The Battle of Hunain

Tribes of Hawazin and Thaqueef

After the fall of Makkah, the Holy Prophet sent a mission to the neighboring tribes of Hawazin and Thaqueef, inviting them to accept Islam. They rejected the invitation and chose the warpath, boasting that they were not cowards like the Quraish of Makkah. The two tribes along with their allies mustered in considerable strength at Autas a few miles to the east of Makkah on the way to Taif. The coalition was led by Malik b Auf, a fiery commander of considerable skill.

The pass of Hunain

When the Holy Prophet came to know of the hostile intentions of the tribes he decided to take action against them on a cold day of February 630 C.E. The Muslim forces under the command of the Holy Prophet set out from Makkah. The Muslim army consisted of 12,000 men fully armed. Out of these 10,000 men were from Madina, while 2000 were the Muslim converts of Makkah. It was a large force, and some of the Muslims felt proud of their strength. In order to reach Autas, the Muslim army had to pass the narrow pass of Hunain, some ten miles north east of Makkah. It was narrow defile, leaving little room for the army to pass through except in single file. As the vanguard of the Muslim army entered the defile, a rain of arrows fell on it let loose by a group of archers of the hostile tribes who lay hidden in the precipitous rocks. Taken unaware the advance guard of the Muslim army fled in panic. There was considerable confusion. The camels, horses, and men ran into one another to seek cover. As the advance guard retreated precipitately from the paste, the rest of the army which had still to enter the pass, fled in panic in various directions.

The Battle of Hunain

The Holy Prophet stood firm at the place where he was at some distance from the mouth of the pass. Only a dozen companions stood by the side of the Holy Prophet; all other men fled for safety. The men who stood around the Holy Prophet included Abu Bakr, Umar, and some members of the Hashimites. Seeing that the Holy Prophet having been abandoned by his men could easily be overcome, the hostile tribesmen descended from the heights of the mountains and rushed towards the site where the Holy Prophet stood surrounded by a dozen persons. Under the instructions of the Holy Prophet, Abbas shouted at the top of his voice "O Muslims, come to the Holy Prophet of Allah". The call was heard by the Muslims and they returned to fight. As the forces of the tribes advanced boasting of their initial victory, and satirizing the Muslims for their cowardice, the Holy Prophet threw a handful of dust against the enemy. The Holy Prophet exhorted his men to be stout hearted and not to get nervous. By the time the forces of the tribes arrived, most of the Muslims were ready for combat.

Out of the ranks of the enemy, Abu Nadhul a giant of a man very tall and well built stepped forward and challenged the Muslims to a duel. Ali accepted the challenge. With the speed of lighting, Ali struck at the camel on which Abu Nadhul was riding. Abu Nadhul fell from the beast and before he could recover from his fall, Ali was at his head, giving him blows after blows with his sword. Soon Abu Nadhul was killed. Thereafter the battle began. In the hand to hand fighting, the tribes were no match for the Muslims. They lost ground and they had to retreat. It was now their turn to pass through the defile when the Muslims rained arrows at them. As many as seventy men of the enemy were killed while passing through the defile.

Confrontation at Autas

The Holy Prophet posted a contingent to guard the pass, and led the main army to Autas on the other side of the defile in pursuit of the enemy. In the confrontation at Autas, the tribes could not withstand the onslaught of the Muslims. Finding the resistance useless, the tribes broke the camp and retired to Taif. Immense booty fell in the hands of the Muslims. This included 24,000 camels and 4000 Oqiyahs of silver. The number of persons taken captive exceeded six thousand.