Miscellaneous (Library) Articles

Or do they say: "We acting together can defend ourselves"? Soon will their multitude be put to flight, and they will show their backs. Nay, the Hour {of Judgement} is the time promised them {For their full recompense}: And that Hour will be most grievous and bitter."[Surah Al-Qamar verses 44-46].

The importance of the Battle of Badr cannot be over-estimated. In the long chain of significant events in the history of our Beloved Nabee Muhammad Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam's struggle against the Makkan oppressors, it was an event after which the early Muslim community felt itself free to make rapid advances. Badr represented the first major test to the new and nascent organization founded by our Beloved Nabee Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam at Madinah.

The causes that led to the battle have been variously explained by western writers. According to European scholars, the apparent cause was the murder of Amr bin Hadrami, a Makkan businessman. Another reason for the march of the Makkan force on Madinah was, as the critics allege, the Prophet Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam's plan to intimidate the Quraysh into submission through waylaying their caravans returning from Syria. If this were accepted to be true, the whole of the Islamic movement launched by Almighty Allah's Beloved Nabee Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam and his illustrious companions would then be misunderstood, as has been the case with biased historians.

Let us here try to save real history from being ignored and falsified and bring together the ingredients of the story of the battle as well as its causes and effects.

The primary cause of the contest of the second year of the Hijrah, lay in the determination of the Quraysh to destroy the resettled Muslim community. It will be recalled that the Makkan tyrants had not only confined themselves to mere opposition to our Beloved Nabee Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam's message but also chastised his followers, boycotted him and his family, persuaded the Nagus of Abyssinia to extirpate the Muslim refugees and then made an attempt on the life of Rahmatul Liel Ala'meen.

As is known, our Beloved Nabee Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam shifted to Madinah from where an invitation had been served to him and to which place the faithful had gone to seek shelter with the Ansar [the helpers]. Subsequently, the stalwarts of Makkah, including the accursed Abu Jahl and others, had decided not to permit them to live in peace. "In fact, ever since the Emigration, they were anxiously looking for an opportunity to cause trouble and extirpate Islam with the sword." Moreover, they were united in seeking the extinction of Nabee Muhammad Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam's mission and his devotees, who were reported to have prospered in a congenial atmosphere.

If allowed to continue, the Makkans apprehended the Muslims would pose a serious threat to the prestige of the Quraysh, their gods and goddesses. They started issuing intimidating letters, sending raiding detachments and then making preparations for actual war. The first in the series of their acts was to address letters to Abdullah ibn Ubay, later called "the hypocrite," asking him to kill the Muslims or expel them or otherwise be ready to face an invasion and the enslavement of the Medinite women. Ibn Ubay, however, was unable to fulfil the demand due to various reasons. In about the same period, Saad bin Muaz, the chief of the tribe of Aws visited the Kabah to perform the customary circuit. He was seen by Abu Jahl in the company of Umayyah bin Khalf.

Abu Jahl informed Saad that had he not been with Umayyah, he would not have been permitted to come there and return alive for he and his people had given refuge to the Sabis [meaning "apostates" as the Muslims were called by the Quraysh. "Saad retorted that if this were the attitude of the Makkans, their caravans plying between Makkah and Syria would no longer enjoy the right of free passage between Madinah and the coast.

As for directing well-armed raiders, the chief instance is that of Karz bin Jabir Fahri, a Qurayshite leader, who attacked Madinah and lifted the livestock belonging to the Prophet Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam and the people. He was pursued but could not be caught. Thus, small parties of the Quraysh used to go out on marauding expeditions and scour the country right up to Madinah. Nourishing aggressive designs from the very beginning, the Quraysh aimed to give a decisive blow to the thriving body of Islam.

They needed military equipment, material strength and friendly environs. At first they approached their old rivals, Banu Kananah, to get an assurance from them that they would not attack Makkah and to seek their support. One of the Banu Kananah chiefs, Suraqa bin Malik by name, promised the Quraysh both peace and assistance. They also enlisted mercenaries from the Ahabish living near the Habshi mountain adjacent to Makkah. As for the expenses of the war, it was hoped that these could be met with the income accruing from the seasonal caravan to be sent with Abu Sufyan as its leader.

The sharers in the present enterprise were not only the usual participants in trade but also men and women not interested in commercial feats. It was thereby aimed that all the profits received from the transactions in Syria would be employed in planning and effecting the destruction of Islam. This much should reveal the mind of the Makkan perpetrators working against Nabee Muhammad Ibn Abdullah Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam and his companions.

Right from the inception of the Islamic movement, the Prophet Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam and his followers were on the defensive. What they had been aiming at throughout was to peacefully propagate Rabbul Ala'meen's message and to save their own lives from molestation. They migrated to Abyssinia and to Madinah, while the Nabee Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam and Hazrat Abubaker Radhiallahu Ta'ala Anhu was the last to move.

There was no doubt that the Muslims felt comfortable at Madinah but soon they discovered that opposition was brewing within and outside the city. At home, the hypocrites led by Abdullah bin Ubay and the Jewish conspirators were meaning mischief. Outside the town, the Quraysh were inciting the population living between Madinah and Makkah. Simultaneously, they were preparing themselves for the fateful contest.

The Pacts of Defense
The situation at Madinah necessitated that the Prophet Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam should adopt certain military and political devices. To strengthen defenses, he concluded agreements of friendship and political alliances with non-Muslim tribes residing in the vicinity. Previously, soon after his arrival, he had rehabilitated the refugees so as to give them a stake in life with Islam as its bedrock. The Ansar [the helpers] and the Muhajirun [the refugees] were welded together into a single brotherhood. This done, Nabee Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam proceeded to protect Madinah, its gardens and pastures. This was achieved by means of a constitution to which all, in spite of differences, were parties. It was primarily a civil, political and military contract that guaranteed peace at Madinah and insured everyone's cooperation, Muslims and non-Muslims, in case of external aggression. Nabee Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam was recognized as the leader of the new city-state.

As for the pact with the Jews, the terms were plain. It is obvious that the arrangement was meant to secure not only the benefits of good government to the parties concerned, but in view of the imminent danger from Makkah, it was directed at discouraging the efforts of the Quraysh to crush the Muslims and their allies. In particular, it was intended to make the enemy aware of the fact that his economic good depended on the safety of the caravans returning to Makkah and passing through the territory of Madinah.

To make this idea effective, Nabee Muhammad Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam concluded pacts with the tribes inhabiting the south-western areas and visited some of the places to conduct negotiations. Among those who agreed with him were the tribes of Bani Hamzah, Banu Durmah, Banu Zuraa and also Banu Madlaj. The content of all of the pacts was the same, except that in certain cases only the benevolent neutrality of the tribe was secured. An example of these agreements is the one signed with Banu Durmah which is as follows:

"This is the script of Muhammad to Banu Durmah: Their life and property shall be safe. Should some enemy attack them, they shall be assisted by the Muslims, unless they wage war against Islam.They shall also come to the Prophet¹s help when called upon."

The Makkan Caravan:
It was also essential to the purposes of the Prophet Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam to obtain accurate information about the plans and movements of the Quraysh. While one of the measures was to establish friendly relations with the tribes, the other was to despatch small reconnaissance parties for keeping an eye on the activities of the enemy. One such party was sent out under the leadership of Abdullah bin Jahash who was advised in a secret letter to proceed to Nakhlah after he had travelled for two days. Ibn Jahash soon came across a few Qurayshite traders returning from Syria.

Acting against the advice of Prophet Muhammad Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam, he killed Amr ibn Hadrami. This incident provided the Makkans with a pretext for instigating the tribes of Arabia. Preparations for an invasion were also afoot when, by a strange coincidence, the caravan led by Abu Sufyan was coming back to Makkah. Fearing lest it should be interrupted, he sent word to the Quraysh to arrange for its protection. It would be wrong to conclude that the Muslims wanted to waylay the trade party and that this alone caused the Battle of Badr. Nobody touched the caravan when it had passed by Madinah in similar circumstances.

Not even the Makkans imputed this motive of attack to the Madinites. The Muslims were not then in a position to think of an armed conflict with the apostates. The Most Glorious Qur¹an is quite explicit on this matter and depicts one of their sections as if "averse and being driven to death," when the Prophet Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam led them into the battlefield.

However, when the aggressive designs of the Quraysh became known to him, the Prophet Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam decided to meet the danger halfway by taking his followers to al-Badr. It is possible that at about the same time the Muslims thought it expedient to interrupt the caravan in order to teach a lesson to the Makkan warlords. Since the caravan, however, reached its destination unmolested, the Quraysh should have desisted from making further advances.

Yet at the instance of Abu Jahl, they were determined to deal severely with the Muslims and their friends. Only the tribesmen of Addi and Zahra returned home because they had joined the Quraysh to defend the caravan against an offensive. Hakim bin Huzzam and Atbah also withdrew from the contest, but Abu Jahl stayed on to maintain the military alliance against Islam.

Towards the Conflict at al-Badr

"The threat of an invasion from Makkah greatly multiplied the Prophet Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam¹s pre-occupations, and taxed his capacities to the utmost." Not only did he pass sleepless nights, he also regularly sat with his companions, preaching patience and steadfastness and informing them about the activities of the Quraysh and the developments at Makkah. Finally, he wished to know the reaction to the call for Jihad. The Muhajirun, led by Hazrat Abu Bakr Radhiallahu Ta'ala Anhu, Hazrat Umar Radhiallahu Ta'ala Anhu and Hazrat Miqdad Radhiallahu Ta¹ala Anhu, welcomed the decision to come to grips with the approaching invaders.The latter gave an assurance to the effect that they would not say, as the Bani Isra¹eel said to Nabee Moosa Alayhis Salaam:

"Go thou and thy God (to fight) and we will hold to this place."

Representing the Ansar, Hazrat Saad bin Muaz Radhiallahu Ta¹ala Anhu spoke that they were prepared to even jump into the sea if Nabee Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam asked them to do so. The Prophet Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam left Madinah on the 2nd day of Ramadan in the second year of the Hijrah with three hundred and thirteen Muslims, the Ansars (the helpers) being in the majority. "This heterogeneous body ­ it scarcely deserved the designation of a Œforce¹ ­ was united only by the common bond of faith and the determination to die in defense of that faith."

The administration of Madinah and its suburbs was entrusted to Abul Baba and Asim bin Addi. A few kilometers from the town, the Prophet Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam stopped and inspected his Mujahids. All minors were asked to leave and to return to Madinah. When a boy named Umayr bin Abi Waqas wept, he was permitted to participate. Two other young lads, Muaz bin Amr and Muaz bin Afra, both thirteen years of age were also allowed to join the battlefield. The Prophet Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam and his "force" reached al-Badr on the sixteenth day of Ramadan. They encamped on sandy ground on the morning of the seventeenth. The Quraysh had already taken up their position on firm clay soil.

The parties differed in many respects. The Muslims were an "army" in name only, they numbered 313 and it is said that they were in possession of only two horses and seventy camels. They did not have ample provisions, proper camping facilities, good clothing or arms and not even sufficient beasts of burden. Most of them were young men with no military experience. The poorly equipped Muslims, enfeebled by the privations they had been enduring till then, "presented a pitiful contrast to the Makkam army, which consisted of one thousand tried warriors who were well-armed and well mounted."

The Quraysh were led by Abu Jahl, Atbah, Umayyah and others. They had immense war material and an army comprising 300 horses, 700 camels and a fighting force of 1,000. They were sure of victory over the handful of Muslims. To keep up the high spirits of their pagan fighters, they brought along vats of wine, girl singers and dancers to accompany their proud and impetuous well-armed army of apostates.

As against this, the oppressed Muslims possessed certain uncommon things ­ their unswerving belief in Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata¹ala, in Nabee Muhammad Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam¹s forceful message and mission, in their own cause which was right and their high character and conduct. As for their position in the field, it was improved by the timely rain, which not only filled in the ditches but also firmed the sandy strip and turned the clay into slippery mud. The night falling between the sixteenth and seventeenth of Ramadan was spent by the Prophet Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam in a small hut constructed for him by his companions. Part of the prayers which have come down to us reveals his anxiety. He supplicated:

"O Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata¹ala! If Thou wilt suffer this little band to perish, Thy Holy Name will no more be glorified on earth and there will be none left to worship Thy Glorious Majesty in true sincerity."

he next morning he drew up his men in battle array and gave them instructions like an efficient general and strategist. As he would not like to kill the Quraysh himself, he retired repeatedly to the hut and cried as he prayed for victory. Ultimately he came out of the hut announcing that Almighty Allah Azza Wajjal had given him to understand that the time had finally arrived for the fulfillment of the prophecy revealed several years before at Makkah in Surah Al-Qamar verses 44-46.

Or say they: "We are a host allied together to help each other. Soon shall the host be routed, and they will show (their) backs. Nay the Hour is their promised time, and the Hour is most grievous and bitter.¹

Fully prepared, the Qurayshites were lying in wait. However, the Muslims desisted from initiating the attack until the enemy had struck the first blow. The battle began on the morning of Friday, the 17th of Ramadan in the second year after the Hijrah. [2 A.H. – March 624 A.D.]. In the beginning there was single-handed combat. Three fighters of the Quraysh whose names were Atbah, his son Walid and his brother Shebah were the first to challenge the Muslims. As Atbah declined to fight the Ansar, Hazrat Hamzah Radhiallahu Ta'ala Anhu, Hazrat Ali bin Abi Talib Radhiallahu Ta'ala Anhu and Hazrat Ubaydah Radhiallahu Ta'ala Anhu from the Muhajirin [May Allah be pleased with them] stepped forward and accepted the challenge.

Hazrat Hamza Radhiallahu Ta¹ala Anhu killed Atbah and Hazrat Ali Radhiallahu Ta¹ala Anhu put an end to Walid, but Shebah wounded Hazrat Ubaydah Radhiallahu Ta¹ala Anhu whom Hazrat Ali Radhiallahu Ta¹ala Anhu took to the Prophet Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam. Hazrat Zubair Radhiallahu Ta'ala Anhu killed Saeed bin al-Aas, a most distinguished Qurayshite warrior with his spear. Hazrat Zubair Radhiallahu Ta¹ala Anhu also suffered deep wounds to his body during the fighting. Suffering heavy losses in the isolated combats, the arrogant Quraish were now perplexed and they jointly fell upon the poorly armed and inexperienced Muslims who firmly stuck to their positions and repulsed the pagan aggressors. "A most remarkable phenomenon of Divine assistance manifested itself. Almost all of the Quraysh chiefs and ring-leaders of the deadly campaign against Islam, were slain in action."

Abu Jahl, the avowed and bitter enemy of Islam was mortally wounded in the battle. As he lay dying, he lamented his fate, not so much that he was about to die but that his death should have been accomplished by two thirteen year-old striplings ­ Muaz bin Amr and Muaz bin Afra, of the non-warrior tribes of Madinah. Everybody seemed to be full of enthusiasm, and upon outdoing each other in a deed of valour and to be honoured with martyrdom.

Hazrat Abdur Rahman bin Auf Radhiallu Ta¹ala Anhu says: "I was fighting in my rank on the Day of Badr, when lo! I saw on my right and on my left two thirteen year-old boys. Suddenly one of them asked me in a low voice, so that his companion should not hear: O my uncle! Can you point out Abu Jahl! ­ I replied to this young lad: O son of my brother! What have you to do with him? He answered: I have vowed before Almighty Allah that I shall kill him when I see him, or shall be killed by him! The other boy spoke to me likewise in a low voice, so that his companion should not hear. I then pointed out Abu Jahl to them, and they threw themselves upon him like two hawks and killed him. These two brave thirteen year-old sons of Islam ­ Muaz bin Amr and Muaz bin Afra were to become martyrs. Seeing his father mortally wounded and lying on the ground, Akramah struck the shoulder of the elder Muaz, cutting his arm and hand. The total enemy losses amounted to seventy dead and many seriously injured.

The chiefs having fallen in the fray, the once proud and arrogant pagan warriors fled in confusion. Seventy were taken captive including Abbas, Uqayl, Nawfal and others. Much war booty came into Muslim hands. Fourteen Muslims died ­ young and old, both Ansars and Muhajirin. The victory at Al-Badr was achieved with Divine Help from Almighty Allah Jallah Wa¹ala. It was a joyous and spiritual victory of Haqq (Truth) over Baatil (Falsehood) achieved with Divine intervention. The Glorious Qur¹an speaks about this battle of Truth over Falsehood in verse 12 of Surah Al-i-Imran:

"Indeed there was a sign for you in the two Hosts which met together
in the encounter. One party was fighting in the Way of Allah, and the other in the way of falsehood??. Allah strengthens with His Aid whom He pleases. Most surely, there is a great lesson in this for those who have eyes to see."

Almighty Allah Azza Wajjal then tells us with words of Truth and Wisdom in verses 123 and 124 of Surah Al-I-Imran:

"Allah had helped you at Badr, when you were a contemptible little force: Then fear Allah in order to show your gratitude. When you did say To the believers: Does it not suffice you that your Creator should help you with three thousand angels sent down."

The treatment towards prisoners of war

The Quraysh who had fled from al-Badr, did not learn any lesson from the historic rout. Upon reaching Makkah, they only incited the populace to make further war preparations against the Muslims. On the other hand, the victors gave humane treatment to the prisoners of war. The Muslims were not vindictive in any way whatsoever nor did they retaliate. It is true that there was a great deal of debate as to their fate. According to an Arab custom, they could have all been executed, but the Compassionate Prophet Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam determined otherwise.

Hazrat Umar Radhiallahu Ta¹ala Anhu suggested that they should all be put to death indiscriminately, each to be beheaded by his own kinsman among the Muslims. This suggestion was rejected. A new code for treating prisoners of war was introduced by the Prophet Sallallahoo Alaihi Wasallam in so far as they were entrusted in twos and fours to the Muslims. Their guardians were instructed not to be unkind to them. The captives in turn were greatly impressed with the kindness and nobility of the Islamic spirit.

As for the war booty, Prophet Muhammad Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam made it clear under Divine Guidance that it belonged to Almighty Allah Jallah Wa¹ala and His Prophet Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam, i.e. it was the right of the Islamic authority to distribute it. In future everyone was required to place any booty before his commander.

One-fifth was to go to the state and the rest was to be distributed among the soldiers and officers. The rule that everyone must obey the next higher authority was also established, for victory not infrequently depended on such obedience.

The effects of the Battle of Al-Badr:
Thus the Battle of al-Badr ended dramatically in a victory for the downtrodden and continuously harassed Muslims. It was the first victory of Islam against the forces of aggression. It gave a terrible blow to the power of the Quraysh. Their star was now on the wane and with that was to go their falsehood, faithlessness, immorality, low character, ignorance and the base pride of the apostates of Mecca. The defeat of the pagan Makkans stabilized Islam and it gave a sense of relief to the Muslims as a community.

In spite of the hindrances their opponents imposed in the future, the victors were able to dexterously weave the beautiful fabric of a peace loving and prosperous society with the Most Glorious Qur¹an and their Beloved Nabee Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam as its strong yarn.

The event at al-Badr made it quite apparent that out of the two forces of good and evil, good was to survive the other for the betterment of mankind. The victory removed the first hurdle in the way of the Islamic movement. In certain respects, it strengthened the roots of Islam among the non-Muslim communities in and around Madinah. It impressed the Jews as well as the tribes living nearby.

Even Ibn Ubay apparently accepted Islam. Both friends and foes of Islam came to recognize the idea that its vitality and the potentiality of its devotees were immense. That is why the Jews came to an understanding with Nabee Muhammad Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam and many Arabian families and clans sought admission into the new brotherhood. However, the spectacular success at al-Badr turned some of the enemies into well-meaning friends and some of the so-called "friends" into surreptitious adversaries.

It was really a remarkable change in destinies. Only because of the success achieved at al-Badr were the Muslims able to avoid and undo the horrible consequences of the Battle of Uhud, which was the direct outcome of the battle under review. In fact, had this battle not been fought or won, it is hard to say what the fate of Islam and its movement would have been. The victory wrought a revolution in the history of the once tortured and suppressed community. Moreover, it converted Madinah, an ordinary town, into the first city-state of Islam and the beehive of Islamic activity in every walk of life ­ be it government, administration, culture, scholarship or even piety.

Epilogue
Al-Badr, originally the name of a well, is a township eighty miles to the southwest of Madinah. It is here that every keen and thoughtful pilgrim or visitor stops to pay homage to the first fourteen martyrs of Islam who are buried there. Usually the pilgrims address prayers or address a eulogy to them. The eulogy justifies their claim to greatness. They helped to put an end to some of the avowed arch enemies of Islam and while directly helping the Prophet Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam to lay the foundation stone of the indestructible edifice of the Divine System, seem to have imposed a heavy duty upon the posterity.

Among the many blessed places revered by the Muslims, there are two that are particularly important. The burial place at al-Badr of the great fourteen who gave their lives in the struggle against tyranny and falsehood. The other is the resting place of Nabee Muhammad ibn Abdullah Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam, the Beloved of Almighty Allah Azza Wajjal and the seal of the prophets. One points to the beginning of a gigantic undertaking and the other to the successful completion of a rich and peaceful programme. The two form the essence of a splendid struggle and resemble the nursing and fruition of a marvellous plan.

For true revivalist Muslims, therefore, they are two unique assets and monuments representing the achievements of early Islam, the heroes and their Allah-sent leader Muhammad Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam. It is truly tragic and with deep regret that those who claim to be devotees of Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata¹ala and His Beloved Nabee Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam, should brutally disregard and ignore the cause which the heroes of al-Badr upheld under the stewardship of Almighty Allah¹s Beloved Rahmathul Liel Ala¹meen.

The three battles of Badr, Uhud and Khandaq, together stripped the fabric of Makkan superiority in numbers and armaments. At first, the Muslims were militarily in a deplorable condition. During the second and third encounters they had drastically improved their position. Yet it is surprising that the Muslims achieved success at a place far from Madinah, while at Uhud, very close to the town, they were faced with an adverse interregnum between an early victory and the shameful retreat of the arrogant Quraysh.

It is noteworthy that an imperceptible force was busy acting in both the battles. Again, the combined patience of the Muslims, the supplications and prayers of the Prophet Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam and the protection granted by Almighty Rabbul Ala¹meen, led to the retreat of the evil Makkan aggressors in the battle of al-Badr. At Uhud, Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata¹ala also had His powerful hand working for the Quraysh could have returned the victors in this encounter. Winning a battle in a distant place and in a state of depression, was surely a miracle. But sustaining losses with an apparent defeat in a still greater battle nearer to home and retrieving the position was also meant to serve as a warning to the Muslims. In the first, perfect loyalty helped the devotees follow a concerted plan and achieve excellent results. In the second, the reason for a short-lived disappointment was that the Muslims, did not strictly observe discipline.

It was the economic factor that prevented the Muslims from bringing the action to its logical conclusion. In the end, let us look at the legacies that the Battle of al-Badr left for humanity in general and the Muslims in particular:

[1] The traditional ideas about war were set at naught and Islam preached that war was in no case to be fought for personal aggrandizement. It was only in exceptional cases that the use of force was considered to be a means to an end, was the achievement of reform and reconstruction.

[2] The Battle of al-Badr proved to be an examination hall to the Prophet Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam and the illustrious Sahaba Ridwanullahi Ta¹ala Alayhim Ajma¹een. The small party of Mujahids had complete faith in the Message of Almighty Allah¹s Beloved Nabee Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam, in the Supremacy, the Glory and the Infinite Greatness of their Glorious Creator and Sustainer and in the justice of the cause of Almighty Allah¹s Din. The battle tested whether the poorly armed and resourceless Muslims preferred their faith to the material gains of life or wavered in the face of a well-armed and mighty enemy.

The heroes held fast to the ground till they successfully drove the arrogant Quraysh out of the field. Thus each of these pious volunteers of Islam showed to the world that, when commanded, they would readily turn their backs on personal interests, business, property, land and even parents and children, and join the Jihad. Moreover, the principle that a soldier should and must be strictly loyal to the chief command was strictly and sincerely adhered to by the Muslims.

[3] The earliest torchbearers of a powerful religion exhibited unlimited perseverance and tolerance. Their excellent conduct on and off the battlefield, their chivalry, their emotion and compassion, their liberality and sense of liberty, were among those human qualities with which they were imbued to an astonishing degree and which they left for generations to come.

[4] The idea that man was the maker of his destiny and ultimate source of success, was banished from the minds of the Muslims. They were required to work hard in all circumstances and to depend totally and completely on Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata¹ala. Pride, ego and high mindedness had no place in a Muslim¹s life.

The Battle of al-Badr demonstrated to the world that the victory was the result of human endeavour, supported by the Divine factor. It was a miracle keenly expected of the Divine Being by the depressed and oppressed against the dictatorial people of the Arabian desert.

By Moulana Abdul Hamid Lachporia(Canada)