Back to Madinah

The martyrs had been buried and Allah’s blessings invoked upon them. Now it was time for the Prophet to return to Madinah. On the way, he stopped to give solace to some women whose relatives had fallen in the field. His invocation of Allah’s blessings upon them comforted them immensely. Many of the bereaved Muslims bore their losses with patience and took comfort in knowing that their Prophet was safe, although they had lost their own loved ones in the bargain. The following incident illustrates the priority the Muslims placed on the Prophet’s safety. A group of Muslims returning from the battle encountered a woman from the tribe of Banu Dinar. Her husband, brother and father had all been killed at Uhud. When she was told of each of their deaths, she responded each time, “First tell me about the Prophet.” The people replied, “Thanks to Allah he is safe.” But the woman was not satisfied with the men’s assurances and asked to see for herself how the Prophet was. When the people brought her to see him, she said simply, “Now that you are safe, every grief has vanished.” Back in Madinah the Muslims spent the night on high alert. After all, they were still in a state of emergency. Exhausted and wounded, they were also overcome by deep sorrow and remorse 164 at the actions of a few who had risked the life of the Prophet himself. They all insisted on guarding the Prophet .

The Prophet on the other hand, felt that it was far more important to monitor the retreating enemy’s movements carefully. He wanted to be prepared in case of a surprise attack on Madinah.