Life-of-Muhammad

64Life of Muhammad samistake in sending off his own allies. The result of thiseleventh-hour desertion was that only seven hundredMuslims were left under the Prophet's sa command. Theseven hundred stood against an army more than fourtimes their number, and many more times better inequipment. In the Meccan army were seven hundredfighters in armour; in the Muslim army only onehundred. The Meccans had a mounted force of twohundred horses, Muslims had only two horses. TheProphet sa reached Uhud. Over a narrow hilly pass there,he posted a guard of fifty, charged with the duty ofrepelling any attack on it by the enemy or any attemptto possess it. The Prophet sa told them clearly their duty.It was to stand where they had been posted, and not tomove from the spot until they were commanded to do so,no matter what happened to the Muslims. With theremaining six hundred and fifty men, the Prophet sa wentto do battle with an army about five times as large. But,with the help of God, in a short time the six hundredand fifty Muslims drove away three thousand skilledMeccan soldiers. The Muslims ran in pursuit. The hillypass on which fifty Muslims had been posted was in therear. The guard said to the commander, "The enemy isbeaten. It is time we took some part in the battle andwon our laurels in the next world." The commanderstopped them, reminding them of the clear orders of theProphet sa . But the men explained that the Prophet's saorder was to be taken in the spirit and not in the letter.There was no meaning in continuing to guard the passwhile the enemy was running for life.VICTORY CONVERTED INTO DEFEATArguing thus they left the pass and plunged into thebattle. The fleeing Meccan army included Khalid binWalid ra , who later became a great Muslim general. Hiskeen eye fell on the unguarded pass. There were only afew men guarding it now. Khalid ra shouted for another