PART 4 · THE MADINAN PERIOD · الْعَهْدُ الْمَدَنِيُّ
STAGE 2 · DEFENDING THE MESSAGE
غَزْوَةُ بَدْرٍ الْكُبْرَى
Chapter 20: The Battle of Badr
A caravan, a hard choice, a night of du‘ā’ — and the Day of the Criterion
Sheikh Mohamed Fawzyالشيخ محمد فوزي
© 2026 Sheikh Mohamed Fawzy. All rights reserved. Version 1.7
Ramaḍān, 2 AH رَمَضَانُ، السَّنَةُ الثَّانِيَةُ
Why did they go out?
A rich caravan
A great trade caravan of Quraysh, led by Abū Sufyān, was coming back from al-Shām. Quraysh had driven the Muslims out of Makkah and taken their homes and wealth. The Prophet ﷺ went out with about 313 men to meet the caravan.
Ar-Raḥīq al-Makhtūm: Abū Sufyān changed his route along the coast and escaped, but he had already sent to Makkah for help, and Quraysh marched out with about 1,300 men — about 1,000 after one clan turned back. The battle took place on 17 Ramaḍān, 2 AH (March 624 CE).
Allah’s plan عَلَى غَيْرِ مِيعَادٍ
“Without any appointment”
عَنْ كَعْبِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: لَمْ أَتَخَلَّفْ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي غَزْوَةٍ غَزَاهَا إِلَّا فِي غَزْوَةِ تَبُوكَ، غَيْرَ أَنِّي تَخَلَّفْتُ عَنْ غَزْوَةِ بَدْرٍ، وَلَمْ يُعَاتَبْ أَحَدٌ تَخَلَّفَ عَنْهَا، إِنَّمَا خَرَجَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يُرِيدُ عِيرَ قُرَيْشٍ، حَتَّى جَمَعَ اللَّهُ بَيْنَهُمْ وَبَيْنَ عَدُوِّهِمْ عَلَى غَيْرِ مِيعَادٍ.
Ka‘b ibn Mālik said: “I never stayed behind from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in any campaign he fought, except the campaign of Tabūk — though I did stay behind from the campaign of Badr, and no one who stayed behind from it was blamed. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ had only gone out for the caravan of Quraysh, until Allah brought them and their enemy together without any appointment.”
Sahih al-Bukhari 3951Sahih
وَإِذۡ يَعِدُكُمُ ٱللَّهُ إِحۡدَى ٱلطَّآئِفَتَيۡنِ أَنَّهَا لَكُمۡ وَتَوَدُّونَ أَنَّ غَيۡرَ ذَاتِ ٱلشَّوۡكَةِ تَكُونُ لَكُمۡ وَيُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ أَن يُحِقَّ ٱلۡحَقَّ بِكَلِمَٰتِهِۦ وَيَقۡطَعَ دَابِرَ ٱلۡكَٰفِرِينَ ٧
[Remember, O believers], when Allah promised you one of the two groups - that it would be yours - and you wished that the unarmed one would be yours. But Allah intended to establish the truth by His words and to eliminate the disbelievers.
Surat al-Anfāl 8:7سورة الأنفال: ٧
The Muslims hoped for the caravan (“the one without weapons”); Allah wanted the meeting with the army, to make the truth clear. Ask students: why might Allah’s choice have been better than theirs?
Consultation الشُّورَى
The Prophet ﷺ asks for advice
عَنْ أَنَسٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ: أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ شَاوَرَ حِينَ بَلَغَهُ إِقْبَالُ أَبِي سُفْيَانَ قَالَ فَتَكَلَّمَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ فَأَعْرَضَ عَنْهُ ثُمَّ تَكَلَّمَ عُمَرُ فَأَعْرَضَ عَنْهُ فَقَامَ سَعْدُ بْنُ عُبَادَةَ فَقَالَ إِيَّانَا تُرِيدُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَوْ أَمَرْتَنَا أَنْ نُخِيضَهَا الْبَحْرَ لَأَخَضْنَاهَا وَلَوْ أَمَرْتَنَا أَنْ نَضْرِبَ أَكْبَادَهَا إِلَى بَرْكِ الْغِمَادِ لَفَعَلْنَا ...
Anas said: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ consulted [the people] when the news reached him that Abū Sufyān [and his caravan] was approaching. Abū Bakr spoke, and he turned away from him. Then ‘Umar spoke, and he turned away from him. Then Sa‘d ibn ‘Ubādah stood up and said: ‘Is it us you want [to hear from], O Messenger of Allah? By the One in whose hand is my soul, if you ordered us to plunge [our horses] into the sea, we would plunge them in; and if you ordered us to ride them hard all the way to Bark al-Ghimād [a far-away place], we would do it.’…”
Sahih Muslim 1779Sahih
The Prophet ﷺ received revelation — and still he consulted his Companions. Shūrā is a Sunnah in every family, class and community.
On the way to Badr مَوْقِفُ الْمِقْدَادِ
“We will fight on your right and on your left”
عَنِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: شَهِدْتُ مِنَ الْمِقْدَادِ بْنِ الْأَسْوَدِ مَشْهَدًا، لَأَنْ أَكُونَ صَاحِبَهُ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِمَّا عُدِلَ بِهِ، أَتَى النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَهْوَ يَدْعُو عَلَى الْمُشْرِكِينَ فَقَالَ لَا نَقُولُ كَمَا قَالَ قَوْمُ مُوسَى ﴿اذْهَبْ أَنْتَ وَرَبُّكَ فَقَاتِلَا﴾ وَلَكِنَّا نُقَاتِلُ عَنْ يَمِينِكَ وَعَنْ شِمَالِكَ وَبَيْنَ يَدَيْكَ وَخَلْفَكَ. فَرَأَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَشْرَقَ وَجْهُهُ وَسَرَّهُ. يَعْنِي قَوْلَهُ.
Ibn Mas‘ūd said: “I witnessed something from al-Miqdād ibn al-Aswad that I would love to have done more than anything that could be compared with it. He came to the Prophet ﷺ while he was supplicating against the idolaters, and said: ‘We will not say as the people of Mūsā said: “Go, you and your Lord, and fight” [al-Mā’idah 5:24]. Rather, we will fight on your right and on your left, in front of you and behind you.’ I saw the face of the Prophet ﷺ shine, and it made him happy” — meaning what he said.
Sahih al-Bukhari 3952Sahih
The famous story that al-Ḥubāb ibn al-Mundhir advised the Prophet ﷺ to camp at the well nearest the enemy (أَدْنَى مَاءٍ مِنَ الْقَوْمِ) is reported by Ibn Isḥāq from unnamed men of Banū Salimah, without a connected chain. al-Albānī: “its chain is mursal, with unknown narrators, so it is weak” (Difā‘ ‘an al-Ḥadīth p. 26; Fiqh al-Sīrah p. 224), and al-‘Awshan lists it in Mā shā‘a wa-lam yathbut fī al-sīrah. So it is not taught here.
The numbers عِدَّةُ أَهْلِ بَدْرٍ
About 313 against about 1,000
عَنِ الْبَرَاءِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنِي أَصْحَابُ، مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مِمَّنْ شَهِدَ بَدْرًا أَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا عِدَّةَ أَصْحَابِ طَالُوتَ الَّذِينَ جَازُوا مَعَهُ النَّهَرَ، بِضْعَةَ عَشَرَ وَثَلَاثَمِائَةٍ. قَالَ الْبَرَاءُ لَا وَاللَّهِ مَا جَاوَزَ مَعَهُ النَّهَرَ إِلَّا مُؤْمِنٌ.
al-Barā’ said: “The Companions of Muḥammad ﷺ who were at Badr told me that they were as many as the companions of Ṭālūt who crossed the river with him: three hundred and ten-odd.” Al-Barā’ said: “No, by Allah — none crossed the river with him except a believer.”
Sahih al-Bukhari 3957Sahih
Numbers (Ar-Raḥīq al-Makhtūm): the Muslims were 313, 314 or 317 — reports differ slightly; Muslim 1763 says 319. They had only two horses and seventy camels, taking turns to ride.
Before the battle الِاسْتِغَاثَةُ
“O Allah, fulfil what You promised me”
قَالَ عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ: لَمَّا كَانَ يَوْمُ بَدْرٍ نَظَرَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِلَى الْمُشْرِكِينَ وَهُمْ أَلْفٌ وَأَصْحَابُهُ ثَلَاثُمِائَةٍ وَتِسْعَةَ عَشَرَ رَجُلًا فَاسْتَقْبَلَ نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ الْقِبْلَةَ ثُمَّ مَدَّ يَدَيْهِ فَجَعَلَ يَهْتِفُ بِرَبِّهِ «اللَّهُمَّ أَنْجِزْ لِي مَا وَعَدْتَنِي اللَّهُمَّ آتِ مَا وَعَدْتَنِي اللَّهُمَّ إِنْ تَهْلِكْ هَذِهِ الْعِصَابَةُ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْإِسْلَامِ لَا تُعْبَدْ فِي الْأَرْضِ». فَمَازَالَ يَهْتِفُ بِرَبِّهِ مَادًّا يَدَيْهِ مُسْتَقْبِلَ الْقِبْلَةِ حَتَّى سَقَطَ رِدَاؤُهُ عَنْ مَنْكِبَيْهِ فَأَتَاهُ أَبُو بَكْرٍ فَأَخَذَ رِدَاءَهُ فَأَلْقَاهُ عَلَى مَنْكِبَيْهِ ثُمَّ الْتَزَمَهُ مِنْ وَرَائِهِ. وَقَالَ يَا نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ كَذَاكَ مُنَاشَدَتُكَ رَبَّكَ فَإِنَّهُ سَيُنْجِزُ لَكَ مَا وَعَدَكَ فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ﴿إِذْ تَسْتَغِيثُونَ رَبَّكُمْ فَاسْتَجَابَ لَكُمْ أَنِّي مُمِدُّكُمْ بِأَلْفٍ مِنَ الْمَلَائِكَةِ مُرْدِفِينَ﴾ فَأَمَدَّهُ اللَّهُ بِالْمَلَائِكَةِ ...
‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb said: “On the day of Badr, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ looked at the idolaters — they were a thousand, while his companions were three hundred and nineteen men. The Prophet of Allah ﷺ turned to face the qiblah, stretched out his hands and began calling out to his Lord: ‘O Allah, fulfil for me what You promised me. O Allah, give me what You promised me. O Allah, if this small band of the people of Islam is destroyed, You will not be worshipped on the earth.’ He kept calling out to his Lord, with his hands stretched out, facing the qiblah, until his cloak fell from his shoulders. Abū Bakr came, took his cloak and put it back on his shoulders, then held him from behind and said: ‘O Prophet of Allah, this pleading with your Lord is enough, for He will fulfil for you what He promised you.’ Then Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, revealed: “[Remember] when you asked help of your Lord, and He answered you: ‘Indeed, I will reinforce you with a thousand of the angels, following one another’” [al-Anfāl 8:9]. So Allah reinforced him with the angels.…”
Sahih Muslim 1763Sahih
The night before the battle: ‘Alī said that on the night of Badr everyone slept except the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, who stood under a tree praying and weeping until morning — Musnad Aḥmad (1023), told here in summary; al-Arna’ūṭ and Aḥmad Shākir: isnāduhu ṣaḥīḥ; also in Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Ḥibbān (2257).
The victory النَّصْرُ
“The assembly will be defeated”
عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا قَالَ: قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَوْمَ بَدْرٍ «اللَّهُمَّ أَنْشُدُكَ عَهْدَكَ وَوَعْدَكَ، اللَّهُمَّ إِنْ شِئْتَ لَمْ تُعْبَدْ». فَأَخَذَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ بِيَدِهِ فَقَالَ حَسْبُكَ. فَخَرَجَ وَهْوَ يَقُولُ ﴿سَيُهْزَمُ الْجَمْعُ وَيُوَلُّونَ الدُّبُرَ﴾.
Ibn ‘Abbās said: On the day of Badr, the Prophet ﷺ said: ‘O Allah, I ask You [to fulfil] Your covenant and Your promise. O Allah, if You will, You will not be worshipped [after today].’ Abū Bakr took him by the hand and said: ‘That is enough.’ So he went out, saying: “The assembly will be defeated, and they will turn their backs” [al-Qamar 54:45].
Sahih al-Bukhari 3953Sahih
وَلَقَدۡ نَصَرَكُمُ ٱللَّهُ بِبَدۡرٖ وَأَنتُمۡ أَذِلَّةٞۖ فَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَشۡكُرُونَ ١٢٣
And already had Allah given you victory at [the battle of] Badr while you were few in number. Then fear Allah; perhaps you will be grateful.
Surat Āl ‘Imrān 3:123سورة آل عمران: ١٢٣
The result يَوْمُ الْفُرْقَانِ
The Day of the Criterion
Quraysh
70 killed and 70 taken prisoner — among the killed were many of the leaders who had harmed the Muslims in Makkah.
The Muslims
14 martyrs — six of the Muhājirūn and eight of the Anṣār.
A new name
Allah called it Yawm al-Furqān — “the Day of the Criterion”, when truth was made clear from falsehood (al-Anfāl 8:41).
Sources: 70 killed and 70 prisoners — al-Barā’ in al-Bukhari 3039; the 14 martyrs — Ar-Raḥīq al-Makhtūm.
عَنْ رِفَاعَةَ بْنِ رَافِعٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: جَاءَ جِبْرِيلُ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ مَا تَعُدُّونَ أَهْلَ بَدْرٍ فِيكُمْ قَالَ «مِنْ أَفْضَلِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ». أَوْ كَلِمَةً نَحْوَهَا قَالَ وَكَذَلِكَ مَنْ شَهِدَ بَدْرًا مِنَ الْمَلَائِكَةِ.
Rifā‘ah ibn Rāfi‘ — who was one of the people of Badr — said: “Jibrīl came to the Prophet ﷺ and said: ‘How do you count the people of Badr among you?’ He said: ‘Among the best of the Muslims’ — or words like that. Jibrīl said: ‘And so are those of the angels who were present at Badr.’”
Sahih al-Bukhari 3992Sahih
Lessons دُرُوسٌ وَعِبَرٌ
What we learn
1
Trust and effort
They prepared what they could — and the victory came from Allah alone (Āl ‘Imrān 3:123).
2
Shūrā
The Prophet ﷺ consulted his Companions before the decision.
3
The power of du‘ā’
He spent the night before the battle in prayer, and on the day of Badr he raised his hands to Allah until his cloak fell.
Review مُرَاجَعَةٌ
Quick quiz
Score: 0 / 4
1.Why did the Muslims first go out to Badr?
Correct (al-Bukhari 3951).
They went out for the caravan; Allah brought the two armies together “without any appointment”.
2.About how many Muslims were at Badr?
Right — “three hundred and ten-odd” (al-Bukhari 3957).
About 313 — the number of Ṭālūt’s companions.
3.What did al-Miqdād say?
Yes (al-Bukhari 3952).
He said the opposite of the people of Mūsā: “We will fight on your right and on your left…”
4.What did Allah call the day of Badr?
Correct (al-Anfāl 8:41).
Yawm al-Furqān — the Day of the Criterion.
Few in number — but with Allah
ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam ﷺ
NEXT · Chapter 21: The Battle of Uḥud · غَزْوَةُ أُحُدٍ