The First Decisive Battle in the History of Islam
We have already spoken about Al-‘Ushairah
Invasion when a caravan belonging to Quraish had escaped an imminent military encounter
with the Prophet [pbuh] and his men. When their return from Syria approached, the Prophet
[pbuh] despatched Talhah bin ‘Ubaidullâh and Sa‘id bin Zaid northward to scout
around for any movements of this sort. The two scouts stayed at Al-Hawra’ for some
days until Abu Sufyan, the leader of the caravan, passed by them. The two men hurried back
to Madinah and reported to the Prophet [pbuh] their findings. Great wealth amounting to 50
thousand gold Dinars guarded by 40 men moving relatively close to Madinah constituted a
tempting target for the Muslim military, and provided a potentially heavy economic,
political and military strike that was bound to shake the entire structure of the Makkan
polytheists.
The Prophet [pbuh] immediately exhorted the Muslims
to rush out and waylay the caravan to make up for their property and wealth they were
forced to give up in Makkah. He did not give orders binding to everyone, but rather gave
them full liberty to go out or stay back, thinking that it would be just an errand on a
small scale.
The Muslim army was made up of 300-317 men, 82-86
Emigrants, 61 from Aws and 170 from Khazraj. They were not well-equipped nor adequately
prepared. They had only two horses belonging to Az-Zubair bin Al-‘Awwam and
Al-Miqdad
bin Al-Aswad Al-Kindi, 70 camels, one for two or three men to ride alternatively. The
Messenger of Allâh [pbuh] himself, ‘Ali and Murthid bin Abi Murthid Al-Ghanawi had
only one camel. Disposition of the affairs of Madinah was entrusted to Ibn Umm Maktum but
later to Abu Lubabah bin ‘Abdul Mundhir. The general leadership was given to
Mus‘ab bin ‘Umair Al-Qurashi Al-‘Abdari, and their standard was white in
colour. The little army was divided into two battalions, the Emigrants with a standard
raised by ‘Ali bin Abi Talib, and the Helpers whose standard was in the hand of
Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh. Az-Zubair bin Al-‘Awwam was appointed to the leadership of
the right flank, Al-Miqdad bin ‘Amr to lead the left flank, and the rear of the army
was at the command of Qais bin Abi Sa‘sa‘ah. The General Commander-in-Chief was
the Prophet [pbuh], of course.
The Prophet [pbuh], at the head of his army, marched
out along the main road leading to Makkah. He then turned left towards Badr and when he
reached As-Safrâ’, he despatched two men to scout about for the camels of
Quraish.
Abu Sufyan, on the other hand, was on the utmost
alert. He had already been aware that the route he was following was attended with
dangers. He was also anxious to know about the movements of Muhammad [pbuh]. His scouting
men submitted to him reports to the effect that the Muslims were lying in ambush for his
caravan. To be on the safe side, he hired Damdam bin ‘Amr Al-Ghifari to communicate a
message asking for help from the Quraishites. The messenger rode fast and reached Makkah
in frenzy. Felling himself from his camel, he stood dramatically before Al-Ka‘bah,
cut off the nose and the ears of the camel, turned its saddle upside down, tore off his
own shirt from front and behind, and cried: "O Quraish! Your merchandise! It is with
Abu Sufyan. The caravan is being intercepted by Muhammad [pbuh] and his companions. I
cannot say what would have happened to them. Help! Help!"
The effect of this hue and cry was instantaneous and
the news stunned Quraish and they immediately remembered their pride that was wounded when
the Muslims had intercepted Al-Hadrami caravan. They therefore swiftly mustered almost all
of their forces and none stayed behind except Abu Lahab, who delegated someone who owed
him some money. They also mobilized some Arab tribes to contribute to the war against the
Prophet [pbuh]. All the clans of Quraish gave their consent except Banu ‘Adi. Soon an
excited throng of 1300 soldiers including 100 horsemen and 600 mailed soldiers with a
large number of camels, was clamouring to proceed to fight the Muslims. For food supplies,
they used to slaughter an alternate number of camels of ten and nine every day. They were
however afraid that Banu Bakr, on account of old long deep-seated animosity, would attack
their rear. At that critical moment, Iblis (Satan) appeared to them in the guise of
Suraqa bin Malik bin Ju‘sham Al-Mudlaji — chief of Bani Kinana — saying to
them: "I guarantee that no harm will happen from behind."
They set out burning with indignation, motivated by
a horrible desire for revenge and exterminating anyone that might jeopardize the routes of
their caravans:
"…boastfully
and to be seen of men, and hinder (men) from the path of Allâh. "
[Al-Qur'an 8:47]
Or as the Prophet [pbuh] said:
"O Allâh these are the
haughty and conceited; they have come defying Allâh and defying His Messenger."
They moved swiftly northward to Badr. On the way
they received another message from Abu Sufyan asking them to go back home because the
caravan had escaped the Muslims. Incidentally, Abu Sufyan, on learning the intention of
the Muslims, led his caravan off the main route, and inclined it towards the Red Sea. By
this manoeuvre, he was able to slip past the Madinese ambush and was out of their reach.
On receiving Abu Sufyan’s message, the Makkan
army showed a desire to return home. The tyrant Abu Jahl, however haughtily and arrogantly
insisted that they proceed to Badr, stay three nights there for making festivities. Now
they wanted to punish the Muslims and prevent them from intercepting their caravans, and
impress on the Arabs that Quraish still had the upper hand and enjoyed supremacy in that
area.
Abu Jahl’s threats and insistence
notwithstanding, Banu Zahrah, acting on the advice of Al-Akhnas bin Shuraiq, broke away
and returned to Makkah. Thenceforth Al-Akhnas remained ‘the well-rubbed palm
tree’ for Bani Zahrah and was blindly obeyed in all relevant matters.
Banu Hashim were also inclined to break away, but
Abu Jahl’s threats made them desist from that idea.
The rest of the army, now 1000 soldiers, approached
Badr and encamped themselves beyond a sand dune at Al-‘Udwat Al-Quswa.
‘The intelligence corps’ of the Madinese
army reported to the Prophet [pbuh] that a bloody encounter with the Makkans was
inescapable, and that a daring step in this context had to be taken, or else the forces of
evil would violate the inviolable and would consequently manage to undermine the noble
cause of the Islam and tread upon its faithful adherents. The Muslims were afraid that the
pagan Makkans would march on and start the war activities within the headquarters of
Islam, Madinah. A move of such nature would certainly damage and produce an infamous
impact on the dignity and stance of the Muslims.
On account of the new grave developments, the
Prophet [pbuh] held an advisory military emergency meeting to review the ongoing situation
and exchange viewpoints with the army leaders. Admittedly, some Muslims feared the
horrible encounter and their courage began to waver; in this regard, Allâh says:
"As your Lord
caused you (O Muhammad [pbuh]) to go out from your home with the Truth, and verily, a
party among the believers disliked it, disputing with you concerning the Truth after it
was made manifest, as if they were being driven to death while they were looking (at
it)." [Al-Qur'an 8:5, 6]
The Prophet [pbuh] apprised his men of the gravity
of the situation and asked for their advice. Abu Bakr was the first who spoke on the
occasion and assured the Prophet [pbuh] of the unreserved obedience to his command.
‘Umar was the next to stand up and supported the views expressed by his noble friend.
Then Al-Miqdad bin ‘Amr got up and said: "O Messenger of Allâh! Proceed where
Allâh directs you to, for we are with you. We will not say as the Children of Israel said
to Moses [AWS]:
"Go you and your Lord
and fight and we will stay here;"
Rather we shall say:
"Go you and your Lord
and fight and we will fight along with you."
By Allâh! If you were to take us to Bark Al-Ghimad,
we will still fight resolutely with you against its defenders until you gained it."
The Prophet [pbuh] thanked him and blessed him.
The three leaders who spoke were from the Emigrants,
who only constituted a minor section of the army. The Prophet [pbuh] wanted, and for the
more reason, to hear the Helpers’ view because they were the majority of the soldiers
and were expected to shoulder the brunt of the war activities. Moreover, the clauses of
Al-‘Aqabah Pledge did not commit them to fighting beyond their territories.
The Prophet [pbuh] then said:
"Advise me my
men!"
by which he meant the Helpers, in particular. Upon
this Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh stood up and said: "By Allâh, I feel you want us (the
Helpers) to speak." The Prophet [pbuh] directly said: "Oh, yes!" Sa‘d
said: "O Prophet of Allâh! We believe in you and we bear witness to what you have
vouchsafed to us and we declare in unequivocal terms that what you have brought is the
Truth. We give you our firm pledge of obedience and sacrifice. We will obey you most
willingly in whatever you command us, and by Allâh, Who has sent you with the Truth, if
you were to ask us to plunge into the sea, we will do that most readily and not a man of
us will stay behind. We do not grudge the idea of encounter with the enemy. We are
experienced in war and we are trustworthy in combat. We hope that Allâh will show you
through our hands those deeds of valour which will please your eyes. Kindly lead us to the
battlefield in the Name of Allâh."
The Prophet [pbuh] was impressed with the fidelity
and the spirit of sacrifice which his companions showed at this critical juncture. Then he
said to them: "Forward and be of cheer, for Allâh has promised me one of the two
(the lucrative course through capturing the booty or strife in the cause of Allâh against
the polytheists), and by Allâh it is as if I now saw the enemy lying prostrate."
In the immediate vicinity of Badr, the Prophet
[pbuh] and his cavemate Abu Bakr conducted a scouting operation during which they managed
to locate the camp of Quraish. They came across an old bedouin nearby whom they
manipulated and managed to extract from him the exact location of the army of the
polytheists. In the evening of the same day, he despatched three Emigrant leaders,
‘Ali bin Abi Talib, Az-Zubair bin Al-‘Awwam and Sa‘d bin Abi Waqqas to
scout about for news about the enemy. They saw two men drawing water for the Makkan army.
On interrogation, they admitted that they were water carriers working for
Quraish. But
that answer did not please some Muslims and they beat the two boys severely in order to
exact from them an answer, even if it isn’t true, alluding to the caravan laden with
wealth. The two boys thus lied, and so they were released. The Prophet [pbuh] was angry
with those men and censured them saying: "On telling the truth, you beat them, and on
telling a lie, you released them!" He then addressed the two boys and after a little
conversation with them he learned a lot about the enemy: number of soldiers, their exact
location and names of some of their notables.
He then turned to the Muslims and said:
"Hearken, Quraish has sent you their most precious lives."
The same night it rained on both sides. For the
polytheists it obstructed further progress, whereas it was a blessing for the Muslims. It
cleaned them and removed from them the stain of Satan. Allâh sent rain to strengthen
their hearts and to plant their feet firmly therewith. They marched a little forward and
encamped at the farther bank of the valley. Muhammad [pbuh] stopped at the nearest spring
of Badr. Al-Hubab bin Mundhir asked him, "Has Allâh inspired you to choose this very
spot or is it stratagem of war and the product of consultation?" The Prophet
[pbuh]
replied "It is stratagem of war and consultation." Al-Hubab said: "This
place is no good; let us go and encamp on the nearest water well and make a basin or
reservoir full of water, then destroy all the other wells so that they will be deprived of
the water." The Prophet [pbuh] approved of his plan and agreed to carry it out, which
they actually did at midnight.
Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh suggested that a trellis
be built for the Prophet [pbuh] to function as headquarters for the Muslim army and a
place providing reasonable protection for the leader. Sa‘d began to justify his
proposal and said that if they had been victorious, then everything would be satisfactory.
In case of defeat, the Prophet [pbuh] would not be harmed and he could go back to Madinah
where there were more people who loved him and who would have come for help if they had
known that he was in that difficult situation, so that he would resume his job, hold
counsel with them and they would strive in the cause of Allâh with him again and again.
A squad of guards was also chosen from amongst the
Helpers under the leadership of the same man, Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh, in order to
defend the Prophet [pbuh] in his headquarters.
The Prophet [pbuh] spent the whole night preceding
the day of the battle in prayer and supplication. The Muslim army, wearied with their long
march, enjoyed sound and refreshing sleep, a mark of the Divine favour and of the state of
their undisturbed minds.
"(Remember) when
He covered you with a slumber as a security from Him, and He caused rain to descend on you
from the sky, to clean you thereby and to remove from you the Rijz (whispering,
evil suggestions, etc.) of Satan, and to strengthen your hearts, and make your feet firm
thereby." [Al-Qur'an 8:11]
That was Friday night, Ramadan 17th., the year 2
A.H.
In the morning, the Prophet [pbuh] called his men to
offer the prayers and then urged them to fight in the way of Allâh. As the sun rose over
the desert, the Prophet [pbuh] drew up his little army, and pointing with an arrow which
he held in his hand, arranged the ranks.
Quraish, on the other hand, positioned their forces
in Al-‘Udwat Al-Quswa opposite the Muslim lines. A few of them approached, in a
provocative deed, to draw water from the wells of Badr, but were all shot dead except one,
Hakeem bin Hizam, who later became a devoted Muslim. ‘Umair bin Wahab Al-Jumahi, in
an attempt to reconnoiter the power of the Muslims, made a scouting errand and submitted a
report saying that the Muslim army numbered as many as 300 men keen on fighting to the
last man. On another reconnaissance mission he came to the conclusion that neither
reinforcements were coming nor ambushes laid. He understood that they were too brave to
surrender and too intent on carrying out their military duties to withdraw without slaying
the largest number possible of the polytheists. This report as well as kindred relations
binding the two belligerent parties together, slackened the desire to fight among some of
the Quraishites. To counteract this reason-based opposition advocated by a rival of his,
‘Utbah bin Rabi‘a and others, Abu Jahl started an anti-campaign seeking
vengeance on Muhammad [pbuh]’s followers for the Quraishites killed at
Nakhlah. In
this way, he managed to thwart the opposite orientation, and manipulated the people to see
his evil views only.
When the two parties approached closer and were
visible to each other, the Prophet [pbuh] began supplicating Allâh "O Allâh! The
conceited and haughty Quraishites are already here defying You and belying Your Messenger.
O Allâh! I am waiting for Your victory which You have promised me. I beseech You Allâh
to defeat them (the enemies)." He also gave strict orders that his men would not
start fighting until he gave them his final word. He recommended that they use their
arrows sparingly[Sahih Al-Bukhari 2/568] and never
resort to sword unless the enemies came too close.[Abu Da'ud 2/13]
Abu Jahl also prayed for victory, saying: "Our
Lord, whichever of the two parties was less kind to his relatives, and brought us what we
do not know, then destroy him tomorrow.". They were confident that their superior
number, equipment and experience would be decisive. The Noble Qur’ân, with a play on
the word, told them that the decision had come, and the victory — but not in the
sense they had hoped for:
"(O disbelievers)
if you ask for a judgement, now has the judgement come unto you and if you cease (to do
wrong), it will be better for you, and if you return (to the attack), so shall we return,
and your forces will be of no avail to you, however numerous it be, and verily, Allâh is
with the believers." [Al-Qur'an 8:19]
The first disbeliever to trigger the fire of the
battle and be its first victim was Al-Aswad bin ‘Abdul Asad Al-Makhzumi, a fierce
bad-tempered idolater. He stepped out swearing he would drink from the water basin of the
Muslims, otherwise, destroy it or die for it. He engaged with Hamzah bin ‘Abdul
Muttalib, who struck his leg with his sword and dealt him another blow that finished him
off inside the basin.
The battle had actually started. Protected by armour
and shields, ‘Utbah bin Rabi‘a stepped forth between his brother Shaibah and his
son Al-Waleed bin ‘Utbah from the lines of Quraish and hurled maledictions at the
Muslims. Three young men of the Helpers came out against them: ‘Awf and Mu‘wwadh
— the sons of Harith, and ‘Abdullah bin Rawaha. But the Makkans yelled that they
had nothing to do with them. They wanted the heads of their cousins. Upon this the Prophet
[pbuh] asked ‘Ubaidah bin Al-Harith, Hamzah — his uncle, and his cousin
‘Ali [R] to go forward for the combat. The three duels were rapid. Hamzah killed
Shaibah, while ‘Ali killed Al-Waleed.[Mishkat 2/343]
‘Ubaidah was seriously wounded but, before he fell, Hamzah fell upon ‘Utbah and
with a sweep of his sword, cut off his head. ‘Ali and Hamzah carried ‘Ubaidah
back with his leg cut off. He died four or five days later of a disease in the bile duct.
‘Ali was possessed of a deep conviction that
Allâh’s Words were revealed:
"These two
opponents (believers and disbelievers) dispute with each other about their Lord."
[Al-Qur'an 22:19]
These verses were revealed in connection with men of
Faith who confess their Lord and seek to carry out His Will (i.e. Muhammad [pbuh]’s
followers at Badr Battle), and men who deny their Lord and defy Him (the people of
Quraish).
The duel was followed by a few more duels but the
Makkans suffered terrible defeats in all the combats and lost some of their most precious
lives. They were too much exasperated and enraged and fell upon the Muslims to exterminate
them once and for all. The Muslims, however, after supplicating their Lord, calling upon
Him for assistance, were made to hold to their position and conduct a defensive war plan
that was successful enough to inflict heavy losses on the attackers. The Prophet
[pbuh]
used to pray to his Lord ceaselessly persistently and day and night to come to their
succour. When the fierce engagement grew too hot he again began to supplicate his Lord
saying:
"O Allâh! Should this
group (of Muslims) be defeated today, You will no longer be worshipped."
He continued to call out to his Lord, stretching
forth his hands and facing Al-Qiblah, until his cloak fell off his shoulders. Then
Abu Bakr came, picked up the cloak, and put it back on his shoulders and said: "O
Prophet of Allâh, you have cried out enough to your Lord. He will surely fulfill what He
has promised you."
Immediate was the response from Allâh, Who sent
down angels from the heavens for the help and assistance of the Prophet [pbuh] and his
companions. The Noble Qur’ân observes:
"Verily, I am
with you, so keep firm those who have believed. I will cast terror into the hearts of
those who have disbelieved." [Al-Qur'an 8:12]
Allâh, the All-Mighty, also inspired another
message to His Messenger, saying:
"I will help you
with a thousand of the angels each behind the other (following one another) in
succession." [Al-Qur'an 8:9]
The Prophet [pbuh], in his trellis, dozed off a
little and then raised his head joyfully crying:
"O Abu Bakr, glad
tidings are there for you: Allâh’s victory has approached, by Allâh, I can see
Gabriel on his mare in the thick of a sandstorm."
He then jumped out crying:
"Their multitude
will be put to flight, and they will show their backs." [Al-Qur'an
54:45]
At the instance of Gabriel, the Prophet [pbuh] took
a handful of gravel, cast it at the enemy and said: "Confusion seize their
faces!" As he flung the dust, a violent sandstorm blew like furnace blast into the
eyes of the enemies. With respect to this, Allâh says:
"And you (i.e.
Muhammad [pbuh]) threw not when you did throw but Allâh threw."
[Al-Qur'an 8:17]
Only then did he give clear orders to launch a
counter-attack. He was commanding the army, inspiring confidence among his men and
exhorting them to fight manfully for the sake of their Lord, reciting the Words of Allâh:
"And be quick for
forgiveness from your Lord, and for Paradise as wide as are the heavens and the
earth." [Al-Qur'an 3:133]
The spirit he infused into his men was clearly
witnessed by the valour of ‘Umair, a lad of sixteen, who flung away some dates he was
eating crying out: "These (the dates) are holding me back from Paradise." So
saying he plunged into the thick of the battle and died fighting bravely. Unique deeds of
valour, deep devotion and full obedience to the Prophet [pbuh] were exhibited in the
process of the battle. The army of the faithfuls was borne forward by the power of
enthusiasm which the half-hearted warriors of Makkah miserably lacked. A large number of
the polytheists were killed and the others began to waver. No wonder! The standard-bearers
of Truth were given immediate help, and supernatural agencies (the angels), were sent to
their assistance by their Lord to help them defeat the forces of evil.
The records of Hadith speak eloquently of the
fact that the angels did appear on that day and fought on the side of the Muslims. Ibn
‘Abbas said: "While on that day a Muslim was chasing a disbeliever and he heard
over him the swashing of a whip and the voice of the rider saying: ‘Go ahead
Haizum’. He glanced at the polytheist who had (now) fallen down on his back. The
Helper came to the Messenger of Allâh [pbuh] and related that event to him. The Prophet
[pbuh] replied: ‘You have told the truth. This was the help from the third
heaven."[Sahih Muslim 2/93]
One of the Helpers captured ‘Abbas bin
‘Abdul Muttalib, who said: "O Messenger of Allâh, by Allâh this man did not
capture me. I was captured by a man who was bald and had the most handsome face, and who
was riding a piebald horse, I cannot see him here among the people." The Helper
interrupted: "I captured him, O Messenger of Allâh." The Prophet [pbuh]
replied:
"Be quiet, Allâh the
All-Mighty strengthened you with the help of a noble angel."
Iblîs, the
archsatan, in the guise of Suraqah
bin Malik bin Ju‘sham Al-Mudlaji, on seeing angels working in favour of the Muslims,
and Quraish rapidly losing ground on the battlefield, made a quick retreat despite the
polytheists’ pleas to stay on. He ran off and plunged into the sea.
The ranks of Quraish began to give way and their
numbers added nothing but confusion. The Muslims followed eagerly their retreating steps,
slaying or taking captive all that fell within their reach. Retreat soon turned into
ignominious rout; and they flied in haste, casting away their armour, abandoned beasts of
burden, camp and equipage.
The great tyrant Abu Jahl, however, on seeing the
adverse course of the battle, tried to stop the tidal wave of the Islamic victory by
nerving the polytheists and encouraging them by all means available and adjuring them by
Al-Lat and ‘Uzza and all symbols of paganism to stand firm in place and retaliate
against the Muslims, but to no avail. Their morale had already been drastically reduced to
zero, and their lines broken down. He then began to realize the reality of his arrogance
and haughtiness. None remained around him except a gang of doomed polytheists whose
resistance was also quelled by an Islamic irresistible storm of true devotion-based valour
and Islam-orientated pursuit of martyrdom. Abu Jahl was deserted and left by himself on
his horse waiting for death at the hand of two courageous lads of the Helpers.
‘Abdur-Rahman bin ‘Awf related the
following interesting story in this regard: I was in the thick of the battle when two
youths, still seemingly inexperienced in the art of fighting, one on the right and the
second on the left. One of them spoke in a secret voice asking me to show him Abu
Jahl. I
asked about his intention, to which he replied, that he had a strong desire to engage with
him in a combat until either of them was killed. It was something incredible to me. I
turned left and the other said something to the same effect and showed a similar desire. I
acceded to their earnest pleas and pointed directly at their target. They both rushed
swiftly towards the spot, and without a moment’s hesitation struck him simultaneously
with their swords and finished him off. They went back to the Messenger of Allâh
[pbuh],
each claiming that he had killed Abu Jahl to the exclusion of the other. The Prophet
[pbuh] asked if they had wiped the blood off their swords and they answered that they had
not. He then examined both swords and assured them that they both had killed him. When the
battle concluded, Abu Jahl’s spoils were given to Mu‘adh bin ‘Amr bin
Al-Jumuh, because the other Mu‘awwadh bin Al-‘Afrâ’[Sahih Al-Bukhari 1/444,2/568; Mishkat 2/352] was later killed in
the course of the same battle. At the termination of the battle, the Prophet [pbuh] wanted
to look for this archenemy of Islam, Abu Jahl. ‘Abdullah bin Mas‘ud found him on
the verge of death breathing his last. He stepped on his neck addressing him: "Have
you seen how Allâh has disgraced you?" The enemy of Islam still defiantly answered:
"I am not disgraced. I am no more than a man killed by his own people on the
battlefield." And then inquired "Who has won the battle?" Ibn Mas‘ud
replied "Allâh and His Messenger." Abu Jahl then said with a heart full of
grudge "You have followed difficult ways, you shepherd!" Ibn Mas‘ud used to
be a shepherd working for the Makkan aristocrats.
Ibn Mas‘ud then cut off his head and took it to
the Messenger of Allâh [pbuh] who, on seeing it, began to entertain Allâh’s praise:
"Allâh is Great,
praise is to Allâh, Who has fulfilled His Promise, assisted His servant and defeated the
confederates alone."
He then set out to have a look at the corpse. There
he said:
"This is the Pharaoh of
this nation."
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