Q. No.2.

Give a general estimate of the Holy Prophet’s (‫ )صلى هللا عليه وسلم‬character in the battle fields as a
commander.
The essence of Islam is accord, that is, peace. War is an exceptional scenario. The term Islam means peace and
salvation. However, it is meaningless for a country to wish for peace unilaterally. One must be prepared if one’s
enemy is preparing to attack and looking for the right opportunity.
The Holy Prophet Mohammad (SAW) commanded:
“O! People do not wish to encounter the enemy; from Allah wish for good health and when you encounter them,
be patient. Know that heaven is under the shadow of the swords.”
With this hadith, the Holy Prophet (SAW) discouraged the believers from seeking war while at the same time
stating that they should have faith in success if war is inevitable.
In Islam war is not waged to shed blood, gain land or for booty. All of these goals are forbidden. War is just one
part of the great and sacred movement, jihad, a word meaning struggle, which encompasses every struggle from
the personal to the national. That is jihad is the struggle to make the laws of Allah (SWT) prevalent in
accordance with His will. It is a movement that will continue until that Day of Judgment; it is incessant.
Yet, sometimes in the sources the term jihad is used to denote war, implying that jihad can include war; but we
must remember that the words battle and war do not contain the complete meaning of jihad. The struggle held
against the enemies of Islam who prevent jihad is war.
In the orders given to the battle commanders Holy Prophet Mohammad (SAW) commanded:
“When you encounter your enemies who are idolaters, invite them to Islam; should they accept, they are your
brothers. If they do not accept, ask them to submit to the state of Islam; should they not accept that either, ask
help from Allah (SAW) and make War on them.”
It is understood from this hadith that the true purpose of Muslims is not to destroy people, but to teach them
about and help them towards accepting Islam. The true goal of Islam is to make people prosperous in this world
and the next.
The religion of Islam bears no resemblance to any other religion or system; the leadership of Holy Prophet
Mohammad (SAW) , cannot be compared to that of any other commanders in the history of the world. There is
one reason for this;
He was the Holy Prophet of Mercy. He proved that he was the Prophet of Mercy even when leading battles, as
HE aimed not for the death and destruction of the enemy but for the prosperity of the Muslims and all the
generations to come until the Day of Judgment; it was for this purpose alone that HE exhibited a superior skill
in war.
Since the actual goal of Holy Prophet Mohammad (SAW) in battles was not to destroy the enemy troops, HE
never attempted to do so. He always attached great importance to peace.
The Treaty of Hudaybiyah was a great victory accomplished during His life time. The Holy Prophet
Mohammad SAW conquered Makkah without shedding even one drop of blood. If he had wished to do so, he
could have put the people of Makkah to the sword; however, he chose not to, as he was the Holy prophet of
Mercy. In order to prevent the people of Makkah from making the mistake of attacking the Islamic army and
shedding blood, He ensured that they had accepted defeat in advance and sent the following information to
them: 1) He who takes shelter in the Ka’ba is secure, 2) Whoever takes shelter in Abu Sufiyan’s house is
secure, 3) Whoever locks the door of his house and stays in his own house will not be touched, he will be
secured.”
With this superior tactic the Holy Prophet Mohammad SAW dispersed the forces of Makkah and prevented
bloodshed. Then He forgave the people of Makkah, and they were brought to Islam by this example of
extraordinary forgiveness and mercy.
The principle of “protecting civilians and the environment during wars”, which has become a major problem in
our modern world, was achieved under the leadership of Holy Prophet Mohammad (SAW).
He held the Battles of Badr and Uhud outside the city and during the Battle of the Trench he surrounded the city
with trenches and protected innocent civilians.
Holy Prophet Mohammad(SAW) applied a different tactic during the conquest of Makkah; he took into the
consideration the safety of the civilians on the enemy side and he was able to ensure the same.
The life of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) as a role model for human beings encompasses all aspects of life.
Besides all other faculties, as a military strategist too, he (PBUH) set the most perfect examples of
sagacity and prudence. Throughout his life, he (PBUH) exhibited the most consummate military
leadership skills for protecting Muslims as well as the nascent Islamic state. Even before establishing the
state of Medina, he (PBUH) was cognizant of the importance of military training of Makkan Muslims
where they were being persecuted by the infidels.
When the atrocities of infidels became intolerable, the Prophet (PBUH) allowed Muslims to migrate to
Abyssinia during 5th and 6th year of prophethood in 615 and 616 AD respectively. In 621 AD, he (PBUH)
ordered Muslims to secretly migrate to Medina in small bands and in June 622 AD, when the Makkan infidels
conspired to murder him, the Prophet (PBUH) also migrated to Medina along with his great companion Hazrat
Abu Bakr (RA).
In the Battle of Badar: After reaching Medina and establishing the first Islamic city state in 622 AD, the Holy
Prophet (PBUH) gave more attention to military organization of Muslims as the infidels were adamant on
annihilating them. In 624 AD, a large army of infidels attacked Medina. Both the armies met at the place of
“Badr” near Medina. In this first test of his military leadership skills, the Holy Prophet (PBUH) proved the
mettle of his most consummate skills at carving out military strategies. He (PBUH) not only sent spies to know
the exact military strength of the enemy, but when it came to fighting he (PBUH) reached the battleground well
before enemy, got hold of water source, selected better position and organized army in different ranks as well.
This strategy played the decisive role in the victory of Muslims who were only 313 in number up against a
1000-strong well-equipped force. In this battle, nearly 70 infidels were killed and as many were made Prisoners
of War.
These prisoners were treated kindly and humanely and the Holy Prophet (PBUH) freed the literate prisoners on
the condition that each one of them would teach the art of reading and writing to 10 Muslims. This kindness
toward POWs was unprecedented in the annals of military history of the whole world.
In the battle of Uhad: Only a year later, in 625AD, in order to avenge the Badr defeat, the Quraish again
attacked Medina with 3000-strong well-equipped military. They encamped near a hill called Ohud, in the north
of Medina. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) positioned his army of nearly 700 Muslims on the western slope of the
hill with Mount Ohud behind it on the top of which was a little pass. Though the rear was safe due to the hill,
yet there was a possibility that the pass could be crossed or circumvented by the Quraish cavalry. Anticipating
this danger, the Holy Prophet (PBUH) posted there a band of 50 archers under the command of Hazrat Abdullah
bin Jubayr. He instructed them, “Stick to your place, and don’t leave it even if you see birds snatching us, till I
send for you; and if you see that we have defeated the infidels and made them flee, even then you should not
leave your place till I send for you.”
Muslims drew first blood in the battle and the infidels started slowly turning on their heels. Sensing a complete
Muslim victory, that 50-man band left the position without the approval of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). When
that unprotected pass was noticed by fleeing infidels, they reassembled and attacked Muslims who were busy in
collecting the spoils of war from that strategic pass. The Muslims were taken aback, and were defeated.
Nevertheless, the battle proved the strength and success of military skills of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) as it was
the breach of his command that converted the triumph of Muslims into a defeat.
In the Battle of Ahzāb Two years later, in 627 AD, the Quraish and their allies gathered a large army of more
than 10,000 men for exterminating the Muslims, once for all. On the other side, the Muslims could muster an
army of only 3000 men. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) made consultations with his companions regarding the
preparation of war plans. It was decided that Medina could be protected easily on three sides — on its northern
side was shelters of steep cliffs whereas on its eastern and western sides were houses — because the only
unprotected side was the southern one. Prophet’s Companion Hazrat Salman (RA) put forward a suggestion to
dig a trench on that side. It was accepted and executed thereupon. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) himself took part
in digging of the trench that was too broad to be passed by men or horses. When the infidels reached Medina,
they were unable to enter the city. Stopped by the ditch, they laid a siege to Medina that lasted for many days.
With the passage of time, the annoyance among infidels soared and their supplies too began to run short. So,
they had to return unsuccessful. On account of hectic consultations by the Holy Prophet (PBUH), which is an
integral part of military strategy, the City State of Medina was saved from destruction. It was the Holy Prophet
(PBUH) who successfully used trench as a defence strategy for the first time in the military history of Arabia.
In the expedition of Hudaybiyyah After the truce of Hudaybiyah was broken by the Quraish when they sided
with the tribe of Banu Bakr, the Holy Prophet (PBUH), in 630 AD, led an army of 10,000 soldiers towards
Makkah. Since it was a surprise attack, so every precaution was taken to keep the infidels unaware of the
coming of the Muslim army.
On the eve of the attack, the Holy Prophet (PBUH) used his unique skills and ordered his soldiers to cook their
food individually rather than in a collective kitchen. Resultantly, 10000 fires could be seen from a distance. The
Quraish surveyed the scene and concluded that an army of 50000 men was poised to attack Makkah, which
shattered their morale and they decided not to put resistance and hence surrendered. So, this excellent military
strategy of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) enabled the Muslims to conquer Makkah without bloodshed. Another
unique display of the Prophet’s (PBUH) military genius was seen during the conquest of Makkah where he
showed mercy for those who had opposed him tooth and nail by announcing a general amnesty for all the
Makkans. As a result of those merciful and dignified steps, the Makkans entered the fold of Islam in bulk,
which buttressed military strength of Muslims and made their defence impregnable.
Casualties The sum total of all casualties on all sides in all the battles of Muhammad might be more or less
1000. A contemporary Islamic scholar, Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, says that "during the 23-years in which this
revolution was completed, 80 military expeditions took place. Fewer than 20 expeditions actually involved any
fighting. 259 Muslims and 759 non-Muslims died in these battles – a total of 1018 dead."
When it came to strategies or principles that he seems to have used we can see at least ten:

1st Principle:
To begin from the possible
Aisha, She said: “Whenever the Prophet had to choose between two options, he always opted for the easier
choice” (Al-Bukhari)
2nd Principle:
To see advantage in disadvantage
The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) guided by the Qur’an (94: 5-6), saw opportunities in every problem.

3rd Principle:
To change the place of action
He migrated to find more suitable place to fulfill his mission, that was to deliver the message of Islam.
4th Principle:
To make a friend out of an enemy (Qur’an 41:34)
The life of the Prophet is an historical testimony of this. He returned bad deeds by doing good and that had a
conquering effect over his enemies.

5th Principle:
To turn minus into plus
A British orientalist remarked “He faced adversity with the determination to writing success out of failure”.
6th Principle:
The power of peace is stronger than the power of violence
He ordered his direst opponents to go free after the conquest of Mecca. That resulted in them to willingly and
immediately accept Islam.

7th Principle:
Not to be a dichotomous thinker
He always looked for a third option instead of focusing on 2 only.
8th Principle:
To bring the battle in one’s own favorable field
He refused to engage in battles if he can sign treaties that can allow the confrontation of ideas instead of
fighting. He knew Islam will prevail in those cases.

9th Principle:
Gradualism instead of radicalism
He implemented social changes gradually rather than radically attacking all aspects at once.
10th Principle:
To be pragmatic in controversial matters
He was willing to compromise in order to reach agreement as long as that does not affect the Islamic faith.
This is an ongoing personal project for me to understand this great man and learn from him in a way that is
unemotional and detached – but its difficult as the more I learn the more I am in awe.

Other lessons we can learn from The Prophet are:

1. Seek Wisdom, Be Forgiving & Sincere in word and action.

2. Be Humble, Wins the hearts of your enemies and make them friends.
3. Be selfless.
4. Fight for your Rights and once done fight for others.
5. Trust in the Allah, Regardless of your situation.
6. Don’t Live in the past.
7. Strive again even if you fail a hundred times, keep moving.
8. World is not fair, Be strong and steady in navigating it.
9. Truth frees you and lies traps you.
10. Everyone and everything passes, do not attach yourself to things.
11. Learn from everyone and everything.
12. Life is not about resting its about leaving something for the ones who will come after you.
13. Honour your mother and father.
14. Be just – even if its against yourself.
15. Trust in Allah but work as if no one will help you.

These were just few lessons from the Life of Prophet Muhammads
Conclusion:
During his whole life, the Holy Prophet (PBUH) took part in as many as 26 wars, and in all he exhibited
excellent military skills. He always led the Muslims from the front and preached that martyrdom was better than
turning back in the battlefield. He was careful and cognizant of military preparedness of Muslims and made
arrangements for imparting military training to Muslims during peacetime as well. Races of men, horses and
camels were organized. Wrestling and archery competitions were held. Some Muslims were sent to Yemen for
getting training in the use of weapons for subduing forts.
The Holy Prophet (PBUH) was careful even about trivial matters during wars such as ensuring that the morning
sun did not face the soldiers directly and direction of wind did not obstruct the movement of horses and soldiers.
Hence, we can easily conclude that the Holy Prophet (PBUH) is the most supreme role model for military
strategists of all times.