The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume II — Page 139
IV - Battle of Badr, Establishment of the Islāmic Empire and Destruction of the Chieftains of the Quraish 139 would oversee matters of administration. ‘Āṣim bin ‘Adiyy was appointed as a separate Amīr to oversee the additional population of Madīnah, i. e. , Quba’. It was from this very place that the Holy Prophet sa sent two Companions named Basbas and ‘Adiyy towards Badr, in order to gather intelligence with respect to enemy movements; and instructed that they return swiftly with intelligence. 1 Proceeding forth from Rauḥā’ when the Companions reached Zafrān, passing through one side of the Valley of Ṣafrā’, which is only one Manzil 2 short of Badr, news was received that a powerful army of the Quraish was advancing from Makkah. Since the time for maintaining secrecy had now passed, the Holy Prophet sa gathered all of the Companions and informed them of this news. Then he sought their council as to what should be done. Some Companions submitted, “O Messenger of Allāh!, taking into consideration our apparent means, it seems more appropriate to confront the caravan, because we have not yet fully prepared ourselves to fight the army. ” However, the Holy Prophet sa did not approve of this suggestion. 3 On the other hand, when the most eminent from among the Companions heard this suggestion, they would stand up and deliver passionate addresses and submitted that, “Our lives and our wealth belong to God. We offer ourselves to serve on any front. ” As such, Miqdād bin Aswad ra , who was also known as Miqdād bin ‘Amr ra said: “O Messenger of Allāh! We are not like the disciples of Moses as so that we should tell you, ‘Go thou and thy Lord and fight, and here we sit. ’ Rather, we affirm that you may go wherever you wish, we are with you, and shall fight to your right, and to your left, and in front of you and behind you. ” When the Holy Prophet sa heard this address, his blessed countenance began to glow with joy. 4 Yet, despite this, the Holy Prophet sa waited for a comment from the Anṣār , and desired that they should also say something. This was because the Holy Prophet sa thought that the Anṣār perhaps believed that according to the Bai‘at at ‘Aqabah, their obligation was to stand up in defense only, in the 1 As-Sīratun-Nabawiyyah, By Abū Muḥammad ‘Abdul-Mālik bin Hishām, p. 422, Dhikru Ru’yā ‘Ātikata binti ‘Abdil-Muṭṭalib / Basbasu Wa ‘Adiyyu Yatajassasānil-Akhbār, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2001) 2 A distance equivalent to 19 miles or 25 kilometers [Publishers] 3 Tārīkhul-Khamīs Fī Aḥwāli Anfasi Nafīs, By Ḥusain bin Muḥammad bin Ḥasan, Volume 1, p. 373, Jiz‘ul-Wādiyi Ka-Man‘i Qaṭ‘ihī, Mu’assasatu Sha‘bān, Beirut 4 Ṣaḥīḥul-Bukhārī, Kitābul-Maghāzī, Bābu Qaulillāhi Ta‘ālā Idh Tastaghīthūna Rabbakum. . . . . , Ḥadīth No. 3952