site of Ghazwah Uhud

The Battle of Uhud (Gazwah Uhud) was fought on 03 Shawwal, 3 AH (March 19, 625 .D) on the slopes and plains of Mount Uhud (Height: 1,077 m, 3,533 ft) between Muslims of Medina, led by prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.), and a force of Meccans led by Abu Sufyan ibn Harb. The Meccans wanted to avenge their defeat at Badr.
In the initial battle, the greatly outnumbered Muslims (700 Muslims versus 30,000 Meccans), forced the Meccan Army back, leaving their camp unprotected. When the battle almost looked to be a Muslim victory, a blunder was committed by  the Muslim archers, which shifted the result of the battle. A breach of prophet’s (s.a.w.) orders by the Muslim archers, who left their posts to seek the booty from the Meccan camp, paved way for a surprise attack from the Meccan cavalry, led by Khalid ibn al-Walid. This attack created disarray and many Muslims were killed. Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) was also injured. After a fierce combat, the Muslims withdrew and regrouped higher up on the slopes of Uhud. The Meccans’ cavalry was unable to climb the slopes of Uhud, so the fighting stopped. The Prophet (s.a.w.) gathered his men together, rebuked them for their folly, exhorted them to obey orders in future, and led the chastened Medinites out to face the victorious Meccans once more. He came up with them in the early hours of the next morning. When the day dawned, the Meccans were running from battle field and Prophet PBUH had turned the defeat into victory.
The Battle of Uhud was a major setback for the Muslims. According to the Qur’an, the misfortunes at Uhud, largely due to the negligence of the archers at rear guard abandoning their post in order to seek booty, were partly a punishment and partly a test for steadfastness. The Quranic verses provided inspiration and hope to the Muslims. They were not demoralized and the battle reinforced the solidarity between them.