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destroy all the other wells so that they will be deprived of the water.” The Prophet (Peace be upon
him) approved of his plan and agreed to carry it out, which they actually did at midnight.
Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh suggested that a trellis be built for the Prophet (Peace be upon him) to function as
headquarters for the Muslim army and a place providing reasonable protection for the leader. Sa‘d
began to justify his proposal and said that if they had been victorious, then everything would be
satisfactory. In case of defeat, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) would not be harmed and he could
go back to Madinah where there were more people who loved him and who would have come for
help if they had known that he was in that difficult situation, so that he would resume his job, hold
counsel with them and they would strive in the cause of Allâh with him again and again.
A squad of guards was also chosen from amongst the Helpers under the leadership of the same
man, Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh, in order to defend the Prophet (Peace be upon him) in his headquarters.
The Prophet (Peace be upon him) spent the whole n ight preceding the day of the battle in prayer
and supplication. The Muslim army, wearied with their long march, enjoyed sound and refreshing
sleep, a mark of the Divine favour and of the state of their undisturbed minds.
·
“(Remember) when He covered you with a slumber as a security from Him, and He
caused rain to descend on you from the sky, to clean you thereby and to remove from you
the
Rijz
(whispering, evil suggestions, etc.) of Satan, and to strengthen your hearts, and
make your feet firm thereby.” [8:11]
That was Friday night, Ramadan 17th., the year 2 A.H.
In the morning, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) called his men to offer the prayers and then urged
them to fight in the way of Allâh. As the sun rose over the desert, the Prophet(Peace be upon him)
drew up his little army, and pointing with an arrow which he held in his hand, arranged the ranks.
Quraish, on the other hand, positioned their forces in Al-‘Udwat Al-Quswa opposite the Muslim lines.
A few of them approached, in a provocative deed, to draw water from the wells of Badr, but were all
shot dead except one, Hakeem bin Hizam, who later became a devoted Muslim. ‘Umair bin Wahab
Al-Jumahi, in an attempt to reconnoiter the power of the Muslims, made a scouting errand and
submitted a report saying that the Muslim army numbered as many as 300 men keen on fighting to
the last man. On another reconnaissance mission he came to the conclusion that neither
reinforcements were coming nor ambushes laid. He understood that they were too brave to
surrender and too intent on carrying out their military duties to withdraw without slaying the largest
number possible of the polytheists. This report as well as kindred relations binding the two
belligerent parties together, slackened the desire to fight among some of the Quraishites. To
counteract this reason-based opposition advocated by a rival of his, ‘Utbah bin Rabi‘a and others,
Abu Jahl started an anti-campaign seeking vengeance on Muhammad’s followers for the Quraishites
killed at Nakhlah. In this way, h e managed to thwart the opposite orientation, and manipulated the
people to see his evil views only.
When the two parties approached closer and were visible to each other, the Prophet (Peace be upon
him) began supplicating Allâh “O Allâh! The conceited and haughty Quraishites are already here
defying You and belying Your Messenger. O Allâh! I am waiting for Your victory which You have
promised me. I beseech You Allâh to defeat them (the enemies).” He also gave strict orders that his
men would not start fighting until he gave them his final word. He recommended that they use their
arrows sparingly and never resort to sword unless the enemies came too close.
Abu Jahl also prayed for victory, saying: “Our Lord, whichever of the two parties was less kind to his
relatives, and brought us what we do not know, then destroy him tomorrow.”. They were confident
ththeir superior number, equipment and experience would be decisive. The Noble Qur’ân, with a
play on the word, told them that the decision had come, and thevictory — but not in the sense they
had hoped for:
·
“(O disbelievers) if you ask for a judgement, now has the judgement come unto you and if
you cease (to do wrong), it will be better for you, and if you return (to the attack), so shall
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