Lessons of the Battle of Hunayn

By: Seyyed Ali Shahbaz The Bedouins say, ‘We have faith.’ Say, ‘You do not have faith yet; rather say, “We have embraced Islam,” for faith has not yet entered into your hearts. Yet if you obey Allah and His Prophet, He will not stint anything of [the reward your works. Indeed Allah is All-Forgiving, All-Merciful.’” (49:14)

Date: 19 July 2015 - 21:38

News ID: ۱۶۲۱۱

Here Almighty Allah makes it clear to the neo-Muslim Arabs of the time of Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) that faith had yet to enter their hearts – still steeped in the residue of paganism despite their claim to have accepted Islam.
Faith needs to be tested. In other words a true believer is the one who, at least, comes out successful from trials and tribulations – although the matter of faith solely depends on a pure and purified heart, of which only God and the Prophet are aware.
Today, the 3rd of the month of Shawwal, affords us the opportunity to focus on a divine test to which the neo Muslim Arabs were subjected in 8 AH less than a fortnight after the bloodless surrender of Mecca to the Prophet, and the apparent acceptance of Islam by the pagans, especially the malicious Omayyad clan headed by the crafty Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, following the smashing of idols, in particular Hubal, the chief deity atop the holy Ka’ba that was pulled down by the Barometer of Belief, Imam Ali ibn Abil Taleb (AS), whom the Prophet had lifted on his shoulders for delivering the coup de grace.
"When Allah’s help comes with victory; and you see the people entering Allah’s religion in throngs; then celebrate the praise of your Lord, and plead to Him for forgiveness. Indeed He is All-Clement.  (Holy Qur’an 110)
The Prophet and the true believers indeed thanked God for this Divine Favour. They then promptly prepared a force of 12,000 to confront a new threat in the form of the unholy alliance formed by the Hawazen and Thaqif tribes which went on warpath against Islam, while those amongst the Muslims in whose hearts faith had not yet entered took pride on what appeared to them as their great numbers, instead of beseeching God for help or pleading forgiveness to Him.
The Muslim defenders, with the neo Muslim Khalid bin Waleed, leading the vanguard, were surprised by the pagans in the steep mountain valley of Hunayn, but instead of firmly holding their ground, retreated, causing confusion in the columns behind that broke rank and fled in all directions, leaving the Prophet alone with only eight of his steadfast followers, led by Imam Ali (AS). The others who stood beside the Prophet were his uncle Abbas ibn Abdul Muttalib, his cousins Fadhl ibn Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib, Abu Sufyan ibn Hareth ibn Abdul-Muttalib, and Rabi’a ibn Hareth ibn Abdul-Muttalib, and his companions Abdullah ibn Masood, Osama ibn Zayd ibn Haretha, and Ayman ibn Obaid.
"Allah has certainly helped you in many situations, and on the Day of Hunayn, when your great number impressed you, but it did not avail you in any way, and the earth became narrow for you in spite of its expanse, whereupon you turned your backs [to flee]. (9:25)
According to all authentic sources, including that of our Sunni brethren, those who fled included the persons who after the Prophet’s passing away would assume power as the first three caliphs, while Abu Sufyan ibn Harb and the 2,000 Meccans who days earlier had "entered Allah’s religion in throngs”, watched with pleasure what appeared to them as the Prophet’s defeat and possible death. Eager to rejoin fellow pagans, the Omayyad chieftain – whose son the treacherous Mu’awiyya would usurp the caliphate in 41 AH – said with glee: "The Muslims will not be checked until they are thrown into the sea.”
The dreams of the hypocrites to reinstall Hubal on the holy Ka’ba were, however, shattered when Imam Ali (AS) single-handedly launched a lightning attack on the pagan Arabs to turn the tide of the battle. He dispatched to hell several of the enemy stalwarts, including Othman bin Abdullah, and Abu Jerdel, the Hawazen leader. On the death of these two generals, pagans lost heart, while the fleeing Muslims breathed sighs of relief and were regrouped by Imam Ali (AS) counterattack to counter-attack.
"Then Allah sent down His composure upon His Prophet and upon the faithful, and He sent down hosts you did not see, and He punished the faithless, and that is the requital of the faithless (Holy Qur’an 9:26)
Imam Ali (AS), who two years later, would ensure the continuation of Islam by refusing to unsheathe his flashing blade Zu’lfiqar against these same fleers of the Battle of Hunayn who seized his right of political leadership of the ummah, had again saved the life of his cousin Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) and the threat to obliterate Islam.
In the famous Ziyarah to Imam Ali (AS) on the Day of Ghadeer, when he was formally proclaimed vicegerent by the Prophet on God’s express command, we read the passage:
"On the Day of (the Battle of) Hunayn, as declared in the revelation ‘…then Allah sent down His composure upon His Prophet and upon the faithful,’ "the ‘faithful' were you and your comrades and Abbas, your uncle, who was shouting out to the fleeing Muslim warriors, ‘O disciples of the Surat al-Baqarah! O performers of the Allegiance of the Tree!' Whereupon they responded to him after you had spared them the hardships of warfare and took upon yourself the defence of Islam without them. Thereat they returned having lost hope of the Divine reward and yet hopeful of the fulfillment of promise of Allah through repentance, and that is referred to in the words of Allah, glorified be His Name, "Then Allah shall turn clemently that to whomever He wishes (9:27), while you enjoyed the high station of fortitude and attained a great reward.”