Biography of the First Caliph Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq Part 3
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00:00The first rightly guided Caliph Abdullah bin Abi Khafa, his characteristics and morals
00:07since the beginning of the Islamic message and its spread in the world.
00:11Part 3.
00:12We continue to narrate a stage in the life of the rightly guided Caliph Abu Bakr al-Siddiq.
00:18The Battle of Badr.
00:20Amr ibn Hisham is described as shaming Umayya ibn Khalif into joining the expedition.
00:27Plans of Action.
00:28During council near Badr, Muhammad held a council of war to review the situation and
00:33decide on a plan of action.
00:36According to some Muslim scholars, the following verses of Al-Anfal, Q8, 5-6, were revealed
00:42in lieu of some Muslims fearing the encounter.
00:46Abu Bakr was the first to speak at the meeting and he reassured Muhammad.
00:51Umar was next.
00:52Then, al-Muqtad ibn Amr got up and said, O Messenger of Allah!
00:58Stand where Allah directs you to, for we are with you.
01:02We will not say as the children of Israel said to Musa, Go you and your lord and fight
01:07and we will stay here.
01:08Rather we shall say, Go you and your lord and fight and we will fight along with you.
01:13By Allah!
01:15If you were to take us to Burq al-Ghimid, we will still fight resolutely with you against
01:19its defenders until you gained it.
01:22Muhammad then praised him and supplicated for him, but the three who had spoken were
01:26of the Muhajirun, who only constituted around one-third of the Muslim men in Medina.
01:32Muhammad wanted the opinion of the Ansar, who were not committed to fighting beyond
01:36their territories in the pledges of Aqaba.
01:39Muhammad then indirectly asked the Ansar to speak, which Sa'd ibn Mu'ud understood
01:44and asked for permission to speak.
01:47Muhammad immediately gave him permission to speak and Sa'd said, O Prophet of Allah!
01:52We believe in you and we bear witness to what you have brought is the truth.
01:57We give you our firm pledge of obedience and sacrifice.
02:01We will obey you most willingly in whatever you command us, and by Allah, who has sent
02:05you with the truth, if you were to ask us to throw ourselves into the sea, we will do
02:10that most readily and not a man of us will stay behind.
02:14We do not deny the idea of encounter with the enemy.
02:17We are experienced in war and we are trustworthy in control.
02:21We hope that Allah will show you through our hands those deeds of bravery which will
02:25please your eyes.
02:27Kindly lead us to the battlefield in the name of Allah.
02:30Muhammad, impressed with his loyalty and spirit of sacrifice, ordered the march towards Badr
02:35to continue.
02:38Muslim Plan of Action By Sunday 11 March, 15 Ramadan, both armies
02:43were about a day's march from Badr.
02:46Muhammad and Abu Bakr had conducted a scouting operation and managed to locate the camp of
02:50the Quraysh.
02:52They came across an old Bedouin nearby from whom they managed to find out the exact strength
02:57of their army and their location.
03:00In the evening, Muhammad dispatched Ali, Az-Zubair and Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas to scout for the Makans.
03:07They captured two Meccan water-bearers at the wells of Badr.
03:11Expecting them to say they were with the caravan, the Muslims were horrified to hear them say
03:15they were with the main Qurayshi army.
03:18Unsatisfied with their answer, while Muhammad was praying, some of the Muslims beat the
03:23two boys into lying and Muhammad strictly condemned this action later.
03:28Muhammad then extracted the details of the Makans from the boys.
03:32The next day Muhammad ordered a march to Badr and arrived before the Meccans.
03:37When the Muslim army arrived from the east, Muhammad initially chose to encamp at the
03:41first well he encountered.
03:44Al-Habab ibn al-Mundir, however, asked him if this choice was from divine instruction
03:49or Muhammad's own opinion.
03:51When Muhammad responded in the latter, Habab suggested that the Muslims occupy the well
03:56closest to the Qurayshi army and block off or destroy the other ones.
04:01Muhammad accepted this decision and the plan was carried out at midnight.
04:07Muhammad had also given strict orders to not begin an attack without his sole permission.
04:12Muhammad spent the whole night of the 12th of March, 16 Ramadan, praying near a tree.
04:18The Muslim army enjoyed a refreshing night of sleep, again believed by Muslims, to be
04:23a blessing from Allah.
04:25MECCAN PLAN OF ACTION While little is known about the progress of
04:28the Qurayshi army from the time it left Mecca until its arrival just outside Badr, several
04:33things are worth noting.
04:35Although many Arab armies brought their women and children along on campaigns both to motivate
04:40and care for the men, the Meccan army did not.
04:43The Quraysh apparently made little or no effort to contact the many allies they had scattered
04:48throughout the Hejaz.
04:50Both facts suggest the Quraysh lacked the time to prepare for a proper campaign in their
04:54haste to protect the caravan.
04:57Besides, it is believed they expected an easy victory.
05:01Since Muhammad's army had either destroyed or taken all the wells in the city, a few
05:05Meccans approached the well controlled by Muslims to draw out water.
05:10All were shot except Hakim ibn Hizm, who later accepted Islam.
05:15At midnight on the 13th of March, 17 Ramadan, the Quraysh broke camp and marched into the
05:20valley of Badr.
05:22Umayr ibn Wab al-Jumahi made a survey of the Muslim position and reported 300 men keen
05:28on fighting to the last man.
05:31After another scouting mission, he reported that neither were the Muslims going to be
05:35reinforced, nor were they planning any ambushes.
05:39This further demoralized the Quraysh, as Arab battles were traditionally low-casualty affairs,
05:44and set off another round of bickering among the Qurayshi leadership.
05:48However, according to Arab traditions Umayr ibn Hisham quashed the remaining dissent by
05:53appealing to the Qurayshi's sense of honor and demanding that they fulfill their blood
05:57vengeance.
05:59Duels
06:00The battle began with al-Azwad bin Abdul Asad al-Muqsumi, one of the men from Abu Jahl's
06:06clan, the Banu Mazum, swearing that he would drink from the well of the Muslims or otherwise
06:10destroy it or die for it.
06:13In response to his cries, Hamza ibn Abdul Muttalib, one of Muhammad's uncles, came out
06:19and they began fighting in a duel.
06:21Hamza struck al-Azwad's leg before dealing him another blow that killed him.
06:27Seeing this, three men protected by armor and shields, Yutbah ibn Rabi'ah, alongside
06:32his brother, Shaybah ibn Rabi'ah and son, al-Walid ibn Yutbah, emerged from the Makkan
06:38ranks.
06:40Three of the Madani Ansar emerged from the Muslim ranks, only to be shouted back by the
06:44Meccans, who were nervous about starting any unnecessary feuds and only wanted to fight
06:49the Muhajirun, keeping the dispute within the tribe.
06:53So Hamza approached and called on Ubaidah ibn al-Harith and Ali ibn Abu Talib to join
06:58him.
07:00The first two duels between Ali and al-Walid and Hamza and Shaybah were quick with both
07:04managing to kill their opponents swiftly.
07:08After the fight between Ali and Walid, Hamza looked at Ubaidah to find him seriously wounded.
07:14He then fell upon and killed Shaybah.
07:17Ali and Hamza then carried Ubaidah back into the Muslim lines.
07:21He died later due to a disease.
07:24A shower of arrows from both sides followed these duels and this was followed by several
07:29other duels, most of which were won by the Muslims.
07:33The Makkans now took the offensive and charged upon the Muslim lines.
07:38Makkan charge and Muslim counterattack.
07:40As the Makkans charged upon the Muslims, Muhammad kept asking Allah, stretching his hands toward
07:45the Qibla, O Allah!
07:48Should this group of Muslims be defeated today, you will no longer be worshipped.
07:53Muhammad kept reciting his prayer until his cloak fell off his shoulders, at which point
07:58Abu Bakr picked it up and put it back on his shoulders and said, O Prophet of Allah, you
08:03have cried out enough to your Lord.
08:05He will surely fulfill what he has promised you.
08:09Muhammad gave the order to carry out a counterattack against the enemy now.
08:12Throwing a handful of pebbles at the Makkans in what was probably a traditional Arabian
08:16gesture while yelling, De-faced be those faces, or, Confusion seize their faces.
08:23The Muslim army yelled in reply, Ya Mansur Ahmet, meaning, O thou whom God hath made
08:29victorious, slay, and rushed the Qurayshi lines.
08:33The Makkans, understrength and unenthusiastic about fighting, promptly broke and ran.
08:40Muslims attribute their fear of fighting and fleeing from the battlefield to divine intervention,
08:44as the Quran stating in chapter 8, verse 12, that Allah inspired angels to strengthen
08:50those who have believed, and cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieved.
08:55The battle itself only lasted a few hours and was over by early afternoon.
09:00The Quran describes the force of the Muslim attack in many verses, which refer to thousands
09:05of angels descending from heaven at Badr to terrify the Quraysh.
09:10It also describes how Iblis, the leader of the jinn, mentioned to have taken the form
09:14of Suraka ibn Malik, fled the battlefield upon seeing the angels.
09:19Muslim sources take this account literally, and there are several ahadith where Muhammad
09:23discusses the angel Jibreel and the role he played in the battle.
09:27Aftermath, Imprisonment of Captives and Their Ransom
09:31Three days after the battle, Muhammad left Badr for Medina.
09:35As far as the treatment of prisoners was concerned, Abu Bakr was of the opinion that they should
09:40be ransomed, since they were all of their own kin.
09:44Umar argued against this, saying that there is no notion of blood relationships as far
09:48as Islam is concerned, and that all the prisoners should be executed, and that everyone should
09:53execute him who is closest to him by blood.
09:57Ali should kill his brother, Aqeel ibn Abu Talib, Hamza ibn Abdul Muttalib should behead
10:02his brother, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, and that he himself would kill someone close to
10:07him.
10:09Muhammad accepted Abu Bakr's suggestion to ransom the captives.
10:13Some seventy prisoners were taken captive and are noted to have been treated humanely,
10:17including a number of Quraysh leaders.
10:20Most of the prisoners were released upon payment of ransom and those who were literate were
10:24released on the condition that they teach ten persons how to read and write and this
10:28teaching was to count as their ransom.
10:31Casualties Despite scholars estimating Meccan casualties
10:35at around seventy, only the names of the more prominent ones are known.
10:39However, the names of the fourteen Muslims who were killed during the course of the war
10:43or later, due to injuries sustained during the war, are all known.
10:49Meccan Casualties Well-known Meccans who were killed during
10:52the battle included Amr ibn Hisham, Umayyah ibn Khalaf, Yutbah ibn Rabi'ah, Shaybah ibn
10:58Rabi'ah, al-Walid ibn Yutbah, al-Azwad bin and Abdul Asad al-Makzumi.
11:05Nadir ibn al-Harith and Uqbah ibn Abu Mu'at were also killed, though the circumstances
11:10of their deaths are unclear.
11:13According to some sources, the last two were killed during fighting in the field of battle
11:17at Badr and subsequently buried in a pit, while Safiur Rahman al-Mubarakpuri writes
11:22that these two were taken as prisoners and subsequently executed by Ali.
11:27Muslims Casualties at Badr Harithah bin Suraka al-Khazraji
11:32Zish Shamalain bin Abdi, Amr al-Muhajiri Rafi' bin al-Mu'alla al-Khazraji
11:39Saad bin Kaithama al-Asi Safwan bin Wab al-Muhajiri
11:45Akhil bin al-Bukhar al-Muhajiri Ubaydah bin al-Harith al-Muhajiri
11:52Umayyar bin al-Humam al-Khazraji Umayyar bin Abu Waqqas al-Muhajiri
11:58Awf bin al-Harith al-Khazraji Mubashir bin Abdul Mundir al-Asi
12:05Mu'awwi bin al-Harith al-Khazraji Mijah bin Salah al-Muhajiri
12:12Yazid bin al-Harith bin Fushim al-Khazraji
12:16Implications The Battle of Badr was extremely influential
12:20in the rise of two men who determined the course of Arabian history in the next century.
12:25The first was Muhammad, who was transformed overnight from a Meccan outcast into the
12:29leader of a new community and city-state at Medina.
12:33Marshal Hodgson adds that Badr forced the other Arabs to regard the Muslims as challengers
12:38and potential inheritors to the prestige and the political role of the Quraish.
12:43Shortly thereafter he expelled the Banu Qanuka, one of the Jewish tribes in Medina for assaulting
12:48a Muslim woman which led to their expulsion for breaking the peace treaty.
12:53The tribe is also known for having threatened Muhammad's political position.
12:57At the same time, Abd Allah ibn Ubayy, Muhammad's chief opponent in Medina, found his own position
13:03seriously weakened.
13:05He was only able to mount limited challenges to Muhammad.
13:09The other major beneficiary of the Battle of Badr was Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, safely away
13:14from the battle leading the caravan.
13:17The death of Amr ibn Hisham, as well as many other Quraishi nobles, gave Abu Sufyan the
13:22opportunity, almost by default, to become chief of the Quraish.
13:27As a result, when Muhammad marched into Mecca six years later, it was Abu Sufyan who helped
13:33negotiate its peaceful surrender.
13:35Abu Sufyan subsequently became a high-ranking official in the Muslim Empire, and his son
13:40Muawiyah later went on to found the Umayyad Caliphate.
13:45Hamza had performed especially well during the Battle of Badr, killing one of the leaders
13:49and a number of high-ranking officials of the Quraish.
13:53In retaliation, the Quraish put a bounty on his head.
13:56An assassin killed him at Battle of Uhud and the Quraish followed by publicly mutilating
14:01Hamza.
14:03In later days, the Battle of Badr became so significant that Ibn Ishaq included a complete
14:07name-by-name roster of the Muslim army in his biography of Muhammad.
14:12In many hadiths, veterans who fought at Badr are identified as such as a formality, and
14:17they may have even received a stipend in later years.
14:21The death of the last of the Badr veterans occurred during the First Fitna.
14:26Legacy.
14:27In the Quran, the battle is referred to as Yam al-Furqan.
14:32The day of the criterion, Arabic pronunciation, Jamul Furqan.
14:37During the 2011 Libyan Civil War, the rebel leadership stated that they selected the date
14:41of the assault on Tripoli to be the 20th of Ramadan, marking the anniversary of the Battle
14:46of Badr.
14:48The Battle of Badr was featured in the 1976 film The Message, the 2004 animated movie
14:54Muhammad, The Last Prophet, the 2012 TV series Omar and the 2015 animated movie Bilal, A
15:00New Breed of Hero.
15:02There is little evidence beside these and there are no written descriptions of the battle
15:06prior to the 9th century, and as such, the historicity and authenticity of the battle
15:11are debated by contemporary historians.
15:15Badr has become popular among Muslim armies and paramilitary organizations.
15:20Operation Badr, was used to describe Egypt's offensive in the 1973 Yom Kippur War as well
15:26as Pakistan's actions in the 1999 Kargil War.
15:30Iranian offensive operations against Iraq in the late 1980s were also named after Badr.
15:36It is mentioned in the Quran, and all knowledge of the battle comes from traditional Islamic
15:41accounts, recorded and compiled sometime after the battle.
15:45The story of the Battle of Badr has been passed down in Islamic history throughout the centuries,
15:50before being combined in the multiple biographies of Muhammad that exist today.
15:55I stop at this point today.
15:57Until next time, stay curious.
16:00Stay informed, and keep exploring the world's incredible stories.
16:06Soon we will publish part 4.