him) asked ‘Ubaidah bin Al-Harith, Hamzah — his uncle, and his cousin ‘Ali (May Allah be pleased with  him) to go forward for the combat. The three duels were rapid. Hamzah killed Shaibah, while ‘Ali killed
Al-Waleed. ‘Ubaidah was seriously wounded but, before he fell, Hamzah fell upon ‘Utbah and with a  sweep of his sword, cut off his head. ‘Ali and Hamzah carried ‘Ubaidah back with his leg cut off. He  died  four or five days later of a disease in the bile duct.
‘Ali was possessed of a deep conviction that Allâh’s Words were revealed:
“These two opponents (b  elievers and disbelievers)  dispute with each other about their
Lord.” 22:19
These verses were revealed in connection with men of Faith who confess their Lord and seek to carry  out His Will (i.e. Muhammad ’s followers at Badr Battle), and men who deny their Lord and defy Him
(the people of Quraish).
The duel was followed by a few more duels but the Makkans suffered terrible defeats in all the  combats  and lost some of their most precious lives. They were too much exasperated and enraged and fell  upon  the Muslims to exterminate them once and for all. The Muslims, however, after supplicating their Lord,  calling upon Him for assistance, were made to hold to their position and conduct a defensive war plan  that was successful enough to inflict heavy losses on the attackers. The Prophet (Peace be upon him)  used to pray to his Lord ceaselessly persistently and day and night to come to their succour. When the  fierce engagement grew too hot he again began to supplicate his Lord saying:
“O Allâh! Should this group (of Muslims) be defeated today, You will no longer be worshipped.”
He continued to call out to his Lord, stretching forth his hands and facing Al-Qiblah, until his cloak fell  off his shoulders. Then Abu Bakr came, picked up the cloak, and put it back on his shoulders and said:
“O Prophet of Allâh, you have cried out enough to your Lord. He will surely fulfill what He has  promised  you.”
Immediate was the response from Allâh, Who sent down angels from the heavens for the help and  assistance of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and his companions. The Noble Qur’ân observes:
“Verily, I am with you, so keep firm those who have believed. I will cast terror into the hearts of  those who have disbelieved.” 8:12
Allâh, the All-Mighty, also inspired another message to His Messenger, saying:
“I will help you with a thousand of the angels each behind the other (following one another) in  succession.” 8:9
The Prophet (Peace be upon him), in his trellis, dozed off a little and then raised his head joyfully  crying:
“O Abu Bakr, glad tidings are there for you: Allâh’s victory has approached, by Allâh, I can see
Gabriel on his mare in the thick of a sandstorm.”
He then jumped out crying:
“Their multitude will be put to flight, and they will show their backs.” 54:45
At the instance of Gabriel, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) took a handful of gravel, cast it at the  enemy and said: “Confusion seize their faces!” As he flung the dust, a violent sandstorm blew like  furnace blast into the eyes of the enemies. With respect to this, Allâh says:
“And you i.e. Muhammad (Peace be upon him) threw not when you did throw but Allâh  threw.” 8:17
Only then did he give clear orders to launch a counter-attack. He was commanding the army, inspiring  confidence among his men and exhorting them to fight manfully for the sake of their Lord, reciting the
Words of Allâh:
“And be quick for forgiveness from your Lord, and for Paradise as wide as are the heavens and  the earth.” 3:133
The spirit he infused into his men was clearly witnessed by the valour of ‘Umair, a lad of sixteen, who  flung away some dates he was eating crying out: “These (the dates) are holding me back from
Paradise.” So saying he plunged into the thick of the battle and died fighting bravely. Unique deeds of  valour, deep devotion and full obedience to the Prophet (Peace be upon him) were exhibited in the  process of the battle. The army of the faithfuls was borne forward by the power of enthusiasm which  the half-hearted warriors of Makkah miserably lacked. A large number of the polytheists were killed  and  the others began to waver. No wonder! The standard-bearers of Truth were given immediate help, and  supernatural agencies (the angels), were sent to their assistance by their Lord to help them defeat the