Volume 8 Surah 9 - Enjoy Islam

Al-Tawbah (The Repentance) | THE BASIS OF INTER-COMMUNAL RELATIONSThe sūrah follows this with a quick reminder of some of the events that the firstMuslim generation experienced. The Muslims are reminded of the many battleswhen they were weak and poorly equipped but where God granted them victory.They are also reminded of the Battle of Ĥunayn when they were defeated despitetheir numerical strength, but then God granted them His support. On that day, thearmy which achieved the conquest of Makkah was joined by 2,000 of its people whowere pardoned by the Prophet. On that day, there was a time when, for a fewseconds, the Muslims overlooked their reliance on God to admire their strength andlarge following. The events of that day taught the Muslims the lesson that completededication to God’s cause and strengthening their ties with Him are the bestequipment for victory. These will never fail them, while wealth, friends and evenclosest relatives may do so.God has granted you His support on many a battlefield, and also in the Battle ofĤunayn, when you took pride in your numerical strength, but it availed you nothing.For all its vastness, the earth seemed too narrow for you, and you turned back inflight. God then bestowed from on high an air of inner peace on His Messenger and onthe believers, and He sent down forces whom you could not see, and punished thosewho disbelieved. Such is the reward for the unbelievers. God will then turn in Hismercy to whom He wills, for God is Much forgiving, Merciful. (Verses 25-27)The victories they achieved in many battles were still fresh in their memories,requiring only a brief reference to bring them back in all clarity. The Battle ofĤunayn took place shortly after the conquest of Makkah, in the eighth year of theIslamic calendar.When the Prophet settled matters after Makkah had fallen to him, and itspeople accepted Islam and were pardoned by the Prophet, he was informedthat the tribe of Hawāzin were mobilizing forces to fight him, under theleadership of Mālik ibn `Awf al-Nađrī. They were joined by the whole Thaqīftribe as well as the tribes of Jusham and Sa ‘d ibn Bakr. Also allied with themwere some forces of the clans of Hilāl, `Amr ibn `Āmir and `Awf ibn `Āmir.They marched bringing with them their women and children as well as theircattle and property to make it a battle to the bitter end.The Prophet marched at the head of the army which conquered Makkah,estimated at the time to be around 10,000 strong, composed mostly of theMuhājirīn and the Anşār. He was joined by 2,000 of the pardoned people ofMakkah. The two hosts met at a valley known as Ĥunayn. The battle startedbefore the break of day, as the Muslim army was going down into the valley.The Hawāzin forces had been lying in ambush. They took the Muslims by75