" HAIDER - AE - KARRAR "

The battle of Badr [L8]

In 622 , prophet Muhammad & his Meccan followers settled in Medina upon invitation, having fled their native city in an event known as Hijra ( emigration). Although the new constitution of Medina gave them a modicum of acceptance among the Medinese , the muhajirun , while Meccans ruling Quraysh tribe for its own aggression against Muhammad's followers & for its prevention of their worshipping at Al-Masjid Al- Haram , Islamic holiest site .

Imam Ali (as) - The hero of Islam
Nearly two years after Hijra , in the middle of Ramadan , a major raid was organised against a particularly wealthy caravan escorted by Abu Sufyan ( head of Umayyad clan of Quraysh tribe ) . In medina , the holy prophet Muhammad's (saw) was forced to defend himself & his followers & was thus forced to face many battles. At each & every battle, Imam Ali (as ) was the hero & it was he who fought single handedly with famous warriors of Arabia , defeated the enemies & borough victory to Islam . Even the enemies sang songs for his bravery, valour & gallantry . Every battle was an outcome of very grave circumstances & conditions & combination of very serious events & dangerous forces against the safety of Islam . There were many such encounters, but I have briefly mentioned only five of those instances  , where the events had far reaching effects . In each of them , Ali (as) alone broke through evil combinations & carried the Muslims & Islam to opposition of safety , eminence & power . According to the traditional accounts , when word of the caravan reached Muhammad, he arranged a raiding party of about 300 , consisting both muhajirun & Ansar ( Muhammad's medinese supporters) , to be led by Muhammad himself . By filling the wells on the caravan route near medina with sand , Muhammad's army lured Abu sufyan's ( army of 1000 ) into battle at badr , near medina . There the two parties clashed. Muslims were not prepared for a battle and could ill-afford to fight against superior forces. But they fight out a battle in an open field. The army wasn't well-prepared for the fight.
At this battle in which the Abu Sufiyan's army of 1000 fighters vs 300 fighters including the messenger of Allah, the Islamic defence was a combination of 3 defensive lines:
1. The personality of the messenger, his leadership & his unequalled firmness . Prophet was to Muslims the final refuge at badr & at every battle he attended.

2. The Hashmites ( clan of Prophet) , led by Imam Ali (as) who entered this battle relatively obscure & came out with unequalled military fame. His military performances became the popular subject of the Arab caravans conversations throughout the Arabic Peninsula. Muhammad (saw)  did not knew that an army had left mecca  was marching toward medina to protect the caravan of the Quraysh and to challenge the Muslims. When Muhammad arrived in the environs of badr , he sent Ali to reconnoiter the surrounding country. At the wells of Badr, Ali surprised some water-carriers. In reply to his questions, they told him that they were carrying water for an army which came from Makkah, and which was encamped on the other side of the nearby hills.

Ali brought the water-carriers before Muhammad. From them he learned that the caravan of the Quraysh had already escaped, and that the Muslims, at that very moment, were confronted by the army of Mecca.
On reaching the neighbourhood of Badr, Muhammad sent forward Ali, with a few others, to reconnoiter the rising ground above the springs. There they surprised three water-carriers of the enemy, as they were about to fill their sheepskins. One escaped to the Quraysh; the other two were captured and taken to the Muslim army. From them Muhammad discovered the proximity of his enemy.

3.. The hundreds of companions of the Messenger whose hearts were filled with the faith and readiness for sacrifice. Many of them viewed martyrdom to be a gain, equal to life and victory. These good companions were the army of Islam, its first line of defense and thick wall behind which the Messenger (S) used to stand. They were the attackers and the defenders.
As to the clan of the Messenger they were the ones that he used to call before any one else, to offer the heavy sacrifice. They used to stand in the first line of defense opening for the army the way through their thrusts in the line of the enemies. When the general offensives began and every companion participated, the clan of the Messenger (S) were the most damaging to the enemies. They were so at Badr and at the following battles.

The battle began when Utbah Ibn Rabi-ah, his son Al Walid and his brother Sheibah (all from the ummayad) stood in front of the pagan army and asked the Prophet (S) to send to them their equals for a dual. Hundreds of companions were around him and many of them were expecting to be called upon by the Prophet (S) but he choose to start from his own family.
The load was heavy and the heavy load could be carried only by the people to whom it belonged as he called upon Ali, Al Hamza and Obeidah Al Harith (all from the clan of the Prophet) to face the three warriors. Ali destroyed Al Walid and Al Hamza killed Utbah; then they both assisted Obeidah against his opponent Sheibah. Sheibah died immediately and Obeidah was the first martyr at this battle. He died after he lost his leg.
When the general offensive began, hundreds of companions participated in the battle and offered sacrifices and pleased their Lord. But the members of the house of the Messenger (S) distinguished themselves. Ali's endeavour was unique at this battle. When Hanthala Ibn Abu Sufyan faced him, Ali liquefied his eyes with one blow from his sword. He annihilated Al Auss Ibn Saeed, and met Tuaima Ibn Oday and transfixed him with his spear, saying "You shall not dispute with us in God after today."
The Messenger (S) took a handful of gravel when the battle was extremely heated. He threw it at the faces of the pagans saying " May Your faces be disfigured. God, terrify their hearts and invalidated their feet. " The pagans ran away, turning their faces to no one.
The Muslims went on killing them and taking prisoners. 70 pagans met their death, and the Muslims took from them 70 prisoners. History preserved in its records only fifth of the names out of the 70 pagan loses. Twenty or twenty two of them died at Ali's hand.

This battle laid the foundation of the Islamic State and made out of the Muslims a force to be reckoned with by the dwellers of the Arabic Peninsula.

By noon the battle was over. The Quraysh fled. Forty-nine of the enemy had fallen and Ali had killed . An equal number was captured. The believers had lost fourteen men on the field of battle. Iman Ali (as) first distinguished himself as a warrior in 624, at the battle of badr .He defeated the ummayad champion walid ibn utba as well as many other Meccan soldiers. His art of battle was so brilliant that in the battle, there were 70 Polytheist (Mushrikeen), 35 of them (almost half of them) were killed by Ali.