The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume II — Page 141
IV - Battle of Badr, Establishment of the Islāmic Empire and Destruction of the Chieftains of the Quraish 141 that we may have prepared before setting out. ” 1 However, despite this news and counsel, and despite this glad-tiding conveyed by the Holy Prophet sa from on high, which indicated that the Muslims would definitely attain victory over one of these two parties, until now, the Muslims had as yet, not found out which party they would encounter. They realised the possibility of confronting one of these two groups, and naturally desired to encounter the weaker of the two, i. e. , the caravan. After this counsel, the Holy Prophet sa began to swiftly advance towards Badr, and when he neared Badr, motivated by some feeling, which narrations have not disclosed, the Holy Prophet sa seated Ḥaḍrat Abū Bakr ra behind himself, and proceeded ahead of the Muslim army. At that time, the Holy Prophet sa encountered an old bedouin, from whom the Holy Prophet sa gathered during the course of conversation, that the army of the Quraish had reached very close to Badr. Upon hearing this news, the Holy Prophet sa returned and dispatched Ḥaḍrat ‘Alī ra , Zubair bin Al-‘Awwām ra and Sa‘d bin Abī Waqqāṣ ra and others to gather information. When these people arrived at the Valley of Badr, suddenly they noticed that a few Makkans were collecting water from a spring. These Companions attacked this party, taking captive an Abyssinian slave and brought him to the Holy Prophet sa. 2 At the time, the Holy Prophet sa was engaged in Ṣalāt. When the Companions noticed the Holy Prophet sa engaged in Ṣalāt , they began to interrogate the slave themselves, inquiring as to the whereabouts of the caravan of Abū Sufyān. 3 Since this Abyssinian slave had come along with the army and was unaware of the caravan, he responded that, “I am unaware of Abū Sufyān, but Abul-Ḥakam i. e. , Abū Jahl, ‘Utbah, Shaibah and Umayyah, etc. , have encamped on the opposite side of the valley. ” The Companions, who were more inclined to the caravan, thought that he was lying, and desired to deliberately conceal the whereabouts of the caravan, upon which a few people began to beat and strike him. However, when they would strike him, 1 * As-Sīratul-Ḥalabiyyah, By Abul-Faraj Nūruddīn ‘Alī bin Ibrāhīm, Volume 2, p. 201, Bābu Dhikri Maghāzīhi sa / Bābu Ghazwati Badril-Kubrā, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon (2002) * As-Sīratun-Nabawiyyah, By Ibni Kathīr * Nūrul-Yaqīni Fī Sīrati Sayyidil-Mursalīn, By Muḥammad Khiḍrī, Ghazwatu Badril-Kubrā, p. 88, Dārul-Fikr, Beirut (2001) 2 As-Sīratun-Nabawiyyah, By Abū Muḥammad ‘Abdul-Mālik bin Hishām, pp. 421-422, Dhikru Ru’yā ‘Ātikata binti ‘Abdil-Muṭṭalib / Ẓafrul-Muslimīna Bi-Rajulaini Min Quraish, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2001) 3 Until this time, thoughts of the caravan had not yet faded and the desire to encounter it instead was considered as being more preferable.