Story of the Martyrdom of Anas ibn Nadr r.a : Anas ibn Nadr ( radiyallah anhu) was one of the sahabah who could not take part in the campaign of Badr. He very much regretted having missed the honour of participating in the most important battle of Islam. He wished for a chance to make up for missing Badr. He did not have to wait long. The battle of Uhud came about in the following year. He joined the army with great spirit. Despite heavy odds, the Muslims were gaining the upper hand until there was a misunderstanding and the Muslims had to suffer defeat. The Rasul (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) had posted a band of fifty archers to guard a pass against the enemy cavalry. They had instructions not to move from their position till further orders from him. But when they saw the Muslims gaining victory and the enemy fleeing, they left their position in the belief that the battle was over and it was time to chase the enemy and get the booty.
The leader of the band tried his utmost to stop them by reminding them of Rasulullah’s command and asked them to stay on, but no more than ten persons would listen to him, arguing that the orders given by Rasulullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) were only for the duration of the actual fight. The enemy cavalry then saw the unguarded pass, mad a quick movement, forced a passage through it, and attacked the Muslims from behind, who were busy collecting the booty. It was in this state of affairs that Anas (radiyallahu anhu) saw Sa’d ibn Ma’adh (radiyallahu anhu) passing in front of him. He asked him: “O Sa’d! Where are you going? By Allah! I smell the fragrance of jannah coming from mount Uhud.”
Saying this, he threw himself into the very thick of the enemy, and fought to the end. After the battle, it was found that his body had been wounded and mutilated to such an extent that only his sister could identify him, and that too from the finger tips. No less than eighty wounds of arrows and swords were counted on his body.
Note: Those who strive in the path of Allah ta’ala with sincerity and devotion taste the pleasures of jannah even in this world, and so did Anas (radiyallahu anhu) smell the fragrance of Jannah.