Battle of Badr al-Maw'id (Second Badr)

The Second Badr expedition arose from Abu Sufyan's promise, made after Uhud, to return the following year to settle the conflict definitively at Badr. The Prophet ﷺ prepared and marched to Badr with 1,500 fighters, and they waited for eight days at the market of Badr — trading profitably with local merchants. Abu Sufyan had marched out from Mecca but turned back after two days, claiming the drought made further advance impractical. His men sarcastically called the expedition 'the army of sawiq (porridge)' — supplies they had brought but turned back with. While no battle took place, the encounter was a propaganda victory for the Muslims: the Quraysh who had promised to come back had retreated without engaging. The Quran noted those believers who responded without complaint. The episode demonstrated Muslim willingness to face the Quraysh again despite the wounds of Uhud.