![]() ![]() The Quraish had encamped in the south-eastern portion of the valley near the road to Mecca, while Muhammad and his army had encamped in some date-palms in the north. Between al-'Udwatul Quswa and the hill covering the southern part of the battlefield was another opening, which was the primary route from Mecca. Muhammad and his army did not approach the battlefield from here, they came from the north, as they were originally planning to target the caravan, which was moving from the Levant in the north, to Mecca in the south. The west of the valley was covered by the al-Asfal Mountain ( Jabal Al-Asfal) with an opening between it and another hill in the northwest.īetween al-'Udwatud Dunya and al-'Udwatul Quswa was an opening, which was the primary route to Medina. The Qur'an speaks of these two in Surah 8, verse 42. The valley of Badr is surrounded by two large sand dunes to the east, called al-'Udwatud Dunya (the near side of the valley) and al-'Udwatul Quswa (the far side of the valley). Map depicting the battlefield, with al-'Udwatul Dunya and al-'Udwatul Quswa, shown to the right. Help! Help!" Ību Sufyan had rerouted his caravan toward the Red Sea and escaped the Muslim threat by Damdam's arrival at Mecca. I cannot say what would have happened to them. The caravan is being intercepted by Muhammad and his companions. "O Quraish! Your merchandise! It is with Abu Sufyan. Damdam, upon his arrival at the Ka'bah, cut off the nose and ears of his camel, turned its saddle upside down, tore off his shirt and cried: Fearing the loss of wealth that was imminent, Abu Sufyan sent the messenger Damdam bin 'Amr al-Ghifari to the Quraish. ![]() Abu Sufyan's spies informed him of the Muslims' plot to ambush his caravan. Muhammad had gathered a small expeditionary force of around 300 men to intercept the caravan. Knowing of the threat of Muhammad's growing influence in the region, Abu Sufyan routinely sent spies to check on Muhammad and warn him of any Muslim movement in the area. In early 624, a caravan of the Quraysh led by Abu Sufyan ibn Harb carrying wealth and goods from the Levant was returning to Mecca. This decision was taken in response to the Meccans persecution of the Muslims and their forceful seizing of Muslim land and property following the Hijra. Muhammad's followers decided to raid the caravans of the Meccans as they passed by Medina. The battle has been passed down in Islamic history as a decisive victory attributable to divine intervention, and by other sources to the strategic prowess of Muhammad.Īfter the Hijra (migration to Medina) in 622 CE, the population of Medina chose Muhammad to be the leader of the community. ![]() ![]() The Muslim victory strengthened Muhammad's position The Medinese eagerly joined his future expeditions and tribes outside Medina openly allied with Muhammad. The Muslims countered their charge and broke the Meccan lines, killing several important Quraishi leaders including Abu Jahl and Umayyah ibn Khalaf. The battle began with duels between the warriors on both sides, following which the Meccans charged upon the Muslims under a cover of arrows. Advancing from the north, the Muslims faced the Meccans. Abu Jahl commanded an army nearly one-thousand strong, approaching Badr and encamping at the sand dune al-'Udwatul Quswa.īadr was the first large-scale engagement between the Muslims and Quraysh Meccans. Abu Sufyan, learning of the Muslim plan to ambush his caravan, changed course and took a longer route away from Muhammad's base at Medina and sent a messenger to Mecca, asking for help. A few days before the battle, when he learnt of a Makkan caravan returning from the Levant led by Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, Muhammad gathered a small expeditionary force to capture it. Muhammad took keen interest in capturing Meccan caravans after his migration to Medina, seeing it as repayment for his people, the Muhajirun. Prior to the battle, the Muslims and the Meccans had fought several smaller skirmishes in late 623 and early 624. The battle marked the beginning of the six-year war between Muhammad and his tribe. Muhammad, commanding an army of his Sahaba, defeated an army of the Quraysh led by Amr ibn Hishām, better known as Abu Jahl. The Battle of Badr ( Arabic: غَزْوَةُ بَدِرْ Arabic pronunciation: ), also referred to as The Day of the Criterion ( Arabic: يَوْمُ الْفُرْقَانْ, Arabic pronunciation: ) in the Qur'an and by Muslims, was fought on 13 March 624 CE (17 Ramadan, 2 AH), near the present-day city of Badr, Al Madinah Province in Saudi Arabia. ![]()
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