Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

26. THE EXPEDITION OF BADR

The Qureish who had already become the deadly enemies of the Muslims of Makka, after the Migration the Ansar of Madina too had become abhorrent for them.Their crime was that they came to the help of the Prophet (s.a.), gave him succor and shelter. The Faith that the Qureish didn’t like flourishing in their own domain, was finding roots in Yathrib. How could they bear to see it prosper and grow there and elsewhere.. They determined that to safeguard their cultural and traditional heritage, they would not allow this new Faith to establish and spread.They resolved to fight with the Muslims till they were totally obliterated from the face of the Earth or they recant from the new Faith and revert to the old ways! Therefore, describing their plans, the Holy Quran says:

“These infidels will always

fight with you, till, if they can,

make you turn

away from your Faith.”

Although the Jews of Madina had made a covenant of peace with the Prophet of Islam (s.a.) on his arrival, that they would support the cause if an attack was made by the infidels on Madina, but they were very concerned with the increasing popularity and power of the Muslims as a threat for their own safety. They therefore established surreptitious contacts with the Qureish and tried to form a joint front against the Muslims. To give vent to mischief, Karz ibne Jabir Fahri was made to attack the pastures of Madina and chase away the flocks of animals with him. The Prophet (s.a.) chased him till the valley of Safwan but couldn’t catch him. Now he appointed Abd Allah ibne Hajash to keep an eye on such events. He went with a few companions to Naqla, which is a place between Makka and Taef. When they reached Naqla, a small group of Qureish businessmen was halting there on their return fromTaef. One of the companions of Abd Allah ibne Hajash, Waqad ibne Abd Allah Tamimi, shot dead Umro ibn al Hadhrami with an arrow. They took Othman ibne Abd Allah and Hakam ibne Kaisan prisoner along with their merchandise and returned to Madina. These were the days of the month of Rajab when fighting and killing are prohibited. The Prophet (s.a.) was very upset with Abd Allah ibne Hajash, reprimanded him, and set the detainees free along with their goods. Although this was an isolated incident that was committed without the approval of the Prophet (s.a.), the Qureish saw it as an excuse to prepare for a war. They started crying about reparations (Qisas) for the life of Ibn al Hadhrami and went ahead in full swing for the preparations for war. They decided that they would attack Madina as soon as Abu Sufian returned from his business trip to Syria. Abu Sufian was to return through Madina, that was the usual halt for caravans to and fro Syria. While the people of Makka were eagerly awaiting Abu Sufian’s return, he sent to them a letter through Zamzam ibne Umro Ghiffari that the Muslims were planning to attack his caravan near Madina to plunder his merchandise and that they should reach there post haste with all preparations for a war. The Qureish were almost ready and did start without any loss of time on getting the letter. Now Abu Sufian avoided the normal route and proceeded on his journey along the coast, reached Jedda in five days and Makka in another three days..When the troops of the Qureish reached near Badar, they got news that Abu Sufian’s caravan had reached home safely. Some men of Bani Zehra said that the caravan had reached home unmolested and therefore there was no need of fighting and that they should return home from there. But Abu Jahl refused to return home without fighting. With the attitude of Abu Jahl it is clear that the intention of bringing the troops was not to protect the caravan but he wanted to fight a war at any cost. The bani Zehra however returned home and didn’t participate in the war.

The story was going the rounds in Madina that Abu Sufian’s caravan was to pass along with lot of merchandize enroute to Makka from Syria and also that the warlike preparations were in full swing at Makka to attack Madina. The Muslims were still unprepared for a war and wanted to avoid any such eventuality. They were eagerly watching for the arrival of Abu Sufian’s caravan through the normal route that it might not be difficult for them to overpower that small group and capture large amount of booty in the bargain. The Quran records this in the following words:

“When Allah informed you that the

Infidels of Makka will confront you

in two groups, you wanted to have

the smaller group in your share.”

Generally the historians have believed the cohorts of Bani Omayya that the Prophet (s.a.) came out with the intention of plundering the caravan of Abu Sufian, but instead of finding the caravan, he came across the Qureish troops. It is a pity that the historians have included even the Prophet (s.a.) among the persons who had the thought of plunder and loot and termed it as the only purpose for the campaign. Therefore Mohammed ibne Ismail Bukhari writes:

“The Prophet (s.a.) moved out

With the idea of getting the

Caravan of the Qureish, and

Unexpectedly he came across

The enemy(troops).”

Ref: Sahih Bukhari, Vol 3, Page 3

This stand is contrary to the clarifications made by the Holy Quran. It says about the events of Badar:

“As your Sustainer has sent you

out of your home with the Truth,

when one group of Muslims was

talking against the war and on

knowing about the Truth

was fighting with you as if in

front of their eyes they were

being pushed towards death.:

If the move of the Prophet (s.a.) was to plunder the Caravan, it would have been exactly the same way as some Muslims wanted it. Then there would have been no reason for them to protest and fight and think that they were being pushed towards death. They knew it for a fact that Abu Sufian’s Caravan had no more than forty persons and the Muslim men totaled over three hundred. This expression of a group of Muslims was because they were scared of the large number of the Qureish Troops. We have to accept the fact in the light of what the Holy Quran says that the Prophet (s.a.) didn’t move out to plunder the caravan , but to prepare in advance to meet the onslaught of the Qureish Army! Therefore Hazrat Ali (a.s.) says:

“The Prophet (s.a.) used to ask about Badr.

When we learned that the

Infidels have moved forward, the Prophet (s.a.)

moved towards Badr. Badr is the name of

a well where we reached earlier than the

infidel Qureish”

Ref: Tareeq e Tabiri, Vol 2, Page 133

This was the first major war between Islam and infidelity. The Muslims were poorly equipped and in small numbers as compared with the expected strength of the enemy. Therefore the Prophet (s.a.) thought it necessary to take the opinion of the Ansar and Mohajirs about their willingness to take on the formidable adversary. People gave different replies to the queries of the Prophet (s.a.). Some were heart breaking and others very encouraging. It is recorded in the Sahih Muslim that on one of the replies of Hazrat Abu Bakr and Hazrat Omer, the Prophet (s.a.) turned away his face. When Miqdad ibne Aswad saw the signs of concern on the face of the Prophet (s.a.) he said,

“O Prophet (s.a.)! We are not the Bani Israel

Who told to Hazrat Moosa (a.s.)

‘Azhab anta wa Rabbaka faqatala

Ana hahana qaedoon

You go and your God, and both of you

Fight! We shall keep sitting here!’

By Allah! Who has endowed you the

Prophethood! We shall fight from your back

Your right and your left

Till Allah gives you Help

And Victory”

These words took away the gloom of concern from the face of the Prophet (s.a.) and he offered a prayer for Miqdad. Then he turned towards the Ansar and asked them, What is your opinion?” Saad bin Ma-az Ansari told with enthusiasm,“O Prophet of Allaih (s.a.)! We have absolute Faith in you and have vowed to obey you! Therefore, we are with you! If you jump into the ocean, we shall jump along with you! Nothing can stop us from keeping your company! Do rise in the name of Allah! Not one person from us will turn his Back on you1” The Prophet (s.a.) was very pleased with this reply and said:

“By Allah!

Now I see the spots

With my eyes where the

Enemies will fall dead!”

Ref: Tareeq e Tabari, Vol2, Paghe 140

The Prophet (s.a.) had a small contingent of 313 men, of whom there were 77 Mohajirs and the rest were the Ansars. They left Madina and stayed at a little distance from the Well of Badr. They did have a fear that the enemy might make a surprise attack by the night. As a precaution he had asked Hazrat Ali (a.s.), Saad bin Abi Waqas and Zubair ibne Awam to recnnoitre the location of the enemy by going a little forward. Surveying the surroundings the three reached near the well of Badr and spotted some men there.Seeing them the other men fled. Hazrat Ali (a.s.) chased them and captured two of the men who were slaves. The companions, seeing them, gathered around them.and asked as to who they were? They said that they were the watermen of the Qureish and had gone to the well in search of water. Hearing the name of the Qureish, the companions lost their temper and started beating the men trying to make them reveal that they were not the slaves of the Qureish but were the men of Abu Sufian. Out of fear they confessed that they were the men of Abu Sufian. The Prophet (s.a.) was busy offering his prayer. After finishing the prayer he said that it is very strange that they tell the truth, you beat them, and leave them when they tell a lie. These certainly are the men of the Qureish. The Prophet (s.a.) himself interrogated them and they revealed that they had no knowledge about the whereabouts of the Caravan of Abu Sufian. They also said that the Qureish army was camped about three miles from Badr. About the numbers they said they had no correct idea, but every time they are slaughtering 9 to 10 camels! The Prophet (s.a.) made an estimation from this information that they will be about 900 to1,000 men. Then he asked who were the chiefs among them. The men told the names of some prominent chiefs of Qureish. At this the Prophet (s.a. ) said that Makka had sent forth pieces of its heart for the campaign!

Hearing about the arrival and location of the Qureish, the Muslims moved towards the Well of Badr. The Qureish army was camping at the periphery of the valley of Badr on a hillock of sand. They were about a thousand men and had 700 camels and 300 horses with them. They had plenty of spears, swords and other implements of war. Against this, the Muslims were lesser in numbers and very weak in the matter of materials. They had very few swords and aromors. They had 70 camels and and 2 horses. Where they had camped, the feet were sinking down into the sand. It was Divine help that it showered hard during the night and the sand got consolidated. They also collected plenty of drinking water. With this Divine help the sagging morale of the Muslims improved! They all prepared themselves to face the enemy with courage! Ibne Athir, Tabari and other historians have written about the happenings at the Battle of Badr that when the Prophet (s.a.) arrived at Badr, Saad ibne Ma-az said ,“O Prophet of Allah (s.a.)! We prepare a thatch with the leaves of the date palm so that you can sit in its shade! Near the shack will be in readiness your steed. If we overwhelm the enemy, there is no problem. In the event of our defeat you can proceed fast to Madina on the horse! There our men will defend you. If they had known that you are going out for a battle, they wouldn’t have stayed back!” The Prophet (s.a.) prayed for the welfare of Saad and asked him to erect the shack and stayed in that.

If Darayat is kept in mind while judging the veracity of the narrations, then this narration cannot be trusted at its face value. It is neither supported by the events of the Battle of Badr nor it is commensurate with the character of the prophet (s.a.) that the world knows of. First of all, from where could Saad get so many date palm leaves to be able to erect a shack in the desert sands. Therefore Ibne Abil Hadeed writes:

“I am very surprised at the matter

Of the shack. From where did he get

Sufficient number of date palm leaves

To build the shack when in the soil

Of Badr no date palms grow!”

Ref: Shara Ibne Abi Hadeed, Vol 3, Page 330

If it is said that he had brought them from Madina, it sounds ridiculous that why he brought so many palm leaves all the way? As such the party was short of draught animals and it would be laughable to carry along the palm leaves from there. Besides this, it has always beeen the wont of the Prophet (s.a.) that he always wanted to be the same way as all the others in his party and never accepted any special treatment for himself. He took active part in the physical work of the construction of the mosque and in digging the trenches. Also it was tne need of the leadership that he moved shoulder to shoulder with the Muslims without seeking or accepting any special treatment! And in the battles, everything depends on the spirit and the Spiritual Strength of the commander! Then how could it be imagined that the Prophet s.a.) instead of joining the ranks of the brave warriors, kept sitting comfortably in a shack! Not only this, but in the event of defeat the suggestion that the Prophet (s.a.) would have a fast steed waiting for him near the shack to escape to Madina leaving behind his defeated companions to the mercy of the enemy! It is the most unimaginable act that could ever be suggested to the Prophet (s.a.)! The events of Badr are the proof that the Prophet (s.a.) spent his time organizing the troops in formations, arranging the left and the right flanks (Maimana wa Maisara), and issued orders from time to time depending on the fast changingcircumstances. He identified the spots where the prominent men from the ranks of the enemy fell and held the command like an experienced commander. Allama Tabari writes:

“On the Day of Badr the Prophet (s.a.)

Was seen chasing the enemies with

His unsheathed sword, reciting the Verse

‘Soon the enemy army will face defeat

And flee showing their backs!’”

Ref: Tareeq e Tabari, Vol 2, Page 172

All these affairs cannot be conducted sitting away from his men in a comfortable shack. For the accomplishment of all these affairs, and prediction of victory and success, which were certainly according to a Revelation from Allah, no question arises of making arrangements to flee in the event of defeat! Hazrat Ameer al Momineen (a.s.) has thrown light on the activities of the Prophet (s.a). on the Day of Badr:

“When the Day of Badr came, and

People assembled, we took shelter under

The Prophet (s.a.), his majesty was dominating

And was in the vicinity of the enemy

More than all of us!”

Ref: Tareeq e Tabari, Vol 2, Page 135

It is evident from this statement that instead of preferring the shack, or thinking of escape in the event of defeat, the Prophet ( s.a.) was all the time controlling the theatre of the war and functioning as a commander who doen’t get any thought of the possible defeat! The last part of the narrative , where Saad says,“If those who remained back in Madina had known that you were coming out for a war, they wouldn’t have stayed back” , is a reflection of the weakness of the narrative. The Revelation of the Quran has clearly indicated that one group was feeling uneasy about the the war and that they were being pushed to meet death. If they had no idea of the impending war, why there was so much scare and fear.

In the army of Qureish too there were persons who were not so much against the Prophet (s.a.). Despite their infidelity, they had some consideration for the person of the Prophet (s.a.). Some of such persons had already embraced Islam but had not declared their Faith. They didn’t want to participate in the war but Qureish forced them to join up. The Prophet (s.a.) thought it proper to warn his men about such people. He said that some persons from Bani Hashim and others are in the ranks of the army of the infidels but they have no enmity or wish to fight with us. Therefore if any of you come across Abul Bakhtari ibne Harith, Abbas ibne Abd al Mutallib or anyone from Bani Hashim, you should not kill them because they have been forcibly recruited to fight with us.” After this announcement of the Prophet (s.a.) some persons winced and expressed their unhappiness. Therefore Abu Huzaifa Ibne Utba told to the Prophet (s.a.) that he wanted them to put to sword their relatives and he wanted them to leave Abbas alive. He swore on Allah, that if he came face to face with Abbas, he would kill him.The Prophet (s.a.) asked Omer if he heard what Huzaifa had said. Will he strike my uncle with his sword? Hazrat Omer said:

“O Prophet of Allah (s.a.)

Allow me to cut his head

With my sword. He is an

Hypocrite!”

Ref: Tareeq e Tabari, Vol 2, Page 151

After these necessary instructions, the men were arranged in the left and the right flanks in proper order. The Standard of the Ansar was given to Saad ibne Ibada and that of the Mohajirs was handed over to Ali ibne Abi Talib (a.s.). Ibne Katir writes:

“The Prophet (s.a.) gave the Standard

On the Day of Badr to Ali ibne Abi Talib (a.s.)

When he was twenty years old.”

Ref: Al Badaya wal Nihaya, Vol 7, Page 223

The enemies too organized their men. Otba ibne Rubiah, his brother Shaiba and his son Walid came forward from the ranks of the Qureish and called for hand to hand combat. From the troops of Islam Auf ibne Harith, maooz ibne Harith and Abd Allah ibne Rawaha went forward to fight. Otba asked, who they were? They replied that they were the Ansars from Madina. Otba knit his brows and said that they were not of the same status as he was and that they should go back to their lines. He addressed the Prophet,“Ya Mohammed ! Send men in status equal to us to fight! Men who are from our Tribe !” The three volunteers returned back to their positions. When the prophet (s.a.) saw this conceited attitude of the Qureish, that they didn’t rate the Ansars equal to themselves, he sent Obaida ibne Harith, Hamza ibne Abd al Mutallib and Ali ibne Abi Talib (a.s.). Otba was demanding that Qureish be sent to fight with him. The Prophet (s.a) not only deputed the Qureish but the tallest figures of Bani Hashim, the progeny of Abd al Mutallib! He did this to prevent others from saying that in partiality he was trying to protect his kinsmen! At that time Hazrat Obaida was 70 years old, Ali (a.s.) was a youth who had no experience of warfare and was coming to a theatre of war for the first time. When Otba knew that Ali (a.s.), Obaida and Hamza had come to fight him, he said that he had a match to confront him in battle. Hazrat Obaida went forward to fight with Otba, Hazrat Hamza with Shaiba and Hazrat Ali (a.s.) with Walid. Walid tried to attack Ali (a.s.) but he sent an arrow to incapacitate him. After getting hit by the arrow, Walid went to the side of his father to take his support. But before he reached Otba, the son of Abu Talib (a.s.) surrounded him in such a way that he couldn’t save himself from Ali (a.s.)’s sword and slept unto death before reaching the lap of his father. When Ameer al Momineen (a.s.) was through with Walid, the Muslims called him that Shaiba was overwhelming his uncle Hamza. He noticed that both were lying exhausted on the ground with their swords blunted and the shields shattered. He went forward and attacked Shaiba and severed his head with the sword. Now Hazrat Ali (a.s.) and Hazrat Hamza turned towards Otba who was busy combating with Hazrat Obaida. They noticed that Obaida was injured and unable to stand the onslaught any more. When Otba was about to martyr him, the swords of Hamza and Ali (a.s.) severed the head of Otba. Hazrat Obaida was severely injured and Hazrat Ali (a.s.) and Hazrat Hamza carried him to where the Prophet (s.a.) was stationed. He saw that a leg of Hazrat Obaida was almost completely amputated and the pith was oozing from the cut. He put Obaida’s head in his lap and tears fell from his eyes on Obaida’s face. He opened his eyes and said,“O Prophet (s.a.)! Will I be raised with the Martyrs?” The Prophet (s.a.) said,“Yes! You will be counted with the martyrs!” Obaida added, “How I wish Abu Talib was around to see that we didn’t let his words go in vain:

“We shall surrender Mohammed (s.a.)

to the enemies only when we die fighting

before him and we become oblivious

Of the memory of our wife and

Children!”

Obaida, while returning from Badr, died either at the Valley of Raw-aa or Safra and was interred there.

The killing of the renowned braves of the Qureish made the morale of their troops sink to a very low ebb. When Abu Jahl saw their morale running very low, he shouted to egg them on! Taeema ibne Adi got motivated.He went like a wild elephant to the arena. Hazrat Ali (a.s.) hit him with his lance. The giant couldn’t control his balance and fell down. He turned on the ground for a while and breathed his last. Hazrat Ali (a.s.) said:

“By Allah! After today he will not

come to fight with us about

Allah with hatred in his heart!”

Ref: Aalaam al Wara, Page 89

After Taeeema, Aas ibne Saeed came fully armored to the arena..Hazrat Ali (a.s.) killed him too with a stroke of the sword. Then Abd Allah ibne Manzar and Harmala ibne Omer came with great vigor. Both became the victims of Ali (a.s.)’s sword. Similar was the fate of Hanzala. Hazrat gave such a blow of his sword on his head that it shattered into two. This Hanzala was the son of Abu Sufian and Muawiya’s brother. Before him, his maternal grand father, Otba, uncle Walid were killed by Hazrat Ali (a.s).When during the caliphate of Hazrat Ali (a.s.), Muawiya threatened him of war, he reminded him of the fate of his grand father, uncle and brother in the Battle of Badr. He wrote:

“I am none other than Abul Hassan

Who killed Otba,, your grand father,Walid your

Uncle and Hanzala your brother on

The day of Badr”

Ref: Nahj al Balagha

Because of the killing of these eminent persons of the army of the infidels, there was total chaos in their ranks and men were scared of coming forward for man to man combats. They realized that if they came to the arena alone, none will be spared by the sword of Ali (a.s.). Therefore, now they started attacking in groups. The Muslims, seeing their increasing numbers of combatants coming forward, wanted to move forward too. But the Prophet (s.a.) ordered to maintain their order and attack the Qureish with arrows only. He prayed to Allah:

“Oallah! If this group of Muslims gets killed,

then on the face of the Earth there won’t

Remain any to worship You ! O Allah!

Fulfill Your Promise of Succor and victory!”

Ref: Tareeq eKamil, Vol2,, Page 87

He took a nap of sleep, opened his eyes and said,“Thanks to Allah! He has answered my prayers and Has sent the Angels to help us!” Therefore Allah says in the Holy Book:

“When you were pleading with your Sustainer,

He accepted your prayer and replied that a thousand

Angels would come in droves for your help.”

When the Qureish threw arrows, in reply to arrows, and came near to the troops of Islam, the Prophet (s.a.) ordered his men to attack them in full vigor now. Therefore the swords were unsheathed , the bows twanged and arrows were released. The fight was so intense that the arena was echoing with the sounds of the clash of swords and the hiss of the flying arrows. The Muslims went on forward killing the infidels. Alas, the onslaught of Hazrat Ali (a.s.) and Hazrat Hamza disheartened the enemy ranks. They went helter skelter as a flock of sheep attacked by a tiger. Saad says:

“I saw Ali (a.s.) fight on the Day of Badr.

From his chest came a sound like

neighing of a horse and was constantly

reciting martial poetry. When he returned

His sword was red with blood!”

Ref: Kanz al Amal, Vol 5, Paage 270

During the battle, Naufil ibne Khawilad, a mortal enemy of the Prophet (s.a.) passed in front of Hazrat Ali (a.s.). He gave Naufil such a blow of the sword that it cut the helmet and shattered the head of the infidel and cut his jaw. With the next blow both his legs were cut. The Prophet (s.a.) was pleased that the enemy of Allah was killed. And said,“Thanks to Allah ! He has answered my prayers!” .The battle was in its last stages. The infidels’ morale had totally vanished. Abu Jahl, his brother Aas ibne Hisham and other chiefs of Qureish had been slaughtered. The enemy was in the last throes of defeat. Around dusk they had abandoned arms and fled leaving behind their materials. The Muslims chased them and, instead of killing them, took them captive with the idea of collecting ransom from the Qureish. When Saad ibne Ma-az saw that the Muslims were taking the infidels captive instead of killing them, he was very upset.and told to the Prophet (s.a.):

“O Prophet of Allah! This has been

the first occasion when Allah gave

us victory over the infidsels. Instead

of leaving them alive, I would

prefer crushing them!”

Ref: Tariq e Kaamil, Vol 2, Page 88

Seventy bodies of the infidels were scattered in the arena. The Prophet (s.a.) got them thrown into the Well of Badr and addressing them said,”I saw the truth in Allah’s promise! Did you find the promise of your gods true?” Some people said,“O Prophet of Allah! Do you speak with the dead? Do they hear us talk?” He said:

“They hear my talk more clearly than you do,

But they have no faculty to reply!”

Ref: Tareeq e Kamil, Vol 2, Page 90

After accomplishing these tasks the Prophet (s.a.) ordered all the booty of war to be collected in one place.Some natures didn’t like this arrangement. They wished that, according to Arab custom, whatever booty anyone got, it was his rightful possession. But the Prophet (s.a.) didn’t permit this and put the entire collection in the charge of Abd Allah ibne Kaab. The captive infidels were sent to Madina. When they reached the valley of Safra, he got the booty equally divided among all the men. This task could also have been done after reaching Madina, but perhaps some persons were becoming restless and it was thought good to be done with the booty. On reaching Madina he arranged for the captives to be accommodated with different persons.and instructed them to give humane treatment to the men. Therefore, as long as they were in the custody of the Muslims, they were treated well. The captives too acknowledged this fact. Those captives who were men of worth, arranged for the ransom money. The poor were released without paying any ransom. At the time of the Annunciation of the Prophet (s.a.) there were only 17 literate Qureish. Feeling the need for literacy, such of those captives who were literate and poor, he ordered them to teach reading and writing to small groups of, say ten, children, after which they would be released from captivity! There is also a narrative about the captives of Badr that the Prophet (s.a.) consulted Hazrat Abu Bakar, Hazrat Omer and Hazrat Ali (a.s.) whether they should be killed or ransomed. Hazrat Abu Bakr opined that they should be released on payment of ransom. Hazrat Omer was against this idea:

“By Allah! I don’t agree with this view

Of Abu Bakr! You must order me that

I behead so and so! Ask Hamza to

Kill his brother Abbas and ask Ali (a.s.)

that he kills Aqeel!”

Ref: Tareeq e Tabari, Vol 2, Page 169

The Prophet (s.a.) through his Ijtehad, decided not to act on the suggestion of Hazrat Omer and preferred Hazrat Abu Bakar’s suggestion of releasing the captives on payment of ransom money. On the day following the decision, Omer came to the Prophet (s.a.) and found him and Abu Bakar crying. He asked,“Why are you two crying? If there is something on accout of which you are crying, please let me know that I could join you too!” The Prophet (s.a.) said that because of accepting the ransom I find retribution hovering as near as the tree here (pointing towards the tree in the neighborhood). He also said that the following Verse too has been Revealed:

“The Prophet (s.a.) should not make

enemies captive without lot of bloodshed.

You want wealth and Allah wishes

the betterment of the Hereafter.

Allah is Dominant and Wise.

If Allah’s Guidance wasn’t there from before,

you would have gathered something.

That would bring you lot of Retribution.”

Hazrat Omer says that because of collection of ransom, the Prophet (s.a.) lost seventy companions, the very next year in the Battle of Ohod and seventy more were taken captive by the enemy. The Prophet (s.a.) also lost his tooth , his face was injured and his companions left his company.

It needs consideration why the Prophet (s.a.) had to consult his companions. Isn’t there clear instruction in the Holy Book about the matter? No. The Quran clearly says about the prisoners of war to take ransom from the captives and release them. Therefore the Quran says:

“When you fight with infidels,

kill them. When you make them

thoroughly injured, tie them up. Then

release them in kindness or take ransom and

free them. Do this till the enemy puts down

his arms!”

This is a Verse from Sura Mohammed (s.a.) and was revealed before the Battle of Badr. Therefore, the Quran had provided instructions about treatment of the captives ahead of the Day of Badr , and the Prophet (s.a.) released some of the captives on payment of ransom, some on providing instruction on reading-and-writing to the children and some others he released in kindness because they were poor persons. When all this was done in accordance with the prior instructions of Allah, then what was the question of any reprimand? When there was Divine Nass what was the need of consulting the companions about treatment to the captives of war? And about Omer suggesting that Hamza kill Abbas, Ali (a.s.) kill Aqeel, we don’t know what reply the Prophet (s.a.) gave to him. This suggestion came afer hearing the Prohet (s.a) before the battle commenced that the Muslims should exercise care to see that none of the Bani Hashim or Abbas in the enemy ranks were killed. And this suggestion coming from Omer who, when Huzaifa thought of killing Abbas, called Huzaifa a munafiq (hypocrite). Had all these ideas escaped from Omer’s mind or for him killing the persons was not legitimate in the theatre of war and it became legitimate later on!

If this narrative is accepted that because of accepting the ransom, and releasing the men, retribution was hovering around, then the Prophet (s.a.) could have abrogated the acceptance of the ransom and arranged for the execution of the captives. Because the ransom money would take lot of days and the event took place immediately after the battle was over.In fact the history records that it took about two months for the ransom money to arrive. And also terming the happenings of the Battle of Ohod as a retribution for the acceptance of ransom and release of the captives also sounds strange. Anyway, this is a concoted narrative and the reason for the concotion to cover the shame of the desertion of the Companions (including some very prominent names) from the Battle Field of Ohod! They want to make an excuse that if the Prophet (s.a.) had not released the captives at Badr by taking ransom, the event of the desertion of the Comapnions wouldn’t have taken place! They also contend that the reprimanding Verse too was revealed as a consequence of the release of the prisoners although, there is not the slightest indication towards the Prophet (s.a.) in the said Verse

Shah Wali Allah blames the Companions of not killing the deserting infidels, making them captives and extracting ransom from them. He writes:

“The Companions were inclined towards

taking ransom from the captives. Although

Allah wished that the root of infidelity

was destroyed. Because of this they were

reprimanded and then pardoned!”

Ref: Hujjat Allah al Balagha, Vol 2, Page 573

Craving for wealth and riches is a human failing but where the strengthening of the Faith against the Infidels is concerned, the material gains have always to be forgone. This tendency of running after wealth in the Arabs couldn’t be curbed very much even after the advent of Islam. Therefore, in the beginning the Companions were preferring to attack the Caravan of Abu Sufian to plunder its rich merchandise rather than meet the army of the infidels in the battle! The men also took the infidels captive instead of killing them with the same purpose of getting the ransom from them. Once the captives were shifted to Madina, they were not in the arena of war and the only alternative left was to release them on taking ransom from them. It was the right thing to do according to the Verse of Sura e Mohammed (s.a.).

In this Ghazwa the infidels were shamed absolutely. They lost seventy men and seventy were taken prisoner. The rest fled. Muslims lost only 14 men, of whom six were Mohajirs and eight Ansar. The infidels getting killed at the hands of Ameer al Momineen (a.s.) numbered thirty five. This was half the total number of casualties suffered by the enemy. He accounted particularly for the chiefs of the Qureish, Viz: Shaiba, Walid, Hanzala, Naufil ibne Khawilad, Aas ibne Saeed, Mughira ibne Walid, etc. The victims dying at the hands of Hazrat Ali (a.s.) is the evidence of the fact that he was not enamored of the ransom nor he had chased the deserters from the ranks of the infidels. He was busy all the time in uprooting the strength of the infidels through his exploits. If the Muslims were defeated in this battle, they would have suffered extreme feelings of inferiority and lack of valor and bravery would cause them abject defeat.But the victory at Badr got Muslims the recognition as a force to reckon with! This victory, that was the victory of truth, justice and equality had the greatest contribution coming from Hazrat Ameer al Momineen (a.s.) through his chivalry and bravery!

This battle was fought on Friday, 17 Ramadan, 2H..