A Time and a Place for Everything

A Time and a Place for Everything

1988 10 October 11 A Time and a Place for Everything (628) At the battle of Uhud, which took place in the month of Shawwal, in the third year after the emigration of the Prophet to Medina, the Muslims initially gained the upper hand, but ultimately suffered defeat, with seventy of their number martyred on the field of battle. With the Muslims in a state of disarray, the enemy hordes bore down upon the Prophet. Abd Allah ibn Qamiah, Utbah ibn abi Waqqas and others, who were in the forefront, threw stones at the Prophet until his face was a mass of blood. One of his front teeth was broken and two metal rings were thrust so deep into his flesh that Abu Ubaydah later broke two of his teeth on them, trying to pull them out.

In this wounded condition the Prophet and a few of his companions took refuge from the enemy in a small pit. They were quite out of sight of the enemy and even the majority of the Muslims did not know where the Prophet was. The word began to go round that he had been slain and this, naturally, caused great consternation among the Muslims. The discovery of the Prophet’s whereabouts has been described as follows by the Prophet’s biographer, Ibn Ishaq:

Kaab ibn Malik was the first person to catch sight of the Prophet, following the defeat of the Muslims and the circulation of the rumour concerning the death of the prophet Kaab says that he recognized the eyes of the Prophet, shining through the eyeholes of his helmet, whereupon he shouted at the top of his voice: ‘Muslims! Be of good cheer. Here is the Messenger of God. The Prophet motioned him to be silent and he did not shout the good news again. (Seerat lbn Hisham)

Kaab’s jubilation was natural enough and his passing on the glad tidings of the Prophet’s survival was entirely innocent. He might, therefore, have expected a word of approval or encouragement at that point from the Prophet but, instead, he was told to keep silent. He had not realized, as the Prophet had, that any such outburst of joy was likely to attract the attention of the enemy, with dire consequences for the Prophet’s life. Even the slightest sound would have been enough to bring down another barrage of the enemy’s stones upon him.

Just as at that moment of crisis, it was wiser for the Muslims to remain silent rather than shout out the good news at the tops of their voices, so it is prudent for anyone in a difficult situation to modify his behaviour to suit the prevailing conditions. Similarly, in order to make the most of one’s opportunities, one must be able to recognize the right time and place for decisive action. If one misjudges either of these factors, one’s actions can be counter-productive to the point of leading to self-destruction.

In this world, no set of conditions remain eternally static. We must therefore, review our strategy from time to time in the light of changing circumstances. We must gauge when publicity will help us in the achievement of our goals, and when it is more prudent to attract as little attention as possible. Sometimes one is forced into confrontation, but it should be acknowledged that there are occasions when it is better to withdraw from the field of battle. It should also be remembered that in the pursuance of one’s objectives, it is sometimes necessary to endure great losses before one makes any substantial gain.

These are just a few rules of the thumb which one should bear in mind if one is ultimately to be successful. If even the Prophet of God had to be mindful of them, is it not fitting that we lesser mortals should follow his lead?