Mobilization of the Muslim Army for Uhud

Once the view settled on going out to meet the polytheists outside Medina, the Prophet led the people in Friday prayer and exhorted them to seriousness and exertion, promising them victory so long as they stood firm ¹. After the afternoon prayer, with the people of al-Awali present, the Prophet armed himself — putting on two coats of mail one over the other and girding his sword — then went out to his companions ¹.

The departure saw a moment of regret among some of the Companions who had pressed for going out; Sa'd ibn Mu'adh and Usayd ibn Hudayr said to those who had urged the Prophet: "you pressed the Messenger of God to go out against his will", and they tried to retract their view. But the Prophet confirmed going ahead, saying: "it is not fitting for a prophet, once he has put on his war-gear — the coat of mail — to lay it down until God judges between him and his enemy" ¹.

The Prophet divided the army of a thousand fighters into three battalions:

1. The Muhajirun's battalion: its banner given to Mus'ab ibn Umayr al-Abdari ¹.
2. The Aws battalion: its banner given to Usayd ibn Hudayr ¹.
3. The Khazraj battalion: its banner given to al-Hubab ibn al-Mundhir ¹.

The army had a hundred men in mail and fifty horsemen, and the Prophet appointed Ibn Umm Maktum to lead the prayer in Medina in the army's absence ¹. On reaching the station of al-Shaykhan, the Prophet reviewed the army; he sent back those he saw too young to fight — among them Abdullah ibn Umar and Usama ibn Zayd — while he passed Rafi' ibn Khadij for his skill in archery, and Samura ibn Jundub after he proved his strength wrestling Rafi' ².