Route to Uhud
From Madinah to Uhud: the route to the battle of Shawwal 3 AH (625 CE), with the archers on Jabal al-Rumat, the martyrs' site and the slope of Mount Uhud.
About this route
The route is reconstructed from the sira. The location of the archers' hill (Ayn / al-Rumat) and the detailed positions in the battle are debated; coordinates are approximate.
Stops
Madinah: departure point
After news that the Quraysh army was approaching, the Prophet ﷺ left Madinah in Shawwal toward Uhud. The sira reports the discussion about whether to defend the city from inside or to meet the enemy outside.
Jabal al-Rumat (the archers)
At the start of the battle the Prophet ﷺ placed the archers on this hill and ordered them not to leave their post, to guard against an attack from behind. Some of the archers left the post hoping for booty.
HadithSahih
Sahih al-Bukhari 4043
Meaning summary
Al-Bara ibn Azib reports: On the day of Uhud the Prophet ﷺ posted a company of archers, placed Abdullah ibn Jubair in command of them, and ordered them not to leave their position.
The order given to the archers stationed on this hill. Disobeying it led to the attack from behind and to the setback suffered by the Muslims in the first phase of the battle.
- sunnah.com/bukhari:4043
Uhud martyrs' site and battlefield
Many Muslims died as martyrs at Uhud, among them Hamza. The martyrs' cemetery lies near the battlefield. The exact graves and boundaries are debated.
Revelation
وَلَقَدْ صَدَقَكُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَعْدَهُۥٓ إِذْ تَحُسُّونَهُم بِإِذْنِهِۦ ۖ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا فَشِلْتُمْ وَتَنَٰزَعْتُمْ فِى ٱلْأَمْرِ وَعَصَيْتُم مِّنۢ بَعْدِ مَآ أَرَىٰكُم مَّا تُحِبُّونَ ۚ مِنكُم مَّن يُرِيدُ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَمِنكُم مَّن يُرِيدُ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةَ ۚ ثُمَّ صَرَفَكُمْ عَنْهُمْ لِيَبْتَلِيَكُمْ ۖ وَلَقَدْ عَفَا عَنكُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ ذُو فَضْلٍ عَلَى ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ﴿152﴾ ۞ إِذْ تُصْعِدُونَ وَلَا تَلْوُۥنَ عَلَىٰٓ أَحَدٍ وَٱلرَّسُولُ يَدْعُوكُمْ فِىٓ أُخْرَىٰكُمْ فَأَثَٰبَكُمْ غَمًّۢا بِغَمٍّ لِّكَيْلَا تَحْزَنُوا۟ عَلَىٰ مَا فَاتَكُمْ وَلَا مَآ أَصَٰبَكُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ خَبِيرٌۢ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ
Quran 3:152–153
Meaning translation (AI-assisted), not the Quran text itself
God had already fulfilled His promise to you when you were killing them by His permission; then you lost heart, disputed the matter and disobeyed after He showed you what you love. Some of you wanted this world and some wanted the Hereafter. Then He turned you away from them to test you, but He forgave you; God is full of bounty toward the believers. When you were fleeing without looking back at anyone, while the Messenger was calling you from behind, He repaid you with grief upon grief, so that you would not grieve over what escaped you or what befell you. God is well aware of what you do.
When the archers abandoned their order, the polytheists attacked from behind and the Muslims were thrown into disarray. The verses speak of this trial, the setback and God's forgiveness (Ibn Kathir).
- Tafsir Ibn Kathir 3:152-153
- al-Wahidi, Asbab al-Nuzul
Slope of Mount Uhud
The sira reports that the Prophet ﷺ was wounded in the battle and withdrew to the slope of the mountain. The exact spot and any shelter on the slope are debated.
HadithSahih
Sahih al-Bukhari 4083
Meaning summary
Anas reports that the Prophet ﷺ said, pointing to Uhud: this is a mountain that loves us and that we love.
The hadith is read together with Mount Uhud near Madinah, the site of the battle, of the martyrs and of the Prophet's ﷺ experiences there. The occasion is only briefly given in the sources.
- sunnah.com/bukhari:4083
Quran text: Tanzil Project (tanzil.net), CC BY 3.0 – verbatim tanzil.net