Lessons of the crucial battle of Ohod

Since today the 15th of Shawwal is the anniversary of an important milestone in the history of Islam, which repelled a joint bid by the Arabs, Israelites, and hypocrites posing as Muslims, to wipe out Islam and kill Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), we present a special feature on this occasion titled Lessons from the Battle of Ohod, which was a temporary setback for early Muslims.

“Do not suppose those who were slain in the way of Allah to be dead; rather they are living and provided for near their Lord.”

What you heard was ayah 169 of Surah Aal-e Imran. These are the clear words of the Almighty Creator about martyrs who should never be considered dead since they are very much alive, receiving sustenance from God, even if they might not be visible to the eyes of the living – especially those without faith and conscience.

This ayah was revealed to Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) after the series of ayahs on the setback the Muslims suffered at the Battle of Ohod that the Arab infidels of Mecca had imposed on Shawwal 15 in the year 3^rd AH – corresponding to 625 AD – with the intention to invade Medina itself and end the existence of the first-ever Islamic state. An important point to note is that neither Islam suffered any setback nor the Prophet, but it was the disobedient amongst his companions who were the losers, as is evident by what Almighty has said in ayah 144 of Surah Aal-e Imran, which reads:

“Mohammad is but a Prophet; [other] Prophets have passed before him. If he dies or is slain, will you turn back on your heels? Anyone who turns back on his heels will not harm Allah in the least, and soon Allah will reward the grateful.”

Here we present you ayah 146 of Surah Aal-e Imran which invites us to ponder on the steadfastness of the Prophets of God and the righteous persons:

“How many a prophet there has been with whom a multitude of Godly men fought. They did not falter for what befell them in the way of Allah, neither did they weaken, nor did they abase themselves; and Allah loves the steadfast.”

And here is ayah 153 of the same Surah where God reprimands those companions of the Prophet who deserted him during the Battle of Ohad.

“When you were fleeing without paying any attention to anyone, while the Prophet was calling you from your rear, He requited you with grief upon grief, so that you may not grieve for what you lose nor for what befalls you, and Allah is well aware of what you do.”

These are some of the ayahs that are undeniable proof of the cowardice and lack of faith of some of the so-called Muslims, who are unfortunately revered today as “Salaf” or progenitors, by Salafis, Wahhabis and similar terrorist cults. No wonder, these Salafis – or Takfiris as they are also called – unabashedly indulge in the same cowardly, faithless, violent and cannibalistic ways of their progenitors by shuddering at the might of the archenemies of Islam, that is, the Crusaders and Zionists.

Instead these Takfiris terrorize innocent Muslim men, women and children; detonating bombs in markets, mosques, buses, and hussainiyas; and destroying graves – of even the Prophets of God like Jonah, whose shrine in the Iraqi city of Mosul was blown up by the Daesh terrorists in 2014. These mass murderers, who masquerade as Muslims, desecrate the remarkably well-preserved bodies of the martyred companions of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) such as Ammar ibn Yasser and Owais Qarani in the Syrian city of Reqqa near Aleppo, despite the fact the holy Qur’an says the martyrs are very much alive in the sight of God.

The Takfiris terrorizing Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, today, with the support of the Zionist regime, also tear out organs of their victims to eat raw – to the shock of the civilized world.

The questions that arise are: Do such persons heed God’s Words in the holy Qur’an? Was this the way of the Prophet and his Immaculate Ahl al-Bayt – reverence for whom is an article of faith? Did the loyal companions of the Prophet ever indulge in such bestially pagan behaviour?

The answers are a big “No”. Then who in history committed such savagery and then shamelessly claimed to be Muslims?

The Battle of Ohod provides us the answers. It was an encounter that ripped apart the mask of hypocrisy from the faces of many of the so-called Muslims who deserted the Prophet. It revealed the real nature of the hypocrites amongst the Muslims that day, since they might have killed the Prophet, if not for the valour of Imam Ali (AS).

To be brief about the Battle of Ohod, When the guards at the mountain pass in disregard to the Prophet’s instructions left their positions to join the loot, the infidel commander, Khalid Ibn Waleed, ambushed the Muslims, resulting in the fleeing of most of the self-styled Muslims, while the steadfast ones attained martyrdom, such as Abu Dajjana, and especially the Prophet’s valiant uncle, Hazrat Hamza (AS), who was attacked from behind a tree by the Abyssinian Wahshi Ibn Harb.

Then, to the horror of the true Muslims and to the delight of the infidels, the liver of Hamza was torn out by Wahshi and given to his mistress, Hind bint Utbah, the wife of Abu Sufyan, to be chewed. The cannibals of those days – like the Takfiris of our days – then mutilated the bodies of martyrs and exultantly hung garlands of severed ears, noses, and fingers around the neck of their licentious women.

Five years later in 8 AH at the surrender of Mecca, these hardcore infidels, seeing no other choice, pretended to become Muslims, and were magnanimously allowed by the Messenger of Mercy to live as “Tulaqa” or freed slaves – as a form of trial and tribulation for future generations – although he ordered Wahshi not to ever come in his sight since this would revive memories of Hamza’s martyrdom.

After three years, when the Prophet passed away and those that had fled the battlefield of Ohod deprived Imam Ali (AS), of the political leadership of the Islamic state, the former infidels of Ohod were elevated to high posts, despite the fact that none of their characteristics ever matched their claim to be Muslim. The Prophet had sent delegations to the kings of his time to explain Islam in a rational manner, but the coup leaders dispatched armies of murderous Arab tribes that paid only lip service to Islam, to loot and kill people and conquer empires. 

No wonder, Imam Ali (AS), in whose honour on the Day of Ohod, the Archangel Gabriel while descending with the heavenly sword had chanted “la fata illa Ali, la sayf illa Zu’l-Feqar , which means “no youth is braver than Ali, and no sword sharper than Zu’l-Feqar”, not only did not participate in these wars since he did not deem them Islamic, but also advised the caliph not to lead the army personally.

Thus, there are important lessons to be learned from this immortal encounter by today’s Muslims, whose ranks are unfortunately split, while their archenemies the US and the illegal Zionist entity, along with the hypocrites amongst the Arab regimes, are preparing for the kill.

In such a situation, only firm adherence to the path of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) and treading the footsteps of Imam Ali (AS) in discerning divine leadership will help them defeat the despicable enemies.

At the end of this radio programme let us listen to a famous statement from the Prophet on the position of the martyr in Islam, especially if he is from among the Ahl al-Bayt:  

“Whoever visits my grave but does not visit the grave of my uncle Hamza, has indeed been unkind to me.”

AS/MG