As Salamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu
The Most Awkward Hour In The Messenger's Life:After the fall of Ibn Sakan, the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam) remained alone with only those two Quraishites. In a version by Abu ‘Uthman — authorized in As-Sahihain— he said: “At that time, there were none with the Prophet (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam) except Talha bin ‘Ubaidullâh and Sa‘d bin Abi Waqqas. (AL-Bukhari 1/527)
That was the most awkward and dangerous hour for the Prophet (Sallallahu 'Alayhi wa Sallam) but it was a golden opportunity for the idolaters who promptly took advantage of it. They concentrated their attack on the Prophet (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam) and looked forward to killing him.
‘Utbah bin Abi Waqqas pelted him with stones. One of the stones fell on his face. His lower right incisor Ruba‘iya (i.e. the tooth that is between a canine and a front tooth) was injured. His lower lip was wounded. He was also attacked by ‘Abdullah bin Shihab Az-Zuhri who cleaved his forehead. ‘Abdullah bin Qami’a (Qami’a means ‘a humiliated woman’), who was an obstinate strong horseman, struck him violently on his shoulder with his sword; and that stroke hurt the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam) for over a month — though it was not strong enough to break his two armours.
He dealt a heavy blow on his cheek. It was so strong that two rings of his iron-ringed helmet penetrated into his holy cheek. “Take this stroke from me, I am Ibn Qami’a.” He said while striking the Messenger (Sallallahu 'Alayhi wa Sallam) with his sword. The Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam) replied — while he was wiping the blood flowing on his face:
“I implore Allah to humiliate you.” (i.e. Aqma’aka Allah). (Fath Al-Bari 3/373)
In Al-Bukhari it is stated his incisor broke, his head was cleaved, and that he started wiping the blood off it and saying:
“(I wonder) how can people who cut the face of their Prophet (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam) and break the incisor of his — he who calls them to worship Allah. How can such people thrive or be successful?” About that incident, Allah, Glory is to Him, sent down a Qur’anic verse saying:
“Not for you [O Muhammad (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam) but for Allah] is the decision; whether He turns in mercy to (pardons) them or punishes them; verily, they are the Zâlimûn (polytheists, disobedients, and wrong-doers).” [Surah Aal-‘Imran 3] (Al-Bukhari 2/582, Muslim 2/108)
At-Tabarani states that the Prophet (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam) said:
“Allah’s Wrath is great on those who besmear the face of His Messenger,” observed silence for a short while and then resumed saying:
“O Allah, forgive my people for they have no knowledge” (Fath Al-Bari 7/373) .
In Sahih Muslim it is stated that the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam) said:
“My Lord, forgive my people for they have no knowledge.” (Muslim 2/108}
In Ash-Shifa — a book by ‘Ayad Al-Qadi — it is related that the Prophet (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam) said:
“O Allah, guide my people for they have no knowledge.”
It is quite certain that killing the Prophet (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam) was their primary aim, but the two Quraishites — Sa‘d bin Abi Waqqas and Talha bin ‘Ubaidullâh (Radhi Allahu Anhuma), who showed great and rare courage and fought so fiercely and boldly that — though they were only two — were able to stop the idolaters short of realizing their aim. They were of the best skillful Arab archers and kept on militating in defence of the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam) till the whole squad of idolaters was driven off him (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam).
The Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam) emptied his quiver of arrows and said to Sa‘d bin Abi Waqqas (Radhi Allahu Anhu):
“Shoot, an arrow Sa‘d. May my father and mother be sacrificed for you.” The Prophet (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam) had never gathered his parents except in the case of Sa‘d — a privilege granted to him for his efficiency. (Al-Bukhari 1/407)
In a version by Jabir — authorized by An-Nasa’i — concerning the attitude of Talha bin ‘Ubaidullâh (Radhi Allahu Anhu) towards the gathering of idolaters around the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam) — when there were only some Helpers with him — Jabir said: “When the idolaters reached him, the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam) said:
‘Who will suffice us their evils (i.e. fight them back)?’
Talha said: ‘I will.’” Then Jabir mentioned the advance of the Helpers to fight and how they were killed one after the other in a similar way to Muslim’s narration — “When all the Helpers were killed, Talha proceeded forward to fight as much as the other eleven ones did till his hand was hurt and his fingers were cut off. So he said: ‘Be they cut off!’ The Prophet (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam) said:
‘If you had said: In the Name of Allah, the angels would have raised you up before the people’s very eyes.’”Then he said: “Allah drove the idolaters off them.” (Fath-al-Bari 7/361)
In Al-Ikleel — a book by Hakim — it is stated that Talha had sustained thirty-nine or thirty-five wounds, and his fingers (i.e. the forefinger and the one next to it — got paralyzed.
In a version by Qais bin Abi Hâzim (Radhi Allahu Anhu) — authorized by Al-Bukhari, he said: “I saw the hand of Talha paralyzed. That was because he protected the Prophet (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam) with it in Uhud Battle.” (Al-Bukhari 1/527)
At-Tirmidhi stated that the Prophet (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam) then said about Talha:
“He who desires to see a martyr walking on the ground, let him look at Talha bin ‘Ubaidullâh.” (Mishkat 2/566)
Abu Da’ûd At-Tayalisi on the authority of ‘Aishah (Radhi Allahu Anhu), said: “Whenever Uhud Day (i.e. battle) was mentioned, Abu Bakr used to say: ‘That was Talha’s day (i.e. battle)’. (Fath Al-Bari 7/361)
Abu Bakr recited a verse of poetry about him: ‘O Talha bin ‘Ubaidullâh! Paradise is due to you as water-springs are due to deer to drink out of.’ At the awkward and most delicate circumstances, Allah, Glory is to Him, sent down His invisible Help. In a version by Sa‘d — cleared and authorized in Sahih Al-Bukhari and Muslim — he said: “I saw the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam) on Uhud Day with two men — dressed in white defending him fiercely — I have never seen similar to them neither before Uhud nor after it.” In another version: “He means to say that they were Gabriel and Michael”. (Al-Bukhari 2/580)
All those events happened in no time. If the Prophet’s (Sallallahu 'Alayhi wa Sallam) elite Companions (Radhi Allahu Anhu) had realized the grave situation immediately, they would have rushed on the spot and would not have left him sustain these wounds. Unfortunately, they got there after the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam) had been wounded and six of the Helpers killed, the seventh was staggering under the brunt of wounds and desperately militating in defence of the Prophet (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam). However as soon as they arrived they encircled the Messenger (Sallallahu 'Alayhi wa Sallam) with their bodies and weapons and were alert enough to prevent the enemies from reaching him. The first one who returned to give help, was his cave mate Abu Bakr As-Siddiq (Radhi Allahu Anhu).
In a version by ‘Aishah (Radhi Allahu Anha) recorded in Ibn Hibban’s Sahih, she narrated that Abu Bakr (Radhi Allahu Anhu) had said: “When it was Uhud Day and at the time that the Prophet (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam) was left behind, I was the first to go back and see him. Before him I saw a man fighting to shield him from the enemies. I said to myself: ‘I wish he were Talha. Let my father and mother be sacrificed for you. (O Allah) Let him be Talha! Let my parents be sacrificed for you!’ On the way, I was overtaken by Abu ‘Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrah, who was then moving as swiftly as a bird. We both rushed to dress the Prophet ’s wounds. There we found Talha suffering from serious wounds before the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu 'Alayhi wa Sallam). The Prophet (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam) said: ‘See to your brother. His deed entitled him for an abode in Paradise.’ I noticed that two rings of the iron-ringed helmet had penetrated his cheek. So I set out to take them out; but Abu ‘Ubaidah demanded: ‘By Allah, O Abu Bakr — I beseech you, let me do it myself.’ Fearing to hurt the Prophet (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam) he started pulling one of the two rings out very slowly and carefully with his mouth. Then he pulled the arrow out by his mouth, too. Consequently, his front tooth fell. Then I proceeded to pull the second out; but Abu ‘Ubaidah besought me to leave it: ‘O, Abu Bakr, I adjure you by Allah to let me do it.’ He pulled the second ring very slowly and carefully with his mouth — till it came out. The Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu 'Alayhi wa Sallam) said: ‘See to your brother. He has proved to be worthy of being housed in Paradise.’ We approached Talha to cure him but found out that he had had some ten sword-strokes in his body. (This showed how efficiently Talha had fought and struggled on that day).”
At those awkward moments of that day, a group of Muslim heroes gathered around the Prophet (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam) forming a shield to protect him from the idolaters. Some of them were Abu Dujana, Mus‘ab bin ‘Umair, ‘Ali bin Abi Talib, Sahl bin Haneef, Malik bin — Sinan the father of Abu Sa‘îd Al-Khudri, Umm‘Amara, Nusaiba bint Ka‘b Al-Mâziniya, Qatada bin An-Nu‘man, ‘Umar bin Al- Khattab, Hatib bin Abi Balta‘a and Abu Talha (Radhi Allahu Anhum)
The number of idolaters was steadily increasing; and their attacks, naturally, got severer. Their press had increased to an extent that the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam) fell into one of the holes dug and designed by Abu ‘Amir Al-Fasiq to be used as traps. His knee scratched and ‘Ali (Radhi Allahu Anhu) helped him by grasping his hand up. Talha bin ‘Ubaidullâh (Radhi Allahu Anhu) took him in his lap till he could stand upright. Nafi‘ bin Jubair said: I heard an Emigrant say: “I have witnessed Uhud Battle and watched how arrows had been hurled from all directions at the Prophet (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam). None o f them
however hit him. ‘Abdullah, bin Shihab Az-Zuhri said: ‘Guide me to Muhammad (Sallallahu 'Alayhi wa Sallam) By Allah, If I didn’t kill him, I would not hope to live.’ Although the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu 'Alayhi wa Sallam) was next to him, alone — but he did not o bserve him. Safwan, a co-polytheist of his, blamed him (for not translating his words into deeds), but ‘Abdullah swore that he did not see him [the Prophet (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam)] and added that he might be immune to our attempts on his life. He also said that four of them pledged to make a fresh attempt and kill him, but also to no avail.
The Muslims showed unprecedented rare heroism and marvellous sacrifices. Abu Talha (Radhi Allahu Anhu) — for instance — shielded the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam) by his body and used his chest to protect him against the enemy arrows. Anas related that on Uhud Day when people dispersed off the Prophet (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam), Abu Talhah (Radhi Allahu Anhu) was a skillful sort of archer who would pull arrows so much that he broke two or three bows that day. When a man passed along with a quiver full of arrows, the Prophet (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam) would say:
“Spread the arrows to Abu Talhah!” Then when the Prophet (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam) watched people shooting, Abu Talhah (Radhi Allahu Anhu) would say: “I sacrifice my father and mother for your safety. Do not go too close lest an arrow of theirs should hit you. I would rather die than see you hurt.” (Al-Bukhari 2/581)
To continue Insha Allah