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On the Path of the Beloved
Episode 18: The Battle of Badr
In
the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Ever-Merciful. All praise be to Allah
and prayers and
blessings be upon His Messenger (SAWS). Yesterday was the anniversary of
the battle of Badr, and today we will talk about it. This battle occurred on
Friday the 17th of Ramadan in the second year after migration.
When the Prophet (SAWS) arrived to Madinah, there were many challenges:
The migrants from Makkah who left their families, homes and properties were
homeless and unemployed in Madinah. The nature of work in Madinah
(farming) was different from what they were used to in Makkah (trade).
Accordingly, their financial status was getting worse and they were getting
poorer. Many of the poor migrants were called "Ahlul-Soffa" due to their
abject poverty. The Prophet (SAWS) assigned a small place for them in
his mosque, where they were to live until they find a better option.
Furthermore, the customs in Madinah and the health atmosphere were totally
different. The migrants felt lonely and estranged, being away from their
homeland.
As
for the Ansaar (Muslims from Madinah), there was rivalry between the two tribes
"Aws" and "Khazraj" even after they embraced Islam. They were
challenging each other: which of them would play the key role in the new
society? Besides, there were still some disbelievers from Aws and
Khazraj in Madinah. As the power of Islam was growing, there appeared the
new category of hypocrites in the Muslim society. They declared themselves
Muslims, yet they held grudges and hatred towards Muslims and plotted against
them. In addition, there were three major Jewish tribes controlling the economy
of Madinah: trading grains, dates, liquors, and clothes, and even owning the
water wells. The Jews felt they were far better than the Arabs, as they thought
the last Prophet would be one of them. Hence, when the Prophet came from the
Arabs, the Jews felt angry and envious. Outside Madinah, Quraysh was still
there, monitoring the events and bearing in mind that the struggle did not end.
To
control the internal affairs, the Prophet (SAWS) implemented the
following three tactics:
1-
Building the mosque: not only for worshipping but also as a
place where all Muslims (migrants and Ansaar, Aws and Khazraj)
would meet, and their hearts and minds would converge.
2-
Establishing brotherhood between migrants and Ansaar: by making
one Muslim from the migrants live with a Muslim from the Ansaar. Hence,
the problem of residence would be solved for the migrants, the migrants would
teach the Ansaar about Islam, and the society would experience collaboration.
3-
Setting a constitution of the rights and duties of citizenship
for the inhabitants of Madinah: This would apply to the Muslims and the Jews,
as they were to live together and co-exist in a new society based on the
principles of Islam.
Accordingly, the society started to move towards charity and goodness. People
were very positive and reacted positively to what the Prophet (SAWS)
did. Unfortunately, nowadays people in our countries are the exact opposite.
Let us examine an example of charity in Madinah. A poor migrant went to the
Prophet as he was homeless. The Prophet asked the Muslims to host that poor man
for the night. A man and his wife from the Ansaar took the man to their home,
and started preparing dinner; unfortunately, the food was not enough, and their
children were hungry. They were really poor, but they wanted to do something
good. We have to learn that charity and generosity are not restricted to rich
people only; any body who loves Islam can do this. Well, the poor couple put
their children to sleep without dinner, dimmed the light, and placed the food
before their guest. They pretended that they were eating with him so that he
would have all the food. They did this without intending to tell anybody in
order to gain Thawab (reward) and be rewarded by Allah (SWT). In
the morning, when they went to perform the morning prayer, they found that the
revelation was sent with an Ayah to the Prophet (SAWS). Allah sent what
can be translated as, “ … and prefer (the Muhajirn)
above themselves, even though penury be (their portion)" (TMQ, 59:9).
They wanted to keep it as a secret, but Allah (SWT) wanted to announce
it; they wanted to do it faithfully for the sake of Allah, and Allah wanted the
news to spread and good to prevail. After the prayer, the Prophet (SAWS)
told them, "Allah is satisfied with what you did with your guest last night".
Allah (SWT) did this because the society was very poor and needy, hence
values of good and beneficence had to prevail. When we started the projects of
Life Makers (collecting clothes and Ramadan bags), some people suggested doing
it secretly without announcing the numbers. Well, announcing such acts helps
people to imitate each other and accordingly, good prevails. Allah (SWT)
says what can be translated as, "secretly and in public" (TMQ, 2:274).
On
the economical level, the society was very poor, but they moved towards
developing all aspects of life. At that time the role of businessmen started.
Othman Ibn-Affan, who was very rich, bought a water well from the Jews and
offered it to the Muslims as a gift. The Prophet also set up a new market in
Madinah, as the Jews were controlling the trade. This was to prepare new Muslim
businessmen who would be able to shoulder the mission, e.g. Abdel-Rahman
Ibn-Ouf. Youths also started having a role; 70 youths from the companions
established a group to teach Ahlul-soffa some crafts (small projects) to
practice by day like; turnery and smithery. At night, these youths used to
teach them Qur'an. Those 70 companions were named "The Readers" because they
taught people the Noble Qur'an. For their help in solving the economic problem
in the society, Allah (SWT) rewarded them all with martyrdom at the same
day. You can have a message in media, art, or business, and this would still be
considered a big deed for Islam. Dear brothers and sisters! we have to note
that good and beneficence does not only mean spending on orphanages or teaching
Qur'an.
At
this time, the duties of Islam started to be revealed. Prayer was obligated
during Al-Israa
and Al-Mi’raj,
but each prayer consisted of 2 Raka’as
(unit of the prayer). However, in Madinah they were set to what we know
now. Forms of worship were set here because Muslims were in need for a huge
spiritual boost. Fasting was ordained for the first time in Madinah, two years
after the migration. Hijab was set as a duty, and
Zakat
too because the society needed money and
funding. Notice that everything in our religion was revealed at the right time,
when the society needed it.
Creativity found an outlet as well: using the Mimbar (pulpit) was the
idea of a woman from the companions. She told the Prophet (SAWS) that to
achieve better communication, he should stand on a high place to see the people
and to be seen by them while delivering his speeches. As for the Adhan
(call for prayers), Muslims were wondering how to gather people for prayers.
They wanted to have some method that is different from other religions.
Abdullah Ibn-Zaid, one of the companions had a dream that a man taught him the
words of the Adhan. He told the Prophet about the dream and the Adhan
wording, and the Prophet said that it was a good vision. This man was thinking
hard for the sake of Islam, and this was why Allah (SWT) guided him to
what he was seeking. If you love Islam and dream for it, Allah (SWT)
will send you ideas. Can you see that Abdullah is gaining Thawab until
the Day of Judgment because he cared for Islam and dreamt for it? Notice that
the Prophet (SAWS) asked Belal to make the call for prayers with the
Adhan because he had a beautiful voice. Islam cares a lot for values of
beauty, and the Prophet wanted the Adhan to be performed in the best way.
The Prophet (SAWS) represented a role model for the people in this
society. They were very poor, and when one of them went to the Prophet to
complain of hunger, he found the prophet in the same state too. The Prophet
never ate except after the people ate; months would pass before any cooking
would be done in his house, and he mainly ate dates and water. Being such an
example, the Prophet helped the people to be patient. If you can visit the
houses of his wives, you will find them very small, although at that time they
used to have big and nice houses.
Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) set an example in selflessness as well. One time
when it was very cold during a winter in Madinah; a woman from the Ansaar weaved
a woolen outfit for the Prophet (SAWS). The Prophet was very happy to
have it, and wore it for Fajr prayer. One of the Ansaar saw it and said, "What
a beautiful outfit! Would you give it to me, Messenger of Allah?" The Prophet (SAWS)
immediately took it off and put it on the man. The companions blamed the man
for doing this, but the man said, "I didn't want it because of the cold, but to
be shrouded with it in my grave".
As
for the situation outside of Madinah, the conflict between truth and falsehood
did not end, although the "truth" left Makkah. Actually the battles and wars
would start. There is something very important we have to note: within the
current world events, we are not ashamed of Jihad, or of the Prophet's
ahadith about martyrs and mujahedoon (fighters for the sake of
Allah). We have to understand the reasons behind the Prophet's jihad. Remember
the first words for the Prophet (SAWS) when he entered Madinah, "O
people! Spread peace among you …You will get in Jannah peacefully". The Prophet
hated spilling blood; the total number of those who got killed during all the
battles of the Prophet was 400, in 17 or 18 battles. The Prophet could have
turned battles into blood baths, especially when conquering Makkah, but he did
not. The Prophet (SAWS) got into these wars only for the sake of the
Message. The Prophet wanted Quraysh to allow him to convey his message to the
whole of mankind. Then they would be free to choose, because embracing the
message cannot be enforced. Leaving Makkah was a solution for the Prophet
because he was at a safe place where he was able to communicate his message
freely to people. The Prophet (SAWS) did not escape from Makkah to live
a luxurious life. Nevertheless, Quraysh was still an obstacle in the way of
delivering the message. Arab tribes refused to listen to the Prophet because
they had treaties and they allied with Quraysh, so they feared spoiling their
relations and interests with them. The Prophet (SAWS) insisted on
delivering the message of Allah, even if he was obliged to go into war.
On
the day of the battle of Badr, Otba Ibn-Rabi'a said, "O people of Quraysh! Let’s
get back to Makkah. Let Muhammad deliver his message to the people. If the
Arabs kill him, you will be relieved. If he conquers the Arabs, his glory and
honor is then yours." Abu-Jahl told him, "What a coward you are! Do we leave
our money?" Again the problem was the personal interests: money, positions,
superiority, idols, and the treaties with Arabs. The Prophet (SAWS) felt
that if there would be no solution but war in order to deliver the message, then
he would go for it, even he would get killed.
Remember that many of the companions were deprived of their money and properties
when they left Makkah; even the Prophet's house was taken and sold. The Prophet
would never leave the rights of these people, and the ones who were killed, like
Somaya. One may ask, why didn’t the Prophet fight them when he was in Makkah?
No! The Prophet respected his home and its system; he respected the rights and
duties of citizenship. He knew he had no right to destroy his hometown. But
after going to Madinah, he and Quraysh became two separate entities. Above all,
Quraysh was preparing itself to fight the Prophet anyway. So the Prophet's wars
were not defensive, and at the same time Islam did not prevail by the sword.
The whole issue lies in the fact that the prophet (SAWS) wanted Quraysh
to give him the opportunity to deliver his message to the people, but they
refused.
Something very important then happened: the Kiblah (direction of prayer)
changed from Bait Al-Makdis (Jerusalem) to Makkah. It is as if Allah (SWT)
wanted them to focus on Makkah, because it is a strategic place and the
center for all Arabs.
The Prophet (SAWS) started preparing his army for the struggle between
truth and falsehood. He knew that there would be a battle with Quraysh. The
Prophet (SAWS) asked the companions to get him a statistical report with
the number of Muslims, those who could use weapons, and those who were
literate. He wanted to determine the strength of the army he could prepare, and
he knew that this religion would only spread through knowledge and education.
The Prophet (SAWS) also established an intelligence service to make
comprehensive investigation and research throughout the Arabian Peninsula,
especially the roads between Makkah and Madinah. They were divided into small
groups led by Talha Ibn-Obaidullah and Said Ibn-Zaid (Omar's brother-in-law),
who were both promised to enter Al-Jannah. The Prophet ordered them to
move in a small group of eight or ten people in the road between Makkah and
Madinah and study it by heart, and track all the movements that occur there.
They kept working for two years, getting all the possible news and information,
passing by all the tribes on the road to convince them to be neutral.
Furthermore, the Prophet (SAWS) sent brigades to move through the road
between Makkah and Madinah, as a kind of training and in preparation for the
war. All these brigades consisted of the migrants and did not include anyone
from the Ansaar, because the migrants knew the road better.
Two months before the battle of Badr, the Prophet (SAWS) sent a brigade
led by Abdullah Ibn-Jahsh. The Prophet gave him a sealed letter and told him to
open it after two days. After two days, Abdullah read the letter which
instructed him to go to a place between Makkah and Taif, a place very
close to Makkah in order to get news and information about Quraysh.
The Prophet knew the value of the intelligence service and the benefit of
knowing the enemy's strength. The Prophet sent this brigade in the inviolable
months (in which no warfare is permitted) to prevent any struggle or fight with
Quraysh. He also instructed Abdullah not to force his companions to go with
him. They all agreed to proceed, but two of them got lost and were captured by
Quraysh (one of the two was Saad Ibn-Abi-Waqas). This happened on the last day
in Rajab, and the companions were unsure as to what their reaction should be. At
the same time a caravan of Quraysh was passing by them. The companions were not
in agreement; some wanted to capture two from the Quraysh caravan, and others
felt that this would be against the Prophet's orders, especially during the
inviolable month. The final decision was to capture two from Quraysh for
revenge. They shot an arrow, and it killed the caravan's leader. They
unfortunately killed a man during the inviolable month, and got two captives
before going back to the Prophet (SAWS). Once Quraysh knew of this
incident, they spread the news that, "Muhammad killed in the inviolable
months". The Prophet (SAWS) was very angry at Abdullah Ibn-Jahsh, until
Allah (SWT) sent an Ayah that can be translated as, "They ask you
concerning the Inviolable month, (and) fighting in it. Say, “Fighting in it is
great (transgression); and barring from the way of Allah, and disbelief in Him
and the Inviolable Mosque, and driving its population out of it, is greater
(transgression) in the Reckoning of Allah; and temptation is greater than
killing.” (TMQ, 2:217). The Qur'an admitted the mistake committed by the
Muslims, but declared that what Quraysh did was far worse. This applies
nowadays to terrorism and violence; such acts are unjustified, unacceptable, and
wrong, however, the absence of justice, truth and freedom is what led to all
this.
The battle of Badr was the first battle between Muslims and Quraysh, and the
first victory for Islam and the truth against Quraysh and falsehood. This
battle is very important in history, and Allah (SWT) called it "The Day
of the Criterion." Allah (SWT) says what can be translated as, "and
what We sent down upon Our Bondman on the day of the all-distinctive Criterion,
the day the two gatherings encountered" (TMQ, 8:41). Allah called it
"Criterion" because it was a criterion distinguishing between right and false,
values of justice and rightness and personal interest, and Quraysh's leadership
and the Prophet's new leadership. Before Badr, Quraysh was in control of
everything, but after it all the Arabs started to recognize the new power of the
Prophet (SAWS) and got attracted to listen to him; the message started to
spread everywhere. This resulted in a big change in the history of humanity.
Quraysh sent a caravan to the Levant led by Abu-Sufiyan, with thousand camels
and 10 thousand dinars. What an amount of money!! Note that this is the money
of the companions who were deprived of it and of their properties when they left
Makkah. The caravan was on its way back to Makkah, and was guarded by only 40
men, because Quraysh felt safe due to its treaties with the Arab tribes. Thanks
to the intelligence service conducted by Said Ibn-Zaid and Talha, the Prophet (SAWS)
knew of that caravan. The caravans coming from Levant used to pass by Madinah
on their way to Makkah. The Prophet told the Muslims that Allah (SWT)
would compensate them with the money of the caravan instead of what they lost
when they emigrated. Remember when the Prophet planned to leave Makkah, he
returned the valuables and money that were entrusted to him to their owners.
Why didn’t he take it to compensate the Muslims’ rights that were seized by
Quraysh? Isn't this a contradiction? How could he think now of attacking the
caravan to take the money? The Prophet was trusted to keep the valuables and
money in Makkah, and he knew that ethically this trust could not be betrayed.
Besides, the Prophet was then a member of that society, and according to the
code of citizenship the Prophet (SAWS) could never think of harming his
society. But now, as a separate entity, the Prophet decided to regain the
Muslims' rights that were previously seized by Quraysh.
The Prophet also aimed at warning Quraysh that he was able to obstruct their
trading and traveling routes, so it would be better for them to let him
communicate with people to deliver his message, instead of waging war. It is as
if he was telling them that he did not want to fight. However, Quraysh was
stubborn. The Prophet's army consisted of 313 companions. Abu Sufiyan knew
that the Prophet (SAWS) was preparing an army, and he sent Amr Ibn-Damdam
to tell Quraysh that the Prophet was planning to attack the caravan. That man
tore his clothes and stained himself with blood before entering Makkah. He
entered Makkah screaming "Help! Help! What a disaster! What a disaster." He
falsely claimed that the Prophet Muhammad attacked Quraysh's caravan and took
the money, although it hadn't happened yet. Abu-Jahl swore that they would go
to fight the Prophet that night, and he quickly prepared the army.
Three days before that, Aateka the Prophet's aunt who was living in Makkah had a
dream that a man was calling the people of Makkah "O people of betrayal! Your
end is after three days," then he threw some dust that was scattered into all
the houses of Makkah. She knew that this meant something bad would happen in
the town, and she told her brother Al-Abbas who told Al-Walid Ibn-Otba. The
news spread, and Abu-Jahl started mocking Al-Abbas. He swore that if after
three days nothing happened, he would hang a document in the
Ka’ba declaring that Bani Hashim are the worst
liars among Arabs.
So, when Amr Ibn-Damdam brought the news, the army was prepared and consisted of
950 fighters, 200 of which riding horses, while the rest riding camels. An
additional 100 camels were taken to feed the army. The Prophet was going to
meet the caravan and did not plan for a battle. He took only 313 fighters
riding two horses and 70 camels. Every three people shared riding a camel. The
distance was 150 kilometers, and each of the three rode 1/3 the distance while
the others walked. The Prophet (SAWS) was with Ali Ibn-Abu-Talib and
another companion. Ali and the other companion were young so they wanted to
walk and let the Prophet (SAWS) ride the camel, but he refused because he
was so keen on gaining Thawab. Dear brothers, you should be ambitious
about gaining Thawab.
Abu Sufiyan changed the direction of the caravan and followed another route away
from Madinah. Then he sent to Quraysh to inform them that the caravan was
safe. All of Quraysh's leaders, especially Utba Ibn-Rabi'a, wanted to return
rather than fight. But Abu-Jahl refused, as he wanted the Arabs to know that
Quraysh was still powerful and dominant.
Note that there were two men who did not go with the Quraysh army: Abu-Lahab and
Omaya Ibn-Khalaf. Abu-Lahab was scared, and so he hired a man to replace him in
the army. Yet, he was destined to die in Makkah. He was hitting a young
servant of Al-Abbas, when the maid of Al-Abbas hit him with a piece of iron on
his head. As a result, he was afflicted by a skin disease, and his skin started
to fall until he died. His people feared to approach him because of the
infection, and instead of burying him they pulled down the house over his body.
As for Omaya, he was the one who used to torture Belal. One time while he was
torturing Belal, he told him, "The Messenger of Allah told us that we will kill
you." He believed him and asked if it would happen in Makkah or outside, but
Belal did not know. He was really scared to go to the battle. Abu-Jahl's
friend mocked him for his fear and cowardice, so he went with Quraysh and he was
killed in the battle.
There were two men who were forced to go to the fight with Quraysh: Al-Abbas
Ibn-Abdel-Mutalib, the Prophet's uncle, and Abul-Aas Ibn-Al-Rabi', the Prophet's
son-in-law. Abul-Aas was still living with Zeinab, the prophet’s daughter, in
Makkah. Note that at the time, the prohibition of the marriage between Muslim
women and non-Muslim men was not yet revealed. Abul-Aas was forced to fight with
Quraysh against the Prophet in order not to be considered a coward.
The Prophet's army included both migrants and Ansaar. The agreement between the
Ansaar and the Prophet stated that they would defend him inside Madinah, but
this battle was outside Madinah. The Prophet (SAWS) respected the limits
of the agreement, and so he humbly sought advice from the fighters. He did not
ask the Ansaar directly because he did not want to embarrass them. Some
companions from the migrants talked and supported him enthusiastically, yet, he
was waiting for the words of the Ansaar. Finally, Saad Ibn-Moaz, leader of the
Aws tribe, spoke. As he knew the Prophet was concerned about the
Ansaar's stand, he told the Prophet that they would fight with him until the
last breath and would go with him wherever he went. He told the Prophet to take
from their money what he wished, to hold peace with whoever he wished, or wage
war against whoever he wished, and in all cases he will find them to be honest,
loyal, and supportive that he may be satisfied with them. Can we say such
words? Can we promise the Prophet (SAWS) that he will be satisfied with
us on the Day of Judgment??
The Prophet (SAWS) adopted an innovative strategy.
Quraysh was used to the technique of attack and flight; however, the Prophet (SAWS)
set the whole army in one long row, hiding another row of archers behind them.
When Quraysh would attack, the archers would shoot their arrows and confuse the
fighters.
The prophet (SAWS) wanted to estimate the strength of the Quraysh army.
He sent Ali Ibn-Abu-Talib and Az-Zubair Ibn-Al-Awwam as an investigation
team. They caught a servant who was responsible for providing water to Quraysh's
army. They hit him until he confessed, wrongfully, that he was a member of the
caravan of Abu-Sufyan and not the army, because this is what they wanted to
believe. The Prophet (SAWS) told them, "You hit
him when he tells you the truth, and you leave him when he lies to you!" He then
asked him, "How many people are in the army of Quraysh?" The man answered, "I
have no idea." The Prophet (SAWS) then asked him,
"How many camels do they slaughter?" The man replied, "Sometimes nine and
sometimes ten." The Prophet (SAWS) inferred, "The army ranges between 900
and 1000." Notice how the illiterate Prophet could calculate it! The Prophet (SAWS)
then asked him, "Who is in the army?" The man replied that all the chiefs of
Quraysh were there.
The companions of the Prophet were scared because they knew their power was not
compatible with Quraysh’s. In order to pull their spirits up, the Prophet (SAWS)
immediately said, "Allah is the greatest! Quraysh has thrown to you the best of
their sons." Note how much the Prophet (SAWS) cared about intelligence
and preparations being two crucial factors in war.
The Qur’an talks about the battle in what can be translated as, "As you were
on the closer embankment, and they were on the remotest embankment" (TMQ,
8: 42). The Muslim army stood in Udwat duniya
(the closer embankment) and the Quraysh army stood in Udwat al-Quswa (the
farthest embankment). The two armies could not see each other, and the area
between them would become the battlefield. The caravan of Abu-Sufyan was now far
away from the battlefield. "…and the cavalcade (of riders) was below you"
(TMQ, 8: 42).
"…and if you had made a mutual appointment, you would indeed have differed
about the promised appointment, but that Allah might decree a Command that was
to be performed" (TMQ, 8: 42).
What is the significance of the places of the two armies? Look at this miracle!
Allah is going to make it rain. The nature of the land of the farthest
embankment is that when it rains it becomes muddy. Thus, the movement of the
fighters would become hard leading the army to be exhausted; whereas the land in
the closer embankment is solid, so it would become easier to walk on when it
rains. All thanks be to Allah! Notice, the timing of this
miracle! When the Muslims demonstrated their belief and strength, so they became
worthy of the support of Allah. "Surely His Command, if He wills a thing, is
only to say to it, “Be!” and it is" (TMQ, 36: 82).
Isn't this nation humiliated nowadays? It could be tomorrow the greatest among
nations. It's very easy and Allah is capable of that;
but do we deserve it? Allah has His own enactment in the universe. He
does not favor anyone. The idle one who does not have a
message to carry to the world does not deserve Allah’s help.
On
the night of the battle, it began to rain, and Quraysh got soaked. Their great
number turned out to be a disadvantage as they could not move freely; whereas
the small number of the Muslims turned out to be an advantage as they were light
and they moved easily.
The Muslims were afraid and felt apprehensive for the non-compatible battle.
Allah says what can be translated as, "As also as your Lord brought you (The
prophet) out of your home with the truth, and surely a group of the believers
indeed are hating that. Disputing with you
concerning the truth, after it had become evident, as though they were being
driven to death while looking (at it)" (TMQ, 8: 5-6). It was Allah who
decided the time and place of the battle. It was as if the battle of Badr was
led by heaven; angels are even going to descend after a little while in order to
help the Muslims.
Being anxious, the Muslims could not sleep at night. Allah sends another miracle
and describes it in what can be translated as, "As He was making drowsiness
to envelop you as secure (reassurance) from Him, and sending down on you water
from the heaven to purify you thereby, and to put away from you the chastisement
of Ash-Shaytan, (The all-vicious: one”; i.e., the Devil) and to brace your
hearts, and to make firm (your) feet thereby (TMQ, 8: 11).
In
the battlefield, the Muslim army stood behind water wells so that the wells were
between them and Quraysh. One of the companions, Al-Hobab Ibn Al-Mundher, asked
the Prophet (SAWS), "Has Allah ordered you to choose this place for the
battle? Or is it a war plan?" The Prophet (SAWS) replied that it was a
war plan. Al-Hobab then said, "The choice of this place
is inappropriate.” The Prophet (SAWS) asked him,
"So, what do you suggest, Hobab?" He replied, "I think we should fill up all the
wells but one, and place our army in front of it. Thus, we can drink while they
cannot. Being thirsty, they are going to fight us for water, while we are going
to fight for our cause." The prophet liked his suggestion and implemented it.
Have you seen anywhere where the individual's opinion is respected thus? One of
the main causes of the passiveness of people is that they know that their
opinion is not going to be heard or taken into consideration.
How great is our Prophet in each and every aspect!
As
the prophet (SAWS) prepared the army, he addressed them concerning
Jihad and its virtues. Any country on the verge of war encourages its
fighters to be brave and courageous. There is nothing to be ashamed of in
relating the sayings of the Prophet (SAWS) concerning Jihad and
martyrdom in its appropriate place. As long as it is not cited to encourage
destruction in our land. This is the first Hadith talking about Jihad,
"Vie swiftly for a garden whose breadth is the heavens and the earth." Meaning
that whosoever dies today in the battle will be admitted to paradise.
There comes the Ahadith of Jihad, in their due time.
Thus, we conclude that the religious discourse should be in the
appropriate time and place; not anything can be said at any time. We should not
make use of the enthusiasm of youths by the Ahadith of Jihad when said in
a wrong timing.
Umair Ibn-Al-Himam, one of the Prophet's companions, wondered, "How wonderful!"
I wish I could be one of the inhabitants of paradise today." The Prophet
(SAWS) told him, "You shall be one of its inhabitants.” When Umair said
these words, he was eating some dates before going to battle. He threw them
immediately as to not waste any more time and went fighting until he died as a
martyr. He was one of the very first martyrs of Badr.
Other martyrs included Haritha. He was an eighteen-year-old young man who was a
devoted worshipper to Allah. He used to pray Qiyam (night prayer).
Before the battle, he was mistakenly shot by an arrow. His mother came to
the Prophet (SAWS) crying and asked him, "O, Prophet of Allah, is my son
in paradise so that I can rejoice? Or is he elsewhere so that I have right to
lament him?" The Prophet replied, "Mother of Haritha, it is not one paradise
that your son got into but many; your son is in the highest level of paradise."
An eighteen-year-old young man is in the highest level of paradise! This
is because he frequently prayed Qiyam during Ramadan and prostrated himself to
His Lord. Such people are the ones who deserve the highest level of paradise.
The battle began when three fighters from Quraysh stepped
forward for man-to-man combat: Otba Ibn-Rabi'a, Shaiba Ibn-Rabi'a and Al-Walid
Ibn-Otba. Three Muslims from al-Ansaar stepped forward to
fight them, but they refused and demanded to fight their peers (from the
migrants). The Prophet (SAWS) chose the following
three: Ali Ibn-Abu-Talib, Hamza Ibn-Abd-Al-Muttalib and Abu-Ubaida Ibn-Al-Harith
Ibn-Abd-Al-Muttalib. Note that whenever sacrifice was
required, the Prophet (SAWS) sacrificed his own family, not strangers.
Are you convinced now that there is no one in the whole world who is
great in every aspect except our Prophet (SAWS)? The result of the fight
was the death of Al-Walid and Shaiba by the hands of Ali and Hamza,
respectively. However, Otba and Abu-Ubaida kept fighting until Abu-Ubaida's leg
was cut. When he was in his last breath, he looked at the
Prophet (SAWS) asking him, "Have I done my duty, Prophet of Allah?" Do
you see the extent of love and loyalty? The Prophet (SAWS) then said, "O,
Allah. I call You to witness that Abu-Ubaida has done his duty."
Have you done your duty towards the Prophet? All this sacrifice happened
so that Islam, truth, and reform are spread; have we done our duty towards him?
Then a full-fledge battle began, and the leaders of Quraysh fell one after
another. A great surprise happened from two boys. The
right wing of the Muslims, was led by Abdul-Rahman Ibn-Awf (RA), and
consisted of only 15-20 people. He saw among his soldiers a fifteen-year-old boy
called Mu'adh and his cousin, a fourteen-year-old boy, called Mu'awwedh.
One of the two boys tugged at his clothes and asked him, "O Uncle, where
is Abu-Jahl?" Abdul-Rahman Ibn-Awf was surprised and asked him about the reason
for his question. He told him that his mother told him
not to return home unless he killed Abu-Jahl. Then the
other boy asked him the same question and told him the reason he was looking for
Abu-Jahl, "I heard that he abused the Prophet (SAWS), which is something
I cannot bear. I swear that I am going to take revenge for the Prophet (SAWS).”
Abdul-Rahman Ibn-Awf said, "They lifted my
spirits. I have never experienced such a feeling of admiration as I felt towards
these two young men".
The Sunnah of the Prophet (SAWS) is forsaken nowadays.
Who is going to defend the Prophet nowadays? This is not a call for
murder or committing suicide; it is a call for reforming our country for the
sake of the Prophet, so that we deserve to be part of his nation.
On
a side note, the prophet did not allow children to participate in wars, in
respect for the children's rights. However, he allowed these two boys after
their insistence and after they proved to him that they can handle being in the
battlefield. The two boys ran like two swift arrows. They tied the swords around
their arms as they could not carry them in the normal way, being very young.
They agreed on a plan. Mu'adh told Mu'awwedh, "You stab
the horse so that the man falls and I am going to stab him."
They implemented their plan as they intended it.
However, Ikrima Ibn-Abu-Jahl ran after them and cut the arm of Mu'adh so that it
was left barely hanging his shoulder. Mu'adh said,
"I found that my cousin was going to reach the Prophet before me; I
wanted to deliver the good news to the Prophet before him. I put my arm under my
leg and I took it off so that it would not be an obstacle in my way to the
Prophet. Then, I ran to the Prophet telling him the good news of the death of
Abu-Jahl." Abdullah Ibn-Mas'oud, the weakest among the companions of the
Prophet, went to verify the truth of this piece of news. He found Abu-Jahl in
his last breath, so he killed him. The irony is that the
death of Abu-Jahl took place at the hands of two teenagers and the weakest man
from the companions of the Prophet.
The Prophet announced to the army not to kill Abul-Bukhturi Ibn-Hisham, as a
sign of gratitude to him for his attitude with the Muslims on the days of the
siege. Note the military ethics of the Prophet (SAWS),
these ethics which the world has only known after World War Two.
When one of the companions of the Prophet saw the man, he avoided him
instead of fighting with him. The man was amazed, and he
asked the companion of the Prophet, "Why don't you fight me?" The companion
replied, "The Prophet ordered us not to fight you." The
man was amazed and he wondered why. The companion replied, "In order to show our
gratitude for what you did with us on the days of the siege."
However, he ruthlessly asked him, "What if I started the fight with you?"
The companion answered, "I'm going to flee from you, in obedience to the
Prophet's order." The man kept chasing him until the
companion was forced to kill him to defend his life. He went to the Prophet
afterwards crying and apologized that he was forced to do so in order to defend
himself. The Prophet (SAWS) replied, "Take it
easy. I just wanted to show them that we have gratitude."
Angels descend at the end, not in the beginning, of the battle. This is because
the Prophet (SAWS) in the beginning of the battle prayed and supplicated
to Allah for a very long time. "O, Allah; if this group of believers are
defeated, You shall not be worshipped on earth anymore."
It was not a matter of victory for the Prophet (SAWS); his main concern
was the message, and he was crying. This is the meaning
of "...indeed Allah readily granted you victory at Badr, and you were humble"
(TMQ, 3: 123). You should be humbled to Allah in
Ramadan so that He grants you victory after Ramadan.
Jibril (AS) (Gabriel) descended with a thousand of angels in order to
stand by the believers. "As Your Lord was revealing to
the Angels, (saying), “I am with you; so make the ones who believe stand firm. I
will soon cast into the hearts of the ones who have disbelieved horror; so
strike above the necks, and strike every finger-tip of them" (TMQ, 8: 12).
This is a very important lesson for you, Muslims, to learn. You should put your
trust in Allah; however, at the same time, you should exert your maximum
efforts. Badr is a very important lesson -
well planning then a miracle from Allah;
the battle was lead by heaven and at the same time there was a lot of
effort exerted on earth. Courage and seriousness on the
part of the Muslims, and at the same time rain and angels from heaven. The
result was a crushing victory for Muslims. Everyone who
harmed the Muslims in the past was taken revenge from.
Seventy of the leaders of Quraysh were killed. even Abu-Lahab, who refused to
join the army died in Makkah in a horrible way. The Prophet (SAWS)
dug a pit called Al-Qulayb, in which the bodies of the 70 dead people
from Quraysh were buried. He stood in front of the grave and asked,
"Have you found what your Lord promised to be true?"
The battle resulted in the death of fourteen of the Prophet's companions, 13 of
which are from al-Ansar and only one from the migrants; their pledge with the
Prophet (SAWS) was a deal on sacrifice until the last breath.
Are you going to dedicate your lives to the message of the Prophet (SAWS)?
Are you going to love the Prophet (SAWS)?
Is
the Prophet (SAWS) going to be satisfied with you?
Are you going to tell him that you have done your duty towards him?
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