience, and Allah is also the one who forgave.
  • A setback is a test and not the end. Quran 3:140-142 says Allah alternates the days to make the believers known.
  • Do not weaken or grieve. Allah comforted the believers with the words "you will be superior if you are believers" (3:139).
  • Our faith is in Allah, not in a person. Quran 3:144 reminds that Muhammad is a messenger, and messengers pass away.
  • After a hard day, turn to Allah with the words of the believers: "Sufficient for us is Allah, and the best Disposer of affairs" (3:173).
  • Those killed in Allah's cause are alive with their Lord (3:169), and Allah does not let the reward of the believers go to waste.

General information for learning, not a fatwa. For your own situation, ask a qualified scholar.

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