The Burial of the Martyrs of Uhud After the Battle of Uhud, the Prophet ﷺ inspected the martyrs and the wounded. He asked his Companions, “Who will bring me news of Sa’d ibn al-Rabi’?” Sa’d had pledged allegiance to the Prophet at the Second Pledge of Aqabah and was one of the leaders of the Ansar. When the Prophet migrated to Madinah, he paired him in brotherhood with Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf. Zayd ibn Thabit searched for Sa’d and found him with twelve wounds, barely alive. Zayd said, “O Sa’d, the Messenger of Allah has sent me to find out whether you are among the living or the dead.” Sa’d replied, “I am among the dead.” He then said, “Convey my greetings to the Messenger of Allah and tell him: May Allah reward you on my behalf with the best reward ever given to a prophet for his nation. Tell him that I have received twelve wounds and that my strength is exhausted. Convey my greetings to the Ansar and tell them: You will have no excuse before Allah if any harm reaches your Prophet while one of you is still alive.” Moments later, he passed away. When Zayd delivered his message, the Prophet ﷺ said, “May Allah have mercy on him. He was sincere to Allah and His Messenger in life and in death.” Among the wounded was Al-Usayrim (Amr ibn Thabit). Before Uhud, he had repeatedly refused to embrace Islam. The Muslims asked him, “Did you come to defend your people, or because you accepted Islam?” He replied, “Rather, I came because I believed in Allah and His Messenger. Then I fought alongside the Messenger of Allah until I was struck as you see.” Soon after, he died. When the Prophet ﷺ was informed, he said, “He is among the people of Paradise.” Abu Hurayrah later remarked: “He never performed a single prayer for Allah.” Among those who were martyred was Mukhayriq, a wealthy Jewish scholar who recognized the Prophet’s description in the Scriptures. Although he had delayed embracing Islam, he accepted it on the day of Uhud. Since the battle took place on a Saturday, he said to his fellow Jews, “By Allah, you know that supporting Muhammad is the truth.” They replied, “Today is the Sabbath.” He answered, “There is no Sabbath for you today.” He took up his weapons and declared, “If I am killed, all of my wealth belongs to Muhammad, to use as he sees fit.” He fought until he was martyred. The Prophet ﷺ distributed his wealth among the poor and said, “Mukhayriq was the best of the Jews.” After checking on the wounded, the Prophet ﷺ led the Dhuhr prayer while seated because of his injuries, and the Companions also prayed sitting behind him. He then instructed them to bury the martyrs where they had fallen, placing two or three in each grave to ease the burden of digging. The number of Muslim martyrs reached 70: * 41 from the Khazraj, * 24 from the Aws, * 4 from the Muhajirun, * and 1 from the Jewish community. The exact number of Quraysh’s dead is unknown, but it exceeded one hundred. This is supported by Allah’s words: “What! When a calamity struck you, although you had struck them with twice as much…” (Qur’an 3:165) Since the Muslims lost seventy martyrs, it indicates that Quraysh had suffered roughly twice that number. The Prophet ﷺ returned to Madinah riding his horse—the only horse remaining with the Muslims—while everyone else walked back as they had marched out. Before they arrived, news had spread throughout Madinah that the Prophet ﷺ had been killed. The city was thrown into grief, and cries of sorrow filled its streets. Women, including the elderly, came out anxiously to learn the truth. The first to meet the returning army was Hamnah bint Jahsh, the Prophet’s cousin. Her brother Abdullah ibn Jahsh and her uncle Hamzah had both been martyred, and her husband was Mus’ab ibn Umayr. Her only question was, “Is the Messenger of Allah safe?” The Prophet ﷺ said gently, “Hamnah, seek your reward with Allah.” She asked, “For whom, O Messenger of Allah?” He replied, “Your uncle, Hamzah, the Lion of Allah and His Messenger.” She responded, “Indeed, we belong to Allah, and to Him we shall return.” The Prophet ﷺ then said, “Seek your reward once more.” She asked, “For whom?” He replied, “Your brother, Abdullah ibn Jahsh.” Again she accepted Allah’s decree with patience. Then the Prophet ﷺ said, “Seek your reward yet again.” She asked, “For whom?” He answered, “Your husband, Mus’ab.” At this, she cried aloud. The Prophet ﷺ remarked, “Subhan Allah. Truly, a husband holds a special place in his wife’s heart.” He then asked why she had reacted differently. Hamnah replied, “I remembered Allah’s words: ‘Do not forget the graciousness between you.’ And I thought of the orphans he has left behind.” The Prophet ﷺ prayed, “O Allah, take care of his children after him.” The Prophet ﷺ continued on his way when a woman came rushing through the crowd in distress, asking, “What has happened to the Messenger of Allah?” The people said, “O servant of Allah, be patient and seek your reward.” She asked, “For whom?” They replied, “Your father has been killed.” She answered, “Indeed, we belong to Allah and to Him we shall return. But that is not what I asked. What has happened to the Messenger of Allah?” Again they said, “Be patient and seek your reward.” She asked, “For whom?” They replied, “Your brother has been killed.” She said, “Allah chooses martyrs from among His servants. But tell me, what has happened to the Messenger of Allah?” They told her, “Your two sons have been killed.” She responded, “Indeed, we belong to Allah and to Him we shall return. But tell me about the Messenger of Allah.” Then they informed her, “Your husband has also been martyred.” Once more she accepted Allah’s decree, saying, “Indeed, we belong to Allah and to Him we shall return. But what has happened to the Messenger of Allah?” Amazed by her unwavering concern, they finally said, “The Messenger of Allah is safe, just as you wish.” She replied, “Show him to me.” The Prophet ﷺ was walking behind the army, allowing his Companions to go ahead of him. He would say, “Leave the space behind me for the angels, for they are walking behind me.” When she finally saw him, she came forward to greet him. The people said, “O Messenger of Allah, we informed her that her father, brother, husband, and two sons had all been killed, yet she kept asking only about you.” When she reached the Prophet ﷺ and saw that he was safe, she said, “Now that you have returned safely to us, O Messenger of Allah, every other loss is bearable.” The Prophet ﷺ continued until he met an elderly woman searching anxiously through the crowd. She was the mother of Sa’d ibn Mu’adh. She kept asking, “Where is the Messenger of Allah? We have heard that he has been killed.” The people assured her that he was safe, but she replied, “By Allah, I will not leave until I see him myself.” When the Prophet ﷺ approached, her son Sa’d ibn Mu’adh was leading the Prophet’s horse. Sa’d said, “O Messenger of Allah, this is my mother.” The Prophet ﷺ welcomed her warmly and said, “Bring her closer, Sa’d.” When she came near, he gently said, “O mother of Sa’d, seek your reward with Allah.” She asked, “For whom, O Messenger of Allah?” He replied, “Your son, Amr ibn Mu’adh.” She answered, “Indeed, we belong to Allah and to Him we shall return. As long as you have returned safely to us, O Messenger of Allah, every other calamity is light.” She then embraced her son Sa’d, kissed him, and thanked Allah for the Prophet’s safety. The Prophet ﷺ then said to Umm Sa’d: “Rejoice, O Umm Sa’d, and give glad tidings to those behind you. Allah has spoken to the martyrs, admitted them into the highest ranks of Paradise, and placed their souls inside green birds. They drink from the rivers of Paradise, eat from its fruits, and rest in golden lamps hanging beneath the Throne.” Then Allah asked them, “What do you wish for?” They replied, “Return us to the world so that we may be killed in Your cause once again.” They repeated this wish again and again. But Allah said, “My decree has already been made: they shall never return to the worldly life.” The martyrs then said, “Our Lord, who will inform our families of the blessings we have found, so that our brothers may strive even harder in Your cause?” Allah replied, “I will convey your message to them.” Then Jibril (Gabriel) descended with the revelation: “Do not think of those who are killed in the cause of Allah as dead. Rather, they are alive with their Lord, receiving provision, rejoicing in what Allah has bestowed upon them of His bounty…” (Qur’an 3:169–170) These verses brought comfort to the Muslims and assured them that those who had fallen at Uhud had not perished. They had attained a life of honor and eternal reward with their Lord.