The Sword of the Holy Prophet (sa) [Hazrat Musleh Mau'd's (ra) Narration]
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II (ra) has narrated this incident in the following manner:
“During the Battle of Uhud, the Holy Prophet (sa) held up a sword and said, ‘I shall give this sword to the one who pledges to do justice to it.’ Many people stood up to take this sword, but the Holy Prophet (sa) granted it to Hazrat Abu Dujanah Ansari (ra). During the course of the battle, a few Meccan fighters launched an attack on Hazrat Abu Dujanah (ra). During the skirmish, he noticed that one of the fighters was fighting against him with particular aggression and zeal. Hazrat Abu Dujanah (ra) raised his sword and went to attack him, but he suddenly stopped and then returned”, meaning that Hazart Abu Dujanah (ra) raised his sword and went to attack him, but then left him and returned.
“One of his friends asked him as to why he left him, to which he replied, ‘When I launched my attack, he said something from which I realised that it was a woman and not a man.’ His friend asked, ‘Regardless, she was fighting as part of the army, so why did you spare her?’ Abu Dujanah (ra) replied, ‘My heart did not permit me to use the sword given to me by the Holy Prophet (sa) against a helpless woman.’”
Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud (ra) then further states, “In short, the Holy Prophet (sa) would always exhort to honour and respect women. It was due to this that the women of the disbelievers became even more daring in their ploys to attack the Muslims, yet the Muslims continued to patiently endure all of this.”
(Tafsir-e-Kabir, Vol. 2, p. 421, 422)