The Battle of Uhud (Arabic: غَزْوَة أُحُد, Arabic pronunciation: [ɣaz'wat'u uħud]) was fought on Saturday, 23 March 625 AD (7 Shawwal, 3 AH),[12][13] in the valley north of Mount Uhud.[14] The Qurayshi Meccans, led by Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, commanded an army of 3,000 men toward Muhammad's stronghold in Medina. The battle was the only battle throughout the Muslim-Quraysh War in which the Muslims did not manage to defeat their enemy and it came just a year after the Battle of Badr.
Abu Sufyan became the de facto leader of the Quraish after the death of Amr ibn Hishām at Badr nine months prior. Wanting to avenge the Meccan's losses at the Battle of Badr, he marched upon Medina from Makkah on 10 December 624 AD with a force three times stronger than that of the Meccans at Badr. Another reason for the battle was to protect the trade route of Abu Sufyan's caravans. The Battle of Uhud was the second military encounter between the Meccans and the Muslims and the first one in which the Muslims were on the defensive side. The Muslims readied for war soon afterward and the two armies fought in the valley below the northern face of Mount Uhud.
Although outnumbered, the Muslims gained the early initiative and forced the Meccan lines back, thus leaving much of the Meccan camp unprotected. When the battle looked to be only one step away from a decisive Muslim victory, a serious mistake was committed by a part of the Muslim army, which altered the outcome of the battle. A breach of Muhammad's orders by the Muslim archers, who left their assigned posts to despoil the Meccan camp, allowed a surprise attack from the Meccan cavalry, led by Meccan war veteran Khalid ibn al-Walid, which brought chaos to the Muslim ranks. Many Muslims were killed, and Muhammad himself was severely injured. The Muslims had to withdraw up the slopes of Uhud. The Meccans did not pursue the Muslims further, as the mountain of Uhud had tough terrain, but marched back to Mecca declaring victory. For the Muslims, the battle was a significant setback. Although they had been close to routing the Meccans a second time, their breach of Muhammad's orders in favor of collecting Meccan spoils reaped severe consequences. The two armies would meet again in 627 at the Battle of the Trench,[15] in which the Muslims would, yet again, have to defend Medina from the Meccans and others.