First Imam Hazrat Ali a.s. (Hz. Ali ibn. Abi Talib a.s.) ---Life --(2nd part)

Hamza was targeted by Hinda, the wife of Abu Sufyan, who had him killed by the spear of her Abyssinian slave, and she savagely mutilated his body personally. 

With the apparent victory, the Muslims ignored the warning of the Prophet not to move from their appointed strategic place and ran to loot the battlefield.  They were caught unaware by the spare contingent of the pagan army under Khalid bin Walid, and many perished in the act of looting, while others fled for their lives.  Many of the senior companions of the Prophet used to reminisce saying that they never ran faster in their lives than in the battle of Uhod! 

The Prophet was injured in the onslaught led by Khalid bin Walid.  Ali hastened to the rescue and stood by to protect the Prophet.  At that station, he repelled several attempts by the pagan contingent.  Finally, the pagans were driven away.  Fatima (the wife of Ali and the daughter of the Prophet) tended to the wounds of her father.  The Prophet asked Ali why he did not flee for his life like the others had done.  Ali replied that his life belonged to the Prophet, and he had no business with the others, and being a believer would not want to become a disbeliever! 

In the fifth year of al-Hijra the arch enemy of lslam, Abu Sufyan, the Umayyad chief of the pagans of Makkah raised an army 'of about ten thousand confederates of Jewish and other tribes of the Arab idolaters and marched on to Madinah.  With this force, he was confident that he could wipe out Islam and its Prophet.  However, the Prophet learning of the mighty force marching towards the home of the Muslims, had a ditch dug out between the city of Madinah and the advancing force of the infidels.  Whereas this kept back the general advance of the confederate army, a hand full of the infidels jumped across the ditck led by Amr bin Abd Wudd.  They jeered and slung abuses at the Muslims and challenged them to send their best for a duel.  Ali was a gallant warrior, and the Muslims were frightened of his armor clad gigantic personality.  It was Ali who repeatedly asked permission of the Prophet to allow him to face the challenge.  When none else dared to come out, the infidels flung further abuses and provocative language at the Muslims.  Finally Ali was allowed to face the enemy.  The Prophet prayed Allah for Ali and said: "today total Faith has gone out to face total infidelity." 

Ali had a brisk duel with Amr and cut down the challenger with one stroke of his famous sword.  Prophet declared, "the single stroke of Ali's sword is superior to years of ibada (obedience to Allah)." The Muslims initially watched the encounter from a distance.  However, some believers got encouraged with the success of Ali and joined him to eliminate the remaining threat from the infidels who had crossed over the ditch.  Ali perused Ikramah bin Abu Jahl into the ditch and killed him. 

In the month of Zi-Qa'd, in the sixth year of al-Hijra, the Prophet undertook journey to Makkah for Haj accompanied by about fourteen hundred unarmed Muslims.  It was traditional in all of Arabia to suspend all kinds of hostilities during the months of Haj.  However, the Makkans came out armed to stop the advance of the pilgrims.  The Prophet made a halt at the well of Hudaybiya.  After tense negotiations (from within his own ranks of the Muslims, and-from that of the pagan Makkans) a treaty was concluded under which the Prophet had to carry out his rituals of a lesser Hajj at the very campsite, and would return the following year for a full ritual Haj.  Ali represented the Muslims and wrote the contents of the Treaty of Hudaybiya.