the Prophet, while imploring his Lord passionately went into a trance and was actually shown the outcome of the Battle, with the Muslims achieving a clean and decisive victory over their Quraysh adversaries. The Prophet (peace be upon him) conveyed this to the Muslim troops, and their morale was boosted greatly. He told them he was shown who and where many of the Quraysh nobles would fall and be killed. This was an outstanding miracle of the Prophet (peace be upon him), because those whom he had said would be killed of the Quraysh nobles were indeed killed on that day, and fell precisely on the spots he had indicated for them.
4. STRIKING FEATURES OF BADR
As we have seen, Badr was accompanied by many phenomena that could be described as supernatural; such as we have referred to above. On the other hand, it was also marked by actions and events, which could be described, as superhuman. Some of what the Muslims did and said seemed truly superhuman.
a. First and foremost, we have seen the fortitude and stamina of the Prophet (peace be upon him), walking at the age of fifty-four, at least two-thirds of the distance between Madīnah and Badr, a distance of more than eighty miles, during Ramaḍān and the hot season. We have seen his humility and modesty, his compassion for his Companions, and his regard and respect for their opinions and wishes.
b. Then we must praise the high mindedness and the utter devotion and dedication of the Muhājirīn. They joined the campaign almost to a man, none opting to stay behind, despite the long struggle, the suffering and the hardships they had been through, since the inception of Islam.
c. We must also praise the high-mindedness of the Anṣār, who were not confused or deterred by the changing situation, and who were ready and willing to amend their contractual obligation to support and defend the Prophet (peace be upon him). We must also praise the Anṣār for honouring the commitment made on their behalf by their chief, Saʿd ibn Muʿādh, even though they had not been consulted on the matter.
d. There was the example of ʿUmayr of Banū Zahrah of the Muhājirīn, who was only fifteen years old, and who implored the Prophet (peace be upon him) to let him participate in the fight, and who had stood on his toe in order to appear taller than he was.
e. There was the case of Sawād ibn Ghazīyah of the Anṣār, who received a light pinch from the Prophet’s arrow in his belly, because he was standing outside the line. Sawād protested that he had been hurt and wanted to have retaliation from the person of the Prophet (peace be upon him). The Prophet (peace be upon him) immediately agreed and uncovered his gracious body so that Sawād could give him a prick, tit for tat. However, Sawād had something totally different in mind; for his real motive was to have a chance to kiss the body of the Prophet, lest he might fall a martyr. We also take note of the Prophet’s keen sense of justice, his humility, his compassion for his Companions and his disregard for his personal rights and privileges, his complete disinterestedness and absolute altruism.
f. There was the story of ʿUmayr ibn al-Humām, of Banū Salamah, who was eating some dates out of his hand when he heard the Prophet (peace be upon him) saying: ‘No man shall fight them today with forbearance and for God’s sake, going forward against them and get killed, save that he will be taken to Paradise.” ʿUmayr, hearing that, said: ‘Bakhin! Bakhin! Is it not the case that nothing stands between me and Paradise except those people killing me?’ Then he threw away those dates and fought until he was killed.
g. Another Muslim, by the name of ʿAwf ibn al-Ḥārith asked the Prophet (peace be upon him): ‘What is it that makes God quite pleased with his servant?’ (Literally: What makes God laugh out of pleasure with his servant). ‘For him to fight bare-bodied against the unbelievers,’ replied the Prophet (peace be upon him). ʿAwf ibn al-Ḥārith took off his armour and fought the enemy, bare-bodied until he was killed.
h. There was also the example of Abū Bakr, the most tender hearted of the Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him). He fought his own son ʿAbd al-Raḥmān who chose to side with the Quraysh: ‘What happened to my money (in Makkah) evil-hearted man.’ ‘It has all gone! O old man,’ replied ʿAbd al-Raḥmān. Later ʿAbd al-Raḥmān became a Muslim and once mentioned the battle of Badr. ‘You know, father, I could have killed you at Badr, because I had more than one chance of doing that but I spared you.’ Said ʿAbd al-Raḥmān. ‘By Him in whose hands is my soul, had I found one chance of killing you, I wouldn’t have spared you,’ reported Abū Bakr.
5. WHY WERE THE QURAYSH DEFEATED?
Despite their superior military strength, the Quraysh were defeated for the following reasons:
a. First of all, they had no just cause. If the Prophet (peace be upon him) took the offensive against them at Badr, attacking their commercial caravan, they had before that committed many acts of aggression against the interests of the Muslims, not least among these was the appropriation of the Muslim’s wealth and property at Makkah during the Hijrah.
b. The Quraysh lacked a unified command, and they had no unity of purpose. Actually they were divided on the issue of resorting to fighting, when their caravan reached Makkah safely. There were ʿhawks’ and ʿdoves’ among them.
c. God was against them, and so were the hosts of God and the angels. How could they win a war against God?
d. The Muslims were united, determined to uphold the banner of Islam, and settle scores with their foes. Moreover, there was the prospect of entering Paradise if they achieved martyrdom. They had a mission and a divine call, and they were eager to see the word of God rule supreme. The Quraysh had no such goals or ambitions.
6. WHAT WERE THE MAIN RESULTS OF BADR?
Badr represented the sweetest of the Muslims’ victories. It represented a turning point in the history of Islam, when the hard times experienced by the Muslims began to change for the better. It was a battle with the most far-reaching consequences.1
a. Quraysh military might was largely destroyed!
b. Their image in Arabia, especially among the power-conscious Bedouins, was considerably tarnished.
c. The Muslims of Madīnah gained tremendously in recognition and prestige, and were put in a much stronger position to pursue further the task of building a community and Ummah dedicated to the worship of God alone, as well as the realization of the ideals of brotherhood, justice and equality.
d. Although Badr did not mark the end of the military power of the Quraysh, nor even the end of their capacity to start fresh military hostilities, yet it considerably weakened their resolve and morale. The weakening of their general military strength would become apparent in their coming offensives against the Muslims.
e. The loss of such prominent Quraysh leaders such as Abū Jahl and ʿUtbah would be keenly felt, when the Quraysh planned the next expedition against the Muslims. Abū Jahl represented the motive force for the Quraysh whereas ʿUtbah represented their brainpower.
f. Moreover, the life-line of Quraysh trade was cut by the battle of Badr. No caravan could, after Badr, venture outside of Makkah. Yet the trade with Syria and the Mediterranean ports constituted the bulk of the Quraysh trade, an eventuality which also meant that their economic power was considerably weakened in the wake of Badr.
g. One of the important lessons of Badr is that the sheer number of troops is not the decisive factor in achieving victory. The Quraysh troops were three times as many as the Muslim troops. They were by far the better equipped and the better trained in the arts of warfare.
h. Although supernatural phenomena attended Badr,
