The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume II — Page 118
Seal of the Prophets - Volume II 118 to death, which they could see before their eyes. And O ye Muslims! Remember the time when Allāh the Almighty promised that you would definitely attain victory over one of the two parties of the disbelievers (the army and the caravan), and you hoped for your encounter to take place with that group which would cause you less difficulty and hardship (i. e. , the caravan). However, (by having you fight the army) Allāh desired to fulfill his prophecy by establishing the truth and to cut off the root of the disbelievers (by destroying the leaders of the disbelievers) 1. . . . . And remember when you had reached the nearer bank of the valley of Badr, and the army of the Quraish was on the farther bank (i. e. , the both of you happened to encounter each other), and the caravan was below you (and escaped to Makkah, i. e. , the caravan escaped, while you suddenly encountered the army, and all of this was due to divine control). And if it were left upon you to decide the time of battle (due to your being weak in terms of worldly means), you definitely would have differed regarding the time (i. e. , although some of you would say that they are prepared to fight in any state, but there definitely would have been some to emphasize that the time of battle should be pushed back, so that they might develop full strength and then encounter the enemy for battle). However, (by bringing about your encounter with the Quraish) Allāh desired to accomplish the thing that He had decreed (i. e. , so that He may fulfill the prophecy He had made regarding the destruction of the leaders of the disbelievers). . . . . And then remember the time when in the field of battle, Allāh the Exalted made the disbelievers appear to you as few in your eyes (so that you would not lose heart), and made you appear as few in their eyes (so that they do not flee from battle either), and this was so that God might bring about the thing which He had decreed. And undoubtedly, to Allāh are all affairs referred (i. e. , the supreme power of all things are in His hand and He may move the course of events however He so desires). ” 2 These Qur’ānic verses which have been unanimously accepted as relating to the battle of Badr, and I have added some words in order to elaborate upon their translation, present the following conclusive results: FIRSTLY: When the Holy Prophet sa set out from Madīnah, there was a party from among the believers who considered this to be a difficult and sensitive task. SECONDLY: It was a desire of the believers to encounter the 1 Al-Anfāl (8:6-8) 2 Al-Anfāl (8:43-45)