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CAVE OF UHUD
The refuge of the injured Prophet ﷺ.
The most dangerous moment
Battle of Uhud, year 3 of the Hijrah. The archers left their posts. Khalid ibn al-Walid circled the Muslim army. Disaster struck the companions.
In the midst of chaos, the Prophet ﷺ was injured. His lower tooth was broken. His helmet was broken on his head. Blood flowed down his blessed face. Several of his companions had fallen, including Hamza, his uncle, killed earlier in the battle.
A rumor spread among the Meccan coalition: "Muhammad is dead."
It was in this moment of extreme danger that the Prophet ﷺ and a small group of companions retreated to the mountain pass (ash-shi'b) on the slopes of Mount Uhud (Ibn Hisham · Sīrah). Local tradition places this refuge here, at the Cave of Uhud.
The protection of the cave
According to Ibn Ishaq, the Prophet ﷺ climbed up there with a few loyal companions: Abu Bakr, Umar, Ali, Talha ibn 'Ubaydillah, az-Zubayr, and others.
According to tradition, it was there that the wounds of the Prophet ﷺ were treated. During the fighting, Talha had protected the Messenger of Allah ﷺ with his hand, which remained paralyzed (Sahih al-Bukhari no. 3724). The Prophet ﷺ said of him: "Whoever wishes to see a martyr walking on the earth, let him look at Talha." (Jami' at-Tirmidhi no. 3739)
The hadith of Talha
Jabir ibn Abdullah (رضي الله عنه) reports: "On the day of Uhud, when the people had turned their backs, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was to one side with twelve men of the Ansar, among them Talha ibn 'Ubaydillah. The polytheists caught up with them. He said: 'Who will deal with these people?' Talha said: 'I will.' He said: 'Stay where you are.' A man of the Ansar said: 'I will.' And he fought until he was killed. This repeated until only the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and Talha remained. He said: 'Who will deal with these people?' Talha said: 'I will!' And he fought like the eleven, until his hand was struck and his fingers were cut off." (Sunan an-Nasa'i no. 3149)
The blood of the Prophet ﷺ
His daughter Fatima az-Zahra (رضي الله عنها) came to him. She was the one who cleaned her father's face, and she saw that the blood would not stop flowing.
Ali ibn Abi Talib (رضي الله عنه) brought water in his shield. But the water was not enough.
Then Fatima had an idea. She took a piece of matting (made from palm leaves), burned it, and applied the ashes to the wound of the Prophet ﷺ. The bleeding stopped. (Sahih al-Bukhari no. 243 · Sahih Muslim no. 1790)
A daughter tending to her father. The blood of the Seal of the Prophets flowing on the ground of Uhud. One of the most moving moments of the entire Sīrah.
The words of the injured Prophet ﷺ
Wiping the blood from his face, the Prophet ﷺ said: "How could a people succeed who have wounded their Prophet in the head and broken his tooth, while he calls them to Allah?" (Sahih Muslim no. 1791)
It was then that Allah revealed a verse of gentle reprimand: "You have no part in the (divine) decision: whether He accepts their repentance or punishes them, for they are indeed wrongdoers." (Surah Al-Imran, 128)
Allah reminds the Prophet ﷺ that judgment belongs to Allah alone — even when His Messenger is injured.
The enemies who converted
Here lies the beauty of Islam: several of the enemies who fought at Uhud eventually converted: Khalid ibn al-Walid ("the Sword of Allah"), Abu Sufyan, Wahshi (the killer of Hamza), Hind bint 'Utbah. Islam did not seek to avenge Uhud. It converted Uhud. That is its greatness.