Lessons from the Battle of Hunayn

Allah guided mankind since the beginning by sending messengers with the divine commands directing the people towards the realization of their objective. He perfected His guidance with Islam as the final form of revelation sent to Prophet Muhammadﷺ. The principles of pure monotheism incorporated with socio-politico-economic laws were revealed to establish a perfect harmonious society and uproot all forms of evil gradually. The initial stage of Islam focused on building unshakable faith in the hearts of a few believers till they managed to find safety in land. When the enemies of Islam did not quell in bringing an end to it, Allah permitted the believers to engage in battles to protect their religion and establish supremacy on the land (The Qur'an, 22:39). Regardless of the outcome, each of the battle was resonant with indispensable lessons for the generations of Muslims to come. It is said that ‘Ali ibn al-Husain (May Allah be pleased with him) used to teach the battles of the Prophet just like a chapter from the Qur’an.

One of the battles which was fought after the conquest of Makkah was the battle of Hunayn. It took place between Muslims and two major Arab tribes, Banu Thakif and Banu Hawaazin, in 8 AH, the final outcome being a resounding victory for the Muslims. The diverse events of this battle encompass very important lessons as mentioned:

Complete reliance upon Allah

No matter how resolute is the cause for or against an event, it is only Allah who decides the outcome; “the one who causes the cause”. The believers should always have the ultimate reliance upon the Creator and not on any other means. Allah mentions, “If Allah should aid you, no one can overcome you; but if He should forsake you, who is there that can aid you after Him? And upon Allah let the believers rely” (The Qur'an, 3:160). On the day of Hunayn, Muslims were deceived by their large number and their reliance upon Allah in the accomplishment of victory subsided. Regarding the same, Allah says, “Allah has already given you victory in many regions and [even] on the day of Hunayn, when your great number pleased you, but it did not avail you at all, and the earth was confining for you with its vastness; then you turned back, fleeing” (The Qur'an, 9:25).

Quality over quantity

The Muslim army was a mix of believers ranging from those with unyielding faith who sincerely participated for the sake of Allah to the new converts weak in faith who either had submitted reluctantly or were participating merely for the booty. The comparatively huge expanse of Muslim army made some feel overconfident to such an extent that it was said, “We will not be overcome today because of small numbers”. The recent and easy conquest of Makkah further fuelled the false perception of forthcoming battle being undemanding and led them to believe that polytheism was “breathing its last”. These factors led to the defeat of Muslims in the initial stages of the battle. As-Sibaa’ie in his book, The Life of Prophet Muhammad, mentions, “victory does not depend on large numbers or on having weapons, but rather it is the matter of morale in the hearts of the fighters which motivates them to make sacrifices”. This is a manifest position of the Muslims today. Despite being in millions, they are unable to dominate globally due to their lack of sincerity and the concavity of faith.

Shirk (association with Allah) out of ignorance is pardonable

The Prophet’sﷺ reaction to the request of some new Muslims to hang their weapons on a tree called Dhaat al-anwaat as a mark of reverence (at-tirmidhi, Book 33, Hadith 23) teaches us the way of guiding the ignorant masses. Instead of punishing them or labelling them as “apostates”, heﷺ explained them the seriousness of shirk in a proper approach. He excused them for their ignorance and let them participate in jihaad. In today’s times, when the pure Islamic creed is being obscured by many deviant ideologies casting their shadows upon the ignorant Muslims, it is imperative for us to deal with them prudently and avoid excommunicating them at the outset for their unawareness. Furthermore, this event also teaches us the severity of shirk and prohibition of imitation of the disbelievers.

Military Lessons

1. In order to build-up the arsenal of such huge army, Prophetﷺ borrowed weapons from a disbeliever namely Safwaan ibn Umayyah teaching us the importance of being prepared for the battle and the permissibility of buying or borrowing weapons from the disbelievers as long as it does not make them advantageous over Muslims.

2. It is very important to reconnoitre the whereabouts of the enemy to prepare the strategy of the battle in which a tracker must “pay close attention to both the environment and the psychology of his enemy”. Muslims would have been saved from the initial defeat had the scout Abdullah ibn Hadrad al-Aslamee done his scouting circumspectly.

3. The Prophet’sﷺ prohibition of killing the weak in the battle like women, children, old men, etc. teaches the Islamic etiquette of battles since they are not fought for the purpose of belligerent hegemony but to overcome the resistance in the establishment of a godly society safeguarding individual rights.

The role of Leadership

During the initial moments of chaos, the Prophetﷺ stood his ground resolutely formulating the counteract strategy while being confident in Allah’s help and this became a turning point in the battle. He, thus, highlighted the role of a leader in strenuous circumstances.

The unequal distribution of the war booty also underlined the wisdom of the Prophet’sﷺ leadership. As-Sibaa’ie (2004) emphasizes the pros of persuasion by satisfying materialistic objectives of some people. Moreover, the way heﷺ soothed the Ansar after they did not receive booty shows how a leader can play multiple roles to maintain the integrity of his people by understanding and acting according to their requirements.

In general, the objective of studying Prophet’sﷺlife is to “arouse emotions”, “evoke resolutions” and acquaint oneself to tread the divine path of Islam wholeheartedly. On the similar lines, the battle of Hunayn was not destined by Allah to be just a simple example of military triumph for the Muslims but it surpassed the canvass of time in presenting vital lessons for the generations ahead. The firm, yet merciful, approach the Prophetﷺadopted in overcoming the resistance of disbelief presents a perfect example for the du’aat. On one hand, the upholding of tawheed in all aspects of life prioritises the monotheistic impetus of Islam while, on the other, the gentle approach of the Prophetﷺtowards certain Muslims due to their ignorance epitomizes forbearance. On one hand, it highlights the essence of having complete reliance upon Allah while, on the other, it illustrates the necessity of fulfilling all the possible causes for the achievement of an objective. The protection of the rights of the weak during the battle and the exoneration of Banu-Hawaazin and returning them their families post the battle dissociates the goals of Islam from all materialistic precincts and presents to the entire world an example found nowhere else on the pages of history.

Published by: Rising Kashmir

Date: 30th June 2019