The Prophet of Islam and his companions suffered defeat twice, at the Battle of Uhud (625 AD) and the Battle of Hunayn (630 AD). On the occasion of Uhud, they suffered total defeat and at Hunayn they suffered partial defeat.
At the time of both the battles, the opponents were the aggressors and the Muslims were the defenders. In both the cases, the Muslims were innocent and only the opposite party was to be blamed. This was the case in terms of justice and injustice. But the Quran, reviewing both the events, said nothing against the opposite party but gave advice to the Muslims, pointing out their weakness. In the case of Uhud, the Quran pointed out the lack of unity in their fold. The following are the Quranic words:
And God made good His promise to you when by His leave you were about to destroy your foes, until you showed weakness and you disagreed among yourselves [concerning the Prophet’s direction] and disobeyed it, after He had brought you within sight of what you wished for. (3:152)
In the case of Hunayn, the Quran pointed out the sense of pride which had erupted among the Muslims. Referring to this battle, the Quran says:
Indeed, God has helped you on many occasions. On the day of Hunayn, when you took pride in your great numbers, they proved of no avail to you—for the earth, despite all its vastness, became [too] narrow for you and you turned back, in retreat. (9:25)
This is the Quranic way of thinking. According to Quranic teachings, if you face any kind of undesirable experience from another person or group, you should not try to protest against others or register your complaint against them. You should rather try to find out your own weakness, your own vulnerable point that gave the other party the opportunity to overcome you.
According to the creation plan of God, our world is a world of challenge and competition. In this world, success is not the monopoly of any individual or group. It is futile to indulge in complaints and protests against others.
The only right thing to do is to engage in introspection in order to discover your own weakness and then to reassess your own planning. This is the only wise response to untoward situations. By self-correction, you can regain the target you failed to achieve.
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
