THE BATTLE OF BADR

The battle of Badr was the most important among the Islamic battles of Destiny. For the first time the followers of the new faith were put into a serious test. Had victory been the lot of the pagan army while the Islamic forces were still at the beginning of their developments, the faith of Islam could have come to an end.

No one was aware of the importance of the outcome of the battle as the Prophet (saww) himself. We might read the depth of his fervor in his prayer before the beginning of the battle when he stood up supplicating his Lord:

God this is Quraish. It has come with all its
arrogance and boastfulness, trying to discredit
Thy Apostle. God, I ask Thee to humiliate them
tomorrow. God, if this Muslim band will perish
today, Thou shall not be worshipped. [1]

At this battle in which the pagan army consisted of 950 fighters and the Muslim army consisted of 314 (including the Messenger), the Islamic defense was a combination of three defensive lines:

1. The personality of the Messenger, his leadership and his unequalled firmness. He (saww) was to the Muslims the final refuge at Badr and at every battle he attended.

2. The Hashimites (the clan of the Prophet) were led by Ali Ibn Abu Talib who entered this battle relatively obscure and came out with unequalled military fame. His military performances became the most popular subject of the Arab caravans' conversations throughout the Arabian Peninsula.

3. The hundreds of companions of the Messenger had hearts that were filled with the faith and readiness for sacrifice. Many of them viewed matyrdom to be a gain, equal to life and victory. These good companions were the army of Islam, its first line of defense and a thick wall behind which the Messenger (saww) used to stand. They were the attackers and the defenders.

As to the clan of the Messenger, they were the ones he used to call before anyone else, to offer the heavy sacrifices. They used to stand in the first line of defense opening for the army the way through enemy ranks with their thrusts pushing forward. When the general offensives began and every companion participated, the clan of the Messenger (saww) was the most damaging to the enemies. They were so at Badr and the subsequent battles.

The battle began when Utbah Ibn Rabiah, his son Al Walid and his brother Sheibah (all from the Ommayad clan) stood in front of the pagan army and asked the Prophet (saww) to send to them their equals for a dual. Hundreds of companions were around him and many of them were expecting to be called upon by the Prophet (saw) but he choose to start from his own family. The duty to fight first was most arduous, so he called upon Ali, Al Hamza and Obeidah Al Harith (all from the clan of the Prophet) to face the three warriors. Ali destroyed Al Walid and Al Hamza killed Utbah; then they both assisted Obeidah against his opponent Sheibah. Sheibah died immediately and Obeidah was the first martyr in this battle. He died after losing his leg.

When the general offensive began, hundreds of companions participated in the battle and offered sacrifices to please their Lord. But the members of the house of the Messenger (saww) distinguished themselves. Ali's valour was unique in this battle. When Hanzala Ibn Abu Sufyan faced him, Ali ripped his eyes with one blow of his sword. He annihilated Al Aus Ibn Saeed, and met Tuaima Ibn Oday and transfixed him with his spear, saying "You shall not dispute with us in God after today."

The Messsenger (saww) took a handful of gravel when the battle was extremely heated. He threw it at the faces of the pagans saying "May your faces be disfigured. God, terrify their hearts and invalidated their feet." The pagans ran away, turning their faces to no one.

The Muslims went on killing them and taking prisoners. 70 pagans met their death, and the Muslims took from them 70 prisoners. History preserved in its records only a fifth of the names out of the 70 pagans. Twenty [20] or twenty two [23] of them died with Ali's hand.

This battle laid the foundation of the Islamic State and made out of the Muslims a force to be reckoned with by the dwellers of the Arabian Peninsula.

The battle of Uhud took place only one year after Badr, in the third year of Hijra, in the month of Shawwal. After the Battle of Badr, the Quraish felt humiliated and disdained among the Arabs. They recognized the fast growing power of Islam among the people, and therefore began gathering their men and leaders in order to take revenge by attacking and destroying the Muslims in Madinah. The polytheists were blinded by the wealth of Abu Sufyan who  had vowed to spend this wealth on nothing except for fighting Muhammad, after his escape from the Muslims on the day of Badr. Abbas bin Abdul-Muttalib the Prophet's uncle who was still in Makkah having learnt about the real intention of the Quraish, wrote a letter to the Prophet informing him about the Polytheists' plans for attacking Madinah. On receiving the letter, the Prophet informed his companions of its contents. And it happened that the Prophet of Allah had a dream, which he explained as follows: one of his companions will be killed; one of his household will be wounded and the 'diri' al-Haseen' is Madinah.

Then the Prophet of Allah (s.a.w.) began to consult his companions and in the end they all agreed to fight the polytheists outside Madinah not letting the city to be a field for fighting; therefore the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) wore his war dress and joined his companions but later on, his companions regretted and asked him to return to Madinah and fight the enemy from there as he (s.a.w.) suggested at first but the Prophet of Allah refused that. With one thousand fighters the Prophet marched to Uhud outside Madinah to meet the attacking force of three thousands polytheists led by the arch-enemy of Islam, Abu Sufyan. Muhammad(s.a.w) gave the banner of the Muhajirin to his valiant cousin and son in-law Imam Ali (a.s.) and the banner of the Ansar to Sa'id bin Ubadah. However, the actual number of fighting men of the Prophet were only seven hundred, because when the Muslims began to leave Madinah, the three hundred hypocrites and plotters, who existed in the army of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) under the leadership of Abdullah bin Ubai bin Salalul withdrew themselves from the army.

The Prophet of Allah (s.a.w.) arranged the Muslims in battle-ranks, positioning fifty archers of the Ansar over the hill pass in order to deter the enemy from ambushing the Muslims from behind. He put one of them as their leader and advised them not to leave their position at any cost. Soon the fighting started and after a pitched battle the Muslims made the polytheists flee. Some of the companions of the Prophet began to plunder the well stocked camp of the infidels and when the men at the mountain-pass saw their greed gave away and they said: "Those men will take (all) the spoils if we stay (here)." They asked their leader: "We want to take part in the plunder like the others." He replied: "The Prophet of Allah has ordered us not to leave this position." He ordered you to do that without knowing that the matter would come to what we now see, " they bluntly told him and went off towards the booty leaving him behind. He remained in his position till he was martyred.

The polytheists led by Khalid bin Walid, seeing the hill-pass undefended, attacked the Muslims from behind catching by surprise the majority of companions of the Prophet who were occupied the grab for the spoils. The Prophet was left only with a small troop of his devout companions such as Imam Ali (a.s.), his uncle Hamzah and Mus'ab bin Umair, who nevertheless continued fighting the polytheists bravely. The Prophet of Allah was overcome by faintness as a result of a wound which he received, while his uncle Hamzah bin Abdul-Muttalib was martyred by a man called 'Wahishi' (savage) the slave of Abu Sufyan. Hind, the wife of Abu Sufyan who was encouraging the polytheists to attack the Muslims, with her lusty songs, ordered Hamzah's chest to be split open, and chewed his liver like a blood-thirsty bitch. She even cut off his nose and ears and wore them around her neck in savage exultation.

Despite the Prophet's call to stay firm in the battlefield most of his companions fled from the scene, leaving him alone with Imam Ali (a.s.) and a few others, like Abu Dajjassa. Indeed the main reason for the Muslim's set back in this battle is their disobedience of the orders of the Prophet of Allah (s.a.w.)  had they obeyed him and fought the polytheists in Madinah as suggested before, and had men at the mountain-pass not disobeyed his orders, they would  have surely become victorious.

After this set back, on the second day, the Muslims were ordered to go out and fight the Quraish in spite of their sufferings from the wounds lest the polytheists again attack them. Therefore, the Muslims responded and the Prophet of Allah gave Imam Ali (a.s.) the banner of the Muhajirin. They reached a place called 'Hamra' al-Asad' wishing to fight the polytheist and also prove to the people that they are still strong and able to attack the enemy, but seeing that Abu Sufyan and his army had returned to Makkah, the Prophet of Allah and his companions also returned to Madinah.