The Holy Prophet's (sa) Blessed Teeth Break
Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) narrates the entire account in which the blessed teeth of the Holy Prophet (sa) were broken during the Battle of Uhud. Regarding this, Hazrat Aisha (ra) says that when Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) would narrate the incident from the Day of Uhud, he would say that the day belonged to Talha. Narrating details of this Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) would say:
“I was from among those people who returned back to the Holy Prophet (sa). When I returned, I saw that there was an individual protecting the Holy Prophet (sa) and fighting alongside him.” The narrator says: “I believe that he [i.e. Abu Bakr] said he was protecting him.” Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) further says: “I said to myself, ‘I wish that person is Talha.’ I lost out on the opportunity, but deep down, I wished if only this person belonged to my tribe, as this would please me more.” This is what Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) thought at the time. Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) further says: “There was a person between myself and the Holy Prophet (sa) who I could not recognise, even though I was closer to that individual than the Holy Prophet (sa). He was walking so fast that I was unable to keep up with him. When I observed closely, I realised it was Hazrat Abu Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrah (ra). I reached the Holy Prophet (sa). His lateral incisors (i.e. the tooth between the two front incisors and canines) was broken and his face was wounded. Rings of the helmet had become lodged in the Holy Prophet’s (sa) cheek. The Holy Prophet (sa) said to go and check on our companion (by this the Holy Prophet (sa) meant to check up on Talha (ra)) as he had lost a lot of blood. (Instead of asking for them to see to his injuries, the Holy Prophet (sa) instructed to see to Talha (ra)) and so we left him. I stepped forward to remove the chains of the helmet from the Holy Prophet’s (sa) cheek. Upon this, Hazrat Abu Ubaidah (ra) said: ‘I swear by the right I have over you, please leave this task for me.’ I therefore left it to Abu Ubaidah. He did not wish to pull the rings out by his hand, in case it causes pain to the Holy Prophet (sa). So he tried to pull the rings out with his teeth. When he pulled one chain out, his own front tooth broke as well. I stepped forward in order to remove the second ring in the same manner that he did.” Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) says: “I said that I will try to take out the other ring, but Hazrat Abu Ubaidah (ra) said again: ‘I swear by the right I have over you, please leave this task for me.’” He said this to Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra). Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) stepped aside, and Abu Ubaidah (ra) did the same as before; when he pulled the second ring out, his other front incisor also broke. Abu Ubaidah (ra) was the most handsome of all those whose front two teeth were broken. After tending to the injuries of the Holy Prophet (sa), they went to Talha, he was [sitting] in a ditch. They saw that on his body he had close to 70 sword, spear and arrow wounds and one of his fingers had been severed. They treated his injuries and applied ointment.
(Mustafa Abd al-Wahid, Subul al-Huda wa al-Rashad fi Sirat Khair al-Ibad, Vol. 4, Ghazwat Uhud [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, 1993], pp. 199-200) (Lughat al-Hadith, Zair Lafz Ruba‘i, Nu‘mani Kutub Khana, Lahore, 2005)
Aside from Hazrat Abu Ubaidah (ra), there are narrations which state that Hazrat Uqbah (ra) bin Wahb and Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) pulled out these rings.
(Sharh al-Zurqani ala al-Mawahib al-Laduniyyah, Vol. 2 [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, 1996], p. 425)
However, the first narration seems more authentic. During the Battle of Uhud, when the Holy Prophet (sa) climbed the mount along with his Companions (ra), the disbelievers chased after him. In a narration of Sahih al-Bukhari, it is mentioned that, “Abu Sufyan asked three times if Muhammad (sa) was present among them. The Holy Prophet (sa) stopped the Companions (ra) from saying anything. Abu Sufyan then asked three times if the son of Abu Quhafah”, i.e. Abu Bakr, “was present among them. And then asked three times if the son of Khattab, i.e. Umar was present among them. He then returned to his comrades and said to them: “All of these have been killed.” Upon hearing this, Hazrat Umar (ra) was unable to restrain himself and said: “By God you are a liar, O enemy of Allah! Whoever you have mentioned are all alive. And many things that you find unpleasant are yet to befall you.”
*(Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Jihad wa al-Siyar, Bab ma Yukrahu min al-Tanazu’ wa al-Ikhtilaf fi al-Harb…, Hadith 3039) *