Battle of Badr

Battle of Badr
Part of Muslim–Quraysh wars
Early 14th century depiction of Muhammad encouraging his followers before the Battle of Badr
Date March 624 (Ramadan 2 AH) Location Badr, Hejaz (present-day Saudi Arabia) 23°44′N 38°46′E / 23.733°N 38.767°E / 23.733; 38.767 Result Muslim victory
Belligerents
Early Muslims	Quraysh forces from Mecca
Commanders and leaders
Muhammad Abu Bakr Ali ibn Abi Talib Zubayr ibn al-Awwam al-Miqdad bin 'Amr Hamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib Umar 'Ubaydah bin al-Harith Bilal ibn Rabah al-Habashi	Amr ibn Hisham † Utbah ibn Rabi'ah † Umayyah ibn Khalaf † Shaybah ibn Rabi'ah † Walid ibn Utbah † Uqba ibn Abi Mu'ayt †
Strength
Total: 315[1] Muhajirun: 83 Ansar: 231 Aws: 61 Khazraj: 170 2 horses 70 camels	Departing from Mecca: ~1,000[2] At the time of the battle: 600–700 (estimated)[3][4]
Casualties and losses
Total: 14 killed Muhajirun: 6 Ansar: 8 Khazraj: 6 Aws: 2	Total: 140[5][f] 70 killed 70 captured
class=notpageimage| Location within Saudi Arabia

The Battle of Badr took place in March 624 C.E.,^[6][7] in the Arabian town of Badr between the Islamic prophet Muhammad-led Muslim army and a relief column of the Meccan Quraysh tribe.^[8] The latter had originally set out to protect their homeward-bound trade caravan that Muhammad was about to raid.^[9][2] Prior to this, Muhammad had ordered his followers to carry out several raids on Quraysh caravans, which, despite initial failures, finally succeeded in gaining their first plunder at Nakhla, when the Quraysh were observing a holy month forbidding them from shedding blood.^[10][11]

In addition to many smaller caravans, the Quraysh sent two major caravans each year.^[12] One of these was sent to Syria in the autumn of 623, led by Abu Sufyan and carrying the investments of all the Meccans. Muhammad tried to ambush it on its departure, but failed. On the caravan's return journey, Muhammad planned to raid it again. The caravan reportedly consisted of 1,000 camels and 50,000 dinars worth of goods. At Zarqa, Abu Sufyan got wind of Muhammad's intention and sent a messenger to Mecca for help. A relief column, said to have been 1,000 strong, under Abu Jahl then set out to protect the caravan.^[1][13]

Approaching the watering place of Badr, Abu Sufyan, fearing Muhammad's possible attack, conducted a reconnaissance. When he discovered that two Muslim scouts had just visited the town and left, he hastily diverted the caravan to the coastal road to the west,^[14][2] even though it would deprive them of access to fresh water.^[2] Once at a safe distance, he sent another messenger to update the relief column. Upon learning of the caravan's safe escape, the column, already bivouacked about 3 miles from Badr, faced a split. Some, whose close relatives were among the Muslims, chose to return home,^[15] leaving behind an estimated 600–700 men.^[3][16] When Muhammad learned of the column's presence from their water carriers, he followed Hubab ibn al-Mundhir's advice and immediately ordered his followers to seal the wells with sand and stones,^[17][18] leaving only one for him and the Muslims, thus forcing the remaining Quraysh to fight for water.^[19][20]

The battle began with duels between champions of both sides and escalated into wild melee.^[21] While the Muslims were fueled by Muhammad's promises of paradise, the Quraysh were not only grappling with thirst, but many were reluctant to kill their kin among the Muslims.^[22][23][24] They had assumed that a mere show of force would be enough to scare off the Muslims, and had not expected such ferocity from them.^[23] Shortly before noon, when they could no longer see their leader Abu Jahl hovering above them after his horse fell, the Quraysh column broke in disarray and turned to flight.^[25][23] The Muslims slashed them as they fled,^[25] and managed to acquire a number of captives for ransom, as well as booty, which, though not as abundant as that brought by the caravan, was still considerable.^[23][26]