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Battle of Badr

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• Academia - The Battle of Badr: From Challenge to Chance

Battle of Badr , (624 ce ), in Islamic history, major military victory led by the Prophet Muhammad that marked a turning point for the early Muslim community ( ummah ) from a defensive stance toward one of stability and expansion. The battle damaged Meccan trade and boosted the morale of the ummah as a viable force in its pursuit of control of the holy city. The prestige of the battle in the Islamic consciousness is marked by the fact that it is the only battle mentioned by name in the Qurʾān .

In 622 Muhammad and his Meccan followers settled in Medina upon invitation, having fled their native city in an event known as the Hijrah (“Emigration”). Although the new Constitution of Medina gave them a modicum of acceptance among the Medinese, the muhājirūn , as Muhammad’s Meccan followers came to be known, remained a separate class, unabsorbed into the socioeconomic fabric of the city. They began raiding caravans whose wares fed Mecca’s merchant economy, while new revelations of the Qurʾān sanctioned aggression against Mecca’s ruling Quraysh tribe for its own aggression against Muhammad’s followers and for its prevention of their worshipping at al-Masjid al-Ḥaram , Islam’s holiest site.

Nearly two years after the Hijrah, in the middle of the month of Ramadan , a major raid was organized against a particularly wealthy caravan escorted by Abū Sufyān, head of the Umayyad clan of the Quraysh. According to the traditional accounts, when word of the caravan reached Muhammad, he arranged a raiding party of about 300, consisting of both muhājirūn and anṣār (Muhammad’s Medinese supporters), to be led by Muhammad himself. By filling the wells on the caravan route near Medina with sand, Muhammad’s army lured Abū Sufyān’s army into battle at Badr, near Medina. There the two parties clashed in traditional fashion: three men from each side were chosen to fight an initial skirmish, and then the armies charged toward one another for full combat. As his army charged forward, Muhammad threw a handful of dust, which flew into the eyes and noses of many of the opposing Meccans. Despite the superior numbers of the Meccan forces (about 1,000 men), Muhammad’s army scored a complete victory, and many prominent Meccans were killed.

The victory at Badr was a watershed so momentous for the nascent Muslim community that it was believed to be miraculous. Not only did it confirm to the ummah divine sanction of the new religion of Islam —for the Qurʾān attributed the success to divine intervention (3:123)—but it confirmed the vitality of the ummah in challenging the hegemony of the Quraysh. Successive victories for the ummah , save for the setback at the Battle of Uḥud (625), eventually forced the Quraysh to allow Muhammad’s followers to worship at al-Masjid al-Ḥaram in 629. In 630, after years of struggle, the Quraysh surrendered Mecca to Muhammad and became Muslims. Those who had fought under Muhammad at Badr became known as the badriyyūn and made up one group of the Companions of the Prophet ( ṣaḥābah ).

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Battle of Badr: Full Story, Summary, Lessons, Result, Significance

The battle of Badr took place during the month of Ramadan . The battle was fought between the Muslim forces led by Prophet Muhammad PBUH and the Quraish tribe of Makkah.

Table of Contents

The battle between the Quraysh tribe of Makkah and the early Muslims occurred in the small town of Badr located in the Madinah Province, on the 17th of Ramadan in 624 CE. The Holy Prophet led this battle for Muslims. Around 313 Muslims faced up against 950 well-equipped warriors , whom Abu Jahl led .

Despite the numerical disadvantage, the Muslims won , marking an important event in Islamic history. This triumph raised spirits, confirmed the Holy Prophet’s leadership, and paved the way for more Muslim achievements. It also made the Quraysh less conceited and ultimately resulted in the capture of Makkah.

The Battle of Badr teaches lessons about organizing strategies, unity, belief, and patience. Despite being fewer in number the early Muslims, headed by the Holy Prophet, won through excellent plan of action and collaboration. And due to the divine intervention, 5000 angels helped Muslims to win the battle .

The Holy Prophet’s leadership, alongside the devotion and perseverance of his followers, demonstrated the value of leadership and confidence in overcoming difficulties.

The Muslims’ sincerity and appreciation for their victory demonstrate the value of dignity in achievement. Ultimately, the Battle teaches timeless principles that can be applied to many parts of life.

Approximately 14 warriors from the Prophet’s camp were martyred at the Battle of Badr, and the Quraysh army lost 70 of its most important fighters, including Abu Jahl and Umayyah ibn Khalaf .

Another overlooked fact about the conflict of Badr is that the Muslims knew they would win the war, according to a revelation from Allah to Prophet Muhammad. The Muslim soldiers became more encouraged when he informed them of this revelation.

Allah revealed:

“Allah has promised to grant you victory over one of the two groups (the caravan and those who had come to defend it), but you wished to fight the unarmed one. He sought to fulfill His promise and to annihilate the believers so that truth should triumph and falsehood be uprooted, though the wrongdoers wished otherwise.” (Surah al-Anfal, verses 7-8)

The Quraysh and all other tribes recognized the Holy Prophet as one of the most significant chiefs in the area, and the battle played a pivotal role in demonstrating the might of the Muslims in the Arabian Peninsula.

Significance

The battle of Badr had a major impact on the growth of Islam. It benefited the Holy Prophet’s rise to recognition and prominence as a global leader. It is also mentioned in the Holy Quran in Surah Al Imran (verses 123-126) and Surah al Anfal (verses 7-9 & 41-45).

According to Islamic history, two days before the Battle of Badr, on the 15th of Ramadan, there was plenty of rain around the vicinity of the battlefield and surrounding regions. Muslims interpreted this as an act of Allah’s mercy for those who followed, as it was hard for those who did not follow to climb the muddy slope.

The battle of Badr offers a powerful reminder that victory is always achievable for those who put their trust in Allah, regardless of how difficult the situation we confront, or how fierce the opponent may seem.

• Battle of Badr

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The Battle of Badr: Story, Significance, Key Facts, And Hadiths

Known to be one of the most important battles in Islamic history, the Battle of Badr marked a major turning point for Muslims. Led by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), the Muslim community fought this battle against an army of the Quraysh that was led by Abu Jahl near Badr, Madinah province. This battle also saw the killing of important Qurayshi leaders , including Umayyah ibn Khalaf and Abu Jahl, at the hands of Muslims. According to popular beliefs, the victory of Muslims in this battle paved way for the strengthening of Prophet Muhammad’s position. Totally a decisive clash in Islamic history, the victory was attributed to divine intervention coupled with the strategic skills and valour of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Well-known as the first major skirmish between the Qurayshite Mecca and Muslims, the Battle of Badr story has been passed down in the history of Islam for centuries as an important event. One can find its mention in the holy book Quran as well.

Battle of Badr Location

The Battle of Badr is an iconic battle occurred in the small town of Badr located in the Madinah Province. The location is 130 km from the city of Madinah and 82 km from the port city of Yanbu. Further, it is 355 km from the holy city of Makkah. Tourists can easily reach the location from any of the city via private taxi.

Battle of Badr Story

Renowned as a major military victory, the Battle of Badr was fought on 13 March, 624 CE, which was also the pious month of Ramadan . In 622, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his companions escaped from the city of Makkah and settled in Madinah. Approximately two years after this event of Hijrah, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) organised a raid against a wealthy caravan, which was led by Abu Sufyan – the head of the Umayyad dynasty. The raiding party, which comprised of nearly 300 supporters of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), lured the opposing Meccans into a battle at Badr, near Madinah. When both the armies charged at each other for a full battle, Muhammad took a handful of dust and blew it into the air. This took the form of a massive whirlwind, thereby dispersing Abu Jahl’s army. It is also said that when Prophet Muhammad’s army was proceeding towards the Meccans, he stretched his hands towards the Qibla and kept repeating, “O Allah! Should this group (of Muslims) be defeated today, You will no longer be worshipped.”

The prayer was answered as the same has been mentioned in the Quran. “Indeed, I will reinforce you with a thousand from the angels, rank after rank.” Quran 8:9

Therefore, in spite of a large number of forces in Abu Sufyan’s camp, the Prophet’s army was not only victorious but also managed to kill some vital figures of the opposition.

The Battle of Badr is known to be significant in many ways. The victory of Muslims against the predominant Arab tribe Quraysh established the former as a formidable force in the region. With the passing of time, the Quraysh had to allow the Prophet’s followers to worship at the Great Mosque of Makkah. As per Islamic history, in 630, the Arab tribe accepted their defeat and surrendered to Prophet Muhammad. According to the holy book Quran, post victory, Allah reminded the followers that it was due to his divine intervention that they were victorious.

“And you did not kill them, but it was Allah who killed them. And you threw not, [O Muhammad], when you threw, but it was Allah who threw that He might test the believers with a good test. Indeed, Allah is Hearing and Knowing.” Quran 8:17

“And Allah made it not except as [a sign of] good tidings for you and to reassure your hearts thereby. And victory is not except from Allah, the Exalted in Might, the Wise” Quran 3:126.

The Battle of Badr is also significant as it teaches not to undermine the faith and devotion towards Allah. It shows that the power of God is endless, and weapons and a large army become useless if there is no support from Allah. It is believed that for this battle, Allah sent angels from Heaven to help the Muslims.

“Yes, if you remain patient and conscious of Allah and the enemy come upon you [attacking] in rage, your Lord will reinforce you with five thousand angels having marks [of distinction]” Quran 3:125

Till date, the Battle of Badr holds great importance among the Muslim community and continues to be highly relevant in the Islamic culture.

Battle of Badr Facts

One of the first major battles in Islamic history, the Battle of Badr is commemorated as one of the most significant accomplishments of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). There are some interesting facts associated with the Battle of Badr, a few of which are listed below:

1. When was the battle fought? One of the major facts of the Battle of Badr, which might not be known to many, is that it was fought on the 17th of Ramadan. This decisive battle, which was fought to counter the enemies of Islam, happened two years after Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) migrated from Makkah to Madinah with the permission of Allah.

2. Prophet Muhammad’s knowledge about enemies : Not many might be aware of the fact that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had detailed knowledge about his enemies. During the Battle of Badr too, he was well aware of his opponents’ qualities, numbers and shortcomings. This factor helped them to secure a victory against the army of the Quraysh.

3. Mention of the battle in the Holy Quran : Another significant fact of the Battle of Badr is its mention in Muslims’ holy book Quran. Several verses referring to this battle can be found in the holy book.

4. Abu Sufyan wasn’t ready for this battle : This too is not a much-known fact that the battle was forced upon Quraish by Abu Jahl. According to Islamic history, Abu Sufyan had sent the message of him being safe but as his earlier message of asking for help in getting the caravan rescued had reached Abu Jahl, the latter prepared an army of nearly 1300 warriors for the same. Even, Abu Sufyan’s message of reaching Makkah safely didn’t stop Abu Jahl and instead, he incited the warriors to wage a war against Prophet Muhammad.

5. Muslims were outnumbered by the Quraishi army : Prophet Muhammad’s army comprised of merely 313 Muslims. On the other hand, the Quraishi army had nearly 1000 well-equipped soldiers to take on the opposition.

6. Also known as Battle of Separation : The famous Battle of Badr is known for separating truth from falsehood, and hence the name ‘Battle of Separation’. This famous battle also reinforced the fact that Allah is the supreme power and is invincible.

7. Angels also helped the Prophet’s army : It is said that on the decree of Allah, 5000 angels descended from heaven to help the Prophet’s army against the Quraysh in the Battle of Badr. This act is seen as divine intervention amongst the followers of Islam. “Well, if you are steadfast and mindful of Allah, your Lord will reinforce you with five thousand swooping angels if the enemy should suddenly attack you!” (Quran, 3:125)

8. Treatment of captives post victory : After emerging victorious in the Battle of Badr, the Prophet’s army captured many warriors from the Quraish army and held them as prisoners. They were required to work in accordance with the possessed skills.

9. Casualties in the war : In the Battle of Badr, nearly 14 warriors from the Prophet’s camp were martyred, while the Quraysh army lost 70 of its most important warriors, including Abu Jahl and Umayyah ibn Khalaf. One can find names of all the 14 Muslim martyrs near the Badr battlefield.

10. News of Victory in the battle : Another lesser-known fact about the Battle of Badr is that Allah had revealed to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) that this battle will see Muslims emerge victorious. When he told about this revelation to the Muslim army, they felt more motivated.

“Allah has promised to grant you victory over one of the two bands (the caravan and those who had come to defend it), but you wished to fight the one that was unarmed. He sought to fulfil His promise and to annihilate the believers, so that truth should triumph and falsehood be uprooted, though the wrongdoers wished otherwise.” – (Surah al-Anfal, 8:7)

Facts for kids

A seminal event, the Battle of Badr was fought in 624 CE. A major battle in Islamic history, the Battle of Badr even finds its mention in the holy book Quran.

Quick fact-check for kids:

Location of the battle : Badr, near Madinah province

Outcome : Muslim army, led by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), emerged victorious

Fought between : The Prophet’s Sahaba and the Quraysh army

Led by : Quraish army was led by Abu Jahl, while Muslims fought under the leadership of Prophet Muhammad

Strength : Nearly 313 Muslims fought 1000 warriors of the Quraish army

Casualties : 14 Muslims were martyred, while nearly 70 warriors of the opposition were killed.

Battle of Badr in Quran

A key battle in Islamic history, the Battle of Badr is also one of the few battles that are mentioned explicitly in the Quran. Below-mentioned are some verses from the holy book that refer to the Battle of Badr:

Angels in the Historic Battle

Fought in the valley of Badr, this battle is of great significance in Islam. 313 Muslims fought against three times more warriors from the Quraysh camp. It is said that as Prophet’s army was in the process of proceeding towards the enemy, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) kept praying to Allah for Muslims’ victory. As per Islamic history, Allah heard his prayers, and on His command, nearly 5000 angels came down from heaven to support Prophet Muhammad’s army. It is also believed that the angels assisted Muslims from the Jabal Malaikah Mountain, which is situated adjacent to Katheeb al-Hannan.

5 Lessons from Battle of Badr

• The battle solidified trust of Muslims in Allah once and for all
• Believers should put their faith in Allah as He has decided the right path for us
• Muslims should spread brotherhood among the community
• Not every time the powerful will come out as victorious
• Determination and passion is a mighty weapon

Battle of Badr summary

To summarise, the Battle of Badr is said to be highly crucial as it established Prophet’s Muḥammad’s authority, in addition to boosting the self-confidence and strength of the Muslims. This battle also showed that Allah is the supreme power, and He never lets down those who have faith in Him and show great devotion.

Battle of Badr FAQs

Where is badr located.

Badr is a small town situated in the Al Madinah province of Saudi Arabia. It is nearly two hours away by car from the holy city of Madinah. The town of Badr is a desert type, implying the summers are extremely hot and long.

What is Hijrah?

The emigration of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his companions from Makkah to Madinah is known as Hijrah. After his arrival, he negotiated with the regional clans regarding Madinah’s constitution, post which the Muslim community was established as a sociopolitical entity.

What is the significance of rainfall two days prior to the Battle of Badr?

As per Islamic history, the battlefield and the nearby area witnessed heavy rainfall on 15th Ramadan, two days before the Battle of Badr. Muslims believed this event to be a blessing of Allah for the followers as the non-followers had a hard time in climbing up the muddy slope.

Who was Abu Jahl?

Abu Jahl or Amr ibn Hishām al-Makhzumi was one of the top-ranking leaders of the Quraysh tribe. Known for opposing Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as well as early Muslims of Makkah, he also led the Battle of Badr against the Prophet and was killed by Abdullah ibn Masud during the war.

Who were Muhajirun and Ansar?

Advisers and companions of Prophet Muhammad, who travelled from Makkah to Madinah during Hijra, were known as Muhajirun. They were also the first ones to convert to Islam. Ansar were the local residents of Madinah, who gave shelter to the Prophet and his followers when they reached Madinah.

How did allah help in the Battle of Badr?

Due to the divine intervention of Allah, 5000 angels helped Muslims to win the battle.

In which surah Battle of Badr is mentioned?

It is mentioned in Surah 8, Verse 42.

Why was the battle of badr important?

The battle was decisive in spreading of Islam. It helped Muhammad (PBUH) become a popular force and leader in the world.

Dr Omar Ayoub

Dr. Omar Ayoub is a tech enthusiast and a part time researcher and accounts authorship of several international publications. He holds a PhD in Computer Science from USA and has an experience of more than 10 years in Saudi Arabia working in tourism, hospitality, education, technology and retail sector. His interests include traveling, writing, and exploring trending technologies.

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HISTORIC ARTICLE

Mar 13, 624 ce: battle of badr.

On March 13, 624, Mohammed led Muslims to victory in the Battle of Badr, a major turning point in the spread of Islam.

Geography, Human Geography, Religion

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On March 13, 624, Mohammed led Muslims to victory in the Battle of Badr, Saudi Arabia. This was a major event in the spread of Islam on the Arabian Peninsula .

Mohammed, the Prophet of Islam, had left his hometown of Mecca years before, a migration called the hijra . He settled in the town of Medina. The conflict between Muslims in Medina and Mohammed’s family, the powerful Quraysh tribe of merchants , had grown as the new faith attracted followers. Muslims engaged in frequent skirmishes with Quraysh caravans , which traveled to and from Medina on trade routes .

A Quraysh caravan, which had stopped at Badr, was ambushed by Mohammed’s forces. At the valley of Badr, the Muslims were met by a Quraysh army . The Battle of Badr was the first large-scale confrontation between Muslims and the Quraysh. More than a thousand men engaged in the battle, which lasted hours and resulted in a decisive Muslim victory. Six years later, the Quraysh in Mecca peacefully surrendered to an army led by Mohammed.

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The First Battle of Islam Gazwah Badr

The Battle of Badr was a key battle in the early days of Islam and a turning point in Prophet Mohammad’s (S.A.W.) struggle with his opponents among the disbelievers in Makkah . Battle of Badr is one of the few battles specifically mentioned in the Quran.

Background:

Life in Makkah was becoming difficult for the Muslims. The growing oppression and tortures of the disbelievers of Makkah (Kuffar e Makkah) became unbearable. The Muslims were prevented from worshiping Allah. Consequently, Allah, the Exalted, revealed orders to migrate. The Prophet (S.A.W.) and his companions secretly planned to escape the watchful disbelievers, who intended to kill the Prophet (S.A.W.) and his companions in their own homeland and thus bring an end to the religion of Islam. But Allah, the Exalted, aided His Messenger (S.A.W.) to immigrate to Medinah . This carefully planned and prudent escape of Allah's Messenger (S.A.W.) and his companions (Sahabah) created great anxiety and rancor in the hearts of the disbelievers.

The new abode of Allah's Messenger (S.A.W.), Medinah , integrated the commercial routes to Makkah . The trade caravans of the disbelievers passing near Medianh now faced serious danger. The disbelievers had already experienced the love and devotion of Prophet’s companions (Sahabah) for Allah and His Messenger (S.A.W.). They knew that the companions (Sahabah) were always ready to sacrifice everything they had for the Prophet (S.A.W.). Thus, in order to safeguard their trade, the disbelievers undertook all possible efforts to expel the Muslims from Medinah.

They sent a serious ultimatum to the chief of the disbelievers in Medinah, Abdullah Ibn Ubai Ibn Sahul, ordering him to fight or drive out the Prophet (S.A.W.) from Medinah. Otherwise, they would attack their city and destroy their people. However, Prophet (S.A.W.) cautioned Abdullah and his men from taking any cruel steps against the Muslims and as a result of his cowardice, Abdullah withheld his devilish plan. The disbelievers of Makkah also sent a note to the Ansaar [(the Muslims of Medinah who aided Allah's Messenger (S.A.W.)] threatening to put them to death if they helped the Prophet (S.A.W.) or defended him. But the Ansaar loved Allah's Messenger (S.A.W.) more than their lives and therefore paid no heed to the threats.

Permission to Fight the Kuffar (disbelievers of Makkah):

For 10 years, while in Makkah, the Muslims were prohibited to openly fight the disbelievers because they were greater in number and the Muslims were very few. Were the Muslims to fight the disbelievers in Makkah , the results would have been disastrous. But when the disbelievers went to extremes in their transgression that they forced Allah's Messenger (S.A.W.) and his companions to leave the most sacred place, resolved to kill the Prophet and sent threats to the Muslims in Medinah ; Allah revealed verses of the Quran giving permission to the Muslims to fight the disbelievers. Now the Muslims had the support of the Ansaar, they had a place where Islam prevailed and where they could retreat. It was an appropriate time for Jihad.

"Permission to fight is given to those (i.e. believers against those disbelievers), who are fighting them, (and) because they (believers) have been wronged, and surely Allah is Able to give them (believers) victory." (Surah Hajj 22:39)

Following the orders of Allah, the Prophet (S.A.W.) decided to first bring the commercial routes to Makkah under control. For which, he (S.A.W.) signed a peace treaty with the Jews and other neighboring tribes. He (S.A.W.) also sent groups of his companions (Sahabah) from time to time to ambush the caravans along their commercial routes. The intent was to caution the disbelievers that Muslims had become strong and any cruel act against the Muslims, whether those who were left in Makkah or those who resided in Medinah , might cause danger to their trade and livelihood. The disbelievers realized the real danger of the Muslims, and as a result they were discouraged.

Meanwhile, Allah, the All Wise, equipped the Muslims in Medinah for war against the enemies. Allah revealed the following Quranic verses to encourage the Muslims to fight in the way of Allah and teaching them ways of fighting.

"And fight, in the way of Allah those who fight you; but transgress not the limits. Truly, Allah likes not the transgressors. And kill them wherever you find them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out…" ( Surah Al-Baqarah 2:190-191)

Reason of the Battle of Badr:

In Ramadan 2 A.H. (March 624 C.E.), the Prophet (S.A.W.) was informed that Abu Sufyan (who was still a disbeliever and later accepted Islam), was traveling for trade from Syria. He was approaching Makkah with 50 thousand gold Dinaar guarded by 40 men.

While escaping from Makkah, the Muslims were forced to leave behind all their wealth and possession. The Prophet (S.A.W.) saw this caravan as an opportunity to get back some of their wealth. He (S.A.W.) called for his companions and marched towards the main road leading to Makkah and turned towards Badr. His (S.A.W.) intent was only to capture the wealth and not war. But Allah, the Exalted, in His Great Wisdom, willed for them to fight.

On the other hand, Abu Sufyan knew that his route was not safe. He was further informed by his men about the Prophet's (S.A.W.) movement. He immediately sent a man to Makkah asking for help. The man reached Makkah, cut off the nose and ears of the camel, turned its saddle upside down, tore off his shirt from front and back (this was their way of warning about enemies) and cried:

'O Quraish! Your goods are with Abu Sufyan. The caravan is being stopped by Muhammad and his companions. I cannot say what would have happened to them. Help! Help!'

The disbelievers shocked with the news rushed for Abu Sufyan's help. They took with them a huge army of 1,300 well-equipped soldiers, including 100 horsemen and a large number of camels to fight the Muslims.

Meanwhile, Abu Sufyan changed his route; he turned away from the main road that passed near Medinah towards Red Sea and thus was out of the reach of the Muslims. When he found himself completely out of danger, he again sent a messenger to the people of Makkah on their way, informing them of his escape and asking them to return back. The Makkan army desired to return back but Abu Jahl, insisted to march up till Badr and said:

"No by Allah! We will not go back until we proceed to the well of Badr, slaughter camels, drink liquor and female singers sing for us. This way Arabs will always talk about our stance and what we did on that day."

Now the disbelievers wanted to humiliate the Muslims, punish them and prevent them from stopping their caravans in the future. They marched towards Badr and encamped on the bank of the valley.

The news of the caravan's escape and approaching of a big army reached Allah's Messenger (S.A.W.). It was a disturbing news, for the small unequipped Muslim army was no match to the huge well-equipped army of the disbelievers. The Prophet (S.A.W.) immediately called for a meeting and discussed the situation with his companions. He informed them of the gravity of the situation and explained that it was necessary to fight the disbelievers or else they would easily take over Medinah and certainly cause destruction. He (S.A.W.) then asked the Sahabah for their advice.

Allah's Messenger (S.A.W.) received revelation from Allah. It was not necessary for him to consult with the companions and seek their advice. But this practice of Allah's Messenger (S.A.W.) reflects a very important characteristic of the Muslim leader , i.e. discussing and seeking advice of other knowledgeable Muslims. A Muslim leader should not make decision merely based upon his opinion. Rather, he should first consult with other knowledgeable Muslims, seek their advice and then make appropriate decisions.

The Muhajiroon (Muslims migrated from Makkah to Madinah) assured Allah's Messenger (S.A.W.) that they would fight along with him until the last breath. The first one to speak was Abu Bakr (R.A.) , then Umar Ibn al-Khattab (R.A.) and then al-Miqdad Ibn Amr (R.A.) got up and said: 

"O Messenger of Allah (S.A.W.)! Proceed where Allah directs you to, for we are with you. We will not say as the children of Israel said to Moosa (A.S.), 'Go you and your Lord and fight and we will stay here.', Rather we shall say, "Go you and your Lord and fight and we will fight along with you. By Allah! If you were to take us to Bark al-Ghimad, we will still fight with determination against its defender until you gained it."

The Messenger of Allah (S.A.W.) was pleased with the response of the migrated Muslims (Muhajiroon) but the Muhajiroon only consisted of a small portion of the army.

It was natural for the Muhajiroon to fight against the disbelievers of Makkah because they were unjustly treated by them and thrown out of their homeland and property. Moreover, the Muhajiroon had already passed their test of faith in Allah and shown their love for the Prophet (S.A.W.), when they forsake their family, relatives, property and homeland and migrated to Medinah not fearing the consequences. The real test was now for the Ansaar (Muslim residents of Madinah), who had promised to protect the Prophet (S.A.W.) within their territories (Medinah) and therefore, they were not obliged to fight outside Medinah. So, Allah's Messenger (S.A.W.) further said:

"Advice me my men!"

By this he wanted the Ansaar to express their view.

Upon this, Saad Ibn Muadh (R.A.) stood up and said:

"By Allah, I feel you want us (the Ansaar) to speak."

The Prophet (S.A.W.) said:

Saad (R.A.) said:

"O Prophet of Allah! We believe in you and we testify that you are the true Messenger of Allah. We bear witness that what you have been given is the Truth. We give you our firm pledge of obedience and sacrifice. We will obey you most willingly in whatever you command us, and by Allah, Who has sent you with Truth, if you ask us to cross this sea (Red Sea), we will do that most readily and not a man of us will stay behind… We hope that Allah will show you through our hands those deeds of courage, which will please your eyes. Kindly lead us to the battlefield in the Name of Allah!"

Satan makes evil seem fair and makes false promises:

When the disbelievers prepared to march towards Medinah, devil (Shaytan) came to the disbelievers in the form of Suraqah Ibn Malik and made their evil action of fighting the Muslims seem fair to them. He encouraged them for the battle by making them believe that no one could defeat them.

"And (remember) when Shaytan made their (evil) deeds seem fair to them and said: "No one of mankind can overcome you today…" He also promised them to protect Makkah from the enemies in their absence and said, "…and verily, I am your neighbor." (Surah Anfal 8:48)

Allah says about the promises of Shaytan,

"He (Shaytan) makes promises to them, and arouses in them false desires; and Shaytan's promises are nothing but deception." (Surah Nisa 4:120)

It is from the tricks of Shaytan that he makes false promises to the people and makes them believe that they are winners in this world and the Hereafter. But Allah states, on the Day of Judgment,

"Shaytan will say when the matter has been decided. Verily, Allah promised you a promise of truth. And I too promised you, but I betrayed you. I had no authority over you…" and those who follow the whispers of Shaytan Allah says, "the dwelling of such (people) is Hell, and they will find no way of escape from it." (See Tafseer Ibn Katheer: Surah Nisa Ayat No. 120 and 121)

Few Muslims Vs the well-equipped huge army of the disbelievers:

The Muslim army was not more than 313-317 men, including 82-86 Muhajir (the Emigrants from Makkah) and the others were the Ansaar (residents of Madinah). They had only two horses and 70 camels to ride. Most of them did not even possess simple weapons to fight; some had swords but no bows and arrows, while others possessed spears but no swords. The army was not well equipped, nor well prepared for war. Moreover, the Muslims were old, sick, starving and weak. But pleased with the words and willingness of the companions (Sahaba) to fight the disbelievers and putting all trust in Allah, the Prophet (S.A.W.) marched towards the wells of Badr.

When the Muslims encamped at Badr, the disbelievers sent one of their men, Umar Ibn Wahab Jumani, to spy about their number and strength. He reported that the Muslims were not more than 310 men. Hearing this, the disbelievers increased in their arrogance and pride and showed no desire to fight the Muslims. Utbah, Ibn Rabiah remarked, 'Let us go back without a fight.' Meaning the low number of the Muslims was no match for the large and well-equipped army of the Makkans. But they knew that the Sahabah were too brave to surrender and thus they would fight until the last man killing the largest number of polytheists possible. However, Abu Jahl opposed them and expressed his firm determination to kill them no matter how few they were!

Ibn Abbas (R.A.) said: "When the two armies drew closer to each other, Allah made the Muslims look fewer in the eyes of the idolaters and the idolaters look few in the eyes of the Muslims. The idolaters said:

"These people (Muslims) are deceived by their religion." (Surah Anfal 8:49)

Because they thought that Muslims were few. They believed, without doubts, that they would defeat the Muslims, Allah said:

"But whosoever puts his trust in Allah, then surely, Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise." (Surah Anfal 8:49)

In the evening, the Prophet (S.A.W.) sent Ali Ibn Abi Talib (R.A.) , Az-Zubari Ibn al-Awam (R.A.) and Saad Ibn Abi Waqqas (R.A.) to inquire about the location of the enemies. Two men were seen drawing water from the wells of Badr. Upon question, they admitted that they were carrying water for the Makkan army. But some Companions were not pleased with this answer, since they thought that the boys belonged to Abu Sufyan. So they beat the two boys, who finally said that they belonged to Abu Sufyan. When Allah's Messenger (S.A.W.) was informed, he said angrily:

"on telling the truth, you beat them, and on lying you released them!"

Then he (S.A.W.) himself spoke to the two boys, who informed him about the army's location, leaders and that they were so huge that they slaughter ten camels everyday to feed their men. The Prophet (S.A.W.) then turned towards the Muslims and said:

"The Quraysh has sent you their most precious lives."

Allah's Blessing for the believers:

Before the Muslims arrived at Badr, the disbelievers had already taken over the raised piece of land and so the Muslims had to take the low lying sandy spot. And between them remained a sandy piece of land. Ibn Abbas (R.A.) said:

"…Muslims felt weak and the Shaytan cast frustration into their hearts. He whispered to them, 'You claim that you are Allah's supporters and that His Messenger is among you! However, the disbelievers have taken over the water resource from you, while you pray needing purity!' Allah sent down heavy rain allowing the Muslims to drink and use it for purity. Allah also removed Shaytan's whisper and made the sand firm when rain fell on it, and the Muslims walked on the sand along with their animals, until they reached the enemy…"

So, Allah sent rain as a blessing for the believers, but for the disbelievers, the rain was an obstacle that prevented them from further progress. Allah mentions this great blessing in the Quran:

"…and He caused rain to descend on you from the sky to clean you thereby and to remove from you the Rijz (whispering, evil suggestions, etc.) of Shaytan, and to strengthen your hearts, and make your feet firm thereby." (Surah Anfal 8:11)

The blessing of rain strengthened the believer's hearts and encouraged them to fight the enemies of Allah. They experienced a sense of security. Then Allah descended another blessing on them; slumber overcame the Muslims and they slept sound the whole night without fear.

"(Remember) when He covered you with a slumber as a security from Him…" (Surah Anfal 8:11)

The Prophet of Allah (S.A.W.) spent the whole night in supplication and prayer.

First Day of the Battle:

In the morning, Allah Messenger (S.A.W.) called the companions (Sahabah) to offer the prayer and then positioned them for the battle. He (S.A.W.) ordered them not to start fighting unless he ordered them. On the other side, the Quraysh also prepared for the war. When the two parties approached each other, Allah's Messenger (S.A.W.) supplicated to Allah saying:

"O Allah! The proud and arrogant Quraysh are already here disobeying you and belying Your Messenger. O Allah! I am waiting for Your victory which You have promised me. I beseech You Allah to defeat them (the enemies)."

Abu Jahl also prayed saying:

"Our Lord, whichever of the two parties was less kind to his relatives, and brought us what we do not know, then destroy him tomorrow.'

Allah says in Quran about this supplication of Abu Jahl:

"(O disbelievers) if you ask for a judgment, now has the judgment come unto you…" (Surah Anfal 8:19)

Imam Ibn Katheer writes in the Tafseer of this verse:

'Allah says to the disbelievers, if you ask for a judgment (between truth and falsehood) and a decision between you and your believing enemies, and you got what you asked for.' Meaning Allah accepted their supplication and distinguished the truthful and gave victory to Allah's Messenger (S.A.W.).

The battle started when a man from the disbeliever sweared to drink water from the water basin of the Muslims, to destroy it or die for it. Hamzah Ibn Abdul Mutallib (R.A.) struck his leg with his sword and killed him inside the basin.

Then three men from the disbelievers, Utbah Ibn Rabi'a, his brother Shaibah and his son al-Waleed stepped forward. Three young men from the Ansaar came forward but the Quraysh (disbelievers of Makkah) yelled they wanted the heads of their cousins. The Prophet (S.A.W.) then sent Ubaidah Ibn Al-Harith (R.A.), his uncle Hamzah (R.A.) and his cousin Ali Ibn Abi Talib (R.A.) to fight. Hamazah (R.A.) killed Shaibah and Ali (R.A.) killed al-Waleed. Ubaidah (R.A.) was seriously wounded but Hamzah (R.A.) fell upon Utbah and cut off his head. In this way, in one on one combat, the disbelievers lost many of their brave men. So, they decided to attack the Muslims as a whole. The Muslims were ordered to carry out a defensive war. They supplicated to Allah and invoked His Help and fought bravely as they were ordered.

Allah's Help:

Allah's Messenger (S.A.W.) continuously prayed to Allah day and night. When the battle became very crucial, he (S.A.W.) supplicate saying:

"O Allah! Should this group (of Muslims) be defeated today, You will no longer be worshipped."

He (S.A.W.) stretched forth his hand and supplicated to Allah until his cloak fell off his shoulders. Abu Bakr (R.A.) came up to him, picked his cloak, and put it back on his shoulders and said:

"O Prophet of Allah! You have cried out enough to your Lord. He will surely fulfill what He has promised you." (Tirmidhi: 3081)

Immediately, Allah responded to the supplication and sent Angels for help, Allah says:

"(Remember) when you sought help of your Lord and He answered you saying, 'I will help you with a thousand Angels each behind the other in succession." (Surah Anfal 8:9)

The Messenger of Allah (S.A.W.) raised his head and said cheeringly:

"O Abu Bakr, glad tidings are there for you; Allah's victory has approached, by Allah I can see Jibreel on his mount in the thick of a sandstorm."

Then he (S.A.W.) recited the verse:

"Their multitude will be put to flight and they will show their backs." (Surah Qamar 54:45)

Many narrations speak about the appearance of Angels in the battle of Badr. It is mentioned in Sahih Muslim # 1763   that Ibn Abbas (R.A.) said:

"While on that day a Muslim from the Ansaar was chasing a disbeliever, he heard over him the swashing of a whip and the voice of the rider saying: 'Go ahead Haizum.' He looked at the disbelievers who had fell on the ground on his back. The man came to Allah's Messenger (S.A.W.) and related the incident, upon which Allah's Messenger (S.A.W.) said: "You have told the truth. This was the help from the third Heaven."

Another incident is reported, where another man from the Ansaar captured Abbas Ibn Abdul Mutalib, who said: "O Messenger of Allah! By Allah this man did not capture me. I was captured by a man who was bald and had the most handsome face, and who was riding a horse. I cannot see him here among the people…" The man from the Ansaar said: 'I captured him, O Messenger of Allah!' The Prophet (S.A.W.) replied: "Be quite, Allah, the All-Might, strengthened you with the help of a noble Angel."

It is also reported that after the battle, the people used to recognize those who were killed by the Angels, by wounds over their necks, finger and toes, because those parts had a mark as if they were branded by Fire.

Angel Jibreel (A.S.) approached Allah's Messenger (S.A.W.) and asked him to take a handful of dust and throw at the enemies.

The Prophet (S.A.W.) threw the dust saying, "Confusion seize their faces!" A violent sandstorm blew into the eyes of the enemies and the handful of sand entered the eyes of the idolaters, each one of them was struck by some of it, and it distracted them making each of them busy. Allah says regarding it:

"And you (O Muhammad (S.A.W.)) threw not when you did throw but Allah threw." (Surah Anfal 8:17)

meaning the handful of sand which Allah's Messenger (S.A.W.) threw at the disbelievers was not by his (S.A.W.) power and strength that it reached the eyes of the pagans, who were disturbed and made busy by it. But it is Allah, Who should be praised and glorified because He helped the Prophet (S.A.W.) to perform this act.

Iblees (Shaytan), who was in the form of Suraqah Ibn Malik, saw the Angels helping the Muslims and "… ran away and said: "Verily, I have nothing to do with you…"

Ibn Abbas said:

'On the day of Badr, Shaytan as well as his flag holders and soldiers, accompanied the idolaters. He whispered to the hearts of the idolaters, 'None can defeat you this day and I will help you.' When they met and Shaytan saw Angels coming to their aid and the Messenger of Allah (S.A.W.) took a handful of sand and threw it at the faces of the idolaters, causing them to retreat. Jibreel u came towards Shaytan but when Shaytan, while holding the hand of a Mushrik man, saw him, he withdrew his hand and ran away with his soldiers. That man asked him, 'O Suraqah! You claimed that you are our neighbor.' He said:

"…Verily, I see what you see not. Verily, I fear Allah for Allah is severe in punishment." (Surah Anfal 8:48)

Another great Help from Allah was that He placed terror and fright in the hearts of the disbelievers. This is why instead of being greater in number and being well-equipped and loaded with weapons, the disbelievers fled the battlefield in awe.

“(Remember) when your Lord inspired the angels ‘Verily, I am with you, so keep firm those who have believed. I will cast terror into the hearts of those who have disbelieved, so strike them over the necks, and smite over all their fingers and toes.’" (Surah Anfal 8:12)

Instances of the Sahabah's Bravery and Devotion:

Only after Allah affirmed that He will suffice, aid, support and help the believers against their enemies, the Prophet (S.A.W.) gave clear order to counter attack the disbelievers reciting the verse:

"And be quick for forgiveness from your Lord, and for Paradise as wide as are the Heavens and the Earth." (Surah Al-Imran 3:133)

Allah said: "O Prophet! Urge the believers to fight…" The Messenger of Allah (S.A.W.) encouraged his companions to fight. The courage and desire for Paradise and willingness to fight the disbelievers that Allah's Messenger (S.A.W.) instilled in his companions is evident from the actions of the Sahabah.

Narrated Anas Ibn Malik (R.A.), "…The polytheists advanced (towards us), and the Messenger of Allah (S.A.W.) said: "Rise to enter Paradise which is equal in width to the Heavens and the Earth." (Sahih Muslim 1901)

Umar Ibn al-Humam al-Ansari (R.A.) said: "O Messenger of Allah! Is Paradise equal in extent to the Heavens and the Earth?" He said: 'Yes.' Umar said: 'Excellent! Excellent!' The Messenger of Allah (S.A.W.) asked him: "What makes you say, 'Excellent! Excellent!?" He said: "O Messenger of Allah, nothing but the desire that I may be among its residents." He said: "You are (surely) among its residents." He took some dates from his bag and began to eat them. Then he said: "If I were to live until I had eaten all these dates of mine, it would be a long life." (The narrator said) He threw away all the dates he had with him. Then he fought the enemies until he was killed." (Sahih Muslim 1901)

Muaadh Ibn Amr (R.A.), a young man from the Ansaar came across Abu Jahl in the battle and struck his leg so forcefully that his leg was cut off from the shin. When Ikrimah, the son of Abu Jahl, saw his father injured, he fell upon Muaadh and nearly separated his arm from his shoulder. Muaadh fought the whole day with the hanging arm and when it gave him more trouble, he put his arm under his feet and pulled it apart by force.

Death of Abu Jahl, the Pharaoh of this Nation:

Abdur Rahmaan al-Awf (R.A.) related, 'I was in the thick of the battle when two youths, still seemingly inexperienced in the art of fighting, one on the right and the second on the left. One of them spoke in a secret voice asking me to show him Abu Jahl. I asked him about his intention, to which he replied that he had a strong desire to engage with Abu Jahl in a combat until either of them was killed. It was something incredible. I turned to the left and the other expressed a similar desire. I directly pointed at their target. They both rushed towards Abu Jahl and without hesitation struck him together and brought him down to earth. They went back to Allah's Messenger (S.A.W.), each claiming that he had killed Abu Jahl. The Prophet (S.A.W.) saw both their swords and said: "You both have killed him." (Sahih Muslim 1752)

At the end of the battle, Abdullah Ibn Masud (R.A.), saw Abu Jahl at the verge of death. He stepped on his neck and said: "Have you seen how Allah has disgraced you?'

But look how arrogant is this enemy of Allah, he replied to Ibn Mas'oud saying: "I am not disgraced. I am no more than a man killed by his own people on the battlefield." The disbelievers were so terrified that they even left behind their chief and fled the battlefield. When Ibn Mas'oud was about to cut off his head, he said: "Cut off my head from near the shoulders so that it looks bigger than the heads of all others and it is seen as the head of the chief. Ibn Mas'oud cut off his head and took it to Allah's Messenger (S.A.W.), who praised Allah upon seeing it. He (S.A.W.) later said when he saw his dead body: "This is the Pharaoh of this nation."

Victory for the Believers:

With the help of Allah, Allah's Messenger (S.A.W.) and his companions fought bravery until the Quraysh suffered great loss and fled the battlefield. They lost 70 of their best men and 70 were taken as prisoners by the Muslims. Only fourteen Muslims were martyred in this battle:

"And remember when you were few and were reckoned weak in the land and were afraid that men might kidnap you, but He provided a safe place for you, strengthened you with His help, and provided you with good things so that you might be grateful." (Surah Anfal 8:26)

After the battle of Badr, the Muslims emerged as one powerful nation.

Lessons from the Battle of Badr:

The Battle of Badr is a great example from our history that teaches; 'victory does not depend on numbers or collecting weapons and shields - Victory is from Allah.'

"How often has a small group overcome a might host by Allah's leave. And Allah is with the patient." (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:249)

However, Allah only grants victory to those who believe in Him and put their complete trust in Him. Allah sent blessing and help to the believers in the battle of Badr and made them victorious over the disbelieving pagans only after putting them to trial! Allah tested the Muslims for ten years in Makkah and then He tested them again by the order to migrate to al-Medina leaving behind all possessions.

It was the result of the strong trust of the Sahabah in Allah that they willingly marched towards the battlefield, even though they knew that the disbelievers had come with huge army and weaponry.

It was their craving for Allah's Pleasure and Paradise that they proclaimed: "…We will fight along with you. By Allah! If you were to take us to Bark al-Ghimad, we will still fight with determination against its defender until you gained it." So after Allah had tested them, He made them stand firm against their enemies, and granted them the courage to fight them. It was only by the Help of Allah and His Blessings that the Muslims could defeat the disbeliever who were three time greater in number and well-equipped.

Otherwise, in the times of Jahiliyyah (ignorance - the time before Islam), these very same people were the weakest of people found on the face of the earth as Imam Ibn Katheer mentions the statement of Qatadah Ibn Di'amah as-Sadusi in the Tafseer of Soorah al-Anfal (8:26), 'Arabs were the weakest of the weak, had the toughest life, the emptiest stomach, the barest skin and the most obvious misguidance. Those who lived among them lived in misery; those who died went to the Fire. They were being eaten up, but unable to eat others! By Allah! We do not know of a people on the face of the earth at that time who had a worse life than them. When Allah brought Islam, He made it dominant on the earth and thus bringing provisions and leadership for them over the necks of people. It is through Islam that Allah granted all what you see, so thank Him for His favors, for your Lord is One Who bestows favors and likes praise."

It was due to their cowardice that when Abrahah attacked their most sacred city, Makkah, and resolved to demolish the Ka'bah; they evacuated Makkah and ran away with their wives and children to mountain tops. But when they embraced Islam, believed in Allah, avoided sins and purely followed the teaching of Allah's Messenger - Allah made them the rulers of the world. They triumphed at the time of Allah's Messenger (S.A.W.) and after his death. The Kuffar feared the Muslims!

But when the Muslims abandoned the life of righteousness and adopted sins, Allah, the Exalted, snatched away His Blessings from them and they were left to their state of misery. However, even today, if we Muslims were to believe in Allah and put complete trust in Him Alone, then Allah will help the Muslims over the Kuffar. It is the result of our sins that in many parts of the world Muslims are being oppressed by the Kuffar and subjugated to hardships.

Today, if we show willingness to sacrifice our wealth and lives for the sake of Allah, and purely follow the teachings of Allah's Messenger (S.A.W.), Allah will remove our hardships and grant us victory and supremacy over the Kuffar.

Allah says:

"Allah has promised those among you who believe and do righteous good deeds, that He will certainly grant them succession to (the present rulers) in the earth, as He granted it to those who before them, and He will grant them the authority to practice their religion that which He has chosen for them (i.e. Islam). And He will surely give them in exchange security after their fear (provided) they (believers) worship Me and do not associate anything (in worship) with Me. But whosoever disbelieves after this, they are the Fasiqun (rebellious, disobedient to Allah)." (Surah Al-Noor 24:55)

Source: http://www.missionislam.com/knowledge/badr.htm     

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Battle of Badr – Everything you need to know

Table of Contents

Also known as the Battle of Separation, the Battle of Badr played a significant role in separating truth from falsehood and reinforcing that the Almighty Allah SWT is invincible and the Supreme Power. Fought on 17 Ramadan 2 AH (March 17, 624 CE) between a fierce army of over 1000 Quraysh and 313 Muslims, the Battle of Badr was a turning point for the Muslim Ummah.

Although it is one of the few battles mentioned in the Holy Quran, the knowledge about the Battle of Badr comes from traditional Islamic accounts written decades after the battle. Here is everything you need to know about the Battle of Badr and its significance in Islam . 

What Happened at the Battle of Badr?

In 622 CE, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) along with his companions migrated from Makkah to Madinah . It is said before the Battle of Badr , the Quraysh and the Muslims had fought several skirmishes. After two years of migration, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) organized a surprise attack against Abu Sufyan’s caravan. The plan was to lure the enemies in at Badr, which lies 80 miles (130 kilometres) from Madinah and 175.2 miles (281 kilometres) from Makkah. 

On the morning of the Battle of Badr , Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) called the army of 313 Muslims (Muhajareen and Ansar) to offer Salah (prayer) and urged them to fight in the name of Allah SWT. The battle started and three of the 1000 Quraysh warriors, Waleed bin Utbah, Shayba bin Rabia and Utbah bin Rabia, duelled against the brave Muhajreins; Hazrat Hamza (RA), Hazrat Ali (RA), and Hazrat Ubaidah bin Harith (RA). 

The results of this duel ignited the fires of revenge and hatred in the hearts of the Quraysh, resulting in starting a war. As both the armies charged against each other, the Muslims exclaimed, “Ahad! Ahad” (One, One). Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) turned to Allah SWT and prayed, “O Allah! Should this group (of Muslims) be defeated today, You will no longer be worshipped.” 

It is said that Allah SWT responded to the prayers by sending an army of angels to help the Muslims. “Soon will the multitude be put to fight, and they will show their backs.”  [Holy Quran, 54:45] Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) took a handful of dust and blew it at the Quraysh, saying, “Let their faces be disfigured.” The dust went into the noses and eyes of the enemies.

This is documented in the Quran as “It was not you who threw, but Allah.”  [Holy Quran, 8:17] 

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his companions swarmed over the enemies with the help of Allah SWT. The Quraysh fell one by one before retreating. The victorious Muslims slayed some while capturing others. 

Why was the Battle of Badr So Important to Muslims?

The Battle of Badr played a key role in the spread of Islam. The war was a turning point in Islamic history, as the victory of Muslims over the strong force of secular merchants of Quraysh, Makkah established Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as one of the most influential leaders of the Arabian Peninsula. The result of the battle also boosted the strength and confidence of the Muslims and proved to the world that Allah SWT is the Supreme Power, and He never lets those down who show great devotion and have faith in Him. 

Naturally, conflict is not encouraged in Islam but some of the reasons for going to war includes defending ones homeland and protecting persecuted Muslims

Who Won the Battle of Badr?

Despite a large number of forces in Abu Sufyan’s camp, Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) army wasn’t only victorious but managed to kill some important figures of the Quraysh. The victory of Muslims against the predominant Quraysh established them as a formidable force in the region. It is believed that the Arab army accepted their defeat and surrendered to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

Angels in the Battle of Badr

According to Islamic history, in the Battle of Badr , Muslims fought against three times more warriors from the Quraysh. As the Muslim army advanced towards the enemy, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) prayed to Allah SWT for their victory.

Allah SWT answered the Prophet’s (PBUH) prayers by sending nearly 5,000 angels to support the Muslim army. In another place, it is stated that the angels assisted Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his army from the Jabal Malaikah Mountain (it is located adjacent to Katheeb al-Hannan). 

“Well, if you are steadfast and mindful of Allah, your Lord will reinforce you with five thousand swooping angels if the enemy should suddenly attack you!”  [Holy Quran, 3:125]

Battle of Badr Mentioned in the Quran

The Battle of Badr played a critical role in Islamic history. The Battle of Badr is regarded as one of the very few battles which are mentioned in the Holy Quran. Here are some Quranic verses that talk about the event of the great Battle of Badr : 

“And already had Allah given you victory at (the battle of) Badr while you were few in number. Then fear Allah; perhaps you will be grateful – (Remember) when you said to the believers, “Is it not sufficient for you that your Lord should reinforce you with three thousand angels sent down? – Yes, if you remain patient and conscious of Allah and the enemy come upon you (attacking) in rage, your Lord will reinforce you with five thousand angels having marks (of distinction)” [Holy Quran, 3:123-125]

“Already there has been for you a sign in the two armies which met – one fighting in the cause of Allah and another of disbelievers. They saw them (to be) twice their (own) number by (their) eyesight. But Allah supports with His victory whom He wills. Indeed in that is a lesson for those of vision.” [Holy Quran, 3:13]

 “[Remember] when you asked the help of your Lord, and He answered you, “Indeed, I will reinforce you with a thousand from the angels, following one another.” [Holy Quran, 8: 9]

“And Allah only gave it as good news and that your hearts might be at ease thereby, and victory is only from Allah; surely Allah is Mighty, Wise.”  [Holy Quran, 8:10]

How Many Companions Died during the War?

In the Battle of Badr, nearly 14 Muslim soldiers were martyred, while the Quraysh army lost 70 prominent warriors, including Umayyad ibn Khalaf and Abu Jahl. Even today, you can find the names of the 14 martyrs in the field of Badr. 

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) treated the prisoners with respect and dignity. Sahih Al-Bukhari narrates: Jâbir relates: “After the Battle of Badr, prisoners of war were brought. Among them was al-`Abbas. He did not have a shirt on, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) looked for a shirt for him. It turned out that a shirt of `Abdullah b. `Ubayy was the right size, so the Prophet (PBUH) gave it to al-`Abbas to wear and compensated `Abdullah with his own shirt.”  (Sahih Al-Bukhari)

Facts about the Battle of Badr

The Battle of Badr is commemorated as one of the most significant accomplishments of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Here are some lesser-known facts about the Battle of Badr :

Fact 1: Muslims Were Outnumbered

Muslims were outnumbered by the ratio of 1:3 in the Battle of Badr . The poorly-equipped Muslim army comprised 313 individuals, including,

• Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
• Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA)
• Hazrat Umar (RA)
• Hazrat Hamza (RA)
• Abu Dharr al-Ghifari (RA)
• Ammar ibn Yasir (RA)
• A z-Zubair bin Al-Awwam (RA) 
• Mus’ab ibn Umair (RA)

On the other hand, the Quraysh army was well-equipped and had nearly 1000 well-trained soldiers. 

Fact 2: News of Victory during Battle 

Muslims felt scared after seeing the large army of Quraysh. That is when Allah SWT revealed the following verses to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), revealing that Muslims will emerge victoriously. Recited by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) the following verses lifted the spirits of the Muslim army and motivated them:

“Allah has promised to grant you victory over one of the two bands (the caravan and those who had come to defend it), but you wished to fight the one that was unarmed. He sought to fulfil His promise and to annihilate the believers, so that truth should triumph and falsehood be uprooted, though the wrongdoers wished otherwise.”  (Surah al-Anfal, 8:7)

Fact 3: Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) Knowledge about the Enemies

Not many people know that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had detailed knowledge about the Quraysh army prior to the Battle of Badr . Even during battle, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was well aware of his opponents’ shortcomings, numbers, and qualities. This knowledge helped Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the outnumbered Muslim army secure victory against the Quraysh. 

Battle of Badr – Summary

Every civilization commemorates certain historical events and battles that have played a critical role in its history. For Muslims, it was the great Battle of Badr —a historical war in which 313 Muslims from Madinah under the leadership of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and with the aid of Allah SWT, defeated the fierce and powerful army of Quraysh of Makkah , led by Abu Sufyan

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The History of the Battle of Badr (Explained)

The battle of Badr is mentioned in the Sura Al Imran and the subject of Sura al Anfal.

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The month of Ramadan wasn’t always free from hardships even for the Prophet (pbuh) and his companions. One of these hardships was the battle of Badr, one of the few battles mentioned in the Qur’an.

Fought on the 17 of Ramadan (13 March 624), 2 years after the Hijra, it was the first large-scale engagement between Muslims and the Quraysh, opposing around 313 Muslims against 950 well-equipped Meccan soldiers.

What circumstances led to the battle, what allowed the Muslims to win and what are its consequences for the centuries that followed?

When the Prophet moved to Medina, the Meccans used to launch raids against Medina to steal livestock belonging to the Muslims. Shortly after the Hijra, under unbearable pressure and out of necessity, the verses allowing Muslims to defend themselves were revealed, where God says:

Permission [to fight] has been given to those who are being fought, because they were wronged. And indeed, Allah is competent to give them victory. (22:39)

The Muslims would then intercept caravans from Mecca and send men to gather intelligence on the Quraysh.

In January 624, two months before the battle, eight Muslims on a mission to obtain information, disguised as pilgrims, were discovered by a Meccan caravan. They decided to fight, then seized its goods and took prisoners, and killed one of its men, Amr bin Al-Hadrami. However, the killing took place during the month of Rajab, a sacred month for Arabs in which fighting was prohibited. This offense led the Quraysh to send an army to protect their caravans.

In April 624, it was reported Abu Sufyan was leading a caravan from Syria to Mecca containing weapons to be used against the Muslims. The Prophet gathered 313 men and went to Badr, 70 miles away from Medina, to intercept the caravan. However, Meccan spies informed Abu Sufyan about the Muslims coming to intercept his caravan; Abu Sufyan changed his course to take another path to Mecca and sent a message to Mecca. Abu Jahl replied to Abu Sufyan’s request and gathered an army to fight against the Muslims.

The Muslims also brought seventy camels and two horses. Companions such as Abu Bakr, Umar, Ali, and Hamza took part.

Some of the most important Quraysh joined, including Abu Jahl, for various reasons: some were out to protect their financial interests in the caravan; others wanted to avenge Ibn al-Hadrami, the guard killed at Nakhlah; finally, a few must have wanted to take part in what was expected to be an easy victory against the Muslims.

When the word about the Meccan army reached Muslims, the Prophet immediately consulted his companions and the most recent Muslims, the Ansars, who were in their right to return to Medina. While Abu Bakr feared the Muslims were not prepared enough, the majority of Ansars were in favour of the battle.

The Muslims arrived at the Badr wells one day before the Quraysh. When the Meccan caravan was safe, some of the Quraysh left for home. But Abu Jahl wanted to continue and threatened those who wanted to leave. In the meantime, Abu Sufyan joined the army.

At midnight on the 13 th of March, the Quraysh marched into the valley of Badr. A first idolater started to provoke Muslims. Al-Aswad bin Abdul Asad Al-Makhzumi stepped out swearing he would drink from the water basin of the Muslims. He engaged in combat with Hamza, who struck his leg with his sword and dealt him another blow that finished him off.

The battle began with champions from both armies emerging to engage in combat. The Muslims dispatched the Meccan champions in a three-on-three melee. Ali and Hamza killed their opponents. Then they both assisted Ubaydah. While Ubaydah’s opponent died immediately, Ubaydah was mortally wounded to the leg. Ali and Hamza then carried Ubaydah back into the Muslim lines, where he died.

Both armies then began showering each other with arrows before attaching each other with melee weapons. When the Prophet gave the order to charge, he threw a handful of pebbles at the Meccans while yelling:

‘Defaced be those faces! God, terrify their hearts and invalidated their feet.’

The Meccans, understrength and unenthusiastic about fighting, promptly broke and ran. The battle itself only lasted a few hours and was over by the early afternoon. The Quran describes the force of the Muslim attack in many verses, including one referring to 5,000 angels helping the Muslims achieve victory over the Quraysh who were better equipped in terms of weaponry, camels and war horses:

‘If you are steadfast and mindful of Allah, your Lord will reinforce you with five thousand swooping angels if the enemy should suddenly attack you!’ (3:125)

In some narrations, at the end of the battle, the Prophet wanted to look for Abu Jahl. Abdullah bin Mas’ud found him on the verge of death breathing his last breath. He stepped on his neck addressing him: ‘Have you seen how Allah has disgraced you?’ The enemy of Islam rebelliously answered: ‘I am not disgraced. I am no more than a man killed by his own people on the battlefield.’ And then he inquired: ‘Who has won the battle?’ Ibn Mas’ud replied ‘Allah and His Messenger.’ Abu Jahl then said with full bitterness: ‘Say to Muhammad, I was his enemy up to now; my enmity has increased twofold from now on!’

14 companions were martyred in the battle and 70 men from the army of the Quraysh were killed including Abu Jahl. Amongst the 70 Quraysh who were killed, it is said that 22-35 died at Ali’s hands. Many others were taken as prisoners, and treated with dignity and respect. Most of the prisoners were released upon payment of ransom and those who were literate were released on the condition that they teach ten persons how to read and write and this teaching was to count as their ransom.

The Battle of Badr was decisive in asserting the strength of the Muslims in the Arabian peninsula, and for the Quraysh and all other tribes to acknowledge Muhammad as one of the most important chiefs in the region. The other major beneficiary of the battle was Abu Sufyan, who safely protected the Meccan caravan, and with the loss of Abu Jahl, was to become a leader amongst the Quraysh.

The battle of Badr is a powerful reminder that no matter how challenging are the fights we face or how strong an opponent can appear, victory is always possible for those who put their faith in Allah.

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Battle of Badr

Here lies the battle site of battle of badr, an event in which the Muslims, against all odds, defeated powerful Quraysh. It was the first battle fought in the Islamic History

Badr, Saudi Arabia

Confirmed by scholars and local and traditional belief of Muslims is very strong. Maqam is associated with a Prophet, Sahaba, Awliya Allah, Any great personality, Famous battle sites . Sites like for example where any great personality stayed for a particular amount of days, or where he or she left some markings like footprints or where he performed some miracles or where some famous battle was fought. Example: Well of Hz. Yaqub عليه اسلام

Coordinates: 23.771865, 38.789546

The Battle of Badr (Ghazwat Badr), also referred to as The Day of the Criterion (Yaum al-Furqan) in the Qur’an and by Muslims, was fought on Tuesday, 13 March 624 CE (17 Ramadan, 2 AH), near the present-day city of Badr, Al Madinah Province in Saudi Arabia.

Hz. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, commanding an army of his Sahaba, defeated an army of the Quraysh led by Abu Jahl.

The battle marked the beginning of the six-year war between Hz. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and his tribe.

Prior to the battle, the Muslims and the Meccans had fought several smaller skirmishes in late 623 and early 624.

Hz. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ took keen interest in capturing Meccan caravans after his migration to Medina sharif, seeing it as repayment for his people, the Muhajirun.

A few days before the battle, when he learnt of a Makkan caravan returning from the Levant led by Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, Hz. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ gathered a small expeditionary force to capture it.

Abu Sufyan, learning of the Muslim plan to ambush his caravan, changed course and took a longer route away from Hz. Prophet Muhammad’s ﷺ base at Medina and sent a messenger to Mecca, asking for help.

Abu Jahl commanded an army nearly one-thousand strong, approaching Badr and encamping at the sand dune al-Udwatul Quswa.

Badr was the first large-scale engagement between the Muslims and Qurayshite Mecca.

Advancing from the north, the Muslims faced the Meccans.

The battle began with duels between the warriors on both sides, following which the Meccans charged upon the Muslims under a cover of arrows.

The Muslims countered their charge and broke the Meccan lines, killing several important Quraishi leaders including Abu Jahl and Umayyah ibn Khalaf.

The Muslim victory strengthened Hz. Prophet Muhammad’s ﷺ position; Medinans eagerly joined his future expeditions and tribes outside Medina sharif openly allied with Hz. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

The battle has been passed down in Islamic history as a decisive victory attributable to divine intervention.

Battlefield

The valley of Badr is surrounded by two large sand dunes to the east, called al-‘Udwatud Dunya (the near side of the valley) and al-‘Udwatul Quswa (the far side of the valley).

The Qur’an speaks of these two in Surah 8, verse 42.

The west of the valley was covered by the al-Asfal Mountain (Jabal Al-Asfal) with an opening between it and another hill in the northwest.

Between al-‘Udwatud Dunya and al-‘Udwatul Quswa was an opening, which was the primary route to Medina sharif.

Hz. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and his army did not approach the battlefield from here, they came from the north, as they were originally planning to target the caravan, which was moving from the Levant in the north, to Mecca in the south.

Between al-‘Udwatul Quswa and the hill covering the southern part of the battlefield was another opening, which was the primary route from Mecca.

The Quraish had encamped in the south-eastern portion of the valley near the road to Mecca, while Muhammad and his army had encamped in some date-palms in the north.

They had taken a well near the center of the western margin of al-‘Udwatul Dunya and destroyed the other wells near the road to Medina to prevent the Makkans from getting any water.

Another well situated at the end of the road to Mecca was later filled with the dead bodies of the dead Maccans.

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Ummah of our Dear Prophet ﷺ today is in despair and confusion. We are the biggest victims of the atrocities that are done throughout the world and yet we are called culprits. And the biggest reason for this is that we have forgotten our roots, our great history through which we conquered not just lands but hearts. Our aim is not only to talk about history but to relive it and for this reason alone we are creating this website. Have a nice browsing 🙂

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Piety and Bravery of Shahabah in the Battle of Badr

The Battle of Badr is a defining moment in Islamic history, and it serves as a testament to the piety and bravery of the Sahabah, the companions of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). This historic battle, fought in the second year of the Islamic calendar, was a turning point for the Muslim community, and it laid the foundation for the growth of Islam. The Quran and the Hadith provide us with valuable insights into the significance of this battle and the role played by the Sahabah in it.

The Battle of Badr was fought between the Muslim community, led by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and the Quraish tribe, who were the dominant tribe in Mecca. The Muslims were outnumbered and outmatched in terms of resources, but their faith and courage carried them through the battle. Allah says in the Quran: “Remember when you prayed to your Lord for help, and He answered you, ‘I will assist you with a thousand angels coming in succession.’” (Quran 8:9) This verse highlights the significance of faith and trust in Allah in times of adversity. The Muslims knew that they were facing a formidable enemy, but they put their faith in Allah and sought His help. Allah, in turn, responded to their prayers and provided them with divine assistance in the form of angels.

The Sahabah who fought in the Battle of Badr were exemplars of piety and bravery. They were motivated by their love for Allah and their desire to establish His religion on earth. Allah says in the Quran: “Those who believed and migrated and struggled in the cause of Allah with their wealth and their lives are greater in rank in the sight of Allah, and it is they who shall triumph.” (Quran 9:20) This verse highlights the importance of struggle and sacrifice in the cause of Allah. The Sahabah were willing to risk their lives and sacrifice their wealth for the sake of Allah, and they were rewarded for their efforts.

One of the most inspiring examples of the piety and bravery of the Sahabah in the Battle of Badr is the story of Abu Bakr . Abu Bakr was one of the closest companions of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and he was known for his unwavering faith and devotion to Allah. In the Battle of Badr, Abu Bakr showed the extreme level of devotion and courage, firstly devoting all his goods and wealth in the fundraising for battle. Moreover when he saw the Quraish approaching the Muslim camp, he asked the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) if he could take up arms and fight. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) replied, “You are my companion in the cave, and my companion in this battle.” This statement highlights the close bond between the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his Sahabah, and the depth of their commitment to the cause of Islam.

Other inspiring example of the piety and bravery of the Sahabah in the Battle of Badr is the story of Umar ibn Al-Khattab . Umar was a fierce warrior, and he played a crucial role in the battle. However, his piety and humility were equally remarkable. When the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) asked the Sahabah to suggest a leader for the army, Umar suggested that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) himself should take on that role. This statement reflects Umar’s humility and his recognition of the Prophet Muhammad’s superior leadership qualities.

Another striking example of courage and bravery in the Battle of Badr is that of the companion Sa’d ibn Mu’adh. He was a leader of the Ansar, the Muslims of Medina who had welcomed and supported the Prophet and his followers when they migrated there from Mecca. Sa’d was wounded in the battle, and his condition was grave. As he lay dying, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) visited him and comforted him, saying: “The throne of the Most Merciful shook for him, and the angels of heaven sought forgiveness for him.” (Sunan Ibn Majah ) This shows that even in the midst of battle, the companions of the Prophet remained mindful of the mercy and forgiveness of Allah and sought to please Him above all else.

Other example  is that of Abu Dujana, who was known for his physical strength and courage. He was a close companion of the Prophet and was present at many of the major battles of early Islam. In the Battle of Badr, Abu Dujana fought with great ferocity and was eventually martyred. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said of him: “The angels are shading him with their wings and lowering him gently into the Garden.” (Al-Tirmidhi) This shows that even in death, the companions of the Prophet were rewarded for their piety and bravery.

The Battle of Badr serves as a reminder to Muslims of the importance of faith, trust in Allah, and sacrifice in the cause of Islam. The victory at Badr was not only a military triumph but also a spiritual one, as it demonstrated the power of faith and the reward that comes with it. The Quran says: “Allah has promised those who believe and do righteous deeds that for them is forgiveness and great reward.” (Quran 5:9) This promise of forgiveness and great reward is a source of motivation and inspiration for Muslims, and it encourages them to strive for excellence in all aspects of their lives.

The Battle of Badr also highlights the importance of leadership in Islam. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was not only a spiritual leader but also a military leader, and he inspired the Sahabah to fight for the cause of Islam. His leadership qualities, including his humility, compassion, and strategic thinking, were instrumental in the victory at Badr. The Quran says: “Indeed, there has been an excellent example for you in Ibrahim and those with him, when they said to their people, ‘Indeed, we are disassociated from you and from whatever you worship other than Allah. We have denied you, and there has appeared between us and you animosity and hatred forever until you believe in Allah alone.’” (Quran 60:4) This verse highlights the importance of standing up for one’s beliefs and being firm in the face of opposition. The Sahabah in the Battle of Badr were willing to risk their lives for the sake of Allah, and they did not waver in the face of the Quraish’s superior numbers and resources.

In a nutshell, the Battle of Badr is a significant event in Islamic history, and it serves as a testament to the piety and bravery of the Sahabah. Their faith, trust in Allah, and willingness to sacrifice for the cause of Islam were the keys to their victory at Badr. The Quran and the Hadith provide us with valuable insights into the significance of this battle and the role played by the Sahabah in it. As Muslims, we can draw inspiration and motivation from their example and strive to emulate their piety and courage in our own lives. May Allah bless the Sahabah and grant them the highest ranks in paradise.

By Obaidul Hoque

All articles published not necessarily the official points of view held by islamonline

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The Battle of Badr is a defining moment in Islamic history. It serves as a testament to the piety and bravery of the Sahabah, the companions of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). This historic battle fought in the second year of the Islamic calendar was a turning point for the Muslim community and laid the foundation for the growth of Islam. The Quran and the Hadith provide valuable insights into the significance of this battle and the role played by the Sahabah in it.

The Battle of Badr was fought between the Muslim community, led by the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) and the Quraish tribe, who were the dominant tribe in Mecca. The Muslims were outnumbered and outmatched regarding resources, but their faith and courage carried them through the battle. Allah says in the Quran: “Remember when you prayed to your Lord for help, and He answered you, ‘I will assist you with a thousand angels coming in succession.” (Quran 8:9) This verse highlights the significance of faith and trust in Allah in times of adversity. The Muslims knew they were facing a formidable enemy, but they put their faith in Allah and sought His help. Allah, in turn, responded to their prayers and provided them with divine assistance in the form of angels.

The Sahabah who fought in the Battle of Badr were exemplars of piety and bravery. They were motivated by their love for Allah and their desire to establish His religion on earth. Allah says in the Quran: “Those who believed and migrated and struggled in the cause of Allah with their wealth and their lives are greater in rank in the sight of Allah, and it is they who shall triumph.” (Quran 9:20) This verse highlights the importance of struggle and sacrifice in the cause of Allah. The Sahabah were willing to risk their lives and sacrifice their wealth for the sake of Allah, and they were rewarded for their efforts.

One of the most inspiring examples of the piety and bravery of the Sahabah in the Battle of Badr is the story of Abu Bakr. Abu Bakr was one of the closest companions of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ), and he was known for his unwavering faith and devotion to Allah. In the Battle of Badr, Abu Bakr showed an extreme level of devotion and courage, firstly devoting all his goods and wealth to fundraising for battle. Moreover, when he saw the Quraish approaching the Muslim camp, he asked the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) if he could take up arms and fight. The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) replied, “You are my companion in the cave and my companion in this battle.” This statement highlights the close bond between the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) and his Sahabah and the depth of their commitment to the cause of Islam.

Another inspiring example of the piety and bravery of the Sahabah in the Battle of Badr is the story of Umar ibn Al-Khattab. Umar was a fierce warrior, and he played a crucial role in the battle. However, his piety and humility were equally remarkable. When the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) asked the Sahabah to suggest a leader for the army, Umar indicated that the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) himself should take on that role. This statement reflects Umar’s humility and recognition of the Prophet Muhammad’s (ﷺ) superior leadership qualities.

Another striking example of courage and bravery in the Battle of Badr is that of the companion Sa’d ibn Mu’adh. He was a leader of the Ansar, the Muslims of Medina who had welcomed and supported the Prophet and his followers when they migrated there from Makkah. Sa’d was wounded in the battle, and his condition was grave. As he lay dying, the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) visited him and comforted him, saying: “The throne of the Most Merciful shook for him, and the angels of heaven sought forgiveness for him” (Sunan Ibn Majah). This shows that even during battle, the companions of the Prophet remained mindful of the mercy and forgiveness of Allah and sought to please Him above all else.

Other example is that of Abu Dujana, who was known for his physical strength and courage. He was a close companion of the Prophet (ﷺ) and was present at many of the significant battles of early Islam. In the Battle of Badr, Abu Dujana fought with great ferocity and was eventually martyred. The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said of him: “The angels are shading him with their wings and lowering him gently into the Garden” (Al-Tirmidhi). This shows that even in death, the companions of the Prophet (ﷺ) were rewarded for their piety and bravery.

The Battle of Badr serves as a reminder to Muslims of the importance of faith, trust in Allah, and sacrifice for the cause of Islam. The victory at Badr was not only a military triumph but also a spiritual one, as it demonstrated the power of faith and the reward that comes with it. The Quran says: “Allah has promised those who believe and do righteous deeds that for them is forgiveness and great reward” (Quran 5:9). This promise of forgiveness and great reward is a source of motivation and inspiration for Muslims, and it encourages them to strive for excellence in all aspects of their lives.

The Battle of Badr also highlights the importance of leadership in Islam. The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) was a great leader, and he inspired the Sahabah to fight for the cause of Islam. His leadership qualities, humility, compassion, and strategic thinking, were instrumental in the victory at Badr. The Quran says: “Indeed, there has been an excellent example for you in Ibrahim and those with him, when they said to their people, ‘Indeed, we are disassociated from you and from whatever you worship other than Allah. We have denied you, and there has appeared between us and you animosity and hatred forever until you believe in Allah alone’” (Quran 60:4). This verse highlights the importance of standing up for one’s beliefs and being firm in the face of opposition. The Sahabah in the Battle of Badr were willing to risk their lives for the sake of Allah, and they did not waver in the face of the Quraish’s superior numbers and resources.

In a nutshell, the Battle of Badr is a significant event in Islamic history, and it serves as a testament to the piety and bravery of the Sahabah. Their faith, trust in Allah, and willingness to sacrifice for the cause of Islam were the keys to their victory at Badr. As Muslims, we can draw inspiration and motivation from their example and strive to emulate their piety and courage in our own lives. May Allah bless the Sahabah and grant them the highest ranks in paradise.

About the author:

Obaidul Hoque is a PG student at the department of Civilizational Studies, Darul Huda Islamic University.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily mirror Islamonweb’s editorial stance.

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The Battle of Badr is a historical battle between the Muslims of Medina and the Quraysh of Mecca. The Battle of Badr was the first major battle in the history of Islam and the victory in this battle increased the power of the Muslims. The Battle of Badr took place on 17th March or 13th March 624 AD according to 17th Ramadan of 2nd Hijri.

Before the Battle of Badr, there were several skirmishes between the Muslims and the Quraysh between 623 and 624. Badr was the first large-scale battle between the two armies. In battle, the well-organized Muslims were able to break the ranks of the Meccan soldiers. Abu Jahl, the main opponent of the Muslims, was killed in the battle. The Muslim victory sent word to others that the Muslims had emerged as a new power in Arabia and strengthened Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH)’s position as leader.

Table of contents

Battle of badr at a glance, what is the reason or background of the battle of badr, journey to badr, quraish caravan, meccan army, muslim plans in the battle of badr, the day of the battle of badr, pow of badr war   , death penalty, reaction to the battle of badr in mecca, impact of the battle of badr.

After he started preaching Islam, Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) faced opposition from the Quraysh of Makkah. Muslims migrated to Madinah due to persecution of Muslims. Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) himself migrated to Medina at one point. The Qur’anic verses revealed after the Hijra permitted Muslims to bear arms. After his arrival in Medina, Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) took three major military actions. First, peace treaties were made with the tribes of Medina; Second, intelligence was employed to collect information on the Quraish and their allies; Thirdly, Meccan trade caravans bound for Syria were raided by Medina. A number of raids were then carried out on Quraysh trade caravans en route to Syria.

In November or December 623, Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) led an expedition against a large Meccan trade caravan bound for Syria. The Quraish had many valuable goods in this caravan. The Muslim force consisted of 150 to 200 men and 30 mounted camels. Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) advanced with them to Dhul Ushairah. But the Muslims could not stop them as the Quraysh crossed the route a few days before the Muslims arrived. This campaign is known as Ghazwaye Ushaira. According to Ibn Ishaq, Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) left for this campaign at the end of the month of Jamadiul Awal of 2 Hijri and returned at the beginning of the month of Jamadiul Akhir.

In January 624 (Rajm month of 2 Hijri), Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) sent twelve Muhajirs on an expedition. Each troop was allotted one camel for two men to ride. Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) gave a letter to the leader of the army, Abdullah ibn Jahsh, to be read after two days’ march. Abdullah Ibn Jahsh read the letter of two days’ journey as instructed. It was ordered that after reading the letter that they should advance and reach the Nakhla between Makkah and Taif. The Quraysh then awaited the arrival of the caravan and were informed of their condition and position in Madinah. After reading the instructions of the letter, they proceeded. However, the camels of Saad ibn Abi Waqqas and Utba ibn Ghazwan were lost on the way, so they fell behind.

Abdullah Ibn Jahsh reached Nakhla with his army and found a Quraysh caravan. It included Abdullah ibn Mughira’s two sons, Uthman ibn Abdullah and Nawfal ibn Abdullah, and Mughira’s freed slaves Amr ibn Hadrami and Hakim ibn Kaisan. This day was the last day of the month of Rajab. Rajab was a month of interdiction so an attack was not possible. On the other hand, by the end of the month, the caravan would enter the Haram area of ​​Makkah, so it would not be possible to attack them again. In this situation the Muslim army decided to attack the caravan. Amr Ibn Hadrami was killed by an arrow at the beginning of the attack. The Muslims arrested Uthman ibn Abdullah and Hakim ibn Kaisan. Nawfal Ibn Abdullah managed to escape.

Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) was enraged when the Muslim group returned due to an attack in the month of Rajab. He said that he did not allow them to fight in Haram. He refused to accept the wealth and prisoners gained from the caravan. On the other hand, due to the attack in the month of Rajab, Quraysh also started taunting the Muslims. The following verses of the Qur’an state that the persecution of the people of Makkah is worse than violating the holy month. After this verse was revealed, Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) received the caravan and the captives. The Quraysh sent messages asking for the release of Uthman and Hakim and offering goods in exchange. But Saad ibn Abi Waqqas and Utba ibn Ghazwan, who had disappeared earlier, had not returned. He did not agree to the proposal at that time because of the fear of their lives at the hands of Quraysh. Then they both returned and the prisoners were released after receiving the goods. Among the captives, Hakim Ibn Qaisan accepted Islam and stayed in Madinah. Later on He was killed at Bire Mauna. Uthman Ibn Abdullah went to Makkah.

As the Quraysh caravan that had previously escaped from Ghazwaye Ushairah was returning to Mecca from Syria, Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) sent Talha ibn Ubaidillah and Sa’id ibn Zayd north to gather information about them. They reached a place called Hawrah and waited for the Quraysh caravan and when the caravan passed this place they returned to Madinah and reported the incident. The caravan had one thousand camels and these camels had goods worth 50,000 gold coins. There were 40 guards in the convoy for maintenance.

Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) called upon the Muslims to attack this caravan. However, there was no fear of facing a large Quraish force later, so he did not mention the necessity of everyone’s participation in it. As a result, many Muslims remained in Medina. After the announcement, Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) marched towards Badr.

How is the battle of Badr?

There were Abu Bakr, Umar ibn al-Khattab, Ali ibn Abi Talib, Hamza ibn Abdul Muttalib), Mus’ab ibn Umayr, Zubair ibn al-Awam, Ammar ibn Yasir and Abu Dhar al-Ghiffar in the Muslim army with Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH). Uthman ibn Affan could not go to war because of his wife’s illness. Salman Farsi was another’s slave at that time so he also did not participate in the war. The number of soldiers in the force was 313. Among them, 82 were Muhajirs and 61 were from the Aws tribe and 170 were from the Khazraj tribe. The Muslims had 70 camels and two horses. Consequently they had no choice but to walk before them, or to use one camel for every two or three. Two or three people would take turns riding a camel. In this arrangement a camel was allotted to Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH), Ali ibn Abi Talib and Marsad ibn Abi Marsad.

Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) awarded a white flag to Mus’ab ibn Umayr for overall leadership. One black flag each for the Muhajirs and the Ansar was awarded to Ali ibn Abi Talib and Sa’d ibn Mu’az respectively. Jubair ibn al-Awam and Miqdad ibn Amr were appointed as the head of the right and left wing of the army respectively. They mounted two horses belonging to the Muslim army. Qais Ibn Abi was appointed as the head of the rear. Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) took charge as the head of the entire army.

Fearing an attack, Abu Sufyan, the leader of the Quraish caravan, was gathering information about a possible attack by the Muslim forces from the various caravans he met along the way. As a result he got the news of Muslim attack. So Zamzam Ibn Amr Ghiffari was sent to Makkah as a messenger for help. He hurried to Makkah and, according to the Arab custom of the time, pinched the camel’s nose, overturned the seat, tore off his clothes and, sitting on the camel, announced that the Meccan caravan would fall into the hands of the Muslims.

“Quraysh, the caravan is attacked, the caravan is attacked. You have wealth with Abu Sufyan, Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) and his companions are coming to attack him. So I don’t think you will get it. So come forward for help, come forward” — Call of Zamzam Ibn Amr Ghiffari after reaching Makkah

After hearing this news, there was a stir in Makkah. An army of 1,300 soldiers was quickly raised and Abu Jahl became the head of the force. This army had numerous camels, 100 horses and 600 iron armours. Nine Quraysh nobles took charge of logistics. Sometimes 9 and sometimes 10 camels were slaughtered daily for the army.

Many Meccan nobles joined the Meccan army, including Abu Jahl, Utba ibn Rabi’a, Shaiba ibn Rabi’a, Abul Bakhtari ibn Hisham, Hakim ibn Hizam, Nawfal ibn Khuwaylid, Harith ibn Amir, Tuaima ibn Adi, Nadar ibn Harith, Jama’ ibn Aswad, and Umayyah ibn Khalaf. give There were several reasons for this. Some wanted to protect their wealth in the caravan, while others wanted to avenge Ibn al-Hadrami’s death. Besides, some also join in the belief that Muslims can be easily defeated. Abu Lahab did not take part in the war himself but sent to him Asi ibn Hisham ibn Mughirah, who owed him 4,000 dirhams, in exchange for the loan. Umayyah Ibn Khalaf initially decided not to take part in the war. At that time, Uqba Ibn Abu Mu’ayt addressed her as a woman. As a result, Umayyah Ibn Khalaf was ashamed and started preparations for war. However, no one from the tribe of Banu Adi among the Quraish took part in this war.

On the other hand, Abu Sufyan was constantly collecting news. After reaching near Badr, he met a man named Majdi Ibn Amr. When he asked him about the forces of Medina, Majdi could not say anything clearly. However, he said that he saw two ostrarohis sitting camels on the side of the hill and filling the mush with water. So Abu Sufyan went there as a precaution and broke the camel’s dung. Seeing the palm seeds obtained from the dung, he realized that these were the dates of Madinah, so he was free from doubt about the arrival of the Muslims. He then took the caravan to Yanbu towards the sea coast. After the Meccan army reached Juhfa, a messenger sent by Abu Sufyan came and told them that the caravan was safe and should not advance further.

After receiving this news, most of the Meccan forces agreed to retreat. But Abu Jahl, the chief of the army, refused to go back without a fight. Then Akhnas Ibn Sharik, an ally of the Banu Zuhra tribe and the chief of the tribe’s army, advised them to go back. But as the majority did not support him, he returned to Makkah with 300 members of the Banu Zuhra tribe. This reduced the strength of the Meccan army to 1,000. Later, members of the Banu Zuhra tribe expressed their joy at Akhnas’s decision.

Similarly, Banu Hashim also wanted to return to Makkah. But because of Abu Jahl’s insistence, they took part in the battle. The Makkan army advanced and took shelter behind a hill in the Badr valley.

“And remember, Allah promises you that a group of two groups will come to you. But you wanted the unarmed party to come under your control, and Allah wanted to establish the truth by His Word and destroy the disbelievers.” — Quran: Surah Al-Anfal, Verse: 7

The Muslims received news of the advance of the Meccan army. The Muslim army was primarily formed for caravan raids, not prepared for full-scale combat. The Muslims could have retreated without confronting the Quraish at this point but this would have greatly increased the power of the Quraish and they could have advanced and attacked Madinah. On the other hand, the Ansar of Madinah, the majority of the force, were not obliged to go outside Madinah to fight according to the Bayat of Aqaba, and the cost of the campaign was heavy on them. So Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) called a war council to discuss the situation that had arisen. In the meeting Muhajir, Ansar all agreed to face Quraysh. Then the Muslims advanced and reached near Badr.

After reaching here, Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) and Abu Bakr went out to gather news of the enemy. They saw an old man. Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) asked him about both the Muslim and Quraysh forces. That person gives correct information about both forces. That evening, Ali ibn Abi Talib, Zubair ibn al-Awam and Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas were sent to gather information. They captured two men collecting water from the well of Badr. After questioning they said that they were members of the Meccan army and were collecting water for the army. Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) was praying at that time. The Muslims present were skeptical about the truth of his words. So they beat them and ask the same question again. They then replied that they were not from the Quraysh army but from Abu Sufyan’s caravan.

Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) was angry after knowing this. He said that they were telling the truth but still they were beaten. He then interrogated them. They pointed to the hill at the end of the valley and said that the Quraysh were stationed behind it and that nine or ten camels were slaughtered for them every day. After hearing this, Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) said that their number would be from 900 to 1,000. The prisoners then called out the names of the noble Quraysh leaders who had arrived in the army.

“Mecca has thrown pieces of its liver to you” — Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH)’s comment after hearing the names of Meccan leaders

Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) ordered a rapid march towards Badr in order to prevent the enemy from reaching Badr in the east. His aim was to prevent the Quraysh from capturing the well. At night the Muslims stopped near Badr. Meanwhile, Hubab Ibn Munjir said that if this is the command of Allah, then let it be implemented. But if Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) stopped here as a strategy, then instead of staying here, the Quraysh stopped all the other wells and built a well over their own well to store water in it. As a result, while the Muslims will get water, the Quraysh will be deprived of water. On hearing this, Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) accepted the advice and ordered that the Quraysh should camp near the nearest well before midnight. After reaching there, all the remaining wells were closed by making chowbachcha.

After the Muslims captured the well as planned, a tent was built for Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) on the hill northeast of the battlefield on the advice of Sa’d ibn Mu’az. From here the battle situation could be well observed.

“O Allah, fulfill what You have promised. O Allah, I seek the fulfillment of Your promise.” — Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH)’s prayer at the commencement of the war

On the day of the battle, Quraysh broke camp and headed towards Badr. On reaching Badr they sent Umayr ibn Wahhab to gather news of the Muslims. Umayr arrived and informed him that the Muslim force was small and that fresh troops were unlikely to come to help. But at the same time he says they are well organized for war and they can kill the special people of Quraish. Thus he feared a heavy loss for the Quraysh. The Quraish were demoralized by hearing that casualties were not high in Arab wars. They got into an argument again.

One of the leaders of the Quraysh, Hakim Ibn Hizam, urged another leader, Utbah Ibn Rabi’ah, to return. Utba replied that he was willing to go back and he was also willing to pay the blood money of Amr Ibn Hadrami who was killed in Nakhla. But Abu Jahl did not agree, so he asked Hakim to persuade him. Utbah then told the Quraysh present that their own brothers might be killed in this battle, so even if they won the battle, they would not like to see the bodies of the dead and they would be known as kin killers. So his suggestion was that the Quraish should return to Mecca and leave Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) to the other Arab tribes. If they killed him, the Quraysh’s cause would also be successful and thus they would be innocent to Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH).

Hakim Ibn Hizam then went to Abu Jahl and advised him to go back. But Abu Jahl insists that he will not go back without fighting. He also scorned Utba’s advice to go back, complaining that Utba’s son was in the Muslim faction and advising Utba not to fight to save his son. Note, Utba’s son Abu Huzaifa ibn Utba became a Muslim during the early days of Islam. Utba was embarrassed to learn this from Hakim and declared that he was not a coward and would not go back until a final understanding was reached with Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH). On the other hand, Abu Jahl went to Amir Ibn Hadrami, the brother of Amr who was killed in Nakhla, and complained that Utba wanted to leave the battlefield, so it would not be possible to avenge his brother’s death. After hearing this, Amir smeared dust all over his body and started mourning for his dead brother. As a result of this all Hakim’s efforts to stop the war failed.

On the eve of the start of the war, Aswad Ibn Abdul Asad Makhzumi of the Quraish came forward and announced that he would either seize the water reservoir of the Muslims or give his life for it. Then Hamza ibn Abdul Muttalib advanced and fought with him. Aswad’s leg was severed in the fight. Injured, Aswad moves towards Chowbacha and enters Chowbacha’s boundaries to keep his promise. Then Hamza killed him. This was Badr’s first death.

After that, the fight started with duels according to the custom of the time. Utbah ibn Rabi’ah, Shaiba ibn Rabi’ah and Walid ibn Utbah from among the Quraish advanced to fight. Hearing their call to fight, Awf Ibn Harith, Mu’awiz Ibn Harith and Abdullah Ibn Rawaha came forward from among the Ansar. But the Quraish warriors taunted them saying that they were not worthy of them and that someone of the same class as the Quraish should be sent to fight. Then Hamza Ibn Abdul Muttalib, Ubaidah Ibn Harith and Ali Ibn Abi Talib were sent in their place. Shaiba with Hamza, Walid with Ali and Utbah with Ubaydah came to fight. All three of the Quraysh side were killed in the fighting. Ubaydah was injured in the fight so he was evacuated. He died a few days after the battle. The deaths of three leading warriors caused a crack in the morale of the Quraysh.

After the conflict, the Quraysh started attacking the Muslims. Before the battle, Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) ordered that arrows should be fired when the enemy approached in large numbers. Muslims pounced on their opponents chanting “Ya Mansoor Amit”. The Quraish of Makkah were scattered in the battle and forced to retreat. Mu’az Ibn Amr and Mu’az Ibn Afra killed Abu Jahl, the commander-in-chief of the Quraysh side. His former master Umayya Ibn Khalaf was killed by Bilal. Umar ibn al-Khattab killed his uncle As ibn Hisham ibn Mughirah. By afternoon the battle was over. The Qur’an mentions that thousands of angels came to the aid of the Muslims in this battle.

After the battle was over, the dead Muslims were buried on the battlefield. The bodies of the slain Quraysh were thrown into a well in the Maidan. At that time, the bodies of twenty-four main Quraysh leaders were thrown into the well. According to Arab custom, the Muslims returned to Madinah after staying on the battlefield for three days.

Post-war situation

After the war, the Muslims returned to Medina. 70 people including some Quraish leaders were captured. Prisoners were treated well. The Muslims themselves ate dates and gave bread to the prisoners.

Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) consulted the Companions about what to do about the prisoners. At the meeting, Abu Bakr opined that all the prisoners were Muslim brothers, members of the same clan or relatives. So they should be ransomed and released so that money is saved in the Muslim fund and the captives get a chance to convert to Islam in future. According to Umar Ibn al-Khattab, without showing any mercy to the captives, each of the Muslims killed his relative among the captives in order to prove that the Muslims had no weakness in their hearts towards the polytheists. Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) accepted Abu Bakr’s opinion and decided to release him in exchange of ransom. The ransom is set at between one thousand and four thousand dirhams. As well as Muttalib Ibn Hantab, Some of the prisoners, including Saifi Ibn Abi Rifaya and Abu Izza Jumahi, were released without ransom. The latter two were later killed in the Battle of Uhud. Besides, it was announced that those who knew how to study would be accepted as ransom if they taught 10 illiterate Muslims. Among the captives was Abul As, the husband of Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH)’s daughter Zainab bint Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH). Abul As was released on the condition that he would not prevent Zainab from coming to Medina. Suhail ibn Amr, the Prophet of Mecca, was among the captives. Umar offered to break Suhail’s two front teeth so that he could no longer speak against Muslims. But Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) did not accept this offer. Suhail was the representative of the Meccan side during the Treaty of Hudaybiyah. Later he accepted Islam. Abul As was also there. Abul As was released on the condition that he would not prevent Zainab from coming to Medina. Suhail ibn Amr, the Prophet of Mecca, was among the captives. Umar offered to break Suhail’s two front teeth so that he could no longer speak against Muslims. But Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) did not accept this offer. Suhail was the representative of the Meccan side during the Treaty of Hudaybiyah. Later he accepted Islam. Abul As was also there. Abul As was released on the condition that he would not prevent Zainab from coming to Medina. Suhail ibn Amr, the Prophet of Mecca, was among the captives. Umar offered to break Suhail’s two front teeth so that he could no longer speak against Muslims. But Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) did not accept this offer. Suhail was the representative of the Meccan side during the Treaty of Hudaybiyah. Later he accepted Islam.

Two prisoners of war were executed. These are Nazar Ibn Harith and Uqba Ibn Abu Mu’ayt. On the way back from Badr, Nadar ibn al-Harith in the Safra Valley and Uqba ibn Abu Mu’ayt were killed at a place called Irkuz Jubaya.

Haisman ibn Abdullah brought the news of the defeat of the Quraish to Makkah. Mourning begins in Mecca to mourn the victims. But then they were restrained so that the Muslims would not rejoice in their mourning. Moreover, it is said not to rush with the ransom. The Quraish decided to avenge the defeat at Badr and the two armies met again the following year at the Battle of Uhud.

The Battle of Badr had far-reaching effects. Winning the war greatly increased Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH)’s authority as a leader. As a result, other Arab tribes began to see Muslims as a new power. Many people in Medina accepted Islam at this time. Muslims who participated in the Battle of Badr are held in high esteem.

On the other hand, Abu Sufyan emerged as the new leader due to the death of many notables of Makkah including Abu Jahl in the war. Later he led the Quraysh against the Muslims. Abu Sufyan accepted Islam during the conquest of Mecca. After becoming a Muslim, Abu Sufyan played an important role in the Muslim empire. Later his son Muawiya established the Umayyad Caliphate.

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The Battle of Badr

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• Jeffry R. Halverson ,
• H. L. Goodall Jr. &
• Steven R. Corman  

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T he stories and myths of ancient civilizations are rife with tales of great and epic battles. In many cultures, even the gods themselves took part in military confrontations. The chief deity of the pre-Christian Norsemen, Odin, rode a horse, wore battle armor, and carried a spear. When the Norse achieved victories in battle, they attributed those victories to Odin. Norse warriors who died bravely in battle also joined Odin in Valhalla, the great golden hall of the next world.

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Safi ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri, Ar-Raheeq al-Makhtum ( The Sealed Nectar ) : Biography of the Noble Prophet (Riyadh, SA: Maktaba Dar-us-Salam, 1995), 210.

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Safi ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri, Ar-Raheeq al-Makhtum ( The Sealed Nectar ) : Biography of the Noble Prophet (Riyadh, SA: Maktaba Dar-us-Salam, 1995), 212.

Safi ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri, Ar-Raheeq al-Makhtum ( The Sealed Nectar ) : Biography of the Noble Prophet (Riyadh, SA: Maktaba Dar-us-Salam, 1995), 215.

This is a famous story in Islamic tradition. For a more detailed account, see Martin Lings, Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources (Cambridge, UK: Islamic Texts Society, 1991), 59.

Gilles Kepel, Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam , trans. Anthony F. Roberts (New York: I. B. Tauris, 2002), 145.

“Biography of Sheikh Abdullah Azzam (Shaheed)” in Abdullah Azzam, Defense of Muslim Lands: The First Obligation after Iman , trans. unknown (2002); Retrieved from http://www.religioscope.com/info/doc/jihad/azzam_defence_2_intro.htm .

Ayman al-Zawahiri, “Allegiance and Disavowal” (December 2002); Retrieved from https://hdshcresearch.asu.edu/aqp/servefile.php?id=528&type=html .

Olivier Roy, Globalized Islam: The Search for a New Ummah (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2004), 296.

Ibid.; Tim McGirk, “Asian Journey—Moscow’s Graveyard,” Time.com (August 2005), 2; Retrieved from http://www.time.com/time/asia/2005/journey/afghan2.html .

Martin Lings, Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources (Cambridge, UK: Islamic Texts Society, 1991), 108.

Daniel C. Peterson, Muhammad: Prophet of God (Cambridge, UK: William B. Eerdmans, 2007), 109.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri, Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum ( The Sealed Nectar ) : Biography of the Noble Prophet (Birmingham, UK: Maktaba Dar-us-Salam, 1995), 302–304.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri, Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum ( The Sealed Nectar ) : Biography of the Noble Prophet (Birmingham, UK: Maktaba Dar-us-Salam, 1995), 336.

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Halverson, J.R., Goodall, H.L., Corman, S.R. (2011). The Battle of Badr. In: Master Narratives of Islamist Extremism. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-230-11723-5_5

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A Short Summary of Ghazwa (Battle of) Badr

The origin of Islamic faith goes back to the early 7 th century, when Allah SWT selected Hazrat Muhammad ﷺ as his Last Messenger. When the Holy Prophet ﷺ announced about the first Quranic Revelation and that He is the Final Apostle of the Almighty Lord, the Qureyshi idolaters and polytheists denied Him. They became worst enemies of whoever accepted Islam and tortured them both physically and mentally. This eventually led to mass emigration of Muslims from Makkah to Madina with the permission of God, the Exalted.

The Muhajireen (emigrants of Makkah) left most of their belongings behind them, which were eventually taken by the Qureyshi disbelievers. In the second year of Hijrah (Migration), in 623 A.D, Muslims came to know of Qureyshi caravan coming back from Syria to Makkah. So, they thought of avenging their losses of possessions in Makkah by raiding that convoy lead by Abu Sufyan, who called for his people to protect his caravan from Muslims and crush them. The Apostle ﷺ of Allah had no plan of going into battle, but when He came to know about arrival of thousands of armed disbelievers for purpose of demolishing Muslims, they eventually had to go into first battle between them and the infidels. This clash is known as Ghazwa (battle in which the Prophet ﷺ took part in Himself) Badr, which occurred on 17 th of Ramadan and was won by Muslims who were 313 in number only, against the mighty army of above 1000 Makkan disbelievers. Allah SWT talks about this emphatic victory of Muslims over infidels in the Holy Quran as:

“Already there has been for you a sign in the two armies which met – one fighting in the cause of Allah and another of disbelievers. They saw them [to be] twice their [own] number by [their] eyesight. But Allah supports with His victory whom He wills. Indeed in that is a lesson for those of vision.” [Quran, 3: 13]

The account of the happenings during this heroic clash of Madinans (Believers) with the Makkans (Non Believers) is described below:

Preparation For The Decisive Encounter

When the Holy Prophet ﷺ came to know about the powerful preparation of the disbelievers against Muslims, He had no choice but to arrange a strong group of believers to fight against them. It was a great testing time for the faith of the disciples of Islam. The Ansaar (Natives of Madina) also had to make a decision whether to take part in this combat or not, as the Pact of Brotherhood between them and Muhajireen did not include fighting enemies outside the boundaries of Madina. The Messenger ﷺ of God asked his companions about it, Muhajireen approved their inclusion straight away, but as they were very less in number, Rasulullah ﷺ asked them 3 times until S’ad b. Mu’ad realized that He (PBUH) was wishing Ansaar to participate too. He stood up and told the Holy Prophet ﷺ that Ansaar were always ready to fight in the way of Allah and His Apostle (PBUH) at any cost. Rasulullah ﷺ was ecstatic at this great sight of Muslim unity and standing firm against the enemies of Allah. In the end, a small defense force of 313 Muslims; most of them were unarmed and had only 70 camels and two horses, was ready to face the disbelievers.

Acceptance Of The Prophet`s (PBUH) Entreaty

The idolaters of Makkah, under the command of Abu Jahl marched towards Madina. When Muslims came to know about it, they also moved out of the city and stationed at the wells of Badr near a sea between the two cities, where both armies collided in the end. Before the start of battle, the Holy Prophet ﷺ prayed to the Almighty Lord that this small amount of Muslims may not be destroyed, for there would be no one else left to take His Name till the Day of Judgment on the surface of the earth. Allah SWT accepted request of His Messenger, and later said in the Holy Quran:

“[Remember] when you asked help of your Lord, and He answered you, “Indeed, I will reinforce you with a thousand from the angels, following one another. [Quran, 8: 9]

The above mentioned Ayah clearly indicates towards the Help of Allah SWT in the form of good news of thousand Angels assisting Muslims during their fight against non believers who were triple their number. The prayer of Rasulullah ﷺ itself shows His great trust and faith in Allah Almighty`s Assistance.

Clash At The Site of Badr

Muslims were 1/3 rd in figure as compared to the infidels. When both the armies faced each other at the place of Badr, the battle began with the normal Arab Tradition of a fight, with nominated warriors from each side coming into clash with each other.

A triplet of disbelievers namely: Utbah Ibn Rabi-ah, his son Al Walid and his brother Sheibah (all belonging to the Ummaya Family) came in front of the Makkan army, and asked the Prophet ﷺ to send His men of equal strength and caliber to fight them. Every Mo`min was ready to come forward and was wishing to be called by the Apostle ﷺ of God to fight the idolaters, but Rasulullah ﷺ chose to start the combat with His own family. So, He selected His own Son in Law, Hazrat Ali (R.A), His uncle, Hazrat Hamza (R.A) and one of His close companions, Hazrat Ubayda (R.A). The first two had great wins over their opponents, while the Last One got martyred in the end. After the general battle started, valor of Hazrat Ali (R.A) was highly prominent, who horrified and killed his rivals with great bravery. The Holy Prophet ﷺ took a handful of soil and threw it in the air towards the faces of the idolaters. This caused them to tremble and they turned their backs, thereupon, Muslims took them with great power, killed 70 of them and took 70 as prisoners, who were treated with great humility and kindness. The Almighty narrates this happening in Furqan e Hameed as:

“And you did not kill them, but it was Allah who killed them. And you threw not, [O Muhammad], when you threw, but it was Allah who threw that He might test the believers with a good test. Indeed, Allah is Hearing and Knowing.” [Quran, 8: 17]

In this Quranic verse, the Creator of the world of the worlds indicates towards His Assistance when only a mere handful of soil thrown by the Prophet ﷺ resulted in Muslim victory. Allah SWT made it clear to the Muslims that their victory was made possible due to His Power and Support.

In short, the battle of Badr proved as a foundation of Muslim strength as they were quite a few in numbers, who were given the eventual victory against the mighty and well armed disbelievers of Qureysh.

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Chapter 30: The Battle of Badr

The Battle of Badr is one of the greatest and most famous battles of Islam and those who participated in it enjoyed a special distinction amongst the Muslims. Whenever one or more mujahids of Badr participated in or gave evidence about any matter the people used to say: "So many Badris agree with us".

The word 'Badri' is used in the biographies of the companions of the Prophet for those persons who participated in the Battle of Badr and the reason for their importance will be known from the details ot this event.

It has already been mentioned before that in the middle of Jamadiul Awwal of the second year of migration a report was received in Madina that a caravan was going from Makkah to Syria under the leadership of Abu Sufyan, and the Prophet went up to Zatul Ashirah to pursue the caravan and stayed there till the beginning of the following month, but could not lay hands on it. The time of the return of the caravans was almost certain, because in early autumn the caravans of Quraysh used to return from Syria to Makkah.

In all campaigns procurement of information is the first step towards victory. Unless the commander of an army is aware of the strength of the enemies, the point of their centralization and the morale of their soldiers, it is very likely that he may be defeated in the very first encounter.

One of the praiseworthy policies adopted by the Prophet in all the battles (the details of which will be given later) was that he used to collect information about the strength of the enemy and his location. And even till today the question of procurement of information enjoys great importance in global as well as local wars. According to Allamah Majlisi 1 the Prophet sent Adi (and according to the writer of 'Hayat-i Muhammad, as quoted by him from history books, he sent Talha bin 'Ubaydullah and Sa'id bin Zayd) for collecting information about the route and itinerary of the caravan, the number of its guards, and the nature of their merchandise. The information received was as under:

1. It is a big caravan and all Makkans have shares in its merchandise.

2. The leader of the caravan is Abu Sufyan and there are about forty persons who guard it.

3. The merchandise is loaded on one thousand camels and its value is about fifty thousand dinars.

As Quraysh had confiscated the property of Muslim Muhajirs residing in Madina, it was only appropriate that the Muslims should also confiscate their merchandise and if they persisted in withholding the property of the Muhajir Muslims on account of their enmity and obstinacy, the Muslims should, as a retaliatory measure, divide their merchandise amongst themselves as war booty.

Hence, the Prophet turned to his companions and said: "O people! It is the caravan of Quraysh. You can go out of Madina to take possession of the property of Quraysh. It is possible that your condition may improve". 2

In the circumstances the Prophet left Madina with 313 men in the month of Ramadan of the second year of migration to confiscate the property of Quraysh encamped by the side of the well of Badr.

While going to Syria Abu Sufyan had realized that the Prophet was pursuing his caravan. He was, therefore, careful at the time of his return and enquired from other caravans whether Muhammad had occupied the trade routes. It was reported to him that the Prophet had left Madina along with his companions and might be pursuing the caravan of Quraysh.

Abu Sufyan refrained from proceeding further. He did not see any alternative except to inform Quraysh about the impending danger to the caravan. He, therefore, hired a swift camel-driver named Zamzam bin 'Amr Ghafari and gave him the following instructions:

"Go to Makkah and inform the valiant men of Quraysh and the owners of the merchandise to come out of Makkah to guard the caravan against the attack of the Muslims".

Zamzam hastened to Makkah. As ordered by Abu Sufyan he cut off the ears of his camel, pierced its nose and turned its saddle upside down and tore his shirt from the front as well as from the back side. He then stood up on his camel and cried: "O people! The camels which are carrying musk are in danger. Muhammad and his friends intend confiscating the merchandise. I am doubtful whether it will reach your hands. Help! Help!" 3

The pitiable condition of the camel from whose ears and nose blood was trickling and the impression which Zamzam created by his continuous wailings and cries for help roused the Makkans and all their brave men and warriors got ready to go, with the exception of Abu Lahab, who did not participate in this battle, and hired As bin Hisham for four thousand dirhams to go and fight on his behalf.

Umayyah bin Khalaf, who was one of the chiefs of Quraysh, did not wish, for some reasons, to participate in this battle and had been told that Muhammad had said: "Umayyah shall be killed at the hands of Muslims". The leaders of the community felt that the absence of such an important person would certainly be harmful for their cause.

While Umayyah was sitting in Masjidul Haram with some other persons, two men, who had volunteered to fight against Muhammad, came and placed a tray and a collyruim-box before him and said: "O Umayyah! Now that you have declined to defend your land, wealth and trade, and have chosen to lead a secluded life like women instead of fighting on the war front, it is only proper that you should apply collyrium to your eyes like women and your name should be struck off the list of brave men".

This taunt had such a great effect on Umayyah that he immediately collected the provisions for his journey and proceeded along with Quraysh to safeguard the caravan. 4

• The Difficulty Faced By Quraysh

The time for departure was announced by special means. However, the chiefs of Quraysh were reminded of the fact that they had also a mortal enemy like the tribe of Bani Bakr, and it was quite possible that they might attack them from behind. The enmity of Bani Bakr with Quraysh was due to the bloodshed, the details of which have been given by Ibn Hisham. 5

In the meantime Saraqah bin Malik, who was one of the elders of Bani Kananah (a sect of Bani Bakr) assured Quraysh that nothing of the sort would happen and they could leave Makkah without the least worry.

• The Forces Of Truth And Falsehood Face Each Other

The forces of truth and falsehood faced each other for the first time in the Valley of Badr. The number of the army of truth did not exceed 313 whereas the army of falsehood was three times as big as that. The Muslims were not properly equipped.

Their means of transport consisted of about seventy camels and a few horses, while the enemy had come with full strength to knock down Islam. In spite of all this, however, truth was victorious and the enemy returned to Makkah after having sustained heavy losses.

The Prophet encamped in the northern passage of Badr at the foot of the mountain called,'al-'Udwatud Dunya' and was waiting for the caravan to pass when a fresh report was received. It changed the thinking of the commanders of the Islamic army and opened a new chapter in their lives. It was reported to the Prophet that the people of Makkah, who had come out to protect the caravan, were centralized in the same environs and various tribes had participated in forming this army.

The grand leader of Muslims saw himself on the crossroads. He and his companions had come out of Madina to confiscate the merchandise and were not in a position, whether from the point of view of numbers or that of military equipments, to confront a big Makkan army, and now if they had returned from the way they had come, they would have lost the glory which they had earned by means of manoeuvers and military demonstrations.

As it was very much likely that the enemy might continue his advance and attack the centre of Islam (Madina), the Prophet considered it expedient not to retreat but to put up a good fight with the available strength up to the last moment.

The point worth consideration was that the majority of the soldiers consisted of the Ansar and there were only seventy four Muhajirs amongst them and the agreement which the Ansar had made with the Prophet at 'Aqabah was a defence pact and not a war pact.

In other words, they had agreed to defend his person in Madina like their own kith and kin but had not undertaken to go with him out of Madina and wage war against the enemy. Now the question was as to what the commander of the entire force should do. He, therefore, saw no alternative but to consult his companions about engaging in the battle and to solve the problem in the light of their views.

• War Consultations

The Prophet stood up and said: "What is your view in the matter? "

Abu Bakr stood up first and said: "The chiefs and warlike men of Quraysh have joined this army. Quraysh have not at all expressed faith in a religion and have not fallen from the zenith of glory to the abyss of degradation. Furthermore, we have not come out of Madina fully prepared". 6 (He meant to say that it was not appropriate to fight, and they should return to Madina).

The Prophet said: "Sit down".

Then Umar rose and repeated what Abu Bakr had said. The Prophet asked him also to sit down.

Thereafter Miqdad stood up and said: "O Prophet of Allah! Our hearts are with you and you should act according to the orders given to you by Allah. By Allah! We shall not tell you what Bani Israel told Musa.

When Musa asked them to perform jihad they said to him: 'O Musa! You and your Lord should go and perform jihad and we shall sit here'. We, however, tell you quite the reverse of it and say: Perform jihad under the auspices of the blessings of Allah and we are also with you and shall fight".

The Prophet was very much pleased to hear Miqdad's words and prayed for him.

• Concealment Of Facts

Although bias and concealment of facts and fanaticism are improper for all writers, they are all the more unbecoming to a historian. History is a mirror in which the faces of the people can be seen clearly. For the benefit of future generations, therefore, a historian should steer clear of all fanaticism. 7

Ibn Hisham, 8 Miqrizi 9 and Tabari 10 have mentioned the war consultations of the Prophet and have also reproduced the texts of the replies of Sa'd Ma'az and Miqdad in their history books, but have avoided quoting the detailed replies of Abu Bakr and Umar. They have said briefly that these two persons stood up and expressed their views and said good things. Now, one can very well ask these champions of history that if the views expressed by 'Shaykhayn' (Abu Bakr and Umar) were good why they have refrained from quoting their text.

However, their replies were the same as mentioned above, and if the aforesaid historians have concealed facts, others have reproduced their text. 11 And as you can very well observe they did not say good things. Their words indicate that fear had over-taken them and they considered Quraysh to be so much honoured and powerful that they (Abu Bakr and Umar) could not even think that they (Quraysh) could be defeated.

The adverse effect of their speeches on the feelings of the Prophet can very well be realized from the fragments of history, which Tabari has reproduced on the same page, because as you can observe 'Shaykhayn' were the first persons who opened their lips and Miqdad and S'ad Ma'az expressed their views afterwards.

Tabari quotes Abdullah bin Mas'ud as having said: "On the day of Badr I wished that I had been in the position of Miqdad, because he started speaking and said: "We are not at all like Bani Israel (children of Israel) so that we may say that you and your Allah may go and fight and we shall sit here............ at a time when the face of the Prophet was flushed with anger.

Then he said these words (and provided means for the pleasure and happiness of the Prophet), and I wished that I had enjoyed that position". Now, was the anger of the Prophet due to anything other than the words of despair uttered by Abu Bakr and Umar and their insistence on returning to Madina? 12

No doubt it was a consultative meeting and everyone had a right to express his views before the supreme commander. However, it was proved that the views expressed by Miqdad were nearer to reality than those expressed by 'Shaykhayn'.

The views which were expressed had an individual aspect. However, the main object of holding consultations was to find out the viewpoint of the Ansar. Until and unless they co-operated, it was not possible to take a final decision. Hence, the Prophet repeated his words to find out the views of the Ansar and said: "Make your views known to me".

Sa'd bin Ma'az Ansari stood up and said: "Do you mean us?" The Prophet replied in the affirmative. Thereupon Sa'd said: "O Prophet of Allah! We have faith in you and testified that your religion is a true one, and we have promised and agreed that we will obey you and stick to all the decisions taken by you.

We swear by the Almighty Allah Who has appointed you to the prophetic mission that if you go into the sea (i.e. the Red Sea) we shall follow suit and none of us shall lag behind in following you. We are not at all afraid to face the enemy. It is possible that we may render services and make sacrifices in this regard which may brighten your eyes. In obedience to the command of Allah you may send us to any place you consider fit".

The words of Sa'd made the Prophet extremely happy and the inauspicious shadow of despair disappeared in the face of invigorative rays of hope, steadfastness, patience and forbearance in the path of the target.

The words of Sa'd were so exciting that the Prophet gave immediate orders to move and said: "Move and I give you good tidings that you will either come across the caravan and confiscate the goods or you will fight against the forces which have come to help the caravan. I can now see the defeat of Quraysh and find that they have suffered heavy losses".

The Muslim army proceeded under the command of the Prophet and encamped near the wells of Badr. 13

• Procurement Of Information About The Enemy

The modern military principles and war tactics have undergone great changes as compared with the past. The importance of acquiring information about the conditions of the enemy and knowledge of his military secrets, and war strategy and the force which he brings in the field is still there. Even now this matter has much to do with the winning and losing of battles.

No doubt this subject has now assumed an educational aspect and classes and schools have been set up for teaching the principles of espionage. The heads of eastern and western blocs now consider a major part of their success to lie in the expansion of their spying organizations so that they may become aware of the war plans of the enemy before the commencement of hostilities and may frustrate them.

The forces of Islam took their position at a place which accorded with the principles of camouflage, and every such movement as could result in the divulgence of secrets was stopped. Different parties started collecting information about Quraysh as well as about their caravan. Ihe information was collected from different sources in the following ways:

1. First of all the Prophet himself set out, accompanied by a brave soldier, and met the head of a tribe and said to him: "What information do you have about Muhammad and his friends?" He said in reply: "It has been reported to me that Muhammad and his companions left Madina on such and such day.

If the reporter be a truthful person he (i.e. the Prophet and his companions) should now be at such and such place (he mentioned the place where the Muslim troops had encamped). I have also been informed that Quraysh moved out of Makkah on such and such day. If this report be true they must be at such and such place by now (he mentioned exactly the same place where Quraysh were centralized).

2. A patrol party which included Zubayr, Awam and Sa'd Abi Waqqas went to the well of Badr under the command of Ali to obtain more information. This was a rendezvous where news were exchanged. Near the well the said party met two slaves of Quraysh along with a camel which carried water.

They intercepted both of them and brought them before the Prophet. After interrogating them it was known that one of the slaves belonged to 'Bani Hajjaj' and the other to 'Bani As' and they had been commissioned to supply water to Quraysh.

The Prophet said to them: "Where are Quraysh?" They replied that they were on the other side of the mountain which was situated in the desert. Then he asked them about their numbers, and they replied that they did not know it for certain.

He asked: "How many camels do they slaughter every day?" They replied that they slaughtered ten camels on one day and nine on the other. The Prophet then remarked that their number was between nine and ten hundred. Thereafter he enquired from them about the chiefs of Quraysh.

They replied that 'Utbah bin Rabiyyah, Shaybah bin Rabiyyah, Abul Bakhtari bin Hisham, Abu Jahl bin Hisham, Hakim bin Hizam, Umayyah bin Khalaf etc. were amongst them. The Prophet turned to his companions and said:

"The city of Makkah has thrown out the pieces of its heart (i.e. its dearest children)". 14

Thereafter he ordered that the two persons should be held captives so that investigations might continue.

3. Two persons were deputed to the village of Badr to collect information about the caravan. They dismounted by the side of a mound which was situated near the well and pretended that they were thirsty and had come to drink water. By chance they saw two women by the side of the well conversing with each other.

One of them said to the other: "Why don't you pay my debt? Don't you know that I too am in need". The other said in reply: "The caravan will be arriving tomorrow or day after tomorrow. I shall work for the caravan and then repay your debt". Majdi bin 'Amr who happened to be there confirmed what the debtor had said and then set them apart.

The two riders were very happy to hear this news. Observing the rules of camouflage they came to the Supreme Commander of the forces of Islam and informed him of what they had heard.

Now that the Prophet had received complete information about the arrival of the caravan and the position of Quraysh, it became necessary for him to turn to the preliminaries of his job.

• The Caravan Of Abu Sufyan Flees

Abu Sufyan, the leader of the caravan, who had been attacked by a party of the Muslims at the time of his outward journey, knew well that at the time of return he would certainly be attacked by them again. Hence, when he reached the zone of influence of Islam he stopped the caravan at a certain point and went to the village of Badr to collect information.

There he met Majdi bin 'Amr and asked him whether he had seen in that area any persons about whom he might have been suspicious. He replied: "I have not seen anything which might have aroused my suspicion. I saw only two camel-riders. They made their camels sit on the mound, came down, drank water and then went away".

Abu Sufyan ascended the mound, broke some pieces of the dung of the camels and finding date-stones in them realized that the persons concerned belonged to Madina. He, therefore, changed the course of the caravan and, covering two stages of the journey at a time, took it out of the zone of influence of Islam.

He also appointed a man to go and inform Quraysh that the caravan had been saved from attack by the Muslims and they should, therefore, return to Makkah and leave it to the Arabs to settle the affairs with Muhammad.

• Muslims Become Aware Of The Escape Of The Caravan

The news of the escape of the caravan circulated amongst the Muslims. Those who had greedily kept an eye on the merchandise were very much disturbed by this development. Allah revealed the following verse to strengthen their hearts:

Allah has promised to grant your victory over one of the two bands, but you wished to fight the one that was unarmed. He sought to fulfil His promise and to annihilate the unbelievers, so that truth should triumph and falsehood be uprooted, though the wrongdoers wished otherwise. (Surah al-Anfal 8:7 )

• Difference Of Opinion Amongst Quraysh

When Abu Sufyan succeeded in taking away his caravan safely by adopting a route other than that of Badr, he immediately sent a messenger to the people who had come to the rescue of the caravan to inform them about the safety of the caravan and to tell them to return the way they had come, because the real object of mobilization was to protect the caravan and it had been achieved.

When the representative of Abu Sufyan conveyed his message to the chiefs of Quraysh a strange split appeared amongst them.

The people belonging to the tribes of Bani Zohrah and Akhnas Shariq with their allies returned the way they had come. They said: "Our object was to protect the large merchandise of Bani Zohrah and that object has been achieved". Talib bin Abu Talib who had been compelled by Quraysh to leave Makkah also returned after a verbal dispute during which it was said to him:

"The hearts of you Hashimites are with Muhammad".

As opposed to the suggestion of Abu Sufyan, Abu Jahl insisted that they should go to the region of Badr, stay there for three days, kill camels, drink wine and hear the minstrel girls sing so that their valour might reach the ears of the Arabs and they should have a high regard for them for ever.

The fascinating words of Abu Jahl made Quraysh wait at that place and halt at an elevated point in the desert behind a mound. Heavy rain made movement difficult for them and kept them from proceeding further.

However, rain did not have any bad effect on the slope of the desert (al-'Udwatud Dunya) where the Prophet had encamped. The Muslims, therefore, moved, as ordered by the Prophet, and occupied a place by the wells of Badr.

Badr is a vast region. Its southern side is high (al-'Udwatul Qaswa and the northern area is low and sloping (al-'Udwatud Dunya). Water was available in this desert in large quantities from the wells which had been dug and it had always been the halting place for the caravans.

Hubab bin Manzar, who was one of the experienced soldiers said to the Prophet: "Have you alighted here in accordance with the command of Allah, or because you have considered this place to be fit for fighting a battle?"

The Prophet said: "No specific order has been revealed in this regard and if you have a more appropriate place in view you may mention it so that I may change the place if the exigencies of war make it necessary. Hubab said: It is expendient that we should occupy the place by the side of the water which is nearest to the enemy. We should build a tank there so that water may be available regularly for men and animals".

The Prophet appreciated the viewpoint of Hubab and ordered the army to move. This incident shows clearly that the Prophet attached extraordinary importance to consultations and respected the views of the people in public matters. 15

"Arish" Or Tower Of Command

Sa'd M'az said to the Prophet: "We propose to set up for you a shelter on a high mound from where the entire battlefield will come into view. It will be looked after by the guards, and the orders of the Supreme Commander will be communicated from there to the subordinate commanders.

Over and above all these things if the Muslim army is successful in this battle, well and good, and in case their men are defeated and killed, you may reach Madina by means of swift camels accompanied by the guards of the Tower of Command after employing some delaying tactics, which may stop the enemy from making an advance.

There are many Muslims there who are not aware of our present condition and if they come to know about the situation they will give you full support and will act till the last moments of their lives according to the agreement which they have made with you".

The Prophet prayed for Sa'd Ma'az and ordered the construction of a shelter on the mound, which should overlook the field, and the seat of command should be transferred there.

• Examining The Question Of Setting Up A Shelter

The construction of the shelter for the Prophet and its guarding by Sa'd Ma'az and a group of the Ansar is an event which has been quoted by Tabari from Ibn Ishaq, and others have followed him. 16 For certain reasons, however, the story is somewhat doubtful.

Firstly such an action has a bad effect on the morale of the soldiers. A commander who makes plans for his own safety and is not anxious about the safety of his soldiers cannot command and control their minds.

Secondly such a thing does not conform to the good tidings which the Prophet had given to his companions on the basis of Divine revelation. Before coming face to face with Quraysh he had spoken to the Muslims in these terms:

Allah has promised to grant you victory over one of the two bands (the caravan and those who had come to defend it), but you wished to fight the one that was unarmed. He sought to fulfil His promise and to annihilate the believers, so that truth should triumph and falsehood be uprooted, though the wrongdoers wished otherwise. (Surah al-Anfal, 8:7 )

When, according to Tabari, a shelter was being set up for the Prophet the caravan had escaped and there were left only those people, who had come from Makkah to defend it. And, according to the above-mentioned positive promise, they (the Muslims) were sure that the victory was theirs.

In the circumstances any talk about the defeat of the Muslims and setting up of a shelter for the Prophet and stationing swift camels near the shelter would have been out of place. Ibn Sa'd quotes thus from Umar bin Khattab. 17 When the verse:

Their army would be routed and put to flight, (Surah al-Qamar, 54:45 )

was revealed, I said to myself: "Which is the army whose decisive defeat has been predicted in this verse?" Then I saw on the day of Badr that the Prophet had put on the coat-of-mail and was reciting this verse with great vehemence. At that moment I understood that this army was going to be defeated and annihilated".

Keeping this fact in view can it be imagined that the Prophet and his companions could think of their own defeat and flight?

Thirdly, the character of the Prophet, whose posture in the battlefield was described by Ali, the Commander of the Faithtul, does not at all conform to this technique. He says about the Prophet: "Every time when fighting became intense we took refuge with the Prophet. None of us was nearer to the enemy than he". 18

Can it be imagined that a person, whose first disciple describes him in these terms, should adopt the path of personal security and flight in the very first battle fought by the Muslims?

We think that the setting up of the shade was only to provide the Prophet with a place higher than the battlefield so that he might have a full view of the battle, and from there he could give accurate instructions to his army.

• Movement Of Quraysh

On the 17th of Ramadan of the second year of migration Quraysh descended, early in the morning, from behind the sandy mound into the desert of Badr. When the Holy Prophet saw them he raised his face to the sky and said: "O Allah! Quraysh are up, with pride and arrogance, to fight against You and to deny Your Prophet! Send the aid which You have promised me and destroy them today! "

• Consultations By Quraysh

The forces of Quraysh were centralized at a certain point in Badr, but they were not aware of the strength of the Muslims. They dispatched 'Umayr bin Wahab, who was a brave man and an expert in assessing the strength of the armies to find out the number of Muhammad's companions.

Riding his horse he went round the encampment of the army of Islam and reported on his return that they were about three hundred. He said, however, that he would take another round and see whether there were any others lying in ambush and also whether or not there was any reinforcement.

He roamed about the desert in all directions and then brought very alarming news. He said: "Muslims don't have any ambush or shelter. However, I have seen some camels which are bringing the news of death for you from Madina".

Then he added: "I have seen a group of men who have no other asylum than their own swords. Until each one of them has killed one man of yours they will not be killed. And in case they kill from amongst you as many as they are themselves what will be the use of life? Take your final decision". 19

Waqidi and Allamah Majlisi have quoted another sentence as well i.e. "Don't you see that they are silent and don't speak even a word and their faces tell what their intentions are and they are moving their tongues in their mouths like deadly serpents?" 20

The words of the brave soldier created an uproar amongst Quraysh. The entire army of the enemy became panicky. Hakim bin Huzam went to 'Utbah and said: "O 'Utbah! You are the chief of Quraysh. Quraysh had come out of Makkah to safeguard their merchandise. This object has been achieved and there is no other matter left except the blood-money of Hazrami and the price of the property which was plundered by the Muslims some time ago. You should pay his blood-money yourself and refrain from fighting with Muhammad".

The words of Hakim had a strong effect on 'Utbah. He got up and made a very impressive speech before the people and said: "O people! You should leave it to the Arabs to settle the affairs with Muhammad. If Arabs succeed in overthrowing his religion and pulling down the foundation of his strength we too shall be happy on that account. And if Muhammad succeeds we shall not meet any harm from him, because we shall be keeping away from fighting with him in spite of our being at the zenith of our strength. It would, therefore, be better if we return the way we have come".

Hakim communicated the views of 'Utbah to Abu Jahl and saw that he was busy wearing his coat-of-mail, Abu Jahl was very much annoyed to learn about the speech of 'Utbah and sent a man to 'Amir Hazrami, the brother of 'Amr Hazrami, with this message: "Your ally (i.e. 'Utbah) is stopping people from realizing the blood-money of your brother. You can see the blood of your brother with your own eyes. Get up and remind Quraysh of the pact which they made with your brother and sing mournful verses for him.

Abu 'Amir got up, stripped off his head-covering and said imploringly: "Alas! O 'Amr!"

The wailings and lamentations of Abu 'Amar roused the sense of honour of Quraysh and made them decide to fight. They thus ignored the views of 'Utbah regarding withdrawal from the scene. However, the same 'Utbah, who had recommended withdrawal, was influenced by the transient sentiments of his companions. He rose at once, put on his military uniform and got ready for the battle.

Some times man loses his wisdom on account of the influence of sentiments and baseless passions, and fails to brighten his life. The man who was of peaceful disposition and had invited others to live and let live became so sentimental that he was the first to lay himself out to fight.

• The Reason Which Made The Battle Unavoidable

Aswad Makhzumi was a hot-tempered person. When he saw the tank of water which had been constructed by the Muslims he swore that he would do one of these three things: either he would drink water from the tank, or demolish it or be killed. He came out of the ranks of unbelievers and met the brave commander of Islam, Hamzah, near the tank. Fighting ensued between them.

Hamzah gave a blow on his foot and it was severed from his leg. He, therefore, fell down by the side of the tank, with his leg bleeding. In order to act according to his oath he reached the bank of the tank to drink water. Hamzah gave him another blow and he was killed.

This incident made fighting unavoidable, because nothing is more instrumental in rousing the sentiments of a crowd than bloodshed. Some persons whose hearts were burning with grudge and rancour revere keen to find an excuse to fight and now that this was the best excuse for them, they considered themselves under the obligation to fight.

• Single Combats

It was an old custom of the Arabs that in the beginning of a battle single combats were resorted to, and later general fighting began.

After Aswad Makhzumi had been killed, three famous warriors of Quraysh came out of their ranks and challenged for a fight. They were two brothers 'Utbah and Shaybah, sons of Rabiyyah, and Walid bin 'Utbah and all of them were fully armed. They roared and ran their horses in the field and called their opponents to fight.

Three brave men from amongst the Ansars named 'Awf, Ma'uz and Abdullah Rawahah came out of the ranks of the Muslims. 'Utbah, however, realized that they were from Madina and said to them: "We have nothing to do with you".

Then a man (from amongst Quraysh) shouted: "O Muhammad! Send our equals to fight with us!" The Prophet turned his face to 'Ubaydah, Hamzah and Ali and said: "Get up". The three brave men covered their heads and faces and of they went to the battlefield. All the three persons introduced themselves. 'Utbah accepted all of them for a combat and said: "Yes, you are our equals".

Some say that in this combat each warrior fought with his rival of the same age. Ali, who was the youngest of them met Walid (maternal uncle of Mu'awiyah), the middle-aged amongst the Muslims (Hamzah) faced 'Utbah (maternal grandfather of Mu'awiyah) and Ubaydah, who was the oldest amongst the Muslim combatants fought with Shaybah, who was oldest from the other side.

Ibn Hisham, however, says that the opponent of Hamzah was Shaybah and that of Ubaydah was Utbah. Now let us see which of the two views is correct. By assessing these views, the real position becomes clear:

1. Historians write that Ali and Hamzah killed their opponents in the very first moment and then hurried to help 'Ubaydah and killed his adversary as well. 21

2. In a letter written by Ali, the Commander of the Faithful to Mu'awiyah he reminds him in these words: "The sword with which I finished off your maternal grandfather ('Utbah, father of Mu'awiyah's mother, Hind) and your maternal uncle (Walid bin 'Utbah) and your brother (Hanzala) is still with me (i.e I still possess the same strength)'. 22

This letter clearly shows that Ali had a hand in the killing of the maternal grandfather of Mu'awiyah, and then we also know that Hamzah and Ali killed their opponents instantly.

If the opponent of Hamzah had been 'Utbah (grandfather of Mu'awiyah) Ali could not say: "O Mu'awiyah! Your grandfather ('Utbah) lost his life on account of the blows of my sword". Hence it cannot be gain said that the adversary of Hamzah was Shaybah and that of 'Ubaydah was 'Utbah and after killing their own opponents Hamzah and Ali went towards 'Utbah and killed him with the blows of their swords.

• General Attack Begins

As a consequence of the warriors of Quraysh being killed general attack started, and Quraysh began attacking in groups. The Prophet ordered that the Muslims should refrain from attacking and should prevent the advance of the enemy by means of archery.

Then he came down from the Tower of Command and arranged the lines of his soldiers with a stick. At that moment Sawad bin Ghazbah was standing somewhat forward as compared with the line. The Prophet hit the stick on his belly and said: "Don't stand ahead of other soldiers". 23 Sawad then said: "This blow given to me was unjustified and I want to take revenge".

The Prophet pulled up his shirt immediately and said: "Avenge yourself on me". And then all the soldiers saw that Sawad kissed the chest of the Prophet and put his arm round his neck and said: "I wished to kiss your chest during the last moments of my life."

Then the Prophet returned to the seat of command and with his heart overflowing with faith, turned his face to the Aimighty and said: "O Lord! If this group is annihilated today, none else will worship you on the face of the earth." 24

The particulars of the general attack have been recorded to some extent in the history of Islam. It is, however, certain that as and when the Prophet came down from the seat of command he encouraged the Muslims to fight in the path of Allah and to attack the enemy.

Once he came suddenly and said to the Muslims with a loud voice: "I swear by Allah who controls Muhammad's soul that whoever fights steadfastly today and his fighting is for Allah's sake and is killed shall be sent by Allah to Paradise".

The words of the Supreme Commander were so effective that some Muslims removed their coats-of-mail from their bodies and began fighting so that they might achieve martyrdom as early as possible. 'Umayr Hamam asked the Prophet: 'How much distance is there between me and Paradise?" The Prophet replied: "Fighting with the chiefs of blasphemy". He threw away a few palm-dates which he had in his hand and began fighting.

Then the Prophet picked up some dust and, throwing it towards Quraysh, said: "May your faces be metamorphosed!" 25 Thereafter he gave orders for general attack.

The signs of victory of the Muslims began to appear soon. The enemies were stricken with terror and began to flee. The Muslims, who were fighting with the help of their faith, and knew that both killing and being killed were blessings of Allah, were perfectly undaunted and nothing stopped their advance.

• Regard For Rights

Regard for the rights of two groups of persons was necessary. Some of them were those who had meted out good treatment to the Musims in Makkah and had supported them, for example Abil Bakhtari, who had rendered great services to the Muslims by bringing to an end their economic blockade.

The others were those persons who had come out of Makkah under compulsion and were actually the supporters of Islam and of the Prophet, for example, most of Bani Hisham, like Abbas, the uncle of the Prophet etc.

As the Prophet of Islam was the Messenger of blessings and peace, he gave strict orders that the blood of these two groups should not be shed.

• Umayyah Bin Khalaf Is Killed

Umayyah bin Khalaf and his son were captured through Abdur Rahman bin 'Awf. As mutual friendship existed between Umayyah and Abdur Rahman, the latter wished to take him and his son out of the battlefield alive so that they might be taken prisoners.

Bilal, the Ethiopian, was a slave of Ummayyah in the past. As Bilal had embraced Islam while he was a slave, Umayah used to torture him severely. In order to make him abjure Islam he used to make him lie on hot sand during the summer season and placed a big stone on his chest. Even in that condition Bilal used to say: 'Ahad! Ahad!' (Allah is One. Allah is One). The Ethiopian slave suffered a good deal until a Muslim purchased him and set him free.

In the Battle of Badr Bilal's eyes fell on Umayah and he realized that Abdur Rahman wanted to favour him. He, therefore, cried aloud: "O friends of Allah! Ummayyah is one of the chiefs of unbelievers. He should not be allowed to live". The Muslims encircled Ummayyah from all sides and put him and his son to death.

The Prophet had ordered that Abil Bakhtari, who had helped Bani Hashim in the days of economic blockade, should not be killed. 26 It so happened that a man named 'Majzar' captured him and was trying to bring him before the Prophet alive, but he, too, was killed.

• Amount Of Casualties And Losses

In this battle fourteen men from amongst the Muslims were killed. As regards Quraysh seventy of them were killed and seventy others were captured. Those captured included their chiefs named Nazar Harith, 'Uqbah Mu'it, Abu Ghurrah, Suhayl 'Amr, Abbas and Abul As. 27

The martyrs of Badr were buried in a corner of the battlefield. Their graves still exist and devoted Muslims visit them to offer their respects.

Later the Prophet ordered that the dead bodies of Quraysh might be collected and thrown in a well. When the body of 'Utbah was being brought to the well the eyes of his son (Abu Huzayfah) fell on it and he turned pale.

The Prophet observed this and said: "Has any doubt crossed your mind?" He replied: "No, but I imagined that my father possessed wisdom, learning and patience and thought that these qualities might guide him to Islam. However, I have now realized that whatever I had been thinking was wrong".

Then the Prophet went by the side of the well. He uttered the names of everyone of the chiefs of unbelievers and said: "O 'Utbah! O Shaybah! O Umayah! O Abu Jahl! Did you find what your god had promised you to be correct? I have found that which my Allah had promised to be correct and firm".

The companions of the Prophet said: "Are you speaking to the dead bodies?" He replied: "They are hearing my words but are not able to give any reply". 28

• After The Battle Of Badr

Many Muslim historians believe that in the Battle of Badr single combats and collective attacks continued till midday and the battle came to an end after noontide, when Quraysh fled and some of them were captured. After burying the martyrs the Prophet performed afternoon prayers at that place and came out of the desert of Badr before sunset.

Now the Prophet was faced for the first time with differences between his companions over the division of war booty, and every group claimed that it enjoyed precedence over others.

Those who guarded the Tower of Command of the Supreme Commander claimed that they had protected the life of the Prophet and nothing could be more important than this. Those who had collected war booty claimed precedence over others. And those who had pursued the enemy till the last moment and had made the collection of war booty possible considered themselves to be more deserving than others.

There is nothing more harmful for an army than that the disputes should arise amongst the individuals. In order to curb material desires and suppress all hue and cry, the Prophet entrusted the entire booty to Abdullah Ka'b and appointed some persons to help him in its transport and safe custody until a solution of the problem was found.

The rules of equity and justice demanded that the entire army should have shared the booty, because all had worked and shouldered responsibility and none of the individuals could achieve anything unless others were also active. While he was on the way, the Prophet divided the booty equally. As regards the Muslims who had been martyred he separated their shares and delivered them to their successors.

The action of the Prophet (dividing the war booty equally) annoyed Sa'd Waqqas, who said to the Prophet: "Do you consider me, who am one of the noble men of Bani Zohrah, at par with these water-carriers and gardeners of Yathrib?"

The Prophet was very much grieved to hear these words and said: "My object in this battle has been to support the weak against the strong and I have been appointed to the prophetic mission to uproot all imaginary discriminations and privileges and to replace them by equality in the rights of men".

As explained in the Qur'anic verses relating to khums:

One fifth of war booty belongs to Allah, His Prophet, the hindered, the orphans, the needy and those who need money while on a journey. (Surah al-Anfal, 8:41 ).

However, on this occasion, the Prophet distributed khums also amongst the army. It is possible that the verse relating to khums had not been revealed yet or the Prophet, exercising the authority vested in him, refrained from taking khums to increase the shares of the mujahids.

• Two Captives Were Killed Enroute

At one of the halting places the captives were made to appear before the Prophet. Out of them Nazar bin Harith, who was one of the sworn enemies of the Muslims, was executed in the strait of 'Safra' and 'Uqbah bin Abi Mu'it was killed under the Prophet's orders in 'Irquz Zabiyyah. 29

Now the question arises as to why, in spite of the fact that the orders of Islam about the prisoners of war are that they are the slaves of the Muslims and the mujahids, and may be sold in the bazaar at reasonable prices, the Prophet agreed to the execution of these two persons, and how he took such a decision, when he had already said to the Muslims about the captives of Badr: "Be good to the captives". 30

Abu Aziz, the standard-bearer of Quraysh in the Battle of Badr, says: 'From the day the Prophet made recommendation for us we became so honourable before the Muslims that they did not touch food until we had been fed first'.

In the circumstances the execution of these two captives was ordered for the sake of general welfare of the Muslims and not as an act of vengeance, because these two persons were the chiefs of unbelievers and were the plotters against Islam and the instigators of the tribes. Possibly the Prophet was sure that if they were set at large they would once again indulge in such dangerous activities.

• Men Dispatched By The Prophet To Madina

Abdullah Rawahah and Zayd Harithah were deputed by the Prophet to reach Madina as soon as possible and to convey good news to the Muslims that Islam had been victorious and the leaders of the unbelievers like 'Utbah, Shaybah, Abu Jahl, Zam'ah, Abul Bakhtari, Umayyah, Nabiyya, Manbah etc. had been killed.

They arrived at the time when the Muslims were returning after burying the daughter of the Prophet, who was the wife of Uthman, and the joy of victory in the war was thus mingled with grief on account of her death.

At the same time the polytheists and the Jews were very much perturbed and unnerved, because they never expected that the Muslims would be blessed with such a victory. They, therefore, endeavoured to make the people believe that the news was false. However, the fact was proved beyond any doubt by the arrival of the army of Islam along with the captives of Quraysh.

• Makkans Come To Know About Their Chiefs Being Killed

Haysaman Khaza'i was the first to reach Makkah to inform the people of the bloody events at Badr as well as of their chiefs being killed in the battle. Abu Rafe', who was the slave of Abbas in those days and later became a companion of the Prophet as well as of the Commander of the Faithful, says:

"In those days Islam had illuminated the house of Abbas. He, his wife Ummul Fazal, and myself had embraced Islam, but had kept our faith concealed for fear of the people. When the news of the death of the enemies of Islam at Badr spread we were extremely happy.

However, Quraysh and their supporters were very much grieved and disturbed. Abu Lahab who had not participated in this battle and had sent someone else in his own place was sitting by the well of Zamzam. Suddenly people brought the news that Abu Sufyan Harth had arrived. Abu Lahab said: "Tell him to see me as early as possible".

He came, sat by the side of Abu Lahab, and gave a detailed account of the happenings at Badr. Agitation and fear struck Abu Lahab's heart like lightening. After burning in high fever for seven days he died of some mysterious disease.

The story of the participation in the Battle of Badr of the Prophet's uncle Abbas (who was one of the persons who were captured by the Muslims) is one of the problems of history. How can it be that he insisted upon the people of Madina, at the time of the agreement of 'Aqabah, to support the Prophet and he is reported to have participated in this battle.

The solution of this problem lies in what his slave Rafe' says. He says that he was one of the persons who, like his brother Abu Talib, believed in the Oneness of Allah and the Prophethood of his nephew, but concealed his faith, keeping in view the exigencies of the time, so that he might assist his nephew and keep him informed of the nefarious plots of Quraysh, just as he had done at the time of the Battle of Uhud.

The spreading of the news of the death of seventy persons from amongst the dear ones of Quraysh caused harassment in many families and made them sad and gloomy. 31

• Wailings And Elegizing Prohibited

In order to keep Quraysh in a state of anger and indignation and to ensure that the people should be always ready to avenge the blood of their warriors Abu Sufyan gave orders that nobody had a right to weep or wail nor should a poet recite mournful verses because these things diminish the sense of revenge and occasion taunts by the enemies.

To incite resentment among the people he also declared that he would not lie with any woman until and unless he had taken revenge upon the Muslims for the blood of those who were killed in Badr.

Aswad Muttalib felt strong indignation on account of losing three of his sons. Suddenly he heard the wailings of a woman. He was pleased and thought that crying for those killed had been allowed. He sent some one to verify his suspicion.

However, the result of investigation was not the same as he had wished, because the woman was crying as she had lost her camel and weeping for a lost camel was not prohibited according to the orders of Abu Sufyan. Aswad felt this very much and composed verses. The translation of two of them is given below:

"Is she crying for her lost camel and does she keep awake during nights for having lost it? No. It is not proper at this moment that she should cry for her camel. Rather it is necessary that she should weep for those who have been killed and with whose death joy, honour and glory have also been lost". 32

• Final Decision About The Captives

According to the Islamic law the prisoners of war become slaves of the Muslims and everyone of them is required to work according to his capacity. Educated persons are employed on educating others and industrialists impart instruction in the field of industry. These slaves cannot become free in any case unless they are first purchased by someone, and this had been the practice of the Prophet and of the Muslims during the battles fought and the conquests made by them.

As regards this battle (i.e. Badr), however, it was declared that educated persons could become free if they taught ten boys how to read and write. Others could also purchase their freedom by paying an amount ranging from one thousand dirhams to four thousand dirhams. As regards the poor persons they could be set free without payment of any ransom.

This news caused a thrill in Makkah amongst the relatives of the captives and they sent ransom money to Madina to get them released. When Suhayl 'Amr was set free on payment of ransom, one of the companions of the Prophet requested for permission to pull out his front teeth, so that he could not be able thereafter to speak against Islam. The Prophet did not grant permission to do that and said that it amounted to 'mutilation' which is not permissible in Islam.

Abil As, the son-in-law of the Prophet and husband of his daughter Zaynab, was a respectable tradesman of Makkah. He had married Zaynab during the Age of Ignorance and did not embrace Islam after the appointment of the Prophet to the prophetic mission. He also participated in the Battle of Badr and was taken prisoner. At that time his wife, Zaynab, was in Makkah.

To get her husband released she sent to Madina a necklace which was given to her by her mother Khadijah at the time of her marriage. The Prophet chanced to see the necklace sent by his daughter. He wept and was reminded of the great sacrifices made by Khadijah for the cause of Islam and the enormous wealth spent by her for the advancement of the Divine religion.

To ensure respect for public property he turned to his companions and said: "This necklace is your property and you have full right over it. If you are agreeable it may be returned and Abil As may be set free without realizing any ransom". His companions accepted his suggestion.

• Statement Of Ibn Abil Hadid

He says: "I mentioned the incident of Zaynab's necklace before my teacher Abu Ja'far Basri 'Alavi and he confirmed it, but added: "Was it not appropriate that the caliphs should have consoled Fatimah by returning Fadak to her, even if it be supposed that it belonged to the Muslims?" I said: "According to a tradition the Prophets don't leave behind any inheritance and as such Fadak belonged to the Muslims.

In the circumstances how could the property of the Muslims be given to the daughter of the Prophet?" The teacher said: "Did not the necklace, which Zaynab sent for the release of Abil As, belong to the Muslims?"

Abil Hadid says: "I said that the Prophet was the lawgiver and possessed authority in all matters, whereas the caliphs possessed no such authority". The teacher said: "I don't say that the caliphs should have taken Fadak forcibly from the Muslims and given it to Fatimah. What I say is that the ruler of the time didn't consult the Muslims regarding the return of Fadak.

Why did he not stand up like the Prophet and say: 'O people! Fatimah is the daughter of your Prophet. She desires that the garden of Fadak should be under her control as it used to be during the lifetime of the Prophet. Do you agree that Fadak be returned to her?'

Ibn Abil Hadid writes in the end: "I could say nothing in reply to the eloquent remarks of the teacher and only said this much in his support: 'Abul Hasan Abdul Jabbar has also criticized the caliphs in this behalf and says that though their action was according to law, no regard was shown to the respect and position, to which Zahrah was entitled". 33

• 1. Biharul Anwar, vol. XIX, page 217.
• 2. Mughazi-i Waqidi, vol. I, page 20.
• 3. Tarikh-i Kamil, vol. II, page 81.
• 4. Tarikh-i Tabari, vol. II, page 138 and Tarikh-i Kamil, vol. II, page 82.
• 5. Seerah-i Ibn Hisham, vol. II. pp. 248 - 249.
• 6. Mughazi-i Waqidi, vol. I, page 48.
• 7. Tarikhi Kamil, vol. II, page 82.
• 8. Seerah-i Ibn Hisham vol. I, page 615.
• 9. al-lmta'ul Asma', page 74.
• 10. Tarikh-i Tabari. vol. II, page 140.
• 11. Mughazi-i Waqidi, vol. I, page 248; Seerah-i Halabi, vol. II, page 160 and Biharul Anwar, vol. XIX, page 217.
• 12. Tarikh-i Tabari, vol. II, page 140.
• 13. Mughazi-i Waqidi, vol. I, page 48; Seerah-i Ibn Hisham, vol. I, page 615.
• 14. Seerah-i Ibn Hisham, vol. I, page 617.
• 15. Seerah-i Ibn Hisham, vol. I, p. 620 and Tarikh-i Tabari, vol. II, p. 144.
• 16. Tarikh-i Tabari, vol. II, p. 145 and Seerah-i Ibn Hisham, vol. I, p. 620.
• 17. Tabaqat, vol. II, page 25.
• 18. Nahjul Balaghah, Kalimat-i Qisar, page 214.
• 19. Seerah-i Ibn Hisham, vol. I, page 622.
• 20. Mughazi, vol. I, page 62 and Biharul Anwar, vol. II, page 234.
• 21. Tarikh-i Tabari, vol. II, p. 148 and Seerah-i Ibn Hisham, vol. I, p. 625.
• 22. Nahjul Balaghah, letters, 28 and 46.
• 23. Tarikh-i Ibn Hisham, vol. I, page 626.
• 24. Tarikh-i Tabari, vol. II, page 149.
• 25. Seerah-i Ibn Hisham, vol. I, page 628.
• 26. Tabaqat-i Ibn Sa'd, vol. Il. page 23.
• 27. Seerah-i Ibn Hisham, vol. II, pp. 206-207; Mughazi, vol. I, pp. 137-138.
• 28. Mughazi-i Waqidi, vol. I, page 117.
• 29. Seerah-i Ibn Hisham, vol. II, page 645.
• 30. Seerah-i Ibn Hisham, vol. I, page 645.
• 31. Fahrist-i Najashi, page 5.
• 32. Seerah-i Ibn Hisham, vol. I, page 648.
• 33. Sharh-i Nahjul Balaghah by Ibn Abil Hadid, vol. XIV, page 191.
• A Short History of Makkah
• General Morals of the Arabs
• Were the Pre-Islamic Arabs Civilized?
• As`ad Bin Zurarah Meets The Holy Prophet
• Thinking of The Arabs about Man After Death
• Literature or The Stereoscope of The Mentality of a Nation
• Social Position of Women Amongs The Arabs
• A Brief Comparison
• Arabs as Warriors
• 1. Burning fire for the coming of rains
• 2. If a cow did not drink water they beat the Ox
• 3. They branded healthy camels so that the others might recover
• 4. A camel was confined by the side of a grave
• Islam Combats With Superstitions
• How Islam Campaigned against these Superstitions
• 7. Some Other Superstitions
• Seasonal Discussions in Rome
• Iran, or The Cradle of Civilisation of that Age
• General Conditions of Iran Simultaneous with The Dawn of Islam
• Fondness for Luxuriousness during Sasanian Period
• Social Conditions in Iran
• Right of Obtaining Education was Reserved for the Upper Classes
• Verdict of History on The Sasanian Kings
• Unrest during The Sasanian Rule
• Disturbed Conditions of Sasanian Iran from Religious Viewpoint
• Wars between Iran and Rome
• Why Worship of Creatures Came Into Existence?
• Birthplace of Prophet Ibrahim
• Ibrahim’s Campaign Against Idol Worship
• Secret of Polytheism
• Ibrahim’s Logic Explained
• Method of Discussion and Debate Adopted by The Prophets
• Was Azar The Father of Ibrahim?
• Azar in The Holy Qur’an
• Ibrahim The Idol-Breaker
• Instructive Points of This Narrative
• A New Chapter in The Life of Ibrahim
• How The Fountain of Zamzam Came Into Existence
• They Meet Again
• 2. Qusayy Son Of Kilab
• 3 . Abd Manaf
• Umayyah Son of Abd Shams Feels Jealous
• Hashim Marries
• Re-Excavation Of The Well Of Zamzam
• Steadfastness In Keeping Promise
• Tumult Of The Year of The Elephant
• The Origin Of This Event
• Abdul Muttalib Goes To The Camp of Abraha
• Quraysh Await Abdul Muttalib’s Return
• A theoretical discussion about miracles
• Way of Thinking of Some Scholars
• Notable Points With Regard to The Above Mentioned Explanation
• Two Important Points
• After The Defeat of Abraha
• Imaginary Frontiers of Quraysh
• Abdullah – Father Of The Holy Prophet
• Death Of Abdullah In Yathrib
• Year, Month and Date of Birth of The Prophet of Islam
• Which of The Two Versions is Correct?
• Ceremony of Giving A Name To The Prophet of Islam
• The Holy Qur'an mentions two names of the Prophet.73
• The Infancy Of The Prophet
• Worshippers of Allah
• Five Years In The Desert
• Journey To Yathrib
• Death of Abdul Muttalib
• Guardianship by Abu Talib
• A Journey to Syria
• Falsehood of The Orientalists
• A Glance at The Existing Taurat
• A Glance at The Injeel
• Spiritual Power of The Holy Prophet
• The Fujjar (Unjust) Battles
• Hilful Fuzul (The Covenant of The Youths)
• Abu Talib's Proposal
• Khadijah - The First Lady Of Islam
• The Patent and Latent Causes of The Marriage
• Circumstances of Khadijah’s Suit
• Manhood of The Holy Prophet
• Sentiments of His Manhood
• His Children from Khadijah
• Unfounded Guess
• Adopted Son of The Prophet of Islam
• Beginning of Differences Among The Idolaters
• The Foundations of Idol-Worship Shake
• Another Weakness of Quraysh
• Necessity for the appointment of Prophets
• Role of Prophets on the reformation of society
• A Patent Example
• The 'Honest One' Of Quraysh in The Hira Mountain
• Commencement of Revelation
• The World as Viewed by a Materialist
• The Abstract Soul
• Magnetic Sleep (Hypnotism)
• Inspiration or Mysterious Sense
• Kinds of Inspiration
• Trail of Revelation
• Khadijah Goes to Waraqah Bin Nawafal
• Baselessness of These Statements
• The First Reply
• The Second Reply
• The Third Reply
• The Faith of the Prophet before The Prophetic Mission
• Comparison of Prophet Muhammad with Prophet 'Isa
• The First Amongst Women to Embrace Islam was Khadijah
• The First Evidence
• The Second Evidence
• The Third Evidence
• The Fourth Evidence
• Mamun’s Discussion with Ishaq
• Our opinion on This Subject
• The Holy Prophet Commenced Reformation From A Limited Circle
• The Manner of Inviting The Kinsfolk
• Crimes and Breach of Trust
• Prophethood and Imamate are Linked Together
• The Role of Faith and Fortitude
• Steadfastness and Fortitude of The Holy Prophet
• Quraysh Approached Abu Talib for The Third Time
• Quraysh Try to Allure The Holy Prophet
• An Example of The Tortures and Persecutions by Quraysh
• Abu Jahl Lies in Ambush for The Holy Prophet
• Bilal, The Ethiopian
• Self-Sacrifice of Ammar and His Parents
• Abdullah Bin Mas'ud
• Ruthless Enemies of The Holy Prophet
• Umar Ibn Khattab Embraces Islam
• Judgement of Walid
• Another Example
• Strange Stratagem of Quraysh
• 1. Quraysh were jealous of the Holy Prophet
• 2. Fear of the Day of Judgement
• Some objections by the Polytheists
• Quraysh Send Their Representatives to The Court of Ethiopia
• Return from Ethiopia
• Mission of The Christians
• The Mission of Quraysh
• Undue Calumnies
• Persistence in Attributing Insanity
• Imposture of Nazar Bin Harith
• Persistence of Quraysh in Their Faith
• They Prohibit Hearing of The Qur’an
• The Law-Breaking Legislators
• Preventing People from Embracing Islam
• What is the Fiction of 'Ghayraniq'?
• A Simple Accountability of This Fiction
• Judgement of Intellect on This Myth
• Contradiction of The Story in Another Way
• Argument against the Myth from The Point of View of Language
• Evidence put forward by some orientalists
• Declaration By Quraysh
• The Pitiable Condition Of Bani Hashim
• Change In The Programme Of The Journey
• Defence Of His Sacred Beliefs
• "Real life consists of faith and jihad".
• A False Idea
• The Real Stimulant For Abu Talib
• A Short Account Of The Sacrifices Made By Abu Talib
• The Will Of Abu Talib At The Time Of His Death
• The Last Journey
• The Viewpoint Of Shi'ah Scholars
• Me'raj According To The Qur'an, Hadith And History
• Does Me'raj Have A Qur'anic Origin?
• Reports About Me'raj
• History Of This Event
• Was Me'raj Of The Prophet Physical?
• What Is Spiritual Me'raj?
• Reply To The Above Criticism
• An Unrhythmical Song
• Me'raj And Modern Scientific Laws
• Reply To The Above Objections
• The Object Of Me'raj
• The Prophet Returns To Makkah
• A Point Which Deserves Attention
• Speeches In The Famous Bazaars Of Arabia
• Invitation To The Heads Of The Tribes During Haj Season
• The Details Of This Event
• The First Agreement At 'Aqabah
• Conditions Of Muslims After The Agreement Of 'Aqabah
• The Reaction Of QurayshTo The Agreement At 'Aqabah
• Spiritual Influence Of Islam
• Fear Overtakes Quraysh
• Divine Assistance
• The Archangel Jibreel Informs The Prophet
• Enemies Attack The House Of The Prophet
• The Prophet In The Cave Of Thaur
• Quraysh Do Not Hesitate In Searching Out The Prophet
• Self-Sacrifice In The Path Of Reality
• Reply To The False Interpretation
• Detailed Reply
• Coming Out Of The Cave
• The First Page Of History
• Why The Year Of Migration Became The Era Of Islamic History?
• Schedule Of The Journey
• Arrival In The Village Of Quba
• Tumult And Glamour Of Joy In Madina
• Seeds Of Dissension
• The Story Of 'Ammar
• Nurse Kinder To The Child Than Its Mother
• Brotherhood-The Greatest Gleam Of Faith
• Two Great Distinctions Of Ali
• Another Distinction Of Ali
• Obstructions Of The Jews
• ABDULLAH BIN SALAM EMBRACES ISLAM
• Another Plan To Overthrow The Government Of Islam
• What Was The Object Of War Manoeuvres?
• Viewpoint Of Orientalists About These Events
• Difficulties Of Marriage During The Present Age
• The Propllet Campaigned Practically Against These Difficulties
• The Dowry Of The Prophet's Daughter
• The Ceremonies Of The Marriage
• Miraculous Knowledge Of The Prophet
• "Arish" Or Tower Of Command
• The Fire Of War Kindles With A Spark
• 1. Ghazwatul Kadar
• 2. Ghazwatus Saweeq
• Ghazwah Zil Amr
• Quraysh Change Their Trade Route
• Reasons For The Battle Of Uhud
• Quraysh Decide To Meet The Expenses Of War
• The Intelligence Organization Of The Holy Prophet Furnishes A Report
• The Army Of Quraysh Moves
• The Uhud Region
• Consultations In The Matter Of Defence
• Drawing Lots For Being Killed
• Result Of Consultations
• The Holy Prophet Takes Decision
• The Holy Prophet Goes Out Of Madina
• Two Self-Sacrificing Soldiers
• Array Of The Two Armies
• Strengthening The Morale Of The Soldiers
• The Enemy Organizes His Rows
• Psychological Stimulations
• The Battle Begins
• Who Were Fighting For The Sake Of Lust?
• Defeat After Victory
• The Rumour About The Prophet Being Killed Spreads
• Is It Possible To Deny The Flight Of Some Persons?
• The Holy Qur'an Reveals Some Facts
• Bitter Experiences
• Five Persons Conspire To Kill The Holy Prophet
• Defence Associated With Success And Renewed Victory
• Trail Of The Happenings At Uhud
• The Opportunists Among The Enemy
• End Of The Battle
• Last Words Of Sa'd Bin Rabi'
• The Holy Prophet Returns To Madina
• Exciting Record Of A Faithful Woman
• Another Example Of Self-Sacrificing Women
• The Enemy Should Be Pursued
• The Prophet Goes Upto Hamra'ul Asad
• A True Believer Is Not Cheated Twice
• A Dexterously Drawn Plan To Kill The Missionaries
• Cruel Massacre Of The Missionaries Of Islam
• Tragedy Of Bl'r Ma'unah
• Partial Behaviour Of The Orientalists
• A True Believer Is Never Stung From The Same Hole Twice
• How To Deal With This Crime?
• Crocodile Tears
• Role Of The Hypocrites
• The Farms Of Bani Nuzayr Are Distributed Among The Muhajirs
• Prohibition Of Alcoholic Drinks
• Battle (Ghazwah) Of Za'tur Riqa'
• Forbearing Guards
• The Second Badr
• Who Was Zayd Bin Harith?
• Zayd Marries The Prophet's Cousin (Paternal Aunt's Daughter)
• Zayd Separates From His Wife
• Marriage For Banning Another Wrong Custom
• The Forged Story About Zaynab Is A Mere Fiction
• Explanation Of Two Parts Of The Verse
• Intelligence Bureau Of Muslims
• The Well-Known Remarks Of The Prophet About Salman
• The Army Of The Arabs And The Jews Besieges Madina
• Number Of Soldiers Of The Two Forces
• The Rigours Of Winter And The Shortage Of Provisions
• Hay Bin Akhtab Arrives In The Fortress Of Bani Qurayzah
• The Prophet Becomes Aware Of The Violation Of The Pact By Bani Qurayzah
• Initial Transgressions By Bani Qurayzah
• Encounter Between Faith And Infidelity
• Some Champions Of The Arab Army Cross The Ditch
• Combat Between The Two Champions Commences
• The Value Of This Blow
• Magnanimity
• The Army Of The Arabs Is Divided
• Factors Which Divided The Arab Army
• Representatives Of Quraysh Visit The Fortress Of Bani Qurayzah
• The Last Factor
• Consultations By The Jews Within The Fortress
• Betrayal By Abu Lubabah
• The Fate Of The Fifth Group
• A Study Of Sa'd Mu'az's Judiciousness
• A Band Of Quraysh Proceeds To Ethiopia
• Prevention Of Repetition Of Bitter Events
• Battle Of Zl Qarad
• Unpermissible Vow
• The Battle Of Bani Mustaliq
• A Hypocrite Fans The Flame Of Dissensions
• Conflict Between Faith And Sentiments Of A Soldier
• The Prophet Marries Juwayriyah
• The Representatives Of Quraysh Come And Meet The Holy Prophet
• The Prophet Of Islam Sends His Representative
• The Holy Prophet Sends Another Representative
• The Rizwan Pledge
• Suhayl Bin 'Amr Contacts The Prophet
• History Repeats Itself
• Text Of The Hudaybiyah Pact
• Glad Tidings Of Freedom
• Last Effort For The Preservation Of Peace
• Evaluation Of The Peace Pact Of Hudaybiyah
• Quraysh Insist Upon Cancellation Of One Of The Clauses Of The Pact
• The Muslim Women Were Not Surrendered To Quraysh
• The Universality Of The Prophethood
• The Message Of Prophethood Is Sent To Far Off Places
• Conditions Of The World At The Time Of The Communication Of Universal Invitation
• The Messenger Of Islam In The Roman Territory
• Kaiser Makes Investigations About The Holy Prophet
• The Prophet's Letter Impresses Kaiser
• The Ambassador Of The Prophet Arrives In Iran
• Ya'qubi's False View
• Khusro Perviz Contacts The Ruler Of Yemen
• Arrival Of The Messenger Of Islam In Egypt
• The Maqauqis Writes A Letter To The Prophet
• Envoy Of Islam Enters Ethiopia
• Conversation Of The Envoy With The Negus
• The Negus Writes To The Holy Prophet
• Letters Of The Holy Prophet To The Rulers Of Syria And Yamamah
• The Holy Prophet's Letters To The Prince Of The Ghassanians
• The Sixth Envoy Of The Prophet Proceeds To Yamamah
• Other Letters Of The Prophet Of Islam
• The Army Of Islam Moves To An Unknown Destination
• Important Places Are Occupied At Night
• The Fortifications Of The Jews Tumble Down
• Piety In The Very Face Of Hardships
• The Forts Are Conquered One After The Other
• The Great Victory At Khayber
• Tampering With Facts
• Three Bright Points In The Life Of Ali
• 1. Military Plan And Tactics
• 2. Procurement Of Information
• 3. Self-Sacrifice Of All
• Kind Sentiments In The Battlefield
• Kananah Bin Rabi' Is Killed
• War Booty Is Divided
• A Caravan From Ethiopia The Memorable Land
• Figures Of Casualties
• Forgiveness At The Time Of Victory
• Stubborn Behaviour Of The Jews
• The Jews Are Expelled From Khayber
• Lie Justified By Its Motive
• The Story Of Fadak After The Prophet
• The Prophet Enters Makkah
• The Prophet Leaves Makkah
• A Still More Tragic Event
• Difference Of Opinion About The First Commander
• Array Of Roman And Islamic Troops
• Army Of Islam In Distress
• The Soldiers Of Islam Return To Madina
• Myth Instead Of History
• The Prophet Wept Bitterly On The Death Of Ja'far
• The Secret Of Ali's Victory In This Battle
• The Prophet's Decision Makes Quraysh Uneasy
• A Spy Is Trapped
• The Prophet And The Muslims March Towards Makkah
• Showing Indulgence While In Power And Authority
• Fascinating Tactics Of The Army Of Islam
• Abbas Makes Abu Sufyan Pass Through The Muslim Camp
• Abu Sufyan Appears Before The Prophet
• Makkah Surrenders Without Bloodshed
• Abu Sufyan Proceeds To Makkah
• Military Forces Of Islam Enter The City
• Breaking The Idols And Washing The Ka'bah
• The Prophet Grants General Amnesty
• Bilal Pronounces Azan (Call To Prayers)
• The Prophet Exhorts His Kinsmen
• Superiority On Account Of Being An Arab
• The Hundred Years' Wars And Old Grudges
• Islamic Brotherhood
• The Criminals Are Arrested
• The Story Of 'Ikrimah And Safwan
• Events After The Conquest Of Makkah
• Idol Temples In Makkah And In Its Suburbs Become Desolate
• Another Offence Of Khalid
• An Unmatched Army
• Acquisition Of Information
• Equipment Of The Muslims
• The Steadfastness Of The Prophet And Of A Group Of Self-Sacrificing Persons
• Splitting The Wall Of The Fort By Means Of Military Vehicles
• Economic And Moral Blows
• The Last Stratagem To Conquer The Fort
• The Army Of Islam Returns To Madina
• Events After The War
• Malik Bin 'Awf Embraced Islam
• Distribution Of War Booty
• A Young Man Becomes The Governor Of Makkah
• Story Of Ka'b Bin Zuhayr Bin Abi Sulma
• Grief Mingled With Joy
• Demolition Of The Idol-Temple
• Adyy Bin Hatim Proceeds To Madina
• Inviting Warriors And Procuring Expenses Of War
• Persons Opposed To Participation In The Battle
• Ali Did Not Participate In This Battle
• The Army Of Islam Proceeds Towards Tabuk
• March Past Of The Army Before The Prophet
• The Story Of Malik Bin Qays
• Difficulties On The Way
• Precautionary Orders
• Occult Information Of The Prophet
• Another Occult Information
• Army Of Islam Arrives In The Area Of Tabuk
• Khalid Bin Walid Is Dispatched To Dowmatul Jandal
• Evaluation Of The Journey To Tabuk
• The Hypocrites Plot Against The Holy Prophet
• The Event Of Masjid Zirar
• Dissensions Amongst The People Of Thaqif Tribe
• The Deputation Of Thaqif Meets The Prophet
• The Conditions Of The Deputation
• Baseless Objection
• Campaign Against Superstitions
• Unfair Bias In The Assessment Of This Event
• The Representatives Of Najran Have Discussions With The Prophet
• The Prophet Goes For Mubahilah (Imprecation)
• The Represents Of Najran Give Up The Idea Of Mubahilah
• Contents Of The Agreement Concluded Between The Parties
• Plot To Kill The Prophet
• The Commander Of The Faithful Is Deputed To Yemen
• Ali Returns From Yemen To Partake In Haj Ceremonies
• Haj Ceremonies Begin
• The Historical Sermon Of The Prophet At The Time Of The Farewell Haj
• Prophethood And Imamate Were Inter-Related
• Sermon Of The Prophet At Ghadir Khum
• The Authentic Sources Of The Hadith Ghadir
• The Impostors And Apprehensions Of Rome
• A Short Biography Of Musaylimah
• Apprehension Of Rome
• A Lame Excuse
• Seeking Forgiveness For Those Burled In Baqi
• Bring A Pen And An Ink-Pot So That I May Write A Will
• What Did The Will Aim At?
• Why Did The Prophet Not Persist In Writing The Will?
• Making Amends For The Matter
• Distribution Of Dinars
• The Prophet Is Annoyed On Account Of The Medicine Given To Him
• Last Farewell To Friends
• The Prophet Speaks To His Daughter
• Brushing The Teeth
• Recommendations Of The Prophet
• The Last Day
• ‹ Chapter 29: Change of Qiblah
• Chapter 31: Dangerous Designs ... ›

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Story of The Battle of Badr

The Battle of Badr is one of the greatest and most famous battles of Islam and those who participated in it enjoyed a special distinction amongst the Muslims.

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مجلة البحث العلمی فی الآداب

Hamad Alajmi

مجلة البحث العلمي فى الآداب

In this project, I discuss the representation of the pre-Islamic battle of Dhū Qār in modern (i.e., spanning from the twentieth to the twenty-first century) Arabic literature. The battle reportedly occurred in Iraq and was fought between the Sasanian army and the tribe of Bakr ibn Wāʾil. Among the various clans in this tribe, the Banū Shaybān clan played a major role in the battle. The battle was later recorded in various historical and literary works during the Abbasid era. Early accounts of this battle presented it as an Arab tribe’s unique victory over the Persian army. However, this victory has been propagandized and reconstructed, especially in modern Arabic literature, to create a collective memory that serves the modern Arab community in its ongoing rivalry with the Persians. By specifically applying Maurice Halbwachs’ distinction between history and collective memory, I trace the transformation of the battle of Dhū Qār from its origin as a tribal victory to its adaptation as a national Arab triumph.

Mohammed Mahbboob Hussain Aazaad

Rocznik Orientalistyczny

Krzysztof Kościelniak

The paper presents how the pluralism of relations in the early Muslim sources concerning the memory the Qādisiyya narrative is problematic for reconstructing the event of the battle by modern scholars. Specific studies of the early Islamic sources concerning the Battle of Al-Qādisiyya lead to the conclusion that it is certainly easier to interpret the functions of particular topoi than to determinate the facts about the Maʿrakat al-Qādisiyya. The main, unsolved questions related to the Qādisiyyah narrative are the uncertainty of the date of the battle, the size of the Muslim and Persian forces that fought in the Maʿrakat al-Qādisiyya as well as some contradictions and different presentations of the battle. Scholars have undertaken many attempts to make the conflicting accounts more coherent but in fact, they only made some speculations or, at the best, case scenario-explanations made on the basis of limited and uncertain evidence. For these reasons, the paper contains the suggestion to avoid an undue emphasis on the importance of the Maʿrakat al-Qādisiyya and to replace this term by the more general expression "the Mesopotamian campaign 634-637." The critical evaluation of the Muslim sources leads to a more general description of the Battle of Al-Qādisiyya as an element of the campaign (stage 634-637) whose unambiguous evaluation is impossible.

Javier Albarrán

In the first third of the eleventh century, Maḥmūd ibn Sebükteghīn, better known as Maḥmūd of Ghazna (d. 1030), became the most powerful ruler of the so-called Ghaznavid empire, and conquered for Islam the Eastern Iranian lands, modern Afghanistan, and the northwestern Indian subcontinent. Moreover, he made the city of Ghazna the capital of a rich territory and one of the most prominent cultural centers of the Islamic world. Nominally subordinate to the Abbasid caliph of Baghdad, Maḥmūd became the first ghāzī-sultan, a heroic model of king that leads the holy war against the infidel and that will be remembered over time thanks to an epic literary genre that gained much popularity between the 11th-16th centuries. Future generations of historians used this model as a source of information and inspiration. As Ali Anooshahr has explained (The Ghazi Sultans and the Frontiers of Islam. A comparative study of the late medieval and early modern periods, Routledge, 2009), other rulers who also forged an image of ghāzī-sultans, such as Murād II (d. 1451) or Bābur (d. 1530), were inspired by the feats of Maḥmūd, recalled his life and shaped his own existence, at least literary, through the stories of the Ghaznavid sultan. But not only in the East will Maḥmūd be remembered. In that same eleventh century, in al-Andalus, the other end of the Islamic orb, the famous scholar Ibn Ḥazm (d. 1064) saw how his world was collapsing. With the disappearance of the Umayyad caliphate of Cordoba in 1031 and the proliferation of the Taifa kingdoms, the unity of the Umma in the Iberian Peninsula was in danger. As if that was not enough, the Christian kingdoms began to conquer the Andalusi territory, an advance that would eventually take Muslim cities like Toledo. In this difficult context, Ibn Ḥazm set in motion a series of answers, such as opting for the ẓāhirī school, which we can trace in the dozens of texts he wrote. Among them, a small epistle entitled Risāla fī jumal futūḥ al-islām, which contains a summary of the first conquests of Islam, possibly using the work of al-Balādhurī (d. 892), has gone unnoticed. Besides presenting a linear and unbroken image of the expansion of Islam and the leading of holy war, curiously, in the end, Ibn Ḥazm includes a paragraph in which he mentions the conquests of Maḥmūd of Ghazna, contemporary to Ibn Ḥazm's own life, his struggle against the infidel and, strikingly, qualifies him as a ẓāhirī.What was the image of the great ghāzī-sultan Maḥmūd of Ghazna in the eleventh century Islamic West? Why could it be useful to remember his conquests and leadership of jihād? Why did Ibn Ḥazm want to appropriate his memory and figure, and include him in his legal school? As far as possible, this work aims to answer these and other questions.

The memory of war-and the use of this-is a constant in the Middle Ages and beyond. Within all this war memory, the remembrance of great battles is, perhaps, the most recurrent phenomenon. The pitched battle had an extraordinary impact on the people of the time, which made its remembrance remain alive and dynamic in the collective memory, as moments when the balance of power was seen to have tipped, or when aspects of collective identity were shaped. The battles became places of memory. This paper studies the memory circulating in Umayyad al-Andalus about the battles of their ancestors, the eastern Umayyads. Focusing on Ḥunayn and Marj Rāhiṭ, the two "eastern" battles most remembered in Umayyad al-Andalus and both with important implications for their dynastic history, this paper analyzes how this memory is presented, how these battles are "memorialized" and "commemorated" through texts and rituals, in what contexts of memory production they appear, and for what purposes.

Yasin al-Jibouri

This essay narrates the details of what happened during the Umayyad dynasty rule when their army catapulted the Ka`ba, demolishing one of its corners and setting it ablaze.

Francesco Stermotich Cappellari

Amina Elbendary

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7 Lessons from Battle of Badr That All Muslims Should Learn

• Post author By Sarwat Faruqui
• Post date June 4, 2021
• 5 Comments on 7 Lessons from Battle of Badr That All Muslims Should Learn

Lessons from Battle of Badr: Battles play a very notable role in shaping the history of every civilization, for better or for worse. As for Muslim history, a number of battles were fought, some were won some ended in defeat.

What Are Ghazwat?

Ghazwat (plural for Ghazwa) means battles that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ led himself, whereas the armies that were sent and Prophet Muhammad ﷺ remained behind are called Saraya (plural for Sariyyah).

29 Ghazwat were fought in the life of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

9 out of these battles were fought by the Prophet ﷺ himself, which are

Here is a detailed post on the most important Battles of Islam and lessons to learn from them.

Battle of Badr Summary:

The first major and most important battle that took place on Friday, the 17th of Ramadan, 2 Hijri. Two years after the Prophet ﷺ migrated to Madinah. The battle took place in the valley of Badr, currently situated in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The battlefield of Badr is located approximately 100 miles from Madinah. This landmark is open to the public and a well-visited site.

The battle of Badr was a turning point in the spreading of Islam, many faiths were strengthened and many turned toward Islam. A number of sahabahs and future caliphs, except Uthman bin Affan, fought at Badr.

Why Was The Battle Of Badr Initiated?

The Muslims were planning to intercept a caravan traveling along a Syrian trade route carrying weapons to be used against the Muslims, headed by Abu Sufyan. The spies were informed of the Muslims plans’ and they, in turn, informed Abu Sufyan who altered his course to Makkah to protect the caravan. Then, Abu Sufyan notified the Quraishi tribe leader, Abu Jahl. This information provoked the Meccans, Abu Jahl then gave the order to gather troops from Makkah. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was left with no choice but to face the enemies. On the morning of the battle, the two armies met at Badr. The Muslim army was small and outnumbered as compared to the army of Quraish.

To begin with, as per Arab custom, single combat (one to one) took place. Famous Quraish warriors like Shayba and Walid were killed even before the battle had begun. This left the Quraish army disturbed and they attacked in masses. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ engaged in dua, Allah SWT replied by sending angels to achieve victory.

The Help Of Angels Is Also Mentioned In The Quran

Sahabahs Martyred in Battle of Badr

14 companions of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ were martyred in the battle. Their names can be found listed at the battle site. 70 men from the opposing army were taken captive, all except 2 accepted Islam.

What Did Muslims Learn From the Battle of Badr?

Battle of Badr was an important milestone, there is a lot to be learned from that day’s events. Every act carried out by the Sahabah or Prophet Muhammad ﷺ can be applied in our day to day life. The basic lesson taught was if faced with any obstacle or wish to overcome any hardship remember that no obstacle is greater than Allah SWT.

7- Never Underestimate The Power Of Prayers

Before the battle had begun, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ prayed to Allah SWT and the payers were answered and help in the form of rain, sandstorm and angels were sent down. We might not have that level of belief which our Prophet ﷺ or the sahabah had but we can always try to pray and make dua from the heart and believe that it will be answered.

6- Always remember Allah.

When the Muslims were triumphant Prophet Muhammadﷺ praised Allah SWT. Victory would have not been possible had it not been for the Divine help, so Muslims should take note to remember Allah humbly and be thankful and not let pride and arrogance get to their head.

5- Always Consult Each Other

After learning that a troop was being sent to confront the Muslims. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ did not immediately ask to prepare for battle instead he held a meeting and consulted with his companions. As the Prophet ﷺ received revelation from Allah, it wasn’t at all necessary that he consult with the Sahabah. This teaches us that any worldly affair that needs to finalized should be done after consultation. This honorable act teaches us to be humble and turn to honest people for advice.

4- Allah SWT Is Best Of Planners

Muslims wanted to intercept the caravan that was lead by Abu Sufyan, but it was diverted. Allah SWT had something better planned, the Battle of Badr, which led to Islam deepening its roots. We may not understand the events happening around us but Allah SWT knows best. Everything has already been planned for us in the best possible way. Here are 7 Quotes That Prove Allah is The Best Planner of All Affairs .

3- Have Tawakkul and Don’t Despair

The Muslims were outnumbered on the battlefield by the Quraish army but things turned around and the situation favored the Muslims. Anything happening in front of us leads us to conclusions of the outcome but what is going to happen and how is only known by Allah. So have faith that everything will work out fine. Don’t upset yourself thinking of all the negative results. Having unwavering faith in Allah is the only way out of hopeless situations. We’ve also covered the concept of Tawakkul in our previous post on Easy Ways to Increase Tawakkul in Allah .

2- Always Stand United

The Muhajirin and Ansar set an amazing example for all time to come. They fought together side by side. Even Shaytan fled the scene in the presence and Help of Allah that descended on the Muslims. If there is a situation where Muslims can scatter it’s the battlefield out of fear, but they stood fast and fought and emerged victorious. This is a very important lesson for us, we Muslims should stand together no matter which corner of the world we belong to.

1- All Success is From Allah

The success of the Muslims is only by Allah SWT so we should remember we are not fruitful due to our own efforts. Yes, hard work and dedication are also required but that is not enough. Dua, prayers, tawakkal everything is equally important.

Prophet Muhammad’s ﷺ life was a set example. Every act done by the Prophet ﷺ and the Sahabah is for us to implement in our lives as well. Every small Sunnah counts. Just the events of the Battle of Badr have taught us so much.

• Tags islamic history , Islamic Images , prophet mohammad

By Sarwat Faruqui

Mother of two. I would love it if I could make a tiny difference anywhere or in anyone's life. I am not perfect, I make mistakes, but when I say sorry I mean it. Always striving to do better than before.

5 replies on “7 Lessons from Battle of Badr That All Muslims Should Learn”

Jazaakumul-Allaahu-khairan

Beautiful 😍and important lessons to be learned. May Allaah grant you countless blessings Aamiiin.

JazakAllah for your kind words. I would also request that you check out our new forum for Islamic discussions . Best regards, Team TheIslamicQuotes

Aukty Sarwat,

Maa-Shaa-Allaah

MashaAllah, Very nice words used and explained well. Thank you so much for helping…..

JazakAllah. I would also request that you check out our new forum for Islamic discussions. Best regards, Team TheIslamicQuotes

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Important Events Between the Battles of Badr and Uhud - I

• Section: Madinan period:

Following the Battle of Badr, the military prestige of the Muslims grew across a large area of the Arabian Peninsula, to the extent that the weak among the Mushriks (polytheists) felt a sense of danger, while the strong among them felt that Islam had become prevalent. People started to look forward to belief in Islam. The number of those who embraced Islam increased. Many people saw it better to embrace Islam, either out of hypocrisy or for deception. In this way, the newborn state had to face new settings of cunning, conspiracy and alliances. However, the plans of the enemies of Islam failed by virtue of the support of Allah The Almighty, and the alert state of security .

Important Events Between the Battles of Badr and Uhud - II

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The battle of Badr, 17 Ramadan - II

The battle of badr, 17 ramadan - i, the help of allah arrives - i.

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Battle of Badr and Khutbah of Rasool صلی اللہ تعالی علیہ والہ وسلم

تفسیر قرآن کریم.

• Battle Of Badr And Khutbah Of Rasool

Sayyiduna Isma’eel Bin Muhammad رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه , the grandson of Sahabi [blessed companion] of the Holy Rasool صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم ,  Sayyiduna Sa’d Bin Abi Waqas رَضِىَ اللهُ تَعَالٰی عَـنْهُ , has stated: While mentioning Ghazwat-e-Rasool [1] , our father would say, ‘These are the glories of your predecessors; therefore, do not forget them.’ (Subul-ul-Huda war-Rishaad, vol. 4, pp. 10)

Sayyiduna Imam Zayn-ul-‘Aabideen رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه  has stated: We were given information regarding the Ghazwat-e-Rasool also like the Surahs of the Holy Quran. (Ibid)

Ghazwah Badr

Ghazwah Badr [Battle of Badr] is the first battle fought between Islam and Kufr, in the month of Ramadan. Its details are present in the Holy Quran, Hadees and the books of Seerah [biography] and history. In this Ghazwah, the Muslim warriors showed great courage and bravery despite being less in number and lacking the war essentials. One of the many important events which took place in this Ghazwah is the Khutbah [sermon] delivered by the Beloved Rasool صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم  before the war. There are precious Madani pearls in this historic Khutbah for us as well.

Khutbah of Rasool صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم in Ghazwah Badr

The Beloved Rasool صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم  stated: I give you persuasion of the same thing of which Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ  has commanded, and forbid [you] those acts which Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ  has forbidden. He عَزَّوَجَلَّ  enjoins rightness, likes truth and blesses the pious people for [showing] goodness with a high rank in His court; they get excellence and are remembered by the same rank. Today you are standing on one of the stages of Haq [truth]. At this stage, Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ  will accept only that deed which is solely for His pleasure. Patience in the time of trouble is indeed such thing due to which Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ  removes grief and sorrow and through this very act, you will attain salvation in the Hereafter. The Nabi of Allah is present amongst you who warns you against some things and enjoins [you] to do some things. Do have Haya today lest Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ  sees you doing a deed which makes Him displeased, because He عَزَّوَجَلَّ  has stated: ‘ Allah’s displeasure with you is greater than your own disgust with yourselves ’. (Part 24, Surah Al-Mu`min, Ayah 10) See those things which He عَزَّوَجَلَّ  has ordered in His Book. Ponder over His signs that after disgrace, He has blessed you with honour. Hold fast to His Book, He عَزَّوَجَلَّ  will become pleased with you. Test [this fact] on this occasion; you will become deserving of His mercy and forgiveness which He has promised you. Certainly, His promise is Haq [definite], His saying is true and His torment is severe. You and I seek help from Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ  Who is Hayy [ حَیّ ] and Qayyoom [ قَیُّوم ]. He عَزَّوَجَلَّ  is the One Who helps us and we have held to His mercy; He is the One Who we trust and we have to return to Him. May Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ  forgive us and all the Muslims. (Subul-ul-Huda war-Rishaad, vol. 4, pp. 34)

Madani pearls of “Khutbah of Rasool”

The battle was going to begin and the bloodthirsty enemy was present at the front but the Beloved Rasool صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم  invited his devotees even at that time to fulfil the rights of obedience to Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ and earn His عَزَّوَجَلَّ pleasure. Certainly, such steadfastness and great courage are the distinctive and glorious qualities of the Beloved Rasool صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم . The following Madani pearls gained from this blessed Khutbah are a source of guidance for us which guarantee success in every trial:

٭ To obey Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ  in every condition.

٭ To be inclined to righteousness.

٭ To perform every righteous deed only for the pleasure of Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ .

٭ To show patience even in the life-threatening situations.

٭ To not commit any such act in times of trouble which displeases our Rab عَزَّوَجَلَّ .

٭ To remember the promises by Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ .

٭ To completely trust Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ .

The most important Madani pearl: To turn to Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ  in all the troubles and difficulties, and seek help from Him. It is because after delivering this Khutbah, the Beloved Rasool صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم  went to the shelter made for him and made Du’a in the following way:

Du’a of Rasool صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم in the battlefield

‘Ya Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ ! If You give death to this group, Your worship will not be carried out on earth. Ya Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ ! [Please] fulfil the promise You have made to me. Ya Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ ! I seek Your help.’

The Beloved Rasool صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم  kept making Du’a in such engrossment that his blessed chador fell from the shoulders. ‘Aashiq-e-Akbar, Sayyiduna Siddeeq-e-Akbar رَضِىَ اللهُ تَعَالٰی عَـنْهُ anxiously came forward, placed the blessed chador on the shoulders properly and humbly said, ‘Ya Rasoolallah صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم ! Please stop. Certainly, Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ  will fulfil the promise He has made to you.’ The Beloved Rasool صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم  drowsed soon after it. When he woke up, he صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم  said, ‘O Abu Bakr! Receive the good news that the help from Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ  has arrived. He is Jibra`eel who is going while wearing yellow ‘Imamah [Islamic turban] and holding the horse’s reins.’ (Subul-ul-Huda war-Rishaad, vol. 4, pp. 37)

Ya Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ ! Bless us also with the qualities of piety, patience, Haya, Tawakkul [absolute trust], and Your fear, possessed by the people of Badr.

اٰمِيۡن   بِجَاهِ   النَّبِيِّ  الۡاَمِيۡن   صَلَّى  اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى  عَلَيۡهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم

[1] Those battles in which the Beloved Rasool صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم himself participated.

The sanctified earth of Medina has the honour of being that from which the best of creation, the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم was created.

A vast portion of the Prophet Muhammad’s صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم pristine biography comprises of ghazwāt.

Among the elite saints is a group called the Abdāl. This very name of theirs is derived from their ever-changing positions.

Modern day Syria and the wider Levant hold great religious and worldly significance. This region was part of the kingdom

Dars-i-Niẓāmī is a popular term in the discourse of religious education and Muslim academia in South Asia.

When the era of formal religious seminaries began, Baghdad was at the forefront of this field. Major religious institutes

aThe blessings, mercy, and bounties the universe has received from Allah were all granted for the sake of the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم .

Is Summer Really the Sexiest Season?

W hen is the best time of year to meet someone? It’s a question I get asked a lot as a dating coach. With modern dating being a minefield , people are struggling to meet viable dating prospects and often want to increase their odds of success.

I don’t blame them. But as modern daters continue to gravitate towards meeting people on the apps rather than out and about, that question is becoming much muddier.

In the past, I have recommended that my clients embrace summer as the season with the most potential for organically connecting with people. A lot of us get a natural energy boost by the longer days and warmer nights of summer. Those after-work invites that can feel like a slog on colder evenings feel more accessible, and just going out with friends is more exciting with the influx of more people out, too. This energy has a natural way of increasing our interest in dating and sex. That’s why we often refer to having a “summer love” or “summer fling.”

But, nowadays, is summer really the sexiest season? It’s more complex than you’d think.

Despite my high praise for summer in the past, it may come as a surprise that fall and winter are perhaps more conducive to coupling up or making a more concerted effort to find long-term partners, and are technically the true sexiest times of the year. According to 2018 report by Smithsonian magazine, birth rates increase dramatically in the late spring and summer, indicating that more intimacy actually happens in the colder, cozier months. This may be a result of people securing partners during “cuffing season,” a time when single people begin pairing off for the cold months, but it’s also reflective of our natural human mating season. Summer is often thought of as the time for meeting new people, and fall and winter are for settling down.

The problem, though, is not the season in which we date: it’s the reality that historically seasonal dating trends aren’t compatible with the modern way we meet one another.

Read More: If You’re Dating Right Now, You’re Brave

In general, singles are finding it harder to meet people when they’re out—in any season. Most of us move through the world tapped into our phones, not the world around us and the possibilities for human connection. And despite their popularity, the average success rate of finding partners through dating apps is only around 12%, according to a 2020 Pew Research Center study.

To boot, the fact that more people are opting to be single creates a bleak picture for anyone looking to meet someone new. In a 2022 Pew study , a staggering 57% percent of singles said that they weren’t looking for a relationship or casual dates. The number of singles who were looking to date decreased from 49% in 2019 to 42% in 2022, with men less likely to report that they were looking for a relationship or casual dates than women. So, if you are relationship-minded, or even open to going on some dates to see what happens, your options may be fewer and the process of weeding through prospects is becoming much harder than it was just a few years ago.

This data also helps to explain what I often see as a dating coach: People who are very motivated to find partnership, sex, and love are often meeting people who aren’t as invested in the process as they are—who aren’t matching their energy. But there are even more layers to this. For those who primarily use dating apps, there’s also the issue of inactive profiles cluttering their feed and making it difficult to find matches. It is often confusing and time-consuming to deactivate dating profiles when users want to take a break from them or because they’ve met someone. Because of this, people may delete the app, without realizing that it doesn’t delete their profile. Inactive profile policies vary from app to app, but some inactive profiles can remain visible for months to years. This can give the impression that there are way more people available to date than there actually are. It’s a bit like walking into a ghost town.

For all of dater’s desires to optimize the process of meeting someone new and take advantage of any opportunity to make dating easier and more fun, it’s hard to get past the facts. Fewer people want relationships, and it’s harder to meet people who do—whether it be digitally or in the real world. Those summer nights may not be as hot if the people you meet while you’re out aren’t interested in forging any type of relationship. And even on the busiest of dating apps, there’s no telling how many people are actually active and who among them is really serious about meeting someone.

That said, this doesn’t mean those looking for partners should give up. It means that you’re right to feel that dating is hard these days, no matter what the season. There may be pressure to make the most of summer by going out more or starting up a dating profile, but the reality is that you are likely to face the same dating challenges year-round.

That means that it’s even more important to take chances in dating whenever you can and give yourself lots of credit for dating against the odds. If you find summer love, it won’t be because of some special quality that the season has. It will be because a lot of things fell into place for you to find the right connection.

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George Clooney Urges His Friend Joe Biden to ‘Save Democracy’ by Exiting 2024 Race: ‘One Battle He Cannot Win’

The two-time Oscar winner, who headlined a lucrative Biden fundraiser in June, writes in an essay that a new Democratic ticket could "enliven" the party at a critical moment

Neil P. Mockford/Getty, Andrew Harnik/Getty

George Clooney publicly pulled his support for Joe Biden ’s 2024 presidential campaign on Wednesday, July 10, urging the White House to consider the impact of keeping him on the ballot.

The liberal actor, 63, penned a passionate essay for The New York Times , in which he argues that Biden should quickly exit the 2024 race for the good of his own party. Clooney cites troublesome poll numbers suggesting that Americans lack confidence in Biden following his frail performance in the June 27 presidential debate against Donald Trump .

In the article, Clooney calls himself a "lifelong Democrat" and reminds readers that he co-hosted the Biden campaign's star-studded Hollywood fundraiser only a few weeks ago, which he noted was the "single largest fund-raiser supporting any Democratic candidate ever."

"It’s devastating to say it, but the Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fund-raiser was not the Joe “big F-ing deal” Biden of 2010. He wasn’t even the Joe Biden of 2020," Clooney said, "He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate."

Clooney expressed his personal fondness for the current president, writing, "I love Joe Biden. As a senator. As a vice president and as president. I consider him a friend, and I believe in him. Believe in his character. Believe in his morals. In the last four years, he’s won many of the battles he’s faced.”

However, the two-time Oscar winner said that "the one battle he cannot win is the fight against time,” referencing the 81-year-old's age, which remains a top concern to voters.

Addressing Biden's weak debate performance specifically, the actor said, "Our party leaders need to stop telling us that 51 million people didn’t see what we just saw. We’re all so terrified by the prospect of a second Trump term that we’ve opted to ignore every warning sign."

He added that Biden’s primetime interview with George Stephanopoulos on July 5 — which the White House hoped would revive his candidacy — "only reinforced what we saw the week before."

Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty

Clooney called upon leading Democrats — specifically naming Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer , House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — to put pressure on Biden to "voluntarily step aside." (Within hours of the essay's publication, Politico reported that Jeffries told House Democrats he would relay their concerns to Biden.)

According to Clooney, "every single" lawmaker he's spoken with has said that they worry Biden will not only lose in November, but that he will hurt Democratic candidates down the ballot and potentially give Republicans full control of Congress. Clooney suggested that some of the skeptical Democrats he's spoken with are still publicly backing Biden.

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Later in his essay, Clooney expressed optimism for the future of the political party if Biden steps aside, writing, "We can easily foresee a group of several strong Democrats stepping forward to stand and tell us why they’re best qualified to lead this country and take on some of the deeply concerning trends we’re seeing from the revenge tour that Donald Trump calls a presidential campaign."

The clock is ticking with the Democratic National Convention beginning on Aug. 19 — during which time the party will formally nominate its candidate — but Clooney insists that there’s still time to "hear from Wes Moore and Kamala Harris and Gretchen Whitmer and Gavin Newsom and Andy Beshear and J.B. Pritzker and others" who have been named as possible replacements.

Clooney also requested that Democrats stay united if the ticket sees a switch-up, writing, "Let’s agree that the candidates not attack one another but, in the short time we have, focus on what will make this country soar. Then we could go into the Democratic convention next month and figure it out."

The actor suggested that Biden stepping aside could "enliven our party" and "wake up voters" who have "checked out."

Clooney concluded the essay by expressing gratitude for the president — and a plea: "Joe Biden is a hero; he saved democracy in 2020. We need him to do it again in 2024."

Clooney’s essay comes as a slow trickle of liberal lawmakers break from the president. As of Wednesday afternoon, eight Democratic members of Congress have publicly called for Biden to drop out of the race, and many more have expressed doubts — including Pelosi, who has cautiously suggested that there's reason to be skeptical of Biden's candidacy.

Several celebrities seem to share Clooney's fears, with author Stephen King writing on social media earlier this week, “Joe Biden has been a fine president, but it’s time for him—in the interests of the America he so clearly loves—to announce he will not run for re-election.”

Emmy winner Rob Reiner praised Clooney for his essay, writing on social media, “My friend George Clooney has clearly expressed what many of us have been saying. We love and respect Joe Biden. We acknowledge all he has done for our country. But Democracy is facing an existential threat. We need someone younger to fight back. Joe Biden must step aside.”

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• Mansions in the desert: Why Californians buy big in cheap, remote areas.
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Abortion rights and the unexpected battleground for its future

Where voters stand on abortion rights, among other issues, will factor into the outcome of the presidential election this November, especially in many battleground states . Tension between supporting and opposing groups, even in “abortion sanctuary” California, is only increasing.

Last summer, members of Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust, an antiabortion group, gathered in front of the Beverly Hills Medical Center to protest against the construction of a fertility clinic pursuing to expand its services in California.

DuPont Clinic , an abortion provider based in Washington, D.C., is specialized in offering procedures after 24 weeks. If opened, it would have been the only such abortion center in Southern California.

But, the cutoff for “fetal viability,” a legal standard instituted under Roe vs. Wade and refined under Planned Parenthood vs. Casey, is widely understood as 24 weeks.

Almost half of Americans say abortion should be illegal at 24 weeks, according to a 2022 Pew Survey . And for fundamentalist Christians like the Survivors (as they call themselves), life begins at fertilization.

For many experts, however, the medical picture is not as straightforward. My colleague Sonja Sharp reported on how this antiabortion group’s Beverly Hills campaign offers a “playbook on future efforts to shut down a clinic” even in the country’s most abortion-protective cities and states. Here’s what you need to know.

Abortion laws and ambiguous language

First-trimester abortion procedures account for 93% of the total, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and are now largely induced at home with medication.

Later-stage abortions that happen between 21 and 24 weeks are usually a two-part procedure, via “dilation and evacuation,” and are slightly different from the 6% that happen between 14 and 20 weeks. They can take several hours or days, said Dr. Jennefer Russo, the DuPont Clinic’s chief medical officer. Only 1% of abortions are carried out after 20 weeks and less than 1% of abortions occur after 24 weeks.

Devastating fetal diagnoses, life-threatening maternal complications or pregnancy among very young patients or in the aftermath of abuse are the most common reasons why patients seek such late-term abortions, Dr. Kim Bader, associate professor emeritus of obstetrics and gynecology at USC Keck School of Medicine said.

Abortion is banned at or past 24 weeks in many abortion-protective states such as Massachusetts and New York. In California, the law is a bit more ambiguous : Abortion is banned after “viability,” but a specific gestational age isn’t defined.

“There’s no medical reason to ban abortion based on how far along someone is in pregnancy,” Brittany Fonteno, president of the National Abortion Federation, told Sonja. “This is something that’s been created solely by antiabortion advocates and politicians to chip away at reproductive rights.”

Who broke the law? Protest aftermath leaves more questions than answers

The Survivors continuously allege that DuPont plans to violate the California law on abortions, which the clinic has repeatedly denied. Considered as an extremist group even within California’s antiabortion movement, the Survivors formed unyielding pickets and guerrilla freeway banner drops for weeks.

“We were 100% going to be compliant … but the law isn’t clear,” Russo told Sonja.

Beverly Hills officials moved quickly to address the group’s concerns almost as soon as they were approached, according to public records.

Reproductive rights advocates claim that the officials met with the Survivors and allied activists, aggressively pursuing their concerns, while allegedly not responding to DuPont leadership’s requests to meet with them for months.

Russo said she sought to meet with Beverly Hills officials but was turned down. Email records also show that the mayor of West Hollywood and a Corona city councilwoman had made attempts to contact their Beverly Hills counterparts.

Less than a month after antiabortion activist Tasha Barker met with city officials, landlord firm Douglas Emmett moved to terminate the clinic’s lease and ordered management to halt construction.

“These graphic threats have already disturbed and caused interference with other tenants’ use and enjoyment of their leased premises,” said an email sent by Douglas Emmett’s attorney.

Even weeks after the halting of construction, members from the Survivors including Emma Craig, a Bay Area art teacher and antiabortion activist, continued their protests and publicly claimed that DuPont was expected to open — though they received confirmation from officials that the clinic’s lease was rescinded, emails show.

The city denied allegations that it refused to meet with DuPont leadership and that it helped shut down the clinic.

Reproductive rights advocates like Andrea Grossman, one of the founders of Beverly Hills for Choice, consider this issue a “stain on the city that it meddled with something so urgent as this.”

She quickly organized with Gray Abrams, Heather Fels and Amanda Smith, giving themselves the nickname “abortion yentas,” borrowing the Yiddish word for a busybody or gossip. The Survivors’ name alone is offensive for the yentas.

The group has pushed for an independent investigation into the incident, alleging that the city “colluded and conspired” with the landlord to “induce breach of contract.” The city and landlord have denied these claims. The case, along with the DuPont’s ongoing litigation against the landlord and city, remain pending.

“If you could push a clinic like this out of Beverly Hills,” Bader said, “you could push it out of anywhere.”

Today’s top stories

• Newsom stands by Biden , repeats that he wouldn’t run against Harris.
• Amid furor over reelection bid, Biden turns to his longtime backers: Democratic mayors.
• Pelosi sends signal to Biden: ‘Time is running short.’
• George Clooney calls on president to step aside: Aging Biden no longer the man he was.
• In a video shared by TMZ, George Stephanopoulos says Biden can’t ‘serve four more years.’

Crime and courts

• L.A. robber stole a Rolex and got no-prison deal from D.A. Now he’s accused of killing a tourist at mall .
• A botched robbery. A tourist run over and killed. Violence erupts at upscale Newport Beach mall .
• Plot thickens in Oakland as grand jury investigates influential family, Mayor Thao and her partner.
• Anaheim cop accused of raping a woman after tracking her from an In-N-Out.

California heatwave

• Is the relentless California heat wave finally ending? Slight cooling is on tap for weekend.
• How Death Valley National Park is keeping visitors alive amid record temperatures.
• Film and TV crews protest long hours and overnight shifts . ‘We are dying to entertain people.’
• U.S. film and TV production down 40% from peak TV levels , a report says.

More big stories

• Doctors said cutting countertops destroyed his lungs . He had to fight for workers’ comp.
• Ultra-runner near the end of a 50-mile excursion was attacked by a bear in Yosemite Valley .
• These are the Vons, Pavilions, Albertsons to be sold in California under proposed merger.
• DWP ratepayer advocate predicts fee increases , recommends delaying city’s 100% clean energy timeline.
• CNN to cut 100 jobs as it prepares to launch digital subscription products.
• 100 native trees will be planted in Elysian Park for the Broad’s Joseph Beuys exhibition.
• ‘Just wrong and shameful’: Visitors slammed for trashing Yosemite National Park with toilet paper.
• Southern California home prices keep rising; up nearly 8% in June to all-time highs.

Get unlimited access to the Los Angeles Times. Subscribe here .

Commentary and opinions

• Michael Hiltzik: Investing through index funds is more popular than ever, so why is it becoming controversial?
• Editorial: One candidate is patently unfit for the White House. It’s not Biden .
• Anita Chabria: George Clooney drops a truth bomb about Biden . Now what?
• Jackie Calmes: Step aside, Joe. It’s time .
• Harry Litman: Will Trump’s conviction survive the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling? It’s complicated.

Today’s great reads

Mansions in the desert: Why Californians buy big in cheap, remote areas . As L.A. home prices rise, some are trying to get more bang for their buck in the desert, where they’re finding surprisingly affordable mansions.

Other great reads

• Inside the design of intricate, crystal-patterned U.S. Olympic gymnastics team leotards .
• How Netflix fans and ‘The Voice’ are making Reba McEntire’s sitcom a hit again .
• ‘Year of the lesbian’: How queer women are breaking San Francisco’s doom loop .
• This country banned TikTok. What became of its influencers?

How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to [email protected] .

For your downtime

• 😀 Looking for good vibes in L.A.? 22 readers share their ‘happy place.’
• 🍔 🦪 Burgers, ice cream, oyster bars and great patios: What and where to eat in L.A. this summer.
• 📺 ‘Sunny,’ — now airing on Apple TV+—led by a powerful Rashida Jones, is best when focused on personal relationships.
• 🍅 🧅 Here’s a recipe for marinated tomatoes and onions.
• ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games .

And finally ... from our archives

On July 11, 1914 , George Herman “Babe” Ruth played in his first major league baseball game for the Boston Red Sox.

A hundred years after his big league debut, the Times’ Chris Dufresne wrote about why Ruth is still larger than life .

Have a great day, from the Essential California team

Defne Karabatur, fellow Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor and Saturday reporter Christian Orozco, assistant editor Stephanie Chavez, deputy metro editor Karim Doumar, head of newsletters

Check our top stories , topics and the latest articles on latimes.com .

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Defne Karabatur is the 2023-24 audience engagement fellow at the Los Angeles Times. She recently graduated from UC Berkeley, where she studied applied mathematics, English and political economy.

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Guest Essay

James Carville: Biden Won’t Win. Democrats Need a Plan. Here’s One.

By James Carville

Mr. Carville is a veteran of Democratic presidential campaigns, including Bill Clinton’s in 1992, and a consultant to American Bridge, a Democratic super PAC.

Mark my words: Joe Biden is going to be out of the 2024 presidential race. Whether he is ready to admit it or not. His pleas on Monday to congressional Democrats for support will not unite the party behind him. Mr. Biden says he’s staying in the race, but it’s only a matter of time before Democratic pressure and public and private polling lead him to exit the race. The jig is up, and the sooner Mr. Biden and Democratic leaders accept this, the better. We need to move forward.

But it can’t be by anointing Vice President Kamala Harris or anyone else as the presumptive Democratic nominee. We’ve got to do it out in the open — the exact opposite of what Donald Trump wants us to do.

For the first time in his life, Mr. Trump is praying. To win the White House and increase his chances of avoiding an orange jumpsuit, he needs Democrats to make the wrong moves in the coming days — namely, to appear to rig the nomination for a fading president or the sitting vice president or some other heir apparent. He needs to be able to type ALL CAPS posts about power brokers and big donors putting the fix in. He needs, in other words, for Democrats to blow it.

We’re not going to do that.

We’re going to nominate a new ticket in a highly democratic and novel way, not in the backrooms of Washington, D.C., or Chicago.

We’re at the stage where we need constructive ideas for how to move forward. Representative Jim Clyburn and the Times Opinion columnist Ezra Klein have spoken about a Democratic mini-primary, and I want to build on that.

I want to see the Democratic Party hold four historic town halls between now and the Democratic National Convention in August — one each in the South, the Northeast, the Midwest and the West. We can recruit the two most obvious and qualified people in the world to facilitate substantive discussions: Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. They may not represent every faction under our party’s big tent. But they care as much about our democracy as our nation’s first president, they understand what it takes to be president, and they know how to win.

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Putin's war of attrition is coming at a massive cost, with 5,000 soldiers killed or injured in the battle for one neighborhood

• Vladimir Putin is seeking to grind out a victory in Ukraine.
• But its coming at a massive cost in casualties. 
• A Ukrainian officer said Russia lost 5,000 troops in battles for a district.

Russia's war of attrition in Ukraine is coming at a huge cost in killed and injured troops, with a Ukrainian official claiming Russia suffered 5,000 casualties in battles for one neighborhood alone.

Ukrainian defense official Lieutenant General Ivan Havrylyuk, in an essay published in Ukrainian outlet NV on July 9, discussed the possibility of a new Ukrainian counteroffensive to drive back Russian forces occupying territory in the south and east of Ukraine.

In the article, Havrylyuk claimed that Russia would likely have trouble sustaining the initiative in the conflict using its manpower and equipment advantages.

Related stories

Havrylyuk pointed to massive Russian casualties he said its military was sustaining, claiming that 5,000 Russian troops were killed or injured in battles for control of a single district in the strategically vital town of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk, east Ukraine.

The hilltop town has been the scene of ferocious fighting in recent weeks, with Russian forces managing to seize control of a district last week.

Havrylyuk didn't name the district, but the Institute for the Study of War, a US think tank, said he was likely referring to the Kanal Microraion neighborhood.

Business Insider was unable to independently verify the casualty figures given by Havrylyuk, but other reports and statements by officials indicate that Russia is also suffering high casualties in its campaign in the Kharikiv region in northern Ukraine.

Russia is launching head-on "meat assault" attacks on Ukrainian positions using waves of troops with UK intelligence c laiming that Russia's casualties in May spiked to its highest point in the war, with its military losing around 1,200 men a day.

Havrylyuk said that people were seen as expendable by Putin in his mission to conquer Ukraine, but economic issues and problems supplying its troops with ammunition and equipment could soon blunt its campaign.

The ISW said that high casualties were part of Russian President Vladimir Putin's strategy to grind out a victory in Ukraine through a war of attrition.

"The recent increase in reports of entire Russian units becoming combat ineffective due to losses highlights the tactics on which Russian forces are relying on to pursue Putin's theory of a slow, gradual, grinding victory in Ukraine," it said.

Watch: What's next for the war in Ukraine?

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