The Battle of Badr: Events, Results, and Lessons

By Eman Abdallah Kamel

Eman is a writer and engineer. She also studied at the ZAD Academy of Islamic Sciences (online course).

The Battle of Badr had a profound impact on Islamic and human history. This article covers its causes, events, consequences, and lessons learned from it.

Image source: stock.adobe.com

Battle of Badr

The Epic Battle of Badr was fought in Ramadan, 2 AH (624 CE), near the present-day city of Badr, Al Madinah Province, in Saudi Arabia. It was between the Muslims and the Quraysh tribe and was the first victory for Islam (submission to God). This battle has great historical significance. God Almighty called it “The Day of Criterion.”

“and what We sent down upon Our servant on the day of the all-distinguishing Criterion, the day the two gatherings encountered.”

Holy Quran, Al-Anfal (The Spoils of War) 8:41

Did you know?

Allah Almighty called it “the Criterion” because it distinguished between truth and falsehood.

Before Badr, the Quraysh tribe controlled everything, but after Badr, the Arabs began to realize the power of the Prophet Mohammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and were attracted to listen to his message, which spread widely, leading to a radical change in human history.

Who was Quraysh?

The Quraysh was an Arab tribe that dominated Mecca before the advent of Islam (submission to God). Its members were divided into ten main tribes, the most prominent of which was the Banu Hashim, into which the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was born. By the seventh century CE, they had become wealthy merchants. The tribe led trade caravans to the Levant in the summer and to Yemen in the winter.

When the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) began preaching Islam in Mecca, the Quraysh initially showed little interest. However, their opposition to the monotheistic religion grew as the Prophet’s followers grew. As the Quraysh infidels’ persecution of Muslims increased, the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and his followers migrated to Medina.

Summary

Reason	The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) knew of a Quraysh caravan returning from the Levant to Mecca, led by Abu Sufyan ibn Harb (one of the Quraysh leaders) and a group of no more than forty men. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) intended to seize the caravan instead of the one the Quraysh infidels had seized from the Muslims when they migrated from Mecca to Medina.
Date	2 AH/624 AD, Ramaḍan Month
Location	Badr
Leader of the Muslim army	The Prophet Mohammad (peace and blessings be upon him).
Leader of the disbelievers’ army of Qarsh	Abu Jahl
Number of Muslims	About 314
Number of the Quraysh Army	About 950-1000
Results	Victory of Muslims and defeat of non-believers.
Quranic verses mentioning the Battle of Badr	Surah Al-Anfal (The Spoils of War) and some verses from Surah Al Imran (The Family of Imran).

The Reason

The reason was that the Quraysh treated the Muslims with cruelty and brutality, so God permitted the Muslims to migrate from Mecca to Medina, but the Quraysh continued to confiscate the Muslims’ money and plunder their possessions. The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, knew that a Quraysh trade caravan laden with goods and money was returning from the Levant, so he wanted to seize it in exchange for what the Quraysh infidels had stolen from the Muslims.

Indeed, Allah made you victorious at (the battle of) Badr when you were few in number. Then fear Allah, perhaps you will be grateful.

Holy Quran, Surah Al-Imarn (The Family of Imran) 3:123

The Epic Battle of Badr, the first and most important battle in Islamic history.

Battlefield

After the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) knew that the Quraysh caravan had returned from the Levant and that he had planned to seize it, the news reached Abu Sufyan, who sent a man named Damdam ibn Amr al-Ghifari to the Quraysh to request their help. The polytheists of Quraysh were enraged when they heard this news and prepared to fight the Muslims.

The Quraysh prepared an army of 950 fighters, 100 horses, and 900 camels. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was going to attack the caravan and had not planned for battle. He took only 313 fighters, two horses, and 70 camels. But the matter developed into a war with the Quraish.

Abu Sufyan changed the caravan’s route, taking a different route away from Medina. He then sent word to the Quraysh that the caravan was safe. All the Quraysh leaders, especially Utbah ibn Rabi’ah, wanted to turn back rather than fight, but Abu Jahl refused, wanting to show the Arabs that the Quraysh was still strong.

The Messenger of Allah gathered his companions and told them that Allah Almighty had revealed His saying:

And (remember), when Allah promised you ( believers) one of the two groups (either the army or the caravan) that it would be yours, you wished that the one not armed (the caravan) should fall into your hands. But Allah intended to establish the truth by His Words and uproot the disbelievers.

Holy Quran, Al-Anfal (The Spoils of War) 8:7

Then the companion Al-Miqdad bin Al-Aswad said, “Do, O Messenger of Allah, what your Lord has commanded you to do, for we will not say to you what the Children of Israel said to the Prophet Moses (peace and blessings be upon him).

They said, “O Moses, indeed we will not enter it (the city), ever, as long as they (tyrants) are within it; so go, you and your Lord, and fight. Indeed, we are remaining right here.”

Holy Quran, Al-Maidah (The Table Spread) 5:24

Investigating the strength of the Quraysh army:

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) wanted to assess the strength of the Quraysh army, so he sent Ali ibn Abi Talib, al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam, and some other Companions to investigate. The Companions were able to capture two men from the Quraysh. They informed the Prophet (peace and blessings upon him) of the location of the Quraysh army, its numbers, and its leaders.

The Quraysh army arrived at Badr and stood in Udwat al-Quswa (on the farther side), and the Muslim army stood in Udwat duniya (on the near side of the valley). The two armies did not see each other; the area between them became a battlefield, and the caravan was far from them.

[Remember], when you (the beliver army) were on the near side of the valley, and they (the enemy army) on the farther side (from Al-Madinah, towards Makkah), and the caravan was lower than you (closer to the sea). If you had made a mutual appointment (to meet), you would have missed the appointment. But (it was) that Allah might accomplish a matter already ordained.

Holy Quran, Al-Anfal 8:42

Rainfall:

On the night of the battle, it began to rain; the rain made the ground firm and easy to walk upon, because the terrain of Badr was sandy and very difficult to walk upon. Then the Muslim army dug small holes to collect rainwater and use it for ablution and bathing.

Cutting off water supplies to the Quraysh army:

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) led his army until they reached the waters of Badr. When they reached the first source, they stopped. Al-Habbab ibn al-Mundhir, the companion of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), asked the Prophet not to stop there but to continue advancing until they reached the nearest water sources to the Quraysh army. They could build a water store sufficient for them, thus cutting off the Quraysh’s main water source.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) approved the plan, and the army advanced. The wells closest to the Quraysh army were blocked, and a water store was built for the Muslim army.

Al-Arish Mosque was built on the spot where the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) pitched a tent during the Battle of Badr. Image source: theislamicinformation.com

The structure of the tent (al areesh):

As preparations for the battle began, Sa’d ibn Mu’adh, one of the Prophet’s companions, suggested that they build a tent for him. The tent was built on a hill, with a roof made of palm fronds. From the tent’s location, the entire battlefield could be seen. Currently, a mosque has been built in its place.

The Supplication:

On the day of the battle, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) arranged the ranks of the Companions.

The Quraysh advanced to the valley. When the Prophet Mohammad (peace and blessings be upon him) saw the Quraysh army advancing toward the battlefield in full force, he supplicated Allah, saying:

“O Allah, the Quraysh have come with their vanity and pride, contending with You and denying Your Messenger. “O Allah, grant me victory over what You promised me, and destroy them this morning!

The Challenge:

The confrontation commenced with three warriors from the Quraysh stepping forward for a direct combat challenge: Utbah ibn Rabi’ah, Shaibah ibn Rabi’ah, and Al-Walid ibn Utbah. Three Muslims from the Ansar (people of al-Madinah) advanced to fight them, but they refused and demanded to fight their counterparts (the migrants). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) chose the following three: Ali ibn Abi Talib, Hamza ibn Abdul Muttalib, and Abu Ubaidah ibn Al-Harith.

Hamza fought Shaiba and killed him. Ali fought Al-Walid and killed him. Ubaidah fought Utbah, and each of them was wounded. Then Hamza and Ali attacked Utbah and killed him.

Then a fierce battle broke out, and God Almighty provided the Muslims with angels to fight with them. Allah Almighty says in the Holy Quran:

Yes, if you (believers) remain patient and conscious of Allah and the enemy launches a sudden attack on you, your Lord will reinforce you with five thousand angels designated (for battle).

Al Imran (The Family of Imran) 3:125

Results

Muslim Army	Quraysh Army	Captures of Quraysh
Victory and 14 martyred.	70 killed and 70 captured.	The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, took four or three thousand dirhams in exchange for the release of each prisoner, following the advice of his companion Abu Bakr al-Siddiq. Those who did not have money but knew how to read and write were given ten Muslim boys to teach them reading and writing.

Lessons From Badr

Faith: The power of faith in Allah with complete certainty that Allah Almighty supports you in all your affairs.
Truth: Steadfastness on the path of truth.
Supplication: Strive to supplicate while taking the necessary means. Supplicate to Allah from your heart with your own language, with a pure intention for Allah Almighty.
Hardships: Patience in times of hardship, because with patience, after hardship comes ease, as God Almighty said in Surah Ash-Sharh.
Knowledge: Keen on learning and becoming educated.
Victory: Victory comes from God Almighty. Allah always supports His sincere servants with victory. Allah Almighty supports the truth and refutes falsehood, regardless of its power.
Captives: The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) recommended the good treatment of captives.
War:

Steady with faith in God Almighty.
Consultation between the commander and the soldiers.
Exploring the enemy’s strength.
Beware of the enemy.
Motivating the soldiers and anticipating victory.

Sources

Latest Posts

LongWayEducation

The Long Way Education Site path is based on self-learning. Here you will learn about science, education, and religion. You will also learn about fiber and its manufacture. And different disciplines of engineering such as mechanical and industrial engineering.