Mount Uhud

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Mount Uhud
Highest point
Elevation1,077 metres (3,533 ft)
Prominence377 metres (1,237 ft)
Coordinates24°30′37″N 039°36′50″E / 24.51028°N 39.61389°E / 24.51028; 39.61389 (Mount Uhud)
Geography
Mount Uhud is located in Saudi Arabia
Mount Uhud
Mount Uhud
Location in Saudi Arabia
Mount Uhud is located in Middle East
Mount Uhud
Mount Uhud
Mount Uhud (Middle East)
Mount Uhud is located in West and Central Asia
Mount Uhud
Mount Uhud
Mount Uhud (West and Central Asia)
LocationMedina, Hejaz, Saudi Arabia
ProvinceAl Madinah Region

Mount Uhud (Arabic: جَبَل أُحُد, romanizedJabal Uḥud, Hejazi Arabic pronunciation: [dʒa.bal ʔʊ.ħʊd]) is a mountain north of Medina, in the Hejazi region of Saudi Arabia. It is 1,077 m (3,533 ft) high and 7.5 km (4.7 mi) long. It was the site of the second battle between the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the polytheists of his tribe of Quraysh. The Battle of Uhud was fought on 19 March, 625 CE, between a force from the small Muslim community of Medina and a force from Mecca, in north-western Arabia.

Battle of Uhud[edit]

The battle was fought on March 19, 625 CE (3 Shawwal 3 AH in the Islamic calendar) at the valley located in front of Mount Uhud, in what is now northwestern Arabia.[1] It occurred between a force from the Muslim community of Medina led by Muhammad, and a force led by Abu Sufyan ibn Harb from Mecca, the town from which many of the Muslims had previously emigrated. The Battle of Uḥud was the second military encounter between the Meccans and the Muslims, preceded by the Battle of Badr in 624, where a small Muslim army had defeated the much larger Meccan army.

Marching out from Mecca towards Medina on March 11, 625, the Meccans desired to avenge their losses at Badr and strike back at Muhammad and his followers. The Muslims readied for war soon afterward and the two armies fought on the slopes and plains of Mount ‘Uḥud.

Whilst heavily outnumbered, the Muslims gained the early initiative and forced the Meccan lines back, thus leaving much of the Meccan camp unprotected. When the battle looked to be only one step far from a decisive Muslim victory, a serious mistake was committed by a part of the Muslim army, which shifted the outcome of the battle. A breach of Muhammad's orders by the Muslim archers, who left their assigned posts to despoil the Meccan camp, allowed a surprise attack from the Meccan cavalry, led by Meccan war veteran Khalid ibn al-Walid, which brought chaos to the Muslim ranks. Many Muslims were killed, including Hamza ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib, Muhammad's uncle and foster brother. Muhammad himself got injured. The Muslims had to withdraw up the slopes of ‘Uḥud. The Meccans did not pursue the Muslims further, but marched back to Mecca declaring victory. The two armies would meet again in 627 at the Battle of the Trench.[2]

Panorama

Mosque[edit]

Mount Uhud in 2019, with the mosque in the background

Near the mountain is the Sayyid Ash-Shuhada Mosque [ar] (Arabic: جَامِع سَيِّد ٱلشُّهَدَاء, romanizedJāmiʿ Sayyid Ash-Shuhadāʾ; 24°30′12.66″N 39°36′45.78″E / 24.5035167°N 39.6127167°E / 24.5035167; 39.6127167).[3]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Watt (1974) p. 136
  2. ^ Cambridge History of Islam 1A (1977) pp. 47-48
  3. ^ "ThePlace: Sayed Al-Shuhada Mosque, a vital historic landmark in Madinah". Arab News. 2022-07-24. Retrieved 2023-03-30.

External links[edit]