The Battle of Badr, also known as ‘Badr Al-Uzma’, ‘Badr Al-Qitaal’ and ‘Badr Al-Furqan’ 1 was fought on 17th of Ramadan, in 2 A.H. 2 This battle was the first decisive war that took place between the Muslims and the
In the initial 13 years of Prophethood, the Holy
However, when the Holy Prophet migrated to Madinah and formed the first Islamic state, the Quraysh tried their best to harm the Muslims in any way they could. 7 At that time, Allah Almighty permitted the Muslims to fight against the oppressors. 8 Thus, Prophet Muhammad tasked some of the companions to watch the borders of the city, day and night. Furthermore, to bring the Quraysh to its knees, Prophet Muhammad prepared a strategy to bring the trade routes under the control of the Muslims. Therefore, armed missions were sent for raiding the commercial caravans of the Quraysh. 9 These raids continued, and finally, one of these raids led to the first full-fledged battle of Islamic history, known as Battle of Badr.
The city of Makkah was a desolate and barren land, so the Makkans relied heavily on their trade for survival, economic stability, and financial prosperity. The rights to conduct trade on such a large scale with other nations were reserved for the Quraysh only. 10 Thus, if the commercial caravans of the Quraysh were disrupted, the Quraysh could be brought to their knees and their negative activities against the newly formed Muslim state could be put on hold.
In 2 A.H., a huge trade caravan of the Quraysh was returning to Makkah, so the Holy Prophet sent Talha ibn Ubaidullah and Saeed ibn Zubair to the north to gather intel on the caravan. When they reached Howra (حوراء), they saw that the caravan was being led by Abu Sufyan. Hastily, these Muslim scouts returned to Madinah and informed the Holy Prophet . The caravan was carrying goods worth approximately 50,000 Dinars (Gold coins), 1000 camels and was guarded by only 40 men. 11
If the Muslims succeeded in raiding this caravan, it would have caused immense economic loss to the Makkans 12 and would have helped in recovering the wealth that the people of Makkah had seized from the Muhajireen. 13 So, the Holy Prophet announced among the companions: ‘this the caravan of the Quraysh, so go towards it. May be, Allah will grant the caravan to you.’ 14
The Holy Prophet did not force anyone to join the expedition as he did not anticipate a battle with an army of the Quraysh. Since time was short and decisions had to be taken quickly, 15 the Holy Prophet announced that whoever had a horse or a camel and was ready to go on this journey, could join the expedition with him. 16 Since it was an optional decision, some of the companions stayed behind, as none of them anticipated a war. 17
On the 12th of Ramadan, 2 A.H. 18 19 20 the Holy Prophet , along with his companions set out towards the caravan and Abdullah ibn Um Al-Maktoom was charged to lead the prayers in the Holy Prophet’s absence in Madinah. 21 Uthman ibn Affan was not able to join the Muslim expedition, as his wife Ruqaiya , the daughter of the Holy Prophet was extremely ill, and needed looking after. 22
The number of soldiers in the Muslim army in this mission, as quoted by various scholars, varies from 313 to 319. 23 Al-Qirwani 24 and Abu Al-Hasan Al-Shafi 25 state that the Muslim army was comprised of 313 soldiers, however, Hafiz Al-Zahabi narrates that 319 companions accompanied the Holy Prophet . 26 Ibn Ishaq stated that 314 people took part in the expedition and also provided a proper division of the army. He states that 314 Muslims accompanied Prophet Muhammad out of which 83 were Muhajireen while 231 were from the Ansaar, of which 61 were from the Aus tribe and 170 from the Khazraj Tribe. 27 Furthermore, the Muslim army had 70 camels 28 and 3 horses to ride on 29 while the Makkan army consisted of around 1000 men, 100 horses and 700 camels. 30 31
The Muslim contingent was split into groups of two, three and four. They would take turns in riding the camels during the journey. The Holy Prophet , Ali ibn Abi Talib and Abu Lubaba were in the same group and would take turns in riding the camel. When Ali ibn Abi Talib and Abu Lubaba requested the Holy Prophet to stay on the camel, because they wanted to give their turn to Prophet Muhammad as well. The Holy Prophet replied:
ما انتما بأقوى مني على المشى، وما أنا بأغنى عن الأجر منكما. 32
Both of you are no stronger in walking than me, and I am not more self-sufficient in virtue than you.
Even though Prophet Muhammad was their leader and could have reserved a camel or a horse for himself, but he didn’t. On the contrary, he treated the other two people as if they were his equals and exhibited extreme humility and humbleness. When the Muslims reached Roha (روحاء), the Holy Prophet sent Abu Lubaba back to Madinah, appointing him as temporary in charge in his absence. 33 34
When the Muslims reached the outskirts of Madinah, the Holy Prophet examined the Muslim contingent and asked those companions to return to Madinah who were too young to join this mission. Thus, Abdullah ibn Umar , Usama ibn Zaid , Rafe’ ibn Khudaij , Barra ibn Azib , Usaid ibn Zaheer , Zaid ibn Arqam and Zaid ibn Thabit 󠆥 were all deemed as too young to take part in this expedition and were sent home. Only one young individual, named Umair ibn Abi Waqas was granted permission to join the mission because he kept insisting to come. Even Umair ibn Abi Waqas was refused at first, but after seeing his courage, commitment and love for the cause, the Holy Prophet allowed him to come along. At that moment, no one knew that the caravan’s interception would turn into a war. 35 The Muslim contingent did not represent the military potential of the Islamic state of Madinah, as none of the Muslims were anticipating a war. Furthermore, many of the companions stayed behind because they were not expecting a battle as well. 36
When the Muslims reached Roha, the Holy Prophet sent Abu Lubaba to Madinah and appointed him as a temporary governor. 37 As the army was about to leave Roha for intercepting the Makkan trade caravan, the Holy Prophet gave out 3 flags or standards. The general standard to Mus’ab ibn Umair , the standard of the Muhajireen was given to Ali ibn Abi Talib , while the standard of the Ansaar was given to Saad ibn Muaz . 38
Abu Sufyan was very vigilant and conscious of the dangers on his way back to Makkah. He constantly asked travelers about anything suspicious and remained alert for anything that would indicate any sign of danger for the caravan. 39 As Abu Sufyan got near Badr, he met a traveler, Majdi ibn Amar and asked him if he had seen any army which had come from Madinah. Majdi ibn Amar told him that he did not see any infantry, but two travelers on camels, who rested behind a nearby hill for a short amount of time and left. Abu Sufyan quickly went to the place where the travelers had rested and found scattered camel dung. Abu Sufyan picked the dung and examined it. He found traces of date pits in the dung and realized that the dates belonged to Madinah. It meant that the camels belonged to Madinah and the travelers were scouts. Thus, he immediately sent Zamzam ibn Amar Al-Ghaffari to Makkah to alert them from an incoming possible Muslim raid on the caravan. Abu Sufyan then swiftly changed his route and instead of going through the routine way, he went for the western coastal route, leaving Badr behind. Thus, the caravan was now in a safe zone. 40
Zamzam hastily reached Makkah and informed the leadership about the news. Therefore, Abu Jahal convinced all the leaders of the Quraysh to assemble an army and march towards Badr. Everyone agreed to the call and immediately started preparing for the expected battle ahead. 41
Just as the Makkan army was about to leave, the leaders realized that their relations with the neighboring Banu Bakr tribe were uncertain and an attack from Banu Bakr tribe was possible if the army of Quraysh left Makkah. Hence, the leaders of Makkah started to revisit their decision about going to Badr. At that time, Iblees (The Devil) came in the form of Suraqa ibn Malik, leader of the Banu Kinana tribe and reassured them to stay calm and continue with their plan, as the Banu Kinana tribe would provide support if Banu Bakr attempted to attack Makkah. 42 43 44
With an army of 1300 soldiers the Quraysh marched towards Badr. As they reached Juhna, the Quraysh received a letter from Abu Sufyan, in which he assured them that the caravan had reached Makkah safely and there was no need for the army of the Quraysh. He also asked the leaders to lead their army back to Makkah, as there was no need for a fight. 45
After receiving this letter, most of the leadership of the Quraysh decided to withdraw from the attack and head back to Makkah. However, Abu Jahal firmly opposed the idea and persuaded them to continue moving towards Badr and fight the Muslims under all circumstances, as he was determined to put fear in the hearts of the Muslims. Akhnas ibn Shareeq, the leader of the Banu Zahra, completely rejected this idea. 46 Hence, Akhnas took 300 of his tribesmen and returned to Makkah, reducing the number of soldiers in the Quraysh’s army to 1000. The men of Banu Hashim also were in favor of withdrawing from the battle, but Abu Jahal was too stubborn and forced them into battle. 47 So, the remaining Makkan army of 1000 men, 100 horses and 700 camels continued their march towards Badr. 48 49
The Holy Prophet received news of the Quraysh and their intent on waging war against the Muslims. After evaluating the situation, Prophet Muhammad realized that the Muslims did not have any option but to fight back. If the Muslims decided to retreat, it would lead the people to believe that the Muslims were weak. Furthermore, the Quraysh would obtain a strong political stance against the Muslims of Madinah as well. So, after considering all aspects, the Holy Prophet understood that if the Muslims retreated, the Makkan army could attack the city of Madinah which could result in heavy consequences. 50
The Holy Prophet discussed this matter with his companions and asked for their opinion. Some of the companions were against the idea of fighting a war against the Makkans. As the
كَمَا أَخْرَجَكَ رَبُّكَ مِن بَيْتِكَ بِالْحَقِّ وَإِنَّ فَرِيقًا مِّنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ لَكَارِهُونَ 5 يُجَادِلُونَكَ فِي الْحَقِّ بَعْدَمَا تَبَيَّنَ كَأَنَّمَا يُسَاقُونَ إِلَى الْمَوْتِ وَهُمْ يَنظُرُونَ 6 51
Even as your Lord caused you to go forth from your house with the truth, though a party of the believers were surely averse. They disputed with you about the truth after it had become clear, (and they went forth) as if they were being driven to death while they saw (it).
According to Al-Nasafi 52 and Al-Baghawi, 53 this verse referred to the group who were against the idea of fighting the Makkan army. However, prominent companions like Abu Bakr , Umar ibn Al-Khattab , Saad ibn Ubadah etc., all agreed with the Holy Prophet and showed their full support for the battle. Then Miqdad ibn Amar stood up and said:
فقال يا رسول اللّٰه امض لما أمرك اللّٰه فنحن معك فو اللّٰه ما نقول كما قالت بنو اسرائيل لموسى اذهب أنت وربك فقاتلا انا ههنا قاعدون ولكن اذهب أنت وربك فقاتلا انا معكما. 54
O Messenger of Allah, go ahead for what Allah has commanded you, as we are with you. By the name of Allah, we shall not repeat what the Banu Israel said to Prophet Moses “you go with your Lord and fight (the enemy on your own), while we will just sit here and (wait)”. (Instead, we will support you and say), “You go with your Lord and fight and we will fight alongside you (with the enemy).”
Abu Bakr , Umar ibn Al-Khattab and Miqdad ibn Amar were from the group of Muhajireen. Prophet Muhammad wanted to know the opinion of the Ansaar Companions as well. So, he again asked the companions about their view of the situation. Saad ibn Muaz asked if the Holy Prophet was asking this question from the Ansaar. When Prophet Muhammad said yes, Saad ibn Muaz responded in the following manner:
فقد آمنا بك وصدقناك، وشهدنا أن ما جئت به هو الحق، وأعطيناك على ذلك عهودنا ومواثيقنا، على السمع والطاعة، فامض يا رسول اللّٰه لما اردت، فو الذى بعثك بالحق، إن استعرضت بنا هذا البحر فخضته لخضناه معك، ما تخلف منا رجل واحد، وما نكره أن تلقى بنا عدونا غدا! إنا لصبر عند الحرب، صدق عند اللقاء، لعل اللّٰه يريك منا ما تقر به عينك، فسر بنا على بركة اللّٰه. 55
We have believed in you (as a Prophet), trusted you, and testified that what you have brought (Islam) is the truth. And we have given you our word of loyalty towards you and to follow you without question. So go ahead; O Messenger of Allah, do what you want, and we shall all stand by your side. By the name of the One (Allah) who has sent you with the truth, if you need us to dive in to the ocean with you, we will do so, and not a single man from among us will step back. We do not oppose to fight alongside you with our enemy. Undeniably, we will be patient at times of (facing the struggles of) war and truthful (in our word, so we never back down) at times of battle. We hope that Allah Almighty will show you (something) from us, that will be pleasant for your eyes, so go ahead with the blessing of Allah.
Such a courageous response from the Muhajireen and Ansaar companions pleased Prophet Muhammad and the Muslim army started to march towards Badr, with sheer determination to fight the enemy. 56 When the Holy Prophet reached Badr, he found an old man. Upon questioning the old man about the whereabouts of the Quraysh, Prophet Muhammad got an idea about their current position. 57
Some of the companions scouted the area for any danger or spies. They found two boys who were getting some water from a nearby well. They did not seem like the locals of that area, thus, the companions thought of them as spies and brought them to the Muslim encampment. The two boys were from the Quraysh tribe, so the Holy Prophet interrogated them for intel. The boys confirmed that the Quraysh’s encampment was at Al-Udwa Al-Quswa, behind a small hill nearby. The Holy Prophet then asked them about the number of soldiers in the Quraysh’s army, but the boys did not know the exact number, so the Holy Prophet asked them about the Quraysh’s daily food consumption. The boys told the Holy Prophet that the Quraysh slaughtered 9 to 10 camels every day. Upon this information, the Holy Prophet rightly estimated that the number of the enemy ranged from 900-1000 men. The Holy Prophet then asked them about the leaders of the Quraysh. The boys gave him the names of all the leaders, including Abu Jahal. The Holy Prophet told his companions that
The same night, by the blessings of Allah Almighty, there was heavy shower of rain on the encampment of the Quraysh. This made the ground extremely soft, and the army of the Quraysh had great difficulty moving on it. On the other hand, the Muslims encampments only received a soft drizzle, which further hardened the sandy desert floor and made it easy for the Muslims to march on, and reach the desired higher grounds that were better suited for a strategic location against the Quraysh. Hence, the Holy Prophet marched towards higher grounds before the army of the Quraysh and occupied all the water wells available at Badr. Habbab ibn Munzir asked the Holy Prophet whether he had chosen this location based on a command from Allah or because it seemed a better strategic location. The Holy Prophet replied that his choice was based on his own decision as it was a better strategic location and strategy was an important part of a war. Habbab ibn Munzir then suggested to close all the wells except one and build a reservoir to store the water. The Holy Prophet approved the idea and asked the companions to accomplish it. 59
On the eve of the battle of Badr, the Holy Prophet took some of his companions on the battle grounds of Badr and showed them the specific locations of where the Makkans would die the next day. 60 Anas reports that they saw the death of the prophesized soldiers occur on the exact locations which had been foretold by the Holy Prophet . 61
When the Quraysh found out about the arrival of the Muslim army, they sent Umair ibn Wahb to examine the strength of the Muslims. Umair circled the Muslim encampment on his horse and informed the Quraysh that the Muslims were approximately 300 in number. Later, Umair again went to examine the Muslims to see if the Muslims had any reinforcements at a distance, but he found nothing. After his return, Umair told the Quraysh that the Muslims were alone, and they looked as if they have come to fight till their deaths. He also reported that they carried nothing but their swords and were ready to fight at any time and at any cost. Thus, this war could lead to the death of many people of the Quraysh. 62
Umair’s dialogue forced the leaders of the Quraysh to give second thoughts on the matter and some suggested to retreat. 63 Amongst them was Hakeem ibn Hizaam. He went to Utbah ibn Rabi’a, convinced him to reconsider the matter and ask the army to return to Makkah. Utbah discussed the matter with his followers and announced that this was a battle which they did not want to fight as they would be fighting amongst their brothers and blood relatives. After convincing his followers, Utbah sent Hakeem to Abu Jahal, to convince him to withdraw from the fight. When Hakeem conveyed Utbah’s message to Abu Jahal, he got infuriated and said that the Utbah was only trying to save his son, as he was a part of the Muslim army. Hakeem failed to convince Abu Jahal, who then tried to persuade all the Makkans to stay and fight. Abu Jahal then approached Amir Al-Hadhrami to support his decision. With Amir’s help, Abu Jahal’s obstinate decision was unanimously accepted, and the Quraysh decided to wage war against the Muslims. 64
The Holy Prophet spent the entire night praying to Allah Almighty for victory and after the Fajar prayer, 65 on Friday morning of 17th of Ramadan 2 A.H., 66 the Holy Prophet assembled the companions in a precise row formation and aligned each soldier with complete accuracy, to the extent that not a single man was out of line. 67
After giving the required instructions and assembling the Muslim army in battle formation, the Holy Prophet went towards his tent, accompanied by Abu Bakr . Saad ibn Muaz kept guard outside the tent, 68 while the Holy Prophet prayed to Allah Almighty:
اللهم إن تهلك هذه العصابة اليوم لا تعبد. 69
If this small band of Muslims perish, there will be no one left to worship you on earth.
The Holy Prophet cried and begged
In the battle ground, Abu Jahal also prayed to Allah and asked for his help before the battle. He said:
اللهم أينا كان أحب إليك وأرضى عندك فانصره اليوم. 71
O Allah, whoever are most beloved to you and you are pleased with them, help them.
Little did he realize that his prayers were not in the favor of his followers, but were in favor of the Muslims, as the Muslims were the most beloved to Allah Almighty. Thus, Allah Almighty declared the following in the Holy Quran:
إِن تَسْتَفْتِحُوا فَقَدْ جَاءَكُمُ الْفَتْحُ ۖ وَإِن تَنتَهُوا فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ ۖ وَإِن تَعُودُوا نَعُدْ وَلَن تُغْنِيَ عَنكُمْ فِئَتُكُمْ شَيْئًا وَلَوْ كَثُرَتْ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ 19 72
If you demanded a judgment, the judgment has then indeed come to you; and if you desist, it will be better for you; and if you turn back (to fight), We (too) shall turn back, and your forces shall avail you nothing, though they may be many, and (know) that Allah is with the believers.
Abu Jahal made his prayer while the Muslim and the polytheist army were standing in front of each other. In response to his prayer, this verse was revealed 73 which clearly stated that Allah Almighty was with the believers and not with the polytheists, 74 the result of which was seen at the end of the battle as well.
The glad tidings of Paradise motivated the companions to put their life on the line and face the enemy with full vigor and resilience. 75 The Holy Prophet told the companions to keep the enemy at bay with the use of arrows and engage in sword fight if they came near. The Holy Prophet also instructed them to avoid hurting or killing some of the soldiers of the Quraysh, like Abu Al-Bakhtari and the sons of Hashim, because they were being forced to fight. 76 The Holy Prophet gave Abu Al-Bakhtari’s name specifically as he had never harmed the Holy Prophet in Makkah. However, Abu Al-Bakhtari was killed in the battle as he attacked the Muslims, and the Muslims did not have a choice but to fight back. 77
While the Holy Prophet was praying in his tent, both armies came face to face and the Makkans were infuriated on the fact that the Muslims had taken over all the available water supply. Aswad ibn Abdul Asad Al-Makhzumi decided to drink water from the reservoir, without caring about the consequences. As he went towards the water, Hamza ibn Abdul Muttalib confronted him and a duel ensued. It only took Hamza a few strikes to kill him. 78
The death of the Makkan soldier Aswad ibn Abdul Asad Al-Makhzumi further instigated the Makkan army to engage in battle. After completing his prayer, the Holy Prophet came out of his tent to observe the situation. At that time, it was customary among the Arabs to start the battle with individual duels. From the polytheist’s army, Utbah ibn Rabi’a, his brother Shaybah ibn Rabi’a and his son, Waleed ibn Utbah came out and demanded a duel. From the Muslim army, their challenge was answered by A’uf ibn Harith, Muawaz ibn Harith and Abdullah ibn Ruwaha . 79
The Makkans refused to fight with the Ansaar and demanded to fight their equals from the Muhajireen. The Holy Prophet also felt that it was unfitting for the Ansaar to be the first individual to engage in the fight, so he recalled the Ansaar 80 and sent Hamza ibn Abdul Muttalib , Ali ibn Abi Talib and Ubaida ibn Harith from amongst the Muhajireen to fight the polytheists. 81
Ubaidah ibn Harith faced Utbah, Hamza ibn Muttalib confronted Shaybah while Ali ibn Abi Talib fought with Waleed ibn Utbah. Hamza and Ali took down their opponents with just a few strikes but Ubaidah and Utbah’s battle lasted longer. Both Utbah and Ubaidah were wounded, so Hamza and Ali stepped in and killed Utbah ibn Rabi’a. Then, Ali and Hamza picked up their injured brother Ubaidah and carried him back to the Muslim’s side. Due to the deep wounds, Ubaidah embraced martyrdom at Safra, when the Muslims were returning to Madinah. 82
After the individual duels, the Battle began and both nations fought with courage for what they believed in. 83 Even though the Muslims were not prepared for a war, still they showed no regret and hesitance in the fight. As the battle went on, Ali ibn Abi Talib frequently came to the Holy Prophet’s tent to see if he was safe, and each time, he found the Holy Prophet in the state of prostration and chanting یا حیّ یا قیّوم (O! The Ever Living, O! The Self-Sustainer). 84 Abu Bakr kept on comforting the Holy Prophet by reminding him that
فَلَمْ تَقْتُلُوهُمْ وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ قَتَلَهُمْ ۚ وَمَا رَمَيْتَ إِذْ رَمَيْتَ وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ رَمَىٰ ۚ وَلِيُبْلِيَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْهُ بَلَاءً حَسَنًا ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ 17 87
So, you did not slay them, but it was Allah Who slew them, and you did not threw (the sand) when you threw (the sand towards the enemy), but it was Allah Who threw it, and that He might confer upon the believers a good gift from Himself; surely Allah is Hearing, Knowing.
The Holy Prophet also stepped into the battlefield and fought with tremendous courage and strength. Ali ibn Abi Talib narrated that he never saw the Holy Prophet fight with such strength like he did in the battle of Badr. 88
Allah Almighty sent down an army of angels to aid the Muslims. Abu Ruhm Al-Ghaffari narrates that he and his first cousin witnessed the entire event of Badr from a mountain a far. According to them, an engulfing cloud passed above them, and they heard sounds of men, horses and shackling armor and swords from it. The cloud landed on the right of the Holy Prophet and then, they saw another cloud with the same sounds heading towards the Holy Prophet . 89 These were the armies of the Angels headed by Gabriel (Jibrail) .
Many other events are narrated about the presence of angels in the battlefield. Ibn Abbas narrates that a Muslim was running after a polytheist soldier, when he heard a sound of a whip from above him and the Makkan who was running after him, dropped dead. When the companion looked at the corpse, he saw that it had marks of heavy blows on his face. The companion then mentioned the event in front of the Holy Prophet who told him that an angel from the third heaven had helped him during the battle. 90
The decent of the Angels turned the tides of the battlefield, and one after the other the Makkans were killed by unseen forces. Heads of the retreating soldiers of the polytheist army were cut by the Angels. 91 If Allah Almighty wanted, he could have easily killed the entire army of the Quraysh with a single Angel. 92 However, in this battle, the aim was merely to aid the Muslim army. Thus, an army of Angels was sent. 93 Allah Almighty has His own way of establishing His Will.
Iblees (the Devil) was also a part of the Makkan army in the form of Suraqa ibn Malik. 94 When Iblees saw the divine help descending from the skies, he started to flee from the battlefield. The Makkans tried to stop him as he had promised to help the Makkans in the battle. Iblees told them that he has seen what the others are not able to see and he fears the wrath of Allah. 95
When the Muslims were on the verge of victory, Abd Al-Rehman ibn A’uf narrates that Muaz and Muawiz , two young brothers from the Ansaar came to him and asked him about the whereabouts of Abu Jahal. Abd Al-Rehman ibn A’uf showed them where Abu Jahal was and they hastened to fight him. These young men ferociously attacked Abu Jahl and fought him, he got severely injured and fell on the ground. Both thought that Abu Jahal was dead, so they went to the Holy Prophet to deliver the good news. 96
Even though the young men of the Ansaar informed the Holy Prophet about Abu Jahal’s death, the Holy Prophet was still uncertain and asked the companions to find his body. Abdullah ibn Masood searched the battlefield for Abu Jahl and found that the Holy Prophet’s intuition was correct, as Abu Jahal was still alive, but severely injured. Abdullah ibn Masood found him lying on the ground, not able to move a muscle. As he saw Abdullah ibn Masood , Abu Jahal asked him about his identity. When Abdullah ibn Masood introduced himself, Abu Jahal felt ashamed of being killed by a farmer. Then, Abdullah ibn Masood killed him and took his head to the Holy Prophet . 97 After looking at his head, the Holy Prophet said that every nation had its pharaoh, and the pharaoh for this nation was Abu Jahal and Allah Almighty gave him death in the most humiliating way. 98
The glory of the Makkan army was destroyed as they retreated in shame. They had not expected defeat from a small group of poorly armed against their well-equipped army of 1000 men. At the end, the Muslim army was victorious, and 70 soldiers of the polytheistic Quraysh army were killed 99 and 70 were held as captive. 100 On the Muslim side, 14 individuals embraced martyrdom in the battlefield. 101
The Holy Prophet commanded the companions to bury the corpses of the Makkans in Qaleeb (a well in Badr) and spent three additional nights at Badr. After three days, when it was time to leave for Madinah, the Holy Prophet stood beside Qaleeb and said:
هل وجدتم ما وعد ربكم حقا؟ 102
Have you found what was promised to you truthful?
Umar ibn Al-Khattab asked the Holy Prophet that why was he talking to the bodies that were empty of their souls? The Holy Prophet told Umar ibn Khattab that the corpse could hear him as clearly as Umar was hearing him. 103 After that the Holy Prophet and the Muslims returned to Madinah. Prophet Muhammad had given special instructions to his companions, to treat the captives of Badr with reverence and care, at all times. 104
The
وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّمَا غَنِمْتُمْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ فَأَنَّ لِلَّهِ خُمُسَهُ وَلِلرَّسُولِ وَلِذِي الْقُرْبَى وَالْيَتَامَى وَالْمَسَاكِينِ وَابْنِ السَّبِيلِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ آمَنْتُمْ بِاللَّهِ وَمَا أَنْزَلْنَا عَلَى عَبْدِنَا يَوْمَ الْفُرْقَانِ يَوْمَ الْتَقَى الْجَمْعَانِ وَاللَّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ 41 105
If you believe in Allah and in that which We revealed to Our servant, on the day of distinction, the day on which the two parties met; and Allah has power over all things.
That day is known as the ‘Day of Criterion’ because Allah Almighty distinguished the Truth from Falsehood and raised the word of faith over