In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
A Abridgment of the Book:
Ramadan:
Events and Lessons.
The Great Battle of Badr.
The Time:
Friday morning,
corresponding to the seventeenth day of Ramadan
in the second year of the Hijrah.
The struggle between truth and falsehood,
and good and evil,
is an established law of life in this world.
Power is a principal element in managing and shifting the balance of this struggle.
Principles do not stand on equal footing, conflict does not intensify,
and dominance does not alternate between opposing parties
except through the presence of that crucial factor:
power.
That power includes the force of argument and eloquent exposition,
as well as the force of physical confrontation with weapons and spears.
Undoubtedly, the truth does not lack the first form of power;
rather, the proofs of its veracity are manifest.
However, it may lack the second form of power in certain times and places.
Without the combination of both forms of power,
it cannot prevail or spread on a grand scale.
For this reason, Allah Almighty ordained for His prophets the duty of striving against the enemies of His religion—
those who obstruct its propagation
and turn people away from accepting it.
Thus, this rite became an agreed-upon law
across all divine dispensations,
because if an idea lacks a force to protect and convey it,
it will not be destined to endure or spread.
Nevertheless, this just rite
may be suspended from practice in certain times and places
due to the absence of suitable conditions
that lead to the desired ends for which it was ordained—
as was the case during the Meccan period,
when the Muslims at that time lacked
the means to withstand a military confrontation.
But when the Muslims migrated to Medina
and gained a home, a refuge, numbers, and equipment,
verses urging jihad began to be revealed in succession,
continuing to do so until the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) departed this world.
These verses ranged from commanding fighting
to forbidding refraining from it,
encouraging it by detailing its noble outcomes,
and warning against abandoning it—an act that leads to praiseless consequences.
The Road to Badr:
The arrival of the caravans of the Emigrants in Medina
and their joining with the Ansar to form a new power
with a creed differing from what people held at that time—
a creed judging all else to be false,
calling people to join it and abandon their former religions,
and bringing about a radical transformation in life—
all of this was by no means a light matter
that the forces of falsehood would overlook,
especially the power of Quraysh,
which held prominent religious and political leadership at the time.
Nor should we forget the Jewish tribes residing with the Muslims in Medina,
who harbored deep-seated animosity toward them,
in addition to the Bedouins surrounding Medina.
Therefore, the Muslims' stay in the fragrant city of Medina before Badr
was not characterized by security and stability,
nor by peace of mind against surprise attacks from hostile forces.
Because of this situation, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) spent a period of time
never sleeping except under guard,
and the Muslims likewise slept with their weapons at hand,
fearing a sudden enemy attack.
The apprehension of danger at that time was no passing thought;
rather, it was a prudent sentiment.
Quraysh was sending its threats to Medina through 'Abdullah Ibn Ubayy Ibn Salul,
saying:
"We shall come to you, eradicate you, and destroy your green crops in your very homeland."
Indeed, matters escalated until a light force of polytheists,
led by Kurz Ibn Jabir al-Fihri, reached the pastures of Medina,
plundering some of its livestock and returning safely.
Since that was the case,
it became an accepted certainty
that a bloody clash between the gathering of truth and the gathering of falsehood was imminent.
Thus, Allah Almighty revealed the permission to fight,
accompanied by its justifying reasons in His saying:
“Sanction is given unto those who fight because they have been wronged; and Allah is indeed Able to give them victory;” (22:39)
"And indeed, Allah is competent to give them victory."
“Those who have been driven from their homes unjustly only because they said: Our Lord is Allah - For had it not been for Allah's repelling some men by means of others, cloisters and churches and oratories and mosques, wherein the name of Allah is oft mentioned, would assuredly have been pulled down. Verily Allah helpeth one who helpeth Him. Lo! Allah is Strong, Almighty -” (22:40)
“Those who have been driven from their homes unjustly only because they said: Our Lord is Allah - For had it not been for Allah's repelling some men by means of others, cloisters and churches and oratories and mosques, wherein the name of Allah is oft mentioned, would assuredly have been pulled down. Verily Allah helpeth one who helpeth Him. Lo! Allah is Strong, Almighty -” (22:40)
"And if it were not that Allah checks the people, some by means of others..."
“Those who have been driven from their homes unjustly only because they said: Our Lord is Allah - For had it not been for Allah's repelling some men by means of others, cloisters and churches and oratories and mosques, wherein the name of Allah is oft mentioned, would assuredly have been pulled down. Verily Allah helpeth one who helpeth Him. Lo! Allah is Strong, Almighty -” (22:40)
“Those who have been driven from their homes unjustly only because they said: Our Lord is Allah - For had it not been for Allah's repelling some men by means of others, cloisters and churches and oratories and mosques, wherein the name of Allah is oft mentioned, would assuredly have been pulled down. Verily Allah helpeth one who helpeth Him. Lo! Allah is Strong, Almighty -” (22:40)
"And Allah will surely support those who support Him."
"Indeed, Allah is Powerful and Exalted in Might."
From this point, it became clear to the Muslims
how vital military preparedness was.
So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
began equipping military expeditions
and dispatching them to the borders of Medina.
Thus, actual military operations commenced
periodically.
Prior to Badr, there were
multiple campaigns and expeditions,
the main objective of most being
to intercept the commercial trade caravans of Quraysh.
The purpose was to send a message to Quraysh
that the eyes of the Muslims were vigilant,
and that they were a force capable of confronting and fighting.
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
and the Muslims pursued this military activity vigorously
through those expeditions and detachments,
until some of them reached the vicinity of Mecca,
killing some of the polytheists,
taking captives and spoils, and returning safely—
such as the expedition of Nakhlah,
whose commander was 'Abdullah Ibn Jahsh (may Allah be pleased with him).
Here, the polytheists realized
that the Islamic threat to them was no longer an illusion,
but had become a reality.
At the height of this military activity shortly before Badr,
verses inciting to jihad
were being revealed in various Surahs,
which further increased the Muslims' enthusiasm and desire
for the day they would face Quraysh on the battlefield of arms.
Quraysh could not cease its trade journeys to the Levant,
which passed by the outskirts of Medina,
because its livelihood depended entirely upon them.
Despite the aforementioned repeated interceptions by the Muslims
of their caravans,
they continued to travel along that route.
Regarding one of those caravans,
news reached the Muslims about it,
so the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) set out
with a group of Muslims to pursue it.
However, they arrived after it had slipped past them,
so they returned to Medina.
When news reached them of its return journey,
the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) prepared
with three hundred and some odd men from among the Muslims.
They set out to intercept that caravan.
News of the Muslims' departure reached
the leader of the caravan, Abu Sufyan,
so he altered its route
and sent a messenger to warn Quraysh.
Thereupon, the polytheists marched out from Mecca
with their full strength and weaponry,
full of pride and arrogance,
to confront the Muslims with an army
numbering one thousand fighters.
When the news reached the Muslims,
they prepared, accompanied by the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him),
and set off for the battlefield,
taking up their positions
awaiting the hour of the decisive encounter.
The Dawn of the Day of Criterion:
On Friday morning,
corresponding to the seventeenth day of Ramadan
in the second year of the Hijrah,
the sun rose over a location
where two opposing groups stood face to face:
“There was a token for you in two hosts which met: one army fighting in the way of Allah, and another disbelieving, whom they saw as twice their number, clearly, with their very eyes. Thus Allah strengtheneth with His succour whom He will. Lo! herein verily is a lesson for those who have eyes.” (3:13)
and the other disbelieving.
The two parties met without prior preparation
for a full-scale battle on the part of the Muslims,
for they had intended only to capture the caravan,
whereas Allah willed the main military encounter.
On that fateful morning,
the clash occurred between swords,
after the conflict had previously been fought through arguments
and their refutations.
There met the oppressed,
who had been tortured and humiliated,
and driven from his home and family—
so that he who was to perish would perish upon clear proof, and he who was to live would live upon clear proof—
“When ye were on the near bank (of the valley) and they were on the yonder bank, and the caravan was below you (on the coast plain). And had ye trysted to meet one another ye surely would have failed to keep the tryst, but (it happened, as it did, without the forethought of either of you) that Allah might conclude a thing that must be done; that he who perished (on that day) might perish by a clear proof (of His Sovereignty) and he who survived might survive by a clear proof (of His Sovereignty). Lo! Allah in truth is Hearer, Knower.” (8:42)
facing the oppressive aggressor,
who had marched out insolently and to be seen by people,
averting others from the path of Allah
and fighting His allies.
That meeting was not out of tribal fanaticism,
or clan loyalty,
or nationalism, or worldly aims;
rather, it was an encounter between faith and disbelief,
truth and falsehood, and good and evil
in a decisive battle
that would determine the course of future interactions.
For this reason, there met at the point of the spear
brother against brother, son against father,
kinsman against kinsman,
and friend against friend.
No bond remained except the bond of faith;
upon it, the opposer was fought,
and the ally was supported.
In the thick of battle,
a swift duel broke out
that struck off the heads of three champions of the polytheists,
casting dark shadows
of terror and panic into the hearts of the disbelievers,
and throwing confusion and turmoil into their ranks.
Immediately following this, there began
a general assault launched by the Muslims,
sweeping forward like an overwhelming torrent that clears everything in its path,
or like hungry lions
pouncing upon prey
they had long yearned to face.
In that hour, you saw nothing but flying heads,
crushed faces,
severed limbs, splintered bones,
and flowing blood
staining bodies and mounts alike.
Thus, when the heat of battle raged,
and the shadows of the Muslims' swords
refused to lift from them,
the massive armies of disbelief saw their chief leaders
lying slain beneath the hooves of the horses,
and so they mounted the saddles of flight,
nursing their wounds and returning to their homelands
with whatever men remained of them.
Thereupon, the ropes and shackles
of the Muslims grew active,
capturing whatever they could from the fleeing ranks.
So the cloud of the Battle of Badr cleared,
leaving behind seventy dead
and seventy prisoners from among the polytheists of Quraysh.
This was a crushing blow,
the likes of which Quraysh had never suffered before.
As for the impact left by the battle:
Indeed, the day of Badr is a radiant day
upon the forehead of the Ummah of Muhammad,
a luminous pearl in the necklace
of bloody struggle throughout its history of jihad,
and a firm turning point
that redirected the course of history in those days.
It forced the mind of falsehood to reevaluate
its calculations all over again,
and gave the power of truth a new surge
of honor, certainty,
and perseverance on the path of armed confrontation.
It was the day on which justice was exacted
for the wronged against the wrongdoer,
for the oppressed against the oppressor,
and for the tormented against the tormentor.
It was the day of Bilal Ibn Rabah,
when he healed his heart's anguish against Umayyah Ibn Khalaf,
who used to subject him to the worst of punishments
in Makkah. It was a day in which
Makkah was cleansed of the heads of disbelief and misguidance,
and its quarters breathed a sigh of relief
as the souls of the leaders of delusion perished—
those who had been muddying its atmosphere.
Thus perished Abu Jahl,
Umayyah Ibn Khalaf,
Shaybah Ibn Rabi'ah,
and the likes of those tyrants.
The day of Badr was a day that shone brightly,
dispelling whatever darknesses of falsehood it dispelled,
becoming a stern, bloody lesson
that any force of falsehood fears
might be repeated against itself.
It was the day whose lights encompassed
all corners of Madinah,
so the Muslims rejoiced over it with immense joy,
while the hypocrites and the Jews were consumed by it
with severe rage,
returning frustrated to their dark shadows,
after the confrontation had tempted them to plot,
thinking that the turn of fortune
would go against the Muslims
and against the Prophet himself.
That joyful day of Ramadan
was a day that made the pagan tribes
around Madinah reconsider their evil intentions
toward the Muslims,
taking a thousand precautions.
As for Makkah,
how sorrowful were the polytheists of Makkah on that day!
For Makkah had thought that its massive army
was going out to Madinah as if on a hunting excursion,
destined to return after killing whomever it killed
and capturing in its snare
prisoners from among the Muslims,
whereupon the polytheists would drink wine
in celebration of the destruction of Muhammad and his companions.
Yet while Makkah was in the height of its dreams,
the vanguard of what remained
of its fighters entered it,
dragging the tails of disappointment,
with terror shrouding their steps,
widespread fear covering their faces,
and the dust of calamity looming over their heads.
Indeed, when the news reached the people of Makkah
as the first bearer brought news of the battle,
they would not believe the herald,
and began mocking his news as mere tales.
But when the truth blazed clearly before them,
they were shocked with a shock
the likes of which they had never felt before.
Gloom enveloped them,
profound grief descended upon them,
and Makkah turned into a vast house of mourning,
quaffing cups of immense pain.
What a difference between the remaining host of the polytheists—
which reached Makkah leaving behind
its slain and its captives,
carrying in its hands its disgrace and humiliation—
and the victorious host of the Muslims,
which returned to Madinah,
having paved its path from Badr
to Madinah with honor and joy,
entering Madinah while dragging along
seventy captives,
and leaving behind them at Badr seventy slain!
Thus delegations of congratulation received the Prophet,
while upon his noble face was etched
the smile of victory and pride.
He arrived at the abode of Migration (Madinah),
his eyes comforted by seeing the greatest force
of misguidance crumbling,
having witnessed the support of Allah
guiding the aim of the believers
and felling the disbelieving enemies of Allah.
In this event lie profound lessons:
First, the month of Ramadan
is a time for vigor and movement
toward momentous deeds,
not a time for sitting idle and slothfulness.
Second, the force of falsehood cannot be deterred
except by a force of truth
that stops it from its transgression and insolence.
Third, the victory of the believers
over the belligerent disbelievers
is not through the power of numbers and equipment,
but through the presence of the element of faith,
accompanied by the divine support of Allah Almighty.
Fourth, the arrogance of falsehood
has a fixed lifespan at which it ends,
whereupon the radiant star of truth shines brightly.
Fifth:
The victory of the force of truth over one faction
of the forces of falsehood
strikes fear into that force and its likes,
as Allah Almighty says:
"Ramadan: Events and Lessons."