Muhammad: Seal of the Prophets — Page 172
MUHAMMAD : SEAL OF THE PROPHETS 172 estimation of Allah; and persecution is a worse evil than killing. They will not stop fighting you until they turn you back from your faith, if they can. We are now approaching the time when the first pitched battle between the Muslims and Quraish was fought at Badr. Before entering upon an account of that famous battle, it might be helpful to set out briefly the policies, principles and tactics that the Ho ly Prophet followed in respect of his military and paramilitary activities, and which he directed the Muslims to observe: - 1. Where he had a choice, he preferred to set out on a Thursday, in the morning hours. 2. Before setting out, it was his practice to make suitable supplications to the Divine, along with the whole of his company. 3. He had established a fairly effective system of intelligence concerning the movements of the enemy. Those entrusted with this duty were instructed that they should not report to him when he was among company. If he received some intelligence, which occasio ned anxiety, he did not make it public, and communicated it to only selected individuals. 4. When he set out on an expedition he did not normally announce his goal. On some occasions he would proceed for a few miles in a direction different from the direction of his goal and would then veer round to