to join another host, he has truly incurred anger from Allah, and his abode will be Hell, and evil homecoming. [al-Anfāl 8:15-16]
The two armies met in the early morning of Friday, 17th Ramaḍān. Before they marched to the battleground, the army of the Quraysh was hidden from the eyes of the Muslims by the hill of ʿAqanqal’. That morning, the Quraysh army crossed that hill and came down its slope, into the valley of Badr to face the Muslims. When the Prophet (peace be upon him) caught sight of them, he prayed passionately:
O Lord! Here are Quraysh: they have come in their arrogance and their vanity, opposing You, and belying Your Messenger. Lord! Your victory which you have promised me! Lord! should this (Muslim) company perish today You will not be worshipped on this earth. O Lord! This morning destroy them!
When the two armies met, the Angels and other soldieries of God were already at work, setting the stage of the battleground in such a way that it would be advantageous to the Muslims, and disadvantageous to the unbelievers:
a. The sky rained heavily making the grounds transverse where the unbelievers stood, muddy and heavy and very difficult to walk upon. The nature of the soil where the Quraysh troops were stationed was such that rain had that kind of effect upon it. While the nature of soil where the Muslims stood was sandy and the rain had a very congenial effect upon it, making it firmer and easier to move upon.
b. The weather became cool, and a pleasant breeze swept across the Muslims’ faces. They became drowsy, as they stood there, to the extent that the swords fell out of the hands of some of them. They would pick them up to drop them once more. This strange state of affairs continued for a few minutes just before the melee took place! But it had a wonderful refreshing effect upon them. They became relaxed, their hearts relieved from fears and anxieties, their heads became cool and clear, and their energy and stamina revived.
c. Due to the fatigue, many of them experienced orgasm and rain water cleansed and purified them from janābah (i.e. the state of being unclean after experiencing orgasm). It also cleansed them from the dirt and dust they incurred, during the week-long journey from Madīnah.
d. God caused their hearts to be reassured, their minds to be at rest, and the enemy was belittled in their eyes.
e. Terror was one of God’s formidable hosts and soldiers, one that was the Prophet’s privilege to always have at his side. He was supported by it ‘I have been helped and made victorious with Ru‘b’ (i.e. Terror), the Gracious Prophet (peace be upon him) used to say.
f. Last but not least, the angels were there, ready to join the battle at the right moment.
g. Moreover, the Prophet, while imploring his Lord passionately went into a trance and was actually shown the outcome of the Battle, with the Muslims achieving a clean and decisive victory over their Quraysh adversaries. The Prophet (peace be upon him) conveyed this to the Muslim troops, and their morale was boosted greatly. He told them he was shown who and where many of the Quraysh nobles would fall and be killed. This was an outstanding miracle of the Prophet (peace be upon him), because those whom he had said would be killed of the Quraysh nobles were indeed killed on that day, and fell precisely on the spots he had indicated for them.
4. STRIKING FEATURES OF BADR
As we have seen, Badr was accompanied by many phenomena that could be described as supernatural; such as we have referred to above. On the other hand, it was also marked by actions and events, which could be described, as superhuman. Some of what the Muslims did and said seemed truly superhuman.
a. First and foremost, we have seen the fortitude and stamina of the Prophet (peace be upon him), walking at the age of fifty-four, at least two-thirds of the distance between Madīnah and Badr, a distance of more than eighty miles, during Ramaḍān and the hot season. We have seen his humility and modesty, his compassion for his Companions, and his regard and respect for their opinions and wishes.
b. Then we must praise the high mindedness and the utter devotion and dedication of the Muhājirīn. They joined the campaign almost to a man, none opting to stay behind, despite the long struggle, the suffering and the hardships they had been through, since the inception of Islam.
c. We must also praise the high-mindedness of the Anṣār, who were not confused or deterred by the changing situation, and who were ready and willing to amend their contractual obligation to support and defend the Prophet (peace be upon him). We must also praise the Anṣār for honouring the commitment made on their behalf by their chief, Saʿd ibn Muʿādh, even though they had not been consulted on the matter.
d. There was the example of ʿUmayr of Banū Zahrah of the Muhājirīn, who was only fifteen years old, and who implored the Prophet (peace be upon him) to let him participate in the fight, and who had stood on his toe in order to appear taller than he was.
e. There was the case of Sawād ibn Ghazīyah of the Anṣār, who received a light pinch from the Prophet’s arrow in his belly, because he was standing outside the line. Sawād protested that he had been hurt and wanted to have retaliation from the person of the Prophet (peace be upon him). The Prophet (peace be upon him) immediately agreed and uncovered his gracious body so that Sawād could give him a prick, tit for tat. However, Sawād had something totally different in mind; for his real motive was to have a chance to kiss the body of the Prophet, lest he might fall a martyr. We also take note of the Prophet’s keen sense of justice, his humility, his compassion for his Companions and his disregard for his personal rights and privileges, his complete disinterestedness and absolute altruism.
f. There was the story of ʿUmayr ibn al-Humām, of Banū Salamah, who was eating some dates out of his hand when he heard the Prophet (peace be upon him) saying: ‘No man shall fight them today with forbearance and for God’s sake, going forward against them and get killed, save that he will be taken to Paradise.” ʿUmayr, hearing that, said: ‘Bakhin! Bakhin! Is it not the case that nothing stands between me and Paradise except those people killing me?’ Then he threw away those dates and fought until he was killed.
g. Another Muslim, by the name of ʿAwf ibn al-Ḥārith asked the Prophet (peace be upon him): ‘What is it that makes God quite pleased with his servant?’ (Literally: What makes God laugh out of pleasure with his servant). ‘For him to fight bare-bodied against the unbelievers,’ replied the Prophet (peace be upon him). ʿAwf ibn al-Ḥārith took off his armour and fought the enemy, bare-bodied until he was killed.
h. There was also the example of Abū Bakr, the most tender hearted of the Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him). He fought his own son ʿAbd al-Raḥmān who chose to side with the Quraysh: ‘What happened to my money (in Makkah) evil-hearted man.’ ‘It has all gone! O old man,’ replied ʿAbd al-Raḥmān. Later ʿAbd al-Raḥmān became a Muslim and once mentioned the battle of Badr. ‘You know, father, I could have killed you at Badr, because I had more than one chance of doing that but I spared you.’ Said ʿAbd al-Raḥmān. ‘By Him in whose hands is my soul, had I found one chance of killing you, I wouldn’t have spared you,’ reported Abū Bakr.
5. WHY WERE THE QURAYSH DEFEATED?
Despite their superior military strength, the Quraysh were defeated for the following reasons:
a. First of all, they had no just cause. If the Prophet (peace be upon him) took the offensive against them at Badr, attacking their commercial caravan, they had before that committed many acts of aggression against the interests of the Muslims, not least among these was the appropriation of the Muslim’s wealth and property at Makkah during the Hijrah.
b. The Quraysh lacked a unified command, and they had no unity of purpose. Actually they were divided on the issue of resorting to fighting, when their caravan reached Makkah safely. There were ʿhawks’ and ʿdoves’ among them.
c. God was against them, and so were the hosts of God and the angels. How could they win a war against God?
d. The Muslims were united, determined to uphold the banner of Islam, and settle scores with their foes. Moreover, there was the prospect of entering Paradise if they achieved