Dec 30
Battle of Badr
Friday 17 Ramadan, 2024
Dec 30
Friday 17 Ramadan, 2024
The Battle of Badr is a major turning point in the spread of Islam. It took place in the valley of Badr around 624 CE (17 Ramadan, 2 AH). Known to be the first major battle in Islam, it was also the first large-scale confrontation between Muslims in Medina and the Quraysh in Mecca. The hatred of Quraysh for Muslims led to this war. They were against the religion Islam, but despite their efforts, they were unable to stop the spread of Islam in Mecca. The Quraysh Meccans forced the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) and his companions to leave Mecca and reside in Medina. Even after this, they weren't letting the Muslims live in peace in Medina. They were jealous of the growing power of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). This anger in their heart led them to torment and distress Muslims. For example, they confiscated their lands and wealth, which Muslims left behind after migration to Medina. Not only that, the Meccans threatened the people of Medina, warning them against supporting the Muslims. Ultimately, Quraysh and the Jews planned to attack Muslims in Medina. Later in Medina, 2 years after the migration, Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) allowed the Muslims to fight back. Until the Battle of Badr, Muslims were in a defensive position. However, this miraculous win in the battle changed their status and became a keystone in the spread of Islam among Arabs. This battle was so glorious that Allah mentioned it in the Quran as 'the day of distinguishing.'
For nearly thirteen years, Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) and his fellow Muslims preached Islam in Mecca. Before the Prophet, the Arabs were infidels – they worshipped idols. Arabia also had a small Jewish community that lived in peace with the Quraysh. This was the age of darkness, as the society was entrenched in evil societal behavior. Soon after the last messenger was granted prophethood, he laid the foundation of Islam in Arabia. While the spread of Islam was slow in the beginning, soon after, Islam started spreading like wildfire. This popularity led to increased tension between the Muslims of Arab and Quraysh. Quraysh was outraged because they were losing power. Ultimately, they started creating problems for Muslims. They succeeded in creating so many blockades that the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ), along with his companions, had to migrate from Mecca. In 622 CE, the Prophet and his followers migrated from Mecca to Medina, which is called Hijrah. Following the migration, the Prophet established the first independent Islamic state for Muslims in Medina. However, the hostility of the Meccans continued to increase. This hostility became the reason for the first battle in the history of Islam.
The hatred of Quraysh against the Prophet (ﷺ) and Muslims was the major reason behind the Battle of Badr. Several other incidents led to the forefront battle, but it all started with the agony and resentment of Quraysh, Jews, and other polytheist groups in Mecca.
The incident of Nakhla was one of the reasons for the battle of Badr. The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) commanded Abdullah bin Jehish to stay in Nakhla and collect information about the Quraysh to prevent an attack. However, he ended up getting in a fight with the Meccan caravan, which resulted in the death of Umar Bin Hazarmi, who was a noble person amongst Quraysh.
In early 624 CE, it was reported to Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) that a trading caravan led by Abu Sufyan, a major leader of Quraysh and a staunch opponent of Islam at that time, was en route to Mecca. This caravan was returning to Mecca with merchandise, weapons, and gold. The Prophet decided to intercept the caravan at the valley of Badr. Meanwhile, the Meccan spies also informed Abu Sufyan about the interception. Abu Sufyan rerouted the caravan to an off-track, and he notified the Quraysh in Arab, asking them for additional aid. The Quraysh were already furious because of the Nakhla incident. Thus, they dispatched a large army of 1300 men to fight the Muslims.
The Prophet Muhammad Mustafa (ﷺ) was unaware that the army of Quraysh was marching towards Medina. When he reached the valley of Badr, he was surprised that Abu Sufyan was nowhere to be found, and the Quraysh army was eagerly waiting there. The Prophet consulted his companions. Their heart shivered as they had a very small army, almost 300, compared to the army of Quraysh. However, with their faith in Allah, they took a step towards confrontation against the Quraysh army. What was a mere interception turned into a full-scale battle between Muslims and Quraysh.
As per the reports, the Muslim army consisted of 314 men. Of them, 170 belonged to the Khazraj tribe, 61 to the Aws tribe, and the remainder were immigrants. Since the Muslim forces at the Battle of Badr had set out to intercept a caravan and were unaware that they would be facing the combined forces of the Quraysh and their allies for battle, they did not accurately reflect the full military capability of the Islamic state. They had seventy camels and a few horses. Mus'ab ibn Umair al-Qurashi was given the general command by the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). He split his army into two battalions, the Ansar battalion under Sa'd ibn Mu'adh and the Muhajireen battalion under Ali ibn Abi Talib.
The army of Quraysh consisted of 1300 warriors, with 600 shields, 700 camels, and around 100 horses. Amr ibn Hisham (Abu Jahl) was appointed as the leader of this army. He was overconfident about his skills. Utbah ibn Rabi'ah was the second leader of the Quraysh army. Abu Jahl, the leader, was extremely arrogant and ignorant. He proclaimed, "We will not return until we reach Badr. There, we will establish ourselves thrice; we will slaughter camels, feast, drink wine, enjoy music, and let the Arabs hear of our march and gathering, so they will forever fear us." It was indeed satan who glorified their deeds in front of them and made them overconfident in their fighting skills.
On the 12th Ramadan, 2 AH, the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ), along with 319 companions, set out from Medina to intercept the caravan of Abu Sufyan. This caravan had a huge importance due to the economic wealth it was bringing from Syria. Since the Muslims never thought of going into a full-scale battle with Quraysh, they intercepted with a small army consisting of several camels and a few horses. On the other side, Quraysh mobilized a large army of 1300 men with horses, shields, and camels to protect the caravan. Upon reaching Badr, Muslims were confronted by the large Quraysh army, turning the intercept into the first-ever battle between Muslims and the infidels of Mecca.
On the eve of the battle, the Muslims became fearful of the large Quraysh army. The numerical superiority of Quraysh made Muslim men nervous and scared to death. Recognizing this, the Prophet turned to Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) to ask for His divine help. The Prophet prayed for victory despite the great odds in favor of Quraysh. It has been narrated on the authority of `Umar b. al-Khattab (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ), who said: When it was the day on which the Battle of Badr was fought, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) cast a glance at the infidels, and they were one thousand while his own Companions were three hundred and nineteen. The Prophet (ﷺ) turned (his face) towards the Qibla. Then he stretched his hands and began his supplication to his Lord: "O Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى), accomplish for me what Thou hast promised to me. O Allah, bring about what Thou hast promised to me. O Allah, if this small band of Muslims is destroyed. Thou will not be worshipped on this earth." He continued his supplication to his Lord, stretching his hands, facing the Qibla until his mantle slipped down from his shoulders. (Sahih Muslim 1763).
In Arab custom, war was initiated by individual duels. From Quraysh, three prominent warriors named Utbah ibn Rabi'ah, his brother Shaybah, and his son al-Walid stepped forward to challenge Muslims. Against them, the Prophet (ﷺ) appointed three of his close companions: Hamza ibn Abdul-Muttalib (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ), Ali ibn Abi Talib (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ), and Ubaydah ibn al-Harith (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ). Hamza and Ali succeeded in defeating Shaybah and al-Walid. However, in the fight between Utbah and Ubadyah, both sustained great injuries. Later on, with the assistance of Hamza and Ali (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ), Ubadyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) stood victorious against Utbah. This victory boosted the morale of Muslim men.
In the history of Islam, this battle is known to be nothing less than a miracle. Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) helped Muslims with the Divine intervention of a thousand angels. In Surah Anfal, this incident is clearly recorded as, "Remember ye implored the assistance of your Lord, and He answered you: 'I will assist you with a thousand of the angels, ranks on ranks." When you were seeking help (of) your Lord, and He answered [to] you, "Indeed, I am going to reinforce you with a thousand of the Angels one after another" (8:9). This support changed the course of the battle and shifted it in favor of Muslims.
The Battle of Badr ended with a great victory of Muslims over Quraysh. Almost seventy people from the Quraysh army were killed, including several noble leaders. The morale of Quraysh dropped down when the leader of the army, Abu Jahl, was killed. His death symbolized a major turning point in battle and granted victory to Muslims.
After the victory, Quraysh Meccans were captured. They were enemies of Muslims who teased them for thirteen years in Mecca. Even after migration, they didn't let Muslims live in peace. However, Islam is a religion of peace, and the Prophet (ﷺ) was sent to this world as a bringer of peace. Thus, the Meccan captives were treated well as per the command of the Prophet. During the ride back, they were offered camels to ride, and food was also given to prisoners.
The Prophet consulted his companions about what to do with the prisoners. Hazrat Abubakar suggested that the prisoners should be freed after paying ransom. His advice was accepted, and the prisoners were asked to pay ransom. Those who were poor and had no money to pay were also freed in exchange for teaching ten students in Medina. This incident became an excellent historical example of kindness and sympathy with enemies. This led to a large number of Quraysh enemies turning into Muslims after seeing the humanitarian nature of the Prophet and the preachings of Islam.
The Battle of Badr is a profound lesson of faith in Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) and His help for believers. Allah never let His believers go astray. This battle is a testament to the fact that even with limited resources and warriors opposed to Quraysh, Muslims had an unquestioning belief that Allah would help them. So, Allah did it with a thousand angels. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) demonstrated excellent leadership, which eventually became the reason for victory. His strategic planning enabled Muslims to fight wisely, showing the value of leadership and teamwork.
This battle proved that victory always belongs to the righteous, not the strongest. No matter how much wealth or worldly possessions someone owns, they can't secure victory if they're not on the right path and don't have support from Allah. The battle seemed impossible for Muslims, but Allah's plan is always supreme. This reminds us that we should always put our trust in Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) in all aspects of life.
Throughout the Quran and in various Hadith, the Battle of Badr has been explained. In the Quran, Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) has said, "And already Allah gave you victory at Badr while you were few in number. Then fear Allah; perhaps you will be grateful. [Remember] when you [Muhammad] said to the believers, 'Is it not sufficient for you that your Lord should reinforce you with three thousand angels sent down?'" (Surah Al-Imran: 123-124)
Similarly, in Surah Anfal, Allah reminded Muslims that even with wealth, Quraysh was defeated because they opposed the truth. "Indeed, those who disbelieve spend their wealth to avert [people] from the way of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى). So they will spend it; then it will be for them a source of regret; then they will be overcome" (8:36).
In the Battle of Badr, Allah helped the Muslim army with angels. It has been narrated by Ibn Abbas (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ): "While a Muslim was chasing a disbeliever in front of him, he heard the sound of a whip above him and the voice of a rider saying, 'Go ahead, Haizum!' He looked at the disbeliever, who suddenly fell down and found him dead. The man had a mark on his face as if he had been struck by a whip. The Prophet ﷺ said, 'You have spoken the truth. That was from the help of the third heaven.'" (Sahih Muslim 1763).
The Battle of Badr is a cornerstone in the history of Islam, symbolizing the faith in Allah, and the victory always stands with the truth. This event became a turning point as many non-believers embraced Islam after seeing the treatment of Muslims with captives. To date, the lessons of the Battle of Badr inspire Muslims to put their complete faith in Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى).