Journey to Mount Uhud

After the first dawn prayer in Medina, students took a trip to Mount Uhud. They climbed al-Jabl al-Rumah (the Mountain of the Archers), and Shaykh Hamza translated for a local Shaykh who told the story of the Battle of Uhud. It is the place where the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, himself strategically stationed fifty archers. He told them to remain at their post no matter what happened until he relieved them. However, after some time, it appeared to the archers that the Muslims had won, and forty of the archers left, as they wanted to get the spoils of war. Because of this, the Quraysh were able to kill the remaining ten, and they then came into the area of the Muslims from behind. Many of the great Sahaba were severely wounded or killed thereafter. Among those killed was the Prophet’s beloved uncle, Sayyidina Hamzah. The Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, was also wounded during the battle.

After the Shaykh’s talk, everyone climbed down the mountain and went to a gravesite where some of the martyrs of Uhud are burried. The Lion of Allah, Sayyidina Hamzah is among those buried there. Soon after, the bus took the students to the area of Mount Uhud where Talha carried the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, after he had been wounded. While Shaykh Hamza and the male students climbed the mountain to the area where the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, took refuge, Shaykh Abdallah al-Kadi showed the women the place on Uhud where the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, had prayed.

That afternoon, back at the hotel, Shaykh Hamza spoke about the sanctity of Medina and warned students to be extremely cautious since, like Mecca, Medina is a sanctuary, and actions hold greater weight in those two cities. He told students not to look down upon anyone, not to complain, to be grateful for the immense blessing of being in Medina and all other blessings, and to prefer others to themselves. He encouraged them to pray for others often, rather than praying for themselves because when you supplicate for others, the angels make the same supplication for you, and the angels’ prayers are mustajab (answered).

That evening, Shaykh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi arrived, and, after the sunset prayer, he began his first class on the Shifa’ of Qadi Iyad. He explained that the book is a cure from diseases of the heart and from illnesses of the body. The Shifa’ was one of the four most circulated books in the Muslim world until the last century.