In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
Treasures of the Prophetic Biography (Seerah).
The Great Battle of Badr.
Its cause was a caravan of Quraysh returning from the Levant,
led by Abu Sufyan.
As it drew near on its journey back,
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) dispatched Talhah ibn 'Ubaydullah
and Sa'id ibn Zayd
to gather intelligence about it.
They reached a place called al-Hawra'
and remained there until Abu Sufyan passed by them with the caravan.
They then hurried back to Medina
and informed the Prophet (peace be upon him) of the news,
reporting to him the caravan's numbers.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) announced to the Muslims, saying:
"This is the caravan of Quraysh;
within it is their wealth,
so march forth toward it—perhaps Allah will grant it to you as spoil."
Yet he did not make marching out obligatory upon anyone.
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) prepared to set out,
and three hundred and a dozen or so men marched forth with him.
They had not made complete preparations for war.
Accompanying them were only two horsemen on mounts:
al-Zubayr ibn al-'Awwam
and al-Miqdad ibn al-Aswad.
They had only seventy camels,
sharing one camel between every two or three men.
The Prophet (peace be upon him),
'Ali ibn Abi Talib,
and Marthad ibn Abi Marthad
shared a single camel.
At each interval, one would ride while the other two walked.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) handed
the supreme command banner to Mus'ab ibn 'Umayr al-Qurashi,
gave the standard of the Muhajirun battalion to 'Ali ibn Abi Talib,
and gave the standard of the Ansar battalion to Sa'd ibn Mu'adh.
He assigned command of the right flank to al-Zubayr
and the left flank to al-Miqdad ibn 'Amr,
while overall command remained in the hands of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
Meanwhile, Abu Sufyan was actively seeking intelligence,
fearful following the raid of Ibn al-Hadrami.
He learned that Muhammad (peace be upon him)
had set out to intercept the caravan.
So he hired a man named Damdam ibn 'Amr
to rush as an alarming herald to Quraysh, calling them to arms
to defend the caravan against Muhammad and his Companions.
Damdam set out swiftly for Mecca;
upon arriving, he cried out in the belly of the valley,
having slit his camel’s nostrils, turned its saddle backward, and torn his shirt.
All of these were dramatic actions
customarily used by the Arabs of old
to signal that a grave catastrophe had occurred.
Hence, the Arabs would say:
"I am the stripped, naked warner,"
meaning that the crisis had escalated to a level
that permitted no tolerance or complacency.
He shouted:
"O people of Quraysh, the caravan! The caravan!
Your wealth with Abu Sufyan
has been intercepted by Muhammad and his Companions!
I do not think you will be able to save it!
Help! Help!"
The people quickly mobilized,
saying:
"Does Muhammad and his companions think
that this will be like the caravan of Ibn al-Hadrami?
By Allah, no! They shall certainly know otherwise!"
Every man was in one of two situations:
either marching out himself or sending
a substitute in his place.
They mobilized en masse,
such that not a single one of their nobles stayed behind,
except Abu Lahab, the uncle of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
He brought a man who owed him a debt, saying:
"I will forgive your debt to me
if you march out in my place."
They also rallied the surrounding Arab tribes,
and not a single clan of Quraysh stayed behind
except Banu 'Adi,
who chose not to march out with them.
This army numbered
around 1,300 fighters,
along with 600 horses.
If we draw a comparison,
we find that the Prophet (peace be upon him)
and those with him
numbered roughly three hundred and a dozen or so men,
while the polytheists numbered 1,300.
The Muslims had only two horses between two riders,
while the polytheists had 600 horses.
Such was the number and equipment of the Muslims,
and such was the number and equipment of the polytheists.
The Muslims had set out only for a caravan,
whereas the disbelievers had set out for battle;
even their psychological readiness was entirely different.
Thus, at this point,
the polytheists were superior in three respects:
first, in manpower;
second, in military equipment;
and third, in psychological preparation for war.
The polytheists were led by Abu Jahl,
'Amr ibn Hisham.
They marched out of their homes just as Allah, Blessed and Exalted, said:
"And do not be like those who came forth from their homes insolently and to be seen by people..."
“Be not as those who came forth from their dwellings boastfully and to be seen of men, and debar (men) from the way of Allah, while Allah is surrounding all they do.” (8:47)
“Be not as those who came forth from their dwellings boastfully and to be seen of men, and debar (men) from the way of Allah, while Allah is surrounding all they do.” (8:47)
"...and Allah is encompassing of what they do."
Abu Sufyan, however, managed to escape with the caravan.
For when he heard that the Prophet (peace be upon him)
had set out, he altered his route.
The story of how he changed his route demonstrates his shrewdness:
he was traveling along the standard route from the Levant to Mecca,
but he remained exceedingly cautious and vigilant.
As he approached Badr,
he met Majdi ibn 'Amr, who lived in that area,
and asked him:
"Have you noticed any troops passing by?"
Majdi ibn 'Amr replied:
"I have not seen anyone suspicious,
except that I saw two riders make their camels kneel by this hill,
fill their waterskin, and then depart."
Abu Sufyan went to the spot where the two mounts had rested,
picked up some of their camel dung,
and crumbled it, discovering date stones inside.
He exclaimed:
"By Allah, this is the fodder of Yathrib!"
He immediately turned back, changed his course, and saved the caravan.
He then sent word to the people of Mecca:
"Turn back, for the caravan is safe;
you only marched out to protect your wealth and your caravan,
and it has been saved."
But the tyrant of Quraysh, Abu Jahl, stood up
and declared:
"By Allah, we will not turn back until we reach Badr!
We shall stay there for three days,
slaughter camels,
feast on food, drink wine,
have songstresses play music for us,
and let the Arabs hear of us, of our march, and of our gathering,
so that they will revere and fear us forever!"
Al-Akhnas ibn Shariq stood up
and urged the army to turn back,
but they refused to listen to him.
So he said:
"As for me, I am going back."
And Banu Zuhrah turned back with him;
they were nearly three hundred men.
That left the Meccan disbelievers with one thousand fighters.
When the Prophet (peace be upon him)
learned of the Meccan army's departure,
he gathered his Companions to consult them.
He said:
"The people of Mecca have marched forth;
what do you advise?"
Abu Bakr al-Siddiq stood up
and spoke well,
may Allah be pleased with him.
Then 'Umar stood up
and spoke well.
Then al-Miqdad stood up
and spoke well.
Among the words spoken by al-Miqdad ibn 'Amr
(may Allah be pleased with him) was:
"O Messenger of Allah,
go forward to whatever Allah has shown you,
for we are with you!
By Allah, we will not say to you
as the Children of Israel said to Moses:
“They said: O Moses! We will never enter (the land) while they are in it. So go thou and thy Lord and fight! We will sit here.” (5:24)
'So go, you and your Lord, and fight; we are remaining right here.'
Rather, we say:
“They said: O Moses! We will never enter (the land) while they are in it. So go thou and thy Lord and fight! We will sit here.” (5:24)
'Go, you and your Lord, and fight; we are fighting alongside you!'
By the One Who sent you with the truth,
if you were to lead us to Bark al-Ghimad,
we would fight alongside you against all who oppose you
until you reach it!"
The Messenger of Allah said good words to him
and prayed for good for him.
'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud said:
"By Allah, I coveted
the stance of al-Miqdad"
because of the immense joy he saw in the Prophet
(peace be upon him)
at those words.
Yet the Prophet
(peace be upon him)
still sought further counsel,
because Abu Bakr, 'Umar,
and al-Miqdad
were all from the Muhajirun,
and the Prophet (peace be upon him)
wanted to hear from the Ansar.
This was because the Ansar
had only pledged allegiance to the Prophet
(peace be upon him)
stipulating that they would defend
him within Medina
and support him within Medina;
they had not pledged allegiance to him
to fight outside of Medina.
Therefore, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) wanted
from them,
to see whether they agreed
and were fully content,
or whether they still insisted
that they would defend
him only within Medina.
So he said,
"Advise me, O people."
Then Sa'd ibn Mu'adh spoke up—
and he was the leader of the Ansar
in this battle
and their standard-bearer—
and said,
"It seems as though you mean us,
O Messenger of Allah."
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said,
"Yes,
I want you to speak your minds,
for I will not compel you to fight,
nor do I wish to force you into it."
Thereupon, Sa'd ibn Mu'adh made
a statement that brought joy
and immense relief to the heart of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
He said,
"O Messenger of Allah!
We have believed in you, affirmed your truthfulness,
and borne witness that what you have brought is the truth.
We have given you, in pledge thereof,
our solemn oaths and covenants
to listen and obey.
Go forth, O Messenger of Allah, to whatever you intend!
For, by the One Who sent you with the truth,
if you were to lead us to this sea
and plunge into it, we would plunge in with you;
not a single man among us would stay behind.
We do not shrink from meeting our enemy tomorrow;
we are steadfast in war,
truthful and loyal in combat.
And perhaps Allah will show you through us
that which brings delight to your eyes.
So lead us on, with the blessing of Allah!"
In another narration,
Sa'd ibn Mu'adh
said to the Messenger (peace be upon him),
"Perhaps you fear that the Ansar
believe it is only their duty
to support you within their own territory.
But I speak on behalf of the Ansar
and answer for them:
set up camp wherever you wish,
ally with whomever you wish,
sever ties with whomever you wish,
take from our wealth whatever you wish,
and give us whatever you wish;
and whatever you take from us
is more beloved to us than what you leave behind.
Whatever command you issue,
our command is subordinate to yours.
By Allah, if you marched with us
until you reached Bark al-Ghimdan,
we would surely march alongside you.
And by Allah, if you were to lead us to
this sea and plunge into it,
we would plunge in with you."
The Prophet (peace be upon him) was delighted
by the words of Sa'd,
and took heart from them.
Then he said,
"March forth and rejoice,
for Allah Almighty
has promised me one of the two parties.
By Allah, it is as though right now
I can see the exact spots where the people will fall!"
Then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) set out
and camped near Badr.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) dispatched
'Ali ibn Abi Talib,
al-Zubayr ibn al-'Awwam,
and Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas,
along with a small group, to the waters of Badr.
There, they found two boys
drawing water for the Meccan army,
so they seized them
and brought them back
to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
while he was praying.
They questioned the two youths:
"Who are you?"
They replied, "We are the water-carriers for Quraysh;
they sent us."
The men disliked that answer,
hoping instead that they belonged
to Abu Sufyan,
because they were after the caravan.
So they beat them until
they would confess to belonging to Abu Sufyan.
When the beating intensified,
the two boys said,
"We belong to Abu Sufyan,"
so they let them be.
When he had finished—
the Prophet (peace be upon him)—
his prayer,
he turned to his Companions and said,
"When they told you the truth,
you beat them,
and when they lied to you, you let them go!
By Allah, they spoke the truth:
they belong to Quraysh."
Then he turned to the two boys
and said,
"Tell me about Quraysh."
They said, "They are behind
this sand dune,"
pointing to the location.
The Prophet (peace be upon him)
asked them,
"How many are they?"
"They are many."
He asked, "What is their number?"
They replied, "We do not know."
He asked,
"How many camels do they slaughter each day?"
They replied, "One day
nine, and the next day ten."
The Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him) said,
"The army is between
nine hundred and one thousand."
Then he asked them,
"And who among the nobles of Quraysh is with them?"
They said,
"Among them are 'Utbah and Shaybah,
the sons of Rabi'ah,
and Abu al-Bakhtari ibn Hisham,
Hakim ibn Hizam,
Nawfal ibn Khuwaylid,
al-Harith ibn 'Amir,
Tu'aymah ibn 'Adiyy,
al-Nadr, Zam'ah,
Abu Jahl,
and Umayyah ibn Khalaf,"
and they named several prominent men
from Mecca.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) then turned
to the people and said,
"This is Mecca; it has
cast before you the pieces
of its very heart!"
Then Sa'd ibn Mu'adh suggested
to the Prophet (peace be upon him)
that he stay in a shaded shelter (arish)
set apart from the direct fighting,
so that this would ensure
greater protection for the Prophet (peace be upon him).
He said
to the Prophet (peace be upon him),
"O Prophet of Allah,
shall we not build a shelter for you
in which you may stay,
and keep your riding beasts ready beside you,
while we meet our enemy?
If Allah grants us victory
and gives us the upper hand over our enemy,
that will be what
we have desired.
But if it turns out otherwise,
you can mount your riding beasts
and join those of our people left behind;
for there have stayed behind
people
who, O Prophet of Allah,
do not love you any less than we do.
Had they known that you would face battle,
they would never have stayed behind."
The Prophet (peace be upon him) praised
his counsel
warmly.
And so he (peace be upon him) stayed in the shelter.
Then the Prophet (peace be upon him)
marshaled
his army
and walked across the battlefield,
pointing with his hand,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him:
"This is where so-and-so will fall,
if Allah wills,
and this is where so-and-so will fall."
Subhan Allah—
pointing out the exact spots where
they would be slain.
And the Muslims spent that
night in profound tranquility.
Allah, Blessed and Exalted, said:
"[Remember] when
He caused drowsiness to overcome you
as a reassurance from Him,
and sent down upon you
from the sky
water,
"and sending down upon you
from the sky
to purify you
thereby,
to purify you
thereby and remove
from you the defilement of Satan,
and to strengthen
your hearts
and firmly plant thereby
your feet."
The ground on which the Muslims encamped
was loose and soft,
so Allah, Blessed and
Exalted is He, sent down rain upon it,
making it firm and smooth,
whereas the ground where the polytheists had encamped
was clayey,
so when Allah sent down
the rain upon it, it became
muddy and slippery so that they could not
stand firm upon it due to the slickness.
And that took place
on the seventeenth of Ramadan,
in the second year
of the Hijrah.
Treasures of the Seerah.
Preparing for Battle:
Quraysh prepared
for battle,
and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also prepared
for battle.
Quraysh dispatched
'Umayr Ibn Wahb to spy
and find out the extent
of the Muslims' strength.
'Umayr rode his horse
around the Muslim camp,
then returned to his people
and said:
"They are three hundred men, slightly more
or slightly less.
But give me time
so that I may see
if they have an ambush or reinforcements."
So he rode out through the valley
far and wide,
but saw nothing.
He returned to them and said:
"I found nothing.
But O gathering of Quraysh!
I have seen calamities
carrying death!
The camels of Yathrib
are bearing imminent demise!
A people who have no shield
and no sanctuary
except their swords!
By Allah, I do not think a single man among them will be killed
until
he kills a man from among you!
And if they kill an equal number of your men,
what good is life
after that?"
An opposition arose led by
Abu Jahl, who denounced
his words
and commanded the people to fight, endure,
and be patient.
So they obeyed Abu Jahl.
Treasures of the Seerah.
A Permissible Ruse:
While the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
was straightening the ranks,
Sawad Ibn Ghaziyyah
was standing out ahead of the line.
So the Prophet prodded him with an arrow
in his belly, saying to him:
"Step back into line, O Sawad!"
Sawad said:
"O Messenger of Allah,
you have hurt me,
so grant me retaliation!"
The Prophet (peace be upon him) uncovered
his stomach so that
he might take retribution,
and the Prophet (peace be upon him) said to him:
"Take retribution."
Thereupon, Sawad stepped forward,
embraced the Prophet (peace be upon him),
and kissed his belly.
The Prophet
(peace be upon him) asked him:
"What made you do
this, O Sawad?"
He replied:
"O Messenger of Allah,
what you see has arrived,
so I wanted the last moment of my life with you
to be that my skin touches your skin."
So the Messenger of Allah
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) prayed for him.
Treasures of the Seerah.