Burial Of The Martyrs
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) supervised the martyrs’ burial and said: “I bear witness that anyone who is wounded in the way of Allah, Allah will resurrect him with his wound bleeding a liquid which is bloodlike in colour but musk-like in scent.”
Some of the Companions carried their men killed in the war to Madinah, but the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) ordered that they should be sent back to be buried where they were killed. He ordered that they should not be washed but buried as they were after stripping them of their armour and leather clothes. He used to bury every two or three martyrs together in one grave and even join two men in one garment while saying: “Who is the more learned of the Qur’an?” and he would commit him to earth first. He would say: “I bear witness to those on the Day of Resurrection.” He buried both ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin Haram and ‘Amr bin Al-Jamuh in one grave due to the affection they used to possess for each other.
They missed the coffin of Hanzalah (radi Allahu anhu); they sought it and found that it was on a spot nearby with water dripping off it. The Messenger of Allah told his Companions that the angels were washing him and said, “Ask his wife”. They asked her, and she confirmed that he had been in a state of ceremonial impurity. That was why Hanzalah was called ‘Ghaseel Al-Mala’ikah’ (i.e. the one washed by the angels).
When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) heard that his uncle and foster brother, Hamzah (radi Allahu anhu), was mutilated, he was extremely grieved. When his aunt Safiyah (radi Allahu anha) came to see her brother Hamzah (radi Allahu anhu), the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) ordered her son Az-Zubair (radi Allahu anhu) to dismiss her in order not to see what happened to her brother. She refused and said, “But why should I go away. I have been informed that they have mutilated him. But so long as it is in the way of Allah, whatever happens to him satisfies us. I say: Allah is Sufficient and I will be patient if Allah wills.” She approached, looked at him, and supplicated Allah for him, saying, “To Allah we all belong, and to Him we will verily return.” She then implored Allah to forgive him. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) ordered that he should be buried with ‘Abdullah bin Jahsh (radi Allahu anhu), who was his nephew as well as his foster brother.
Ibn Mas‘ud (radi Allahu anhu) said: We have never seen the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) weeping so much as he was for Hamzah bin ‘Abdul Muttalib (radi Allahu anhu). He directed him towards Al-Qiblah, then he stood at his funeral and sobbed his heart out.
The sight of the martyrs was extremely horrible and heartbreaking. Describing Hamzah’s (radi Allahu anhu) funeral, Khabbab (radi Allahu anhu) said: “No shroud long enough was available for Hamzah (radi Allahu anhu) except a white-darkish garment.
When they covered his head with it, it was too short to cover his feet. Similarly, if they covered his feet, his head would be revealed. Finally, they covered his head with it and put some plant called ‘AlIdhkhir’ to cover his feet.”
Al-Imam Ahmad reported that when it was Uhud Day and the time that the idolaters returned, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Istawoo(i.e. form rows as for prayer) so that I offer thanks and praise to my Lord, the Great and the All-Mighty.”
So they stood in rows behind him. Then he said: “O Allah, no one can withhold what You permit or permit what You withhold. No one can guide whom You decree to go astray or make go astray the one whom You guide. No one can grant provisions you have withheld, and no one can withhold what you grant. No one can near what You ordained to be distant, or detach what You decree to be close. O Allah, spread onto all of us Your Mercy, Your Grace, and Provisions.”
“O Allah, I implore You to grant me permanent bliss that neither changes nor vanishes. O Allah, You alone we seek for help in hardships. You alone we resort to for security on a day of terror. O Allah, to You Alone I resort to protect us from the evils of Your grants (i.e. the evils they may lead us to) and from the evils of Your deprivation. O Allah, make us love Faith and make it pleasant and beloved wholeheartedly by us! Make disbelief, ungodliness and disobedience detestable to us. Let us be among those who are rightly guided. O Allah, make us live as Muslims and cause us to die as Muslims; and make us join with the righteous but not with the disgraced and misled ones. O Allah, make Your enmity befall the disbelievers, who belie Your Messenger and divert from Your righteous way. O Allah, let Your wrath, Your chastisement and Your enmity befall the disbelievers, and those on whom You sent down the Book. Let them be afflicted with war decreed by You. O Allah, the Author of Truth.”
After committing all the martyrs to earth and after offering praise and supplication to Allah (peace be upon him), the Messenger of Allah went back to Madinah.
On his way back, matchless examples of love and devotion were revealed by the truthful women believers; in no way less great than the men’s heroic deeds in the fight. Hamnah bint Jahsh (radi Allahu anha) met the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) on the way back, and he announced the death of her brother, ‘Abdullah bin Jahsh (radi Allahu anhu), to her. She said: “To Allah we belong and to Him we will verily return. I ask Allah’s forgiveness.” Then he announced the death of her maternal uncle, Hamzah bin ‘Abdul Muttalib (radi Allahu anhu). She said: “To Allah we belong and to Him we will verily return. I ask Allah’s forgiveness.” But when he announced the death of her husband Mus‘ab bin ‘Umair to her, she shouted and woed. Seeing her doing so, the Messenger of Allah said, “The woman’s husband is extremely dear to her.”
He passed by a woman of Bani Dinar whose husband, father and brother were all killed at Uhud. When their death was announced, she said, “How is the Messenger of Allah ?” They said: “Well indeed. O mother of so… Thanks to Allah; he is well and as good as you desire.” She said, “Let me see him.” They pointed at him. Seeing him, she said: “All misfortunes are nothing so long as you are safe.”
Umm Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh came running to see the Prophet. At that time, her son was holding the reins of his mare. Seeing his mother, he said to the Prophet: “O Messenger of Allah. This is my mother.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “She is welcome”,; and he stopped and waited for her. When she drew near, he consoled her, for her killed son ‘Amr bin Mu‘adh. But she said: “So long as I see you are safe, my misfortune will certainly go into oblivion.” Then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) supplicated Allah for the relatives of those who were killed at Uhud and said: “Cheer up! Umm Sa‘d and bear good tidings to their kindred that all their people killed in the battle are comrades in Paradise and they are intercessors for all their kinsfolk.”She replied, “O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), we are satisfied. Who would cry on them after this cheerful news?” Then she resumed saying: “O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), invoke Allah (for those who stayed behind)” He said: “O Allah, keep sorrow off their hearts! And console them with their misfortunes. Compensate those who stayed behind with goodness and welfare.”
In the evening of that day, i.e. Saturday, the seventh of Shawwal, 3rd year A.H., the Messenger (peace be upon him) arrived in Madinah. As soon as he reached his house, he handed his sword to his daughter Fatimah(radi Allahu anha) and said: “O daughter, wash the blood off this sword. By Allah, it has been helpful to me today.” ‘Ali bin Abi Talib (radi Allahu anhu) handed her his sword and said: “And wash the blood of this sword too. By Allah, it has been helpful to me today.” So the Messenger of Allah said: “Sahl bin Haneef and Abu Dujana have been as courageous as you are in the fight.”
Most of the narrations confirmed that seventy Muslims were killed, and most of them, sixty-five, Helpers; forty-one of whom were from Khazraj and twenty-four from Aws. This, besides one Jew and four Emigrants. As for the polytheists, twenty-two of them were killed, but some versions speak of thirty-seven; after all, Allah knows best.
On Saturday night, the eighth of Shawwal, and after their return from Uhud, the Muslims spent that night in an emergency case, though they were deadbeat and extremely exhausted. They stayed on alert and spent that night guarding the outlets and inlets of Madinah. They were especially busy guarding their general leader, the Messenger of Allah, for fear that some suspects could commit an unexpected folly.