The Prophet Muhammad A simple Guide to his Life
The Life of the Prophet
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After the victory, the Prophet appointed a governor
to represent him in Makkah and then left for Taif,
accompanied by ten thousand people. During the
journey he reached a place, which in those days was
called Hunayn. Here the path lay between two hills.
The tribe of Hawazin of Taif lived on the upper
slopes. They had not yet accepted Islam. The
Prophet was quietly going along this path and the
Muslims were still between the two hills, when
20,000 archers of the Hawazin, who had concealed
themselves in a ravine, all of a sudden started
raining their arrows down on them.
The Prophet and his companions were in no way
prepared for this sudden attack. In the initial stage,
the Muslims were confounded and began to flee. But
the Prophet remained steadfast. He called out: “O
servants of God, come to me.” When the Muslims
saw that their leader was standing firm in the face of
the enemy, they returned with new determination
‘and bravely fought their foes. Suddenly, the course
of the battle changed. Now it was the enemy’s turn
to take flight. The Prophet and his companions
emerged victorious. This incident is known in
Islamic history as the battle of Hunayan.
