Surah At-Tawba (9) — Ayah 25

25. Allah has already helped you on many occasions, and on the Day of Hunayn [23], when your great numbers made you proud, but they availed you nothing, and the earth, despite its vastness, became constrained for you, and you turned back fleeing.

[23]
The Battle of Hunayn and Its Causes:

Hunayn is a place between Makkah and Ta’if where, after the conquest of Makkah in Shawwal 8 AH, a great battle between truth and falsehood took place. Most of the Bedouin tribes of Arabia were waiting to see if Muhammad ﷺ would prevail over the Quraysh and conquer Makkah, then without doubt he is a Prophet and his call should be accepted. Thus, after the conquest of Makkah, many tribes came to you ﷺ of their own accord and embraced Islam, but the case of Hawazin and Thaqif was completely opposite to that of the other tribes. These tribes were extremely warlike and highly skilled in the arts of war and combat, and as Islam gained dominance, these tribes, considering this dominance a threat to their own rule and authority, became even more enraged. After the conquest of Makkah, these two tribes, by mutual agreement, made a plan that since the Muslims were gathered in Makkah at that time, a full-scale attack should be launched on them at that very place to break their strength. Their zeal was such that they even brought their women and children along so that no one would even think of retreating. A thirty-year-old young man, Malik bin ‘Awf, was their commander.

The Retreat of the Muslims:

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was still residing in Makkah when you ﷺ became aware of these circumstances. No spoils of war had been obtained from the conquest of Makkah. Now the question was, where would the expenses for this new war come from? Eventually, you ﷺ borrowed thirty thousand dirhams from ‘Abdullah bin Rabi‘ah and, as weapons of war, borrowed a hundred coats of mail and their accessories from Safwan bin Umayyah, and set out from Makkah to confront these tribes. At the place of Hunayn, the two armies faced each other. At that time, the number of the Islamic army was twelve thousand, including new Muslims, while the enemy numbered only four thousand. When the battle began, the archers of Hawazin showered arrows from their ambushes and fought so fiercely that the Islamic army, which had become somewhat fearless and careless due to pride in their large numbers, was thrown into disarray, their feet faltered, and they fled. To the extent that there came a time when you ﷺ stood alone before the enemy. At that time, the courage and bravery you ﷺ displayed can be gauged from the following hadiths. The circumstances of the battle are also illuminated.

Your Exemplary Courage:

1. Sayyiduna Bara’ bin ‘Azib ؓ says that we rushed upon the spoils of war and the enemy began to shower arrows upon us. [بخاري۔ كتاب المغازي۔ باب و يوم حنين۔ مسلم كتاب الجهاد۔ باب فى غزوة حنين]
2. Sayyiduna Anas ؓ says that on the day of Hunayn, besides ten thousand mujahideen, the Tulaqa (those who were pardoned after the conquest of Makkah) were also with you ﷺ. All of them left you ﷺ and you were left alone. [غزوه طائف۔ بخاري كتاب المغازي۔ مسلم كتاب الجهاوالسير باب اعطاء المؤلفة قلوبهم]
3.
The Companions of the Tree Responding to Your ﷺ Call:

Sayyiduna ‘Abbas ؓ says that in the Battle of Hunayn, I was with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Both I and Abu Sufyan bin Harith bin ‘Abd al-Muttalib remained with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. We did not leave you ﷺ. You ﷺ were mounted on your white mule, which had been gifted to you ﷺ by Furuh bin Nughathah al-Judhami. When the disbelievers and Muslims confronted each other, the Muslims turned their backs and fled. But the Messenger of Allah ﷺ began to spur his mule towards the disbelievers. I was holding the rein of the Messenger of Allah’s ﷺ mule lest it should rush swiftly towards the enemy, and Abu Sufyan ؓ was alongside the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. You ﷺ said to me, “Abbas! Call the Companions of the Tree (because I had a loud voice).” I called out in a loud voice: “Where are the Companions of the Tree?” As soon as they heard the call, they returned just as cows return to their calves. They were saying, “We are present! We are present!” The Ansar were called thus: “O assembly of the Ansar! O assembly of the Ansar!” Then the call ended with Banu al-Harith bin Khazraj. They were called thus: “O Banu al-Harith bin Khazraj! O Banu al-Harith bin Khazraj!” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was mounted on his white mule and was rising up to observe the battle. [مسلم۔ كتاب الجهادوالسير۔ باب فى غزوة حنين]
4.
Your ﷺ Recitation of Poetry:

Sayyiduna Bara’ bin ‘Azib ؓ says, “When the people were called, at that time you ﷺ were reciting this verse: «انا النبى لاكذب ... انا ابن عبد المطلب» and saying, ‘O Allah, send down Your help!’ By Allah! When the battle would become intense, we would seek protection through you ﷺ, that is, we would stand behind you ﷺ, and the brave among us was he who stood beside you ﷺ.” [مسلم۔ كتاب الجهاد والسيه۔ باب غزوه حنين]
Then, when the Muhajirun and Ansar gathered around you ﷺ in response to your call, by that time the pride in their numbers had vanished from their minds. Then they stood firm and fought. Allah’s help was with them, so Allah granted the Muslims victory. In this battle, the Muslims obtained a great deal of spoils of war and many slaves, because these people had brought their wives and children with them. Thus, that which they had brought for encouragement, Allah made it a calamity for them.