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 (Peace be upon
him). 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.
” [8:47] Or as the Prophet (Peace be upon him) 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 (Peace be upon
him) 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 (Peace be upon him) 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 [Peace be upon him) ] 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).” [8:5, 6] The Prophet
(Peace b e upon him) 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 (Peace be
upon him) 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 (Peace be upon him): · “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 (Peace be upon him) 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 (Peace be upon him) 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 (Peace be upon
him) 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 (Peace be upon him) 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 (Peace be upon
him) 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 (Peace be upon him) 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 (Peace be upon
him) w as 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 (Peace be upon
him) 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 (Peace be upon him) 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,
thendestroy all the other wells so that they will be
deprived of the water.” The Prophet (Peace be upon him)
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 (Peace be upon him) 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 (Peace be upon him) 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 (Peace be upon him)
in his headquarters. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) 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.” [8:11] That
was Friday night, Ramadan 17th., the year 2 A.H.
In the morning, the Prophet
(Peace be upon him) 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(Peace be upon him) 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’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 (Peace be upon him) 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 and never resort to sword unless
the enemies came too close. 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
ththeir 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.” [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 (Peace be upon him) asked
‘Ubaidah bin Al-Harith, Hamzah — his uncle, and his cousin
‘Ali (May Allah be pleased with him) to go forward for the
combat. The three duels were rapid. Hamzah killed Shaibah,
while ‘Ali killed Al-Waleed. ‘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 verses were revealed
in connection with men of Faith who confess their Lord and
seek to carry out His Will (i.e. Muhammad ’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 (Peace be upon
him) 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:
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 (Peace be upon him) 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.” [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.” [8:9]
The
Prophet (Peace be upon him), 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.”
[54:45] At the instance of Gabriel, the Prophet (Peace
be upon him) 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 (Peace be upon him) ] threw not when you did
throw but Allâh threw.” [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.”
[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 (Peace be upon him) 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 (Peace be upon him) and
related that event to him. The Prophet (Peace be upon him)
replied: ‘You have told the truth. This was the help from
the third heaven.” 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 (Peace be upon him) replied:
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 fled 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. 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 (Peace be upon him),
each claiming that he had killed Abu Jahl to the exclusion
of the other. The Prophet (Peace be upon him)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’ was later killed
in the course of the same battle. At the termination of the
battle, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) 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 (Peace be upon him) 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.”
SOME SIGNIFICANT INSTANCES OF
DEVOTION:
1. The Prophet (Peace be upon
him) advised his companions to preserve the lives of Banu
Hashim who had gone out to Badr with the polytheists
unwillingly because they had feared the censure of their
people. Among them, he named Al-‘Abbas bin ‘Abdul Muttalib
and Abu Bukhtari bin Hisham. He ordered the Muslims to
capture, but not to kill them. Abu Hudhaifah bin ‘Utbah
showed great surprise and commented saying: “We kill our
fathers, children, brothers and members of our clan, and
then come to spare Al-‘Abbas? By Allâh! If I see him I will
surely strike him with my sword.” On hearing these words,
the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him), addressing ‘Umar
bin Al-Khattab, said “Is it fair that the face of the
Messenger’s uncle be struck with sword?” ‘Umar got indignant
and threatened to kill Abu Hudhaifah; the latter later said
that extreme fear had taken firm grip of him and felt that
nothing except martyrdom could expiate for his mistake. He
was actually killed later on during Al-Yamamah events.
2. Abu Al-Bukhtari bin Hisham
had already done his best to restrain his people, the
Makkans, from committing any act of folly against the
Prophet (Peace be upon him) while the latter was still in
Makkah. He also neither hurt nor was reported to have
uttered anything repugnant with regard to the Prophet (Peace
be upon him). He had as well been among the people who tried
to invalidate the boycott alliance taken against Banu Hashim
and Banu ‘Abdul Muttalib.
· Here, however, in the
battle of Badr he insisted on fighting unless his compatriot
was spared. Al-Mujdhir bin Ziyad Al-Balwi, with whom he was
engaged in combat, replied that the other was not included
in the Prophet ’s recommendation. The combat went o n to end
in Al-Bukhtari’s death.
3. ‘Abdur-Rahman bin ‘Awf and
Omaiyah bin Khalaf had been close friends during the pre-
Islamic era. When the battle of Badr ended, ‘Abdur-Rahman
saw Omaiyah and his son among the captives. He threw away
the armour he had as spoils, and walked with them both.
Bilal, the Prophet’s caller for prayer, saw Omaiyah and soon
all the torture he had been put to at the hand of this man
dawned upon him, and swore he would have revenge on Omaiyah.
‘Abdur-Rahman tried to ease the tension and address
embarrassing situation amicably but with no success. The
Muslims gathered around and struck Omaiyah’s son with
swords. At this point, ‘Abdur-Rahman called upon his old
friend to run for his life but he was put to swords from
different people and lay down dead. ‘Abdur-Rahman,
completely helpless and resigned said: May Allâh have mercy
on Bilal, for he deprived me of the spoils, and I have been
stricken by the death of my two captives.
4. On the moral level, the
battle of Badr was an inescapable conflict between the
forces of good and those of evil. In this context, ‘Umar bin
Al-Khattab did not spare the life of any polytheist even his
uncle on the maternal side Al-‘As bin Hisham bin
Al-Mugheerah.
5. Abu Bakr shouted at his
son ‘Abdur-Rahman, still a polytheist and fighting with
them, “Where is my wealth, you wicked boy?” The son answered
that it was gone with the wind.
6. When the battle ended, the
Muslims began to hold some polytheists in captivity. The
Prophet (Peace be upon him) looked into the face of Sa‘d bin
Mu‘adh, the Head of the Prophet’s guards, and understood
that he was hateful to taking the enemy elements as
prisoners. Sa‘d agreed to what the Prophet (Peace be upon
him) said and added that it was the first victory for the
Muslims over the forces of polytheism, and he had more
liking for slaying them than sparing their lives.
7. On the day of Badr, the
sword of ‘Ukashah bin Mihsan Al-Asdi broke down so the
Prophet (Peace be upon him) gave him a log of wood which he
shook and it immediately turned into a long strong white
sword. ‘Ukashah went on using that same sword in most of the
Islamic conquests until he died in the process of the
apostasy wars.
8. When the war activities
had been concluded, Mus‘ab bin ‘Umair Al-‘Abdari saw his
brother, still a polytheist, being handcuffed by a Ansari.
Mus‘ab recommended that the Helper tighten the knot for the
prisoner’s mother was wealthy enough to ransom her son. ‘Abu
‘Aziz, Mus‘ab’s brother, tried to appeal to his brother
through the family ties, but the latter firmly replied that
the Helper was more eligible for brotherhood than him.
9. When the Prophet (Peace be
upon him) ordered that the corpses of the polytheists be
dropped into an empty well, Abu Hudhaifah bin ‘Utbah looked
sadly at his dead father, who fought on the side of the
polytheists. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) noticed that
and asked him about it. Hudhaifah said that he had never
held the least doubt that his father met his fate
deservedly, but added that he wished he had been guided to
the path of Islam, and that is why he felt sad. The Prophet
(Peace be upon him) whispered in his ears some comforting
words.
The outcome of the battle was
as aforementioned an ignominious rout for the polytheists
and a manifest victory for the Muslims. Fourteen Muslims
were killed, of whom six were from the Emigrants and eight
from the Helpers. The polytheists sustained heavy
casualties, seventy were killed and a like number taken
prisoners. Many of the principal men of Makkah, and some of
Muhammad ’s bitterest opponents, were among the slain. Chief
of these was Abu Jahl. On the third day, the Messenger of
Allâh (Peace be upon him) went out to look at the slain
polytheists, and said:
-
“What an evil tribe
you were as regards your Prophet, you belied me but the
others have believed; you let me down while the others
have supported me; you expelled m, whereas the others
have sheltered me.”
He stood over the bodies of
twenty-four leaders of Quraish who had been thrown into one
of the wells, and started to call them by name and by the
names of their fathers, saying: “Would it not have been much
better for you if you had obeyed Allâh and His Messenger?
Behold, we have found that our Lord’s promise do come true;
did you (also) find that the promises of your Lord came
true?” Thereupon, ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab said: “O Messenger of
Allâh! Why you speak to bodies that have no souls in them?”
The Prophet (Peace be upon him) answered: “By Him in Whose
hand is Muhammad ’s soul! You do not hear better what I am
saying than they do.”
REACTION IN MAKKAH:
The polytheists having
received a large dose of disciplining and heavy defeat, fled
away in great disorder in the vales and hillocks heading for
Makkah panicked and too ashamed to see their people. Ibn
Ishaq related that the first herald of bad tidings was Al-Haisaman
bin ‘Abdullah Al-Khuza‘i. He narrated to them how their
notables were killed. People there did not believe him at
first and thought that he had gone mad, but soon the news
was confirmed and a state of incredible bewilderment
overwhelmed the whole Makkan scene. Abu Sufyan bin Al-Harith
gave Abu Lahab a full account of the massacre and the
disgraceful rout they sustained, with emphasis on the role
that the angels played in bringing about their tragic end.
Abu Lahab could not contain himself and gave vent to his
feelings of resentment in beating, abusing and slapping Abu
Rafi‘, a Muslim, but reticent on his conversion, for
reiterating the role of the angels. Umm Al-Fadl, another
Muslim woman, greatly exasperated by Abu Lahab’s thoughtless
behaviour, struck him with a log and cracked his head. Seven
days later, he died of an ominous ulcer and was left for
three days unburied. His sons, however, for fear of shameful
rumours, drove him to a pit and keeping their distance,
hurled stones and dust at him.
The defeat was a matter of
great shame and grief for the Makkans. In almost every house
there were silent tears for the dead and the captives. They
were burning with humiliation and were thirsting for
revenge. Wailing, lamenting and crying however were decreed
strictly forbidden lest the Muslims should rejoice at their
affliction.
MADINAH RECEIVES THE NEWS OF
VICTORY:
Two heralds, ‘Abdullah bin
Rawahah and Zaid bin Harithah were despatched to Madinah, to
convey the glad tidings of victory to the Muslims there.
The multi-ethnic and
ideological structure of Madinah featured different
respective reactions. Rumour-mongers amongst the Jews and
hypocrites spread news to the effect that the Prophet (Peace
be upon him) had been killed, and tried to impress their
false assumption on the fact that Zaid bin Harithah was
riding Al-Qaswâ’, the Prophet’s she-camel. Having reached,
the two messengers imparted to the Muslims the happy news of
victory, and furnished accurate information about the course
of events in order to establish the sense of reassurance
deep in the hearts of the anxious, but now, joyous Muslims.
They immediately started acclaiming Allâh’s Name and
entertaining His praise at the top of their voices. Their
chiefs went out of the city to wait and receive the Prophet
(Peace be upon him) on the road leading to Badr.
Usamah bin Zaid related that
they received the news of the manifest victory shortly after
Ruqaiyah, the Prophet ’s daughter, and the wife of ‘Uthman
bin ‘Affan had been committed to earth. She had been
terminally ill and the Prophet (Peace be upon him) had asked
‘Uthman to stay in Madinah and look after her.
Before leaving the scene of
the battle, dispute concerning the spoils of war arose among
the Muslim warriors, as the rule relating to their
distribution had not yet been legislated. When the
difference grew wider, the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon
him) suspended any solution whereof until the Revelation was
sent down.
‘Ubadah bin As-Samit said:
“We went out with the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him)
and I witnessed Badr with him. The battle started and Allâh,
the Exalted, defeated the enemy. Some of the Muslims sought
and pursued the enemy, some were intent on collecting the
spoils from the enemy camp, and others were guarding the
Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) and were on the alert
for any emergency or surprise attack. When night came and
the Muslims gathered together, those who had collected the
booty said: “We collected it, so no one else has any right
to it.” Those who had pursued the enemy said: “You do not
have more right to it than we do; we held the enemy at bay
and then defeated them.” As for the men who had been
guarding the Prophet (Peace be upon him), they also made
similar claims to the spoils.
At that very time, a Qur’ânic
verse was revealed saying:
-
“They ask you [O
Muhammad (Peace be upon him) ] about the spoils of war.
Say: ‘The spoils are for Allâh and the Messenger.’ So
fear Allâh and adjust all matters of difference among
you, and obey Allâh and His Messenger [Muhammad (Peace
be upon him) ], if you are believers.” [8:1]
On their way back to Madinah,
at a large sand hill, the Prophet (Peace be upon him)
divided the spoils equally among the fighters after he had
taken Al-Khums (one-fifth). When they reached As- Safra’, he
ordered that two of the prisoners should be killed. They
were An-Nadr bin Al-Harith and ‘Uqbah bin Abi Muait, because
they had persecuted the Muslims in Makkah, and harboured
deep hatred towards Allâh and His Messenger (Peace be upon
him). In a nutshell, they were criminals of war in modern
terminology, and their execution was an awesome lesson to
oppressors. ‘Uqbah forgot his pride and cried out, “Who will
look after my children O Messenger of Allâh?” The Prophet
(Peace be upon him) answered, “The fire (of Hell). ” Did
‘Uqbah not remember the day when he had thrown the entrails
of a sheep onto the head of the Prophet (Peace be upon him)
while he was prostrating himself in prayer, and Fatimah had
come and washed it off him? He had also strangled the
Prophet (Peace be upon him) with his cloak if it had not
been for Abu Bakr to intervene and release the Prophet
(Peace be upon him). The heads of both criminals were struck
off by ‘Ali bin Abi Talib.
At Ar-Rawhâ’, a suburb of
Madinah, the Muslim army was received by the joyous Madinese
who had come to congratulate the Prophet (Peace be upon him)
on the manifest victory that Allâh had granted him. Usaid
bin Hudair, acting as a mouthpiece of the other true
believers, after entertaining Allâh’s praise, he excused
himself for not having joined them on grounds that the
Prophet ’s intention was presumably, an errand aiming to
intercept a caravan of camels only, he added that if it had
occurred to him that it would be real war, he would have
never tarried. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) assured Usaid
that he had believed him.
The Prophet (Peace be upon
him) now entered Madinah as a man to be counted for in a new
dimension — the military field. In consequence, a large
number of the people of Madinah embraced Islam, which added
a lot to the strength, power and moral standing of the true
religion. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) exhorted the
Muslims to treat the prisoners so well to such an extent
that the captors used to give the captives their bread (the
more valued part of the meal) and keep the dates for
themselves.
Prisoners of war constituted
a problem awaiting resolution because it was a new
phenomenon in the history of Islam. The Prophet (Peace be
upon him) consulted Abu Bakr and ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab as to
what he should do with the prisoners. Abu Bakr suggested
that he should ransom them, explaining this by saying: “They
are after all our relatives, and this money would give us
strength against the disbelievers, moreover, Allâh could
guide them to Islam.” ‘Umar advised killing them, saying,
“They are the leaders of Kufr (disbelief).” The Prophet
(Peace be upon him) preferred Abu Bakr’s suggestion to that
of ‘Umar’s. The following day, ‘Umar called on the Prophet
(Peace be upon him) and Abu Bakr to see them weeping. He
shextreme astonishment and inquired about the situation so
that he might weep if it was worth weeping for, or else he
would feign weeping. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said
that a Qur’ânic verse had been revealed rebuking them for
taking ransom from the captives rather than slaying them:
-
“It is not for a
Prophet that he should have prisoners of war (and free
them with ransom) until he had made a great slaughter
(among his enemies) in the land. You desire the good of
this world (i.e. the money of ransom for freeing the
captives), but Allâh desires (for you) the Hereafter.
And Allâh is All-Mighty, All-Wise. Were it not a
previous ordainment from Allâh, a severe torment would
have touched you for what you took.” [8:67,68] The
previous Divine ordainment went as follows,
-
“Thereafter
(is the time) either for generosity (i.e. free them
without ransom) or ransom.” [47:4]
Which included an area
providing permission to take ransom, that is why no penalty
was imposed. They were rebuked only for taking prisoners
before subduing all the land of disbelief. Apart from this,
the polytheists taken to Madinah were not only prisoners of
war but rather archcriminals of war whom modern war penal
law brings to justice to receive their due sentence of death
or prison for life.
The ransom for the prisoners
ranged between 4000 and 1000 Dirhams in accordance with the
captive’s financial situation. Another form of ransom
assumed an educational dimension; most of the Makkans,
unlike the Madinese, were literate and so each prisoner who
could not afford the ransom was entrusted with ten children
to teach them the art of writing and reading. Once the child
had been proficient enough, the instructor would be set
free. Another clan of prisoners were released unransomed on
grounds of being hard up. Zainab, the daughter of the
Prophet (Peace be upon him), paid the ransom of her husband
Abul-‘As with a necklace. The Muslims released her prisoner
and returned the necklace in deference to the Prophet (Peace
be upon him) but on condition that Abul-‘As allow Zainab to
migrate to Madinah, which he actually did.
In captivity, there was also
an eloquent orator called Suhail bin ‘Amr. ‘Umar suggested
that they pull out his front teeth to disable him from
speaking, but the Prophet (Peace be upon him) turned down
his suggestion for fear Quraish should retaliate in the same
manner on one hand, and on the other for fear of Allâh’s
wrath on the Day of Resurrection.
Sa‘d bin An-Nu‘man, a lesser
pilgrim detained in Makkah, was released in return for
setting Abu Sufyan’s son, a captive, free.
THE BATTLE OF BADR IN ITS
QUR'ANIC CONTEXT:
The Chapter of Al-Anfal
(spoils of war) was revealed on the occasion of the battle
of Badr, Ramadan 17th 2 A.H. It constituted a unique Divine
commentary on this battle.
Allâh, the All-High, in the
context of this Chapter draws on major issues relating to
the whole process of Islamization. Allâh, here draws the
attention of the Muslims to the still lingering moral
shortcomings in their character. He wants them to build an
integrated, purified society. He speaks about the invisible
assistance he sent down to His obedient servants to enable
them to accomplish their noble objectives. He wants the
Muslims to rid themselves of any trait of haughtiness or
arrogance that might sneak in. He wants them to turn to Him
for help, obey Him and His Messenger (Peace be upon him).
After that He delineated the
noble objectives for which the Messenger (Peace be upon him)
launched that bloody battle, and directed them to the merits
and qualities that brought about the great victory.The
polytheists, hypocrites, the Jews and prisoners of war were
also mentioned, being admonished to surrender to the Truth
and adhere to it only. The question of the spoils of war was
resolved and the principles and basics relevant to this
issue were clearly defined. The laws and rules pertinent to
war and peace were legalized and codified, especially at
this advanced stage of the Islamic action. Allâh wanted the
Muslims to follow war ethics dissimilar to those of
pre-Islamic practices. The Muslims are deemed to outdo the
others in ethics, values and fine ideals. He wants to
impress on the world that Islam is not merely a theoretical
code of life, it is rather mind cultivation-orientated
practical principles. In this context, He established inter
a nd intrastate relations.
The fast of Ramadan was
established as an obligatory observance in the year 2 A.H.,
appended by the duty imposed upon Muslims of paying Zakat
(alms tax, poor-due) in order to alleviate the burden of the
needy Emigrants.
A wonderful and striking
coincidence was the establishment of Shawwal ‘Eid (the
Festival of the Fast-Breaking) directly after the manifest
victory of Badr. It was actually the finest spectacle ever
witnessed of Muslims leaving their houses praying,
acclaiming Allâh’s Name and entertaining His praise at the
top of their voices in recognition of His favour and grace,
and last but not least, the support He rendered them and
through which the forces of the Truth overpowered those of
evil.
-
“And remember when
you were few and were reckoned weak in the land, and
were afraid that men might kidnap you, but He provided a
safe place for you, strengthened you with His help, and
provided you with good things so that you might be
grateful.” [8:26]
