Battle of Badr, 624 AD ⚔️ Islam's first arrow

The expansion of the Islamic religion and culture is one of the most consequential developments in recorded history. From the 7th century onwards, it has gone to impact regions across the known world. But… all of the military and intellectual grandeur associated with Islamic empires that came and went over the centuries, began with a battle of humble proportions, but immense consequences.

In 624 AD, a fledging group of a few hundred Muslims, under their leader Muhammad, made a stand against the powerful Quraysh tribe. In the dry, arid valley of Badr, in western Arabia, the Muslims arrayed for battle, putting their faith in a man who claimed to be the Prophet of a new monotheistic religion In the year 610 AD, a 40 year old merchant by the name of Muhammad was sitting in a cave outside of the city of Mecca, where he regularly went to meditate. There, it was said that the angel Gabriel came to him and proclaimed that he had been chosen as a messenger of God.

Muhammad hailed from the Banu Hashim clan, and was a member of a family that had produced numerous tribal chiefs for the most powerful tribe in Mecca, the Quraysh. The tribe sourced their power from the control they had over trade on the western coast of Arabia, but the reach of their merchants extended far beyond the Arabian Peninsula, into the Levant and Mesopotamia. Muhammad himself partook in the trade between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean, and became known as “the Trustworthy”, for his honesty and impartial resolution of disputes.

Soon after receiving his revelations, Muhammad began preaching the message of Islam to the citizens of Mecca. At first, his monotheistic message was disregarded by many of the Quraysh, some of whom ignored and mocked his preaching. Nevertheless, a small number of converts joined his cause and Muhammad focused his efforts on building a small community with strong spiritual bonds.

He stressed the need for a moral responsibility of man towards his creator; he vividly described the Day of Judgment and spoke against the idols worshiped by the pagan Meccans, claiming that their fathers died in disbelief and faced perdition. As his message drew more converts, he and his followers were perceived as a threat by the local tribal leaders and rulers of Mecca. This was when the Quraysh opposition arose against the Prophet, who profited significantly from the annual pilgrimage to the Kaaba and feared they would be overthrown by Muhammad.

Trying to stop his preaching, some of the high ranking Quraysh leaders tried bribing him by offering a higher position in the tribal structure and an advantageous marriage. But Muhammad refused. This created a permanent rift between his Islamic faction and the Quraysh tribe.

Consequently, his followers faced persecution. Some were exiled, while others faced torture. Several attempts were made on Muhammad’s life.

At this time, however, Muhammad’s uncle Abu Talib was the leader of the Banu Hashim clan, and he was able to offered protection to his nephew, much to the dissatisfaction of other Quraysh leaders. But despite Abu’s best efforts, the nascent Muslim community faced further violence. And, in 615, Muhammad arranged for some of his followers to seek shelter in the Kingdom of Axum and found a small colony from where they could conduct trade under the protection of the Christian king al-Negashi.

However, things worsened four years later, in 619, when Abu Talib died and with him went the protection he had offered to Muhammad. Now at the whim of the Quraysh, the Prophet and his followers suffered violent prejudice and persecution. But by now, wooord had spread beyond Mecca of the coming of a prophet.

To the north, the tribes of the city of Yathrib invited a delegation of Muslims to teach them the instructions of Islam. They then pledged their allegiance and had sworn to accept Muhammad as a prophet, bound in worship to none but one God; thereby becoming known as the ‘Ansar’, meaning “the Helpers”. Encouraged by the spreading of his message, Muhammad told his followers to seek shelter in Yathrib.

Fleeing persecution in Mecca, the Muslims suffered at the hands of the Quraysh, who seized their property. This event became known as the Hejira, meaning “the Migration”. Having lost all of their worldy possessions to the Meccans, tired and hungry, the Muslims reached Yathrib with nothing but the clothes on their backs; but their troubled journey gave them was a sense of unity and a bond of kinship.

Back in Mecca, with most of his followers now gone, Muhammad’s own life was in danger. Reportedly, upon receiving divine direction he departed for Yathrib on the very night that the Quraysh assassins were on their way to his house. The city of Yathrib would later be renamed to ‘Madinat an-Nabi’, meaning the ‘City of the Prophet’, and over time it would be shortened to ‘Medina’.

Once in the relative safety of his new home, Muhammad began to plan raids on Meccan trade caravans that passed Medina. He deemed this action justified after years of brutal persecution by the Quraysh and the confiscation of all property of the Muslims who left Mecca. Hostilities began in 623 with Muslim raids on Meccan caravans.

The Quraysh responded, seeing the raids as a threat to their wealth and prestige. Between the many small skirmishers, a network of spies schemed behind the scenes. In early 624, Muhammad’s scouts reported that a large trade caravan bound for Syria had left Mecca, led by a leading man of the Quraysh, Abu Sufyan, a sworn enemy of Muhammad.

The Muslims mobilized a force of some 313 to intercept the Meccans in the narrow valley of Badr. However, Abu Sufyan had spies of his own. While en-route, he learned of Muhammad’s movements and had diverted the caravan from the main road leading to Syria, and headed along the coast of the Red Sea, thereby bypassing the Muslim ambush.

Muhammad returned with his host back to Medina, but his scouts soon picked up Abu Sufyan’s trail and followed him north. Weeks later, the Meccan caravan conducted their business in Jerusalem, Damascus and other major cities in the area, before making their way back south towards Arabia. Muslim scouts observed that the caravan carried vast riches, and rode ahead to Medina to relay the news.

But again, Abu Sufyan was prepared. Unbeknownst to the Muslim patrols, he posted his own scouts on the main roads leading south, who had spotted their movements. He now knew that Muhammad was coming.

This time the Muslims sought to intercept the Meccans further north, before they diverted their route away from the road to Syria. But once more, Abu Sufyan sensed danger. He diverted the caravan from the main road, but this time took a different, unknown path.

He dispatched his fastest rider ahead to seek help from Mecca. The caravan had some 40 armed guards, not enough to protect against the Muslim host. Worse, on the return journey they were slowed down by the many goods and riches, and Abu Sufyan feared he would not be able to evade Muhammad as easily as the last time.

In his mind, he needed help, fast. Once the rider approached Mecca, he tore his shirt and cut his camel in a few places to raise the sense of urgency in the minds of the Quraysh. He cried out for help, telling the tribal leaders that the caravan is about to be attacked and their wealth looted.

Since most of the Quraysh had a share in the caravan, this exaggerated report had an immediate effect. Around 1300 mobilized and swiftly moved north. In the meantime, Muhammad realised that the caravan had again evaded him and he marshalled his host south, expecting to locate Abu Sufyan somewhere along the main road that connects Arabia to Syria.

However, by this time the caravan was beyond the reach of the Muslims. Abu Sufyan sent another messenger to report that they were safe. Upon receiving the news, the Meccan army was pleased that their wealth was secure and were eager to turn back.

But… Amr ibn Hisham, one of the prominent Quraysh chiefs and perhaps the main leader in opposition to Islam refused to withdraw. In his mind, if they returned home, Meccan prestige would suffer. Furthermore, he argued that Muhammad, with his host of around 300 was expecting to fight a merchant caravan, not 1300 warriors Now was the time to catch him by surprise and hunt him down!

Most of the clan leaders agreed, but some 300 warriors weren’t persuaded and had turned back, while the remaining 1000 Quraysh pushed on. Meanwhile, marching south along the main road, the Muslim army encamped in the valley of Badr. As the evening drew to a close, a heavy rain brought much relief to the men, exhausted by the long trek.

During the night, a messenger arrived, carrying news that the Meccan army is coming. Muhammad and his companions sat around the fire, contemplating their next move. With the Prophet were his top lieutenants, including Hamzah, and future Caliphs Abu Bakr, Umar, and Ali.

He saw the worry on their faces… But then, Miqdad, one of the Meccan companions spoke, urging Muhammad to follow what Allah commands, pledging he will fight alongside the Prophet. Sa’d, a leader from Medina exclaimed that he would follow Muhammad even into the depths of the sea. The Prophet then uttered to his companions: “I can see the death of those disbelievers!

” – the next day, Muslims were ready to sacrifice their lives for Islam… At first light, as the rain subsided, the Meccans began deploying for battle. Water-bearers were sent to replenish the water supplies. Little did they know that the Muslims had filled in all of the wells close to the Quraysh camp.

This clever move by Muhammad had created a logistical dilemma for Hisham. Without a source of water in the hot Arabian sun, the Meccan army either had to retreat or force a battle. Furthermore, the Prophet had chosen his position wisely by setting up his camp atop a sand dune.

Although only slightly elevated, from here the Muslim leadership could observe all enemy movements. But more importantly, after the heavy rainfall the night prior, being on slightly elevated ground meant that the soil dried quickly and the troops could move easily. In contrast, the water runoff carried a deluge of sand, dirt, and dust from the surrounding rocky outcrops down into the valley, covering the ground around the Meccan position in wet silt.

With his camp and army stuck in muddy conditions, and with no water reserves to rely upon, Hisham was outmaneuvered. Muhammad had forced him to fight on his own terms. Aware of his numerical inferiority, the Prophet had arrayed just over 300 of his warriors in three lines along the narrowest point in the valley.

His host was mostly infantry, with only 2 horses and 70 camels. In stark contrast, Hisham commanded some 1,000 men, including 100 horses and some 170 camels. Meccan scouts soon reported on the small Muslim host, adding that there are no additional troops waiting in ambush – which meant that Muhammad and his men would fight to the last.

This discouraged some of the Meccan troops, as Arab battles of that period were normally low-casualty affairs. But, Hisham quashed any dissent, appealing to the Quraysh sense of honor. Then, out from the Meccan ranks came a warrior Aswad, swearing that he would drink from the well near the Muslim camp or die for it.

Accepting the challenge, Hamza, one of Muhammad’s uncles, stepped forward. As the two began fighting, Hamza dealt a blow to Aswad’s leg, before quickly striking again to finish him off. Enraged, three prominent Quraysh noblemen, Utbah, known for his skill and ferocity, his brother Shaybah, and his son al-Walid, came forth from the Meccan line, clad in armor and wearing shields.

On the Muslim side, three Ansar from Medina answered the challenge. But the Quraysh refused to fight them… Their quarrel was not with them, they said, but with the Muhajirun, the first converts to Islam – they wanted to fight Muhammad’s kin and his closest advisors. Muhammad’s uncle Hamza stepped out once more, so did his cousins Ubaydah, and Ali.

With his first thrust Ali cut down al-Walid. Seconds later, Hamza got the best of Shaybah. However, Ubaydah was mortally wounded in the duel, his leg severed at the knee.

But before Utbah could deal the killing blow on the Muslim champion, Hamza charged and struck him across the neck. Ali and Hamza then dragged their kinsman back to the Muslim line, where he drew his last breath. Angered with the poor showing in the duels, Hisham decided to put the Meccan strength in numbers to use by advancing on the Muslim line.

Muhammad stood in the front ranks with the men, surrounded by his closest companions. The first Muslim line lowered their spears and shields, forming a phalanx-like formation. The first Meccan wave was the fiercest.

Quraysh cavalry attempted to break through the flanks, while Muhammad’s outnumbered center gave ground. But they managed to absorb the shock of the Quraysh charge and the Prophet sent reinforcements to the flanks to prevent a possible breakthrough. As the stalemate dragged on exhaustion took hold and a brief lull in the fighting offered respite to the two armies.

Knowing he outnumbered the Muslims 3 to 1, Hisham ordered the Meccans forward for a second time, eager to grind down Muhammad’s host. Despite being aware that they cannot win a battle of attrition against an enemy 3 times their number, the Muslims closed rank and fought on with determination. In the narrow pass between the towering ridges on each side, this time Muhammad’s line held firm and yet again the momentum of the Meccan assault was exhausted.

The lull in the fighting allowed the Meccans to regroup, while the fresh Muslim troops from the second and third line moved-up to replace their fallen comrades in the front. Then came the third Quraysh assault. In the frantic struggle, exhausted men struggled to stay on their feet.

The fighting swayed back and forth as warriors fell to swords and spears. But the Muslims held the enemy at bay Despite possessing cavalry and a larger and better armed force, the Meccans were turned back yet again. Sensing that the enemy’s will to fight was broken, Muhammad signalled to his faithful to ready their arms and charge the Meccans.

Unable to break nor match the determination of the Muslims, Hisham’s men routed. During the pursuit, most of the Meccans managed to flee, while some were captured. The symbolic end to the encounter came when Hisham’s head was brought before the Prophet who gazed upon his former pagan enemy and said: “This is the Pharaoh of this nation”… While a single battle did not earn Muhammad a reputation of a conqueror, this was his first major victory.

The battle of Badr has been described as one of the most important battles in Islamic history. And for good reason. Its outcome transformed the Muslims from a marginal religious movement to political contenders on the western coast of Arabia.

Muhammad’s position and authority was solidified in Medina, giving him the wherewithal to undermine his opponents within the city-state. At the same time, the power and influence of the Quraysh of Mecca was significantly reduced.