The Battle of Badr
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
Today is the 17th of Ramadan. Fourteen hundred and forty years ago, this day witnessed the single most decisive battle in our history took place: the Battle of Badr. When we speak of Badr so much can be highlighted: the Muslim victory despite being in a materially much weaker position, the bravery of the Companions, the noble Prophet’s (ﷺ) reliance on Allāh (سبحانه وتعالى) and beseeching Him, miracles in the battle, the angels who came to fight led by Jibreel (عليه السلام), and much more. Scholars have written books on this one battle alone. I just want to touch on one aspect though in this brief reflection, one that is less known though very important and relevant for us.
This battle is one which Allāh, the Exalted, decreed and made happen.
“As when your Lord made you leave your home for the sake of truth…”
This is despite the intentions of either side. Neither side from the Muslims or the mushrikīn initially wanted it to occur. Neither side had properly planned for it. The Prophet (ﷺ) took a small number of Companions intending only to raid the caravan of Abu Sufyān, who, on his part, having escaped by the sea route did not want the matter to escalate. Abu Jahl, who had come out to avenge the caravan of Abu Sufyān, had other plans.
“[Recall] when Allah was promising you that one of the two groups would become yours, and you were wishing that the one without strength should fall to you.”
The two groups are the caravan of Abu Sufyān and the army of Abu Jahl. The Muslims wanted the smaller confrontation with the former. Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) had willed the latter. This is despite that the situation was such that had the three parties willingly wanted to engage in battle in one spot, they would have found it hard to make it happen of their own accord because they were all at cross purposes. Abu Sufyān was heading for Makkah by the Sea. Abu Jahl for him and then the Muslims. The Muslims for Abu Sufyan and later Abu Jahl. But Allah had willed that it take place.
“[Recall] when you were on the nearest end of the valley, and they were on the farthest one, and the caravan was below you. Had you made an appointment with each other, you would have disagreed about the appointment. But (it happened like this) so that Allah might accomplish what was destined to occur…”
Allāh (سبحانه وتعالى) even made the numbers of either side seem other than what they were so that the battle would take place.
“[Recall] when in your dream, Allāh showed them to you few in number. And if He had shown them to you many in number, you would have been demoralized and would have disputed in the matter, but Allah saved (you)…and when, at the time you met each other, He showed them to you few in number in your eyes, and reduced your number in their eyes, so that Allah might accomplish what was destined to occur.”
In other words, Allāh (swt) was the one directing the whole affair.
To what end? The reign of truth over falsehood.
“And Allāh intended to establish the truth through His words and to cut off the very root of the disbelievers, so that He proves the truth to be true and falsehood to be false…”
Since Allāh (سبحانه وتعالى) had willed it, who could stop it? It took place and the result too was against all material calculations. The believers comprehensively routed the army of Quraysh, over three times their size.
The lesson in this for us is that Allāh (سبحانه وتعالى) is in full control of what takes in the world, He is the one who delivers victory, and He has decreed that the Truth prevail. It is not us and our material abilities or resources, although they are important, indeed necessary for us, that achieve the objective. If we appreciate and internalise this reality, we would then appreciate that our job is only to understand what Allāh commands us and fulfill it to the best of our ability with sincerity and diligence. He (سبحانه وتعالى) will direct matters to their sought conclusion. In other words, things will fall in place in a way we could never have anticipated.