The Battle of Badr: The First Decisive Battle of Islam

  The Battle of Badr: The First Decisive Battle of Islam

Reason for the invasion:

In the account of the Battle of Ashira, we have already mentioned that a caravan of the Quraysh escaped the Prophet’s (ﷺ) capture while on its way from Mecca to Syria. When the caravan was about to return to Mecca from Syria, the Prophet (ﷺ) sent Talhah bin Ubaidullah (ﷺ) and Saeed bin Zaid (ﷺ) to the north to ascertain its condition. These two companions went as far as Hawra’ and stayed there. When Abu Sufyan passed by with the caravan, he returned to Medina at great speed and informed the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).

This caravan contained the great wealth of the Meccans, namely, one thousand camels, carrying at least fifty thousand dinars (two hundred and sixty-two and a half kilograms of gold) worth of equipment, while there were only forty men to guard it.

This was a great golden opportunity for the people of Medina, while for the people of Mecca, the deprivation of this abundance of wealth was a great military, political and economic blow. Therefore, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) announced to the Muslims that this caravan of Quraysh is coming with wealth and riches, so set out for it. It may be that Allah Almighty will hand it over to you as booty.

But he (ﷺ) did not make it necessary for anyone to set out, but rather left it to the whims of the people because at the time of this announcement, it was not expected that instead of the caravan, a very strong clash would take place with the army of Quraysh in the field of Badr, and this is the reason why many of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) remained in Medina. They thought that this journey of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would not be different from his previous general military campaigns. And that is why no inquiry was made from those who did not participate in this expedition.

The size of the Islamic army and the distribution of command:

When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prepared to set out, there were some three hundred people with him. (i.e. 313 or 314 or 317) of whom 82 or 83 or 86 were Muhajirs and the rest were Ansar. Then 61 of the Ansar were from Aws and 170 from the Khazraj tribe. This army had neither made any special arrangements nor was it fully prepared for the expedition. Therefore, the entire army had only two horses (one belonging to Hazrat Zubair bin Awam and the other to Hazrat Miqdad bin Aswad al-Kindi) and seventy camels, each of which was ridden by two or three men in turn. One camel was for the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), Hazrat Ali (ﷺ) and Hazrat Murshad bin Abi Murshad al-Ghanwi (ﷺ), on which the three men rode in turn.

The administration of Medina and the leadership of the prayers were initially entrusted to Hazrat Ibn Umm Maktum (RA), but when the Prophet (ﷺ) reached the place of Rawha, he (ﷺ) sent Hazrat Abu Lubaba bin Abdul Mundhir (RA) back as the administrator of Medina. The army was organized in such a way that one army was formed for the Muhajirin and one for the Ansar. The flag of the Muhajirin was given to Hazrat Ali bin Abi Talib and the flag of the Ansar to Hazrat Saad bin Muadh. And the flag of the general command, which was white, was given to Hazrat Mus'ab bin Umair Abduri (RA). Hazrat Zubair bin Awwam (RA) was appointed as the officer of Maimana and Hazrat Miqdad bin Aswad (RA) as the officer of Maysara -- and as we have already mentioned, these two were the only two senior cavalrymen in the entire army -- the command of the Saqa was handed over to Hazrat Qays bin Abi Sa'sa'ah and the general command was assumed by the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) himself as the commander-in-chief.

The size and command of the Islamic army:

When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prepared to set out, he was accompanied by some three hundred people (i.e. 313 or 314 or 317) of whom 82 or 83 or 86 were Muhajirs and the rest were Ansar. Then 61 of the Ansar were from Aws and 170 from the Khazraj tribe. This army had not made any special arrangements for the expedition nor was it fully prepared. Therefore, the entire army had only two horses (one belonging to Hazrat Zubair bin Awwam and the other to Hazrat Miqdad bin Aswad al-Kindi) and seventy camels, each of which was ridden by two or three men in turn. One camel was shared by the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), Hazrat Ali (ﷺ) and Hazrat Murshad bin Abi Murshad al-Ghanwi (ﷺ), on which the three men rode in turn.

The administration of Medina and the leadership of the prayers were initially entrusted to Hazrat Ibn Umm Maktum (RA), but when the Prophet (ﷺ) reached the place of Rawha, he (ﷺ) sent Hazrat Abu Lubaba bin Abdul Mundhir (RA) back as the administrator of Medina. The army was organized in such a way that one army was formed for the Muhajirin and one for the Ansar. The flag of the Muhajirin was given to Hazrat Ali bin Abi Talib and the flag of the Ansar to Hazrat Saad bin Muadh. And the flag of the general command, which was white, was given to Hazrat Mus'ab bin Umair Abduri (RA). Hazrat Zubair bin Awwam (RA) was appointed as the officer of Maimana and Hazrat Miqdad bin Aswad (RA) as the officer of Maysara -- and as we have already mentioned, these two were the only two senior cavalrymen in the entire army -- the command of the Saqa was handed over to Hazrat Qays bin Abi Sa'sa'ah and the general command was assumed by the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) himself as the commander-in-chief.

Departure of the Islamic army towards Badr:

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) set out with this incomplete army, leaving the entrance of Medina and following the main road to Mecca, they reached Bir Ruha. Then they proceeded from there, leaving the Meccan route on the left and turning right, they reached Naziya (the intended destination was Badr). Then they passed through a corner of Naziya and crossed the Wadi Rahqan. This is a valley between Naziya and Dara Safra. They passed through the Dara Safra of this valley. Then they descended from the valley and reached near Wadi Safra and from there they sent two men from the tribe of Juhaina, namely Basis bin Umar and Adi bin Abi Al-Zughba, to Badr to ascertain the situation of the caravan.

The destination of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was Badr because Abu Sufyan's caravan, which was coming from the highway, passed through Badr and it was customary for the caravans to camp here. This Badr is a plain about a mile long and a little less wide. It is surrounded on all sides by high and impassable mountains. There are only three or four routes between these mountains to come and go. His plan was probably that the caravan would disembark here. After that, these routes would be blocked and it would be surrounded. In this case, no man or camel could escape. Probably that is why he (ﷺ) was moving slowly and slightly away from the direction of Badr.

Number of Meccan army:

Initially, the Meccan army numbered thirteen hundred, with one hundred horses and six hundred pieces of armor. There were many camels, the exact number of which is unknown. The commander of the army was Abu Jahl bin Hisham. Nine distinguished men of the Quraysh were responsible for its supplies. Nine camels were slaughtered one day and ten camels were slaughtered the next.

Departure of the Army of Mecca:

After this guarantee, the people of Mecca left their homes and, as Allah says: “Insolent, showing off their glory to the people, and preventing them from the path of Allah,” they set out for Medina. As the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Taking their swords and weapons, being stung by Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ), burning with the desire for revenge and intoxicated with the desire for protection and anger, wondering how the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and his companions dared to look at the caravans of the people of Mecca? In any case, these people were moving very quickly towards Badr towards the north. When they reached Juhfa through the valleys of Usfan and Qadeed, a new message was received from Abu Sufyan, which said that you have set out to protect your caravan, your men and your property, and since Allah has saved them all, now return.” The caravan escaped: The details of Abu Sufyan's escape are that he was coming from Syria on the caravan route, but he was constantly alert and awake. He had also made repeated attempts to provide information. When he reached Badr, he himself went ahead of the caravan and met Majdi bin Amr and asked him about the Medinan army. Majdi said: "I did not see any unusual people, but I saw two horsemen who had made their animals sit near the mound. Then they filled their skins with water and left." Abu Sufyan rushed there and picked up the bridle of his camel and broke it, and found a date kernel in it. Abu Sufyan said: "By Allah! This is the fodder of Yathrib." After that, he quickly returned to the caravan and turned it westward, making it face the coast, and left the caravan route passing through Badr on the left. In this way, he saved the caravan from being captured by the Madinah army and immediately informed the Meccan army of his escape and sent a message to return, which he received in Juhfa.

The advance of the Islamic army towards important military centers:

After that, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) moved his army so that they would reach the spring of Badr before the polytheists and not let the polytheists dominate it. So, at the time of Isha, he (ﷺ) descended at the spring closest to Badr. On this occasion, Hazrat Hubab bin Mundhir (RA) asked, as an expert soldier, “O Messenger of Allah! (ﷺ) have you descended at this place by the command of Allah, that there is no room for us to retreat beyond it, or have you adopted it merely as a war strategy?” He (ﷺ) said: It is merely as a war strategy. He (ﷺ) said: “This is not a suitable place. You (ﷺ) should go ahead and encamp at the spring that is closest to the Quraysh. Then we will cut off the remaining springs and build a cistern over our spring and fill it with water. After that, when we fight the Quraysh, we will continue to drink water and they will not get any water.” The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “You have given very good advice.” After that, he (ﷺ) got up with his army and reached the spring closest to the enemy at about midnight and camped there. Then the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) built a cistern and blocked all the other springs.

Army formation and overnight stay:

Then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) ordered the army (see: Jami’ al-Tirmidhi, Abwaab al-Jihad, Bab Majaa fi al-Saff wa’l-Taabiyyah 1/201) and went to the battlefield, where he (ﷺ) kept pointing with his hand that this is the place of slaughter of so-and-so tomorrow, God willing, and this is the place of slaughter of so-and-so tomorrow, God willing, (Muslim on Anas, Mishkat 2/543) Then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) spent the night there at the root of a tree, and the Muslims also spent the night with a peaceful soul and a bright horizon. Their hearts were filled with confidence and they received their share with ease and comfort. They expected that in the morning they would see the good news of their Lord with their own eyes. And let him deceive you with sleep, and send down upon you water from the sky to purify you with it, and remove from you the traces of Shaytaan. And he binds it to your hearts and establishes his feet with it (8:11)

"When Allah was sending down upon you sleep as peace and fearlessness from Himself, and raining upon you water from the sky to purify you through it, and remove from you the filth of Satan, and strengthen your hearts, and make your feet firm."

This Friday night It was the night of 17th Ramadan 2 AH and he had left Medina on the 8th or 12th of that month.

The arrival of the Meccan army on the battlefield and their mutual disagreement:

On the other hand, the Quraysh spent the night in their camp outside the mouth of the valley and in the morning they descended from the hill with all their troops and set out towards Badr. One group went towards the pool of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He (ﷺ) said: “Leave them alone.” But whoever drank the water from among them was killed in that battle. Only Hakim bin Hizam remained who later became a Muslim, and a very good Muslim. His custom was that when a very strong oath had to be taken,

Both armies face off:

However, when the army of the polytheists appeared and the two armies became visible to each other, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "O Allah! These are the Quraysh who have come with all their arrogance and arrogance to oppose You and deny Your Messenger (ﷺ). O Allah! Your help... which You have promised. O Allah! Make them stand today."

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saw Utbah bin Rabi'ah on one of his red camels and said: "If there is any good among the people, it is with the one who has the red camel. If the people listen to him, they will be on the right path."

At this time, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) straightened the ranks of the Muslims. While straightening the ranks, a strange incident occurred. He (ﷺ) had an arrow in his hand. He was straightening the ranks when he pressed the arrow on the stomach of Sawad bin Ghaziyyah, who was a little ahead of the ranks, and said: Sawad! Get even. Sawad said: O Messenger of Allah! You have hurt me, so avenge me. He opened his stomach and said: Take revenge. Sawad clung to him and started kissing his stomach. He said: Sawad, what prompted you to do this? He said: O Messenger of Allah! You are seeing what is happening. I wanted the last thing I would have done to you on such an occasion to be that my skin should touch your skin. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prayed for him. Then, when the ranks were drawn up, he instructed the army not to start fighting until he received his final orders. Then, giving a special guidance on the method of war, he said: When the polytheists gather and come close to you, shoot arrows at them and try to save your arrows. (Sahih Bukhari 2/568) (i.e. do not waste your arrows by shooting them in vain) and do not draw your sword until they overtake you. (Sunan Abu Dawud: Chapter on the String of Swords at the Meeting 2/13) After that, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and Abu Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with them) returned to the fort, and Sa’d ibn Mu’aadh (may Allaah be pleased with him) took his guard and stationed himself at the gate of the fort. On the other hand, the situation of the polytheists was such that Abu Jahl prayed to Allaah for a decision. He said: “O Allaah! Break up today the party among us that is most severing ties of kinship and most committing wrongdoing. O Allaah! Help today the party of us that is dearest and most beloved to You.'' Later, referring to this, Allah revealed this verse:

If you seek, victory has come to you. But if you desist, it is better for you. And if you return, We will return, and your party will not avail you anything, even if it were numerous. And Allah is with the believers (8:19)

 

"If you seek, victory has come to you. But if you desist, it is better for you. But if you return, We will return, and your party will not avail you anything, even if it were numerous. And Allah is with the believers." If you turn back (to this act of yours), we will turn back (to your punishment), and your group, even if it is large, will not be of any use to you. (And remember that) Allah is with the believers.''

Point Zero and the first fuel of the battle:

The first fuel of this battle was Aswad bin Abdul Asad Makhzoomi. This man was very stubborn and bad-tempered. He went out into the field saying that I swear by Allah that I will drink the water of his pond. Otherwise, I will destroy it or give my life for it. When he came out from this side, Hazrat Hamza bin Abdul Muttalib (RA) came out from this side. The two clashed just beyond the pond. Hazrat Hamza (RA) struck with his sword such that his leg was cut off half at the shin and he