Battle of Badr

What is Badr? Abu’l-Yaq¨an says: Badr is the name of a man of Ghifar, the tribe of Abu-Dharr Ghifari.[159] Shi`bi says: Badr is the name of a well attributed to a man called Badr.[160]

The battle of Badr was the most horrific among the other battles, the first trial of Muslims, and the one taking place vehemently between the Holy Prophet and the atheists of Quraysh.

God Almighty states about the trial of Muslims: “Even as your Lord caused you to go forth from your house with the truth, though a party of the believers were surely averse; They disputed with you about the truth after it had become clear, and they went forth as if they were being driven to death while they saw it.” (8:5-6). This battle happened eighteen months after the immigration of the Holy Prophet (s.a) to Medina and `Ali was twenty seven years old.[161]

The atheists of Quraysh insisted on fighting this battle, for they outnumbered the Muslims, though among them, there were far-sighted men who were not ignorant of the consequences of this battle, had taken part reluctantly, had been forced into the battle and challenged only their peers. The Messenger of Allah too warned his army not to fight them, saying: They only challenge their peers. Hence, the first person who was given mission to fight them was `Ali and his match was Walid ibn `Utbah, a man of courage and valor but he was killed by `Ali after a short fighting.[162]

Al-`As ibn Sa`id ibn al-`As was a man of courage and horror. For this reason, no one was ready to fight him. He too was killed by `Ali. [163]

وَجَاهَدَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ لاَ يَسْتَوُونَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ لاَ يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ. الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَهَاجَرُوا وَجَاهَدُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ بِأَمْوَالِهِمْ وَأَنفُسِهِمْ أَعْظَمُ دَرَجَةً عِنْدَ اللَّهِ وَأُوْلَئِكَ هُمْ الْفَائِزُونَ…﴾ إلَى قَوْلِهِ: ﴿أَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ﴾ فَصَدَقَ اللهُ عَلِيَّاً عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ فِي دَعْواهُ وَشَهِدَ لَهُ بِالإيمانِ وَالمُهاجَرَةِ وَالجِهادِ.

وَغَزَواتُهُ مَشْهورَةُ:

فَفِي غَزاةِ بَدْرٍ:

قَالَ أَبُو اليَقْظانِ: إنَّهُ رَجُلٌ مِنْ غِفارٍ رَهْطِ أَبِي ذَرٍّ الغِفارِيِّ.

وَقالَ الشِّعْبِيُّ: (بَدْرٌ) بِئْرٌ كَانَتْ لِرَجُلٍ يُسَمّى بَدْراً.

وَهَذِهِ الغَزاةُ هِيَ الدَّاهِيَةُ العُظْمى وَأَوَّلُ حَرْبٍ كَانَ بِهِ الإمْتِحانُ حَيْثُ قَالَ الله تَعالَى: ﴿كَمَا أَخْرَجَكَ رَبُّكَ مِنْ بَيْتِكَ بِالْحَقِّ وَإِنَّ فَرِيقًا مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ لَكَارِهُونَ. يُجَادِلُونَكَ فِي الْحَقِّ بَعْدَ مَا تَبَيَّنَ كَأَنَّمَا يُسَاقُونَ إِلَى الْمَوْتِ وَهُمْ يَنظُرُونَ.﴾

كَانَتْ عَلَى رَأْسِ ثَمانِيَةَ عَشَرَ شَهْراً مِنْ قُدومِهِ الْمَدينَةَ وَعُمْرُ عَلِيٍّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ سَبْعَ عَشرَةَ سَنَةً. وَكَانَ الْمُشْرِكونَ قَدْ أَصَرُّوا عَلَى القِتالِ لِكَثْرَتِهِمْ وَقِلَّةِ المُسْلِمينَ، وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ خَرَجَ كارِهاً. فَتَحَدَّتْهُمْ قُرَيْشٌ بِالبِرازِ وَاقْتَرَحَتِ الأَكْفاءَ. فَمَنَعَهُمُ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَقالَ إنَّ القَوْمَ طَلَبوا الأَكْفاءَ. ثُمَّ أَمَرَ عَلِيَّاً عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ يَبْرُزُ إِلَيْهِمْ، فَبارَزَهُ الوَليدُ بْنُ عُتْبَةَ، وَكَانَ شُجاعاً جَريئاً، فَقَتَلَهُ.

وَقَتَلَ العَاصَ بْنَ سَعيدِ بْنِ العاصِ بَعْدَ أنْ أحْجَمَ عَنْهُ النَّاسُ لأَنَّهُ كَانَ هَوْلاً عِظيماً.

Hanzalah ibn Abi-Sufyan too fought `Ali but he was killed. `Ali injured ibn `Adi, too.[164] Then, Nawfal ibn Khuwaylid, who was highly-esteemed and obeyed by people of Quraysh, entered the battle. Nawfal was very clever and a mischief-maker and the one who had tied down Abu-Bakr and Talhah with a rope and had tortured them till he set them free with the mediation of others.[165]

Once the Messenger of Allah found out that Nawfal had taken part in this battle, he raised his hands in prayer, saying: O Lord, eradicate him. Soon, he was killed by Imam `Ali in a hand to hand fighting. After Nawfal’s perdition, the Holy Prophet said: Who will bring me the news of Nawfal? `Ali said: O Messenger of Allah, I killed him. While rejoicing and saying: Allah is the Greatest, the Holy Prophet said: Thanks Lord who answered my prayer.[166]

Imam `Ali was in the front line of the battle fighting the atheists of Quraysh and killing them one after the other. In this battle, seventy of Quraysh leaders were killed by `Ali and the rest were killed by Muslims and three thousand angels who had taken part in the battle.[167]

Following the killing of seventy courageous men of Quraysh, the Holy Prophet (s.a) threw a handful of small sands on them, saying: May your faces turn ugly thereby they were all defeated and started fleeing.[168]