The Prophet (peace be upon him) was very interested in horses, advising his companions to take good care of them, and to keep them ready in case they needed them for battle against the unbelievers, who launched several attacks on the Muslim state in Madinah. He even organized races, which were meant to bring out the best in horses. In non-Muslim countries, and in certain areas in some Muslim cities, horse racing has become a sport strongly linked to betting. It is a professional sport that has become an established industry. The races the Prophet organized aimed to enhance people’s sense of the importance of keeping their horses fit and ready for any eventuality. On one occasion, he organized the race in two tiers.
Abdullah ibn Umar reports: “The Prophet ran a race in which horses that were kept slim ran from Al-Hafya to Thaniyyat Al-Wada’, where the finishing line was. Other horses that did not go through the slimming regime ran from Thaniyyat Al-Wada’ to the mosque of the Zurayq clan. Abdullah ibn Massoud was one of those who rode in this race.” (Related by Malik, Al-Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawood, Al-Nassaie, and Al-Tirmidhi.)
The slimming course was elaborate and well planned. The Arabs used it whenever they feared that a conflict could erupt. Apparently on this occasion the Muslims in Madinah were expecting that an attack might be launched against them. Hence, to show the difference between the two types, the Prophet ran two separate races. The first included only the horses, which went through the slimming regime. The distance was between 5 and 7 miles, while the other race was shorter.
Apparently, the Prophet used different saddles in different seasons. Abu Abd Al-Rahman Al-Fihri reports: “I attended the Battle of Khaybar with the Prophet. One hot summer day, he said to Bilal: ‘Put the saddle on my horse.’ Bilal brought a thin saddle made of animal hair which had nothing of special distinction.” (Related by Ahmad and Abu Dawood.)
This Hadith simply explains that the Prophet did not wish that his horse should have anything special to distinguish it. On this occasion, when everyone was weakened by the heat, the horse’s saddle was of the thin type, with nothing to distinguish it. The Prophet was never interested in appearances of the kind that leaders insist upon, thinking that such appearances add to their prestige or enhance their standing in society.
Sometimes the Prophet did not have a horse, even in war. In the Battle of Badr, the Muslim army consisting of 314 men had only 70 horses. Several years later and in the Battle of Hunayn, the penultimate major encounter with the idolaters, the Muslim army was comparatively very large, but the Prophet did not have a horse. Al-Abbas ibn Abd Al-Muttalib, the Prophet’s uncle, reports that both he and Abu Sufyan ibn Al-Harith, the Prophet’s cousin who had adopted Islam only a couple of months earlier after determined opposition to it, kept very close to the Prophet. Al-Abbas continues: “Both of us were with him all the time, never stirring away from him. The Prophet was riding a white mule given to him as a gift by Farwah ibn Nufathah of the Judham tribe. When war broke out, the Muslims were on the retreat. The Prophet continued to urge his mule to move forward toward the unbelievers. I was holding the rein of the Prophet’s mule, trying to slow it down. Abu Sufyan was holding to the stirrup of the Prophet’s mule. The Prophet said to me: ‘Abbas! Call out to the people of Samurah.’ I called out to them. (Al-Abbas was a man with a clear, loud voice.) When they heard me, they immediately turned round, in the same way as cows turn to look after their young. He said: “What a good response!” They fought hard against the unbelievers. The Prophet continued to ride his mule, raising himself up to take part in the battle when the going was tough. He then took a handful of little stones and threw them at the unbelievers’ faces. He then said: ‘By Muhammad’s Lord, they are defeated.’ He hardly threw his stones at them that I began to see them weary, unable to move forward.” (Related by Muslim.)
This Hadith gives us several points about the Prophet’s character. The first confirms that appearances were of little importance to him. He would ride a mule in war, even though he could have the best horse in his state, which by the time of this battle extended over most of the Arabian Peninsula. However, he preferred to use the mount that he owned. This mule was given to him as a gift, and he normally accepted gifts.
Secondly, we see him as a military commander, standing firm in battle even when his soldiers deserted in large numbers. He continued to move forward when they retreated. This is just one example of his undoubted courage to which many of his companions testified in clear terms.
When he wanted his retreating soldiers to rally, he did not merely call out to them, but he also reminded them of one of their best and most devoted attitudes. He told his uncle whose voice was loud to call them as ‘the people of Samurah.’ This was the tree under which two years earlier they gave him their firm pledges to fight till death, should war break out. That pledge earned them God’s pleasure, as stated clearly in Verse 18 of Surah 48. This reminder was enough for them to regain self-control and the command of their actions, turning back to face their enemies with great determination.
We also note the Prophet’s unshakable trust in God’s help. He threw little stones at the idolaters and said, ‘in the name of God,’ as he did every time he started an important action. This he did at an inspiration from God. As he did it, he swore that the idolaters were defeated. He had no doubt of that, because if God inspired him to do it in order to bring about their defeat, once he acted on that inspiration, their defeat was, to him, a certainty. Hence, he stated it under oath. The Hadith reporter confirmed that this was actually the case.
