Expedition of Badr al-Maw'id (The Promised Badr)

After the Battle of Uhud, Abu Sufyan had called out to the Muslims: 'Our appointment is Badr next year!' The Prophet accepted the challenge, responding: 'That is a pact between us.' When the time came, the Prophet marched to Badr with 1,500 men. Abu Sufyan marched out of Mecca with 2,000 men, but after two days he turned back, using the excuse that the year was one of drought and that they needed milk and fat (provisions not available in a dry year). He returned to Mecca, and the Meccans mocked his army, calling it the army of sawiq (parched barley meal). The Muslims remained at Badr for eight days, during which they traded in the Badr market fair and profited handsomely. The expedition was a psychological victory: the Quraysh's failure to show up demonstrated their weakening resolve and bolstered Muslim confidence after the setback at Uhud.