17th of Ramadan
Battle of Badr
The First War Of Islam
When 313 Devotees Wrote The
First Chapter of Islamic History
(M.
Javed Naseem)
وَلاَ يَحْسَبَنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ سَبَقُوۤاْ إِنَّهُمْ
لاَ يُعْجِزُونَ
“Let not the unbelievers think that they
“Let not the unbelievers think that they
can get the
better (of the godly). They
will never
frustrate (them)”.
(al-Quran 8:59)
Badr is the
first major encounter between the newly-born nation of Muslims and the
evil-living unbelievers (Kaafireen), the Quraish of Makkah. This was the one
historic event that changed the course of history of not only the Arabia but of the entire universe.
At the dawn of
Islam in Makkah, Muslims were killed, injured, tortured, robbed and persecuted.
Eventually, they were expelled while some fled their homes and took refuge
somewhere else. It is happening again today in every place where Islam has its
foothold. Muslims are being massacred, their homes and homelands being
destroyed and the survivors driven out as refugees. In the West, they are
targeted and have become victims of discrimination and racism too.
The history of
mankind tells us that it is the oppressed that conquer the oppressors in the
end! That’s how Allah balances out the injustice, persecution, aggression,
corruption, transgression and inequality. He helps the oppressed to break the
shackles. The history of David and Goliath is being repeated – and we know the
outcome very well! It’s a matter of time only.
وَنُرِيدُ أَن نَّمُنَّ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ ٱسْتُضْعِفُواْ فِى
ٱلأَرْضِ
وَنَجْعَلَهُمْ أَئِمَّةً وَنَجْعَلَهُمُ ٱلْوَارِثِينَ
“And We wished to be Gracious to those who
“And We wished to be Gracious to those who
were being oppressed
in the land, to make them
leaders (in
Faith) and make them inheritors.”
(al-Quran 28:5)
The Battle of
Badr has been referred to in the Holy Quran; and Allah called it a “Day of
Furqaan”. The Arabic word ‘furqaan’ means to separate or to distinguish. It was
the 17th day of Ramadan, in the 2nd year of Hijrah (7th
of March, 623 A.D., some put it as March 17, 624 A.D.))
when the Almighty Allah separated/distinguished the Truth from Falsehood; the
Light from Darkness; and the Guidance from Ignorance! He gave the believers a
great victory and vanquished the hopes and aspirations of the disbelievers who
wanted to wipe out Islam which had started gaining popularity.
Muslims were a
tiny minority and were constantly persecuted by the politically powerful and
financially strong Quraish.
A few days
before Ramadan, reports reached Madinah that a trade caravan of Quraish was
returning to Makkah from Syria.
The caravan was carrying not only merchandise but also weapons. It was
estimated that the caravan had made a profit of 50,000 Dinars (pieces of gold).
The weapons and the huge amount of money were to be used to equip an army to
fight against Muslims. The caravan was led by Abu Soufyan, a Makkan stalwart
and staunch enemy of Muslims at that time.
Prophet
Muhammad (s.a.w.), after consultation with his companions, decided to intercept
the caravan. He appointed Abu Lababa as Governor of Madinah, and left the city for Badr, a village in the south-west of Madinah.
It was 8th of Ramadan. Scholars differ about their exact number
(ranging from 305 to 319) but most of them agree on 313. About 80-90 of them
were from Makkah (‘Muhajireen’) and the rest were ‘Ansar’ (locals) of Madinah.
They settled and took up position in a valley which was known for its water
wells. Muslims took control of a strategic well/water reservoir and blocked off
some other wells. The enemy had to cross the valley, in front of Muslims, to
reach the water wells.
The poor
Muslims had no clue that they would never see the Quraish caravan, but instead
have an encounter with 1000-strong Quraish army of Makkah.
Here’s a look
at the background: Muhajireen (refugees or emigrants) were actually the victims
of aggression and oppression; and were expelled by the Quraish leaders of
Makkah. They were also forced to leave behind family members, their homes,
properties and cattle/camel herds. They arrived in Madinah empty-handed. The
Makkans confiscated their properties and cattle/camel herds. On top of it,
Muslims were not allowed to fight back (in the beginning). They were very
angry. They suffered the worst kind of persecution at the hands of Quraish of
Makkah for 13 long years.
Eventually,
when Allah’s permission came and Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) told them that they
were allowed to fight back, they were looking for an opportunity to recover
their losses. But Allah had a different plan for them.
Abu Soufyan
somehow got the information about this ambush and changed the route but at the
same time he sent a message to Makkan leaders to come to his rescue. The
Quraish leaders of Makkah got furious and decided to teach Muslims a lesson.
They sent an army of 1000 fighters to eliminate Muslims. They were equipped with
war gear, 100 horses, 700 camels laden with war material and other supplies;
and bands of chanters/drum-beaters.
Muslims, on the
other hand, were not prepared for any armed confrontation as they did not have
the means for it. The 313-men contingent had only two horses and 70 camels and
little or no war equipment. Some of them had swords but no shields. To reach
the valley near Badr, they had to walk or share the ride by two or three.
When the
Quraish army reached Badr, they received a message from Abu Soufyan that the
caravan had safely passed the region, therefore, they could return to Makkah.
Abu Jahl was an arrogant leader of the Quraish. He refused to return to Makkah
without victory.
A Muslim patrol
party captured a waterman who confessed that he was part of the group supplying
water to the Makkan army. It was a shocking news. When Prophet Muhammad
(s.a.w.) heard that the Quraish of Makkah had dispatched an army of 1000 men
and they were just on the other side of the hill, he got worried and called a
meeting to decide what to do next.
Muslims were a
little worried and the Prophet (s.a.w.) kept invoking Allah. Later, he
addressed them and while giving glad tiding of a victory, said:
“Allah has
promised you one of the two, either the caravan or the army”.
وَإِذْ يَعِدُكُمُ ٱللَّهُ إِحْدَى ٱلطَّائِفَتِيْنِ أَنَّهَا
لَكُمْ وَتَوَدُّونَ
أَنَّ غَيْرَ ذَاتِ ٱلشَّوْكَةِ تَكُونُ لَكُمْ وَيُرِيدُ
ٱللَّهُ أَن يُحِقَّ الحَقَّ
بِكَلِمَاتِهِ وَيَقْطَعَ دَابِرَ ٱلْكَافِرِينَ
“Behold! Allah promised you one of the two
“Behold! Allah promised you one of the two
(enemy) parties,
that it should be yours.
You wished that
the one unarmed should be
yours, but Allah
willed to justify the Truth
according to His
words and to cut off
the roots of the
unbelievers.”
(al-Quran 8:7)
Subhan-Allah! That’s how Allah works! The
poor Muslims wanted to capture the trade caravan with its expensive merchandise
and other goods; and camels/horses; and be content with it. This was referred
to in the Quran as the ‘unarmed party’ of the enemy. The other party was
‘armed’ – the army of the Quraish of Makkah – which Muslims could not even
dream of facing at that stage and level, let alone capturing or conquering it!
Makkans were considered the richest and the strongest people in the region. But
Allah wanted to justify the Truth, therefore, He created the circumstances too.
On the night
before the battle, Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) made a very long and intense
supplication (‘dua’) to Allah. He was praying under a tree, crying until the
sun rose. He was standing up, raising his hands toward heavens. Some of the
words he uttered:
“O Allah! I invoke You for Your promise of victory.
Here come Quraish full of vanity and pride. They
Oppose You and call Your Messenger a liar. O Allah!
If You decide that we be defeated today, and if this little
band of your believers perishes today, there would be
none left in the land to worship You!”
At that
particular time, those 300-plus people were the only Muslims on the face of the
earth and in the case of a defeat, they would be wiped out. When Abu Bakr
(r.a.a.) saw this, he came to console the Prophet (s.a.w.). He held the Prophet
(s.a.w.)’s hand in his hand and said: “That’s enough! Allah will certainly
fulfill His promise He made to you.”
Allah’s
re-assurance came and Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) felt the contentment and peace,
satisfaction and confidence to stand up to the challenge facing them. His
prayers were answered right then and there.
إِذْ تَسْتَغِيثُونَ رَبَّكُمْ فَٱسْتَجَابَ لَكُمْ أَنِّى
مُمِدُّكُمْ
بِأَلْفٍ مِّنَ ٱلْمَلاۤئِكَةِ مُرْدِفِينَ
“Remember you implored the assistance of your
“Remember you implored the assistance of your
Lord and He answered you: "I will assist
you
with a thousand
of the angels, ranks on ranks."
(al-Quran 8:9)
The night
before the battle, while Muslims slept, a heavy rain fell. On the morning of
Friday, the 17th of Ramadan, 2 A.H., the two armies advanced and drew closer
to each other. The rain had been heavier on the side of Quraish, making the
ground soft and movement difficult. On the side of Muslims, however, the rain
had packed the sand down hard, making it easy for them to march.
In the morning,
after having examined the ranks, the Prophet (s.a.w.) then went to a shelter
made of palm branches from which he could command the battle. Abu Bakr stayed
with him, while Saad Bin Mu’adh, with several of the Ansaar, stood outside guarding
the hut.
The battle
started in the Arab tradition with the big warriors of Quraish, like Walid Ibn
Utba, Utba Ibn Rabia, and Shaiba, coming out and challenging the opposition for
duals. Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) sent his uncle Hamza (r.a.a.), his cousin Ali
(r.a.a.) and his companion Ubaida (r.a.a.) to fight the star warriors of
Quraish; and they killed the Quraish heroes sending terror wave in the ranks of
the Makkans. Ubaida (r.a.a.) was fatally wounded though and died later (being
the first martyr of Badr). Then the troops attacked each other in regular
fighting. By noon, the battle was over as Makkans fled the scene leaving dead
bodies and material behind.
 |
| (In the town of Badr, Saudi Arabia, the Martyrs of Badr graveyard) |
Nicholson writes:
“But the
importance of Mohammed’s success
(in the
battle of Badr) cannot be measured by the
material damage
which he inflicted (upon the pagans of
Mecca).
Considering the momentous issues involved,
we must allow that Badr, like Marathon, is one of the
greatest and most memorable
battles in all history.”
(A Literary History
of The Arabs, by A. Nicholson, 1969).
The battle of
Badr claimed some big heads of the Quraish of Makkah; the most important among
them was Abu Jahl, his brother and his son. Abu Jahl was considered as ‘Pharaoh
for Muslim Ummah’. Umayyah Ibn Khalaf was another big notable killed in Badr.
According to one narration, he was killed by his own ex-slave Bilal (r.a.a.).
Abu Soufyan survived and returned to Makkah to prepare for another war. In
total 70 Makkan fighters were killed and another 70 captured as prisoners of
war.
On the other
hand, from among the Muslims, 14 people were martyred. Prophet Muhammad
(s.a.w.) and his contingent returned to Madinah, a week before the end of
Ramadan, glorifying and thanking the Merciful Lord for His help at Badr.
 | |
| (Names of the 14 Martyrs of Badr are engraved on this 'Badr Memorial' in Saudi Arabia) |
This was the first major encounter between Muslims and the Makkans. So, the Prophet (s.a.w.) consulted his companions on the subject of ‘prisoners of war’. There were all kinds of suggestions based on different sentiments. Abu Bakr suggested to pardon them and accept ransom for their release. In the end, the Prophet (s.a.w.) announced: “We will ransom the prisoners”.
According to
some narrations, they were given the choice to accept Islam and win freedom; or
to teach 10 Muslims ‘how to read and write’ and win freedom. Otherwise, the
ransom amount was fixed at 400 Dirhams per prisoner.
Like many other
‘Firsts’ of the history of mankind, Badr also set the first example of the
treatment of prisoners of war. Their lives were spared; they were treated
humanely; they were provided with shelter and fed properly, even when some
Muslims did not have food to eat and survived on dates and water.
Sir William
Muir, the famous British orientalist, known for his hostility towards Islam and
Muslims, wrote:
“In pursuance of
Mahomet’s commands, the citizens
of Medina and such of the
emigrants who possessed
houses, received the prisoners and treated them
with much consideration.
‘Blessings be on the men
of Medina’, said one of these
prisoners in the later
days, ‘they made us
ride while they themselves
walked. They gave
us wheaten bread to eat
when there was
little of it, contenting
themselves with
dates’.”
 |
| (The graveyard of the Martyrs of Badr in Saudi Arabia) |
وَٱذْكُرُوۤاْ إِذْ أَنتُمْ قَلِيلٌ مُّسْتَضْعَفُونَ فِى
ٱلأَرْضِ تَخَافُونَ
أَن يَتَخَطَّفَكُمُ ٱلنَّاسُ فَآوَاكُمْ وَأَيَّدَكُم
بِنَصْرِهِ وَرَزَقَكُمْ
مِّنَ ٱلطَّيِّبَاتِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ
“Call to mind when you were a small (band),
“Call to mind when you were a small (band),
despised through the land,
and afraid that men
might despoil and kidnap you.
But He provided
a safe asylum for you, strengthened
you with
His aid, and gave you good
things for
sustenance, that you might be
grateful.”
(al-Quran 8:26)
(Excerpts from
my book “The Way (Sunnah) Of The Prophet (s.a.w.)”, chapter “Muhammad (s.a.w.) At
War – Badr.”)
***********
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