24. The Pretenders, the Cheaters, and the Enemy
But the strength of hope in the Prophet’s (s) beautiful voice would have given you a feeling of confidence in good things to happen – a feeling of safety; and you may have drifted off to sleep again.
In the morning, the Prophet (s) told the Muslims to be steadfast and strong. He told them Allah was sending down angels to fight with them.
And so, the battle began. The people of Quraish who had come full of anger towards the Muslims wanting to kill Muhammad (s) and wanting to give victory to their idols, Lat and Uzza, stood now against the Muslims who were defending their Prophet Muhammad (s) and Islam. The men who had tortured and beat up Bilal, Yasir, Sumayya, and Abdullah bin Masood were in the army. The men who had made fun of Muhammad (s) and put filth on his back as he prayed, called him a liar, and announced a reward for whoever killed him, were now standing against those who followed the truth and loved the Prophet (s). One thousand arrogant men, who believed they would quickly win this battle with their 900 camels and 100 horses, stood against three hundred Muslim men, with only 70 camels and two horses. Men who trusted Allah, loved His Messenger (s).
Ali bin Abi Taleb tells how, each time he would leave the battle to check on the safety of Prophet Muhammad (s), he would find the Prophet (s) in sujood, praying to Allah and pleading with him for victory. Abu Bakr tells of the Prophet (s) nodding off a little, and then announcing the good news that Jibreel was leading 500 angels to join battle and Mika’eel was leading another 500. Later Prophet Muhammad (s) would tell the Muslims who fought in Badr that that Allah had forgiven them all sin, because they were united as though they had one heart.
And so did the Muslims win. Seventy of the Quraish’s proud and haughty men were killed and seventy were taken captive. When the Muslims, back in Medina, heard of this amazing victory, they were pleased. Many wished they had gone with the Prophet (s). They had no idea that there would be a battle. One person who did not go with them was Uthman bin Affan. His wife Ruqayah, Prophet Muhammad’s daughter, was very sick and the Prophet (s) had asked him to stay with her. Uthman didn’t leave her side, and when the Muslims returned from Badr, she had just been buried.
When the non-Muslims of Medina heard of this amazing victory, they were surprised. Most of them said they wanted to become Muslim now. But some of them only wanted to be with the winners to get a share of whatever the Muslims gained. These people still hated Islam and the Muslims. They pretended they were believers. These were the hypocrites, and their head was the sour-faced man you remember, Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Salool.
Shortly after the arrival of Prophet Muhammad to Medina, the Jews of Bani Qaynuqa’ began to break the agreement they had with the Prophet (s). When they heard of Badr, they couldn’t hide their hatred any longer. Prophet Muhammad (s) called them to Islam and warned them of what might happen to them if they continued to double-cross him. “O Muhammad,” they taunted, “Don’t let your victory make you proud. You won against Quraish who have no skill in war. If you were to fight us, you would discover that we truly are warriors.”
Bani Qaynuqa’ continued to go against their treaty with the Muslims, so Prophet Muhammad (s) marched toward them and surrounded the forts they were hiding in for fifteen days. These Jews were the allies and friends of Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Salool. Bin Salool, afraid that the Prophet (s) would kill them, went to him (s) and insisted they be spared. The Prophet (s) agreed, and they were given three days to pack their belongings and leave Medina to live elsewhere.
Before we move on to another battle, let me tell you of some family happenings. Fatima, the youngest daughter of Prophet Muhammad (s), and the one who looked and acted most like him, got married to her father’s cousin Ali bin Abi Taleb. And Um Kulthoom, after the death of her sister Ruqayah, got married to Uthman. From then on, Uthman was called The-One-of-Two-Lights because he had been married to two of the Messenger’s (s) daughters.
When Zainab’s husband was taken prisoner at Badr, she sent her mother Khadija’s necklace as ransom to free him. The companions saw how moved the Prophet (s) was to see Khadija’s necklace and to feel his daughter’s pain. He asked her husband to send her to Medina once he returned home. As she was about to leave Medina, a man from Quraish attacked her camel with a spear. This caused her to fall off the camel and to lose the baby she was pregnant with. Zainab’s health never fully recovered from this.
The Prophet (s) also married Hafsa,Umar bin al Khattab’s daughter who had recently become a widow and soon after, Zainab al Makhzoomia. His many wives saw him in the privacy of his home. From them we learned how he spent his time and how he was with family. They reported almost 3000 of his sayings.
It was so important that people learn from Prophet Muhammad (s) how to act. Allah SWT said he was our model. Allah SWT said that if we wanted Him to love us, we should follow Muhammad (s). This is why many people needed to see him as a father, as a husband, as a leader, and as a friend. They needed to see him when he was happy and angry and sad.
Back in Abyssinia, the King sent for Ja’far and the Muslims still living there. They wondered what the reason could be. When they arrived, they saw him in old worn out clothes sitting on the dirt floor. They asked him, “Why are you dressed this way and why don’t you even have a carpet beneath you?” They wondered if something bad had happened. Had his people turned against him again? Were the Muslims in Abyssinia in danger? What was going on?