The New World of Madina

Battle of Badr

The battle of Badr. In 624 C.E. the Quraish of Makkah mustered a strong force, and decided to give the Muslims a battle with a view to crushing them. When the Holy Prophet came to know of the intentions of the Quraish he held a council of war at Madina. At this council, Abu Bakr was the first to rise and make an offer to sacrifice his life in the defense of Islam. The Muslims could muster a force of 313 men only to fight against the Quraish. With this meager force the Holy Prophet marched from Madina to Badr, some eighty miles away

Bravest Muslim. At Badr a pavilion was constructed for the Holy Prophet where he prayed. Here Abu Bakr stood as a guard with a drawn sword. It is related that once Ali asked his associates as to whom they considered to be the bravest among the Muslims. All of them said that Ali was the bravest. Ali said: "No. Abu Bakr is the bravest of men. At the battle of Badr we had prepared a pavilion for the Holy Prophet, but when we were asked to offer ourselves for the task of guarding it, none came forward except Abu Bakr. With a drawn sword he took his stand by the side of the Prophet of Allah and guarded him from the infidels by attacking those who dared to proceed in that direction. He was, therefore, the bravest of men."

Prayer of the Holy Prophet. At the battle of Badr the force of the Quraish was three times as large as the force of the Muslims. The Muslims were poorly equipped, but the Quraish were well armed. All the advantages lay with the Quraish. There was the danger that if the Muslims were defeated that would be the end of Islam. In this crisis the Holy Prophet prostrated himself before God and prayed: "O Lord ! I beseech You to fulfil the promise that You have given to me. O Lord ! if You allow this band of Muslims to perish, there will be none to worship you on the earth." As the Holy Prophet beseeched God overwhelmed with emotion, his mantle fell on the ground. Abu Bakr covered him with the mantle and said, "Holy Prophet, rest assured, God will fulfil His promise." Allah assured the Holy Prophet of His help. Thereupon the Holy Prophet concluded his prayers, and joined his companions to lead the attack. He gave the Muslims the glad tidings that soon the enemy would be routed. The Holy Quran refers to this incident in the following terms: "When you sought aid from your Lord He answered you I will assist you with a thousand angels." {8:9}

The battle. In the battle the Holy Prophet led the center, while Abu Bakr held the charge of the right wing. In the battle Abu Bakr's son Abdur Rahman who was still a non-Muslim fought on the side of he Quraish. When after the pact of Hudaibiya Abdur Rahman became a Muslim, he told his father that on the day of Badr he had got a chance when he could have easily struck him, but then he had turned in another direction. Abu Bakr replied, "If I had such an opportunity, I would not have spared you."

Victory for the Muslims. In the battle of Badr, God gave victory to the Muslims. Seventy men from the Quraish were killed, and seventy of them were taken captive and brought to Madina. At Madina the Holy Prophet consulted his companions as to how the captives should be treated. Umar was of the view that they should be killed. Abu Bakr said, "All of them are our kinsmen and relatives. They may be set free on ransom." The Holy Prophet accepted the advice of Abu Bakr, and set the captives free on ransom.

Banu Qainuqa'

Hostility of the Jews. When the Holy Prophet came to Madina, a few Jews accepted Islam and they were sincere in their faith in Islam. Some other Jews accepted Islam, but they were not sincere in their faith. They were hypocrites, and their object in accepting Islam was to disrupt it from within. The rest of the Jews were hostile to Islam. They ridiculed Islam and slandered the Holy Prophet and the Muslims. Ka'ab b Ashraf, Abu Afak, and Asma bint Marwan composed filthy songs satirizing the Holy Prophet and the Muslims.

Molestation of a Muslim woman by the Jews. Some time after the battle of Badr, a Muslim woman went to the street in the quarter of Banu Qainuqa', and gave an order to a goldsmith in the street for the making of some ornaments. One of the Jews came behind her, and opened the fastenings of her dress while she was talking to the goldsmith. She remained unaware of the rascality of the Jew, and when she stood up to depart, her trouser slipped exposing her nakedness. The Jews had a hearty laugh at her exposure. She shrieked and cried for help. A Muslim who passed that way came to her help, and he killed the rascal who had done the mischief. The Jews in turn fell upon the Muslim and killed him.

The Holy Prophet's ultimatum. In this sad episode the Jews were the aggressors. The Holy Prophet, therefore, asked the Jews to make amends failing which punitive action would be taken against them. The Jews accepted the challenge and replied as follows: "O Muhammad, let not the victory at Badr over a people who did not know how to fight deceive you. By God if you fight us, you will know that we are men who know to fight."

The fight. The Holy Prophet mustered a force, and ordered an attack on the quarter of Banu Qainuqa'. The Holy Prophet gave the standard to Abu Bakr. Banu Qainuqa' did not dare fight in the open. They shut themselves in their strongholds. The Muslims besieged these strongholds. The Quraish of Makkah had promised to help Banu Qainuqa', but no help came. The siege lasted for a fortnight by which time the Jews were brought to bay and they surrendered. The Holy Prophet and his companions were of the view that the treacherous Jews should be killed. Abdullah b Ubayy interceded for them, and the Holy Prophet ultimately agreed to spare their lives provided they migrated from Madina. They were allowed to carry such movable property except arms as they could. They emigrated to Wadi al Qara, north of Arabia, and finally to Syria. Their property left at Madina was distributed among the Muslims. That was the first victory of the Muslims against the Jews. It showed that the Muslims were strong enough to take action against those who fomented treason.

Battle of Uhud

Battle of Uhud. The battle of Uhud was an extension of the battle of Badr. ID 625 C.E. the Quraish came with a force of 3,000 men to avenge their defeat at Badr. The Muslims could muster a force of 1,000 persons only, and out of these three hundred persons under Abdullah b. Ubbay, a hypocrite, withdrew at the last moment thus leaving only 700 persons to face the hostile Quraish.

Abu Bakr and his son Abdur Rahman. Had at Abu Bakr marched to the battlefield of Uhud a few miles outside Madina by the side of the Holy Prophet. Abdur Rahman the son of Abu Bakr fought on the side of the Quraish. Before the battle began, Abdur Rahman stepped forward, and threw a challenge to the Muslims to send some one to fight with him. Abu Bakr decided to accept the challenge. The Holy Prophet, however, stopped him saying, "Sheath your sword, and let us continue to profit by your wise counsels."

Battle array. The Holy Prophet arranged his force in battle array and posted a small contingent of archers to guard a vulnerable passage in the rear. The archers were instructed that they were not to leave their positions without the instructions of the Holy Prophet.

The Quraish women. With the Quraish was a contingent of women. They beat drums and sang songs to excite the soldiers to action. They sang: "We are the daughters of the morning star; We tread on carpets, If you advance we embrace you; If you turn back we leave you."

The course of the battle. The Quraish charged with full force, but the Muslims held fast. Then in the counter attack the Muslims broke the enemy's line, and the Quraish fell back. At this stage the contingent of the Muslim archers, contrary to instructions, left their position in order to plunder the camp of the retreating Quraish. Khalid b. Walid who was still a non-Muslim and was fighting on the side of the Quraish rushed with his contingent, and occupied the position vacated by the Muslim archers. The Quraish rallied and launched an attack on the Muslims both from the front as well as the rear. In the confusion that followed many Muslims were martyred. Even the Holy Prophet was wounded, and he fell in a pit where many of his followers lay dead.

The Holy Prophet. When the Holy Prophet could no longer be seen at the battlefield a cry rose from the ranks of the Quraish that he was dead. That demoralized the Muslims. Abu Bakr was the first person to find the Holy Prophet lying wounded in a pit. With the help of other companions' Abu Bakr led the Holy Prophet to a place of safety.

The call of the Quraish. Abu Sufyan the leader of the Quraish climbed a hillock and shouted, "Is Muhammad there?" The Prophet asked his companions to remain quiet. Abu Sufyan then called for Abu Bakr and Umar. No reply was made, and thereupon Abu Sufyan shouted, "All of them have been killed." At this Umar could not restrain himself, and said, "O enemy of Allah, we are alive." Abu Sufyan in a mood of exultation cried "O Hubbal, glory to thee." Abu Bakr replied, "Only Allah is Most High and Great." Abu Sufyan said, "We have Uzza with us, and you have no lord." Abu Bakr retorted, "Allah is our Lord, and you have no lord."

Drawn Battle. When the two armies withdrew from the battlefield, seven Muslims lay dead on the battle field. In this battle the Quraish had the upper hand. They felt satisfied that they had avenged their defeat at Badr. It was really a drawn battle, for the Quraish were not in the position to press their advantage and march to Madina. They chose to return to Makkah. The Holy Prophet sent a contingent under Abu Bakr to follow the Quraish. Abu Bakr covered some distance, and when he saw that the Quraish were speeding to Makkah with all haste, he returned to Madina.

Banu Nadeer

Banu Nadeer. Banu Nadeer were Jews who resided at Madina. Muhammad (peace be on him) entered into a pact of alliance with them. The Jews in spite of their pact with the Muslims resorted to intrigues. They opened secret negotiations with the Quraish against the Muslims. They deliberately mispronounced the sacred words of the Holy Quran in order to pervert their meanings. The Jewish poets wrote satirical poems against Islam and The Holy Prophet.

Tragedy of Bir Ma'una. On the invitation of certain tribes, the Holy Prophet sent them a party of seventy missionaries to teach them the precepts of Islam. Before these men could reach their destination they were waylaid, and martyred by the tribes of Banu Sulaym. Only one man Amr b Umayya escaped the tragedy of Bir Ma una. While returning to Madina, he met two men of Banu 'Amir, and thinking that they were enemies killed them. Banu 'Amir were however allied with the Muslims and Banu Nadeer, and the Muslims and the Jews had to pay the blood money of the two men who had been killed by 'Amr under a mistake.

Holy Prophet's visit to Banu Nadeer. The Holy Prophet decided to pay indemnity to Hanu 'Amir. He along with his companions including Abu Bakr went to the quarter of Banu Nadeer, and asked them to pay their share of the indemnity in accordance with the terms of their alliance. The Jews expressed their readiness to pay their share. They made the Holy Prophet and his companions sit under a high wall, and deputed a Jew to throw a big stone on the Holy Prophet from the top of the wall. It was revealed to the Holy Prophet that the Jews meant mischief. Immediately he rose from his seat and left for Madina.

Expulsion of Banu Nadeer. On this treachery of Banu Nadeer, the Holy Prophet served an ultimatum on them to leave Madina within ten days. Abdullah b Ubayya, the leader of the hypocrites asked the Jews to put up a fight against the Muslims and assured them of his help. After the expiry of ten days, the Holy Prophet mustered a force including Abu Bakr and marched to the quarter of Banu Nadeer. The Banu Nadeer shut themselves in their strongholds, and waited for help from the hypocrites. No help came and after a fortnight, the Banu Nadeer surrendered, and asked for terms. They were asked to leave Madina, and could take away whatever movable property, other than arms, they could carry. They pulled down their houses with their own hands and left for Khyber. Whatever property was left by them was distributed among the Muslims.

Banu Mustaliq

The Banu Mustaliq. The Banu Mustaliq, a branch of Banu Khuza'a occupied the territory of Qadid on the Red Sea shore between Jeddah and Rabigh. In 527 C.E. news was brought to Madina that the Banu Mustaliq in alliance with some other tribes were gathering to make a raid on Madina. The policy of the Holy Prophet was that the Muslims should not lose the initiative in such cases, and should take such tribes by surprise. Another aspect of the policy was that action against individual tribes should be taken before they could effect an alliance.

Expedition against Banu Mustaliq. In pursuance of this policy, the Holy Prophet decided to lead an expedition to Banu Mustaliq secretly and immediately. In the Muslim force that was mustered, Abu Bakr was the standard bearer of the Muhajireen. By forced marches the Muslim force reached Muraisi, where there was a spring from where Banu Mustaliq obtained their water supply. The Muslims cut off all communications by which other tribes could come to join Banu Mustaliq Banu Mustaliq were taken by surprise. They offered some resistance, but they lost heart and surrendered. In order to placate the tribe the Holy Prophet married a daughter of their chief Harith b Abi Dirar. Thereupon the entire tribe was converted to Islam.

Abdullah b Ubayye. The success of Muslims against Banu Mustaliq was marred by an unfortunate incident which exposed the hypocrisy of certain persons who professed to be Muslim but were otherwise hypocrites. In the matter of the watering of animals there was a dispute between two persons one of whom was a Muhajir and the other was Ansar. The Muhajir invoked the help of the Muhajirs while the Ansar invoked the help of the Ansar. Thereupon Abdullah b Ubayye a Muslim hypocrite said: "On reaching Madina we will drive away the Muhajreen from our city. By God our and their case is like the saying of old 'Fatten your dog and he will eat you. "

Reaction of the Holy Prophet. On hearing of this outburst of Abdullah b Ubayye, the Holy Prophet felt much annoyed but he suppressed his anger, and ordered an immediate return to Madina Some of the companions volunteered to cut off the head of the hypocrite. The Holy Prophet, however, remained silent. The son of Abdullah b Ubayye waited on the Holy Prophet and said, "I understand you are thinking of killing my father for his insolence. If some body else kills my father, it will be incumbent on me to rake revenge and kill his murderer, and thus one Muslim will be killed. If you are annoyed with my father and want him to be killed, command me, and I will kill him myself." The Holy Prophet was impressed with the loyalty of the young man to Islam, and assured him that he contemplated no action against his father.

Ordeal of Falsehood

Ordeal of falsehood. In 628 C.E. the jealousy of vested interests against Ayesha culminated in what came to be known as the 'ordeal of falsehood.' Ayesha had accompanied the Holy Prophet on the expedition against Banu al-Mustaliq. On the way back the army camped for the night and early next morning departed without realizing that Ayesha was not in the litter on the camel. She had gone to answer the call of nature where her necklace dropped and it was with some difficulty that she was able to locate the lost necklace. When she returned, the caravan had left.

The scandal. Ayesha wrapped herself and lay down. After some time a companion Safwan bin Mu'attal passed that way. He led his camel to Ayesha which she mounted. Safwan walked on foot leading the camel Ayesha joined the camp at the next stop. The interested parties made this simple incident the subject of scandal and calumny. Hamna daughter of Jahsh, and a sister of Zainab another wife of the Holy Prophet, Abdullah bin Ubayye the hypocrite, Mistah a relative of Abu Bakr whom he supported, and Hassan bin Thabit, the poet, were active in spreading the calumny.

The crisis. The Holy Prophet became cool to Ayesha and she shifted to her father's house. Her mother Umm Ruman said, "My daughter, take life calmly for it is seldom that a beautiful woman married to a loving husband, having rival wives, will not have problems for them and other people." This incident created a great crisis for Abu Bakr and he was at a loss to understand what to do or not to do.

The revelation. One day the Holy Prophet called at the house of Abu Bakr and said, "If Ayesha is guilty of what is said about her she should repent and ask for the forgiveness of God." Ayesha said, "I swear I shall never ask forgiveness for the thing you speak of, for if I admit, that will be an admission of what I have never done, and if I do not admit you will not believe me. At this some verses of Surah Nur were revealed to the Holy Prophet absolving Ayesha of the false accusation against her. The Holy Prophet recited the revealed verses and said, "Ayesha rejoice, for God has revealed to me your innocence."

Umm Ruman wanted Ayesha to rise up and thank the Holy Prophet. Ayesha said, "I will never get up, in gratitude to him for I have no one to thank except God Who has declared me innocent."

The predicament of Abu Bakr. Ayesha next turned to Abu Bakr and said "Father would you not have pardoned me if there had been no revelation." Abu Bakr kissed her on the forehead and said, "What heaven would cover me, and what earth would carry me if I judged that which I could not know."

Mistah. The Holy Prophet went to the mosque and told the people of the revelation. Those who had taken part in the calumny without any proof were punished. Mistah used to get an allowance from Abu Bakr, and in view of the part played by Mistah in the ordeal of falsehood, Abu Bakr decided to discount the allowance, and swore that he would no longer help Mistah. On this descended the verse: "And let not those who possess dignity and affluence among you, swear not to give to kinsmen and the poor, and those who migrated for God's sake. Let them forgive and show forbearance. Do you wish that God should forgive you; And God is Forgiving, Merciful."

When this revelation was brought to the notice of Abu Bakr he said, "Yes, by Allan, I want God to forgive me." Thereupon he restored the allowance to Mistah.