The Battle of Badr
Suggest editBackground
The Battle of Badr (غزوة بدر), fought on 17 Ramadan, 2 AH (March 624 CE), was the first major military engagement between the Muslims and the Quraysh. The Muslims, numbering approximately 313 men with minimal equipment (two horses and seventy camels), faced a Quraysh army of about 1,000 well-armed soldiers with 100 horses and 700 camels. The battle took place at the wells of Badr, about 130 kilometers southwest of Madinah.
The Battle
The Prophet consulted his companions before engaging. Al-Miqdad ibn al-Aswad declared: 'We will not say to you what the people of Musa said. Go, you and your Lord, and fight. We will remain here. Rather, go, you and your Lord, and fight. We will fight alongside you.' Sa'd ibn Mu'adh of the Ansar pledged similar support. The Prophet positioned his forces at the wells, and the battle began with individual combat. Hamzah, Ali, and Ubaydah ibn al-Harith defeated the three Quraysh champions. The general battle followed, and despite being heavily outnumbered, the Muslims achieved a decisive victory.
Divine Assistance
The Quran describes divine intervention at Badr: 'Remember when you asked help of your Lord, and He answered you: I will reinforce you with a thousand angels, following one another' (8:9). The Muslims attributed their victory to Allah's help, understanding that numbers and equipment alone do not determine outcomes. The Quran calls the day of Badr 'Yawm al-Furqan' (the Day of Criterion), as it distinguished truth from falsehood.
Impact
Badr transformed the Muslim community from a persecuted minority into a recognized force in Arabia. Seventy Quraysh leaders were killed, including Abu Jahl, and seventy were captured. The Prophet treated prisoners with unprecedented dignity, assigning each prisoner to a companion's household and instructing that they be fed before their captors ate. Literate prisoners could earn their freedom by teaching ten Muslims to read and write. The victory at Badr boosted Muslim morale, weakened the Quraysh's prestige, and proved that the nascent Islamic state could defend itself.