17th of Ramadan
Battle of Badr
The First War Of Islam
313 Devotees of Islam
Wrote A New Chapter In
The History Of The World
(M. Javed Naseem)
“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 (a
real war) 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. They were
humiliated and bullied every day by the rich and powerful Makkans. Eventually,
they were expelled. 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 Islamophobia.
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.
“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.
 |
| (The battle-ground of Badr. Modern city of Badr is in the background.) |
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, an
arrogant leader of the Quraish, was leading the troops. 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. 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”.
“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,
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.
“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.
 |
| (Top guns challenging each other for duals.) |
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.
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.
 |
| (The names of the 14 martyrs of Badr (Shuhada-e-Badr) on a memorial.) |
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. Allah has promised victory to the true Believers:
“O
Prophet! Rouse the Believers to the fight!
If
there are twenty amongst you, patient and
persevering,
they will vanquish two hundred;
if
a hundred, they will vanquish a thousand
of
the Unbelievers, for these are a people
without
understanding.”
(al-Quran
8:65)
This was the first major encounter
between Muslims and the Makkans where Muslims captured prisoners. 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
Battle of Badr is a constant reminder to the Muslims that if they fear Allah,
the way Allah should be feared; and if they obey Allah and His Prophet
(s.a.w.), the way they should be obeyed, Allah’s help is guaranteed!
“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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