The Qur’an – Nurun ‘Ala Nur (Light Upon Light) Part-2: An Exposition of Qur’anic Guidance in Its Own Words - Part Three

By Muhammad Yunus, New Age Islam (Co-author (Jointly with Ashfaque Ullah Syed), Essential Message of Islam, Amana Publications, USA, 2009) 1 July 2025 Section-3. Battle Of Badr (624 Ad): 158. Venue of the battle: The battle was fought near the well of Badr, some 35 miles or three stages (overnight halt) from Medina en-route Mecca, which lay a further 215 miles (nine stages) to the south. As the Qur’an records the Prophet set forth (on a mission) at the order of his Lord in the cause of the truth. Some (of his followers) were averse to it (not knowing the destination) (8:5). Allah promised them one of the two hosts; they hoped to encounter the unarmed one (8:7). Meanwhile, a Quraysh unarmed trading caravan, rich with merchandise, was on its way back to Mecca. When the news of the Prophet’s departure from Medina reached Mecca through travellers, the Quraysh assumed that the Muslims were planning to raid their trading caravan. So they hastily dispatched an army to defend their caravan. The Quraysh knew that the Prophet could only bring those of his followers who had migrated from Mecca, and therefore they could be no match to their army in strength, equipment and combat capability. So, its leader set off boastfully taking the expedition as an easy way to fame (8:47) 158.1 The Muslims were averse to fighting: Until this stage of the revelation (early Medinite period) the Qur’an’s message was completely non-violent. Its verses spoke about a whole range of noble virtues – mercy. Compassion, forgiveness, unremitting patience in the face of adversity, trust in Allah’s help and so forth as reviewed in the preceding pages. So the Prophet’s followers wavered in their minds about the moral justification of fighting. To address their concerns, the Qur’an offered a rationale for defensive combat, emphasizing the need to resist oppression and protect the vulnerable while adhering to the ethical principles of justice." • “Fighting is prescribed for you though you dislike it. But you may dislike a thing, which is good for you, while you may like something, which is bad for you. (Remember,) Allah is Aware (of what is good and what is bad for you), whereas you do not know” (2:216). • “What is amiss with you (Ma Lakum) that you that you refuse to fight in the cause of God (justice) when the oppressed among men, women, and children implore, “Our Lord, deliver us from this town of oppressive people, and appoint for us from You a protector and appoint for us from You a helper. (4:75)? Those who believe fight in the cause of God, while the oppressors (Kafaru) fight in the cause of tyranny. So, fight against Satan’s allies; surely, Satan’s strategies are weak” (4:76). Meanwhile, the Quraysh were greatly alarmed at Muhammad’s turn of fortune. Hearing reports that Muhammad had left (or was planning to leave) Medina with his followers to attack their trading caravan returning home with goods from Syria past Medina, they sent a powerful army to eliminate them, once and for all. The stage was set for the first major battle in Islam. 159. Camping for battle and unhindered passage of trading caravan: The Prophet’s followers camped at one end of the valley (of Badr), while the Quraysh army approached from the other end, and their trading caravan passed close by unnoticed as Allah had willed (8:42). The unhindered journey of the trading caravan possibly owed itself to the topography of the camping site that rendered it out of sight to the Prophet’s followers. 160. The Prophet’s biographer’s speculation on the Prophet’s intentions. Despite the Qur’an’s intriguing silence about the destiny of the Prophet’s mission, his traditional biographers unwittingly credit him with secretly planning to raid ‘the unarmed one’ – the yearly trading caravan returning home (Mecca). As it happens, in real life, through constant repetition, this speculative reporting became a historical fact – as claimed by the Muslim admirers of the Prophet keen to project him as a brilliant military planner. The truth is, if the Prophet’s plan had remained secret in his lifetime lest his integrity could be questioned, how could this be revealed after his death for anybody can attribute any scheme or plan to a deceased leader who can more affirm or deny it. So the suggestion of the Prophet maintaining silence about his alleged scheme could be a mere speculation to credit the Prophet with military wisdom to at least notionally balance his military short-comings. The Quraysh’s military target was the growing community of Muslims in Medina that could have numbered only in hundreds (300 as per classical records) that the attackers could be run over in the opening engagements of the combat. Hence the story-tellers needed to invest the Prophet with some military planning and credibility to befit his role as the head of the weak defending army. 161. The Prophet had a reassuring dream: “The Prophet had a dream in which he saw the Meccans small in number. Had the Prophet seen their full strength, and disclosed it, many of his followers would have been disheartened and would have disputed over the decision (of fighting with the Quraysh army) (8:43). 162. The Prophet’s followers were horrified facing a large Meccan army: As they saw the large Meccan army face to face, the Prophet’s followers were struck with horror (8:6) without realizing that it was Allah’s scheme to verify the truth of His Words (scheme) and to cut the root of the pagans (8:7). 163. Divine inspiration to prepare them to fight: The Prophet’s followers were inspired with the hope that Allah will help them with one thousand angels, one after another. But Allah had instilled this hope in their hearts merely to reassure them (8:9-10) as they were overtaken by the terror of facing the powerful Quraysh fighters – practically all of them were known to them as their erstwhile tribesmen (Quraysh). Allah covered them with drowsiness as security from the divine and showered rains to refresh them with it, to drive from them the defilement of Satan, and to strengthen their hearts and make their feet steady (8:11) 164. Moment of engagement: As the two armies met Allah made the Meccan army seem trifling in the eyes of the Prophet’s followers just as He made the Muslims appear to be of little concern to the Meccans (8:44). The revelation commanded the Prophet to inspire his followers and assure them that if they persevered patiently, they would overcome the attackers, even if they were twice or ten times as many (8:65/66). 165. The attackers suffered many casualties “The devil who had assured the attackers of success turned around, and absolved himself of all his responsibilities and stood in terror of Allah (8:48). Thirteen very prominent and well known Quraysh leaders (named in the Prophet’s classical biography) were killed marking the decline of Qur’aysh reputation as a mighty tribe and the rise of Islam as an emerging power. The revelation tells the Quraysh, if they wanted a judgment it was before them, and warns them to desist from any further attack and declares that their army, however large, will avail them nothing (8:19). 166. The Muslims are consoled over the killing of their own next of kin. To console the Muslims at the killing of their next of kin and relatives who were among the slain leaders of the attackers (who were from their own tribe) the revelation declares that Allah had ordained the killing to test the believers, and to thwart the evil design of the pagans (8:17/18). 167. The Prophet is reproved for taking captives: The Muslims won a decisive victory and took many captives. The revelation, however, reproves the Prophet for taking captives before subduing the Quraysh (8:67). The Prophet is asked to tell the captives that if Allah recognizes any good in their hearts, He will give them better than what was taken from them (8:70). 168. Distribution of the spoils of war: The revelation prescribed a fifth share for Allah and the Messenger, and the rest for relatives, orphans, the needy and the stranded travellers (8:41) This verse followed up on the verse 8:1 which states: “The spoils belong to Allah and the Messenger.” There is no other verse in the Qur’an on the subject. 169. Unforeseen rise in the Prophet’s political influence: The victory at Badr lent a political dimension to the Prophet’s role as an arbiter of disputes and established him as a powerful political leader. It also strengthened the faith of the believers and cast terror into the hearts of the Quraysh. Thus, the Battle of Badr was not just a military encounter, but a pivotal moment of faith, divine guidance, and moral trial for the early Muslim community. 170. Conspiratorial role of the hypocrites: The rising political influence of the Prophet and the steady growth of Islam as a new egalitarian and monotheistic Arab order threatened the tribal leaders of Medina. Though they had embraced faith, they now openly denied and ridiculed the revelation (4:140) and conspired with the Meccans to launch a massive attack against the Muslims of Medina to expel them from their town and govern it themselves. The Qur’an refers to them as hypocrites (see 152 above). 171. Change in the role of the Prophet from preacher to defender of Islam: As the Meccans were preparing for a war on Medina targeting the followers of the Prophet, the revelation “asked them (Muslims of Medina) to prepare with whatever arms and cavalry they could muster, to strike terror (into the hearts of) the enemies of Allah and theirs (8:60) and to avert fighting if their enemies were inclined toward peace.”(8:61). Also Read (Previous Parts of Part One): The Qur’an – Nurun ‘Ala Nur (Light Upon Light): An Exposition Of Qur’anic Guidance In Its Own Words - Part One The Qur’an – Nurun ‘Ala Nur (Light Upon Light): An Exposition Of Qur’anic Guidance In Its Own Words - Part Two The Qur’an – Nurun ‘Ala Nur (Light Upon Light): An Exposition Of Qur’anic Guidance In Its Own Words - Part Three The Qur’an – Nurun ‘Ala Nur (Light Upon Light): An Exposition Of Qur’anic Guidance In Its Own Words - Part Four The Qur’an – Nurun ‘Ala Nur (Light Upon Light): An Exposition Of Qur’anic Guidance In Its Own Words - Part Five The Qur’an – Nurun ‘Ala Nur (Light Upon Light): An Exposition Of Qur’anic Guidance In Its Own Words - Part Six The Qur’an – Nurun ‘Ala Nur (Light Upon Light): An Exposition Of Qur’anic Guidance In Its Own Words - Part Seven The Qur’an – Nurun ‘Ala Nur (Light Upon Light): An Exposition Of Qur’anic Guidance In Its Own Words - Part Eight The Qur’an – Nurun ‘Ala Nur (Light Upon Light): An Exposition of Qur’anic Guidance in Its Own Words - Part Nine The Qur’an – Nurun ‘Ala Nur (Light Upon Light): An Exposition of Qur’anic Guidance in Its Own Words - Part Ten The Qur’an – Nurun ‘Ala Nur (Light Upon Light): An Exposition of Qur’anic Guidance in Its Own Words - Part Eleven ------ Parts of Part Two: The Qur’an – Nurun ‘Ala Nur (Light Upon Light) Part-2: An Exposition of Qur’anic Guidance in Its Own Words - Part One The Qur’an – Nurun ‘Ala Nur (Light Upon Light) Part-2: An Exposition of Qur’anic Guidance in Its Own Words - Part Two ----- Muhammad Yunus, a Chemical Engineering graduate from Indian Institute of Technology, and a retired corporate executive has been engaged in an in-depth study of the Qur’an since early 90’s, focusing on its core message. He has co-authored the referred exegetic work, which received the approval of al-Azhar al-Sharif, Cairo in 2002, and following restructuring and refinement was endorsed and authenticated by Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl of UCLA, and published by Amana Publications, Maryland, USA, 2009. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/books-documents/quran-nurun-nur-light-part-2-quranic-guidance-part-three/d/136041 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism