How did the Prophet (s.a.w) and the sahaba's balance their life between....

Question:

How did the Prophet (s.a.w) and the sahaba's balance their life between learning and teaching islam, and the training for warfare, such as wrestling, horse riding, archery and other tactics?

 I understand their life was completly different to how we live in the west. they used to work from fajr to dhur, and sleep till asr.

 the muslims back then were certainly special people. but what puzzles me is how could guys like Dharar Ibn al Azwar rh and Khalid bin Al waleed rh beat the romans in duels! the romans lived a very spartan lifestyle, being taught to fight from a very young age so thats no joke! i understand Allah helped them but would like some more insight into their training for warfare and how they balanced it with studying islam.

 I am hoping someone who has knowledge of islamic history/seerah to explain this to me.

=================
Response-1:

Subhanna Allah, your question is a reminder in and of iteslf. Jazzak Allahu Khairan..

 For one thing, the Arabs during the time of Jahiliya had innate traits such as valor, strength, ferocity, and 'honor' system. Although idol worship, excessive alcohol drinking, and prostitution was very prevelant, they were also keen to uphold promises, pacts, etc. as a reflection of their high belief in 'honor'. In addition, Arabs were involved in constant wars and friction between themselves. Tribal disputes and honor killings resulted in wars which initiated generations of highly skilled warriors and swordsmen, each training and fighting to defend their tribes. So, many of the midlle-aged and elder Sahabah were already gifted warriors, perhaps some of the best. Take Hamzah, radhiya Allahu 'anhu, for example. Perhaps one of bravest, strongest, an fiercest warrior of his time, even before Islam.

 Naturally, when they accepted Islam, they had trained and fought many wars already. Look at the two predominent tribes of Madinah, example would be of 'Aws and Kazraj. These two tribes fought one another for many years which caused long-lasting rivalry. Just look at all the remarkable warriors that came from Madinah, or the Ansar, and the foremost name is Sa'ad bin Mua'dh, a Sahabai unlike any other, may Allah be pleased with him. He was the leader of the tribe of Aws and a man who changed the meaning of heroics within the span of 6 years he lived in Islam. Then you have people like Usaid bin Hudhair, Sa'ad bin 'Ubadah, Ubay bin Ka'ab, Ka'ab bin Malik, and many others.

Subhanna Allah, add their history of wars, battle experience, and intrinsic courage to the gift and light of Islam and befriending the Prophet of Allah (salah allahu 'alayhi wa salam) and you'll have the greatest generation after the Prophets. Therefore, Iman does remarkable things. Islam gave the Arabs the reason and cause to display their excellence, which later earned them the stories we know! These very stories are written in Islamic history for entire generations until the Day of Judgment.

 After Islam, specifically when they became an army, after the hijrah to Madinah, it was a continueous time of Jihad. The Sahabah would gain strength in the form of wrestling. They were a very active generation, clear of laziness, excessive food, and close to their Lord. The Prophet (salah allahu 'alayhi wa salam) promoted an enviroment of faith, as well as strength conditioning such as archery, horse-back riding, and other battle skills.

 However, it was never the 'skill' alone that elevated Islam to victory but it was and will always remain Allah's help and guidance. Islam is not bounded by numbers or art of warefare, but to the level of love and sacrifice we have for our religion, displaying our obedience to Allah and relying on Him solely.

============
Response-2

Wa aleikum salam, the disbelievers emphasis their training on muscle strenght. Gaining muscle strenght is quite easy and its impressive to the eye. Muslims on the other hand emphasis endurance, flexibility and mobility. Its a different type of training methodology from what ive experienced in my gym. They try to impress with their muscles and overpower with their strenght. That does not work with a Muslim who sees through their scare tactics.

 In warfare the disbelievers like to hole up, build castles and fight from behind thick walls ''They will not fight you all except within fortified cities or from behind walls. Their violence among themselves is severe. You think they are together, but their hearts are diverse. That is because they are a people who do not reason.'' (59:14), adding muscles to the body follows the same idea. The Muslim, flexible like a tree that bends to the winds while the disbeliever is stiff and breaks apart if its limits are tested '''Ata' ibn Yasar related from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ''The metaphor of a believer is like a tender young plant which bends from whichever direction the wind comes to it. When it is still, then it is upright. A believer bends with affliction while the impious one is like the cedar tree, rigid until Allah breaks it whenever He wishes.'''' (al-Bukhari). This is the universal core difference and it plays in the way both groups believers and disbelievers train, fight and conduct warefare. Disbelievers always choose the easy path to victory. Rather than training wrestling and condition your body to endurance, flexibility and mobility, they will rather do striking training and fitness training that will stiffen their bodies. They will think them strong because they can lift so many kgs but in a fighting and warfare is not just strenght contest.

 Their good point is their discipline but is never a match to the discipline a true Muslim army because their hearts are disunited. Their willingness to sacrifice is also lower because they only have dunya to live for. They fight what they live for so if they die they loose it. A muslim lives for the hereafter, so if he dies its his victory both ways, so he has more reasons to sacrifice himself. When it comes to patience nobody is better in patience than Muslims.

 The disbelievers only weapon is superior firepower and discipline to impress their enemies into submission. Another flaw in the disbelievers is they train in optimal conditions (and anything that distrupts these conditions makes them weaker) while Muslims have it rough so they are accustomed to the hardships of battlefield and more prepared physically and mentally. Sorry if my post is abit disorganised, I wrote it down as the thoughts came into my mind.

Thanks: http://forums.islamicawakening.com/f20/how-did-prophet-s-w-sahabas-balance-63994/

---

1	New book retraces footsteps of Arabia's greatest journey ... the Hijrah It has been published to mark 1400 years since the Prophet Mohammed's migration from Makkah to Medina
2	New book retraces footsteps of Arabia's greatest journey ... the Hijrah It has been published to mark 1400 years since the Prophet Mohammed's migration from Makkah to Medina
3	Muslim Admiral Zheng He of Ming Era and the Chinese Treasure Fleet Zheng He was placed as the admiral in control of the huge fleet and armed forces that undertook these expeditions. Wang Jinghong was appointed his second in command. Zheng He’s first voyage, which departed July 11, 1405, from Suzhou, consisted of a fleet of 317 ships (other sources say 200 ships) holding almost 28,000 crewmen (each ship housing up to 500 men).
4	Muslim Admiral Zheng He of Ming Era and the Chinese Treasure Fleet Zheng He was placed as the admiral in control of the huge fleet and armed forces that undertook these expeditions. Wang Jinghong was appointed his second in command. Zheng He’s first voyage, which departed July 11, 1405, from Suzhou, consisted of a fleet of 317 ships (other sources say 200 ships) holding almost 28,000 crewmen (each ship housing up to 500 men).
5	The Third Crusade, An Islamic Perspective The Crusades (from the word Crux meaning Cross) had first been initiated in 1095 by Pope Urban II. The aim was to evict the Muslims from the Holy Lands (Syria, Palestine and Jordan), help halt the Islamic advance and unite the Christians under one banner instead of wasting their time fighting among themselves.
6	The Amazing Story of an English Spy at Darul Uloom Deoband, 1875.
7	The Last Moments of Khalid Bin Al-Waleed
8	Ali Ibn Abi Talib (R A)
9	Uthuman Ibn Affan (R A)
10	Umar Ibn Al-Khattab (R A)
11	Abu Bakr Siddique (R A)