Surah At-Tawba (9) — Ayah 27

27. 1. Hunayn is a valley between Makkah and Ta’if. Here, the tribes of Hawazin and Thaqif resided; both tribes were famous for their archery. They were preparing to fight against the Muslims, and when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ came to know of this, he set out for Hunayn with an army of 21,000 to fight these tribes. This event took place 18 or 19 days after the conquest of Makkah, in the month of Shawwal. The mentioned tribes had made thorough preparations and had stationed archers in various ambush positions. On the other hand, a sense of pride developed among the Muslims that today, at least, we will not be defeated due to lack of numbers. That is, instead of relying on Allah’s help, their trust shifted more towards their large numbers. Allah Ta’ala did not like this word of pride. When the archers of Hawazin launched a sudden and unexpected volley of arrows from various ambushes on the Muslim army, the Muslims’ ranks broke and they fled. Only the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and about a hundred Muslims remained in the field. You ﷺ were calling out to the Muslims, “O servants of Allah! Come to me, I am the Messenger of Allah,” and sometimes reciting this poetic phrase: اَنَا النَّبِیّْ لَا کَذِبْ۔ اَنَا ابنُ عَبْدِ الْمُظَّلِبْ. Then you ﷺ ordered Hazrat Abbas (who had a very loud voice) to call out to gather the Muslims. Hearing his call, the Muslims became deeply regretful and returned to the battlefield, and then fought so steadfastly that Allah granted them victory. Allah Ta’ala’s help was also attained, by which the fear of the enemy was removed from their hearts, and the descent of angels also occurred. In this battle, the Muslims captured six thousand disbelievers (who were later released at the request of the Prophet ﷺ), and a great deal of spoils of war was obtained. After the battle, many of their chiefs also became Muslim. Here, in three verses, Allah Ta’ala has briefly mentioned this incident.