the idolaters stealthily to the rear of Muslim ranks and might even enable them to encircle them in an  encompassment procedure.
The assignments of posts and responsibilities for the rest of the army were performed by the Prophet
(Peace be upon him) as follows: On the right wing, he appointed Al-Mundhir bin ‘Amr. On the left he  appointed Az-Zubair bin Al-‘Awwam, and made Al-Miqdad bin Al-Aswad his assistant and supporter.
Az-
Zubair’s function was to standfast in the face of Khalid bin Al-Waleed’s horsemen. The Messenger of
Allâh (Peace be upon him) selected the top and the most courageous group to be in the vanguard of  the  army. They were notable for their readiness, alertness and bravery and estimated to be equal to  thousands of men.
It was a wise and carefully-laid plan which revealed the genius of military leadership that the Prophet
(Peace be upon him) possessed. No other leader could have drawn a more accurate or wise plan.
Although he approached the site later than the enemy, he managed to occupy better positions. He  made the rocky mountainside to function as shield for the army’s rear and right flank. He was able, by  blocking the only vulnerable gap on the side, to provide additional maximum protection for the rear as  well as the left wing. For fear of possible defeat, and to deter the Muslims from fleeing, in which case  they would fall easy prisoners in the hands of the enemy, he chose a high place for encampment.
Moreover a strategic site of this sort would surely inflict heavy losses on the polytheists if they thought  of approaching or occupying his positions. In a further step, he reduced the enemy to a narrow scope  of  choice when they were cornered for encampment in geographically low positions that would avail  them  nothing of the benefits of any possible victory; at the same time they would not be able to escape the  pursuit of the Muslims in case victory sided with the latter. To make up for the quantitative shortage in  fighting personnel, he chose a picked body of fighters to stand at the front.
The army of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) was thus fully mobilized on Shawwal 7th, 3 A.H.
THE MESSENGER OF ALLAH IMPLANTS THE SPIRIT OF BRAVERY AMONG HIS ARMED
FORCES:
The Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) forbade the Muslims to start the fight without having an  order from him. He, then, wore two armours — a front armour and a back one. He urged his
Companions to fight and spurred them to show stamina and steadfastness at fight. He started to  implant the spirit of boldness and bravery in them. To wage and inflame his Companions and in order  to  standfast in the fight, he took a sharp sword, held it in his hand and called out unto his Companions  and said: “Who is ready to take this sword and give it its proper due?” Many a man set out to take it.
Some of them were ‘Ali bin Abi Talib, Az-Zubair bin Al-‘Awwam and ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab. But it was  granted to none. Abu Dujana Sammak bin Kharsha inquired: “O Messenger of Allâh, what is its price?”
The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: “It is to strike the enemy’s faces with it till it was bent.” So
Abu
Dujana said: “O Messenger of Allâh I will take it for that price.” and he was given the sword.
Abu Dujana was a man of courage who used to swagger at war. He had a red band which he wore  round his head. Whenever he was head-banded everybody knew that he was determined to fight to  death. Therefore as soon as Abu Dujana took the Prophet ’s sword, he banded his head and started  strutting amongst the fighters.
Watching him doing that, the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) said: “This is a sort of walking  that Allâh detests except in such a situation.”
RECRUITMENT OF THE MAKKAN ARMY:
The idolaters applied the rows system in the mobilization of their army. The general leadership of the  army was entrusted to Abu Sufyan Sakhr bin Harb, who would be in the centre-position of the army.
Khalid bin Al-Waleed was on the right wing; whereas ‘Ikrima, the son of Abu Jahl was on the left.
Safwan bin Omaiya was in charge of infantry men. The archers were under the command of ‘Abdullah  bin Abi Rabi‘a.
As for the standard, a squad of Bani ‘Abd Ad-Dar were in charge to bear it. Thus was the distribution  of  the posts of the army ever since ‘Abd Munaf had already assigned them. This assignment had been  inherited from Qusai bin Kilab — as we have previously alluded to in an early phase of this book. No  one had the right to compete them with it. It was consistent with their traditions that they had  inherited