Most Read in the Category of The Battle of Badr and Afterwards

(2nd Year of Hijrah, Ramadan  /  13 March 624, Friday)

The Trade Caravan of Quraysh

In the 2nd year of Hijrah, the Qurayshi polytheists prepared a trade caravan. Almost everybody, men and women, in Makkah had shares in this caravan, which was going to be sent to Damascus. The money to be obtained from this big trade caravan, which consisted of one thousand camels and whose capital was fifty thousand dinars, was going to be used to buy weapons in preparation for the war. That was the main aim of the caravan. The Qurayshis appointed about thirty or forty guards under the command of Abu Sufyan to accompany the caravan. (1)

The Prophet is informed about the Caravan

The Messenger of God was informed about the caravan. He decided to prevent this big caravan of trade led by Abu Sufyan from returning to Makkah. He got ready to set off with more than 300 (305 or 315) Companions.

Sa’d and his Father

The Companions wanted to take part in the military expedition of Badr. Some people even drew lots to join it. Sa’d from Ansar said to his father, Haythama, “If the reward for this expedition were something other than Paradise, I would not come with you! I expect to be a martyr in this expedition”, expressing his wish to take part in the expedition.  His father said to him, “Stay with your wife, who is ill; I will go.” However, Sa’d did not accept it and they decided to draw lots. Sa’d won the draw and joined the expedition. He became a martyr in Badr, attaining his goal. (2)

Umm Waraqa

Let alone men, women also had a great desire to join the expedition. Umm Waraqa bint Abdullah went to the presence of Messenger of God and said, “O Messenger of God! Let me come with you. I will treat your wounds and look after the ill people. Maybe God will let me become a martyr. The Messenger of God said to this self-sacrificing woman, “Stay at home and read the Quran! God will definitely let you become a martyr.”

After that incident, the Messenger of God always called her as “shahidah” (female martyr).

As a matter of fact, Umm Waraqa, who had memorized the whole Quran, was martyred by two of her servants, one male and one female, at night; they suffocated her by pressing a velvet covering onto her. The murderers were caught and hanged. They were the first people that were punished by being hanged in Madinah. (3)

Setting off from Madinah

The Prophet appointed Abdullah Ibn Umm Maktum to lead the prayers in the mosque in his absence. He also appointed Abu Lubaba from Ansar as his deputy for the administration of the city. In the month of Ramadan, after twelve nights passed, he set off from Madinah with mujahids on a hot Saturday. (4)

Musab b. Umayr was carrying the white standard of the Messenger of God. Hazrat Ali was carrying one of the black flags which was called Uqab and Sa’d b. Muadh from Ansar carried the other. (5)

The caravan was going to be met near the place called Badr (6) because it was a strategic place where the roads leading to Makkah, Madinah and Syria intersected.

Mujahids set off from Madinah on one of the hottest days of the summer; besides, they were fasting because it was Ramadan. It was very difficult to continue the journey in the scorching heat and on the blazing desert while fasting. Therefore, the Messenger of God ordered the mujahids to break their fasts. (7)

Young People are not Allowed

They had not moved far away from Madinah very much. The Messenger of God picked those who were too young and wanted to send them back to Madinah. The eight young mujahids became very sad because they were separated from the army. Thereupon, the Messenger of God allowed two of them to join the army again. Hazrat Sa’d b. Abi Waqqas narrates:

“Just before the Messenger of God started to pick the young mujahids and send them back, I saw my brother Umayr trying not to be seen. I asked him,

‘O my brother! What is the matter?’ He said,

‘I fear that the Messenger of God will think I am too young and send me back. However, I want to join this expedition and I expect to be martyr.’

When the Messenger of God saw him, he regarded Umayr as too young and said to him, ‘Return’.

Umayr started to cry. Thereupon, the Messenger of God allowed him to stay. Umayr could not tie his sword because he was too short; so, I helped him tie his sword.” (8)

Umayr, who wanted to attain the rank of martyrdom by fighting in the way of God, was hit by the arrows of the polytheists during the battle and reached his goal.

Riding the Camels in Turns

There were two horses and seventy camels with the Muslims. They rode the camels in turns. The Prophet did not want to regard himself different from others. He rode a camel in turns with Ali and Marsad b. Abi Marsad. When it was the Prophet’s turn to walk, both of them said to the Prophet, “O Messenger of God! You ride the camel we will walk instead of you.” However, the Prophet did not accept their offers and said, “You are not stronger than me in terms of walking and I am not in less need than you in terms of rewards.” (9)

With this act, the Messenger of God applied the principle of equality and justice introduced by Islam himself. 

The Caravan of Quraysh Changes its Way

The Islamic army proceeded in the scorching heat. Abu Sufyan received the news that he had been concerned about before reaching Badr: “Muslims set off to capture the caravan!”

He sent a messenger to Makkah at once and he changed the route of the caravan without stopping over; he proceeded toward Makkah through the Red Sea coast without going to Badr.

Quraysh Prepares for the War

Damdam, the messenger, who reached Makkah before Abu Sufyan, shouted on his camel with his strange clothes as follows: “O Quraysh! Muhammad and his friends attacked your caravan and your belongings with Abu Sufyan! I do not think that you can reach it. Help! Help!”

Naturally, this news caused indignation among Qurayshis because almost every family had possessions in the caravan. Qurayshis gathered. They started to make preparations. They prepared an army quickly consisting of 950 people. One hundred of them had horses and seven hundred had camels. This number was about threefold of the number of the Muslims who were out to follow the caravan. In addition, the Qurayshi army was superior to the Muslim army in terms of weapons. 

Some Makkans did not want to join the army of the polytheists. However, they had to join the army as a result of the pressure by Abu Jahl and other notables of Quraysh. However, Abu Lahab said that he was ill and sent someone else instead of him by paying him some money. 

The army of the polytheists set off from Makkah toward Badr with the enthusiasm caused by the songs of the woman singers and the music of the tambourines.

On the way, they received this news from Abu Sufyan, who led his caravan without any incidents:

“You set off to protect your men and possessions in the caravan. God protected them. Now you can return!”

However, Abu Jahl did not want to return. He did not want the others to return, either. He said,

“By God, we shall not return until we reach Badr. We will stay there for three days. We will slaughter some camels and eat them. We will drink wine. We will make female slaves sing and we will enjoy ourselves. The Arabs around will see and listen to us. They will fear us from now on. Let us proceed!” (10)

When he started to move toward Badr, the messenger went to Abu Sufyan and told him what had happened. Abu Sufyan did not like what he heard. He said, “It is a pity for my tribe. This is the act of Amr b. Hisham (Abu Jahl). He did not want to return. He did it to become the leader of the people. Ambition causes incompleteness and bad luck.”

He expressed his concern as follows:

“If Muhammad and his friends meet them, they are finished!” (11)

Despite all of the aggression and provocation of Abu Jahl, some people left the army. Ahnas b. Sharik dissuaded Banu Zuhra, who were his allies, and returned to Makkah with them. Then, Banu Adiyy b. Ka’b, the tribe of Hazrat Umar returned.

Banu Hashim had also joined the army. When some Qurayshis said to them, O Banu Hashim! You have joined this army but we know very well that your hearts are with Muhammad”, Talib, the son of Abu Talib, returned with a group. 

The Islamic Army is in Zafiran

When the Prophet reached a place called Zafiran near Safra with mujahids, he was informed that Qurayshis were coming with a big army. They did not expect something like that; therefore, they could not decide what to do at once. Their aim was not to fight. They did not have any preparations. Besides, according to the news they received, the army of the polytheists consisted of more people than the Islamic army and they had more weapons.  

Consultation with Mujahids

The Messenger of God gathered the Companions. He asked them whether it was more appropriate to follow the caravan or to fight the army of the polytheists. Some mujahids said it was more appropriate to follow the caravan. The Messenger of God did not like this idea. Meanwhile, Hazrat Abu Bakr and Hazrat Umar got permission to speak and said that it was more appropriate to proceed against the army of the polytheists and to fight them. The Prophet was glad to hear this thought.

Then, Miqdat b. Aswad from Ansar said, “O Messenger of God! Do whatever your Lord ordered you to do. We will not say as Banu Israil, who said to Moses, ‘Go thou, and thy Lord and fight ye two, while we sit here’. We will obey you.” (12)

The Prophet was very glad to hear this Companion, who was a symbol of altruism and courage; he prayed for this Companion.

After these talks, the decision was almost certain. However, it was necessary to ask the view of Ansar because they had promised to protect the Prophet and Muslims in Madinah. Now, they were outside Madinah. The Messenger of God asked their view about the issue. 

Sa’d b. Muadh got permission to speak on behalf of Ansar and said,

“O Messenger of God! We believed in you and confirmed you. We witnessed that whatever you brought was right. We promised to listen to you and to obey you.

O Messenger of God! Do whatever you want to do; we are together with you. I swear by God, who sent you with the true religion, that if you showed us this sea and jumped into it, we would jump with you! Not even one person from us will remain behind. We will not avoid fighting the enemy. We will not return during the battle. Lead us with the blessing of God!” (13)

The decision was certain: A handful of mujahids were going to fight against the army of the polytheists, which was much superior to them in terms of number and weapons. Their superiority in number and weapons did not intimidate the heroic Companions. They risked, as it was stated in the Quran, “being driven to death and they (actually) saw it.” (14) They trusted in the help of God. They knew that they were going to struggle for God and they believed heartily that the Owner of the religion would help them.

The mujahids were few in number but their belief and courage were like mountain chains. Their reliance point was the owner of the Universe; their leader was the master of the Universe, Hz Muhammad (pbuh). Such an army would definitely risk everything and would not avoid or fear from fighting the army of the polytheists!

The Messenger of God, who was very pleased with the speech Sa’d b. Muadh (may God be pleased with him) made, addressed the mujahids as follows: “Proceed and be happy with the grace of God! I already see the places where the Qurayshis will fall one by one and lie!” (15)

This speech affected the mujahids more deeply and increased their excitement. They started to move toward Badr enthusiastically.

Estimating the number of the Soldiers of the Enemies

The Islamic army approached Badr on Thursday night, at the time of night prayer.

The Messenger of God said, “I hope we can get some information next to the well near that small hill.” Then, he sent some Companions like Hazrat Ali, Zubayr b. Awwam and Sa’d b. Abi Waqqas to that direction. 

Meanwhile, the water-carriers of the polytheists were near the well with their camels that carried water. The mujahids captured some of them.

When they were taken to the presence of the Prophet, he said to them, “Give me some information about Quraysh!”

They said, “They are in the highest and farthest side of that sand hill.”

The Messenger of God asked, “How many people are there?”

They answered, “A lot.”

The Prophet asked again, “What can be their number?”

They said, “We do not know.”

This time, the Prophet asked, “How many camels do they slaughter every day?”

They said, “One day, nine camels and one day, ten...”

Then he asked, “Who are among them from the notables of Quraysh?”.

When the water carriers mentioned most of the names of the Qurayshi notables, the Messenger of God turned toward his Companions and said,

“Makkah sacrificed its most beloved people for you!”

Then, he asked the men, “Did any Qurayshis return on the way?”

They said, “Yes. Banu Zuhra returned together with Ahnas b. Sharik.”

Then, the Prophet said, “God showed Banu Zuhra the right path although they did not know the hereafter, God and the Book.” (16)

The Places Where the Notables of Quraysh will be Shot

When the Prophet reached Badr at night, he said, “Inshaallah, this is the place where such and such a person will be shot and fall! That is the place! This is the place.” He showed one by one where the leaders of the polytheists would be shot and fall by putting his hand on those places.

Hazrat Umar said,

“All of them were shot and fell at exactly where the Messenger of God had shown, neither forward nor backward!” (17)

Islamic Army Reaches Badr Before

The Messenger of God reached Badr before the polytheists and settled in a place very close to Badr well. He talked to his Companions about where to set up the headquarters. 

Hubab b. Mundhir, who was about thirty-three years old then, stood up and said, “O Messenger of God! We are warriors. I regard it appropriate to close all of the wells except one and set up the headquarters there.” Then he said, “O Messenger of God! Is this place somewhere that God ordered you to settle and is it not permissible to go forward or backward? Or did you choose it personally as a precaution of war?”

The Messenger of God said, “No! I chose it personally as a precaution of war.”

Thereupon, Hubab said, “O Messenger of God! It is not appropriate to set up the headquarters here. Make people stand up at once! Let us go and settle near the well where the Qurayshis plan to settle. I know that place. There is a well with very nice and plenty of water. Let us close all of the wells behind that well. Then, let us make a big pool and fill it with water; then we will fight the polytheists. We will drink water from our pool as we get thirsty. They will not be able to find water and will be in a difficult situation.”

The Messenger of God said, “O Hubab! Your view is the right one” and stood up. The mujahids stood up, too. They went near the well where Qurayshis planned to settle. 

All of the wells were closed upon the order of the Prophet. A pool was built and it was filled with water; then a receptacle was put in it. (18)

A Shade is built for the Prophet

Meanwhile, upon the offer of Sa’d b. Muadh, a shade, that is, a tent was built with date branches. The Prophet went under the shade together with Hazrat Abu Bakr.

Sa’d b. Muadh girded on his sword and started to keep guard with a few Companions in front of the shade. (19)

The Army is Put in Position

The Messenger of God put the army in position as soon as he arrived at Badr. He checked the ranks carefully. The Muslim forces had been divided into three: The Muhajirs, the Aws tribe the and Khazraj tribe. Each group gathered under their own standard. Musab b. Umayr was holding the standard of the Muhajirs; Sa’d b. Muadh was holding the standard of the Aws tribe and Hubab b. Mundhir was holding the standard of the Khazraj tribe. (20)

After the organization, the Messenger of God instructed the army as follows:

“Do not leave your lines! Stay firmly in your places without moving! Do not start fighting before I order you to do so. Do not waste your arrows by shooting them before the enemy approaches. Shoot your arrows when the enemy opens the shield. When the enemy approaches very near, throw stones. If the enemy approaches too much, use your spears and pikes. Use your swords when you are face to face with the enemy.” (21)

Every mujahid made a pile of stones where they were. It would be useful for them since they were going to be in the position of defense. The enemy was deprived of it because they were going to attack. Therefore, they could throw only a few stones when they attacked. 

Muslims spend the Night Praying and Worshipping

It was one night before the battle.

The Prophet was in the shade built for him. He spent the whole night worshipping the Lord of Majesty. Then, he opened his hands toward his Merciful Lord and uttered the following supplication, which was so sorrowful as to make the universe cry and so effective as to make the earth and sky cry:

“O God! Keep the promise you have made me!

O God! If this handful of mujahids is destroyed, there will be nobody left to worship you on earth.” (22)

The Messenger of God repeated the same supplication in the prayers. The mujahids who heard this supplement could not stand still due to their excitement.

Two Armies Confront

The Messenger of God completed the preparations of the army. Meanwhile the army of the polytheists reached Badr.

The scene was very thought-provoking. Most of the soldiers to fight against one another were relatives. Brothers, fathers and sons, uncles and nephews would fight against each other.

The army of the enemies had organized their ranks.

The Prophet came out of his shade and checked the army for the last time. Everything was in order, as he wanted. However, the enemy was superior in terms of the number of the soldiers and weapons. Seemingly, it was not going to be an equal struggle. However, the mujahids never lost hope and believed heartily that the battle would end with their victory despite everything.

The First Martyr from Mujahids

In accordance with the tradition of battles, individuals from both armies would fight one on one. However, Amr b. Khadrami came forward in order to excite the polytheists and shot an arrow against the mujahids, which was contrary to the customs of battles. The arrow shot Mihja and he became the first martyr of the Islamic army. The Messenger of God said, “Mihja is the master of the martyrs”, blessing Mihja. 

The martyrdom of Mihja electrified the atmosphere. Meanwhile Utba and Shayba from Banu Rabia and Walid, the son of Utba came forward and asked for three individuals to fight against them.

A woman called Afra from Banu Najjar had seven sons and all of them were present in Badr. Two of her sons, Muadh and Awf and Abdullah b. Rawaha, the poet of the Prophet, came forward to fight against them.

The Messenger of God did not want Ansar to fight against the polytheists in the first individual fights between the Muslims and polytheists.

The polytheists asked, “Who are you?”

They said, “We are from Ansar.”

The polytheists said, “We have nothing to do with you. We want to fight our cousins from Banu Abdulmuttalib.” Then, they addressed the Prophet, “O Muhammad! Let our equivalents come against us!”

Thereupon, the Prophet ordered the youths of Ansar to return to their ranks and prayed for them. Then he said, “Stand up, O Ubayda! Stand up, O Hamza! Stand up, O Ali!” (23)

The Polytheists Lick the Dust

The three heroic Companions who were called by the Prophet stood up and came forward. Utba could not recognize them because they were wearing helmets.

He said, “Introduce yourselves so that we will know whether you are our equivalents or not. If you are our equivalents, we will fight you.

When the three heroic Companions uttered their names and fames, the polytheists said, “Yes, you are our honorable equivalents. Let us start”, drawing their swords.

Ubayda b. Harith was going to fight Utba b. Rabia, Hazrat Hamza with his equivalent Shayba b. Rabia and Hazrat Ali with Walid b. Utba.

The encounters of the six notables of Quraysh who were famous with their courage were worth watching. Thus, the soldiers of both armies who were ready to fight started to watch them, some holding their arrows and some their swords.  

The one on one fighting started like a lightning. Hazrat Hamza and Hz Ali killed their opponents with their first blows. Then, they went to help Hazrat Ubayda; they killed Utba and took him to the presence of the Prophet.

Hazrat Ubayda, who was wounded in his leg and was in blood all over, asked the Prophet, “O Messenger of God! Am I a martyr?”

The Messenger of God said, “Yes, you are a martyr” and gave him the good news that his place was the Paradise of Firdaws. (24)

Upon receiving this good news, Ubayda did not mind his leg being amputated and uttered nice lines of poetry stating that he was pleased and was not sad for the troubles and pains he was exposed to. His wound was severe; so, he died on the way while returning from Badr. He was buried there. (25)

When they saw that their men were killed one by one, the polytheists were terrified. They did not know what to do. Abu Jahl tried to console them and to organize them.

The Muslim mujahids who regarded fighting in the way of God as “the greatest honor” could not sit still due to their excitement. They wanted to start the battle at once and to defeat the polytheists. 

The Messenger of God looked at the situation of that handful of mujahids, who were like concrete symbols of belief, and uttered the following supplication:

“O God! They are on foot and barefoot; give them animals to ride!

O God! They are naked; give them clothes to wear.

O God! They are hungry; give them food to make them full!

O God! They are poor; make them rich with your grace and generosity!” (26)

Then, he repeated the supplication that he always uttered: “O God! Keep the promise you have made me! O God! If this handful of mujahids is destroyed, there will be nobody left to worship you on earth!”

Hazrat Abu Bakr and his Son

The scene was very noteworthy.

Mus’ab b. Umayr was the standard-bearer of the muhajirs in the rank of Muslims while his brother, Abu Aziz Ibn Umayr was the first flag-bearer of the army of the polytheists.

There was something stranger: Hazrat Abu Bakr and his son, Abdullah were in the ranks of Muslims but Abu Bakr’s other son, Abdurrahman, was among the polytheists of Quraysh. When  Abdurrahman, who was famous for his courage and sharp archery, came forward and asked for an opponent, Hazrat Abu Bakr stood up and wanted permission from the Messenger of God to fight against his son.

However, the Messenger of God said, “O Abu Bakr! Do you not know that you are like my eyes that see and my ears that hear!” and did not give him permission to fight.

When Hazrat Abu Bakr could not get the permission from the Messenger of God to fight his son with swords, he shouted at his son angrily, “O Abdurrahman! What about your relation to me?”

Abdurrahman answered, “There is nothing between us but weapons, horses and swords.” (27)

Battle Starts

It was 17th of Ramadan, Friday morning...

The two armies started to attack each other with all of their strength.

The Messenger of God encouraged the mujahids to fight in the way of God and gave them the good news that those who would be martyred would go to Paradise. He always tried to maintain their efforts and hopes active by saying, “Victory belongs to us!” He sometimes fought in front of the army showing his courage and increasing the courage of the mujahids. 

Hazrat Ali said,

“When the battle got very intense, we took refuge in the Messenger of God on the day of Badr! He was the most courageous one among us that day. There was nobody closer to the ranks of the polytheists than him!” (28)

Harith b. Suraka is Martyred

Harith b. Suraka, a young man from the tribe of Khazraj, was at the back of the army, standing near the water pool and watching the fight. An arrow shot by the enemy passed through the mujahids in the front ranks and hit him at the back; he was martyred. He was the first Muslim martyred among Ansar.

It was a lesson to drawn for everybody that the arrow passed through the mujahids in the front ranks and hit Harith, who was at the back, martyring him.

The Prophet Encourages the Mujahids to Fight

The battle was going on intensely. The Messenger of God constantly called the mujahids to be steadfast: “I swear by God, in whose hand of power is Muhammad’s existence, that God will definitely put those who fight by expecting the consent of God and by showing patience and steadfastness and who are killed while proceeding without turning back into Paradise!”

Umayr is Martyred

Umayr b. Humam from Ansar heard this glad tiding of the Messenger of God while eating dates and said, “It is very nice! In order to go to Paradise, it is necessary to be killed by those people”. He threw the dates away and drew his sword; he uttered some effective couplets regarding the virtue of martyrdom and the importance of the hereafter; then, he attacked the enemy. That was all. Umayr did not return. He killed many polytheists and then he was martyred. 

A Miracle

While the battle was going on, the Messenger of God picked a handful of fine sand from the ground, threw it toward the army of the polytheists and prayed as follows: “Let their faces be black! O God! Put fear in their hearts; make their feet tremble!” (29)

Each one of them heard the sentence, “Let their faces be black!” and the sand he threw went to the eyes of each polytheist. They stopped attacking and started to be busy with their eyes.

The Quran declares that miracle as follows:

 “It is not ye who slew them; it was Allah: when thou threwest (a handful of dust) it was not thy act, but Allah's!” (30)

Yes, the small stones that Messenger of God had in his hands mentioned the names of God and glorified God; similarly, the fine sand and small grits that he threw at the enemy were like hand grenades and terrified the enemy!

The Supplication of the Prophet and the Help of Angels

On the one hand, the Prophet was walking among mujahids, making speeches to increase their love and enthusiasm of jihad; on the other hand, he was turning toward the qiblah and praying his Lord: “O God! Send me the help You have promised me!”

During his supplication, he was so concentrated that he did not notice when his garment on his shoulder fell down. Hazrat Abu Bakr, who never left him alone, picked the garment and put it back on his shoulder saying, “O Messenger of God! That supplication is enough. Doubtlessly, He will keep His promise He has made you.” (31)

After a while the Messenger of God said, “Glad tidings, O Abu Bakr! God’s help has arrived. That is Jibril. He is equipped with weapons on his horse, holding the reigns of his horse on the sand hills, waiting for orders!”

The Quran narrates the incident as follows:

“Allah had helped you at Badr, when ye were a contemptible little force; then fear Allah; thus may ye show your gratitude.

Remember thou saidst to the Faithful: Is it not enough for you that Allah should help you with three thousand angels (specially) sent down?.” (32)

It is narrated that a very strong wind that had never seen before occurred. It was impossible to see. Then, the wind died away. Then, another wind occurred; and it died away, too.

It was the manifestation of Jibril coming with three thousand angels under his command and standing near the Prophet, on his right and left.

The angels had white turbans around their heads and the tips of the turbans were hanging down at the back. Only the turban of Jibril (pbuh) was yellow. All of the angels were riding multicolored horses.

Mujahids Fight Heroically

The watchword of the mujahids was, “Ya Mansur! Amit”; they fought against the enemy heroically and split the ranks of the enemy with their attacks and blows. 

Especially Hazrat Hamza and Hz. Ali (may God be pleased with them) attacked the polytheists heroically and bravely; they always got through the any enemy rank they attacked. Hazrat Hamza knocked down anyone in front of him with a sword in both of his hands. Those two heroic Companions killed many notables of the polytheists with their swords.

Abu Jahl is Killed

It would be a source of pride to kill Abu Jahl, the greatest enemy of the Muslims; therefore, every mujahid wanted to find and kill him. Hazrat Hamza killed Abu Qays Ibn Walid, who was the bother-in-law of Khalid b. Walid from Banu Mahzum and who was one of the leaders of the polytheists, thinking that he was Abu Jahl; similarly, Hazrat Ali killed Abdullah Ibn Mundhir from Banu Mahzum, thinking that he was Abu Jahl.

Abu Jahl, who was seventy years old, was a ferocious and steadfast enemy of Islam; he had a terrible face. He said, “My mother bore me for today!” showing his courage and leading his soldiers to the fight. 

When Banu Mahzum saw that many polytheists had been killed, they surrounded Abu Jahl like a herd of camels. They were going to protect him at any cost. 

The battle was going on intensely.

When Hazrat Abdurrahman b. Awf looked around in his rank, he saw two Ansar youths.

One of them approached him and asked, “Do you know Abu Jahl?”

Abdurrahman b. Awf said, “Yes, I know him. What are you going to do to him?” The young man answered,

“I promised God. When I see Abu Jahl, I am going to walk toward him; I am going to kill him or I am going to be a martyr!”

Abdurrahman b. Awf admired this young man and appreciated his determination and courage. Meanwhile, the other youth approached and said the same things. 

Abdurrahman b. Awf first had said to himself, “I ended up between two children in the rank!” Then, he was amazed by their brave talks.

Those two young men were Muadh and Muawwidh, two of the seven children of Afra that took part in the battle.

Meanwhile, Abdurrahman b. Awf (may God be pleased with him) saw Abu Jahl, who was wandering among the polytheists and who was guarded by the members of Banu Mahzum. He showed him to the two young men, saying, “There he is! Abu Jahl!”

The two brave young men drew their swords and walked toward that direction. 

Many mujahids were looking for Abu Jahl to kill him just like those two young men. Before the two young men reached Abu Jahl, Muadh b. Amr b. Jamuh from Ansar, who was following Abu Jahl, hit Abu Jahl on the leg with his sword. Ikrima, the son of Abu Jahl wounded his hand and arm with his sword in return. This heroic Companion said,

“My hand was hanging down with its skin. I forgot abut my hand due to the severity of the battle. I held my wounded hand at the back and continued fighting. When my hand started to give me a lot of trouble, I stepped on it with my foot and cut off my hanging hand!” (33)

After Muadh b. Amr b. Jamuh was wounded, the two young brothers approached Abu Jahl. They hit him with their swords and knocked him down. They thought he was dead and left him. 

“Abu Jahl is the Pharaoh of this Ummah!”

Meanwhile, the Messenger of God said, “I wonder what Abu Jahl did? What happened to him? Who will go and find out?”

The mujahids looked for him but could not find him.

The Prophet repeated his order, saying, “Look for him! I have a word about him. If you cannot identify him, look at the scar on his knee.” Then, he added,

“Once, we were at the feast of Abdullah b. Jud’a together. I was a bit heavier and larger than him. When I was squeezed, I pushed him. He fell on his knees. One of his knees was injured and the scar never disappeared.” (34)

Thereupon, Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud went to look for him. He saw Abu Jahl in the throes of death. Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud asked him, “Are you Abu Jahl?” Then, he stepped on his neck, saying, “O enemy of God! Eventually God humiliated and ruined you! See?”

                             The graveyard in which the martyrs of the Battle of Badr are buried

Although he was in the throes of death, Abu Jahl said to Ibn Mas’ud, “O shepherd! You are on a very steep place. It is not something that happened now for a great man to be killed by his own tribe. Now tell me which party is victorious today.”

Ibn Mas’ud said, “The victory belongs to God and His messenger!”, making him desperate in his last seconds. Abu Bakr, who became very sorrowful, expressed his unbelief again: 

“Say to Muhammad, I was his enemy up to now; my enmity has increased twofold from now on!”

Thereupon, Ibn Mas’ud cut off his head.

Thus, Abu Jahl did not become a believer even in his last breath; he insisted on unbelief and heresy, and went to Hell.

Ibn Mas’ud  (may God be pleased with him) took his head to the presence of the Prophet. He said,

“Here is the head of Abu Jahl, the enemy of God!”

Thereupon, the Messenger of God said, “Praise be to God, who helped His slave and made His religion superior!” Then he said, “This is the Pharaoh of this ummah!” (35)

After the death of Abu Jahl, there were not many people who could oppose the Muslims. Meanwhile, Umayya bin Khalaf, the ferocious polytheist, was killed by Bilal al-Habashi (may God be pleased with him), whom Umayya had tortured mercilessly; the army of the polytheists panicked. They started to run away. Those who ran away saved themselves; the others were taken captives.

Result

After the ruthless struggle that lasted a few hours, the army of the Islam led by the Messenger of God gained a bright victory. Fourteen of the mujahids were martyred. About seventy polytheists were killed and about seventy of them were taken captives. Twenty-four of those who were killed among the polytheists were the notables. The mujahids buried all of the dead bodies of the notables of the polytheists in a big hole upon the order of the Prophet.

The Messenger of God led the janazah prayer of the mujahids martyred during the battle of Badr in Badr.

Thanks to this bright victory, the clouds of doubt and hesitation were dispersed; the courage of the Muslims increased. The Prophet immediately sent two messengers to Madinah to inform the people there about the bright victory. The messengers conveyed the magnificent good news to the people of Madinah; one of them entered the city from the upper side, the other from the lower side.

The Captives and the Booty

The Qurayshi army, which was completely defeated, left a lot of booty and seventy captives. The booty consisted of one hundred and fifty camels, ten horses, a lot of red velvet, war equipments, Morocco leather, household goods and garments.

Among the captives were Abbas, the uncle of the Prophet, Uqayl b. Abu Talib and Nawfal b. Ab¬dul¬mut¬ta¬lib, his cousins, Abu’l-As Ibn ar-Rabi, the husband of the Prrophet’s daughter Zaynab, Abu Aziz Ibn Umayr, the brother of Musab bin Umayr and the standard-bearer of the polytheistic army.

Hazrat Umar was appointed to tie the captives so that they will not flee.

Abbas was tied very tightly because he was the most important one among them. Therefore, he started to moan in pain at night. The Prophet could not sleep at night when he heard Abbas moan.

They asked him, “O Messenger of God! Why are you not sleeping?”

He said, “Due to the moaning of Abbas...”

Some of the Companions who did not want the Messenger of God to be disturbed untied Abbas.

When the Prophet noticed that the moaning stopped, he asked, “Why do I not here the moaning of Abbas?”

They said, “We untied him.”

Thereupon, the Prophet said, “Untie the other captives, too!” Then, he fell asleep. (36)

The Booty is Distributed

The Messenger of God, who left Badr three days after the battle ended, stopped over under a tree near the sand hill called Sayar after the Pass of Safra on the way to Madinah. He divided the booty equally among the Muslims there.  

The Prophet took the camel of Abu Jahl as the share of the commander. He gave two shares to cavalries and one share to infantries. He also allocated shares to the eight people who stayed in Madinah because they had taken permission or because they had been appointed by the Prophet and to those who were martyred in Badr.

The sword of Munabbih b. Hajjaj called “Dhulfiqar” was given to the Prophet. Later the Messenger of God gave this sword to Hazrat Ali as a present. (37)

Consultation about Captives

No divine revelation had been sent about what to do with the captives. Therefore, it was necessary to decide about them by expressing opinions.

Regarding the issues to be decided by expressing opinions, the Messenger of God always had consultations with the Companions. In the consultation meetings, everybody could express their views freely and openly.

The Prophet asked the Companions about what to do with the captives.

Hazrat Abu Bakr said, “O Messenger of God! They are our relatives. My view is to free them in return for ransom. The ransom we will receive will be strength for us against the unbelievers. I hope God will guide them and they will help us.”

The Messenger of God asked Hazrat Umar, “O Khattab’s son! What is your view?”

Hazrat Umar said, “O Messenger of God! They denied you; they exiled you. Kill all of them!”

The compassion and mercy of the Messenger of God did not consent to such treatment; therefore, he asked again. However, Hazrat Umar insisted on his view and said, “They are the leaders of the polytheists. All of them must be killed!”

The Prophet kept silent, without answering any of them. Then, he went to his tent and sat there for a while.

Some of the Companions agreed with the view of Hazrat Abu Bakr and others with the view of  Hazrat Umar.

After a while, the Messenger of God came out of his tent and said to Hazrat Abu Bakr, “O Abu Bakr! You are like Hazrat Ibrahim, who said to God, 'He who follows me is one of us, and he who disobeys me, then, You are gracious enough to forgive'. And Abu Bakr you are also like Jesus who said to God, 'If you punish them, they are Your servants, and if You forgive them, You are All Powerful, Mighty and Wise.” Then turning to Hazrat Umar, the Prophet said, “O Umar! You are like Noah who said, to God 'O my Lord! Do not leave on the earth a single unbeliever.' And Umar you are also like Moses who said, 'O God! Destroy their properties and harden their hearts so that they are not converted till they have suffered punishment!’”

After these talks, the Messenger of God agreed with the view of Hazrat Abu Bakr. He ordered the captives to be released in return for a ransom of four thousand dirhams for each. Some of them were released for three thousand, two thousand or one thousand dirhams based on their situations. 

The most important one was this:

The Messenger of God also decided that the captives who could read and write and who could not afford to pay ransom would be released if they taught ten children of Ansar each to read and write. (38) Zayd b. Thabit was one of those children who learned to read and write like that. Thus, the number of the literate people in Madinah increased.

Verses That Were Sent Down

When the decision above was made about the captives, the following verses were sent down:

“It is not fitting for an apostle that he should have prisoners of war until he hath thoroughly subdued the land. Ye look for the temporal goods of this world; but Allah looketh to the Hereafter; and Allah is Exalted in might Wise.

Had it not been for a previous ordainment from Allah, a severe punishment would have reached you for the (ransom) that ye took.

But (now) enjoy what ye took in war, lawful and good: but fear Allah: for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (39)

Hazrat Umar narrates an event regarding the issue as follows:

“When I went to the presence of the Messenger of God, I saw him and Hazrat Abu Bakr weeping.

I said, ‘O Messenger of God! Why are you and your friend weeping? What makes you weep? If there is something to weep for, let me weep, too. Even if there is nothing to weep for, I will weep with you!’

The Messenger of God said, ‘Woe on me due to the ransom your friends received for the captives! I was shown that the torture you will suffer was closer than that tree near you.’” (40)

The Advice of the Prophet to Muslims regarding Captives

The Prophet reached Madinah with mujahids one day before the captives.

The next day, he distributed the captives to his Companions and said to them, “Advice good deeds to one another regarding the captives.”

Abu Aziz, who was the brother of Mus’ab b. Umayr’ (may God be pleased with him) and who was among the captives said,

“When the captives were brought to Madinah, I was given to a family from Ansar. The Messenger of God gave some advice to Muslims about us. Therefore, they gave me the bread at breakfast and dinner and ate the dates themselves. When one of them found a piece of bread, he would give it to me. I would return the bread to the person who gave it to me because I would feel embarrassed. However, he would return it to me without touching it!” (41)

The Prophet Informs Abbas about the Gold he has Hidden!

Abbas, who was the uncle of the Prophet and who was among the captives, was quite rich.

The Messenger of God said to him, “O Abbas! Pay ransom for yourself, Aqil b. Abi Talib, your nephew, and Nawfal b. Harith, because you have wealth.”

Hazrat Abbas had brought eight hundred dirhams of gold while going to Badr with polytheists to spend for the soldiers. During the battle, this gold was captured from him and was put among the booty. Therefore, he said to the Prophet, “Let us regard that gold as ransom.”

The Prophet said, “No... That is something that you carried in order to spend against us; God gave it to us. We cannot give it back to you.”

Hazrat Abbas said, “I have no money other than that. Will you make me a beggar?”

Thereupon, the Prophet said, “O Abbas! Where is that gold?”

Hazrat Abbas said, “Which gold?”

The Messenger of God said,

“The gold that you entrusted to Umm Fadl, your wife, on the day when you left Makkah! There was nobody else but you and your wife when you gave her the gold. You said to Umm Fadl, ‘I do not know what will happen in this expedition. If something happens to me and I cannot return, this amount of gold is for you, this part is for Fadl, this part is for Abdullah, this part is for  and this part Qusam!’ I mean that gold!”

Hazrat Abbas asked in astonishment, “Who told you about it?”

The Prophet said, “God did!”

Thereupon, Hazrat Abbas uttered the kalima ash-shahada and became a Muslim. He returned to Makkah after paying the ransom.

Hazrat Abbas did not declare that he was a Muslim when he returned to Makkah; he informed the Prophet about Makkah secretly and helped the Muslims there. (42)

Hazrat Zaynab Sends her Necklace

Abu As b. Rabi, the son-in-law of the Prophet and the husband of Hazrat Zay¬nab was also among the captives.

Hazrat Zaynab (may God be pleased with her) took off her necklace and sent it as ransom for her husband, Abu As, to Madinah. Hazrat Khadijah, her mother, had given it to her as a present when she married. 

That the daughter of the Messenger of God sent her necklace as ransom affected the Companions of the Prophet deeply.

The Prophet was also moved and said to the Companions, “If you regard it appropriate, release Zaynab’s husband and return her the necklace.”

Thereupon, the Companions released Abu As and returned the necklace to Zaynab, pleasing the heart of the Prophet. (43)

Reactions about the Victory of Badr

The Victory of Badr caused many positive and negative reactions both inside and outside Madinah. The Jews and idolaters in Madinah were terrified. Some of the Jews said, “He is the person whose attributes we read in our books. Nobody can resist him. He will always be victorious” and embraced Islam. Some of them seemingly believed. However, they did not give up causing mischief and seditions. 

The Negus of Ethiopia was also informed about the victory. He said to the Muslim migrants in his country, “God helped His Messenger in Badr. I praise God for it”, expressing his pleasure and joy.

There was festive air among the Muslims in Madinah while the polytheists in Makkah had a mourning atmosphere.

The tribes around were intimidated by the victory of Badr.

Death of Abu Lahab

Abu Lahab had not participated in the expedition of Badr and stayed in Makkah, sending Asi b. Hisham instead of him.

When the Qurayshi army was defeated by the Islamic army and returned to Makkah, Abu Lahab called Abu Suf¬yan b. Harith and said to him, “O my nephew! What happened in Badr? Tell me”

Abu Suf¬yan b. Harith said, “By God, we were completely defeated when we faced them. They killed some of us and took some of us captives. However, I cannot blame or condemn people because we saw a regiment of cavalries on dapple grey horses; it was impossible to fight against them!”

Meanwhile, Umm Fadl, the wife of Hazrat Abbas and Abu Rafi, his slave, were there, too. Abu Rafi said, “By God, the cavalries you saw were angels!” Abu Lahab got very angry and slapped Abu Rafi severely; then, he started to beat him by swooping down on him.

Umm Fadl was moved and said,

“You are beating a poor slave because his master is not here!” Then, she hit the head of Abu Lahab with a tent pole.

Abu Lahab was wounded and left that place in a terrible situation.

He got very ill due to his sorrow and grief. He died a week later without being accounted for his severe enmity against the Messenger of God and Muslims in this world. 

His sons kept his dead body for two or three days. The dead body started to stink. Nobody wanted to approach him because they were afraid that they would be infected.

One day, a Qurayshi man said to his sons, “Woe on you! Shame on you! Your father’s dead body is in your house but you do not go near him.”

They said, “We are afraid of his disease!” The man said, “Come on! I will help you.” They went to the house.

However, it was impossible to approach him.

They neither washed nor touched his dead body. They sprinkled some water on the dead body. Then, they dragged it to the upper part of Makkah and buried the body there. Then, they covered it with stones. (44)

1. Ibn Hisham, Sirah, V. 2, p. 257; Ibn Sa’d, Tabaqat, V. 11, p. 11.

2. Ibn Sa’d, Tabaqat, V. 3, p. 482.

3. Ibn Sa’d, ibid, V. 8, p. 457; Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, V. 6, p. 405.

4. Ibn Sa’d, ibid, V. 2, p. 12; Ibn Hisham, ibid, V. 2, p. 263.

5. Ibn Hisham, ibid, V. 2, p. 264.

6. Badr is the name of a plain 120 parasangs (abou 145 km) far from Madinah in the southwest of Madinah. It is surrounded by high mountains. In the Era of Jahiliyya, it was used as a place of fairground. It has plenty of water, and fruits like bananas and grapes.

7. Ibn Sa’d, ibid, V. 3, p. 149-150.

8. Ibn Sa’d, ibid, V. 2, p. 21.

9. Ibn Sa’d, ibid, V. 2, p. 21.

10. Ibn Hisham, ibid, V. 2, p. 270

11. Vaqidi, Maghazi, p. 30.

12. Ibn Hisham, ibid, V. 2, p. 266.

13. Ibn Hisham, ibid, V. 2, p. 267; Ibn Sa’d, ibid, V. 2, p. 14.

14. al-Anfal, 5-6.

15. Ibn Hisham, ibid, V. 2, p. 267.

16. Ibn Hisham, ibid, V. 2, p. 268; Vaqidi,  ibid, p. 37-38.

17. Muslim, Sahih, V. 5. p. 170.

18. Ibn Hisham, ibid, V. 2, p. 272; Ibn Sa’d, ibid, V. 3, p. 567-568.

19. Ibn Sa’d, ibid, V. 2, p. 15.

20. Ibn Sa’d, ibid, V. 2, p. 14.

21. Ibn Sa’d, ibid, V. 2, p. 15; Ibn Hisham, ibid, V. 2, p. 272; Ibn Hajar, al-Isaba, V. 2, p. 235.

22. Tabari, Tarikh, V. 2, p. 269.

23. Ibn Hisham, ibid, V. 2, p. 277; Ibn Sa’d, ibid, V. 2, p. 17.

24. Ibn Sa’d, ibid, V. 2. p. 17.

25. Ibn Abdi’l-Barr, al-Istiab, V. 3, p. 1021.

26. Ibn Sa’d, ibid, V. 2, p. 20.

27. Ibn Hisham, ibid, V. 2, p. 291.

28. Ibn Sa’d, ibid, V. 2, p. 23.

29. Ibn Hisham, ibid, V. 2. p. 280.

30. al-Anfal, 17.

31. Ibn Sa’d, ibid, V. 3, p. 601-602; Muslim, Sahih, V. 5. p. 156-157.

32. Aal-i Imran, 123-124.

33. Ibn Hisham, ibid, V. 2, p. 287-288; Tabari, Tarikh, V. 2, p. 284.

34. Ibn Hisham, ibid, V. 2, p. 288; Tabari,ibid, V. 2, p. 284.

35. adh-Dhahabi, A’lamu’n-Nubala, V. 1, p. 346.

36. Ibn Sa’d, ibid, V. 4. p. 13; Tabari, ibid, V. 2, p. 288.

37. Ibn Sa’d, ibid, V. 1, p. 286.

38. Ibn Sa’d, ibid, V. 2, p. 22; Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, V. 1, p. 246.

39. al-Anfal, 67-69.

40. Muslim, Sahih, V. 5. p. 157.

41. Ibn Hisham, ibid, V. 2, p. 300.

42. Ibn Sa’d, ibid, V. 4, p. 13-15; Badiuzzaman Said Nursi, Mektubat, p. 112.

43. Ibn Hisham, ibid, V. 2, p. 308.

44. Ibn Sa’d, ibid, V. 4, p. 74; Tabari, ibid, V. 2, p. 288.

Fasting in Ramadan is Rendered Fard

Fasting in Ramadan was rendered fard one month after the qiblah was changed to the Kaaba and in the beginning of the 18th month after Hijrah, in the month of Saban. The following were stated in the verses regarding fasting:

“O ye who believe! fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you that ye may (learn) self-restraint…

Ramadan is the (month) in which was sent down the Qur'an as a guide to mankind also clear (Signs) for guidance and judgment (between right and wrong).

So everyone of you who is present (at his home) during that month should spent it in fasting, but if anyone is ill, or on a journey, the prescribed period (should be made up) by days later.

God intends every facility for you He does not want to put you to difficulties. (He wants you) to complete the prescribed period, and to glorify Him in that He has guided you; and perchance ye shall be grateful!” (1)

Fasting in Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam.

Ibn Umar (may God be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of God stated the following:

“Islam is based on five things: testifying that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger, establishing the prayer (salah); paying the zakah (wealth-tax), performing the Hajj and fast in Ramadan.” (2)

Sadaqa al-Fitr is Rendered Wajib

Toward the end of the month of Ramadan of the same year, sadaqa al-fitr was rendered wajib.

The Messenger of God ordered that every rich Muslim, whether young or old, free or slave, male or female, give one sa’ (1040 dirhams) (3) of dry dates or one sa’ of barley or raisin, or one mud (half a sa’) of wheat to the poor before the prayer of eid. 

The First Eid Prayer is Performed

When the crescent of Shawwal was seen and when the sun rose in the morning, the Messenger of God ordered Muslims to break their fasts and to go to the open praying area for the eid prayer. Then he went to the open praying area and led the eid prayer there before the khutbah (sermon) and without adhan or iqamah.

When the Messenger of God honored Madinah, the people of Madinah had two festival days. The Prophet said to them, “God gave you two better festival days: eid al-fitr (Ramadan Festival) and eid al-adha (Sacrifice Festival).” (4)

The Messenger of God always performed eid prayers in the open praying area. The open praying area of Madinah was at the east gate of the city of Madinah.

The Prophet always walked to the open praying area. He went to the open praying area from one way and returned from another way. He always ate something before he set off for the prayer of eid al-fitr. He generally ate a few dates.

Zakah is Rendered Fard

Zakah was rendered fard in the 2nd year of Hijrah after the fasting of Ramadan was rendered fard and sadaqa al-fitr was rendered wajib.

Zakah is a financial kind of worshipping for rich Muslims that involves giving a certain amount of their goods, property or money to the poor every year. 

Zakah is one of the five pillars of Islam. It was ordered in the Quran: (an-Nur, 56; al-Muzzammil, 20; al-Hajj, 78; al-Baqara, 110). It is mentioned in 32 places in the Quran together with prayer (salah)

The Prophet stated the following in a hadith:

“Every day in the morning, two angels come down and one of them says, ‘O my Lord! Give to those who give zakah and sadaqa and spend their property for the sake of God the amount that they spend’. The other one says,  ‘O my Lord! Destroy the property of those who do not give zakah or sadaqa!” (5)

Death of Hazrat Ruqayya

Hazrat Ruqayya, the daughter of the Prophet who was married to Hazrat Uthman, became ill during the Expedition of Badr.  Hazrat Uthman stayed in Madinah to look after her upon the order of the Prophet. He could not go to Badr. When Zayd b. Haritha brought the news of the Victory of Badr to Madinah, Hazrat Ruqayya had died.

Umm Ayman washed her dead body. Hazrat Uthman led her janazah prayer and buried her in the cemetery of al-Baqi. 

Hazrat Ruqayya was born after Hazrat Zaynab when the Messenger of God was 33 years old. She became a Muslim together with Hazrat Khadija, her mother. Then, she married Hazrat Uthman. Hazrat Uthman migrated to Abyssinia with her. When the Messenger of God saw that they were migrating together, he said, “After Lot (pbuh), Uthman is the first person to migrate in the way of God with his family.” (6)

Abu Darda Becomes a Muslim

Abu Darda Uwaymir b. Sa’laba became a Muslim during the Expedition of Badr.

Abdullah b. Rawaha (may God be pleased with him) was an intimate friend of Abu Darda. One day, Abdullah took an adze and broke the idol in Abu Darda’s house. When Abu Darda returned home, his wife told him about it. Abu Darda started to think and said to himself, “If this idol had been useful, it would have protected itself!” Then, he went to the Prophet to become a Muslim.

When Abdullah b. Rawaha saw him coming from a distance, he said, “O Messenger of God! Abu Darda is coming. He is probably coming here to see us!”

The Messenger of God said, “He is coming here to become a Muslim. My Lord had informed me beforehand that Abu Darda would be a Muslim!”

When Abu Darda went to the presence of the Prophet, he became a Muslim. His family had embraced Islam before him. (7)

Hazrat Fatima Marries Hazrat Ali

Hazrat Fatima married Hazrat Ali five months after the Messenger of God honored Madinah in the month of Rajab. Their wedding was in the month of Dhul-Hijjah in the 2nd year of Hijrah after the Battle of Badr.

Hazrat Fatima was the youngest and his most beloved daughter. Whenever the Prophet returned from a battle or expedition, he went to the mosque first to perform a prayer of two rak’ahs and then he went to Hazrat Fatima; after that, he went to his wives. (8)

Hazrat Aisha (may God be pleased with her) narrates:

“I have never seen anyone whose words and speech resemble those of the Messenger of God. When Fatima came, the Messenger of God would welcome her with compassion and greet her by saying, “Welcome!” I have never seen anyone more straightforward than Fatima.” (9)

The walking style of Fatima (may God be pleased with her) resembled that of the Prophet a lot.

Once, Hazrat Aisha was asked, “Who was the most beloved person for the Prophet?”

Hazrat Aisha answered, “Fatima”

When she was asked, “Who was the most beloved man for the Prophet?”, she answered, “Fatima’s husband. (10)

The Prophet Sends Someone to Makkah to Bring his Daughter Hazrat Zaynab

Among the captives of Badr was Abu As b. Rabi, the husband of Hazrat Zaynab and the son-in-law of the Prophet. As we mentioned under the topic of the captives of the Battle of Badr, Abu As went to Makkah when he was released. Abu As had prevented Hazrat Zaynab from migrating before; however, this time he let her go.  

The Messenger of God sent Zayd b. Haritha and somebody from Ansar to Makkah a month or less than a month after the Battle of Badr and they brought Hazrat Zaynab. (11)

Death of Uthman b. Maz’un, from Muhajir Muslims

He is the first muhajir Muslim buried in the cemetery of al-Baqi.

The first Eid al-Adha Prayer is Performed

The Messenger of God reached Madinah on the ninth of the month Dhul-Hijjah from the Expedition of Sawiq. The next day, that is, the tenth of Dhul-Hijjah, he went to the open praying area with Muslims. He led the two-rak’ah eid al-adha prayer without adhan or iqamah. He recited a sermon after the prayer. In the sermon, he ordered Muslims to sacrifice animals. He himself sacrificed two animals. While slaughtering one of the fleshy white rams, he said,   “O God! This is on behalf of my ummah, who witness your oneness and what came to me from you.” While slaughtering the second one, he said, “O God! This is for Muhammad and the household of Mu¬hammad. He himself, his household and the poor ate from the meat of the second ram. (12)

That was the first eid al-adha in Islam!

1. al-Baqara, 183-185.

2. Bukhari, Sahih, V. 1, p. 11.

3. One Dirham is 3 Grams

4. Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, V. 3, p. 103.

5. Bukhari, Sahih, V. 2, p. 120.

6. Ibn Sa’d, Tabaqat, V. 8, p. 36-37.

7. Ibn Sa’d, ibid, V. 7, p. 391.

8. Ibn Abdi’l-Barr, al-Istiab, V. 4, p. 1895.

9. Tabari, Tarikh, V. 2, p. 290-292.

10. Ibn Sa’d, ibid, V. 1, p. 248-249.

11. Tabari, Tarikh, V. 2, p. 290-292.

12. Ibn Sa’d, ibid, V. 1, p. 248-249.

(2nd year of Hijrah, month of Shawwal /AD 624)

The anxieties of the Jews in Madinah increased when Muslims had a bright victory in the Battle of Badr. Although they had signed a peace treaty with the Prophet, it was noticed that they started the activities of mischief and sedition.  Despite everything, the Prophet treated them with tolerance since they were from the People of the Book. However, they showed with their attitudes and acts that they did not deserve such humane attitudes. Their poets wrote satirical poems about the Prophet and about the Muslims to humiliate them.

As it had been mentioned before, there were three Jewish tribes in Madinah: Banu Qurayza, Banu Nadr and Banu Qaynuqa. The most mischievous and courageous one among them was Banu Qaynuqa. They were jewelers. Therefore, they were quite rich. They had also signed a treaty with the Prophet just like the other tribes. They had promised that they would not attempt any activities against Muslims, that they would defend Madinah against enemy in case of an external attack against Madinah and that they would not help the enemies of each other. However, they had started to violate the treaty by their obvious mischievous acts and seditions, by trying to set Muslims against one another and by cooperating with the polytheists of Quraysh. Meanwhile the following incident that took place was the last straw that broke the camel’s back: 

A woman from the Ansar of Madinah went to the shop of a Jewish jeweler to buy something; her face was covered. The Jews tried to make her open her face; however, the woman insisted on having her face covered. Meanwhile, a Jewish person secretly attached a thorn to the bottom part of her dress. When the woman stood up to leave, her dress was pulled and her legs were seen. The Jewish people who were there started to laugh at her. The woman screamed.  When a Muslim who was passing by heard the scream, he intervened to help the woman. The Muslim and the Jew started to fight. The Muslim killed the Jew. Then, the other Jews who were there swooped down on the Muslim and martyred him. (1) Thus, blood was shed between Jews and Muslims. The ones that caused the incident were the Jews. They violated the treaty by acting against the promises that had made.

When the relatives of the Muslim who was martyred asked for help, the Prophet gathered the Jews of Banu Qaynuqa. He called them to Islam. He told them to give up their mischievous acts and that they could face the fate of the polytheists in Badr.  However, the mischievous Jews made fun of the speech of the Prophet and gave the following answer arrogantly: “O Muhammad! Do not depend on your victory against the people who did not know how to fight. If you dare to fight us, you will see what kind of men we are.” (2) Then, they left. 

The verse that was sent down upon the conceited and arrogant answer of the Jews of Banu Qaynuqa declared what would happen to them as follows:  

“Say to those who reject Faith: "Soon will ye be vanquished and gathered together to Hell―an evil bed indeed (to lie on)!’” (3)

Another verse that was sent down regarding the same event gave the Prophet the permission to fight against these Jews, who violated their promise as follows: “If thou fearest treachery from any group, throw back (their Covenant) to them, (so as to be) on equal terms: for Allah loveth not the treacherous!” (4)

Thereupon, the Prophet resolved: they would fight against the Jews of Banu Qaynuqa.

After making this decision, the Messenger of God appointed Lubaba b. Abdil Mundhir as his deputy in Madinah, gave the white standard to Hazrat Hamza and set out toward Banu Qaynuqa.

The Banu Qynuqa Jews had a strong castle. When they heard that the Prophet was coming toward them, they withdrew to the castle. The Messenger of God besieged them. After the siege that lasted for fifteen days, they had to surrender. The Prophet ordered that all of them be tied by their hands one by one. Their hands were tied. (5)

Abdullah b. Ubay Applies to the Prophet

Meanwhile, the leader of the munafiqs, Abdul¬lah b. Ubay, who was the ally of Banu Qaynuqa, went to the Prophet. He said, “O Muhammad! Do my allies a favor; forgive them.” 

The Messenger of God ignored the words of Abdullah b. Ubay. Thereupon, he repeated his words:

“O Muhammad! Do my allies a favor; forgive them!”

This time, the Prophet turned his face away.

However, Abdullah b. Ubay continued to repeat the same things:

Thereupon, the Prophet said,

“Untie them. May God curse them and those who are with them!” He gave up the idea of killing Banu Qaynuqa and ordered them to be expelled to Damascus from Madinah. (6)

The Words of Ubada b. Samit

Ubada b. Samit, from Banu Awf, was also an ally of the Banu Qaynuqa Jews. He also came to the Prophet to ask him let them free. When he witnessed what happened between the Prophet and Abdullah b. Ubay, he said, “O Messenger of God! I have become the friend of God, His Prophet and believers. I have given up being allies and friends with those unbelievers.” He declared that he gave up being allies and friends with the Banu Qaynuqa Jews. 

Thereupon, the following verse was sent down:

 “O ye who believe! take not the Jews and the Christians for your friends and protectors: they are but friends and protectors to each other. (7) And he amongst you that turns to them (for friendship) is of them. Verily Allah guideth not a people unjust.” (8)

Banu Qaynuqa Leave Madinah

The real aim of the Messenger of God was to keep the mischief and sedition of the Jews away from Madinah and to prevent the dangers caused by them. He reached his aim by expelling them from Madinah.

The time given to Banu Qaynuqa to leave Madinah was three days. When the period of three days ended, they set off to Damascus. When they reached Wadi al-Qura, they stayed there for a month. The Jews who lived there gave horses and camels to those who did not have anything to ride on and food to all of them. Then, the Banu Qaynuqa Jews left Wadi al-Qura, reached Azrua and settled there. They soon perished away. (9)

THE EXPEDITION OF SAWIQ

(2nd Year of Hijrah, Dhul-Hijjah, 5 Sunday)

When seven hundred people from the Jews of Banu Qaynuqa were expelled from Madinah, the city felt relieved. This act of the Prophet was very important in terms of the development of Islam. If those Jews, who were the source of mischief and sedition, had been left in Madinah, they would have definitely set many treacherous plans against Muslims. Their banishment prevented them from doing so.

Peace and calm prevailed in the city.

However, the security was not very good outside the city. The polytheists of Quraysh did not forget the pain of their defeat in Badr; they did not want to forget it, either. When many of the notables of the Quraysh were killed, Abu Sufyan started to regard himself as the leader of the Quraysh; he started to make preparations in order to take the revenge of Badr. He vowed that he would not approach women, would not put on nice smells and would not have a bath or shower unless he took his revenge on Muslims. (10)

In order to keep his vow, Abu Sufyan approached Madinah with two hundred cavalrymen. In fact, he himself knew very well that he could not fight against Muslims with that army. However, he went to Madinah only to keep his vow and to show that he did not give up his vow.

At night, he went to the leader of the Jewish tribe Banu Nadr, who were still residing in Madinah then, and received some secret information about Muslims from him. 

Then, the polytheists approached a place called Urayz, which was three miles away from Madinah, and set fire to a date orchard and two houses. Meanwhile they martyred a Muslim from Ansar and his worker, who were  defenseless and who were working on the field. (11)

Abu Sufyan regarded that he had kept his vow by having done so and left that place rapidly lest he should be followed and got caught; and he set off to Makkah.

The Messenger of God was informed about the attack. He left Madinah with two hundred men from Ansar and Muhajirs to follow the polytheists. He did not find anyone. He found out that they had fled rapidly.  

The polytheists had brought roasted wheat flour called “sawiq” with them as food. They left the bags of flour on the way because they were heavy and prevented them from running away fast. The mujahids collected those bags of sawiq. That is why the expedition was given the name “sawiq”. (12)

1. Ibn Hisham, Sirah, V. 3, p. 51

2. Ibn Hisham, ibid, V. 3, p. 50

3. Aal-i Imran, 12

4. al-Anfal, 58

5. Ibn Sa’d, Tabaqat, V. 2, p. 29; Tabari, Tarikh, V. 2, p. 297.

6. Ibn Sa’d, ibid, V. 2, p. 29; Tabari, ibid, V. 2, p. 297.

7. “What is the criterion for establishing friendship and relationship with non-Muslims? Is establishing only military and economic alliances included in the prohibitive boundaries of the Quran?” Badiuzzaman Said Nursi answers those questions and similar ones that can come to the mind convincingly in his book “Münazarat”. We quote the following from his book:

“Question: The Quran prohibits loving Jews and Christians.

“How can you say, ‘make friends with them’?”

“Answer: First of all, the evidence is sound and definite but its meaning and judgment needs to be sound and definite, too. However, interpretations and possibilities are present. The prohibition of the Quran is not general but absolute. The absolute one can have some conditions. Time is a great interpreter; if it shows its conditions, it is not opposed. If the judgment is based on wishes, the point of joining shows the cause of the judgment. That is, this prohibition for Jews and Christians is because they reflect Judaism and Christianity. A person is not loved because of his personality; he may be loved because of his attributes and art. It is not necessary for every attribute of a Muslim to be a Muslim attribute. Similarly, not all attributes of an unbeliever are unbeliever attributes. Therefore, why should it not be permissible to have relations with them in terms of their Muslim attributes and useful arts? If you have a wife from the People of the Book, you shall certainly love her!

Secondly, during the Era of Bliss, a great religious revolution took place. Since this revolution caused all of the minds to concentrate on the religion, people loved and hated others due to religion. Therefore, love of non-Muslims implied hypocrisy. However, today the revolution in the world is a strange worldly civilization. What keeps the minds and brains busy is civilization, progress and the world. Besides, most of the Jews and Christians are not faithful to their religions.  The reason why we become friends with them is to take their civilization and technology, and to maintain the law and order, which is an essential for the worldly bliss. This kind of friendship is by no means prohibited by the Quran.” (Ba­diuz­za­man Said Nursi, Münazarat, p. 26-27)

8. Al-Maida, 51.

9. Balazuri, Ansab, V. 1, p. 309.

10. Ibn Sa’d, Tabaqat, V. 2, p. 30.

11. Ibn Hisham, Sirah, V. 3, p. 48; Ibn Sa’d, ibid, V. 2, p. 30; Tabari, Tarikh, V. 2, p. 299.

12. Ibn Hisham, ibid, V. 3, p. 48; Ibn Sa’d, ibid, V. 2, p. 30.

When the Prophet honored Makkah, there were mainly Muslim Arabs, Polytheistic Arabs and Jewish people there; there were also some Christians but not many. 

After the Messenger of God settled in Madinah, Islam became more common in Madinah. People of Madinah embraced Islam in groups. Meanwhile, the Prophet established a political and administrative organization for Muslims.  

Meanwhile, another group appeared: A group of munafiqs (hypocrites) that did not believe heartily but seemed to be believers.

The tribes of Aws and Khazraj, which had been tired of the internal clashes and fights that lasted for years between them, made an agreement and decided to appoint Abdullah b. Ubay b. Salul as their ruler just before the Prophet came to Madinah. They even ordered the crown that he would put on. (1)

However, the dream of Abdullah b. Ubay to be the leader came to naught when the Messenger of God honored Madinah because almost all of the members of Aws and Khazraj had become Muslims; they all gathered around the Prophet as a necessity of their belief.

This situation offended Abdullah b. Ubay b. Salul, whose dream of being the ruler ended, a lot. When he saw that there were not many people around him, he seemingly became a Muslim. (2)

He himself said that he had become a Muslim seemingly due to the psychological pressure of the people around him. During the Expedition of Muraysi, he worked hard to set Muhajirs against Ansar and overstepped the mark by saying, “Once we return to Madinah, the strong ones will definitely drive out the weak ones.” Thereupon, the chapter of al-Munafiqun was sent down about munafiqs.

After the chapter was sent down, some people said to Abdullah b. Ubay, “O Abu Hu¬bab! (3) Very severe verses were sent down about you. Go to the Messenger of God and tell him to ask for forgiveness from God for you!”  He said,

“You ordered me to believe and I did. You ordered me to pay zakah and I did. There is nothing but to prostrate before Muhammad now.” (4)

The following event also shows clearly how grieved and sad Abdullah b. Ubay was due to losing the hope of becoming the ruler:

Once, the Prophet was going to the house of Sa’d b. Ubada, who was ill, to visit him. On the way, when the Prophet saw that some Muslims, polytheistic Arabs and Jews were sitting in the shade of the house of Abdullah b. Ubay, he greeted them and sat next to them. He recited a passage from the Quran to them; he gave them the glad tiding that good deeds would lead them to Paradise and warned them that bad deeds would take them to Hell.

When the Prophet finished his words, Abdullah b. Ubay said, “O Speaker! If what you say is true, there can be nothing better than them. However, You should stay in your house and tell them to the people that come to your house. Do not go to the meetings of the people who do not like what you say and do not disturb them!”

The Prophet was offended by what he said. He left that place and went to Sa’d b. Ubada’s house. When he told Sa’d b. Ubada why he was sorry, Sa’d said, “O Messenger of God! Forgive the mistakes of Ibn Ubay. I swear by God, who sent the Quran to you, that the will of God became manifest by giving you the prophethood. However, the people of this city had prepared to make him put on the crown and be their ruler. When God gave you the prophethood, his expectation came to nothing and Ibn Ubay became very sorry and got offended by your prophethood; he treated you badly because of it. (5)

The leader of the munafiqs was Abdullah b. Ubay. There were many accomplices around him. Besides, there were many people who followed him blindly due to reasons like kinship, being allies. It is not possible to give a definite number about them. However, the number of people that left the Battle of Uhud by following Abdullah b. Ubay was about three hundred. That is, it was about one third of the Islamic army. It was not a number to despise. It shows that they had an influence on the political life of Madinah.

When the Messenger of God returned from the Battle of Badr as victorious, the religion of Islam became stronger. The enemies were intimidated. Thereupon, some Jews in Madinah believed in Islam by saying, “That is the person whose attributes are mentioned in the Torah! No one can resist him from now on. He will always be victorious!” Some of them pretended to be Muslims. Thus, munafiqs appeared among Jews, too. Most of the Jewish munafiqs were among Jewish scholars. They were fiendishly clever. They were more mischievous and dishonest than the others. They worked hard to humiliate Islam, to demoralize Muslims and to prevent the polytheists from being converted to Islam. They asked many complicated questions in order to keep the Prophet busy and to trouble him. (6)

We learn from the Quran that there were munafiqs among the desert Arabs called ‘Bedouins’: “Certain of the desert Arabs round about you are Hypocrites, as well as (desert Arabs) among the Madinah folk: they are obstinate in hypocrisy: thou knowest them not: We know them.” (7)

Although the social levels, lifestyles and races of munafiqs were different, they all had the same attributes: Their first attribute was “saying with their lips what was not in their hearts.” (8) That is, they seemed to be believers although they did not believe heartily. They talked to Muslims, traveled with them by seeming to be Muslims and asked them questions that would make them doubt. Thus, they wanted to weaken the trust of Muslims about one another, to drive a wedge among them and to set them against one another.

Their aim was to put forward views that will cause mischief and separation among Muslims and to humiliate the Prophet in the eyes of Muslims by lies and slanders. They did everything to realize their inauspicious aim; they regarded everything as fair to realize their aim. There was no meanness and fraud that they would resort to in order to realize their aim. 

The attitude and the policy of the Prophet toward them was thought-provoking and exemplary. The Messenger of God was informed about their activities aiming to shake Islam a few times. The Messenger of God summoned those people at once and questioned them whenever he was informed. However, they always said that they did not carry out any harmful activities and that they were innocent each time. Then, they uttered kalima ash-shahada and repeated that they were believers and Muslims. As a matter of fact, when Hazrat Zayd b. Arqam told the Prophet that Abdullah b. Ubay said, “Once we return to Madinah, the strong ones will definitely drive out the weak ones”, the Prophet summoned Ibn Ubay and asked him, “Did you utter the words that I was informed?”

Abdullah b. Ubay responded as follows:

“No! I swear by God, who sent you the book, that I did not utter any of those words. Zayd is definitely a liar!”

The Quran points out to those attitudes of the munafiqs as follows: 

“When the Hypocrites come to thee, they say, "We bear witness that thou art indeed the Messenger of Allah." Yea, Allah knoweth that thou art indeed His Messenger, and Allah beareth witness that the Hypocrites are indeed liars!” (9)

The revelation that was sent down while they were denying their crimes told the Prophet that they committed those crimes and that they were denying them by telling lies. However, the Messenger of God showed patience and tolerance toward them and forgave them.

As we have mentioned above, when the Prophet read a passage from the Quran and preached Abdullah b. Ubay and the people who were together with him, Abdullah b. Ubay could not bear it said to the Prophet, “Go and tell these things to the people who come to visit you. Do not disturb us!”

The Prophet was offended by his words. He mentioned Sa’d b. Ubada, whom he visited about what he had said; When Sa’d b. Ubada said, “O Messenger of God! Forgive his mistake”, the Prophet forgave him. (10)

Another attribute of the munafiqs was to act hypocritically and fawn on Muslims when they met them and to say, ‘We believe’ but when they are alone with their evil ones they say: ‘We are really with you we (were) only jesting.’ (11) They took pride in this hypocrisy and immoral act. 

An example to show this attitude of the munafiqs clearly is the act of Abdullah b. Ubay, their leader. Once, he was outside with his accomplices. He saw that some Companions were coming. He said to his men, “Look how I will get rid of them.” When they approached, he held Hazrat Abu Bakr’s hand and said, “Hello, O Master of Banu Tamim! The friend of the Messenger of God in the cave! The loyal one who sacrificed his self and property willingly for the sake of the Prophet!” Then he held Hazrat Umar’s hand and said, “Hello, O Master of Banu Adiyy! Hazrat Faruq, who is strong in his religion and who sacrificed his self and property for the sake of the Messenger of God!”

Hazrat Ali could not put with this hypocrisy and said “Abdullah! Fear God, do not be a hypocrite because the munafiqs are the most evil creatures of God.”

Thereupon, Ibn Ubay said, “O Abul Hasan! Do you say this about me? By God, our belief is like your belief; our confirmation is like your confirmation” and left them. 

Then, Abdullah b. Ubay turned to his friends and said, “Have you seen what I did? Do as I did when you see them!” (12)

According to a narration, the 14th verse of the chapter al-Baqara was sent down after this event. (13)

Munafiqs took part in the prayers and other kinds of worshipping seemingly but they tried to do things secretly against Muslims. It is remarkable that they tried not to show the things that are related to unbelief and that they were not expelled from the Islamic community because they seemed Muslims. Therefore, it was more important to maintain the solidarity and security against those internal enemies rather than the unbelievers and polytheists because the harm caused by the internal enemies is always greater. The internal enemies disperse the strength and decrease the courage; the external enemies increase the solidarity and strength. Therefore, the Quran mentions the munafiqs a lot. Muslims are warned by the Quran to be always alert against them and not to be deceived by their tricks.  

The Prophet knew them because God Almighty informed him about them; and then he informed some Companions about them. However, he did not reveal their names publicly. He did not taunt them.

This attitude was better for the interest of Islam and Muslims. Besides, there was another important reason why the Prophet treated them like that. It was the possibility of their giving up the evil deeds and the activities of mischief and sedition gradually because it is possible that an evil deed is abandoned in time if it is not revealed; however, if it is revealed, it will arouse the fury of its doer and will increase his evil deeds. (14)

Due to those reasons, it can be said that the Prophet took into consideration the following issues when he did not reveal the munafiqs, treated them like Muslims in the world and did not exclude them from the Islamic community in compliance with the Quran:

1) To make it possible for their children that will grow up in the Islamic community be good Muslims.

2) To make them face the spiritual trouble when they seemingly practice the divine decrees that they did not believe in their hearts and to enable them to become real believers feeling repentance. (15)

The munafiqs resorted to many ways to humiliate the Prophet in the eyes of the believers and tried to use every opportunity. Many events regarding the issue took place.

The arrogance of Mirba b. Qayziyy can be given as an example.

When the Messenger of God was going to Uhud with his army, this ferocious munafiq did not want to let the Messenger of God pass through his truck farm and said, “O Muhammad! If you are a prophet, it is not permissible for you to tread on my farm.” Then, he picked a handful of soil and said, “By God, if I knew it would not disturb others, I would throw this soil at you!”

Some Muslims, who could not put with that arrogant act of that munafiq, wanted to kill him; however, the Prophet said, “Leave him! He is blind! His heart is blind; the eye of his heart is blind.”

Before the intervention of the Prophet, Said b. Zayd hit this ferocious munafiq.

Another example to the similar acts of the munafiqs is what happened in the expedition of Tabuk.

During a stopover, the camel of the Prophet got lost. Despite all searches, it could not be found. The munafiqs took action and started to say, “If Muhammad were really a prophet, he would know where his camel was!”

When the Prophet heard what they said, he said, “Yes... By God, I can only know what God informs me. Now, He has shown me where my camel is. My camel is in such and such a valley; its halter is attached to a tree. Go and get it.”

They found the camel in the valley, attached to a tree, just like the Prophet described. (16)

The most remarkable harmful act of the munafiqs during the period of the Prophet was to abandon Muslims in the most critical moments. Thus, they wanted to weaken them in number and demoralize them. A clear example of it took place when they left the Islamic army during the Battle of Uhud. The number of the munafiqs who left the Islamic army under the leadership of the ferocious was three hundred; that is, one third of the Islamic army. By doing so, the munafiqs decreased the number of the Muslims and demoralized the mujahids. Due to their act, some Muslims felt uneasy and even wanted to return. However, they changed their minds due to the sagacity of the Prophet and the help of God Almighty. (17)

Similarly, in the most critical moment of the Battle of Khandaq, the munafiqs said to the Prophet, “Let us go to our houses because our houses are defenseless.”

Meanwhile, Sa’d b. Muadh came to the presence of the Prophet and said,  “O Messenger of God! Do not let them. By God, whenever we are exposed to a misfortune or we face a difficult situation, they always act like that.”

As it can be understood from the statements above, the munafiqs tried to abandon the Islamic army in the most critical moments in order to leave the Messenger of God and Muslims in the lurch.

They did the same thing during the expedition of Tabuk. While the Muslims were getting ready for the expedition, some of the munafiqs said to them, “Do not set out in this scorching heat!”, trying to demoralize the Muslims; they also applied to the prophet and asked for permission for not joining the expedition. About eighty of them were given the permission. The Quran mentions their situation as follows: 

“Those who were left behind (in the Tabuk expedition) rejoiced in their inaction behind the back of the Messenger of God: they hated to strive and fight with their goods and their persons, in the Cause of God: they said, "Go not forth in the heat. Say, "The fire of Hell is fiercer in heat." If only they could understand! Let them laugh a little: much will they weep: a recompense for the (evil) that they do.!” (18)

In the same expedition, Abdullah b. Ubay, the munafiqs and his Jewish allies joined the Islamic army and went as far as Thaniyya al-Wada; they settled there. However, he decided not to go with the Islamic army and returned with the people who were together with him. He not only returned with the munafiqs who were subject to him and his Jewish allies but he also spoke as follows in order to weaken the enthusiasm of jihad of the mujahids:

“Muhammad is in a difficult situation; he will fight against Banu Asfar (Byzantines) in the scorching heat and in distant places. He thinks it is a game to fight against Banu Asfar. By God, I virtually see his friends tied by ropes in twos one morning!”

Despite those destructive and mischievous attitudes of the munafiqs that aimed to set Muslims against one another and harmful acts, the Prophet treated them differently from the polytheists and Jews. He usually invited Abdullah b. Ubay to meetings and consulted him.    

His attitude toward them almost always included forgiveness and tolerance. However, he always acted cautiously despite his forgiveness and tolerance. He always checked and followed their acts and attitudes secretly.

When Abdullah b. Ubay, the leader of the munafiqs, spoke insultingly about the Messenger of God and Muslims in the expedition of Banu Mustaliq, Hazrat Umar could not put up with it and said, “O Messenger of God! Let me kill Abdullah b. Ubay!” The Messenger of God responded as follows:

“No! O Umar! What will happen when those who do not know the issue will say, ‘Muhammad kills his friends’?”

In another narration, the Messenger of God is reported to have said the following:

“If I order my Companions to kill him, they will kill him. However, there will be a lot of turmoil in Yathrib (Madinah) soon!”

As it can be understood from those statements, the Prophet always took into consideration the possibility that the munafiqs, whose number was quite a lot, could cause an internal fight among Muslims. Therefore, he always showed patience against what they did.

Again, during the expedition of Banu Mustaliq, the son of Ibn Ubay, Hazrat Abdullah, who was a sincere Muslim, went to the presence of the Messenger of God and said, “O Messenger of God! I heard that you were going to kill my father. If you really want to do it, let me kill him!” The Messenger of God responded as follows: 

“No... Treat him leniently. As long as he is with us, we will treat him well.”

In fact, the Messenger of God always treated him tolerantly and appreciatively until he died. Even when he died, he did him a favor; he gave his shirt to be used as a shroud for Ibn Ubay. The Prophet led his janazah prayer in spite of the opposition of some Companions, primarily Hazrat Umar. The Messenger of God obtained good results for the policy of forgiving, tolerance and doing favors toward Abdullah b. Ubay and the other munafiqs. When the Prophet led the janazah prayer of Ibn Ubay, about one thousand munafiqs who saw it became sincere Muslims. 

The Prophet left the munafiqs free in the community but he never neglected to keep them under psychological pressure. When he was informed about the plots that they attempted, he immediately told them what they were planning to do; thus, they had the fear that all of their acts were observed and followed.

Once, the Prophet saw that a group of munafiqs gathered and started to talk secretly; he approached them and said, “You came together in order to do this and that; and you said this and that. Come on! Ask forgiveness from God. I am asking for forgiveness from God, too.”

Therefore, they were always in fear that God Almighty would inform His beloved Messenger about their tricks. They were living in such worry and fear that when they heard a small noise in the army, they thought it was something against them. The Quran informs us about their situation as follows: 

“When thou lookest at them, their exteriors please thee; and when they speak, thou listenest to their words. They are as (worthless as hollow) pieces of timber propped up, (unable to stand on their own). They think that every cry is against them.” (19)

Another attitude of the Prophet against them was to prevent them from coming together separately no matter where they were. The aim of this attitude was to prevent them from developing common ideas. 

Demolishing the Mosque of Dirar was a good example of it. They built that mosque in order to develop some ideas against Islam and to make their plans freely not in order to worship there. The Messenger of God knew what their aim was; so he ordered the Companions to demolish that mosque. His order was fulfilled at once. 

To sum up, it can be said that the Prophet obtained the results of his policy, which was based on tolerance and caution, against the group of munafiqs. Thanks to his attitude, he prevented them from leaving the Islamic community and joining the ranks of polytheists. He maintained the unity of Muslims. He prevented them from getting organized and rebelling against Muslims.

1. Muslim, Sahih, V. 5, p. 182-183

2. Ibn Sa’d, Tabaqat, V. 3, p. 540

3. Hubab, was the name of the son of Abdullah b. Ubay; he was a sincere Muslim. The Prophet changed his name as “Abdullah” by saying, “You are Abdullah; Hubab is the name of Satan.”

4. Tabari, Tafsir, V. 28, p. 116

5. Muslim, Sahih, V. 5. p. 183; Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, V. 5. p. 203

6. Ibn Hisham, Sirah, V. 3, p. 174-175; Ibn Sa’d, Tabaqat, V. 1, p. 174; Muslim, Sahih, V. 8, p. 128-129; Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, V. 4, p. 239-240

7. At-Tawba, 101

8. Aal-i Imran, 167; al-Baqara, 8-9

9. Al-Munafiqun, 1

10. Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, V. 5. p. 203

11. Bakara, 14

12. M. Hamdi Yazır, Hak Dini Kur’an Dili, V. 1, p. 237-238

13. M. Hamdi Yazır, ibid, V. 1, p. 238

14. Badiuzzaman Said Nursi, İşaratü’l-İ’caz, p. 35

15. M. Hamdi Yazır, Tafsir, V. 1, p. 241

16. Ibn Abdi’l-Barr, al-Istiab, V. 1, p. 289

17. Tabari, Tafsir, V. 4. p. 73

18. At-Tawba, 81-82

19. al-Munafiqun, 4

(3rd Year of the Migration /AD 624)

Ka’b b. Ashraf was an ambitious Jew and a famous poet. He often satirized the Prophet and Muslims especially after the victory of the Muslims in the Battle of Badr due to his jealousy and enmity. He often went to Makkah, provoked the polytheists against Muslims, recited laments and tried to arouse their feelings of vengeance and enmity. He acted insolently in Madinah and said bad things about the daughters and wives of the Muslims.

We had mentioned before that poetry and rhetoric played an important role in the life of Arabs. The poetry of that day was as influential as the media of today. Therefore, the enmity of this Jewish poet against Islam spread to other people. Therefore, the Messenger of God heeded the poems of this inauspicious man and sought ways of coping with his poems. 

We learn from the resources that Ka’b did not find it enough to work against Islam with his poetry; he also set up a plan to kill the Prophet.

The body of such a man was fully harmful for Islam. Therefore, it was necessary to eliminate him.

With the permission of the Messenger of God, Muhammad b. Maslama and two or three more Companions undertook the duty of killing Ka’b. One night, they went to his house and killed him.[1]

The murder of a famous person like Ka’b b. Ashraf caused a great panic among Jews. Some people from his tribe went to the presence of the Messenger of God and said that Ka’b was innocent and that he did not deserve to be killed. The Messenger of God answered them as follows:

“He satirized us and oppressed Muslims with his tongue; he also encouraged the polytheists to fight us.”[2]

After this incident, Jews, who were famous for causing mischief and unrest in history, started to act respectfully and softly to a certain extent toward the Prophet and Muslims. They did not insult or provoke openly but they never gave up mischief-making, which was part of their nature, openly or secretly. 

EXPEDITION OF GHATAFAN

(3rd Year of the Migration, the month of Rabiulawwal)

The Victory of Badr made the neighboring Arab tribes that had not signed a peace treaty with Muslims brood over the situation. They were worried that the Muslims, who had become very strong, would attack them. Therefore, there were some activities in the neighboring Arab tribes after the Battle of Badr. One of the expeditions that took place as a result of those activities is the Expedition of Ghatafan or Anmar. 

Du’thur b Harith (also known as Ghawrath), one of the brave people of Sons of Muharib, decided to make a raid on Madinah with many people from Sons of Tha’laba and Sons of Muharib that belonged to the tribe of Ghatafan. Their aim was to intimidate the Muslims and to plunder things around Madinah.[3]

The Messenger of God heard about their preparation. He left Uthman b. Affan as his deputy in Madinah and walked toward the plunderers with four hundred and fifty people, among whom were some cavaliers. However, when the plunderers heard that the Prophet was coming, they escaped and took shelter behind the hills. Nobody was seen around when Muslims arrived. Only a person called Jabir from Sons of Thalaba was captivated. He told them about what had happened. Then, Jabir was invited to Islam and he became a Muslim.[4]

Assassination Attempt by Ghawrath

Finding out that the plunderers took refuge behind the hills, the Prophet found it appropriate to wait there for a while. While they were waiting, it started to rain. The clothes of the Prophet got wet. He hung his clothes on a branch of a tree to dry them. He lay down under the tree in order to rest for a while.

Those who wanted to make a raid were watching the Prophet from the hill. When they noticed that the Prophet took of his armor and started to lie down under the tree alone, they informed Ghawrath, their leader, about the situation happily. 

“This is an unmissable opportunity! Muhammad has left his Companions and he is alone. We will kill him before his Companions come and try to protect him!”

Ghawrath took action at once. He approached the Prophet without being seen by anybody. He drew his sword and said to the Prophet,

“Who will save you from me?”

The Messenger of God said, “God!” and then prayed as follows: 

“O God! Protect me from his harms!”

Ghawrath received a blow in the middle of his shoulders from nowhere. His sword fell out of his hand and he fell down on the ground.

This time, the Messenger of God picked up the sword and said, “Who will save you from me now?”

Ghawrath said, “Nobody!” Then he said, “I witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger. I will never gather anybody against you from now on.”

Thereupon the Messenger of God forgave Ghawrath. While returning, Ghawrath turned toward the Messenger of God and said, “By God, you are better than me!”

The Prophet said, “I definitely deserve this more than you do.”

When Ghawrath, who was very brave and courageous, returned to his tribe like that, they asked, “What happened to you? Why did you not do anything?”

Ghawrath told them what had happened and said, “By God, I am coming from near the best man in the world!”[5]

After the expedition that lasted about a month, the Messenger of God returned to Madinah.[6]

SARIYYAH OF QARDAH

(3rd Year of the Migration, the month of Jumada al-akhir)

When the Prophet dominated the land around, the polytheists had to change their trade ways. The trade way to Damascus through the coast became risky; so, they preferred going to Damascus through Iraq because it was safer.

They sent a caravan to Damascus through that way. Saf­wan b. Umayya and Abdullah b. Abi Rabia, two notables of the the Quraysh, were among the people in the caravan.

There was a twist of fate... One of the polytheists came to Madinah and stayed in the house of a Jew. Maybe he came to set up a plan against Muslims or to inform them about a plan they had set up. They drank, chatted and had fun. Meanwhile, the polytheist unintentionally said that the caravan had been sent to Damascus via Iraq. Meanwhile, Salit b. Nu­man was passing by. He heard the news and told the Messenger of God about it.

It was winter.

The Prophet prepared a company of cavaliers consisting of a hundred people. He appointed Zayd b. Haritha as their commander. Zayd, who had been bought as a slave from the market and adopted by the Prophet, became the commander of a company of a hundred cavaliers. It is a wonderful example showing that Islam did not discriminate between the rich and the poor, the slave and the master while appointing people to posts and that it took worthiness into consideration, acting justly.  

The aim of the sariyyah was to catch the caravan.

Zayd b. Haritha set off with the cavalrymen and blocked the way of the Quraysh caravan. The people in caravan encountered something that they had not expected. They had nothing else to do but run away. They did so. They left everything to save their lives.

Zayd took their goods to the Messenger of God in Madinah. One fifth of the goods was given to the Treasure and the remaining four-fifths were divided among the mujahids that were in the sariyyah.  

Furat b. Hayyan, the guide of the caravan, had been taken captive. When he arrived in Madinah, he was told that he would be set free if he became a Muslim. He became a Muslim and was saved.[7]

The Prophet congratulated Zayd b. Haritha on his success by saying, “Zayd b. Haritha is the best one of the sariyyah commanders.[8]

That sariyyah is known as Zayd b. Haritha referring to its commander.[9]

THE PROPHET’S MARRIAGE TO HAZRAT HAFSA

(3rd Year of the Migration, the month of Shaban)

It was two months before the Battle of Uhud.

The Prophet married Hazrat Hafsa, Hazrat Umar’s daughter.

Hazrat Hafsa, who had been born before the Messenger of God was given the duty of prophethood, had married Khu­nays b. Huza­fa. When Khunays died, Hazrat Hafsa became a widow.[1]

Hazrat Umar asked Hazrat Uthman politely to marry his daughter; when Uthman did not give a positive answer, he asked Hazrat Abu Bakr. However, he did not give a positive or negative answer.

Feeling sorry after those talks, Hazrat Umar went to the Messenger of God and told him what had happened. When the Prophet noticed the hearty wish of Hazrat Umar, he did not want to leave him sad and said, “Shall I tell you the name of a better son-in-law than Uthman for you and a better father-in-law than you for Uthman?” Hazrat Umar said, “Yes, O Messenger of God!” The Messenger of God said, “You marry your daughter Hafsa off to me and I will marry my daughter Umm Kulthum to Uthman!”[2]

Hazrat Umar was pleased by this offer very much and accepted it at once. Thus, the Prophet included Hazrat Hafsa among her clean wives and married his daughter Umm Kulthum off to Hazrat Uthman. Hazrat Uthman had been married to Ruqayya, the daughter of the Prophet that died later. When he married Umm Kulthum, he was given the nickname, “Dhun-Nurayn [The Owner of Two Lights]”.

THE PROPHET’S MARRIAGE TO HAZRAT ZAYNAB BINT KHUZAYMA

Ubayda b. Harith, the husband of Hazrat Zaynab b. Khuzayma had been wounded in the Battle of Badr and died in a place called Safra due to this wound. Therefore, Hazrat Zaynab became a widow.

The Messenger of God honored this woman, whose husband was martyred in the way of elevating the name of God, by marrying her in the 3^rd year of the the Migration in the month of Ramadan.

Hazrat Zaynab was known as “Ummu’l-Masakin [Mother of the Poor]” because she fed the poor and showed mercy to them.

Hazrat Zaynab died when she was thirty after living with the Prophet for about three months. The Prophet himself performed her janazah prayer. She was buried in the Cemetery of Baqi.[3]

HAZRAT HASAN’S BIRTH

In the 3^rd year of the the Migration, something that pleased the Messenger of God happened; Hazrat Hasan, his grandson, was born. Hazrat Hasan was the one that resembled the Prophet the most among the grandsons of the Prophet. Therefore, Fatima, her mother said, “My child who resembles the Prophet the most” when she caressed him.[4]

The Messenger of God loved his grandsons, Hazrat Hasan and Husayn, very much. He sometimes put them on his shoulders and carried them saying, “They are my two basils that I kiss and caress in this world.”[5]

He sometimes put Hazrat  Hasan on his shoulders, carried him and said, “O God! I love him. You love him and those who love him!”[6]