Apr 05
Battle of Hunayn
Saturday 6 Shawwal, 1446
Apr 05
Saturday 6 Shawwal, 1446
The Battle of Hunayn (غزوة حنين) is the last battle (Ghazwa), personally led by the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ. It was fought between Muslims and the tribes of Hawazin and Thaqif. It happened during the month of Shawwal, 8 AH, corresponding to 630 CE, soon after the historic Conquest of Mecca.
Despite the initial setback, which resulted in the fleeing of the Muslim soldiers, finally the battle was comprehensively won by the Muslims, under the leadership of the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ, with the help and blessings of Allah سُبْحَانَهُۥ وَتَعَالَىٰ. The Battle of Hunayn is one of the few battles mentioned in the Quran by name. Verses 25 to 27 of Surah At-Tawba describe this battle in detail:
Translation:
Four Muslim men were martyred during this battle, whereas more than 400 were killed from the Hawazin and Thaqif tribes, with around 6,000 as captives along with plenty of spoils. Together with the conquest of Mecca, the Battle of Hunayn established the supremacy of the Muslims throughout the Arabian Peninsula.
The Battle of Hunayn was fought in Hunayn (sometimes also spelled “Hunain”), a valley between Mecca and Ta’if. It is situated approximately 20 KM away from Mecca, on the route to Ta’if.
Consequent to the historic conquest of Mecca, the Message of Islam spread quickly amongst various tribes of the Arabian Peninsula. The Hawazin tribe had a history of rivalry with the Meccans. The fall of Mecca to the Muslims, led by the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ, resulted in the mass conversion of Meccans and neighboring tribes to Islam. The leadership of the Hawazin tribe saw this transformation as the dominance of Islam and the Quraysh of Mecca. Malik Ibn Awf, who was the leader of the Hawazin tribe, decided to take on the Muslims to end the supremacy of Quraysh and Islam.
The Thaqif tribe was the ally of Hawazin and had together fought many wars. The tribe of Thaqif was settled in Ta’if. The leadership of the Thaqif tribe was of the view that it was the right time to fight with Muslims to prevent their dominance. So, they held a meeting with Malik Ibn Awf, the leader of the Hawazin Tribe. Together, they decided to launch a battle against the Muslims. Some other tribes also joined them. It is believed that they gathered an army of around 20,000 men. Per some traditions, the number exceeded 40,000. Malik Ibn Awf also compelled the tribes to take along their families and belongings. Though a slight reservation was expressed by a section of the allies, ultimately, the families and their assets were also taken along with the army men.
The news of preparations of the Hawazin tribe and their allies, soon reached the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ. He decided to launch the battle with Hawazin and their allies. Hardly two weeks had passed after the conquest of Mecca, when the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ started marching towards Hunayn, with an army of 12,000 men, including around 2,000 newly converted Muslims of Mecca. In total, it was just around four weeks’ time when the Muslims initially left Medina for the conquest of Mecca. Despite a very short span of time in between, the Muslims were more than confident of overpowering their enemies. Perhaps it was a sort of overconfidence, which resulted in the initial setback on the outbreak of the actual war.
Per some commentators, the battle of Hunayn started on the 10th night of Shawwal and it is believed to be Wednesday. It was the night when Muslims entered the Valley of Hunayn. On the other hand, Malik Ibn Awf and his army had already taken position in the strategic locations of the valley. He deployed 4,000 of his men in hidden locations of the valley, such as entrances and narrow spaces. He planned to suddenly attack the Muslims when they reached the valley.
The plan was successfully implemented and the Muslims were taken by surprise. As soon as the Muslims entered the valley, they were caught by a rain of arrows. Since they were not prepared for this sudden attack and were also a victim of overconfidence, the Muslim army started retreating. The worst part of this retreat was that there was total chaos and confusion among the Muslim army. The outcome was that only a few of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ were left with him, including Hazrat Ali, Abbas, Fadl ibn Abbas, Usamah, and Abu Sufyan bin al-Harith رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ
At this crucial point, the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ firmly held his position. In this tense situation, the Prophet addressed his men, saying, “I am the Prophet, truly! I am the son of Abdul-Muttalib!", as narrated in Hadith 4315 of Sahih Al-Bukhari:
Translation - Narrated Abu 'Is-haq: I heard Al-Bara' narrating when a man came and said to him, "O Abu '`Umara! Did you flee on the day (of the battle) of Hunain?" Al-Bara' replied, "I testify that the Prophet (ﷺ) did not flee, but the hasty people hurried away and the people of Hawazin threw arrows at them. At that time, Abu Sufyan bin Al-Harith was holding the white mule of the Prophet (ﷺ) by the head, and the Prophet (ﷺ) was saying, "I am the Prophet (ﷺ) undoubtedly: I am the son of `Abdul-Muttalib."
The Prophet then ordered Hazrat Abbas رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ to call the fleeing men to come back. He shouted with a strong voice urging the Muslims to come back to the Prophet. On hearing this strong message, the Muslims stopped leaving the battlefield and re-gathered.
On the other hand, the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ prayed to Allah سُبْحَانَهُۥ وَتَعَالَىٰ, seeking His Help to get victory over the enemies. Hadith 1775a of Sahih Al-Muslim, narrates this event in detail:
Translation - I was in the company of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) on the Day of Hunain. I and Abd Sufyan b. Harith b. 'Abd al-Muttalib stuck to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and we did not separate from him. And the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) was riding on his white mule which had been presented to him by Farwa b. Nufitha al-Judhami. When the Muslims had an encounter with the disbelievers, the Muslims fled, falling back, but the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) began to spur his mule towards the disbelievers. I was holding the bridle of the mule of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) checking it from going very fast, and Abu Sufyan was holding the stirrup of the (mule of the) Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), who said: Abbas, call out to the people of al-Samura. Abbas (who was a man with a loud voice) called out at the top of the voice: Where are the people of Samura? (Abbas said: ) And by God, when they heard my voice, they came back (to us) as cows come back to their calves, and said: We are present, we are present! 'Abbas said: They began to fight the infidels. Then there was a call to The Ansar. Those (who called out to them) shouted: O ye party of the Ansar! O party of the Ansar! Banu al-Harith b. al-Khazraj were the last to be called. Those (who called out to them) shouted: O Banu Al-Harith b. al-Khazraj! O Banu Harith b. al-Khazraj! And the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) who was riding on his mule looked at their fight with his neck stretched forward and he said: This is the time when the fight is raging hot. Then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) took (some) pebbles and threw them in the face of the infidels. Then he said: By the Lord of Muhammad, the infidels are defeated. 'Abbas said: I went round and saw that the battle was in the same condition in which I had seen it. By Allah, it remained in the same condition until he threw the pebbles. I continued to watch until I found that their force had been spent out and they began to retreat.
Ultimately, Muslims won this battle, capturing around 6,000 prisoners of war and a handsome quantity of spoils. Per some traditions, the spoil included around 24,000 camels, 40,000 goats, plenty of wealth in the form of Dirhams and silver. It was the decisive victory over the disbelievers, which paved the way for a complete dominance of Islam in the entire Arab world and beyond.
The Battle of Hunayn was not just a routine victory for the Muslims. It was a battle that holds a lot of significance in many contexts. Side by side, it also left a lesson for the Muslims for centuries to come:
The Battle of Hunayn is the last Ghazwa in Islamic history. Ghazwa is a battle fought by the Muslims, where the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ personally took active part. In that context, it is the last Ghazwa. It is one of the most important battles in the early history of Islam. It was fought immediately after the conquest of Mecca, as the tribes of Hawazin and Thaqif launched an attack on the Muslims, to stop the ongoing victory and dominance of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula. The Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ reacted swiftly and marched to the valley of Hunayn with around 12,000 of his companions. After an initial setback, eventually, the Muslims won this battle, which proved a decisive victory, establishing a strong Islamic state.
The tribes of Hawazin and Thaqif were the major enemies in the Battle of Hunayn, whereas some other small tribes were also their allies.
The main reason was being overconfident of their superiority in previous battles. Moreover, the enemy attacked suddenly and they were caught by surprise. The enemy ambushed them in the narrow valley of Hunayn, which resulted in a panic situation among the Muslims.
He remained steadfast and held his position despite the retreat of his companions. He led from the front, showing a firm belief in Allah's سُبْحَانَهُۥ وَتَعَالَىٰ help in the worst of the conditions. He called back the fleeing Muslims, who reunited under his command and eventually won the battle.
Keep a firm belief in Allah سُبْحَانَهُۥ وَتَعَالَىٰ and follow the instructions of the Prophet under any circumstances. Always seek Help and Blessings of Allah سُبْحَانَهُۥ وَتَعَالَىٰ. The victory in the battle of Hunayn was only possible with Divine Help, as sought by the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ when the Muslim forces were retreating. The key lessons of this battle include avoiding arrogance with complete reliance on Allah سُبْحَانَهُۥ وَتَعَالَىٰ, remaining steadfast in the worst of times, and remaining united under the strong leadership.
The battle proved to be final and decisive, with a complete victory of Islam. After this battle, almost the entire Arab came under Islamic rule. Most of the Arab tribes accepted Islam. The long-standing conflict between the disbelievers and the Muslims, finally ended, in the Arabian Peninsula. The Muslim rule expanded even beyond the Arabian Peninsula.