Battles in the life of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) & their impact on peace

“Wama arsalnaka illa Rahmatallil Alamin”
Meaning: We have sent you, [O Prophet], except as a mercy for the worlds.

Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) is the greatest man of all times who was sent as mercy, blessings, and a messenger of peace by Allah. Can he ever be engaged in violence and fighting?

The human being is called Ashraful Makhlukat, which is the best creation of Allah. Allah loves human being limitless. Allah, the Most Merciful, sent prophets and messengers, that are his representatives in every age, to guide His beloved creation, human beings, to the right path, which is called Nur-E- Mohammadi. At first, Allah, the Great Sustainer, created the Noor (spiritual light) of this Noor-E-Mohammadi at the beginning of creation. Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) says in regard to this, “Auwalu ma khalakwallahu nuri.”

Meaning: Great Allah (SWT) created my Noor at first. [Tafsir-E-Ruhul Boyan, 2nd volume, page: 370]

Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) was created at the beginning of creation, but he came after all the prophets and messengers. In terms of status, he belongs to the superior position. He was the chieftain of all the prophets and messengers. This is the reason why he is called “Imamul Mursalin” that is the Imam or leader of all prophets and messengers. By nature, Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) was very sweet-natured, calm, loving, empathetic, forgiving, amiable, and a very kindhearted human being. The word ‘battle’ does not necessarily go with his name at all, which is very shocking, frustrating, and heartbreaking for us. Was he really a warlord who was sent as ‘Mercy’ for the worlds by Allah? In my discourse, I will try to clarify- why the Jews and Christians propagated Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) as a warlord; he spent his entire life-fighting battles.

It is a common belief in our society that the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) fought 27 battles in his 63 years of lifetime. When the barbaric Arabs, the Jews and Christians, and the disbelievers attacked him, he only resisted them. All his life, he protested against injustice, falsehood, persecution, and killing. None of the battles he fought was aggressive. All of them were defensive or resistance wars. He participated in some of these battles directly and others indirectly. But he was the chief planner and Commander-in-chief in all these battles.

War

The word ‘War’ literally means to fight, struggle, conflict, etc. There are a few synonymous too in English of the word- battle, combat, etc. The Arabic word for war is Ghazwa or Jihad.

What is called war?

An armed conflict that takes place between two or more nations or between two groups of different beliefs in a specific territory and sometimes lasts for a long period of time is referred to as war or struggle. In other words, war refers to an intensified armed confrontation between the states, governments, and military or paramilitary forces.

Kinds of war

Biological war
Chemical war
Cold war
Conventional war
Cyber war
Information war
Nuclear war
Total war

When Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) said to the Meccan people- Allah is one and unique, everliving and everlasting, and He has no partner, then thunders crushed on their heads. Ever since, they have worshipped different idols and considered them their creator. But now Muhammad (PBUH) asked them to give up idolatry and worship one Allah. So, they could no more believe him (Muhammad) as Alamin (the trusted one). Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) wholeheartedly called upon them to give up idolatry, bigotry, superstitions and embrace the sacred religion of peace, truth, love, and kindness. All the Meccans, including the Quraysh leaders, opposed it and tried to stop Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) from preaching Islam. Because of the Quraysh resistance, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) started to preach Islam among the common people visiting Makkah and the merchants. Having embraced the religion of peace, they went back to their own country and preached Islam among their natives. In this way, the number of Muslims kept on growing, and the religion of Islam spread far and wide. The Quraysh people became alarmed to see the fast growth of the Muslims and started to inflict physical, mental, and all sorts of torturers on the Prophet (PBUH). The Quraysh leaders offered the Messenger (PBUH) money, treasure, pretty women, and Kingdom to stop him from preaching Islam. Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) said to them, “If you give the moon in my one hand and Kingdom in the other, I will not move back an inch from preaching the religion of Truth.” He rejected all of their alluring offers and migrated to Medina because of the Quraysh tortures. Even he could not preach Islam peacefully after his migration to Medina. The Quraysh created different hindrances there too. When their torture reached its peak, Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) decided to resist them.

The entire Medinan life of Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) passed through fighting different battles. These battles can be divided into two categories-

Ghazwa: The battles that the Prophet (PBUH) led and fought directly in the battleground are called Ghazwa.

Saria: The battles that the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) did not fight directly but led them from behind are called Saria.

The names of some remarkable battles or Ghazwa have been mentioned below-

Harbul Fijar (510 AD)
Battle of Badr (15 March, 624 AD)
Battle of Satu (May/June, 624 AD)
Battle of Uhud (23 March, 625 AD)
Battle of Khandaq (April, 627 AD)
Treaty of Hudaybiyyah (March, 628 AD)
Battle of Khaybar (May/June, 628 AD)
Battle of Mutah (September, 629 AD)
Battle of Hunayn (January, 630 AD)
Battle of Atush (630 AD)
Battle of Tabuk (October/December, 630 AD)

Harbul Fijar:

When Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) was twenty, then a battle took place quite unexpectedly between the two major Meccan tribes- Quraysh and Qays in 590 AD. All of them gathered at the Annual Ukaz fair to enjoy themselves. During this time, any kind of conflict and killing was prohibited in the Arab tribes. As the war took place in a holy month, it is called unholy war or Harbul Fijar. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) also took part in this war with his uncle Abu Talib. His duty was to pick up the arrows thrown by the enemy group and give them to his uncle. This war lasted for five years.

Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) was greatly moved to see the catastrophe of humanity in this war. To prevent any war or conflict, he formed a peace organization with some enthusiastic youths. This peace organization was named Hilful Fujul after the name of four virtuous persons- Fazal, Fazel, Fazayel, and Mufassel. To end injustice and unrest, the virtuous Quraysh leaders and members of Hilful Fuzul agreed to some terms as follows-

Establish peace, harmony, and security in society.
Stop all kinds of oppression.
Help the weak, orphans, and the helpless.
Take initiatives to strengthen harmony and amity among the tribes.
Work together to ensure the security of foreign merchants and their caravans.

Hilful Fuzul founded by the Prophet (PBUH), played a significant role in establishing peace in society. He is the first man in the then-Arab society who came forward to establish peace in society in this way.

The Battle of Badr

The Meccan Quraysh became very alarmed and jealous to see the expansion of Islam in Medina. When the Meccan disbelievers vowed to wipe out the Islamic Republic of Medina and the Medinese people, a war took place between them and the Muslims in the valley of Badr. This battle is called the Battle of Badr in Islamic history.

The number of Muslim soldiers in the battle of Badr was 313. Of them, the Muhajirs were 82 and the Ansars 231 in number.

There were 70 camels and 2 horses in the Muslim Army. There were 1300 soldiers in the Quraysh force in this war. They had countless camels,100 horses, and 600 armor. Abu Jahl led the Quraysh side.

The battle took place in the valley of Badr, 80 miles southwest of Medina. Seventy Quraishi soldiers were killed, and seventy were imprisoned in this battle. Fourteen soldiers were martyred from the Muslim side in the battle of Badr. When three main Quraysh leaders, including Abu Jahl, were killed, their confidence level broke down. As a result, the Muslims won the battle of Badr.

Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) was very kind to the captives. He decided to set them free for four thousand dirhams. If they were unable to pay this ransom, they could be released on the commitment to teach the Muslim boys reading and writing. As a result of it, the literacy rate increased among Muslims. The level of discipline and courage the Muslims showed in the battle of Badr paved their way to the next victories.

The Battle of Uhud

After the defeat in the battle of Badr, the influential Meccan leader Abu Sufyan became restless and vowed not to touch oil and woman without taking revenge.

The Quraysh readied a large Army of 3000 men, 200 horses, and 300 camels for the battle. On the other hand, the Muslims gathered a force of 1000 men led by Hz. Mohammed (PBUH), with 50 archers and 4 horses and started marching towards Mount Uhud. On the way, when Abdullah Ibn Ubayy left the Muslim force with his 300 men, the number of Muslim soldiers was reduced to 700. We can learn from this incident that the munafiqs (false believers) are always from the near ones. They stay with us only to harm us and leave us in the time of need. It’s one of the reasons for the loss of the battle of Uhud. Sufi Scholar Professor Dr. Qudrat-E-Khoda (M.A.) says, “A Kafir (disbeliever) is better than a munafiq (false believer). Because it’s easy to recognize a kafir, but a munafiq is unrecognizable.”

Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) strictly ordered the archers not to leave their respective positions without the next command, no matter what happened, victory or loss. But the archers breached the command of the Prophet (PBUH) and left their positions to collect the Meccan spoils. Meccan leader Khalid ibn al-Walid noticed the mountain pass unprotected and attacked the Muslims from behind with his force.

The Muslims learned a good lesson from the battle of Uhud, as they faced a defeat because of the breaching of the order of the Prophet (PBUH). Two teeth of the holy Prophet (PBUH) were martyred too in this battle. He lay down on the ground and lost consciousness. As a result of it, a rumor spread in the Quraysh camp that the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) was killed. Seventy Muslim soldiers were martyred in this battle, including Hazrat Amir Hamza (Ra.), uncle of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH). Only 30 to 37 soldiers were killed from the Meccan side. Hind, the wife of Abu Sufian took revenge for her father’s killing by eating the liver of Hazrat Hamza (Ra.). About 11 companions of the Prophet (PBUH) were wounded, including Hazrat Abu Bakr (Ra.), Hazrat Omar Faruq (Ra.), and Hazrat Ali (Ra.).

One of the positive sides of this battle is- the Muslims could realized well what might happen if they disobey the commands of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH). It also becomes clear to the Muslims that the Messenger (PBUH) was a great visionary leader. On the other hand, when Owais al-Qarani heard about the martyrdom of the Prophet’s (PBUH) two teeth, he uprooted all of his teeth which is a rare example of love for the Prophet (PBUH) in Islamic history. In fact, the battle of Uhud was a great test of faith and patience for the Muslims. It was also a test of allegiance, devotion, and self-realization for them. After the defeat in the battle of Uhud, the Muslims turned into a well-disciplined confident military nation.

The Battle of Khandaq (trench)

After the victory in the battle of Uhud, the Meccan Quraysh prepared to conduct another attack on the Medinese Muslims more violently than before. They thought if the Muslims became more powerful, then they would be dominated everywhere religiously and economically by the Muslims. So, they made a strong alliance with the Jews and other tribes of Arab to fight against the Muslims.

On the other hand, the Muslims became united again with more courage and spirit to forget the disgrace of defeat in the battle of Uhud and increased the number of Muslim soldiers. They applied a different strategy in this war. According to the plan of Salman the Persian, a deep trench was dug in the unprotected spots of Medina. Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) himself supervised the act of digging trenches. Medinese women and children were kept in the fort and tents for safety in the inner city. Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) is the first man in the history of Arab who introduced this unique system to defend against enemy forces by digging trenches. The Arabic word for the trench is khandaq. This is the reason why this battle is called the Battle of Khandaq. This battle lasted for 27 days. In this battle, the coalition forces of Mecca had a large Army of 10000 soldiers with 60 horses and some camels. On the other hand, there were 3000 soldiers in the Muslim force. It is to be mentioned here that most of the soldiers in the Muslim force were from the allies. There were 10 casualties from the Meccan coalition force and 6/8 from the Muslim force. The enemy force was forced to retreat because of the Muslims’ strategic warfare and rough weather condition. Discipline in the Muslim force and their unwavering determination brought them victory in the battle of Khandaq. Islam became more dynamic than ever after the battle of Khandaq.

The Treaty of Hudaybiyya

Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) migrated to Medina to escape the persecution of the Meccan Quraysh. Since then, he, along with his followers, could not return to his motherland and perform Umrah (Informal pilgrimage). He wished to see his birthplace and perform Umrah. The Messenger (PBUH) of Allah and a group of 1400 Muslims marched peacefully towards Mecca in 628 in the month of Dhu al-Qadah. As it was a sacred month, any kind of conflict and bloodshed was prohibited in this month. Allah states in the holy Quran in regard to this- Yasalunaka anish sharil harami kitalim fili kool kitalunfihi kabir.

Meaning: O Prophet! They want to know about the holy month. You tell them- fighting in the holy month is a great sin. [Sura:Baqara, verse: 217].

As the proverb goes- the devil would not listen to the scriptures. When the Meccan Quraysh came to know about the arrival of the Messenger (PBUH) of Allah, they prepared to resist him. Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) and his followers camped outside of Mecca in Hudaybiyyah, nine miles from Mecca. He sent Jara bin Umaiya and Usman bin Afnan as emissaries to the Quraysh with the message- he came here only to perform Umrah, not to fight any battle. The Quraysh rejected his peace proposal and imprisoned Usman. When the news reached the Muslims’ camp, they vowed to continue fighting till death. The Quraysh became very frightened to hear about the Muslims’ resolution and agreed to sit to resolve the dispute. Both parties signed a treaty which is called The Treaty of Hudaybiyyah. Some of the important terms of the treaty of Hudaybiyyah are as follows-

The Muslims will have to return to Medina without performing the pilgrimage that year.
The Muslims will perform pilgrimage in the next year but they won’t stay for more than 3 days in Mecca. The Quraysh will stay outside of Mecca for these 3 days.
They will carry no weapon but a sheathed sword for self-defense.
Security for the Muslims’ life and property must be ensured during the pilgrimage.
If any Muslim flees to Mecca from Medina, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) won’t take him back to Medina.
If any Quraysh joins the Muslims in Medina, his guardians will be allowed to take him back.
There will be a truce for ten years between the Muslims and Quraysh.

The example of generosity the Messenger (PBUH) set in the treaty of Hudaybiyyah becomes evident in the speech of A.P.J Abul Kalam, the former president of India- All questions shouldn’t be answered, sometimes it’s necessary to keep quiet to save prestige. You don’t need to fight all battles; sometimes, retreating brings better results. It’s not always good to dominate a relationship, sometimes it’s necessary to distance to save it.

The writer of the treaty of Hudaybiyyah was Hazrat Ali (R:). Suhayel Bin Amor requested Hazrat Ali (R:) to erase the two phrases- Bismillahir Rahmani Rahim and Muhammadur Rasulullah. But the writer didn’t agree with it. Later on, the Prophet (PBUH) penned through the phrases to resolve the issue peacefully. Instead, he ordered to write the phrase ‘ “Bismika Allahumma” as per the wish of Suhayel bin Amor. It becomes clear through this incident that the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) was a man of peaceful character. After the treaty of Hudaybiyyah, preaching Islam becomes easier and faster in Mecca. None of the terms in the treaty of Hudaybiyyah was opposed to Islam, rather was supportive for the spread of Islam. The number of Muslims grew very fast because of the free coexistence of the Muslims and Bedouins (desert dwellers). It became visible after two years when the number of Muslims grew from 1400 at the time of signing the treaty of Hudaybiyyah to 10000 in the 8th Hijri. Two years later, Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) delivered his last sermon in the presence of 124000 Muslims in the farewell Hajj (pilgrimage).

Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) was a pioneer in establishing peace in the world. His groundbreaking contribution to establishing peace is recognized by all. The barbaric Arab nation turned into a civilized idealistic nation through Self-purification, the core teaching of Islam.

Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) received prophethood at the age of forty. He received the commandment of Salat (prayer) at the age of 52 and 1/2 on the night of Miraj (ascension). Then what kind of teaching he imparted to the barbaric Arabs and turned them towards him? He taught them muraqabah (meditation) for self-purification, and thus he made them an idealistic human beings.

“Qaad aflaha maan jhakkha,wa kaad khaba maan dassaha.”

Meaning: Successful indeed is the one who purifies his soul and doomed is the one who corrupts it. [Sura: Ash-Shams, verse: 9-10]

Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) made the Arabs idealistic, purifying their soul through the fundamental teachings of Islam. They could refrain from all kinds of sins and reach Allah by embracing Islam and practicing its teachings in real life. This traditional giving teaching of guidance still exists in society through the Awliya (friends of Allah). People, coming to the Awliya who are the successors and bearers of the Sirajam Munira (Eternal light of guidance) and receiving their holy teachings can reach Allah and the Prophet (PBUH) and find eternal peace and salvation.

War