THE JOURNEY OF A LIFETIME WITH PROPHET MUHAMMAD THE PROPHET OF ALLAH 031 THE ENCOUNTER AT BADR by Khadeijah A. Stephens Copyright © 1984-2012 by Allah.com Muhammad.com Mosque.com Khadeijah A. Stephens Bismillah Ir Rahman Ir Raheem The Encounter at Badr Hours before the Encounter It was the night of Friday, 17th of Ramadan and as the three hundred and thirteen believers settled themselves for the night, Allah in His Mercy sent down upon them a blessed, peaceful sleep so that when they awoke to offer their prayer in the morning they felt totally refreshed and prepared for the conflict. Meanwhile in the other camp, the Koraysh army with their large, well equipped army stirred and struggled as they made their way with their camels to the top of Ku’ayki’an. Added to that was their fear that the tribe of Banu Bakr with whom they had hostile relationships would attack them at their rear. It was then that satan appeared to them in the guise of Suraka, Malik’s son and told them, “I guarantee no harm will come to you from behind.” Allah says, “And when satan made their foul deeds seem fair to them. He said, 'No one shall conquer you this day. I shall be your savior.'” Chapter 8:48 By the time the Koraysh reached the top of the hill the sun had already risen and they were visible to the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam). Upon seeing the army, the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) supplicated saying, "O Allah, the Koraysh are here. In arrogance and pride they come, opposing You and belying your Messenger. O Lord, give to us Your help which You have promised. O Lord, destroy them this day." Arrogantly, as the Koraysh advanced Abu Jahl supplicated for the Koraysh saying, “Our lord, one of the two parties is unkind to his relatives and has brought us what we do not know – destroy him this day!” The Koraysh were confident their superior number and experience would assure their victory and thereby restore them to their former prestige with other Arab tribes, but most importantly crush the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) and his followers once and for all. Not long after, the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) chanced to see Utbah, Rabia's son, riding a red camel and said to his Companions, "If there is any good at all with any one of them, it will be with this man riding the red camel. If they obey him they will take the right path." The Koraysh also had sight of the believers and were surprised to find they were so few and thought perhaps there may be another force concealed somewhere to the rear. When they reached the valley, the Koraysh made their camp and sent Umair the son of Wahab Al-Jumahi on horseback to estimate their numbers and see if there were in fact any concealed reinforcements. When Umair returned, he proclaimed, "O men of Koraysh, I have seen camels carrying death. These men have no defense or refuge, they have only their swords, but I do not think any man of them will be killed before he has first killed one of us. Even if each party were to kill the other in equal numbers what good will there be left in life after this, what will you do!" Upon hearing Umair, Hakim from the tribe of Asad, the nephew of Lady Khadijah went straight to Utbah, the father of Waleed with the men of Abdu Shams. Utbah had consented to join the Koraysh against the believers on account of his dead kinsmen, the brother of Aamir Al Hadrami, killed at Nakhlah during the Sacred Month. When Hakim found Utbah he said. "You are the greatest man, the lord of the Koraysh, and one who is obeyed. Would you like men to remember you with praise for all time?" Utbah asked, "How could this be?" "Lead them back, the Koraysh demand nothing more than blood from Muhammad for the blood of Al Hadrami,' replied Hakim. Hakim's words appealed to Utbah and he agreed whilst encouraging him also to speak with Abu Jahl, but Abu Jahl had for many years opposed the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) and was the most anxious among them to wage war against him. Utbah spoke to his people saying, "O men of Koraysh, there is nothing to gain fighting Muhammad and his Companions. If you defeat them each man among you will always look with despise at another who has killed either his uncle, a cousin, or kinsmen. Therefore, turn back and leave Muhammad to the rest of the Arabs. If they kill him, you have your desire, on the other hand, if they do not, you will have shown self-restraint toward him." When Hakim found Abu Jahl he was oiling his coat of mail and conveyed the message to him. Abu Jahl was infuriated and addressed the army saying, "By Allah, we will not turn back until it is decided between us and Muhammad." Then he called Utbah a coward, afraid of death for himself and his son Abu Hudhayfah who was a Muslim. To add fuel to the fire, Abu Jahl called upon Aamir, the brother of the deceased Amr and challenged him not to let this opportunity to revenge his brother's death slip from him. Emotions ran high and Aamir, in a state of traditional distress tore his clothes as he screamed at the top of his voice, "Woe for Amr, woe for Amr," which incited the army still further to fight. Utbah's words had fallen on deaf ears, nothing would stop them now. When he heard that Abu Jahl had accused him of cowardice his pride was challenged, so he searched for a helmet to prove him wrong, but was unable to find one large enough, so he wound a piece of cloth around his head to protect him -- the final preparations for the conflict were now underway. Abdullah, Son of Umayyah Joins the Prophet Abdullah, Umayyah's son, was a Muslim, however his father, the chief of the tribe of Jummah and torturer of Bilal, had brought pressure to bear upon his son thereby preventing him from joining the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) and his brothers-in-law, Abu Sabra and Abu Hudhayfah in Medina. Umayyah had forced his son to join him the march, however the opportunity to escape to the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) was soon to present itself as his father and other combatants were busy with their preparations for the hostilities. Unnoticed, Abdullah managed to slip away and made his way to the camp of the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam). As soon as he reached it, he made straight for the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) and as they greeted each other immense joy spread over both their faces. Sometime later, several other Koraysh tribesmen dared to make their way to the reservoir the believers had made and drink from it. When the believers saw this they drew the matter to the attention of the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) who told them to let them take their fill. With the exception of Hakim son of Hezam, Lady Khadijah's nephew, all who drank its water were killed in conflict that day. The Encounter at Badr As the Koraysh began to advance, the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) called upon his Companions to form their ranks and spoke to them with words of encouragement, and they knew Allah was with them. Their lines were as straight as an arrow with one exception, an Ansar by the name of Sawad, stood slightly forward than the rest, so the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) went to him and gently prodded his midriff with an arrow. Sawad seized upon the opportunity and said, "O Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam), you have hurt me, Allah has sent you with truth and justice, so give me my rights." Upon this, the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) uncovered his midriff and Sawad bent down and kissed it. The Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) asked him what had prompted him to do this whereupon Sawad said, "O Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam), with matters as they are, and if it is written, it is my wish that my last moments should be spent with you -- that my skin has touched yours." Upon hearing these moving remarks, the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) supplicated to Allah asking for blessings upon Sawad. Not long after, the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) withdrew to his tent with Abu Bakr and prayed to Allah for help. After his prayer, a short slumber overtook him and upon waking he said to Abu Bakr, "Be well pleased, Allah has sent His help to you. Gabriel is here and in his hand is the rein of a horse which he leads, and he is armed for the conflict!" By now the Koraysh army had drawn nearer and Allah in His Mercy made their numbers appear to the believers to be considerably smaller than they; the unbelievers were now only a short distance from the reservoir. Referring to their numbers and the prompts of satan, Allah says in the Koran: "Indeed, there was a sign for you in the two armies which met on the battlefield. One was fighting in the way of Allah, and another unbelieving. They (the believers) saw with their eyes that they were twice their own number. But Allah strengthens with His victory whom He will. Surely, in that there was a lesson for those possessed of eyes." Koran 3:13 "And when Allah made them appear to you in a vision as a small band, had He showed them to you as many, your courage would have failed you and you would have quarreled over the affair. But Allah saved; He knows the innermost thoughts in the chests. And when you met them, He showed them in your eyes as being few, and decreased (your number) in their eyes so that Allah might determine what was ordained. To Allah all matters return. Believers, when you meet an army stand firm and remember Allah abundantly, in order that you are prosperous. Obey Allah and His Messenger and do not dispute with one another lest you should lose courage and your resolve weaken. Have patience - Allah is with those who are patient. Do not be like those who left their homes elated with insolence and showing off to people, barring others from the Path of Allah - but Allah encompasses what they do. And when satan made their foul deeds seem fair to them, he said, ‘No man shall conquer you this day. I shall be your savior.’ But when the two armies came within sight of each other he took to his heels saying, ‘I reject you, for I can see what you cannot. I fear Allah, Allah is Stern in retribution.’" Koran 8:43-48 Al-Aswad, Abdullah Asad's son from the tribe of Makhzum, known for his disagreeable personality, was the first to initiate hostilities as he cried out defiantly, "I will drink from their reservoir, destroy it or else die before reaching it." Hamza, Abdul Muttalib's son challenged him and as the two engaged in combat, Hamza struck him with such force that his foot and shin were severed and flew through the air. Al-Aswad was determined to fulfill his word and crawled towards the reservoir, however Hamza killed him and his body fell into it. Utbah, Rabia's son, accompanied by his brother Shayba and his son, were the next to challenge and cried out for one-to-one combat. From the Ansar, three men stepped forward: they were the brothers Awf and Muawwidh, the sons of Afra and another, and Abdullah, the son of Rawaha. Utbah asked who they were, and they replied, "We are from the Ansar," whereupon Utbah replied, "Our affair is not with you, we know that you are equal to us in lineage but we wish to fight those of similar standing from our own tribe." At that moment, someone from the Koraysh called out: "Muhammad, send out against us our peers from our own tribe!" The Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) called upon Ubaydah, Harith's son, Hamza and Ali to go forth to meet their enemies and as they approached, the Koraysh asked them to identify themselves. After their identifications had been made known the Koraysh accepted to fight them. Ubaydah son of Harith fought Utbah, Hamza fought Shayba, and Ali fought Al Waleed Shayba’s son. The fight between Ali and Al Waleed’s son, and Hamza and Shayba was over quickly -- both Ali and Hamza killed the enemies of Allah. Meanwhile Ubaydah and Utbah had struck each other twice and Ubaydah had fallen victim. When Hamza and Ali saw what had befallen their companion they turned upon Utbah and he did not live to see the evening. Gently, Hamza and Ali carried Ubaydah to the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam). His leg had been severed and he had lost a tremendous amount of blood. When he saw the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) he gazed up at him and asked, "O Messenger of Allah, am I to be a martyr?" "Indeed you are," replied the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) in a soft tone and Ubaydah was happy. Then Ubaydah said in his weakened voice, "If Abu Talib were alive today he would know that his words: 'We will not give him up until we lie dead around him, forgetting our women and children,' have been fulfilled in me." Ubaydah died four or five days later. Three out of the four major enemies of Islam that lay dead on the battlefield were killed by Hamza and were related to a high-ranking woman named Hind, the wife of Abu Sufyan. Such was Hind's hatred of Hamza she swore to take her revenge as soon as the opportunity presented itself. Before the armies advanced upon each other, the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) ordered his Companions not to attack until he gave the word and told them that in the event they should find themselves surrounded by the enemy, they were to keep them at bay by showering their arrows above their heads. He also told them that among the Koraysh were those who had been forced to take up arms against them and if they happened to encounter any of them, they must not kill them but take them captive. Those people were Al-Abbas, the Prophet's uncle, the children of Hashim and Abu Bakhtari who had supported the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) on several occasions, however Abu Bakhtari was killed. Meanwhile, the adrenaline coursed quickly through the veins of the Koraysh and in their anxiousness to ignite the conflict two arrows were fired. The first struck Mihja, the freedman of Omar who became the next believer to be martyred, then the second arrow pierced the neck of Haritha, Suraka's son from the tribe of Najjar as he drank from the reservoir. The Order to Fight The engagement was about to begin; the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) picked up a handful of small pebbles and said as he looked toward the Koraysh, "May their faces be defaced," then he threw the pebbles toward them and commanded his Companions saying, "Now, stand up and proceed towards Paradise. Its extent encompasses the heavens and the earth!" When Umair, Hamam's son, who was but sixteen years old, heard this he inquired, "O Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) does Paradise encompass the heavens and the earth?" "Yes," he answered, Umair exclaimed, "Well, well," so the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) asked, "What prompted you to say this". Umair answered, "O Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) by Allah, I uttered these words to express the hope that I might become an inhabitant of Paradise." Whereupon the Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) smiled as he gave him the good news, "You are indeed one of its inhabitants." With happiness in his heart he took some dates from his quiver and began to eat them, then paused saying, "If I were to survive until I finished eating these dates, that would indeed be a long interval." So he threw down the remaining dates, plunged into the conflict, and fought with great courage until he was martyred. The Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) heartened his Companions saying, "By Allah, in whose Hand is the soul of Muhammad, there is no man killed this day; fighting against them with unwavering courage, advancing and not retreating, that Allah will not cause to enter Paradise." The promise of Paradise was the best reward they could ever hope for and the intensity of the engagement accelerated. The Recompense of Abu Jahl The Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) had ordered his Companions to be on the look-out for Abu Jahl. The two youths Mu’adh, Amr’s son, the son of Al Jumuh and Mu’awwadh, son of Al Afra caught sight of Abu Jahl as he rode his horse. Abu Jahl was strong and no match for a young boy alone, so they decided to attack him together and leapt upon him from either side of his horse, severely injuring him, leaving him for dead as his horse ran off. The two boys made haste to tell the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) the good news and told him they had killed Abu Jahl. The Prophet asked if they had wiped the blood from their swords and they told him they had not. The Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) looked at the swords and told them that both had killed him. However, Abu Jahl was not yet dead and had managed to crawl into the safety of some bushes where Abdullah, Masood’s son came across Abu Jahl in the throes of death and put his foot upon his neck and said, "Allah has put you to shame, you are the enemy of Allah!" Arrogant to the end, Abu Jahl replied, "How has He shamed me, am I anything other than a man you are about to kill? How did the fighting go?" whereupon Abdullah informed him that it had been in favor of Allah and His Messenger (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) then cut off his head saying, “This was the Pharaoh of this nation!” Miracles during the Encounter Throughout the hostilities, continuous winds had blown against the unbelievers. Allah had answered the supplication of His Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) and his Companions were not left alone to fight the hostilities by themselves: "And when you (Prophet Muhammad) prayed to your Lord for help, He answered, 'I am sending to your aid a thousand angels in succession.'" Koran 8:9 Directly after the hostilities the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) received another Revelation that informed: "It was not you who killed them, but Allah slew them, neither was it you who threw at them. Allah threw at them in order that He confers on the believers a fair benefit. Indeed, Allah is Hearing, Knowing." Koran 8:17 Miraculous events occurred continuously throughout the encounter. Many were the times when the believers in pursuit of their enemy, found the heads of the unbelievers would fly off before they had chance to strike them. After the hostilities were over, during the search for their martyred Companions, they noticed burn marks upon the necks of the dead unbelievers and drew the matter to the attention of the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam). Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) told them that they were the marks left by the swords of the angels. Some of the Companions were blessed to witness the angels fighting alongside them and reported that the hooves of their horses never touched the ground. Later, the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) spoke of the winds saying that the first had been brought by the Angel Gabriel, together with a thousand angels. The second by the Angel Mikhail, with a thousand angels on his right flank. The third by the Angel Israfil with a thousand angels on his left flank, and that the angels fought alongside the believers wearing turbans with a piece of cloth hanging down at the back; as for their mounts, they were piebald horses. Amongst the many healing miracles that day was that of Khubayb, Yasaf's son. Khubayb's neck had been all but sliced in half and his head hung limply. When he came before the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) the Prophet gently repositioned the injured part, puffed some of his saliva and his neck was miraculously restored. Ukasha, son of Mihsan Al-Asdi fought so hard and bravely that his sword broke. He returned to the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) and asked him if there was a spare sword with which he could fight. The Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) picked up a log and gave it to him and shook it whereupon the log was transformed into a long strong gleaming sword. Ukasha fought in many encounters after Badr with his miraculous sword and was finally martyred as he fought against the apostates. The Cloud of Angels A non-combatant from the tribe of Ghifar later told the son of Al-Abbas that during the encounter he and his cousin had positioned themselves at the top of a hill overlooking the battlefield with the intention of looting once the hostilities were over. While they were waiting, a white cloud approached the hill, and in it they heard the whinnying of horses and a voice that struck terror into them saying, "Onward, Hayzum!" The man's cousin was terrified, it was too much for him and his head burst open and he died. The narrator himself told ibn Al-Abbas that he too almost died from absolute terror. The Martyrs Fourteen believers were martyred that day. Six were from the Muhajirin and eight from the Ansar. Among their ranks were Umair, the young brother of Sa’ad who had pleaded with the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) to let him accompany them. When the time came to bury the martyrs the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) caringly informed his Companions that their bodies should not be washed, as on the Day of Judgement their wounds will exude with the fragrance of musk, and so it was that they were laid to rest. The Losses of the Unbelievers As for the Koraysh, their loss was many times greater than the Muslims. Seventy unbelievers were killed many of whom were the chieftains of the Koraysh and a further seventy taken captive, for whom their tribesmen were to pay ransoms of between three or four thousand dirhams each. However, Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam), was always merciful and set the standard of excellence by freeing many captives whose families were unable to pay the ransom. The Revenge of Bilal and the Persecuted Amongst those taken prisoner was Umayyah, the notorious persecutor of impoverished, underprivileged Muslims. Before Islam his captor, Abdu Amr, who had now taken the name Abdul Rahman, had been Umayyah's friend. However, Umayyah refused to recognize him by his new name and instead would call him Abdulillah, which was acceptable to Abdul Rahman. After the encounter, as Abdul Rahman searched among the dead for coats of mail as spoils of war, he caught sight of Umayyah holding his son Ali's hand and heard him call out "Abdu Amr”, but he ignored him until he addressed him as Abdulillah saying, "Won't you take me prisoner, I am more valuable than those coats of mail!" Abdul Rahman answered, "By Allah, I will!" as he threw down the coats of mail. Abdul Rahman took them both by the hand and led them toward the camp. As they walked, Umayyah asked the name of the person that had worn an ostrich feather on his chest. Abdul Rahman told him that the man was Hamza, whereupon Umayyah commented that it was he who had harmed them most. Bilal, who had been tortured unmercifully by Umayyah caught sight of Abdul Rahman leading his prisoners to the camp and cried out, "It is the great unbeliever, Umayyah, Khalaf's son, may I not live as long as he lives!" Abdul Rahman retorted, "They are my prisoners!" but Bilal continued to cry out, "O helpers of Allah, the great unbeliever Umayyah, Khalaf's son, may I not live as long as he lives!" The believers soon began to gather around Abdul Rahman, Umayyah, and Ali, then one stepped forward and cut off Ali's foot and Umayyah screamed out in protest with all his might. Abdul Rahman told him that there was nothing he could do for him and the crowd set upon the two and killed them. The Dried-Up Well When it came time to bury the twenty-four unbelieving Koraysh chieftains, the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) ordered their corpses to be cast into a disused, dried-up well. A few days after as the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) left Badr he passed by the well and addressed each of the corpses by their name saying, "Would it have pleased you if you had obeyed Allah and His Messenger? We have found what our Lord has promised to be true, have you found what your lord has promised you to be true?" When Omar heard him speaking to the dead he asked, "O Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam), do you speak to bodies without souls?" Thereupon the Prophet, (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) informed him that they could indeed hear him better than Omar had heard him ask. As for Umayyah, he was not buried with his comrades as his body had swollen to such an extent that when they tried to remove his armor it started to disintegrate, so they covered him with earth and stones, leaving him where he had fallen. The Burial of Utbah As the body of Utbah was about to be thrown into the pit along with the other unbelievers, the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) caught sight of Abu Hudhayfah who was Utaba's son. Compassionately, the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) inquired about his feelings, whereupon he replied, "No, I have no misgivings about my father and his death, rather, I remember him for his wisdom, and better qualities. I had hoped that he would be guided to Islam and when I saw he had died in disbelief it saddened me." The Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) spoke kindly to him and then supplicated for Abu Hudhayfah. The Apostates Amongst those who had fought against the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) were Harith, Zama’hs son; Abu Qays, Fakih's son, Al Waleed's son; Ali Umayyah's son; and Al-As, Munabbih's son. All of these men had embraced Islam when the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) was in Mecca, however, when it was time for them to migrate their families had compelled them to stay behind and succeeded to seduce them once more into disbelief. Then more recently, when the Koraysh asked them to join against the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) they had done so without the least hesitation. Now a verse referring to them was sent down. "And the angels who take those who wronged themselves, will say: ‘In what condition were you?’ They will reply, 'We were oppressed in the land,' They (the angels) will say, 'Was not the earth of Allah wide enough for you in order that you migrate in it?" Those, their shelter will be Gehenna (Hell), an evil arrival." Koran 4:97 The Spoils of War satan, the stoned and cursed, threw the seeds of discord among the Muslims who had but a few hours before fought as one against a common enemy -- now a dispute over the distribution of the spoils of war started to fester. Some of the Muslims who had stood guard around the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) during the hostilities claimed that although they had not fought, they were entitled to a share of the prisoners, weapons, coats of mail, and rides. When the Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) heard the arguing he immediately ordered all the spoils to be brought before him and it was during this time that a new Revelation was sent down that called them back to the remembrance of Allah, whereupon they felt ashamed of their actions. "They ask you about the spoils (of war), Say, 'The spoils belong to Allah and the Messenger. Therefore, have fear of Allah, and set things right between you. Obey Allah and His Messenger, if you are believers.’ Indeed the believers are those whose hearts quake at the mention of Allah, and when His verses are recited to them it increased them in faith. They are those who put their trust in their Lord. Those who pray steadfastly, and spend of that which We have provided them, Those are, in truth, the believers. They shall have degrees with their Lord and forgiveness, and a generous provision.” Koran 8:1-4 After the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) received the new Revelation he appointed Abdullah, Ka'bs son to take charge of the spoils. It was now time to set off on the return journey to Medina and so the Companions, together with their prisoners, made ready. But before they set off, the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam), knowing that his followers who had remained behind in Medina would be anxious for news of them, sent Abdullah, Rawaha's son on ahead of them to Medina and Zayd to its suburbs to convey the news of their blessed victory. The Treatment of Prisoners Before Islam, when feuding Arabs were taken captive, they knew they could expect little or no mercy from their captors. When the unbelievers learned that the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) had given instructions they should be bound but treated well, they were surprised and heartened still further upon learning that they were not to go hungry but to share their captors’ food. Amongst the prisoners were several members of the Prophet's own family including Suhayl, the chief of Aamir, cousin and former brother-in-law of Lady Sawdah, the Prophet's wife. Other family members were the Prophet's uncle Al-Abbas, whose belief remained hidden and kept secret. Then, there was Abd Al-As, husband of the Prophet's daughter Lady Zaynab, with two of his cousins, Nawfal and Akil, who were also nephews of Al-Abbas. An Ansar, one of the Helpers, captured Al-Abbas and when the Ansar claimed Al-Abbas’ capture to the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam), Al-Abbas said, “O Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam), by Allah it was not this man who captured me. I was captured by a person who was bald and had the most handsome of faces, riding a piebald horse, but I have not seen him among the others. The Ansar exclaimed, “O Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam), it was I who captured him!” Gently the Prophet told the Ansar, “Allah, the Mighty strengthened you with the help of a noble angel.” That night as the Companions prepared themselves to sleep, the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) was restless. He disliked the thought of his uncle being bound so he sent word for him to be untied. Earlier on that day Musab discovered that his brother Abu Aziz had been taken captive by one of the Ansar. When he saw him, he turned to the Ansar saying, "Bind him well, his mother is rich and she might be prepared to pay handsomely for him!" When Abu Aziz heard his brother's remark he exclaimed, "Brother, is this how you speak of me to others?" Musab replied, "He is my brother in your stead." Musab proved to be right, his mother offered 4,000 dirhams for her son's release. However, Abu Aziz never forgot how well the Ansar treated him and would often speak of it in the years to come. Nadr and Ukba Amongst their captives, the Companions succeeded in taking two of their most hostile enemies -- Nadr, from the tribe of Ad Dharr and Uqbah, from the tribe of Shams. The Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) contemplated on whether or not to let them live, for he knew that if they were to remain alive they would, no doubt continue to incite further hostilities against them. However, there was the chance that the events of the encounter had caused them to reflect and thereby convert to Islam. With this in mind, the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) patiently decided to observe their attitude and actions before taking any further steps. By the time they reached their first halt, the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) had a chance to assess Nadr and Uqbah and found them both as resolute as they had always been. Nothing had changed, so he ordered Ali to put Nadr to death and an Ansar to put Uqbah to death. Three days before reaching Medina, the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) halted his army and divided the prisoners and spoils of war between them so that each Companion received an equal share. Reaction in Medina Abdullah Rawahah’s son and Zayd Haritha’s son were sent on in advance to Medina with the news of the victory Allah had given them. The news of the Prophet's victory spread like wildfire throughout the City, whereupon the Muslims rejoiced and gave thanks to Allah. As for the hypocrites and Jewish tribes of An-Nadir, Krayzah, and Kaynuka, their hopes were dashed. All had hoped for the destruction of the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) and his followers so that their way of life might return to how it had been before his arrival in Medina. The Encounter at Badr 031 Back Cover Subtitles Hours before the Encounter Abdullah, Son of Umayyah Joins the Prophet The Encounter at Badr The Order to Fight The Recompense of Abu Jahl Miracles during the Encounter The Cloud of Angels The Martyrs The Losses of the Unbelievers The Revenge of Bilal and the Persecuted The Dried-Up Well The Burial of Utbah The Apostates The Spoils of War The Treatment of Prisoners Nadr and Ukba Reaction in Medina