The Day of the Furqan

An Analysis of the Battle of Badr

by Travis Anderson, host of the Why Is That Podcast

In the 620s CE the Islamic state was just emerging in Arabia under the Prophet Muhammad. In the city of Medina, Muhammad had amassed a growing community of believers. The community was growing during a volatile time in Arabian history and was constantly threatened with violence. In 624 CE, 2 AH, open violence erupted between the tribes of Mecca and the Muslims in Medina. The Battle of Badr marked the first military engagement for the young religion of Islam. The Battle of Badr proved to be a crucial turning point for Muhammad and his community of believers. If they had not been victorious in the battle it is very likely that the religion of Islam would have been lost with the battle. The Battle of Badr turned out to be a great rallying point for the Muslims and gained them legitimacy in the region.

Long before the days of Muhammad, and over a thousand miles away, lived the legendary military theorist, Sun Tzu. He asserted that, “The art of war is of vital importance to the state. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin.”1 While Muhammad did not have the work of Sun Tzu to guide him in his military exploits, Muhammad nevertheless used the same theories and tactics that were set out by Sun Tzu. Sun Tzu’s The Art of War provides an excellent lens to use in the analysis of the Battle of Badr, and helps to illustrate how Muhammad worked as Islam’s first great general. Muhammad provided the basis of the Islamic religion and was an example for how to live, but at the same time he was the Muslim’s first military leader and his system was used to successfully wage war for hundreds of years following his death. In the early days of the Islamic movement the odds of success for Muhammad and his community of believers were very slim and without the successful use of the art of war, the Muslims never would found the road to safety.

Muhammad’s Move to Medina

In 613 CE, Muhammad began preaching a new revelation and denouncing the polytheistic faith of his fellow tribesman. He gained a few followers in Mecca, “but most scoffed, and demanded miracles to prove the genuineness of the Prophet’s mission.”2 The growing hostility combined with the death of his protector, Abu Talib, began to convince Muhammad that he had to take his message elsewhere for the safety of himself and his community of believers. Muhammad was invited to the city of Yathrib, which became Medina, by members of feuding tribes to be the chief arbitrator for the entire community in order to help them settle their disputes. “In Mecca, Mohammed was merely a private person, protected by the head of his tribe from the enemies his preaching aroused.”3 In Medina, Muhammad “soon acquired an influence that made him a virtual dictator.”4

Muhammad’s role as chief arbitrator of disputes gave Muhammad extensive political power, while being the Prophet of Allah gave him religious power within the Believers’ movement.5 The combined roles of political and religious leader made Muhammad the most prominent man in Medina. Medina gave Muhammad a place where he could preach his new religion to people without fearing for his life or the lives of his followers. The people of Medina were very receptive to his message and many quickly converted to Islam. Muhammad organized the city and united the two main tribes of the city under him. He also integrated the members of Islam who emigrated with him from Mecca. Once the political unrest of the city was more or less under control Muhammad turned his eyes to advancing the city economically. Most of his followers were not very wealthy and he had to find alternative ways of accumulating wealth and weaponry. Muhammad “launched raids against Meccan caravans, seizing valuable booty and hostages, and, more important, disrupting the commercial lifeblood of Mecca.”6 After a number of successful raids Muhammad decided to set his sights on one of the two largest annual Meccan caravans. “Almost everyone in Mecca had some share in the caravans.”7 The caravan was commanded by one of the most notable Meccan merchants, Abu Sufyan. Muhammad intended to raid the caravan and overpower the caravan’s guards with a force of just over 300 men. Adding the enormous haul to the city would have greatly eased the Muslims’ economic hardship.

Leading to the Battle

Despite being rid of the disruptive message of Muhammad, those in Mecca were still greatly opposed to Muhammad and his message. The Meccans were displeased that so many of their young had left the city to move to Medina with Muhammad. The Quraysh felt they had missed their chance of silencing Muhammad by allowing him to emigrate to Medina. The new policy of the Muslims to raid Meccan caravans only served to heighten the tension between two of the prominent cities of Arabia. The leaders of the Quraysh felt the only suitable solution was to find an excuse to kill Muhammad before he became too powerful. The success of the Muslim raids gained the Muslims important economic gains, but more important for the Quraysh, they spilled Meccan blood and created a blood feud.8 A blood feud was created when innocent blood of a fellow tribesman was spilled by a rival clan. It called for payment in goods, money, or blood and could serve as a premise for war. The Quraysh did not immediately declare war on the community of believers, but instead bided their time until the right moment presented itself to capture or kill Muhammad and end the movement that had caused them so much turmoil.

Muhammad led his force of just over three hundred men, consisting mostly of Ansars, to the city of Badr. Muhammad’s sources indicated that Sufyan’s caravan would be traveling into or very near Badr and it was the perfect place to stage an ambush. The city of Badr was notable for its wells, and was a common staging point where caravans were able to attain water in the Arabian Desert. Before Sufyan’s caravan came to Badr, Sufyan found out that Muhammad intended to raid the caravan and immediately sent word to the Meccans asking them to send aid to protect their valuable caravan. Abu Sufyan sent Damdam to deliver the news of Muhammad’s intention and Damdam rode into town in a disheveled mess with his shirt in tatters and his camel’s nose bleeding in order to further arouse the Meccans. Damdam shouted as he rode into town, “Men of Quraysh... the transport camels, the transport camels! Your goods that are with Abu Sufyan! Muhammad and his companions are upon them! Help! Help!”9 The warning was heeded and the Quraysh quickly assembled an army ranging from 900-1000 men. Abu Jahl, the most vehement opponent of Muhammad, led the army and ensured a large turn out from all the tribes of Mecca. Abu Jahl felt the opportunity to end the problem of Muhammad was finally at hand for the Quraysh.

After Abu Sufyan learned of the location of Muhammad’s raiding party he decided to take a longer route back to Mecca by traveling west around Badr, thereby avoiding Muhammad’s raiding party and saving the caravan from danger. With the Meccan army between the caravan and Muhammad, Abu Sufyan sent word to the Meccan army that the caravan was safe and they could return home to Mecca. Several chiefs that were assembled were very happy about the news and were ready to set for home. Some chiefs were averse to shedding blood against fellow clan kin even if they had joined the Muslim ranks and left after receiving news that the caravan was safe. Abu Jahl, however, would hear nothing of retreat. He finally had an army assembled with an excuse to march against Muhammad and he was not going to travel back to Mecca empty handed. With the caravan safe, the only reason to advance and fight the Muslims was the blood feud. Utbah “was ready to pay blood-money to keep peace, but Abu Jahl skillfully shamed Utbah into withdrawing his offer, and so forced the Quraysh to advance.”10 The force of the Quraysh had been slightly depleted, but still held the numbers advantage over the Muslims.

The Battlefield

Muhammad and his raiding party arrived in Badr and they sent out scouts to find the location of the caravan. The Muslims continued their advance while scouts rode around the area. Two men of the Meccan army were captured while they were getting water and brought back to the Muslim camp. The interrogation of these men revealed that the Muslims had been found out by Abu Sufyan and that a Meccan army was on its way to revenge their fallen kinsmen. The Prophet used the information to discern the fact that the Muslims would be far outnumbered if they fought against the Meccans and with this information in mind Muhammad approached the Ansars to make sure they were still with him. After Muhammad explained the situation, Sa’d ibn Mu’adh rose to speak for his fellow Ansars and said, “We have faith in thee and we believe what thou hast told us, and we testify that what thou hast brought us is the truth, and we have given thee our binding oaths to hear and obey. So do what thou wilt, and we are with thee. By Him who hath sent thee with the truth, if thou shouldst bid us cross yonder sea and didst plunge into it thyself, we would plunge into it with thee. Not one man of us would stay behind. Neither are we averse from meeting our enemy tomorrow. We are well tried in war, trusty in combat. It may be that God will show thee prowess of ours such as shall bring coolness to thine eyes. So lead us on with the blessing of God.”11 Muhammad rejoiced in the continued support of the Ansars and exclaimed, “Onwards, and be of good cheer, for God the All Highest hath promised me one of the two parties, and even now it is as if I saw the enemy lying prostrate.”12

The Muslims, knowing that the Meccans would be approaching from the south, began marching southward and occupying the wells of Badr. At one of the more southern wells the Muslims stopped and began setting camp at the behest of Muhammad. Before camp could be set Hubab ibn al Mundhir, one of the military chiefs of the Ansars, approached Muhammad and asked if Allah had prescribed this site as the battle site. When Muhammad responded that it was he who had picked the spot Hubab suggested that it would be wise to move forward and seize all the wells. “One of Muhammad’s strengths as both a political and military commander was his willingness to listen to those who knew more than he.”13 Muhammad took the advice of Hubab and moved his party forward. By moving forward they were able to occupy all the wells, giving them complete control of the water supply in Badr. In the desert conditions of the Arabian Peninsula water was life. By occupying all of the wells the Muslims guaranteed that the Meccan army would have to fight thirsty.

The Quraysh were camped just south of the Muslim campsite. Based on their positions, and the limitations of fighting in the hot desert sun, it was known that the battle would take place early the following morning. The Muslims holding the wells had dictated where the battle site would be, because the Meccans would have to fight them in order to get water or be forced to retreat. The two sides began setting up their respective army lines unmolested as they prepared to meet in open combat for the first time.

The Virtues of Leadership
“The Commander stands for the virtues of wisdom, sincerity, benevolence, courage and strictness.”14 The commander of a successful army must embody all of these characteristics. The Battle of Badr was the first real military engagement for Muhammad, so while he did not have the practical experience of warfare he did have the qualities needed to succeed. Muhammad had the ability to inspire his soldiers. He was their Prophet and with him the soldiers were doing God’s work. The soldiers considered each other brothers in Islam and were fighting against idolaters who were condemned to hell. The Emigrants who had followed Muhammad to Medina from Mecca were also angry and fighting for revenge. “They had been forced to flee their homes, some had been beaten and tortured, most had been reduced to poverty with no way to make a living in Medina, and many had been separated from their wives and children - all because of their conversion to Islam.”15

For the Quraysh the closest person they had to a leader was Abu Jahl and he had failed to embody the qualities of a successful leader. Most importantly, he had failed to inspire his troops. The Quraysh soldiers did not see much purpose in the battle. They did not want to fight against their fellow kinsmen, individually they had little to gain from the battle, the caravan was already safe, and many believed that Abu Jahl was just leading the army against Muhammad in hopes that he would be given an elevated position in Mecca if they were victorious over the Muslims.16 In camp the Quraysh were further dismayed when Juhaym revealed that he had had a dream he considered a vision in which a man on horseback, leading a camel, predicted the death of many of the gathered chiefs and described the end of the dream by saying, “I saw him (the horseman) stab his camel in the chest and let it run loose through the camp, and there was no tent that was not bespattered with its blood.”17 Bad omens continued to spell doom for the Quraysh and the soldiers were left very low on morale by the time the battle started.

The virtue of wisdom was one that Muhammad exhibited best at the Battle of Badr. Muhammad used his wisdom to provide his men with the best possibility to be victorious. By capturing all of the wells, Muhammad did not only deny the Quraysh the chance to water their men and mounts, but also chose the battlefield. The battlefield that Muhammad chose gave his men the clear advantage. The Quraysh would be forced to march up a sandy dune in order to engage the front ranks of the Muslims. The Muslims would also have the high ground, giving them the advantage in both ranged and melee combat. In capturing the wells he also created a battlefield in which the Muslims could take a defensive position. They were able to set up ranks on the top of the dune and did not have to break line or charge in order to engage the enemy. They were able to form lines and shoot their arrows into the advancing Quraysh at a far greater accuracy because they were stationary. By waiting for the Quraysh to march to the battlefield the Quraysh were tired by the time they reached the ranks of the well-rested Muslim army.18

In the moments before the battle was to begin Muhammad marched around his army with an arrow in hand to make sure that everyone was in the correct formation. Everyone on the Muslim side looked up to Muhammad as the supreme commander of their fighting force and this gave them the ability to coordinate attacks with the entire gathered army. The supreme commander role was not common in Arabia at the time and therefore the Quraysh did not have someone in that role. Instead each contingent of soldiers had their own military chief that they looked to for their orders. So many commanders without a supreme commander made coordinating the most effective military strategy impossible for the Quraysh. The supreme commander allowed the Muslims to be better organized and led to a great advantage at the Battle of Badr and remained an important piece of Islamic warfare even after Muhammad died. Muhammad was able to instruct his soldiers to fight together, to wait to fire their arrows until the enemy was in range, to not break their lines, and to not attack until he gave the word.19

The Battle

The battle began with the traditional champions fight. The Quraysh selected Utbah, Shayba, and al-Walid ibn Utbah as their champions and called out three Muhajirun to engage them in single combat. Hamzah, Ali, and Ubaydah ibn al-Harith answered the call and met the Quraysh champions in combat. Hamzah and Ali quickly dispatched their opponents, but Ubaydah dealt the mortal wound to his opponent at the same time he was struck. The Muslim champions were victorious, but Ubaydah had to be carried off the battlefield before succumbing to his wound, becoming the first martyr of Islam.20 The Muslim morale was bolstered by the success of their champions and the Quraysh were further dismayed after watching their champions fall. The Muslims were confident that God was on their side and that he would deliver them to victory. The Quraysh had received several bad omens on their way to the battlefield and after watching their champions fall could not help but think that the vision of Juhaym was about to be fulfilled.

The remainder of the Meccan force then charged into battle as the Muslims fired their arrows into the advancing army. Muhammad gathered a handful of pebbles in his hand and looking down at the advancing Quraysh he hurled the pebbles, conscious he was hurling disaster and shouted, “Defaced be those faces!”21 In Muhammad’s revelation that followed the battle it was revealed to Muhammad that, “Thou threwest not when thou threwest, but it was God that threw.”22 The Muslims held their charge until Muhammad yelled the battle cry, “Ya mansur amit,”23 and the unity of the Muslims gave them a clear advantage over the sporadically advancing Quraysh. The unity of the Muslim advance also paid huge dividends in that it practically invalidated the Quraysh cavalry. In ancient warfare, cavalry was mainly used to pick off retreating, and isolated segments of an army and since the Muslim army never retreated or broke away from itself the large cavalry advantage of the Quraysh was practically invalidated.

During the combat Muhammad addressed his men and incited them by saying, “By God in whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, no man will be slain this day fighting against them with steadfast courage, advancing not retreating, but God will cause him to enter Paradise.”24 The idea of eternal life in paradise was a new idea to the Arabs and was a huge motivating tool at the Battle of Badr and all the future battles of Islam. The Muslims were fighting with the courage that went along with feeling invincible. The Muslims were fighting with a ferocity that the Quraysh could not stand against. The Quraysh army’s line was broken and they began to retreat. The Quraysh suffered heavy defeat in the battle, but were very lucky the Muslims did not have cavalry to chase down the retreating army or the casualty numbers would have been far greater. The most notable death from the Quraysh side was that of Abu Jahl. At the end of the battle Muhammad ordered the battlefield searched for Abu Jahl, who was thought to have been killed during the battle. Abd Allah found Abu Jahl still alive amongst several corpses. Abu Jahl taunted Abd Allah and for that had his head chopped off and brought to the Prophet as proof of his death.25

The Aftermath

At the end of the battle the Muslims stood victorious with only 14 dead. The Meccans lost 49 or 70 to death and had about the same number taken prisoner.26 The Meccans had several chiefs killed and had to return to Mecca humiliated by the loss. The Muslims were able to loot the battlefield and gained much in the way of material goods. The prisoners they had gained were also able to be ransomed back to Mecca for a fair share of money. At the end of the battle a heated discussion occurred in which the question of how to distribute the loot was asked. Muhammad’s revelation on how to split up the loot is contained in the Qur’an, “Know that one-fifth of your battle gains belongs to God and the Messenger, to close relatives and orphans, to the needy and travelers, if you believe in God and the revelation We sent down to Our servant on the day of the decision, the day when the two forces met in battle. God has power over all things.”27 This revelation set the standard for the distribution of battle gains for Badr and beyond.

Despite the great economic gain, and military conquest of the Battle of Badr Muhammad saw the victory first and foremost as a political one. “Muhammad was transforming Arab warfare from war as sport, clan revenge, or individual glory into an instrument for the achievement of political goals. Muhammad intended to destroy the Quraish, not to fight for honor or loot.”28 Muhammad had much larger goals than simple individual glory; he intended to establish the religion of the one true God. The Quraysh stood in his way and therefore they had to fall. It was not a personal attack on the tribe, but rather an attack against disbelievers. The Battle of Badr was a way to strike a blow against the mighty Quraysh and to establish legitimacy for Islam in the eyes of the rest of Arabia. When Muhammad learned about the army approaching from Mecca he could have easily returned to Medina with his soldiers unharmed, but he was determined to strike a blow against the Quraysh. He never intended to have his message contained and the Battle of Badr was like a coming out party for the community of believers. The victory at Badr showed that the Muslims were a people to be contended with. It showed the bordering Bedouin tribes that they were powerful and worth allying themselves with. Badr also gave Muhammad the power and legitimacy to evict the Jews of Medina in order to enrich his fellow Muslims. Badr and the execution of some of the more influential Meccans showed Muhammad’s determination to wipe out the Quraysh and regain the holy Ka’bah.

The moral victory of the Battle of Badr cannot be underestimated. “For years Muhammad had been the butt of scorn and insults, but after this spectacular and unsought success everybody in Arabia would have to take him seriously.”29 The Muslims had defeated a force with far superior numbers and proved themselves to be a divinely favored people. Before Badr, Muhammad had just been a leader who organized small raids and had a small group of followers, but with the victory at Badr he established a legitimate military presence in the area. The victory allowed Muhammad to not only be a religious and political leader in Medina, but also a military leader. The Battle of Badr started Muhammad on the path to become the first great military commander of Islam and set the stage for all future engagements that involved the Islamic military. The tactics used at Badr showed the strength of the Muslim force. It showed how much a force united under a single commander could accomplish and set the precedence of setting up a defensive position after choosing an advantageous battlefield. The revelation that followed set the standard that would be used to divide up all battle gains. The Battle of Badr was the first step in the quest to take Mecca and eliminate the opponents within the Quraysh.

The Subtitle

The Battle of Badr and the view that the Muslims were divinely helped to achieve victory validated the religion of Islam. It was “the day of the furqan,” or day of proof. “The victory at Badr is seen by Muslims as the equivalent of God’s intervention to save his chosen people by parting the waves of the Red Sea so that Moses and the Israelites could escape pharaoh’s chariots.”30 The Battle of Badr was a decisive turning point in the history of Islam. Without the battle, the Muslims would have just continued to be a small community of believers raiding small caravans. With a loss in the battle, the Islamic movement could have been killed that day. If Muhammad had been killed in the battle the movement certainly would have died and he would have been seen as a fraud by all those who had ever questioned the genuineness of his message. Even if Muhammad survived the battle, a loss to the Quraysh would have devastated the movement and called into question whether or not God actually favored the Muslims. Instead, every decision made in the Battle of Badr turned out well for the Muslims and sparked a great victory giving confidence to all those involved. The Muslims were shown to truly be God’s chosen people.

In the final decade of Muhammad’s life the Muslims practiced the art of war to its fullest extent. In fighting for their beliefs the Muslims were able to thrive and change the systems of warfare in the Arabian Peninsula. As general and prophet, Muhammad made the most progressive changes. Muhammad installed himself as the clear leader of the movement and with that all of the men looked up to him. He took it They fought for each other and for the glory of God, not for their own selfish gains. These principles and values were established at the Battle of Badr. The Battle of Badr taught the Muslims that “God will defend the believers; God does not love the unfaithful or the ungrateful.”31 The art of war was of vital importance in establishing the Islamic state. The art of war gave the movement life and proved the only road to safety available for the Muslims.

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1. Sun Tzu, The Art of War, trans. Lionel Giles (New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 2002), 40.

2. William H. McNeil, The Rise of the West: A History of the Human Community (New York: The University of Chicago Press, 1963), 462.

3. McNeil, The Rise of the West, 463.

4. Michael H. Hart, The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History (New Jersey: Citadel Press, 1987), 34.

5. Fred M. Donner, Muhammad and the Believers: At the Origins Islam (London: Harvard University Press, 2010), 75.

6. Fred M. Donner, “Muhammad and the Caliphate: Political History of the Islamic Empire up to the Mongol Conquest,” in The Oxford History of Islam, ed. John L. Esposito (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999), 10.

7. Richard A. Gabriel, Muhammad: Islam’s First Great General (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2007), 86. The two large Meccan caravans were the one in autumn to Syria, and the one in spring to Iraq. Muhammad had decided to attempt to raid the autumn caravan on its return trip from Syria.

8. Gabriel, Muhammad, 85.

9. Martin Lings, Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources (Vermont: Inner Traditions, 2006), 142.

10. W. Montgomery Watt, Muhammad at Medina (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1968), 11.

11. Lings, Muhammad, 144.

12. Lings, Muhammad, 144.

13. Gabriel, Muhammad, 95.

14. Tzu, The Art of War, 40.

15. Gabriel, Muhammad, 93.

16. Karen Armstrong, Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet (New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1992), 174-175.

17. Lings, Muhammad, 146.

18. Gabriel, Muhammad, 96.

19. Gabriel, Muhammad, 97.

20. Paul K. Davis, 100 Decisive Battles From Ancient Times to the Present: The World’s Major Battles and How They Shaped History (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999), 97.

21. Lings, Muhammad, 151.

22. Qur’an 8:17.

23. Lings, Muhammad, 151. Translated to English it means roughly, “O thou whom God hath made victorious, slay!”

24. Gabriel, Muhammad, 100.

25. Lings, Muhammad, 153.

26. Gabriel, Muhammad, 100.

27. Qur’an 8:41.

28. Gabriel, Muhammad, 97-98.

29. Armstrong, Muhammad, 176.

30. Gabriel, Muhammad, 103.

31. Qur’an 22:38.