Battle of Hunayn

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For other uses, see Hunayn (disambiguation).
This is a sub-article to Muhammad after the conquest of Mecca.
Battle of Hunayn
Date 630 (8 AH)
Location Hunain, near al-Ta'if in south-western Arabia
Result Muslim victory
Belligerents
Muslims,
Quraysh		 Bedouins of the Hawazin and Thaqif tribes
Commanders
Muhammad,
Khalid ibn al-Walid		 Malik ibn Awf al-Nasri
Strength
12,000 4,000
Casualties and losses
12 Unknown
v • d • e
Campaigns of Muhammad
v • d • e
Campaigns of

Khalid ibn al-Walid

The Battle of Hunain was fought between Muhammad and his followers against the Bedouin tribe of Hawazin and its subsection the Thaqif in 630 in a valley on one of the roads leading from Mecca to al-Ta'if. The battle ended in a decisive victory for the Muslims, who captured enormous spoils. The Battle of Hunayn is one of only two battles mentioned in the Qur'an by name, in Sura [Qur'an 9:25].[1]

Contents

[edit] Preparations

The Hawazin and their allies, the Thaqif, began mobilizing their forces when they learnt from their spies that Muhammad and his army had departed from Medina to begin an assault on Mecca. The confederates apparently hoped to attack the Muslim army while it besieged Mecca. Muhammad, however, uncovered their intentions through his own spies in the camp of the Hawazin, and marched against the Hawazin just two weeks[2] after the conquest of Mecca with a force of 12,000 men.[1] Only four weeks had elapsed since quitting Medina.[3]

[edit] Course of the battle

The Bedouin commander Malik ibn Awf al-Nasri ambushed the Muslims at a place where the road to al-Taif enters winding gorges; the Muslims, surprised by the assault of the Bedouin cavalry, who they thought were encamped at Awtas, began retreating in disarray. Modern historians have been unable to fully reconstruct the course of the battle from this point onwards because the different Muslim sources describing the battle give contradictory accounts.

[edit] Flight of the Army

The army of Islam was in headlong rout with the enemy in pursuit. The Apostle did not abandon his post, and stood firm like a rock. Almost all of the companions ran away. Only eight men were still with him, all watching the spectacle of the flight of their army. They were:

1. Ali ibn Abi Talib

2. Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib

3. Fadl ibn Abbas

4. Abu Sufyan ibn al-Harith ibn Abd al-Muttalib

5. Rabi'a ibn al-Harith, the brother of Abu Sufyan ibn al-Harith

6. Abdullah ibn Mas'ud

7. Usama ibn Zayd ibn Haritha

8. Ayman ibn Ubayd

Out of these eight, the first five belonged to the clan of Banu Hashim. They were the uncle and the cousins of the Prophet. However, in accordance with Shia Islam ibn al-Harith did not belong to Banu Hashim, as he was an adopted son and thus did not have a blood relationship with Abd al-Muttalib.[citation needed]

[edit] Aftermath

Because Malik ibn Awf al-Nasri had brought the families and flocks of the Hawazin along, the Muslims were able to capture huge spoils, consisting of 6,000 women and children and 24,000 camels. Some Bedouins fled, and split into two groups. One group went back, resulting in the Battle of Autas, while the larger group found refuge at al-Ta'if, where Muhammad besieged them.[1]

[edit] Relevant hadth

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Lammens, H. and Abd al-Hafez Kamal. "Hunayn". Encyclopaedia of Islam Online Edition. Ed. P.J. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel and W.P. Heinrichs. Brill Academic Publishers. ISSN 1573-3912. 
  2. ^ Revelation and Empire
  3. ^ Muhammad: Victory

[edit] External links