Knowing the Direction of the Enemy
After the withdrawal of the polytheists' army from the battlefield, the Prophet sent ‘Ali bin Abu Taalib, may Allah be pleased with him, to trace the movement of the enemy immediately after the battle had ended. He said to ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him: “Follow the tracks of the polytheists and see what they will do and what they intend. If they leave their horses and ride their camels then they will be heading to Makkah; if they ride their horses and drive their camels, then they will be heading to Madeenah. By the One in whose Hand is my soul, if they head to Madeenah I will march to them and fight them there.” ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “I set out after them to see what they would do. I found that they had left their horses, mounted their camels and headed towards Makkah.” Then ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, returned and told the Prophet of the news of the polytheists.
This report teaches us several lessons, such as
The alertness of the Prophet and his careful observation of the enemy's movements. We also notice the ability of the Prophet to appreciate the importance of such actions. The high spiritual power of the Prophet was very clear, particularly in his preparation to fight the polytheists if they were to head to Madeenah. The report shows the confidence of the Prophet in ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, and his awareness of the good nature of men. It also stresses the bravery of ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, because if the army had seen him, they would not have hesitated to kill him.
Another point is that the Prophet remained on the battleground after the battle had ended in order to check upon those who had been wounded and martyred, whom he ordered to be buried. He supplicated to and praised Allah The Almighty and sent ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, to receive the news of the polytheists – all these things were done in order to preserve the victory that the Muslims attained in the Battle of Uhud. The Prophet did so because he understood the norms of Allah The Almighty in wars and battles. This is because Allah The Almighty set norms in His creation, as He necessitates that there are particular means that lead either to victory or defeat, and a person who utilizes the means of victory and truly puts his trust in Allah The Almighty, will achieve victory by the permission of Allah The Almighty; He Says (what means): {[This is] the established way of Allah which has occurred before. And never will you find in the way of Allah any change.} [Quran 48:23]
The Prophet's understanding in utilizing available means appears clearly in the battle of Hamraa‘ Al-Asad, which will be discussed in a later article, if Allah wills.