Battle of Badr

Around 610 CE, however, just outside of the
trading hub of Mecca, a man named
Muhammad had a divine revelation. God
revealed that the followers of Abraham, the
Jews and Christians, were on the right track,
but that they did not have the complete story.
As God's final messenger, Muhammad would
perfect monotheism.
Mecca was his home town, yet the rich and
powerful merchants of that city had no use for
Muhammad and his prophecies. The old gods
had served Mecca well - what need did they
have for this new interpretation of Abrahamic
religion as revealed by Muhammad? In 622,
they expelled the Prophet and his small band
of followers, who moved to the nearby city of
Medina.
From that point forward, there were constant
skirmishes between the Muslim faithful and
the Meccans. When their Meccan cousins' rich
caravans of goods neared Medina, Muhammad
and his followers would ambush them.
Early in 624, a train of camels laden with
goods and guarded by 30-40 Meccans
approached. According to later accounts, the
caravan included about 1000 camels, and
carried merchandise worth a hefty 50,000
dinars. Muhammad set out with his largest
army thus far - between 313 and 330 men.
They prepared to ambush the caravan at the
oasis of Badr, some 155 km southwest of
Medina.
The leader of the caravan, Abu Sufyan bin
Harb, heard that a large band of Muslims had
left Medina. He prudently turned the caravan
west to the coast, avoiding the most likely
ambush point at Badr entirely. Abu Sufyan
also sent a message to Mecca to ask for
reinforcements.
When the Meccans heard about Muhammad's
army, they sent out their own army of
900-1000 men to guard the precious camel
train. Many of the city's rich merchants, those
with something to lose if Muhammad made off
with the caravan, joined the army themselves.
They reasoned that such a huge force might
scare the Muslims off, and dissuade them
from future attacks.
While the two armies were each a day's march
away from the wells at Badr, some of
Muhammad's advance scouts captured two
Meccan scouts, who revealed how close the
city's army had come. The Meccans also told
Muhammad of the wealthy notables among
the approaching force. Shocked at how quickly
the Meccans had come, and eager for a
chance to humble some of his most vociferous
critics in person, Muhammad marched his
small army double-fast to the oasis. They
camped there in the Badr valley the night of
March 14, 624.
The Battle of Badr
At the same time that the Muslims were
preparing for a show-down, the Meccan army
got word that the caravan was safely beyond
Muhammad's reach. Two of the Meccan clans
decided that they had achieved their objective,
and turned back toward their homes. The
greater mass of the Meccan army decided to
press on to Badr, however. In their minds, the
two armies were now too close to retire
honorably without a fight.
Muhammad, who got to the oasis first,
ordered his men to fill in all of the wells
except for that closest to Mecca. If the
Meccan army wanted water, they would have
to fight him for it.
On the morning of March 15, the Meccan army
advanced to the oasis of Badr. They were
shocked to find the Muslims arrayed and
waiting for them. The battle began with one-
on-one combat, and Muhammad's skirmish-
tested warriors took a toll on the cream of the
Meccan fighters. Hamzah defeated Shayba bin
Rabi'a, and Ali beat Waleed bin Utbah. The
Muslim Ubaydah bin Harith fought to a draw
with Utbah bin Rabi'a, losing a leg in the
process. His companions then finished off the
Meccan.
Once this cousinly combat was finished, the
fighting began in earnest with arrow volleys
and then hand-to-hand sword-work. The
Quran (Koran) recounts that Muhammad's
army was reinforced by a host of 1000
invisible angels. In any case, the Muslims
soon routed the Meccan army, despite its vast
advantage in numbers. The surviving Meccan
fighters turned and fled.
The Aftermath
That evening, many of the most prominent
men from Mecca lay dead on the battlefield,
including Muhammad's nemesis, Abu Jahl.
The Muslims lost a total of just 14 men, while
the Meccans toll was up to 70 killed and
about the same number captured.
Among the captives, Muhammad ordered the
wealthy held for ransom, but the poor were
released unharmed. The victorious commander
also divided both the battlefield loot and the
forthcoming ransom money evenly among his
fighters, an arrangement that served to
increase his army's loyalty. All in all,
Muhammad's conduct as a gracious and
merciful victor afforded him credibility not
only with his own men, but with the people of
Mecca and surrounding tribes as well.
Although the Battle of Badr was little more
than a civil skirmish, it signaled the beginning
of the Islamic expansion. The Prophet
Muhammad himself died in 632. Over the next
120 years, however, his followers would go on
to take not only Mecca and the Arabian
Peninsula, but lands from Spain in the west to
the borders of China and India in the east. It
was one of the most impressive conquests the
world has ever seen, and continues to impact
geopolitics to this day - and it all started at
the Battle of Badr.