The Muslims, outnumbered and badly equipped, entered into warfare against the Quraysh clashing victoriously with them in their first battle, the battle of Badr. The result of this victory shook the Quraysh so violently that they almost lost their senses. The victory of the Muslims over the non-Muslims helped to kill off all the Jewish plots, schemes and civil strife inside Madinah, and as a direct result some Jews were forced to sign a peace treaty and others were expelled from Madinah. The might of the Muslims increased, but the Quraysh never rested and wasted no time in preparing for revenge. In the battle of Uhud, in the next year, the Quraysh managed just that, when the Muslim marksmen guarding the Mujahideen’s rear disobeyed the instructions of the leader in their haste to gather the spoils of war. The Quraysh were overjoyed, and the Muslims returned to Madinah heartbroken and defeated despite the fact that after the battle they gave chase up to Hamra’ al-Asad (about eight miles from Madinah).

The defeat of the Muslims had several repercussions. The authority of the Muslims was deemed to have been undermined, and it triggered sedition by groups within Madinah. Many tribes outside Madinah, who prior to Uhud would never have dared to step out of line, also showed signs of rebellion. The Arabs who lived outside Madinah began to think about challenging Muhammad (pbuh), as did the Jews and the hypocrites living within Madinah and they began to provoke the Muslims.

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was anxious to learn about his enemies’ machinations, inside and outside Madinah, in order to counter them. He (pbuh) also aimed to restore the standing, prestige and the might of the Muslims by crushing any attempt to belittle or harm them.

One month after the battle of Uhud, news reached the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) that Banu Asad wanted to raid Madinah and loot the herds of cattle grazing around the city. So Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) decided to raid Banu Asad in their stronghold before they could get a chance to raid Madinah. This was to be a preemptive strike. He (pbuh) summoned Abu Salmah ibn ‘Abd al-Asad and appointed him at the head of an expedition of one hundred and fifty warriors, among whom were a great number of the best Muslim fighters like Abu Ubaydah ibn Jarrah, Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas, Usaid ibn Hudayr and others. In order to keep their mission a secret and retain the element of surprise, Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) ordered them to travel by night and hide during the day, taking a different route from that usually taken by travelers. Abu Salmah set off until he reached Banu Asad. He and his men surrounded them at dawn and then raided them while calling his men to Jihad. They soon defeated Banu Asad, took their wealth as booty and returned to Madinah victorious and proud, thus re-establishing the Muslims’ might and reminding everyone of Islam’s grandeur and authority.

News also reached the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) that Khalid ibn Sufyan al- Hodhali was encamped in ‘Urnah or Nakhlah, gathering and recruiting people to raid Madinah. So he (pbuh) summoned ‘Abdullah ibn Anees and sent him on an exploratory mission to try and gather news about Khalid’s movements. ‘Abdullah set off and soon met up with Khalid who asked him, “Who is the man?” He said, “‘Abdullah. I am an Arab who heard you were gathering people to fight Muhammad and that is why I am here.” Khalid confessed that he was recruiting people to raid Madinah. They walked for a while and chatted, then when the two were isolated from other people, ‘Abdullah seized the chance to draw his sword and dealt him a fatal blow. He returned to Madinah and informed the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) about his adventure. With the death of Khalid, Banu Lihyan of Hadhayl abandoned their plan to raid Madinah. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) therefore succeeded in neutralizing and removing Khalid’s threat, and the threat from many other quarters that loomed over Madinah.

However, these events did not stop some Arabs from continuing to show disdain towards the authority of the Muslims in the wake of the battle of Uhud. A group of people from a tribe neighboring Hadhayl came to Madinah and told the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) that they were very keen to learn about Islam and requested that he send to them a group of his Sahabah to teach them Islam and read to them the Qur’an. He (pbuh) ordered six of his senior Sahabah to accompany them. They set off until they reached the wells of Hadhayl in a place called al-Raji’. The men betrayed the Sahabah and summoned the people of Hadhayl against them. The six Muslims were caught by surprise and found themselves surrounded by Hadhayl who charged on them. The Muslims drew their swords and fought until three of them were killed and the other three surrendered and were taken prisoners. Hadhayl took the three prisoners to Makkah to sell them to the Quraysh. On their way to Makkah, one of the prisoners, ‘Abdullah ibn Tariq, seized the opportunity to break free and managed to get hold of his sword to fight, but he was soon overpowered and killed. The other two prisoners were eventually sold in Makkah. One of them, Zayd ibn al- Dathnah, was bought by Safwan ibn Umayyah in order to kill him in revenge for his father Umayyah ibn Khalaf. When Zayd was brought to be killed, Abu Sufyan asked him, “I adjure you by Allah, Zayd, don’t you wish that Muhammad (pbuh) was with us now in your place so that we might cut off his head, and that you were with your family?” Zayd replied, “By Allah, I do not wish that Muhammad now were in my place and that a thorn could hurt him, and that I were sitting with my family.” Abu Sufyan was astonished and used to say, “I have never seen a man who is so loved as Muhammad’s Companions love him.” Zayd was then killed.

Khubayb, the second companion brought to Makkah, was imprisoned until they brought him out to crucify him. He asked them to give him time to make a couple of Rak’at and they agreed. He performed his Salah in an excellent manner and then turned to the people saying, “Were it not that you would think that I only delayed out of fear of death I would have prolonged my prayer.” Then they raised him on the wood and when they had bound him, he looked angrily at them and shouted, “O Allah! Reckon them by number and kill them one by one. Let none of them escape.” Those present shuddered from his cry and then they killed him. Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) was very saddened by the death of the six companions, as were all the Muslims. What made the Muslims even sadder was the manner in which Hadhayl had displayed their contempt and disregard to their companions.

Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) thought hard about this state of affairs and it was while he was deep in thought that a man called Abu Bara’ ‘Amir ibn Malik (the ‘Player with the Spears’) arrived in Madinah. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) explained Islam to him and invited him to accept it. He would not commit himself, yet he was not far from Islam and never showed any signs of hostility towards the Deen. He told Allah’s Messenger (pbuh), “If you were to send some of your companions to the people of Najd and they invited them to your affair, I have good hopes that they would give you a favorable answer.” Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) feared that his companions would be killed by the people of Najd just like those who had been betrayed by Hadhayl, so he decided against granting Abu Bara’ his wish. However, Abu Bara’ convinced him that he would go as a surety for them and said, “Let them be sent to invite men to your Deen, I will protect them.” Abu Bara’ was a man of good repute, and his words carried weight, any man protected by him would not fear to be betrayed.

So the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) sent al-Mundhir ibn ‘Amr with forty of his companions from the best of the Muslims. They set off until they had reached the well of Ma’unah, from there they sent a messenger with a letter from the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) to ‘Amir ibn Tufayl. When the messenger reached him he rushed him and killed him before he had even looked at the letter, then he called out Banu ‘Aamir to fight the Muslims, but they refused to do what he wanted saying that they would not violate the promise of security which Abu Bara’ had given the Muslims. Then ‘Amir appealed to other tribes and they surrounded the Muslims while they were with their camels. Seeing this, the Muslims drew their swords and fought to the last man. All were killed except two. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was very saddened by this, as were all the Muslims who were deeply shocked.

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) thought long and hard about how to deal with those Arabs and how to re-establish the Muslims’ high standing and dignity. He (pbuh) realized, however, that Madinah itself was affected, so he opted to try to deal firstly with the State’s internal disturbances. Once he had ensured that stability had returned to Madinah, he would then turn to the Arabs and other external affairs.

The battle of Uhud, together with the events of Raji’ and Beer Ma’unah once again undermined the authority and standing of the Muslims in the eyes of the hypocrites and the Jews. They began plotting against the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and they waited for a suitable opportunity to deal him a bad turn. Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) gradually ascertained their intentions until he (pbuh) had managed to learn about their conspiracies. Then he (pbuh) sent Muhammad ibn Maslamah to them and he said, “The Messenger of Allah sent me to you to tell you to leave his land, for you have breached the oath he made with you by attempting to betray him. You have ten days to leave. Anyone seen here afterwards will have his neck struck!”.

Banu Nadir would have left had it not been for ‘Abdullah ibn Ubayy prodding them to stay; Huyayy ibn Akhtab also encouraged them to remain in their forts. The ten days expired and Banu Nadir remained in their homes, thus Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) fought them until they asked him to spare their lives on condition that they retained all the possessions which they could carry on their camels. They finally set off leaving behind all that they owned from their lands, palm trees and armor. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) divided their properties among the Muhajireen to the exclusion of the Ansar, except for two men who were Abu Dujanah and Sahl ibn Hanif who complained of poverty. In expelling Banu Nadir, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) managed to quell the internal unrest and restore the dignity and high status of the Muslims.

Turning once again to the foreign policy, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) went forth to keep his appointment with the Quraysh in a last battle at Badr, but the Quraysh did not meet him there. This was one year after Uhud and Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) remembered what Abu Sufyan had said, “Today in exchange for the day of Badr; our meeting place is Badr next year.” He (pbuh) stressed the importance of meeting Abu Sufyan so he (pbuh) prepared the Muslims for battle. He (pbuh) left ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abdullah ibn Salul in charge of Madinah and set off with the Muslims until they reached Badr. There they set up camp waiting for the Quraysh ready to do battle with them. The Quraysh, headed by Abu Sufyan, left Makkah with more than two thousand men, but they soon returned.

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) remained in Badr for eight consecutive days waiting for the Quraysh, but they never turned up. Finally news reached him that the Quraysh had returned to Makkah. So he (pbuh) journeyed back with the Muslims to Madinah after realizing handsome profits from their trading at Badr. The Muslims returned victorious despite the fact that no fighting had taken place. Soon after, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) raided Ghatafan in Najd and they fled leaving behind their properties and women, which the Muslims took and returned to Madinah. Then he (pbuh) raided Dumat al-Jandal on the border between al-Sham and Hijaz. This was intended as a lesson and a warning to the other tribes who used to attack the caravans. But Dumat al-Jandal never confronted him (pbuh), they just fled in terror leaving behind their properties which the Muslims also took returning to Madinah victorious.

These raids, and the measures taken by Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) at home in Madinah, helped to restore the Islamic State’s authority and secured its grandeur in the eyes of the Arabs and Jews. The effects of the defeat at Uhud were thus completely effaced.