Basic HTML Version
103
3. ‘Abdur-Rahman bin ‘Awf and Omaiyah bin Khalaf had been close friends during the pre-
Islamic era. When the battle of Badr ended, ‘Abdur-Rahman saw Omaiyah and his son
among the captives. He threw away the armour he had as spoils, and walked with them
both. Bilal, the Prophet’s caller for prayer, saw Omaiyah and soon all the torture he had
been put to at the hand of this man dawned upon him, and swore he would have revenge on
Omaiyah. ‘Abdur-Rahman tried to ease the tension and address embarrassing situation
amicably but with no success. The Muslims gathered around and struck Omaiyah’s son with
swords. At this point, ‘Abdur-Rahman called upon his old friend to run for his life but he was
put to swords from different people and lay down dead. ‘Abdur-Rahman, completely helpless
and resigned said: May Allâh have mercy on Bilal, for he deprived me of the spoils, and I
have been stricken by the death of my two captives.
4. On the moral level, the battle of Badr was an inescapable conflict between the forces of
good and those of evil. In this context, ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab did not spare the life of any
polytheist even his uncle on the maternal side Al-‘As bin Hisham bin Al-Mugheerah.
5. Abu Bakr shouted at his son ‘Abdur-Rahman, still a polytheist and fighting with them,
“Where is my wealth, you wicked boy?” The son answered that it was gone with the wind.
6. When the battle ended, the Muslims began to hold some polytheists in captivity. The
Prophet (Peace be upon him) looked into the face of Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh, the Head of the
Prophet’s guards, and understood that he was hateful to taking the enemy elements as
prisoners. Sa‘d agreed to what the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said and added that it was
the first victory for the Muslims over the forces of polytheism, and he had more liking for
slaying them than sparing their lives.
7. On the day of Badr, the sword of ‘Ukashah bin Mihsan Al-Asdi broke down so the Prophet
(Peace be upon him) gave him a log of wood which he shook and it immediately turned into
a long strong white sword. ‘Ukashah went on using that same sword in most of the Islamic
conquests until he died in the process of the apostasy wars.
8. When the war activities had been concluded, Mus‘ab bin ‘Umair Al-‘Abdari saw his brother,
still a polytheist, being handcuffed by a Ansari. Mus‘ab recommended that the Helper tighten
the knot for the prisoner’s mother was wealthy enough to ransom her son. ‘Abu ‘Aziz,
Mus‘ab’s brother, tried to appeal to his brother through the family ties, but the latter firmly
replied that the Helper was more eligible for brotherhood than him.
9. When the Prophet (Peace be upon him) ordered that the corpses of the polytheists be
dropped into an empty well, Abu Hudhaifah bin ‘Utbah looked sadly at his dead father, who
fought on the side of the polytheists. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) noticed that and
asked him about it. Hudhaifah said that he had never held the least doubt that his father
met his fate deservedly, but added that he wished he had been guided to the path of Islam,
and that is why he felt sad. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) whispered in his ears some
comforting words.
The outcome of the battle was as aforementioned an ignominious rout for the polytheists and a
manifest victory for the Muslims. Fourteen Muslims were killed, of whom six were from the
Emigrants and eight from the Helpers. The polytheists sustained heavy casualties, seventy were
killed and a like number taken prisoners. Many of the principal men of Makkah, and some of
Muhammad ’s bitterest opponents, were among the slain. Chief of these was Abu Jahl.
On the third day, the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) went out to look at the slain
polytheists, and said:
·
“What an evil tribe you were as regards your Prophet, you belied me but the others have
believed; you let me down while the others have supported me; you expelled m, whereas
the others have sheltered me.”
He stood over the bodies of twenty-four leaders of Quraish who had been thrown into one of the
wells, and started to call them by name and by the names of their fathers, saying: “Would it not
have been much better for you if you had obeyed Allâh and His Messenger? Behold, we have found
that our Lord’s promise do come true; did you (also) find that the promises of your Lord came
true?” Thereupon, ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab said: “O Messenger of Allâh! Why you speak to bodies that
have no souls in them?” The Prophet (Peace be upon him) answered: “By Him in Whose hand is
Muhammad ’s soul! You do not hear better what I am saying than they do.”
REACTION IN MAKKAH:
The polytheists having received a large dose of disciplining and heavy defeat, fled away in great
disorder in the vales and hillocks heading for Makkah panicked and too ashamed to see their people.
Ibn Ishaq related that the first herald of bad tidings was Al-Haisaman bin ‘Abdullah Al-Khuza‘i. He
narrated to them how their notables were killed. People there did not believe him at first and
thought that he had gone mad, but soon the news was confirmed and a state of incredible
Click on View to read this book online under free books www.islamicbulletin.com