Badr is a small settlement, which is about 80 miles from Madina.
On the 12th of Ramazan, the Holy Prophet Mohammed (صلى الله عليه وسلم ) and 313 of His companions left Madina for Badr. This caravan, which had taken this step to uphold peace and save humanity, had only 1 horse and 80 camels. The rest of the Companions were on foot.
The superiority of the Companions who participated in the Battle of Badr
There is a Hadith in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim:
Translation: The Holy Prophet Mohammed (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said about a companion who had participated in the Battle of Badr: He was present in Badr. Do you know! Almighty Allah has graced the people of Badr with His special attention. Almighty Allah has said: You do whatever you want, paradise is Compulsory on you and in another narration, it is given: I have forgiven you.
(Sahih Bukhari, Bab Ghazwatil Fath Hadith No: 4274, Sahih Muslim Bab min Fadhaili Ahle Badr raziallahu anhum , Hadith No: 6557)
There is a Hadith in Sahih Bukhari:
Translation: Hadhrat Ma’adh Bin Rifaa’a bin Rafe’ narrates on the authority of his father, that he said that Jibrail (Peace be upon him) came to the Holy Prophet Mohammed (صلى الله عليه وسلم ) and said: How do you consider the People of Badr? The Holy Prophet Mohammed (صلى الله عليه وسلم ) said: The best among the Muslims or He Prophet Mohammed (صلى الله عليه وسلم ) said something to this effect. Jibreel (May peace be upon him) said: In the same way, among the angels those angels are superior who participated in Badr. (Sahih Bukhari, Hadith No: 3992)
The best example of the equality of human beings
The Holy Prophet Mohammed (صلى الله عليه وسلم ) allotted 1 camel for every 3 companions and ordered them to mount it one by one. Even for Himself, the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) did not take a single camel.
The life of the Holy Prophet Mohammed (صلى الله عليه وسلم ) is the best model of life for the whole of humanity. The Holy Prophet Mohammed (صلى الله عليه وسلم ) gave a great lesson of equality to the whole mankind.
He Prophet Mohammed (صلى الله عليه وسلم ) mounted a camel in turn with 2 other people like everybody else, as He had instructed others to do. This blessed caravan had set off only to wipe out the obstinacy of evil and its misguidance and to stop the rights of others from being trampled upon. Its aim was to spread the message of justice, equality and brotherhood of humanity.
Those who worshiped falsehood came fully armed. They were 1000 in number.
They die where He points they will
Almighty Allah has granted the Holy Prophet Mohammed (صلى الله عليه وسلم ) all kinds of knowledge. The events of the past and the future are not hidden from His eyes. Before the Battle of Badr itself, the Holy Prophet Mohammed (صلى الله عليه وسلم ) said: By Allah! I am seeing the places where those who will be killed in Badr will lie.
Hadhrat Anas (May Allah be well pleased with him) says that the Holy Prophet Mohammed (صلى الله عليه وسلم ) placed His hand on the ground and said: This is the place where so and so will die and this is the place where so and so will die. The narrator says that the body of those were killed did not deviate an inch from where the Holy Prophet Mohammed (صلى الله عليه وسلم ) had said they would fall.
(Sahih Muslim, Vol. 2, Pg No. 102, Zurqani Alal Mawahib, Vol. 2, Pg No. 304)
The Holy Prophet Mohammed (صلى الله عليه وسلم ) very humbly prayed to Almighty Allah. On this occasion, Almighty Allah revealed this verse of the Holy Quran:
Remember ye implored the assistance of your Lord, and He answered you: “I will assist you with a thousand of the angels, ranks on ranks.” Surah Anfal (8:9)
Do not return until My Beloved permits you to
Hadhrat Qazi Sanaullah Panipati Naqshbandi (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) narrates a Hadith in his Tafseer e Mazhari on the authority of Ibn e Sa’ad and Abu Shaikh: Translation: When the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) was done with the Battle of Badr, Jibreel (May peace be upon him) came to Him on a red horse wearing armor, holding a spear in his hand and requested: O Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), Allah has sent me to You and has commanded me not to return until You are pleased with me. Is the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) pleased with me? The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said, Yes I am pleased with you. Then Jibreel (May peace be upon him) returned.
(Baihaqi, Dalail Un Nabuwwa, Hadith No: 992. Khasais Kubra, Vol. 1, Pg No: 203, Subul Ul Huda war Rashad, Vol. 4, Pg No: 41)
Then this battle between truth and falsehood started and Almighty Allah let the believers win over falsehood. From among those who fought for falsehood 70 people were killed and 70 were taken as prisoners.
In facing falsehood, 14 Companions were martyred. When Almighty Allah granted victory to the Muslims, all the other powers of falsehood who had their own designs became subdued.
Inimitable example of treating the prisoners of war
When the prisoners of Badr were presented before the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), He (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) first arranged for their necessities of life. He distributed these prisoners among the Companions and stressed that their needs of life should be taken care of. Hadhrat Abu Aziz (May Allah be well pleased with him), who had not embraced Islam at that time and was a prisoner of Badr, says that I was given to a Madinite companion. I saw a great example of kind treatment there. The members of the household would have a few dates and as per the orders of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), would give bread. I would persuade them to eat bread, but they would never eat.
Later this person was released in lieu of ransom. The benevolence of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), the greatness of the teachings of Islam and the kind treatment by the Companions made him embrace Islam.
Nowadays, we hear that Islam is a stern and violent religion, but only the kind treatment given to the prisoners of Badr will reveal the peacefulness, the justice and universal brotherhood of Islam and will remove the doubts about the teachings of Islam.
Another example of the benevolence of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) released the prisoners in lieu of ransom and for those who were not able to pay ransom, He (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) ordered them to teach others whatever knowledge/sciences they knew and released them in lieu of that. When they adorned the uneducated people with their education and knowledge, they were released with full honor.
