3.1
‘Abd al-Razzāq, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of al-Zuhrī, who said concerning God’s decree, «Disbelievers, if you were seeking a divine decision, now you have witnessed one»:79
Abū Jahl ibn Hishām sought a divine decision, praying, “O Lord, make known which of us”—by whom he meant Muḥammad and himself—“is more insolent against you and guiltiest of severing the bonds of kinship! May you cause him to perish this day!” Indeed, God killed Abū Jahl on the day of Badr as an infidel doomed to the fires of Hell.
3.2
ʿAbd al-Razzāq, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of al-Zuhrī narrating from ʿUrwah ibn al-Zubayr, who said:
The Messenger of God received the command to wage war soon thereafter in several verses of the Qurʾan.80 The first battle that the Messenger of God witnessed was at Badr, and on that day, the leader of the Pagans was ʿUtbah ibn Rabīʿah ibn ʿAbd Shams. They met at Badr on Friday after the seventeenth, or the sixteenth, night of Ramadan had passed.81 The companions of the Messenger of God numbered over 310 men, and the Pagans numbered between 900 and 1,000. That was “the day of manifest redemption,”82 for God defeated the Pagans on that day. More than seventy souls from their ranks were killed and a similar number taken captive.
Al-Zuhrī said: There was no one who witnessed Badr who was not either a Qurashī, an Ally, or a confederate of one of the two factions.
3.3
ʿAbd al-Razzāq, on the authority of Maʿmar who said: Ayyūb reported to me on the authority of ʿIkrimah that:
3.3.1
Abū Sufyān had drawn near to Medina in a caravan of the Quraysh returning from Syria, and the Pagans marched out to provide support for their caravan because the Prophet had set out in pursuit of Abū Sufyān and his troop. The Messenger of God sent two men as spies to discover at which well Abū Sufyān had stopped. The two went out to search for him and ascertained his whereabouts and what he was up to; then they quickly returned to report back to the Messenger of God.
3.3.2
Abū Sufyan proceeded as far as the well where the two men had been and alighted there. He asked the people near the well, “Have you noticed anyone from Yathrib?”
“No,” they answered.
Then he asked, “Has anyone at all passed by you?”
“We’ve seen no one,” they answered, “except for two men from such-and-such place.”
“And where did the two men make camp?”
They led him to the place, and he walked about until he came upon their feces, which he crumbled apart. There in the feces he found the pits of dates, whereupon he asked, “Aren’t these the dates that come from such-and-such clan? These are the camels of the people of Yathrib!” He then left the desert route and went along the coast.
3.3.3
The two spies returned and reported to the Prophet the news about Abū Sufyān. The Prophet then asked, “Who among you has taken this route?”
“I have,” Abū Bakr answered. “He is at such-and-such well, and now we are at such-and-such well. Soon he will travel on and make camp at such-and-such well, and we will make camp at such-and-such well. Next he will make camp at such-and-such well, and we will make camp at such-and-such well. Then at last we will meet at such-and-such well, like two thoroughbreds eager for contest.”
3.3.4
The Prophet marched onward until he made camp at Badr. At Badr’s well, he found some slaves belonging to the Quraysh who had gone out to give support to Abū Sufyān. His companions captured them and began interrogating them. Whenever the slaves would tell them the truth, they beat them, but if the slaves lied to them, they desisted. The Prophet passed by them while they were doing this, and said, “If they tell you the truth, you beat them, but if they lie to you, you don’t?”83 Then he summoned one of the slaves and asked, “Who is it that feeds the tribe?” “So-and-so and so-and-so,” he replied and so recounted all those men responsible for feeding them daily. The Prophet asked, “How many cattle are slaughtered for them?” “Ten camels,” he answered. Then the Prophet said, “A slaughtered camel feeds one hundred men, so they must number between nine hundred and a thousand.”
3.3.5
When the Pagans had come and arrayed themselves for battle against the Muslims, the Prophet had already consulted with his Companions on how they ought to conduct the battle. Abū Bakr stood and gave the Prophet his counsel, and the Prophet asked him to sit down. Then the Prophet again sought counsel, so ʿUmar stood and gave the Prophet his counsel, and the Prophet asked him to sit down. Once again the Prophet sought counsel from his companions. Saʿd ibn ʿUbādah stood and spoke: “O Prophet of God! It is as though you have examined us today to learn what is in our hearts. By the One in whose hands my soul resides, were you to strike at their hearts until you reach Birk al-Ghimād of Dhū Yaman84 we would still be alongside you!” Thereupon the Messenger of God urged his companions to be resolute and prepare for battle, and he was pleased with their readiness.
3.3.6
When the armies met, ʿUtbah ibn Rabīʿah marched out before the Quraysh and said, “Listen, my tribe! Heed my request and do not go out to battle against Muḥammad and his companions! Verily, if you fight against them, you will find only ruin and an intractable feud that you will not survive. Your men will still look to destroy his brother’s killer and his cousin’s killer. If he be a king, then you will feast in the kingdom of your brother; and if he be a prophet, then by him you will become the most blessed of people. If he be a liar, then it suffices for you to leave him to the Arab diebs,85 for they refuse to listen to his words and refuse to obey him.” Then he continued, “I implore you, by God, to follow these instructions like a lantern’s light! Follow them as a fitting substitute for instructions that lure you like serpents’ eyes!”
Abū Jahl replied, “You’ve filled your mouth with cowards’ prattle!” Then he marched out before the Quraysh and said, “Indeed, ʿUtbah ibn Rabīʿah has only given you this counsel because his son fights with Muḥammad, and Muḥammad is his paternal cousin. He is loath to battle lest his son or cousin be slain.”
ʿUtbah ibn Rabīʿah became furious and retorted, “You tenderassed catamite!86 Today you’ll see just who’s the most spineless, sordid craven among his tribe!” Then he descended to the battlefield, and with him came his brother Shaybah ibn Rabīʿah and his son al-Walīd ibn ʿUtbah. They cried out, “Bring us your challengers!” A number of the Khazraj clan rose up, but the Prophet ordered them to sit back down. Then ʿAlī, Ḥamzah, and ʿUbaydah ibn al-Ḥārith ibn al-Muṭṭalib ibn ʿAbd Manāf stood up.87 Each man and his opponent exchanged two blows, and each slew his rival. Ḥamzah aided ʿAlī against his opponent and slew him. ʿUbaydah’s leg was severed, and he died not long after that.
3.3.7
The first of the slain on the Muslims’ side was Mihjaʿ, a slave-client of ʿUmar. Then God sent down His victory and defeated the enemy. Abū Jahl ibn Hishām was slain. When this was reported to the Prophet, he said, “Was this your deed?” “Yes, O Prophet of God,” they replied. He was pleased and said, “I recall that he had a pale scar across his knees. Go back and see whether it’s there.” They went to look and it was.
On that day a number of the Quraysh were taken captive. The Prophet commanded that bodies of the slain be brought over and dumped into an old well. Then the Messenger of God cast his gaze over the dead and said, “O ʿUtbah ibn Rabīʿah! O Umayyah ibn Khalaf!”—and he began calling out their names one by one—“Have you now found your Lord’s warning to be true?” His companions asked, “O Prophet of God, do they hear what you say?” The Prophet replied, “You are no more knowledgeable of what I say than they”—meaning that they had seen the consequence of their deeds.88
3.4
Maʿmar said: I heard Hishām ibn ʿUrwah report:
On that day, the Prophet sent Zayd ibn Ḥārithah to announce the good news to the inhabitants of Medina. Some people refused to accept the truth of his report and said, “By God, this man has only returned because he’s fleeing!” Zayd started to tell them about the captives and those who had been slain, but they did not believe him until the captives were brought bound and tied. Later, the Prophet ransomed the captives.