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When the archers on Ainain
saw the defeat of the Quraish and the arrival of the Muslims at
the Quraish camp, they became impatient to take part in the plunder
of the camp. The Quraish camp looked very tempting. They turned
to their commander, Abdullah bin Jubair, and asked for permission
to join their comrades, but Abdullah was firm in his refusal. "You
know very well the orders of the Messenger of Allah", he
said. "We are to remain on this hill until we receive his
orders to leave it." "Yes, but that is not what
the Messenger of Allah intended," the archers replied.
"We were to hold this hill during battle. Now the battle
is over, and there is no point in our remaining here."
And in spite of the protests of their commander, most of the archers
left the hill and ran towards the Quraish camp shouting, "The
booty! The booty!" 1 Abdullah was
left with nine archers on the hill. This movement was observed by
the keen eyes of Khalid, who waited until the archers had reached
the Quraish camp.
Then Khalid struck. He launched a mounted
attack against the few archers who remained on the hill, with the
intention of capturing this position and creating for himself room
for manoeuvre, Ikrimah saw the movement of Khalid and galloped across
the plain to join Khalid's squadron. As Khalid's squadron reached
the top of the hill, Ikrimah's squadron was just behind while Ikrimah
himself came ahead and began to take part in the assault on the
Muslim archers.
The faithful archers who had remained on
the hill resisted gallantly. Some were killed while the remainder,
all wounded, were driven off the hill by the assault of Khalid.
Abdullah bin Jubair, defending to the last the position which the
Prophet had entrusted to him, suffered many wounds and was then
slain by Ikrimah. Now Khalid's squadron, followed by Ikrimah's,
swept forward and came in behind the line that had been held by
the Muslims an hour ago. Here the two squadrons wheeled left and
charged at the Muslims from the rear. Ikrimah with a part of his
squadron assaulted the group which stood with the Holy Prophet,
while Khalid's squadron and the remainder of Ikrimah's squadron
attacked the Muslims in the Quraish camp.
Khalid drove into the rear of the unsuspecting
Muslims, confident that having taken them unawares he would soon
tear them to pieces. But the Muslims refused to be torn to pieces.
As the Quraish cavalry reached the camp, there was an uproar in
the ranks of the Muslims, and a few of them lost their heads and
fled. Most of them, however, stayed and fought. As long as the Prophet
lived, these men were not going to acknowledge defeat. But as the
Muslims turned to fight the Quraish cavalry, Amra rushed towards
the Quraish standard which lay on the ground. She picked up the
standard and waved it above her head in the hope that the main body
of the Quraish would see it.
By now Abu Sufyan had regained control over
most of the infantry, He saw the movement of the cavalry. He saw
the Quraish standard waving in the hands of Amra and he got his
men back into action. Knowing that the Muslims had been taken in
the rear by the cavalry, the Quraish rushed into battle once again,
shouting their war cry: "O for Uzza! O for Hubal!"
2
The Muslims were now caught between two
fires, the Quraish cavalry attacking from the rear and the bulk
of the Quraish infantry attacking from the front. Abu Sufyan himself
charged into battle and killed a Muslim. The situation soon became
desperate for the Muslims, who broke up into small groups, each
fighting on its own to repel the attacks of the cavalry and infantry.
The confusion increased, and in the dust a few of the Muslims even
began to fight each other. There was some alarm, but still no panic.
Losses began to mount among the Muslims, but they held out-determined
to fight to the last. At about this time, Khalid killed his first
man-Abu Aseera-with his lance and knocked down another Muslim. Believing
him dead, Khalid rode on; but the second man was only wounded and
got up to fight again.
1. Waqidi: Maghazi, pp. 178-179.;
Ibn Sad: pp. 545, 551.
2. Waqidi:
Maghazi, p. 188; Ibn Sad: p. 545.
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