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Posted by msk2000 on 11/28/07 23:54
The Battle Of Badr
The Muslims who had gone to Medinah,
had left all their belongings behind in Mecca and these had been
taken
by their enemies. Thus, when the Muslims heard that Abu Sufyan, one
of
the leaders of Quraysh, was on his way back to Mecca from Syria with
a
large caravan of goods, they decided that the time had come for them
to retrieve some of their losses. The Prophet (pbuh) gave the Muslims
permission for this attack and everyone began to get ready for the
raid, for it had been revealed:
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
"Permission to fight is given unto those who fight because they have
been wronged; and Allah is surely able to give them victory" (Koran
xxii.39)
"The Revelation had mentioned that a thing most serious with Allah
was
to turn (men) from the way of Allah, and to disbelieve in Him and in
the Holy Mosque, and to drive his people from there.for persecution
is
worse than killing".(Koran ii.217)
The retrieval of their goods, however, was not their only reason for
wanting to attack the caravan.
The Muslims did not think they should simply remain safely in
Medinah;
they wanted to spread the message of Islam. They thus felt that if
Quraysh wanted freedom to trade in safety, then the Muslims must also
have freedom to believe in Allah, to follow His Messenger (pbuh), and
spread His Word. It was, therefore, thought that the best, and only
way to get Quraysh to understand this was to attack what was most
important to them-a caravan.
Abu Sufyan, in the meantime, heard about the Muslims' plan and
Quickly
sent a message to Quraysh in Mecca, telling them that the caravan was
in danger and asking for help. As a result nearly all Quraysh came
out
to help him defend the caravan. There were a thousand men and two
hundred horses. The women also went along to cheer the men on with
their singing. Unaware of this, the Prophet (pbuh) set out with his
followers. It was the month of Ramadan and the Muslims were fasting.
There were only three hundred and five of them,
most of them Ansar, men from Medinah. With them they had three horses
and seventy camels, on which they rode in turns.
They arrived in the area of Badr, some distance from Medinah where
they made camp and waited for news of the caravan. Then they heard
that Quraysh had set out from Mecca with a strong army. The situation
had suddenly changed. They were no longer going to make a raid on a
caravan-they were going to have to fight Quraysh. The Prophet (pbuh)
gathered his men around him to find out what they wanted to do. First
Abu Bakr, and then 'Umar, spoke for the Muslims who had come from
Mecca. They said they would obey the Prophet (pbuh). But the Prophet
(pbuh) wanted to hear the opinion of the Ansar, because he did not
want to force them into doing something they did not want to do. Sa'd
Ibn Mu'adh, one of the leaders of the Ansar, got up and said, we
believe in you and we swear before all men that what you have brought
is the truth.
We have given you our word and agreement to hear and obey.
So go where you wish, we are with you even if you should lead us into
the sea!
The Prophet (pbuh) was greatly encouraged by these words and so it
was
agreed to fight. Abu Sufyan learned where the Muslims were camped. He
changed the course of the caravan and quickly took it out of their
reach. He then sent word to Quraysh telling them that the caravan was
safe and that they should return to Mecca. But the leaders of Quraysh
were proud and stubborn men. They refused to return as they had made
up their minds to show everyone how powerful they were by destroying
the Muslims.Now there was a wadi, or valley, at Badr, with wells on
the side nearest Medina, and it was here that the Muslims took up
position facing the valley with the wells behind them.
Quraysh meanwhile placed themselves on the other side of the valley.
The Muslims then dug a reservoir, filled it with water from one of
the
wells, and made a barrier around it. Then they stopped up the wells.
In this way the Muslims had enough drinking water for themselves,
while the Meccans would have to cross the valley and fight the
Muslims
in order to get water. The night before the battle, while the Muslims
slept peacefully, a heavy rain fell.
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
"When He made the slumber fall upon you as a reassurance from Him and
sent down water from the sky upon you, in order that He might purify
you, and remove from you the fear of Satan, and strengthen your
hearts
and make firm (your) fret thereby". (Koran viii.11) On the morning of
Friday, the 17th of Ramadan, 2 A.H., (March 17th, AD), the two armies
advanced and drew closer to one another. The rain been heavier on the
side of Quraysh, making the ground soft and difficult. On the side of
the Muslims, however, the rain had backed the sand down hard, making
it easy for them to march. The Prophet (pbuh) preferred the men to
fight in ranks. As they prepared to march he noticed someone had
stepped out in front of the others.
The Prophet (pbuh)prodded him in the side with an arrow, saying,
'Stand in line!' The man, Sawad, exclaimed, 'You have hurt me, O
Messenger of Allah! Allah has sent you to be just and good.' Prophet
(pbuh) lifted his shirt and said, 'Then do the same to me. The man
approached and kissed him on the spot instead, saying, '0 Messenger
of
Allah, you see what is before us and I may not survive the battle. If
this is my last time with you, I want the last thing I do in life to
be this.'Shortly after he went into battle, Sawad died a martyr.
Having examined the ranks, the Prophet (pbuh) then went to a shelter
made of palm branches from which he could command the battle. Abu
Bakr
stayed with him, while Sa'd ibn Mu'adh, with several of the Ansar,
stood outside guarding the hut. When the Prophet (pbuh) saw the
enormous Quraysh army descending the hill into the valley, with all
their banners and drums, he began to pray for the help which Allah
had
promised him. These were some of his words. '0 Allah, here come
Quraysh full of vanity and pride,
who oppose Thee and call Thy Messenger a liar. O Allah, if this
little
band (the Muslims) perishes today, there will be none left in the
land
to worship Thee.'
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
"When ye sought help of your Lord and He answered you (saying): I
will
help you with a thousand of the angels, rank on rank. Allah appointed
it only as good tidings, and that your hearts might thereby be at
ease. Victory cometh only by the help of Allah. Lo! Allah is Mighty,
Wise". (Koran viii. 9-10)
At first the battle began in single combat when one of Quraysh swore
that he would drink from the Muslims' reservoir and then destroy it,
or die in the attempt. Hamzah, the Prophet's uncle, came forward to
face him and killed him. Three of the most important men of Quraysh
then stepped forward and gave out a challenge for single combat. The
Prophet (pbuh) sent out 'Ali, Hamzah, and 'Ubaydah ibn al-Harith, to
face them. It was not long before Hamzah and 'Ali had killed their
opponents.
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