Part 27

The Quraish were unduly proud of their military strength in numbers and arms and carousing before the battle, having forgotten there was an Allah Almighty; on the other hand, the Prophet 38 with his unarmed followers was prostrating before Allah Almighty and offering supplications to Him. He was pleading that if on that day the handful of Muslims were killed, then there would not be anyone left to remember the One True Allah and the surface of the earth would be deprived of the beautiful act of prostration.

The two armies faced off each other in the battlefield of Badr and intense fighting broke out. The Mujahideen advanced fired by the spirit of Jih@d. ‘Abdur-Rahman bin ‘Auf .3 draws the picture of an astounding scene he witnessed during the battle. Mu’az and Mu’waz Lee dh po, two young Mujahideen came to him and asked him in a very secretive manner who was Abu Jahl, and where he could be found. ‘Abdur-Rahman bin ‘Auf . was surprised and asked them what work they had with him. He was a chieftain, a very cruel oppressor and a terrible enemy. They answered very innocently that they had heard that he abused their beloved Prophet Muhammad 3%, and they had sworn that they would either send him packing to hell or die as martyrs in the attempt. They were determined not to return empty-

handed from the battlefield. Just at that moment Abu Jahl appeared, ‘Abdur-Rahman bin ‘Auf % says:

Leaving the dead body of his father, ‘Ikrimah fled from the scene. And in the twinkling of an eye the power and omnipotence of the Quraish in their sphere dwindled into insignificance into the dust of the battlefield of Badr. The Muslims threw the body of Abu Jahl with those of the other polytheists into the well, and threw dust over it. Thus, in this first encounter between Good and Evil, Virtue triumphed and Evil was routed and completely demoralised. The arrogant, stiffnecked Abu Jahl was kissing the dust in Badr.

‘Ikrimah’s appetite for revenge increased manifold times. Earlier his enmity towards Islam had been due to the exalted position and status of his father. And now the passion for revenge increased this antipathy so that it reached its peak. ‘Ikrimah and his friends whose near and dear ones had been slain at Badr, ignited the fire of vengeance in the hearts of the polytheists and of the survivors of those killed in the Battle of Badr. Finally, things came to such a pass that the Battle of Uhud took place. Ikrimah bin Abu Jahl set off towards

Uhud. He took his wife Umm Hakeem with him so that she could stand at the rear of the army ranks with the womenfolk of the other families who had suffered losses and beat the war-drums and excite the emotions of the young warriors of the Quraish. They would fight with determination with the encouragement of the womenfolk and not flee the field of battle. The Quraish had placed Khalid bin Waleed on the right of the armed forces and ‘Ikrimah bin Abu Jahl & on the left. In the Battle of Uhud these two warriors created havoc among the ranks of the Muslims and gained the upper hand. They gained great success that day and Abu Sufyan declared that they had avenged the defeat at Badr.

The Prophet 3% knew the psychology and mindset of the Arab tribes and was ever alert to the possibility that the tribes might unite against the Muslims and attack them because of the Arab tradition of standing by one’s kinsmen. The Quraish of Makkah were furious because of the defeat suffered at Badr. The two famous tribes among the Jews, Banu Qainoga’ and Banu Nadheer were incensed at being thrown out of AlMadinah; the Banu Hatheel and Banu Ghatfan were envious enemies of Islam and wanted to destroy Islam and all Muslims. In short, each tribe was determined to take revenge against the Muslims. They resented the fact that a man who had left Makkah empty-handed, had in the short span of five years established himself so firmly and strongly in Al-Madinah. At this point, in time with his faithful band of followers, he was always ready to challenge any power. Bearing all these factors in mind, Abu Sufyan organised a united front and besieged Al-Madinah. When the Prophet 3% came to know of this he had a trench dug outside the city to act as an obstacle and pre-empty an attack by Abu Sufyan and his confederates. The siege lasted for many days; the women were gathered in the huge manor of the poet laureate of the Muslim Ummah, Hassan bin Thabit -%, so that they were secured from facing any problems. Among these ladies was Safiah bint ’Abdul-Mutallib. When she saw a Jew scouting the area outside the manor, she took a rod of the tent and killed him on the spot. This overawed the enemy who was shaken by her daring.

One of the ends of the trench was a little narrow; taking advantage of this, ‘Umar bin ‘Abdod, Dhrrar bin Khattab, ‘Ikrimah bin Abu Jhal 45 and others rapidly jumped across the trench on their horses.

‘Ali bin Abi Talib 4% and ‘Umar Farooq ¢ blocked their way. ‘Ali bin Abi Talib 4 challenged the hero ‘Amr bin ‘Abdod and with his sword cut him up. When Dharar bin Khattab and ‘Ikrimah saw the fate of their advance into the ranks of their enemy, they fled from the scene thinking discretion was the better part of valour!

Makkah had been conquered in a peaceful manner, and general pardon given to all. Taking advantage of this situation, the wife of ‘Ikrimah, Umm Hakeem, Hindah bint ‘Utbah and a few other ladies

“O Prophet 3%, thanks be to Allah Almighty, who gave victory to His beloved servant. You deserve congratulations on this victory. ] appeal to you for mercy on the basis of our kinship and accept Islam with all sincerity.”

Then removing her veil from her face, she revealed her identity, saying she was Hindah bint ‘Utbah.

The Prophet 38, a Mercy to Mankind welcomed her and said he was very happy to hear these cordial words of good wishes from her. It was also propitious that a soft corner had been created in her heart for Islam.

“Before these auspicious moments | found intense feelings of hatred for you as well as for Islam. But all of a sudden love has taken the place of hatred. Now you and your mission are dearer to me than everything else in the world.”

The Prophet 3 said:

“May Allah 38 increase and prosper these pure emotions, ideas and feelings in your heart.”

Hindah bint ‘Utbah then pledged that she would follow the path of allegiance to Islam. After her the wife of ‘Ikrimah, Umm Hakeem came forward and _ greeted him with the greeting of Salam and swore allegiance to Islam. Then, requesting the Prophet 38: