Hijri 1443 Gregorian 1400 years ago, in Badr, the first glorious battle took place in which our beloved Prophet was at the head of the Islamic army. The ashab (companions of our beloved Prophet) who participated in the Badr Ghazwa are known as “Ahl-i Badr” or “Bedrî”. Ahl-i Badr, whose number was 313, was mentioned with praise in the Qur’ân al-kerîm (Âl-i Imrân 3/123) and in the hadiths of our Prophet. Many hadiths have been included in the respected hadith books that all of them are in paradise. It is also mentioned in the hadiths that Ahl al- Bedir (The companions of Badr) are the most virtuous of Muslims. As a matter of fact, when Hadrat Umar established the divan organisation, he ordered that the people of Badr should be written in the divan book first. This understanding is also seen in Ibn Sa’d’s classification of the Companions and according to him, the people of Badr constitute the first layer of the Companions who are divided into five groups in terms of virtue.
Our glorious Prophet left Medina with three hundred and thirteen of his Companions on the 12th of Ramadan (8 March 624) in the second year of the Hijrah. There were three horses and seventy camels in the army. They used to ride the camels in shifts. The white flag of the Muhajireen was given to Mus’ab ibn Umayr. Here is the first of the Islamic armies, which later spread all over the world and became famous in history by being victorious wherever they went…
On the other hand, the polytheist army was one thousand strong. Almost all of the army were horsemen or camels. Their weapons were perfect.
When our illustrious Prophet consulted the situation with his Companions, Hadrat Sa’d ibn Muaz of Ansâr took the floor and said:
“O Messenger of Allah, we have believed in you! We have trusted and believed that what you have brought from Allah is the truth, and we have promised to obey you and follow your orders strictly. Now you may command whatever you wish. By Allah, Who sent you, if you enter the sea, we will enter it with you and none of us will lag behind. We do not hesitate to fight against the enemy. We do not turn back in time of war. We are among the patient and loyal ones. I ask Allah Almighty to show us deeds that you will be pleased with us…” With these words, he expressed the loyalty and sincerity of the Ansar. Thereupon, the Prophet was extremely pleased and ordered the Islamic army to move towards the wells of Badr…
On the 17th of Ramadan (13 March 624), many of the soldiers of these two armies who faced each other at Badr were closely related to each other. One brother was on one side and the other on the other; the father was on this side and the son on the other; the uncle was ready to fight against the nephew and the nephew against the uncle.
Both armies faced each other on the battlefield and lined up. The Prophet himself straightened the ranks of the Islamic army with his own hands:
“Do not attack the enemy unless I order you to do so. But when they are well within arrow range, shoot arrows,” he ordered. In the meantime, an arrow shot by the Quraysh martyred Hazrat Mihja. The first martyr in the Battle of Badr is this person.
Finally, Utba ibn Rebia from the Quraysh army took his brother Shaybah on one side and his son Walid on the other side and asked for soldiers from the Islamic army.
Our glorious Prophet said, “Get up, Ubaydah, get up, Hamza, get up, Ali” and sent Ubaydah to Utbah, Hamza to Shaybah and Hazrat Ali to Walid. After a short fight, all three Quraysh were killed. Hazrat Ubaydah, who was seriously wounded in his foot, was martyred on the way back to Medina after the battle…
Glorious victory!
After that, the two sides started marching in ranks against each other and shooting arrows. At this time, our Prophet Muhammad ‘alaihis-salâm’ begged, “O Lord, give me the strength you have promised me!” At that moment, the 45th verse of Surah al-Qamar was revealed.
“Soon their united front will be defeated and forced to flee” on this verse, our beloved Prophet said, “Good news, O Abu Bakr! Allah’s help has come to our aid”, he put on his armour and went out of his tent. He took a handful of small stones and threw them towards the Quraysh army. After that, he ordered his Companions, “Come on, now make a fierce move and attack”.
A fierce battle had begun. The Muslims soon took the advantage. Many dignitaries of Quraysh were killed by the swords of Hazrat Hamza and Ali.
Abu Jahl, together with the warriors of the tribe of Beni Mahzum who surrounded him, was trying to energise the Meccans by shouting, “My mother gave birth to me for this day”. In the meantime, two very brave warriors named Muaz and Muawwez, sons of Afra Hatun from Medina, with their fierce successive moves and attacks, knocked down Abu Jahl and many of his companions. They themselves were martyred…
With the killing of Abu Jahl, the Meccan army began to disperse and flee.
The martyrs were buried and the dead of the polytheists were thrown into a well. The Master of the Worlds came to the well with his Companions and said, “O those who were thrown into the well!” Then he counted the names of the polytheists who were killed together with the names of their fathers and said, “O Utba bin Rebia! O Umayya bin Khalaf, O Abû Jahl bin Hisham! What an evil people you were against your Prophet. You denied me, while others confirmed and verified me. You drove me out of my city and land. Others opened their doors to me and embraced me. You fought against me, but others helped me. Have you attained what my Lord has promised? I have attained the victory promised by my Lord.”
Hadrat ‘Umar said, “O Rasûlullah! Do you say this to those who are carrion?” they asked. Upon this, our Rasûl-i Ekrem said;
“By my Lord, Who sent me as a true Prophet, I tell you that you do not hear me more than they do. But they cannot answer.”
“I swear they were angels.”
The Muslims had achieved a complete victory at Badr. Fourteen people were martyred. Seventy of the polytheists were killed and seventy were captured. A lot of booty was taken.
The Prophet released some of these captives in exchange for ransom and those who could read and write on the condition that they would teach ten children from Medina to read and write. This event caused many people from Mecca and Medina to become Muslims.
On the other hand, the polytheists were defeated at Badr and fled from the battlefield in a miserable condition, which caused great astonishment in Mecca. An outcome they had never expected or even thought of had come about. Abu Lahab and other polytheists did not believe the words of the first person who brought the news. When Abu Sufyan bin Haris, who fled from the battlefield, came to Mecca, they immediately called him.
Abu Lahab said to him, “O son of my brother! Tell me, how did it happen?” he asked. Abu Sufyan bin Haris sat there in a place. Many people were standing and listening. Abû Sufyan narrated as follows:
“When we met the Muslims, it was as if our hands were tied. They acted as they wanted. They killed some of us and captured some of us. I swear by Allah, I do not condemn or reproach any of our people, because at that time we encountered people dressed in white on horses between heaven and earth. Nothing could withstand them, nor could anyone stand against them…”
Abu Rafi, the slave of Abbas, who was a Muslim in the early days of Islam, but did not reveal his Muslim faith because he was afraid of the evil of the polytheists, was also there. Abu Rafi, who was listening to them in silence, forgot everything in his joy and said, “I swear they were angels.”
Abu Lahab got angry and slapped him severely, lifted him up and hit him on the ground, and beat him a lot. Then Umm al-Fadl, the wife of Hazrat Abbas, who was present there, could not bear it. Because she had already become a Muslim. He took a tent pole in his hand and said, “Didn’t you see him weak because he had no one?” and hit Abu Lahab violently, and Abu Lahab’s head was split open. The blood flowed and he turned away in a humiliated and despicable state. He became seriously ill with grief and sorrow and died a week later…
The other Quraysh also mourned their chief who had died in Badr for a month in Mecca.
Hadrat ‘Uthman could not participate in the Battle of Badr. At that time, his wife, Hazrat Ruqiyyah, the daughter of the Prophet, was very ill. Her fever and discomfort were increasing day by day. For this reason, the Holy Prophet ordered Hazrat Uthman not to join the army and to stay with his wife.
However, Hazrat Ruqiyya’s illness became heavier day by day. Finally, when the glad tidings of victory in the Battle of Badr came, she passed away…
Hadrat Ruqiyyah, who was twenty-two years old, was the first daughter of our Prophet to die. Umm Ayman washed her body. Hazrat Uthman led the funeral prayer.
The people of Medina carried her to the Baqi Cemetery and she was buried there. Returning from the war, the Messenger of Allah came to the grave and offered prayers and supplications to his daughter.
From there he went to Hadrat ‘Uthman’s house. He consoled him too. The ladies were weeping, unable to hold back their tears. When Hazrat Umar wanted to intervene, the Sun of Two Worlds declared:
“O Omar! Leave them to themselves! If feelings for the deceased are expressed with the eyes and heart, it is from Allah. It is from His mercy. If it is done with the hand and tongue, it is from the devil.”
May Allah Almighty help our Muslim brothers and sisters in Gaza for the sake of the people of Badr. May the oppressors who brutally massacre Muslims, including babies and women, be condemned with the name of Kahhar!
Prof. Dr. Ahmet Şimşirgil
29th March 2024
Türkiye Gazetesi