You are likely familiar the Battle of Uhud. When reading about this hard-fought battle, I instantly wondered how the Muslims could possible lose while they had Allah (SWT) and the Messenger on their side? After learning about this battle in detail, the lessons that I have derived from it are amazing.

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE BATTLE

Imagine 700 soldiers versus 3000 soldiers? Do the 700 even have a chance? In the Battle of Uhud, Muslims were at a small number of 700 people and were going up against an army of 3000. In the beginning of the battle, the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) positioned every individual and carefully positioned the archers on a small hill by the name of Urwa. The archers were told by the Prophet (PBUH) to not move from their spot unless he ordered them to. At first, the battle was going well, and the disbelievers began to retreat. The archers saw the disbelievers retreating and noticed that if they did not stay on the hill, then they would not get any of the bounty. The archers on the hill started to argue and decided to leave their positions in order to collect the bounty, which included armour and weapons. This resulted in their defense becoming weak and Khalid Bin Waleed leading his army around the hill and trapping the Muslims. Khalid bin Waleed was a disbeliever at the time and was known to be courageous and a good fighter. Later, he became a strong believer and would fight for Islam. Here, the archers disobeyed the Prophet (PBUH) by leaving the hill and their greed cost them their success.

LESSONS TO BE LEARNED

What are we really working towards? The world or the hereafter? The archers who left the position for worldly desires were the reason why the battle was lost. When it comes to the world, we should never lose sight of the bigger picture and try our best to not get lost in such small and insignificant benefits. In the end, Jannah (Heaven) is the final destination that we should strive for, the only important end goal. I believe that if we compare this event to our life, no matter what comes in front of us, we should not leave our positions as Muslims. Even if we do run off the hill and get distracted, it is important to return to your position on the hill so that we do not lose the battle. Also, do not lose courage when you are standing for the cause of Allah (SWT). Even when many difficulties come into your life, trust Him and do not lose confidence. Personally, knowing that Allah (SWT)’s help is with the believers helps me face my challenges head on.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

The Muslims did not succeed in the battle of Uhud, but I do not believe they truly lost. They lost the battle in the world but in the hereafter, they have won something much greater. Learning from this, we should strive for the bigger picture – Paradise.