dissuade his people from pursuing that venture, saying: “O people. Do not do such a thing! For I fear  that he will gather up those who had stayed behind and did not share in Uhud. Go back home as  winners. For I am not sure of what turn will the consequences take if you get involved in such a fight.
It  might be to your prejudice in the final place.” Notwithstanding that weighty argument, the majority of  the polytheists were determined to embark on that risky undertaking.
Ma‘bad bin Abu Ma‘bad meanwhile arrived on the scene and tried to exaggerate the danger awaiting  them in order to thwart their plan, he said: “Muhammad (Peace be upon him) has marched to meet  you  with a large host of fighters, I have never seen something similar to it before. He has mustered all the  troops whohave tarried and did not share in Uhud. They surely regret what they have missed and  want  to compensate for it now. Their hearts are filled with hate and resentment.” Abu Sufyan said: “Woe to  you! What do you suggest?” He said: “By Allâh, I see that you would not leave till he comes and you  see the heads of their horses; or till the vanguard of his army turns up to you from behind that hill.”
Abu Sufyan said: “By Allâh, we have reached a common consent to crush down the Muslims and their  power.” The man, once more with an implied warning, advised him to stop it.
In the light of this news, the resolution and determination of the Makkan army failed and panic and  terror took firm hold of them. They consequently deemed it safest to complete there withdrawal back  to
Makkah. They, however, as an alternative, started a hostile nerve propaganda aiming at dissuading  the
Muslims army from pursuing them. A caravan belonging to ‘Abd Qais happened to pass by towards
Madinah. Abu Sufyan, in the context of his propaganda, asked them to communicate a message to
Muhammad (Peace be upon him) to the effect that the Makkans had rallied their ranks to annihilate  the
Messenger and his Companions, in return Abu Sufyan promised to give the people of the caravan  loads  of raisins at the forum of ‘Ukaz the following year.
The people of the caravan conveyed the message to the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) at
Hamrâ’ Al-Asad, but to no effect, on the contrary, Abu Sufyan’s words augmented them in Faith. Allâh  says:
“ And they said: ‘Allâh (Alone) is Sufficient for us, and He is the Best Disposer of affairs (for  us). So they turned with Grace and Bounty from Allâh. No harm touched them; and they followed  the good Pleasure of Allâh. And Allâh is the Owner of Great Bounty.” 3:173,174
After the arrival of the caravan on Sunday, the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) stayed at
Hamrâ’ Al-Asad for three days — Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday — 9-11 Shawwal, 3 A.H. and then  returned to Madinah. Before his return, he took Abu ‘Azza Al-Jumahi as a prisoner of war. Incidentally,  this man had also been captured at Badr but on account of his poverty, and the large family he  supported, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) had been gracious enough to release him on condition  that  he would not involve himself in war against the Muslims again. Abu ‘Azza did not keep his promise and  took part in Uhud hostilities on the side of the polytheists. Here again he implored Muhammad (Peace  be upon him) for pardon but the latter told him that a believer wouldn’t be taken twice in the same  snare. He then deservedly merited the sentence of death which was executed by Az-Zubair or, in  another version, by ‘Asim bin Thabit.
A Makkan spy, called Mu‘awiyah bin Al-Mugheerah bin Abi Al-‘As, was sentenced to death too. This spy  was the grandfather of ‘Abdul Malik bin Marwan on his mother side. When the idolaters went back  after
Uhud, Mu‘awiyah came to his paternal cousin ‘Uthman bin ‘Affan (May Allah be pleased with him)
‘Uthman gave him shelter — after securing the Prophet ’s permission — on condition that if he was  caught there after three days, he would be killed. But he did not comply with it, so when the Muslim  army left Madinah, he stayed there for more than three days during which he was spying for Quraish.
So when the army returned, Mu‘awiyah fled out of Madinah. The Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon  him), on this account, ordered Zaid bin Harithah and ‘Ammar bin Yasir to pursue him and kill him. So  he was killed.
Undoubtedly, the invasion of Hamrâ’ Al-Asad is not a separate invasion, but rather a part, or more  specifically, a sequel to Uhud.