ERA OF ISLAM

The battle of Hunain occurred just after the conquest of Mecca. It was the month of Shawwal (8th Hijra 629 AD). When the tribes of Hawazin and Saqeef thought that they could fight and defeat the Muslims. They had the misapprehension that in case the Muslims were defeated they would get war booties in abundance as well as Islam would be annihilated forever. With this misapprehension, they also tried to bring together some other tribes and so the tribes of Bani Helal, Jasham, Nasar, Muzir etc, joined them. Thus, a huge army of these contentious tribes marched towards Mecca to wage war against Islam and Muslims. When the army reached Autas, the Holy Prophet (PBUH) was informed of its movement. At that time the Prophet (PBUH) was present in Mecca so he ordered, at once, the Muslims to be prepared for war, and in no time, an army of twelve thousand Muslims was prepared to face the enemy. In this army, there were also those Muslims who had been converted to Islam recently. It was the first chance that such a huge of the Muslims was mobilized. Seeing such a great army some of the Muslims uttered, "Oh who can defeat us now." But ALLAH did not like such utterances so he put them into trouble for a while.

          The enemy troops were hidden to attack in their ambuscades on both the sides of the Valley of Hunain. When the advanced guard of the Muslim army entered the Valley, the enemy troops sitting in ambush made a surprise attack from their hidden place. The attack was sudden and serious and the advanced guard that consisted mostly of the new Muslims could not face it. They turned back and began to flee. Seeing these Muslim troops lost their heart and they also began to flee. But the Holy Prophet (PBUH) with some of his companions stood like a rock on the battlefield. The companions who at this juncture stood with the Prophet (PBUH) like rocks included among others Hazrat Omar Farooq (RA), Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA), Hazrat Ali (RA), Hazrat Abbas (RA) and Hazrat Abdullah bin Masood (RA), Hazrat Abdullah bin Masood (RA)began to call the fleeing followers who hearing the call at once turned and came back to the battlefield. Now they began to fight against the enemy again and they fought so gallantly that the enemy lost his senses and resorted to flee leaving innumerable dead bodies. The Muslims became victorious and got a lot of war booties.