The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume II — Page 135
IV - Battle of Badr, Establishment of the Islāmic Empire and Destruction of the Chieftains of the Quraish 135 established throughout the land, and people begin to fear us. ” 1 Hence, except for a few people who went back, 2 the rest of the army proceeded with great pomp and pride. On the ninth day after leaving Makkah, (one day was lost due to an error in navigation) 3 , i. e. , after eleven or twelve days of receiving news from Ḍamḍam, they reached the nearer bank of the valley of Badr, and setup camp. At that time, the army of the Quraish comprised 1,000 people who were well-armed with the most modern equipment of their time; having 700 camels and 100 horses. All of the riders as well as most warriors on foot, were clad in armour and had at their disposal a vast arsenal of weapons, containing many spears, swords, and bows and arrows. Now, we leave the army of the Quraish for a short while and turn to Madīnah, in order to see how events were unfolding there. Upon receiving news of the caravan of Abū Sufyān, the Holy Prophet sa had sent two of his Companions in order to obtain information. However, they had yet to return when the Holy Prophet sa received secret intimation by some means that a powerful army of the Quraish was advancing from Makkah. Taking into consideration the weak state of the Muslims at the time and as per a general principle of war tactics, the Holy Prophet sa did not allow for this news to become public, so that the Muslim masses were not demoralised in any way. However, like a vigilant general, without disclosing this news, the Holy Prophet sa called for volunteers among the Companions in such a manner, that despite their knowing that this campaign was for the purpose of intercepting the caravan, many Companions became prepared to set out with the Holy Prophet sa. Even the Anṣār , who according to the second Bai‘at at ‘Aqabah, were considered responsible for the security of the Holy Prophet sa only in the case that Madīnah was attacked; and who until now had not participated in any 1 It should be remembered that Badr is the name of a valley, which contains a few streams. It is situated between Makkah and Madīnah. In normal circumstances, it is situated at a distance of four or five days from Madīnah and eight or nine days from Makkah. In the era of the Jāhiliyyah , a carnival was held here every year where the various tribes of Arabia would gather and engage in trade and celebrations. As such, the disbelievers of Makkah used this carnival as an excuse to insist that they should definitely proceed to Badr, so that their awe would be established. 2 * Narrations relate that among those who went back, the tribes of Badū ‘Addiyy and Banū Zuhrah have been mentioned. * Aṭ-Ṭabaqātul-Kubrā, By Muḥammad bin Sa‘d, Volume 2, p. 255, Ghazwatu Badr, Dāru Iḥyā’it- Turāthil-‘Arabī, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) [Publishers] 3 Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘Alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By ‘Allāmah Shihābuddīn Qusṭalānī, Volume 2, p. 261, Bābu Ghazwati Badril-Kubrā, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996)