The build-up to Badr: Abu Sufyan's caravan, Mecca's muster and the Prophet's march

After the Prophet learned that Abu Sufyan was approaching with a Quraysh caravan from Syria, he set out with his Companions toward it. The book holds that this was for booty and not for battle, so he did not compel anyone to go out. ¹ The caravan was laden with great wealth, a thousand camels, and had only about forty men as guard. ¹

The Prophet went out with about three hundred and some men: eighty-three of the Muhajirun, sixty-one of the Aws and a hundred and seventy of the Khazraj. They had only two horses between them, and men took turns riding seventy camels. ^{1 2} He appointed Ibn Umm Maktum over Medina, then sent back Abu Lubaba from al-Rawha and appointed him over it. ² He gave the banner of general command to Mus'ab ibn Umayr, made the battalion of the Muhajirun under Ali and the battalion of the Ansar under Sa'd ibn Mu'adh, and placed the right wing under al-Zubayr and the left wing under al-Miqdad. ²

When the news reached Abu Sufyan, he hired Damdam ibn Amr al-Ghifari to cry out in Mecca for a call to arms to protect the caravan. Damdam slit his nose, tore his shirt and cried: "Help! Help!" ³ Quraysh stirred. None of its notables held back except Abu Lahab, who sent in his place a man to whom he owed a debt. ³ Their army numbered about thirteen hundred fighters, with a hundred horses and six hundred coats of mail. Its commander was Abu Jahl, and they slaughtered nine or ten camels a day for them. ³ Quraysh feared the Banu Bakr, but Iblis appeared to them in the form of Suraqa ibn Malik and said he was their protector against Kinana. ³

Abu Sufyan escaped with the caravan. He met Majdi ibn Amr and asked him about the army of Medina. When he saw date-stones in the dung of two camels, he said they were the fodder of Yathrib. He turned the caravan westward toward the coast and sent word to Mecca that they were safe. ⁴ The army of Mecca then wished to turn back, but Abu Jahl said: "By God, we will not return until we reach Badr, and stay there three days, slaughtering, feeding, and pouring out wine." Al-Akhnas ibn Shariq urged them to turn back, but they disobeyed him, so he returned with the Banu Zuhra, who were about three hundred, and not one man of the Zuhra was present at Badr. ^{4 5}

When the Prophet camped near Badr, he went out himself with Abu Bakr to scout. They met an old Arab who would not tell them anything until they told him who they were. He said that Muhammad had set out on such-and-such day and Quraysh on such-and-such day. The Prophet said they were from water. ⁶ He then sent Ali, al-Zubayr and Sa'd, who caught two boys who were watering for the army of Mecca. They beat them until they said they belonged to Abu Sufyan; when they said they belonged to Quraysh, the Prophet accepted their word and asked: "How many are the people?" They said: "Many." He asked: "How many do they slaughter?" They said: "Nine camels one day and ten the next." The Prophet said: "The people are between nine hundred and a thousand." They named for him the nobles of Quraysh. ^{6 7} He said: "This is Mecca, which has thrown to you the best pieces of its liver." ⁷

God sent rain on the night of the battle. It fell as a downpour on the polytheists and kept them from advancing, and on the Muslims it fell as a light drizzle that purified them and steadied their feet. ⁷ al-Hubab ibn al-Mundhir advised the Prophet to camp at the nearest water to the enemy, to block what lay beyond it and to build a cistern. The Prophet said he had given sound counsel, and they did it. ⁷

• The book's figures for the Muslim army and its division differ between 313, 314 and 317, and for the Muhajirun between 82, 83 and 86. ¹
• The book notes that the two boys first said they belonged to Abu Sufyan, and that it holds that the beating before that had been done by Muslims hoping to seize the caravan. ⁶