Battle of Uhud

Historical overview

The Battle of Uhud was fought on 23 March 625 CE (3 AH) between the Muslims of Medina and the Quraysh of Mecca. After a decisive Muslim victory at Badr, the Quraysh sought revenge by assembling a large army, led by Abu Sufyan, and advancing toward Medina. The Muslims positioned themselves on the Hill of Uhud, using the terrain to counter the larger foe. The Quraysh initially broke the Muslim left flank, but a delayed cavalry charge and the Prophet’s rally turned the tide. Despite the Muslims’ tactical victory, many of the Prophet’s companions were killed, and the battle exposed the fragility of the nascent Muslim state. Uhud’s outcome shaped future military strategy and reinforced the importance of discipline and unity in Islamic warfare.

Historical context and how to read this record

This record presents Battle of Uhud, dated in the archive as 3 AH / 625 CE and associated with Uhud, Hijaz. The date, place, summary, named groups, terrain features, and references shown here come from the bundled or published event record. They provide a concise entry point for study, while the linked source notes remain the place to check what each historical or religious text actually reports. A label in the archive is not, by itself, proof that every chronology, number, or interpretation is agreed across historians.

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Record timeline and tactical markers

1. Archive date: 2026-10-07 · 3 AH / 625 CE
2. Recorded setting: Uhud, Hijaz
3. Map feature 1: Hill of Uhud
4. Map feature 2: open plain
5. Map feature 3: Oasis of Bani Sa'id
6. Schematic marker 1: Defenders · Prophet Muhammad · ≈1,000
7. Schematic marker 2: Reinforcements · Abu Bakr · ≈400
8. Schematic marker 3: Attackers · Abu Sufyan · ≈3,000

Marker ordering is a reading aid, not a chronological claim about the event.

Forces and commanders

• Defenders — Prophet Muhammad (≈1,000)
• Reinforcements — Abu Bakr (≈400)
• Attackers — Abu Sufyan (≈3,000)

Geography: water and landscape

• Well of the Prophet (well)
• Hill of Uhud
• open plain
• Oasis of Bani Sa'id

Sources

• Tabari, History, vol. 8, ch. 64
• Ibn Hisham, History, vol. 3, ch. 17
• Ibn Athir, Al-Kamil, vol. 1, ch. 5
• Al-Waqidi, Kitab al-Maghazi, vol. 2, ch. 9
• Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 5, ch. 12

More 3D maps

• Karbala · The Plain of 61 AH
• Battle of Badr · Wells and Two Slopes
• Khaybar · Basalt Harrat and Fortified Oases
• Hijrah Route · Makkah to Madinah
• Najaf & Kufa · The Historic Plain
• Siffin · Euphrates Campaign Landscape