Battle Of Badr: The First War In Islam

Why was the Badr campaign inevitable?

The Badr campaign was necessitated after a Chariya campaign, in which Ibn Hadrami was killed. However, the Chariya and Gozwa campaigns have already been discussed! After the killing of the infidel Amer Ibn Hadrami in the Chariya campaign led by Abdullah Ibn Jahash (RA), which revealed much of the strength of the Muslims, the Quraish of Mecca considered the leadership of Medina to have a clear conscience, but their anger and whims lost the necessary discretion. They tried to implement the threat of exterminating the Muslims by entering the homes of the Muslims in Medina. The situation gradually turned towards a bloody conflict due to the incitement of the Quraish of Mecca! At such a time, in the month of Shaban of the second Hijri, the Knower of the Unseen, Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, revealed several verses making jihad obligatory on the Muslims. Among them, verses 190-193 of Surah Baqarah (chapter 2) and 4, 7, and 20 of Surah Muhammad (chapter 47) are quite notable. The method of war is also explained. It was in this month of Shaban that Allah Almighty ordered the Muslims to change the Qiblah (the direction of prayer)—another thing that happened was that most of the hypocrites who were hiding in disguise among the Muslims were exposed. Moreover, when we review the verses of the Quran, we see that no matter how big the conflict, the final victory will be for the Muslims—there are clear hints in it. This makes the faith of the Muslims even stronger for Jihad (war) in the way of Allah. In the previous post, we mentioned in the campaign related to Chariya and Gozwa that a trading caravan of the Quraysh was narrowly saved during the Ushaira campaign. When that caravan was returning from Syria, the Prophet (peace be upon him) took another initiative. He sent Talha Ibn Ubaydullah and Saeed Ibn Zayd (RA) to the north to find out about the caravan. These two companions (RA) reached a place called Hawrah and waited; when Abu Sufyan’s caravan passed that place, the two companions quickly came to Medina and conveyed the news. The infidels had a lot of wealth in this caravan—about fifty thousand dinars worth of trade goods on one thousand camels, under the custody of only forty people in the caravan. This was a golden opportunity for the Muslims. Because being deprived of these goods meant a huge military, political, and economic loss for the Quraysh of Mecca.

Preparing the troops for the Battle of Badr

The Prophet (PBUH) announced that the companions should set out for the caravan; although the announcement was made, participation in it was not obligatory for anyone. For this reason, and because they could not foresee that this expedition would turn into a bloody clash on the plains of Badr, many of the Muslims remained in Medina. The Prophet (PBUH) set out for Badr with 313 (according to various sources, 314 or 317) companions (RA)—of whom 82 (according to multiple sources, 83 or 86) were Muhajirs (immigrant) and the rest were all Ansar (local people). The entire army consisted of 2 horses and 70 camels, each of which was to be ridden by two or three people in turn. The Prophet (PBUH), Ali, and Marshad Ibn Abu Marshad Ganavir (RA) rode on one camel in turn.

On the way from the seaport city of Yanbo to Medina, Badr is on the right-hand side, which is about one hundred and sixty kilometers from Medina. Initially, the responsibility of Medina was given to Abdullah Ibn Umm Maktum (RA), but the Prophet (PBUH) sent Abu Lubaba Ibn Abdul Manzar (RA) in charge of Medina after reaching Rawha. An army was formed consisting of a group of Muhajirs and a group of Ansar; the flag of the Muhajirs was carried by Ali and the flag of the Ansar by Saad ibn Mayaz (RA). Both groups had a white flag that was carried by Musayyib ibn Umayr Abdi (RA). On the right, Zubayr ibn Awam and on the left, Miqdad Ibn Amr (RA) were appointed as commanders—these two were the most skilled in the entire army. In addition, the Prophet (PBUH) himself took the responsibility of the commander, appointing Qays Ibn Abi Sayya (RA) as one of the commanders.

This battalion first went from Medina to the main road of Mecca to Bir Rawha, then, after advancing a little further, leaving this road on the left, it took the right path, first to Nazih and then to Rahkan Valley, and finally reached the desert of Darrah via the Safra pass. Upon reaching Safar, the Prophet (peace be upon him) sent Bashish Ibn Umar and Adi Ibn Abu Jagbah, both from the tribe of Juhayna, to gather news of the Quraysh caravan.

The caravan of Quraysh

The Quraysh caravan returning from Syria was led by Abu Sufyan – he knew very well that the road to Mecca was no longer as smooth as before, so he had to proceed with great caution. On the way, he heard that Muhammad (PBUH) had invited him to Medina to attack the Quraysh caravan. As soon as he received this news, he sent a message to Mecca asking for help to protect the caravan with a large sum of money to a man named Zamzam Ibn Amer Ghifari.

After receiving the news, the leaders of the Quraysh in Mecca gathered. They began to say, “Muhammad (PBUH) thinks that Abu Sufyan’s caravan is like Ibn Hadrami’s caravan? Not at all. We must explain to him that our situation is different.”

Preparation of Meccans for war

Almost all the able-bodied men of Mecca prepared for war – some prepared themselves, while others sent someone else in their place. For example, Abu Lahab sent one of his debtors in his place. Except for Banu Adi, who had sheltered the Prophet (peace be upon him) after his return from Taif, no other tribe remained behind. The total number of soldiers under Abu Jahl was thirteen hundred. One hundred horses and six hundred armor, the number of camels is not found in history. But not in one day, but in the next ten days, this number of camels are slaughtered for dinner and lunch- nine prominent men of the Quraysh took the charge of feeding the army. When the Meccan army was leaving, the Quraysh suddenly remembered that they were at enmity and war with the Banu Kinana tribe – if they left them behind, they would step into two pits of fire. Due to the situation that arose, there was a fear of postponing the journey. But at this time, the cursed Iblis, the leader of Banu Kinana, appeared in the form of Choraka ibn Malik ibn Jasham Madlaji and said, “I am your friend. I assure you that Banu Kinana will not do anything objectionable in your absence.”

After receiving such assurance from Iblis(Satan), the Choraka, the Meccan army began to move northward at a very fast pace, towards Badr.

Abu Sufyan, leader of Quraysh Caravan

Abu Sufyan was about to move with the caravan while gathering information with great caution. After reaching the Badr desert, he went to a man named Majdi Ibn Amr and asked about the people who had come from Medina. Majdi said, “I have not seen anything like that. However, I have seen two people who have tied their camels to the hill and have gone to draw water from the well.”

Abu Sufyan took out a date seed from the camel’s dung and said, “This is undoubtedly a date from Yathrib (Medina). Having said this, he quickly returned to the caravan. Then, leaving the main road leading to the Badr desert on the left, he started walking along the seashore. After reaching a safe distance, he sent a message to the Meccan army.

Abu Sufyan’s message received by the meccan army

After the Meccan army reached a place called Johfa, they received a message sent by Abu Sufyan. In the message, Abu Sufyan said, “You were out to protect the caravan and your wealth. Since Allah has protected everything, you are no longer needed, you can now return.”

After hearing this news, the common soldiers tried to return to Mecca. But Abu Jahl went against their advice and said, “By God, we will not return until we have gone to the Badr desert and spent three nights there.” We will go there and slaughter camels, invite people to eat and drink, and the maids will provide entertainment – this will spread our news throughout Arabia and will forever have a bright image of us in everyone’s minds.

Akhnas ibn Shurayk, a Quraysh leader, tried unsuccessfully to dissuade Abu Jahl. Akhnas was an ally of the Banu Zuhra tribe and the commander of three hundred soldiers. He was not influenced by Abu Jahl and returned to Mecca with three hundred soldiers under him. Then Abu Jahl set out for Badr with a thousand soldiers.

Jaffron Desert- Majlis-e-Shura

While the Muslim army was crossing the Jaffron Desert, the messenger from Medina received the latest news of the Quraysh army. After receiving this news, the Prophet (PBUH) understood with foresight that a bloody conflict was inevitable. If they returned to Medina without confronting the Quraysh now, the political impact would be fatal, so the power of the infidels would increase further, and their triumph would spread among the people. If this happens, the common people would lose faith in Islam, and the enemies of Islam and those who are not well informed about Islam would hate Islam. Moreover, what is the guarantee that the Meccan army would not enter Medina and attack the Muslims? Considering the situation that arose, the Prophet (PBUH) called a meeting of the Majlis-e-Shura (Meeting of the highest level leaders). The meeting reviewed the latest political situation. The opinions of the army commanders and ordinary soldiers were sought. Some Muslims began to tremble in fear upon hearing about the war. Allah revealed about them, “It is as if your Lord had expelled you from your home with justice, but a party of the believers did not like it. They argued with you after the truth had become clear to them. It seemed as if they were being led to death and were witnessing it.” (Anfal 5-6) Abu Bakr and Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) displayed a wonderful attitude, through which their devotion to the beloved Prophet (peace be upon him) was revealed anew. Miqdad Ibn Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) stood up and said, “O Messenger of Allah! Be steadfast on the path that Allah has shown you. By Allah, we will not say to you what the Children of Israel said to Moses (peace be upon him). (See Surah Al-Ma’idah verse 24 to know what the Children of Israel said to Moses (peace be upon him).) Rather, we say, you and your Lord fight, and we are with you. By Allah, if you take us to Barka Ghamad, we will fight with you. If you jump into the sea, we will jump into the sea too.

After listening to the statements of the above three, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said to the Ansar, “Now give me advice.” The leader of the Ansar, Sa’d Ibn Mayaz (may Allah be pleased with him), said, “We have believed in you. We know that everything you have brought is true. Go wherever you wish, and establish relations with whomever you wish. Take as much of our wealth as you wish. Remember, whatever you take will be dearer to us than what you have abandoned.”

Hearing this statement, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was very happy. He said in a cheerful voice, “By Allah, I can see the battlefield.”

They set out from the Jafran desert, crossed some mountain passes, passed Asaf, left the mountain called Heman on their right, and pitched their tents near the Badr desert. After arriving here, the Prophet (PBUH) set out with Abu Bakr (RA) to gather news. While he was observing the tents of the Meccan soldiers from a distance, an old man passed by. The Prophet (PBUH) asked the old man about the Quraysh and his companions, keeping his identity a secret. But the old man said that he would not tell them anything until he knew their identities. The Prophet (PBUH) said, “Tell me what I wanted to know, and then we will introduce ourselves.”

The old man said, “If the companions of Muhammad are telling me the truth, they are in such and such a place today.” (The old man pointed to the exact place where the tent of the Prophet (PBUH) was located.) And if the Quraysh are telling me the truth, they are in such and such a place now (the tents of the infidels were in the same place that the old man had mentioned).

Having said this, the old man asked to know their identities. “We are from the same water,” the Prophet (PBUH) said and left. After the Prophet (PBUH) left, the old man started muttering, “Which water?” “From the water of Iraq.”

Pitching tenst near water bodys

Returning to the tent, the Prophet (PBUH) sent a spy group led by Ali, Zubayr Ibn al-Awwam, and Sa’d Ibn Abi Waqqas (RA) to get detailed information about the enemy’s location. This group went to the water of Badr and found two slaves of the Quraysh drawing water from there for their army. They brought the two to the Prophet (PBUH). The Prophet (PBUH) was praying at that time. The companions began to question the arrested people. They said, “We are people of the Quraysh; we have come to draw water from the water.”

The companions were not satisfied with this answer. They thought that they were Abu Sufyan’s people. To find out, they started beating the arrested people. After being beaten, they were forced to admit that they were Abu Sufyan’s people. At that time, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) came out and said harshly, “When they were telling the truth, you beat them, and when they lied, you stopped! By Allah, they told the truth that they were from Quraysh.”

Then the prisoners said that the Quraysh were behind the hill that could be seen at the end of Badr. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) asked how many camels they had. He replied, “We do not know.” But one day, nine, and the next day, ten, camels were slaughtered in this way. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) understood that the number of the infidels would be between nine hundred and one thousand. The prisoners also told him about the prominent people of Quraysh who were present. Then Haqqab Ibn Mundhir (may Allah be pleased with him) gave the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) advice like a wise commander. He said, “Did you pitch your tent here by Allah’s command, or was it just a tactic?”

The Prophet (PBUH) said, “It is purely a matter of strategy.” Hakab (RA) said, “I do not think it is appropriate to stay in this place. We should go further and take control of the nearest water body of the Quraysh and also keep an eye on the other water bodies so that if the battle starts, we can. Considering this advice as correct, the Prophet (PBUH) went further. In the middle of the night they pitched their tents near the nearest waterhole to the Quraish. They build a water house for themselves and close all other water bodies.

Then, on the advice of Sa’d Ibn Mayaz (RA), a cot was made for the Prophet (PBUH) on a high hill in the north-east of the battlefield. Then a group of Ansar under the leadership of Sa’d Ibn Mayaz (RA) was entrusted with the security of the Prophet (PBUH) during the war. The Prophet (PBUH) organized his army and marched towards the battlefield. He was walking around pointing to different places and saying, tomorrow there will be such and such a slaughterhouse, there will be such and such a slaughterhouse (his words came true the next day). He spends the night near a root. It was on this night that Allah sent rain in mercy, Which was a heavy rain for the disbelievers and a mercy for believers. In this, Allah Ta’ala makes the sand under the feet of the Muslims hard, so that a good condition is created for them to stand on, and He completes the faith of the Muslims and removes all their fatigue by giving peaceful sleep to the eyes (Qur’an 8:11). It was the 17th of Ramadan of the second Hijri.

Quraysh Tents

The Quraysh spent the night in their tents on the other side of the hill at the end of Badr. And in the morning they gathered on the other side of the hill. A group of Quraysh people moved towards the pool of the Prophet (peace be upon him) for water. The Prophet (peace be upon him) told the Muslims, Do not prevent them from taking water. It was later found that all those who fought by drinking water from that pool were killed except Hakim ibn Hizam. Later, Hakim converted to Islam and became a good Muslim. After becoming a Muslim, whenever he swore, he would say, “By the One who saved me on the day of Badr.”.

The Quraysh sent Umayr ibn Wahhab al-Jahami to enquire about the number of Muslims. Umayr, after observing the tents of the Muslims and advancing a little further on the road to Medina, returned and reported that the number of Muslims could be three hundred to four hundred. They had no supporting forces behind them.

He added, “But I have noticed one thing in particular: the camels of Yathrib have brought certain death. By Allah, from what I have understood, it seems that they will not return without finishing you off. There is a possibility of losing your prominent people in this war, so think carefully about whatever you do.”

As Abu Jahl was adamant about fighting, a group of infidels raised their voices against Abu Jahl because they wanted to return without fighting. Hakim ibn Hizam did not want a war at all. So he started running to the prominent people to stop the war. First, he went to Utba ibn Rabi’ah and requested he return to Mecca without a war. Utba said, “I am willing, but I do not think that the son of Hanzalah (Abu Jahl; Hanzalah was his mother’s name) will agree. Because he is the one who is spoiling everything, his hand is active in inciting people.”

Then Utba came out of the tent and said in a speech, “O Quraysh! You will not be able to show any special achievement by fighting Muhammad (PBUH) and his companions. By Allah, if they kill you, you will see faces that no one would like to see killed. Because in this war you will kill your uncles, cousins, or people from your tribe. And if the rest of the Arabs kill Muhammad (PBUH), then your wishes will be fulfilled. Come, let us return.”

Hakim then went to Abu Jahl. Abu Jahl was cleaning his armor. When Hakim said that Utba had sent him, Abu Jahl said, “By Allah, Utba’s chest has become dry with fear at the sight of Muhammad (PBUH) and his companions. We will not return until a decision is made between Muhammad and us.

Hearing Abu Jahl’s comment, Utba said, “Abu Hakeem will soon know whose heart is dry.”

Abu Jahl was a little scared by Utba’s reaction because Utba’s son Hudhaifa had long ago converted to Islam and migrated to Medina. Abu Jahl adopted a new strategy to re-energize the hesitant minds of the Quraysh. He sent for Amer ibn Hadrami, the brother of Amr ibn Hadrami, who was killed by the Muslims in the Sharia campaign of Nakhlah. When Amer arrived, Abu Jahl said, “You know very well how you have been wronged. They have killed your brother. Now if you want to take revenge, then tell everyone about the murder of your brother again.”

Hearing this, Amer tore his clothes and started screaming like a madman, saying, “O Amr, O Amr.” Hearing this, all the Quraysh gathered. Then, rejecting the call to return, everyone renewed their commitment to fight. The Quraysh came out of their tents in groups. On the eve of the battle, Abu Jahl prayed, “O Allah! Destroy the group among us who have severed the ties of kinship the most and who have committed wrongdoing. Help the group among us who are most beloved to You.” It was on the supplication of Abu Jahl that Allah Almighty destroyed them that day. Quran, 8:19)

The Battlefield

The Prophet (peace be upon him) made the Muslims stand in rows. At this time, a strange thing happened—while the Prophet (peace be upon him) was standing in rows, he had an arrow in his hand. The arrow suddenly hit Sawad ibn Ghazi (may Allah be pleased with him) lightly in the stomach, so he came a little forward from the row and said to the Prophet (peace be upon him), O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), you have hurt me. Let me take revenge.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) removed his shirt from his stomach and said, “Take it, take revenge.”
Sawad (may Allah be pleased with him) hugged the Prophet (peace be upon him) and started kissing his stomach.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked who inspired him to do this.
In response, Sawad (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “You can see what is going to happen. I wanted your closeness to be the last memorable event of my life!”
The Prophet (peace be upon him) prayed for him, and after straightening the row, he forbade from starting a battle without his order and gave special instructions on battle tactics. He said, “When the pagans come towards you in groups, shoot arrows—but remember that the arrows are not wasted. Remember that no one will use the sword until they surround you. And listen, none of the Hashim tribe has anything to do with this war—I know that they were brought by force. So if any of the Hashim tribe come before you, do not kill them. Do not kill Abu al-Bakhtari Ibn Hisham; do not kill Abbas.”

Hearing this, Hudhayfah Ibn Utbah (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “Shall we kill the father, son, and brother of our tribe and leave Abbas alone? By Allah, if he comes before me, I will kill him.”

Hearing this, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) in a magical voice, “The uncle of the Messenger of Allah will also be struck in the face with a sword!”

Umar (addressing Hudhayfah) said, “O Messenger of Allah, give me permission—I will cut off the neck of this hypocrite.”

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) remained silent. Then he went to the center of the camp with Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) later regretted the incident. He was finally martyred in the Battle of Yamamah.

The first instigator of the war was Aswad Ibn Abdul Asad Makhzumi of the Quraysh. This man was of a very mischievous type. When he descended to the field, he said, “I promise by Allah that I will let them drink the water of their pool. If I cannot, I will destroy that pool, or I will give my life for the pool.” Saying this, he moved towards the pool. Hamza (may Allah be pleased with him) came forward from the Muslims. The two faced each other near the water body. Hamza (RA) struck him with his sword in such a way that Aswad’s leg was severed below the knee. The blood that was flowing from the severed leg started flowing towards his companions. In this state, Aswad crawled towards the pool. Hamza (RA) struck him again. As a result of this blow, he fell into the pool and died there. This was the first incident in the Battle of Badr. After this incident, the fire of war spread everywhere. Then three famous wrestlers came out from among the Quraysh. They were from the same tribe—Utba and Shayba, the two sons of Rabi’ah, and Walid, the son of Utba. These three came out of the queue and called for a fight. Responding to this call, three Ansar companions named Awf and Muawwim, the two sons of Harith, and Abdullah Ibn Rawha (RA) came forward to fight. When these three came forward, the Quraysh asked them to identify themselves. They said, “We are the Ansar of Medina.”

Hearing this, the Quraysh said, “There is no doubt that you are noble opponents. We have no dispute with you. We want to fight our cousins.”

Then they shouted, “O Muhammad, send our blood relatives to us.”

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) ordered Ubaydah ibn Harith, Hamza, and Ali (may Allah be pleased with them). When these three came forward, the disbelievers pretended not to recognize them and asked them to identify themselves. After being identified, they said, “You are noble opponents.” (Allah has mentioned this in Quran, 22:19)

Ubaydah (may Allah be pleased with him) fought Utbah, Hamza (may Allah be pleased with him) fought Shaybah, and Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) fought Walid. Within a moment, Hamza and Ali (RA) overpowered Shaybah and Walid, but Ubaydah (RA) and Utbar exchanged blows—each seriously wounding the other. Hamza and Ali (RA) followed their opponent’s actions and came to the aid of Ubaydah (RA) and pounced on Utbar and finished him off. Then they lifted Ubaydah (RA) and brought him back. Ubaydah RA’s leg was amputated; he could not speak. (He died while crossing the Safra desert on the fourth or fifth day of his return to Medina). After losing three distinguished warriors at once, the Quraysh became distraught with anger. They rushed at the Muslims together. The Muslims shouted “Ahad, Ahad” and attacked back.

After the fierce battle began, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) began to pray to Allah Almighty, “O Allah! Fulfill the help you have promised us. We ask for your promised help. If this group of Muslims is defeated today, there will be no one on earth to worship you—do you want that?” The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was praying in a low voice. At one point, his cloak fell from his shoulders.

Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) fixed the cloak and said, “Stop now, Messenger of Allah. You have done your duty.”

Then Allah Almighty ordered the angels to help the believers (Quran 8:12) and revealed to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) (Quran 8:9). Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) raised his head and said, Abu Bakr (RA) was happy, the help of Allah had come. Jibril (PBUH) was leading the horse.

Then he came out of the house clad in armor. As he advanced, he said to the Quraysh, “This group will soon be defeated and turn their backs.” (Quran 54:45) Taking a handful of sand in his hand, he threw it at the disbelievers, “Shahatul Uhuh,” (which means to cover their faces). It reached the nose, mouth, and eyes of every disbeliever. Allah Almighty says this (Quran 8:17). The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) addressed the Muslims and said, “Go to Paradise, the horizon and expanse of which are equal to the heavens and the earth.”

Hearing this, Umayr Ibn Hammam (RA) who was nearby said in an excited voice, “Excellent, excellent.”

When the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) came to him and asked him the reason for saying this, he said again, “If only I could be a resident of that Paradise.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “You are also one of the inhabitants of Paradise.” Hearing this, Umayr (may Allah be pleased with him) took out some dates and started eating them. “Eating dates will take a long time; one should not prolong life like this,” he suddenly said and threw away the dates in his hand and died fighting like a hero. When the Prophet (peace be upon him) came to the battlefield wearing armor, the Companions (may Allah be pleased with him) became even more enthusiastic. They attacked with great courage and began to behead the infidels. A narration from Ibn Sa’d (may Allah be pleased with him) is as follows: On that day, the head of Many was cut off, but the beheader was not visible. Abdullah Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “While an Ansar was chasing a disbeliever, he heard the sound of a whip being struck on the disbeliever, but he did not see the one who struck him. When the disbeliever fell, the marks of the whip were visible all over his body. When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was informed of this incident, he said, “This is help from the third heaven.”

Arrest of Abbas (Uncle of Prophet PBHU)

An Ansar (may Allah be pleased with him) arrested Abbas, the uncle of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Abbas had not yet become a Muslim. He came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said, “This man did not arrest me. A man with a shaved head me, who was riding a camel.”

The Ansar said, “O Messenger of Allah, I arrested him.”

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) heard everything and said, “Be quiet. Allah has helped you with an honored angel.”

Seeing the angels Iblis (who had come in the form of Choraka Ibn Malik) was running away. At that time, Harith Ibn Hisham caught him. Iblis (Satan) punched Harith hard in the chest and fled. The polytheists called him and asked, “Choraqa, where are you going? You promised to help us; why are you running away now?”

Iblis ran and said, “I see something that you cannot see. I fear Allah, for He is the One who punishes severely.”

Then he ran towards the sea.

Awn (the miracle of the Prophet), the transformation of a piece of wood into a shining, sharp sword

While fighting, the sword of Ukasha Ibn Mohsen Asadi (may Allah be pleased with him) broke. When he appeared before the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him), the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) gave him a piece of wood and said, “Ukasha, fight with this.”
Within a short time, Ukasha (may Allah be pleased with him) took the piece of wood, and it transformed into a shiny, sharp sword! This sword was named ‘Awn,’ which means help. It may be mentioned here that Ukasha (may Allah be pleased with him) used that sword not only in Badr, but in all subsequent battles. He was martyred while fighting the converts during the caliphate of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him).

At one point, there were clear signs of failure and despair in the infidel army. They scattered in the face of the heavy onslaught of the Muslims. The retreat began. Some were killed, some were wounded, and some were captured by the Muslims. After Iblis fled, Abu Jahl shouted to his soldiers to raise their morale, “Do not lose courage in the flight of the dagger. He is related to Muhammad. Do not be afraid that Utbah, Shaybah, and Walid have been killed; they have been in a hurry.” By Lat and Uzza, we will not return until we have tied them up. Tie them up before we kill them. We will show them a joke later.

The killing of Quraysh commander Abu Jahl

Abdur Rahman Ibn Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “We were standing in a line on the battlefield of Badr. There were two Ansar boys next to me. I was wondering about their presence. At that time, Sadenly one of the boys said to me, “Uncle, show me who Abu Jahl is.”

I said, “What will you do with him?”

The boy said, “I have heard that he has caused much trouble to the beloved Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, if I see him once, I will not part from him until he or I die!”

I was quite surprised to hear such words from the boy. After a while, another boy came to me and quietly said the same thing. When I saw Abu Jahl, I said to them, “Here is your prey.”

One of these two boys was named Ma’z Ibn Amr Jamuh, and the other was Ma’uz Ibn Afra. After seeing Abu Jahl, they started following Abu Jahl on the battlefield. Abu Jahl was under the impenetrable guard of the arrows of the infidels. When the infidels began to disperse, as soon as they got the opportunity, Ma’z (may Allah be pleased with him) attacked Abu Jahl in such a way that the part below his knee was severed from his body by the blow of the sword. His son Ikrama came forward to save his father Abu Jahl. He attacked Ma’z (may Allah be pleased with him). As a result, Ma’d (may Allah be pleased with him)’s right arm was severed from the shoulder and hung down. Since it was difficult to fight with a hanging arm, Ma’z (may Allah be pleased with him) placed his arm under his left leg and pulled it away from his body with a jerk. After Ma’z was injured, Mauz (may Allah be pleased with him) approached Abu Jahl. He was also wounded, but he still struck Abu Jahl hard. While fighting, he became a martyr. It can be mentioned here that Ma’z (may Allah be pleased with him) was alive until the caliphate of Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him).

At the end of the war, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) ordered the companions to enquire about Abu Jahl. The companions (may Allah be pleased with him) started searching for Abu Jahl. Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) saw Abu Jahl lying in such a state that he was still breathing. He held Abu Jahl by the beard and said, “O enemy of Allah, did you see how Allah humiliated and dishonored you in the end?”

Abu Jahl fell to his deathbed, but his arrogance did not diminish. Pointing to himself, he said proudly, “Who is more honorable than the one you killed today? Tell me, who won today?” Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “Allah and His Messenger.” Abu Jahl said, “O you goatherd (Abdullah used to work as a goatherd in Mecca), you have reached a very high place today.” Then Abu Jahl’s head was cut off and shown to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).

Consequences of Badr

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) praised Allah. The Battle of Badr ended with the victory of the Muslims. In this battle, 14 Muslims were martyred—6 of whom were Muhajirs and 8 of the Ansar.

The infidels suffered heavy losses—70 were killed and 70 were taken prisoner, most of whom were leaders and chiefs of various tribes. The bodies of the infidels were buried in several pits. Of these, 24 bodies were buried in a dirty pit; these were leaders.

The stituation in Mecca after the defeat at the battle of Badr, and the tragic death of the Quraysh leader Abu Lahab

The first to reach Mecca with the news of the defeat was a man named Haythman Ibn Abdullah Khozai. After hearing the names of the slain, Safwan Ibn Umayya, who was sitting in the Kaaba’s Hatim, said, “By Allah, this man has gone mad. If you do not believe him, then ask him about me.

” When the people asked Haythman about Safwan, he pointed to Safwan and said, “That is him, sitting in the Kaaba’s Hatim. By Allah, I saw his father and brother killed.”

Abu Lahab was furious when he heard the news of the Muslims’ victory. Abu Rafi, the slave of Abbas (RA), was sitting near Zamzam Well, making arrows. Umm Fazal was sitting next to him—these two had secretly converted to Islam. Abu Lahab then came and sat down next to them. After a while, Abu Sufyan also came. Some more people gathered. Abu Sufyan and Abu Lahab were discussing the Battle of Badr. As they were talking, Abu Sufyan said, “I do not blame our people. Because they were facing someone who was riding a horse between the sky and the earth. They did not throw anything, yet nothing we had could withstand them.” At that time, Abu Rafi (RA) said in an excited voice, “By Allah, they were angels.”

Hearing this, Abu Lahab started beating him vigorously. Umm al-Fazal took a stick and, while beating Abu Lahab in return, said, “Do you use it as you wish since it has no owner?”

Abu Lahab was left humiliated. Seven days after this incident, Abu Lahab fell ill with the plague. The Arabs considered the plague to be a danger. After Abu Lahab fell ill, even his children did not go near him. His body remained lying there for three days, and no one came forward to bury him. At one time, his sons thought that if the body was left like this, the Arabs would criticize them. so they dug a hole, pushed it with a wooden stick, threw the body into the hole, and closed the hole with stones from a distance. Although he did not go to the Battle of Badr, Allah did not allow Abu Lahab to live long. That is why Allah sent this arch-enemy of the Prophet (peace be upon him) away from the face of the earth in such a disgrace.