The Battle of Badr

In the month of Ramadan in the second year after the Hijrah (624 CE), the Prophet ﷺ received news that a large trading caravan of the Quraysh, led by Abu Sufyan, was returning from Syria to Makkah. The caravan consisted of around a thousand camels laden with goods, escorted by only thirty to forty guards.

The Prophet ﷺ called on the Muslims to intercept the caravan, and a small group of around 313 Companions was assembled to carry out this task.

Abu Sufyan had meanwhile discovered what the Muslims were planning and sent Damdam ibn Amr al-Ghifari ahead to warn the Quraysh in Makkah and to call for reinforcements. The Quraysh mobilised an army of around 1,000 men, equipped with cavalry (both horses and camels), under the command of Abu Jahl. With great haste they set out for Badr.

Abu Sufyan succeeded in bringing the caravan to safety along an alternative coastal route. He therefore sent word to the Quraysh that the caravan was safe. Yet Abu Jahl refused to turn back. “By Allah, we will not return until we have reached Badr,” he declared.

The Muslims reached the plain of Badr first. The Prophet ﷺ initially chose a position by the first well he came across. Then al-Hubab ibn al-Mundhir ﵁ stood up and asked: “O Messenger of Allah, is this position a revelation from Allah, or is it your own judgment?”

The Prophet ﷺ answered that it was his own judgment. Al-Hubab then advised positioning the men at a specific watering point that had more than enough water. All the other wells were filled in so that the Quraysh would have nothing to drink, while the Muslims controlled the only watering point in the valley of Badr.

The Prophet ﷺ accepted this advice immediately. During the night the Muslims advanced and seized the well. They filled in the remaining wells with sand and built a reservoir (hawd) at the controlled well.

Sa’d ibn Mu’adh ﵁, leader of the Aws, proposed building a command post (al-'arish) on a sand dune overlooking the battlefield. From there the Prophet ﷺ would oversee the battle, protected by a guard of Ansar.

That same night, Allah ﷻ sent rain over the battlefield. For the Muslims, the rain made the sandy ground firm, so they could march well. For the Quraysh, who lay on the lower western slope near Mount 'Aqanqal, the ground turned into mud that hampered their movements.

“When He covered you with slumber as a reassurance from Him, and sent down water from the sky upon you, that He might cleanse you thereby” — Surah al-Anfal (8:11)

On the morning of 17 Ramadan, 2 AH (13 March 624), the two armies drew up opposite each other in the plain of Badr.

According to Arab military tradition, three champions of the Quraysh stepped forward and demanded a single combat (mubaraza):

• 'Utba ibn Rabi’a — one of the foremost leaders of the Quraysh
• Shayba ibn Rabi’a — his brother
• al-Walid ibn 'Utba — his son

Initially three Ansar stepped forward, but the Quraysh refused them and demanded opponents of equal rank from the Muhajirun. The Prophet ﷺ then sent three of his closest kinsmen:

• Hamza ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib ﵁ — the uncle of the Prophet ﷺ, “the Lion of Allah”
• 'Ali ibn Abi Talib ﵁ — the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet ﷺ
• 'Ubayda ibn al-Harith ﵁ — the cousin of the Prophet ﷺ

The combats were short and fierce:

'Ali ﵁ against al-Walid: The duel was swift. 'Ali ﵁ killed al-Walid with a single decisive blow.

Hamza ﵁ against 'Utba: Hamza ﵁ overcame 'Utba in a powerful fight and killed him.

'Ubayda ﵁ against Shayba: This was the hardest duel. Shayba succeeded in severely wounding 'Ubayda’s leg with his sword, but 'Ali ﵁ and Hamza ﵁ rushed in and killed Shayba. 'Ubayda ﵁ was carried back to the Muslim lines, where he died of his wounds a few days later, the first martyr of Badr.

The outcome of the duels was a heavy moral blow for the Quraysh: three of their foremost warriors had fallen.

After the duels, Abu Jahl gave the command for a general assault. The Quraysh showered the Muslim lines with a rain of arrows and then charged forward.

The Prophet ﷺ stood at the command post and fervently implored Allah ﷻ for help: “O Allah, if this group perishes today, You will not be worshipped on earth anymore.” Abu Bakr ﵁, who was with him, said: “O Messenger of Allah, your supplication is sufficient, for Allah will fulfil His promise.”

Then the Prophet ﷺ took a handful of sand and threw it in the direction of the Quraysh, exclaiming: “May the faces be darkened!” The dust struck the eyes and noses of many Quraysh fighters and sowed confusion in their ranks.

“And you did not throw when you threw, but it was Allah who threw” — Surah al-Anfal (8:17)

Then the Prophet ﷺ gave the command: “Rise and advance to a Paradise as wide as the heavens and the earth!”

The Muslims charged forward as one. Despite their numerical inferiority, they fought with a conviction and resolve that astonished the Quraysh. The Muslim lines broke through the Quraysh formation.

During the battle, Abu Jahl (Amr ibn Hisham), the supreme commander of the Quraysh, was killed by Mu’adh ibn 'Amr ﵁ and Mu’adh ibn ‘Afra’ ﵁, two young men of the Ansar. His death was confirmed by 'Abdullah ibn Mas’ud ﵁.

Other prominent Quraysh who fell included Umayya ibn Khalaf (killed by Bilal ﵁ and a group of Muslims) and al-'As ibn Sa’id.

The lines of the Quraysh broke and their formation collapsed.

The Quraysh fled in panic toward Makkah. The Muslims pursued them and took many prisoners.

The balance

The Battle of Badr ended as a decisive victory for the Muslims:

• 70 Quraysh fighters were killed, among them many tribal chiefs and leaders
• 70 Quraysh fighters were taken captive
• 14 Muslims fell as martyrs: 6 Muhajirun and 8 Ansar

Among the slain Quraysh leaders were:

• Abu Jahl (Amr ibn Hisham) — the supreme commander
• 'Utba ibn Rabi’a — one of the three duellists
• Shayba ibn Rabi’a — his brother
• al-Walid ibn 'Utba — son of 'Utba
• Umayya ibn Khalaf — one of the fiercest enemies of Islam

The treatment of the prisoners

The Prophet ﷺ treated the prisoners with mercy. They were distributed among the Companions with the instruction to treat them well. Some prisoners could buy their freedom by paying ransom; others, who could read and write, gained their freedom by each teaching ten Muslim children to read.

The significance

The Battle of Badr was the first major military encounter in Islamic history. The victory, achieved despite a numerical inferiority of nearly one to three, enormously strengthened the position of the young Muslim community in Madinah and proved that the Quraysh, despite their superiority in numbers and equipment, were not invincible.

In the Qur’an this day is referred to as Yawm al-Furqan — “the Day of Distinction” — the day on which truth and falsehood were separated from each other.

“Indeed, Allah helped you at Badr when you were weak. So fear Allah, that you may be grateful.” — Surah Aal-Imran (3:123)

The Quraysh returned home, and the mood in Makkah was one of disbelief and confusion. The Muslims had taken the first step towards establishing their position in the Arabian Peninsula. The Quraysh, however, would soon be looking for revenge…