Hajj

Badr

Today we went to Badr, the site of the Battle of Badr, the first battle in Islam.

We were warned beforehand that it’s a trip of more than 200km from Madina, and that there is no guarantee that we would get into Badr. There are many checkpoints along the way, and if there is a police presence in Badr then they would not allow us near the site of the battle. 

We set off and sheikh pointed out some historical places along the way. We took the road to Badr. 

The first site we stopped at was the Well of Rawghaa. This site was a refreshment station for Rasoolullah (SAW) on the way to Badr. Narrations state that when they got there the water was salty, and Rasoolullah (SAW) blessed the well and the water turned sweet. It still provides water to this day. We all had a chance to have a taste of the water, to test its characteristic sweet taste. Also, 70 prophets throughout time drank from the water of this same well. 


After driving further, we arrived at a very significant place. It was the site of another well that the army of Rasoolullah (SAW) used, and it is called the Well of Shifaah.

This is the place where the army was to intercept Abu Sufyaan’s caravan, but they had missed it because the caravan changed course. Word had arrived that the tribe of Quraish was sending their strongest army to fight them. Rasolullah (SAW) consulted his army and asked if they would fight, or if they would withdraw. He knew that it was a small army consisting mainly of shepherds. They had minimal weapons, only 2 horses and only 71 camels. The journey through the rocky mountainous terrain was made on foot, and Badr was a 3 day journey away. So he gave those who wanted to leave the opportunity of doing so with dignity under the cover of night. The video below explains some of the events here. (please note that I made a mistake to say it was the night before the battle, it wasn’t) 

When we arrived at Badr, a police van saw us approaching and intercepted us. They didn’t harrass us, but we weren’t allowed to get out of the bus at the site of the battle. We could only take pictures from inside the bus, and could not go and ziyaret the martyrs. It was sad not to be able to get the full experience, but at least we could be at the site in some physical form. Below are some pictures of murals of the battle site layout, as well as the names of the 14 shuhadaah of Badr. The image at the top is the fence that encloses the area of the battle site.

The site of the battle and names of the martyrs in Arabic

We visited Masjidul Areesh, which is the site where the army camped for the duration of the battle and made salaah at, and we made 2 raka-aat sunnah there. The well that the army used for water is situated just behind the mosque. After the battle, the bodies of 69 of the dead of the kuffar were thrown down the well, including the body of the Abu Jahl, Utbah, etc. The well is covered now, and this is me and Fadeelah jumping on the site under which the enemies of Allah lies.

WE JUMPED ON ABU JAHL!


Next we went to an extremely special place, a place where one of the greatest miracles of the Battle of Badr took place. We know that Allah sent the army of Rasoolullah (SAW) help from above. They did not defeat the powerful army of Quraish on their own. 

Allah told Rasoolullah (SAW) that He would send 1,000 angels to help him. Imagine the damage 1,000 angels could inflict if the Angel Jibreel wiped out the entire people of Nabi Lut with just the tip of his wing! 

The enemy bore witness to the fact that there were angels on the opposing army. They narrated:

There were men in white cloth on horses who flew across the plains, and whose feet did not touch the ground. How are we expected to fight against such a force?

There were 2 men who came to the battle as spectators and watched from a hill. They heard the cries of “Giddy up Ghaizoum, forward Ghaizoum” (Ghaizoum was one of the angels’ horses). They then saw the angel strike down a man. One of them had a heart attack and died on the scene. The other one had a heart attack as well, but survived to tell the tale. 

One could see the difference between the members of the enemy that were killed by angels, and those that were killed by men. The angels had whips of fire that made a black, clean cut. Heads of the enemy flew off without a soldier chopping it off. The captives taken by men and the angels taken by angels could also be clearly differentiated. The captives themselves testified that they were not taken by men. This was the work of malaaikat. 

We went to visit the mountain where the 1,000 malaaikah came over. 
Enjoy the short video below.

You would have noticed that this mountain is made of nothing but sand. There is not a single rock in sight. Yet the surrounding terrain, and all the way that we drove is solid rock. What is the explanation for this?

It is narrated that when the angels came over the mountain, the mountain crumbled and the rock turned to sand because of the immense power of what was ‘touching it’. If one looks at the sand and runs it through your fingers, it is runny and as if it is tiny, tiny rocks. It doesn’t hold water at all. Is this the explanation of this amazing phenomenon. Allahu Akbar! 

When the army of the Muslimeen returned with news that the polytheist army of Quraish had been defeated and their great leaders killed, the people of Madina found it hard to believe.

The mighty Quraish had fallen!

This was the day that Allah sent his help to make sure that his Deen would survive.

I have not gone into the heroes of Badr and the events on the battlefield at all. I highly recommend the narration of the seerah by Sheikh Anwar Awlaki on the Battle of Badr, as well as the life of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). I found it very inspiring and highly beneficial. 

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