The Life of the Prophet ﷺ: The Battles ⚔️

The Prophet's hijra to Madinah did not mean the end of conflict with the Quraysh. The Muhajirun were still bitter at their treatment by their fellow clansmen in Makkah and the Ansar were eager to punish those who had oppressed their new brothers in Islam. But the Muslim community had not yet been given permission to fight by the Prophet. Warfare is, of course, a serious endeavour, especially in the Arabian Peninsula where complex rules regarding honour and vengeance had reigned for centuries. Furthermore, the Qur'an itself testifies to the sanctity of life and the egregiousness of unjustly taking one. The Muslim community was thus hesitant to act militarily against Makkah, despite the years of oppression they faced at the hands of the Makkahns.

But that changed early on in Muhammad's [ﷺ] time in Madinah. He proclaimed to his followers a new revelation from God, which stated "Permission [to fight] has been given to those who are being fought, because they are wronged. And indeed God is competent to give them victory. [They are] those who have been evicted from their homes without right only because they say, 'Our Lord is Allah'" (Qur'an 22:39 40). These new verses made clear to Muhammad's [ﷺ] followers that war was permissible, even obligatory, when Muslims were being oppressed. They also signalled an important aspect of Islam's role in the world: that this religion was not just a set of beliefs about the unseen, but a complete way of life that encompassed everything from prayer rituals to foreign relations to theology. Like they did with other instructions given in the Qur'an, the Muslim community of Madinah was eager to show their worth and follow this new command.

The opportunity came in 624 when the Muslim community mustered a small army of around 300 men to intercept a caravan belonging to Quraysh that was passing by Madinah. The Muslims were unable to reach the caravan, but ended up meeting a much larger Qurayshi force that had been sent to protect the caravan.

At the Battle of Badr, about 100 kilometers southwest of Madinah, the Muslims had their first opportunity to physically fight their former oppressors. Despite being outnumbered, the Muslim army, commanded by the Prophet's uncle, Hamza, managed to rout the Makkahns, taking numerous prisoners. The Battle of Badr was of monumental importance for the new community at Madinah. It established the Muslims as a real political and military force, while simultaneously lowering the prestige of Quraysh in the eyes of the rest of the Arabs.