The Battle of Badr

Previously we discussed the expedition at Dhil 'Ushayrah, where a caravan led by Abu Sufyan heading to Al-Shaam had narrowly escaped. That caravan was now on its way back from Al-Shaam. It was a major caravan consisting of 1,000 camels carrying essential supplies for the Makkans. It was said that there was not a single Qurayshi who had even one uqiyya of investment without a stake in this caravan. When the Prophet ﷺ was informed about the caravan, he sent 'Adi ibn Abi al-Zaghba al-Ansari and Basbas ibn 'Amr on a scouting mission. They arrived at a settlement of Juhaynah near the coast and asked about the caravan and the Qurayshi traders. They were given information about them and returned to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.

Preparations

He ﷺ mobilised the Muslims to intercept the caravan; it was the month of Ramadan. Abu Sufyan stopped at the same settlement and asked them about the Muslims. They told him about the two riders, 'Adi and Basbas, and pointed to the spot where they had tied their camels earlier. Abu Sufyan inspected the droppings of their camels and discovered date seeds in them. Abu Sufyan had seen enough:

This is the fodder of the people of Yathrib and these were spies of Muhammad and his Companions.

In haste and in a state of panic the caravan continued on its way. He ordered a man from Banu Ghifar to ride ahead and warn the Quraysh, calling on them to come and protect their caravan. When this man arrived in Makkah shortly after, he cried out at the top of his voice:

O family of Ghalib ibn Fihr, come out! Muhammad and the people of Yathrib have come to confront Abu Sufyan. Protect your caravan!

They assembled 950 warriors and 100 horses, leaving no one behind unless they had doubts about his willingness to fight against the Prophet ﷺ and his Companions.

Meanwhile, the Prophet ﷺ had been informed that the trade caravan had arrived in al-Shaam and that Abu Sufyan, Makramah ibn Nawfal, 'Amr ibn al-'As and others were part of it. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ, at the head of 316 men, set out towards the caravan in the direction of Badr. This was in the month of Ramadan in the second year of the Hijrah, eighteen months after the arrival of the Prophet ﷺ in Madinah. The Muslims were not prepared for a full-scale battle; they were under the impression that they would be intercepting a caravan. For this reason they did not ride war camels, and the number of camels they had with them was limited. Each group had one camel and they took turns riding it. When they arrived at 'Irq al-Zubayr, the Prophet ﷺ asked for the opinion of his Companions:

When the Prophet ﷺ heard these words from Sa’d ﵁, he gave the order to continue onward to Badr.

Abu Sufyan kept following the coastline with his caravan, fearing interception by the Muslims at Badr. Once he was convinced that he had escaped, he sent word to the Quraysh telling them that what they had set out to protect was now safe. In other words, they no longer needed to confront the Muslims because the caravan had been secured. This message from Abu Sufyan reached the Quraysh when they were at Juhfah. Abu Jahl responded by saying:

By Allah, we will not depart until we have gone to Badr. We will stay there and feast every Arab who visits us. No one will see us in such numbers and with such strength, and still dare to fight us afterwards.

By then night had fallen and the Muslims made camp a short distance away. The Prophet ﷺ then sent 'Ali ﵁, Zubayr ﵁ and Basbas to ride swiftly toward the hills near Badr in order to gather intelligence about the well behind the hills. With swords in hand they set out and discovered the water carriers of the Quraysh at the well the Prophet ﷺ had mentioned. They captured two of them while the others escaped.

They brought the captives back to the Prophet ﷺ. The captives were questioned while the Prophet ﷺ was in prayer; he could see and hear what they were doing. The captives told them about the Quraysh, who among them had marched out, and which leaders were present. The captives were beaten, because the Muslims resented what the captives had told them. They would have preferred to hear that they were on the trail of Abu Sufyan and his caravan. When the captives were beaten they said: “It is Abu Sufyan and the caravan.” When they were left alone they said: “This is the Quraysh and they are heading towards you,” upon which they were beaten again.

When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had finished his prayer, he said:

He deduced this from the fact that if 9 to 10 animals were slaughtered, this could feed 900 to 1,000 men. The Prophet ﷺ stood up and said: “Give me your opinion on where to make camp.” Al-Hubab ibn al-Mundhir from the Ansar stood up and said:

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ and the Muslims raced to the wells while the polytheists also tried to find water. In vain, for Allah ﷻ had sent a rain shower upon them, forcing the polytheists to abandon their search. The Muslims, who received only a light shower, managed to find water and a suitable place to make camp. They then descended into the well and drew the water with buckets [that is, they cleared the well of silt and obstructions to free the source], until the water level rose [as the natural water supply from below increased]. After that they constructed a large cistern for water storage and filled in the remaining wells in the area. The Prophet ﷺ said about this: “These will, by the will of Allah, be places of death tomorrow.”

Allah ﷻ says:

The Night Before the Battle

The night before the battle, the Prophet ﷺ spent in prayer and supplication. While his Companions ﵃ rested, he ﷺ rose in the stillness of the night and turned to his Lord. Abu Bakr ﵁ was with him in the tent and heard how the Prophet ﷺ pleaded:

The Prophet ﷺ continued to raise his hands and plead until his cloak fell from his shoulders. Abu Bakr ﵁ picked up the cloak, placed it back over the shoulders of the Prophet ﷺ and said:

This moment revealed the deep humanity of the Prophet ﷺ: a leader who, despite divine support, placed his complete trust in Allah ﷻ and pleaded with the sincerity of a servant who has everything at stake.

The Troops Are Mobilised

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ lined up the troops in rows at the cistern. In doing so, a strategy was employed that the Arabs were not accustomed to. The Prophet ﷺ arranged them in rows. The first row consisted of men with spears whose task was to discourage cavalry charges. The remaining rows consisted of archers. Lining up the Muslim army in this way struck awe into the polytheists and instilled fear, as they had never encountered this formation before. By arranging the Muslims in this manner, the Prophet ﷺ also kept reserve troops at the rear who could be deployed if needed.

The Arabs were accustomed to hit-and-run tactics, meaning they would throw their entire force into a full-power charge. Both cavalry and infantry attacked simultaneously, and they kept fighting until the enemy repelled their assault or until they themselves grew weak. At that point they would pull back strategically to regroup. Once regrouped, they would attack again, repeating this cycle until they either won or were defeated.

However, because the Prophet ﷺ arranged the Muslims in rows, it became much harder to use these tactics against them. As mentioned, the first row carried spears that could repel a cavalry charge. At the same time, the archers behind this front line could shower the enemy with arrows while remaining disciplined under the command and organisation of their leader. The polytheists, who committed all their troops at once, were forced to retreat the moment their attack failed. The Muslims, by contrast, had reserve troops at the rear who could be deployed to protect the flanks of the army if they weakened under attack. On top of that, this formation made the Muslims into a wall that was very hard to break.

It is reported that when the polytheists appeared, the Prophet ﷺ said:

The polytheists arrived together with Iblis in the form of Suraqah ibn Jusham al-Mudliji, who told them that Banu Kinanah was approaching from the rear flank to support them and that therefore no one could overpower them. Among them were men who claimed to be Muslim but had been forced by the polytheists to march out. When they saw how few the Muslims were in number, they said:

These believers have been deluded by their faith.

The polytheists drew closer until they made camp and prepared to fight. Abu Jahl ordered his female servants to rouse the Quraysh after some among them had called for returning home. But Abu Jahl succeeded in whipping the men into such a frenzy that the Qurayshi troops readied themselves for battle. They mobilised, and 'Umayr ibn Wahb was ordered to ride towards the Muslims to estimate their numbers. He mounted his horse and rode circles around the Prophet ﷺ and his Companions ﵃. He returned to give his report:

I estimate that they are approximately 300 fighters with 70 camels. Wait until I have confirmed whether they have reinforcements.

He took reinforcements with him and circled around the Prophet ﷺ and the Companions ﵃ again until he had scouted enough.

'Umayr attempted an attack, but it resulted in casualties on the side of the Quraysh.

The Prophet ﷺ gave the order not to attack until he gave permission. He ﷺ was overcome by sleep and lay down. When it was light, Abu Bakr ﵁ woke the Prophet ﷺ to tell him that the enemy was near. Allah ﷻ had shown the Prophet ﷺ a dream in which the enemy appeared as though they were few. To the enemy, the Muslims also appeared few, so that both sides were eager to engage one another. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ stood among his troops and urged them on:

Upon hearing this, he charged at the enemies of Allah, and Allah ﷻ granted him martyrdom. He was the first person to be killed. Then al-Aswad ibn 'Abd al-Aswad al-Makhzumi came forward and swore by his idols that he would drink from the cistern that the Prophet ﷺ had built and destroy it. He attacked, and as he neared the cistern he was confronted by Hamza ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib ﵁, who severed his leg with a single blow of his sword. Crawling, he fell into the cistern and smashed part of it. Hamza ﵁ followed and killed him.

The Battle Erupts

When al-Aswad ibn 'Abd al-Aswad had been killed, 'Utbah ibn Rabi’ah dismounted from his camel. Provoked by what Abu Jahl had said to him, he called out:

Is there anyone to fight me in a duel? For by Allah, Abu Jahl will find out which of us is the more cowardly and worthless!

He was joined by his brother Shaybah and his son al-Walid, who also called for duels. This mubarazah was a tradition in Arabia to start a war. Three individuals of standing from each army would meet in the middle to fight one-on-one. The idea was to stir the armies against each other, with the losing side seeking revenge and the winning side gaining momentum.

Three men of the Ansar stood up to accept the challenge. The Prophet ﷺ did not approve; after all, this was the first time the Muslims and the polytheists met on the battlefield with him ﷺ present. He wanted the Muhajirun to show their courage through the duel. The Prophet ﷺ addressed the men of the Ansar:

Return to the line and let their kinsmen fight against them.

Hamza ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib ﵁, 'Ali ibn Abi Talib ﵁ and 'Ubaidah ibn al-Harith ibn al-Muttalib ﵁ stepped forward. Hamza ﵁ faced 'Utbah, 'Ubaidah ﵁ faced Shaybah, and 'Ali ﵁ faced al-Walid. Hamza ﵁ killed 'Utbah, 'Ubaidah killed Shaybah, and 'Ali killed al-Walid. Shaybah struck off 'Ubaidah’s leg, but Hamza and 'Ali came to his aid. He was carried away and later succumbed to his wounds at al-Safra.

After the duel, the battle erupted. The polytheists, enraged by the death of their three champions, launched their attack. As one body they fell upon the Muslims. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ raised his hands and implored Allah ﷻ for what He had promised him ﷺ and for help:

Allah ﷻ confirmed this promise in His Book:

The Prophet ﷺ took a handful of dust and blew it into the faces of the polytheists. Allah ﷻ made the impact so great that dust entered the eyes of every one of the polytheists. The Muslims fought the polytheists with Allah and His Angels at their side. The Muslims stood firm and held to their strategy. Arranged in rows, they defended their position and showered the enemy with arrows until the polytheists drew near. Their battle cry that day was: “Ahad, Ahad,” referring to the Oneness of Allah.

To get a better sense of the spirit in the Muslim ranks, it is worth pausing at the death of Abu Jahl ibn Hisham. 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf ﵁ reported that when he was standing in his row on the day of Badr and looked to his left and right, he saw that he was flanked by two youths of the Ansar.

'Abd al-Rahman ﵁ said that the other youth standing beside him asked roughly the same thing, and when he spotted Abu Jahl on his mount, he pointed him out. They rushed towards him with swords in hand. Each one tried to be faster than the other, and both struck Abu Jahl (who did not die immediately). In another narration, 'Abdullah ibn Mas’ud ﵁ described how, after the battle, he found Abu Jahl humiliated and wounded on the ground. Ibn Mas’ud ﵁ delivered a blow to his neck and killed him.

Before long, the Prophet ﷺ gave the order to launch the counterattack while inspiring his men by reminding them of the promise of Paradise for those who persevered in the fight, seeking the reward of Allah ﷻ. Imagine how motivated the Muslims were when they saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ putting on his armour and leading the counterattack while reciting:

Before the battle, the Prophet ﷺ had given the order not to kill 'Abbas, 'Aqil, Nawfal ibn Harith or Abu al-Bakhtari if they attempted to flee. All of them were taken captive except Abu al-Bakhtari, who refused to surrender. Despite being told that he would be spared, he kept fighting and was eventually killed. Many others, for whom no specific order of capture had been given, were also taken prisoner. The battle was over and the Muslims had defeated the polytheists.

The Martyrs of Badr

Fourteen Muslims gave their lives on the day of Badr: six from the Muhajirun and eight from the Ansar. Their names are preserved in the Islamic tradition as a mark of honour:

From the Muhajirun:

1. 'Ubaidah ibn al-Harith ibn al-Muttalib ﵁
2. 'Umayr ibn Abi Waqqas ﵁
3. Dhush-Shimalayn ibn 'Abdi 'Amr ﵁
4. 'Aqil ibn al-Bukayr ﵁
5. Mihja’ ibn Salih ﵁
6. Safwan ibn Wahb ﵁

From the Ansar:

1. Sa’d ibn Khaythama ﵁
2. Mubashir ibn 'Abdul-Mundhir ﵁
3. Yazid ibn al-Harith ﵁
4. 'Umayr ibn al-Humam ﵁
5. Rafi’ ibn al-Mu’alla ﵁
6. Harithah ibn Suraqa ﵁
7. 'Awf ibn al-Harith ﵁
8. Mu’awwidh ibn al-Harith ﵁

May Allah ﷻ be pleased with them all and grant them the highest level of Paradise.