The great Battle of Badr, how it came about and its events

Ja'far narrates from his father that the event of Badr took place on a Friday, on the seventeenth of Ramadan.

Sayyiduna Amir bin Rabi'ah al-Badri (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the event of Badr took place on a Monday, on the seventeenth of Ramadan.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: "Seek it when eleven nights remain: the morning of Badr."

Umar bin Shaybah reports: I asked Abu Bakr bin Abd al-Rahman: "On which night did the event of Badr take place?" He replied: "On the night of Friday, on the seventeenth of Ramadan."

Amir reports that Badr was (at that place) the well of a man, and that man's name was also Badr.

Mujahid reports that the angels fought only on the day of Badr.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him): It was said to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) and to me on the day of Badr: "With one of you is Jibril and with the other Mika'il, and Israfil, a great angel, is also present in the fighting." Or he said: "He too is standing in the ranks."

Muhammad bin Amr narrates through his father from his grandfather that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) set out for Badr until, when he (peace and blessings be upon him) reached the place called al-Rawha, he (peace and blessings be upon him) addressed the people and asked: "What is your opinion?" Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) replied: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! News has reached us that they are in such a place and of such a number." The narrator said: He (peace and blessings be upon him) addressed the people again and asked: "What is your opinion?" Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) (also) replied like Sayyiduna Abu Bakr. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) addressed them again and asked: "What is your opinion?" Sayyiduna Sa'd bin Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) replied: "Do you mean us? By the One who has honoured you and sent down the Book to you, I have never travelled this route, nor do I have any knowledge of it. But if you were to keep going until you reached Birk al-Ghimad in Dhu Yaman, we would surely keep going with you. We will not be like those from among the Children of Israel who said to Musa: (Go, you and your Lord, and fight; we shall stay sitting here) [Al-Ma'idah: 24]. Rather (we say): You and your Lord go and fight, and we will be with you as followers. It may be that you have set out for one matter and that Allah Almighty brings about another matter for you. So look to the matter that Allah Almighty brings about for you and carry it through. Establish ties with whomever you wish and cut ties with whomever you wish; make peace with whomever you wish and be hostile to whomever you wish; and take from our wealth whatever you please." Upon the words of Sayyiduna Sa'd this Qur'anic verse was revealed: (Just as your Lord brought you out of your home with the truth, while a party of the believers were averse) up to: (and cut off the root of the disbelievers) [Al-Anfal: 5 and 7]. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had intended to take as spoils the wealth that was with Abu Sufyan, but Allah Almighty brought about the event of fighting for His Prophet.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both): On the day of Badr, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever does such and such will have such and such." The narrator said: On hearing this, the young men rushed forward, and only the old men remained under the banners. When the spoils (were gathered), these young men came to take their (appointed) reward. The old men said: "You have no right to wrong us, for we were your support and we were under the banners. Had you turned back, you would have turned back to us." So they began to dispute with one another, and Allah Almighty revealed these verses: (They ask you about the spoils of war) up to (and obey Allah and His Messenger, if you are believers).

Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said in explanation of the Qur'anic verse (The assembly will be defeated): This took place on the day of Badr. The disbelievers said: (We are a united host, victorious) [Al-Qamar: 44, 45], and upon this the verse was revealed.

It is reported from Abu al-Aliyah in explanation of the Qur'anic verse (The assembly will be defeated and they will turn their backs): He said: This was the day of Badr.

It is reported from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) concerning the Qur'anic verse (Until, when We open upon them a gate of severe punishment, they will at once be in despair) [Al-Mu'minun: 77], that this was the event of the day of Badr.

It is narrated from Ikrimah that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was leaping in his armour on the day of Badr and saying: "The host has been defeated, the host has been defeated."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him): I saw ourselves (that is, the Companions) on the day of Badr seeking shelter behind the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and he (peace and blessings be upon him) was the closest of us to the enemy.

It is narrated from Ikrimah that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said on the day of Badr: "This is Jibril, holding the head of his horse, and upon him are the instruments of war."

It is narrated from Umayr bin Ishaq that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Put marks on yourselves, for the angels too have put marks on themselves." The narrator said: That day was the first time wool was used.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that on the day of Badr, the mark of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was white wool.

Amir narrates that on the day of Badr the Muslims began saying: "Kurz bin Jabir is helping the polytheists." This was very hard on the Muslims. Upon this the following verse was revealed: (Yes, if you are patient and fear Allah, and they come upon you in this very rush of theirs, your Lord will reinforce you with five thousand angels bearing marks) [Al Imran: 125]. Allah Almighty said: If Kurz helps the polytheists, I will help you by means of these angels. Then Kurz did not help the polytheists.

Al-Sha'bi and Sa'id bin al-Musayyib said concerning the Qur'anic verse (and He sends down water upon you from the sky to purify you by it) [Al-Anfal: 11] that it refers to the light rain of the day of Badr.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him): On the day of Badr I was drawing water for my companions.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said concerning the Qur'anic verse (The Day We strike with the greatest assault) [Al-Dukhan: 16]: It is the day of Badr.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Tha'labah al-Udhri (may Allah be pleased with him) that Abu Jahl said on the day of Badr: "O Allah! Whichever man among us most severs the ties of kinship and most commits what is not recognised as good, destroy him." The narrator said: This was a seeking of victory on the part of Abu Jahl. Upon this the following verse was revealed: (If you sought victory, then victory has come to you; and if you desist, it is better for you) [Al-Anfal: 19].

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that he came to Abu Jahl on the day of Badr while a faint trace of life remained in him. Ibn Mas'ud said: "Allah Almighty has disgraced you." Abu Jahl said: "Of those you have killed, I am the most important."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abd al-Rahman bin Awf (may Allah be pleased with him): On the day of Badr I was standing in the rank. I looked to my right and my left and saw two boys of young age. I disliked their standing there. One of the boys said to me, secretly from his companion: "O uncle! Show me Abu Jahl." Abd al-Rahman bin Awf said: I asked: "What do you want with him?" The boy replied: "I have vowed in the name of Allah that if I see him, I will kill him." Abd al-Rahman bin Awf said: The other boy also said, secretly from his companion: "O uncle! Show me Abu Jahl." Abd al-Rahman said: I asked: "What do you want with him?" This boy replied: "I have vowed in the name of Allah that if I see him, I will kill him." Abd al-Rahman said: (Hearing this,) I would not have been pleased to have anyone else in their place. He said: I said: "That is Abu Jahl." He said: I pointed Abu Jahl out to the two of them. They both swooped upon him as if they were falcons, and these two were the sons of Afra, until they struck him down.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to say: "O Allah! Seize Quraysh" (three times). "Seize Abu Jahl bin Hisham, seize Utbah bin Rabi'ah, seize Shaybah bin Rabi'ah, seize al-Walid bin Utbah, seize Umayyah bin Khalaf, and seize Uqbah bin Abi Mu'ayt." The narrator said: Sayyiduna Abdullah said: I saw those disbelievers slain in the well of Badr.

Ikrimah, the freed slave of Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), reports that when the Muslims encamped at Badr and the polytheists came forward, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) looked at Utbah bin Rabi'ah, who was riding his red camel, and said: "If any of the disbelievers has any good (counsel), it is with the man on the red camel. If these disbelievers obey him, they will fare well." Utbah said (to the people): "Obey me and do not fight these people (the Muslims). For if you fight, this will remain in your hearts forever: a man will go about seeing (alive) the killer of his brother and of his father. Lay the cowardice of this battle upon me and go back." The narrator said: This reached Abu Jahl, and he said: "By Allah! Since Utbah saw Muhammad and his Companions, he has become a coward. By Allah! It is not (what he says). Rather, the matter is that his son is with them. And yet he knows that if we fight Muhammad and his Companions, they are few in number." The narrator said: Utbah said: "The one who yellows his buttocks will soon learn who is the coward that sows corruption among his people. By Allah! Beneath those garments I see a people who will surely strike you in such a way that they will call out al-Baqi' for you. Do you not see that their heads are (raised) like the heads of snakes and their faces are like swords?" The narrator said: Then he called his brother and his son and walked between them until, when he had come out of the rank, he called for single combat.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him): When we came to Madinah and ate of its fruits, they did not agree with us and we were struck with a severe fever. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was seeking information about Badr. The narrator said: When news reached us that the polytheists were coming, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) set out for Badr. Badr is the name of a well. We reached Badr before the polytheists and found two men of the polytheists there: one man from Quraysh and a freed slave of Uqbah bin Abi Mu'ayt. As for the Qurashi, he fled to Quraysh; as for the freed slave, we seized him. We began asking him: "How many people are there?" He would answer: "By Allah! They are very many in number, and their grip is very severe." When he said this, the Muslims began to beat him, until they brought him before the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). He (peace and blessings be upon him) asked him: "How many people are there?" The man replied: "By Allah! They are very many in number, and severe in their grip." The people tried very hard to make him tell them the number of the polytheists, but the man (persistently) refused. 2. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) asked him: "How many camels do you slaughter?" The man replied: "We slaughter ten camels every day." The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "These people number one thousand. Each camel is (sufficient) for about one hundred." 3. Then in the night we felt a light rain, so we went toward the trees and shields to protect ourselves from the rain. The narrator said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) spent that night supplicating. When dawn broke, he (peace and blessings be upon him) called out: "O servants of Allah! Attend to the prayer." The people came (out) from among the trees and shields, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) led us in prayer and urged us to fight. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The host of Quraysh is at this red ridge of the mountain." 4. When these people came near us and we arranged our ranks, a man from among them, riding a red camel, was moving among the polytheists. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Ali (may Allah be pleased with him)! Call Hamzah for me." He was the nearest to the polytheists. "Who is this man on the red camel, and what is he saying?" Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) said to the people: "If any of the people (the polytheists) has any good, it may be this man on the red camel (who has it)." Then Sayyiduna Hamzah (may Allah be pleased with him) came and said: "This man is Utbah bin Rabi'ah. He is forbidding the people from fighting and saying to them: 'O my people! I see a people who long for death, and you will not reach them while any good (that is, victory) remains in you. O my people! Tie the blame on my head and say: Utbah has become a coward. Yet you know that I am not more cowardly than you.'" 5. Abu Jahl heard this and said: "You are saying this? If anyone other than you had said this, I would have had him cut. Your lungs and belly have been filled with terror." Utbah said: "O you who yellow your buttocks! You taunt me? Today you will soon know which of us is the greater coward." 6. The narrator said: Then Utbah, his brother Shaybah and his son al-Walid came forward in a fit of pride and said: "Who will come out to face us?" Six young men from the Ansar came out. Utbah said: "We have no business with these people. Rather let those of our cousins from Banu Abd al-Muttalib come out to face us." The narrator said: Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Ali (may Allah be pleased with him)! Stand up. O Hamzah! Stand up. O Ubaydah bin al-Harith! Stand up." Allah Almighty destroyed Utbah bin Rabi'ah, Shaybah bin Rabi'ah and al-Walid bin Utbah, and Sayyiduna Ubaydah bin al-Harith (may Allah be pleased with him) was wounded. We killed seventy of the polytheists and took seventy captive. 7. The narrator said: Then a short man from the Ansar brought al-Abbas as a captive. Al-Abbas said: "Indeed, by Allah! This Ansari did not capture me. Rather, a balding man with a most beautiful face captured me, and he was riding a piebald horse. I do not see this man among (your) army." The Ansari said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! I captured him." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: "Be quiet. Allah Almighty has aided you by means of a noble angel." Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: From Banu Abd al-Muttalib, al-Abbas, Aqil and Nawfal bin al-Harith were taken captive.

Mus'ab bin Sa'd narrates from his father: On the day of Badr I got a sword and it pleased me. I said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! Give it to me as a gift." Upon this the following verse was revealed: (They ask you about the spoils of war).

Al-Zuhri narrates that it was Abu Jahl who demanded victory on the day of Badr, saying: "O Allah, whichever of us is the greater sinner and the greater severer of kinship, destroy him today (at Badr)." Thereupon Allah Almighty revealed these verses: "If you sought a decision, then the decision has come to you."

Al-Ayzar bin Hurayth states that on the day of Badr, the crier of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) called out: "None of the people (the polytheists) has safety except Abu al-Bakhtari. So whoever has captured Abu al-Bakhtari should release him, for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) has granted him safety." Then they found him already killed.

It is narrated from Qays bin Ubad: I heard Sayyiduna Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) swearing that these (following) verses were revealed on the day of Badr concerning these six men: Sayyiduna Ali, Sayyiduna Hamzah and Sayyiduna Ubaydah bin al-Harith (may Allah be pleased with them), and Utbah bin Rabi'ah, Shaybah bin Rabi'ah and al-Walid bin Utbah. (The verses are:) "These two are disputants who dispute concerning their Lord." [Al-Hajj: 19]

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: When it was the day of Badr, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) looked at his Companions, and they were a little over three hundred, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) looked at the polytheists, and they were a little over one thousand. So he (peace and blessings be upon him) turned his blessed face toward the Qiblah, then he (peace and blessings be upon him) stretched out both his hands, and (at that time) he (peace and blessings be upon him) was wearing his cloak and lower garment. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Allah, where is what You promised me? O Allah, if this band from the people of Islam perishes, then You will never again be worshipped on this earth." The narrator said: He (peace and blessings be upon him) went on seeking help from his Lord and supplicating to Allah until his blessed cloak fell. Then Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) came to him (peace and blessings be upon him). The narrator said: Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) took his cloak and put it back on him (peace and blessings be upon him). Then Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) clung to him (peace and blessings be upon him) from behind and said: "O Prophet of Allah, what you have asked of your Lord is enough. Your Lord will soon fulfil the promise He made to you." So Allah Almighty revealed this verse: "When you were seeking help from your Lord, and He answered you: 'I will reinforce you with a thousand angels, following one another.'" [Al-Anfal: 9] 2. Then when that day (of Badr) came and the two sides met, Allah Almighty defeated the polytheists; seventy of their men were killed and seventy of them were taken captive. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) consulted Sayyiduna Abu Bakr, Sayyiduna Umar and Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with them). Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O Prophet of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), these (captives) are from (our) cousins, clan and brothers. My opinion is that you should take ransom from them. What we take from them (as ransom) will be a strength against the disbelievers, and perhaps Allah Almighty will guide them, and these people will become a support for us." 3. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O son of al-Khattab, what is your opinion?" I said: "By Allah, my opinion is not that of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). Rather, my opinion is that you should hand over to me so-and-so, a relative of Umar, so that I may strike his neck; and hand over Aqil to Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) so that he may strike his neck; and hand over to Sayyiduna Hamzah (may Allah be pleased with him) his brother so-and-so so that he may strike his neck; so that Allah Almighty may know that there is no leniency in our hearts for the polytheists. These people are the chiefs, leaders and guides of the polytheists." 4. What Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) had put forward pleased him (peace and blessings be upon him), and what I had said did not please him (peace and blessings be upon him), and he (peace and blessings be upon him) took ransom from the polytheists. 5. Then when the next day came, Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the morning, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) and Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) were both sitting and weeping. He said: I said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), tell me, what is making you and your companion weep? If I find cause for weeping, I will weep; otherwise I will make myself weep because of the weeping of you two." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "(I am weeping) because of the ransom that was put before your companions. Indeed, your punishment was shown to me closer than this tree" (he pointed to a tree nearby). And Allah Almighty revealed these verses: "It is not for a prophet to have captives until he has thoroughly subdued (the enemy) in the land. You desire the goods of this world" up to: "Were it not for a decree from Allah that had already gone forth, there would have touched you for what you took" that is, the ransom "a great punishment." [Al-Anfal: 67-68] Then the spoils of war were made lawful for the Companions. 6. Then when the day of Uhud came the following year, the Companions were repaid for the ransom they had taken on the day of Badr. Seventy of the Companions were martyred, the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) fled, his (peace and blessings be upon him) front tooth was broken, the helmet on his (peace and blessings be upon him) blessed head was smashed, and blood flowed over his (peace and blessings be upon him) blessed face. And Allah Almighty revealed this verse: "And when a calamity struck you, though you had already inflicted twice as much, you said, 'How is this?' Say: 'It is from yourselves.' Indeed, Allah has power over all things." [Ali Imran: 165] That is, because of your taking the ransom.

Hisham narrates from his father that Sayyidah Ruqayyah (may Allah be pleased with her), the daughter of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), passed away while he (peace and blessings be upon him) had gone out to Badr. She was the wife of Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him). So Sayyiduna Uthman and Sayyiduna Usamah bin Zayd (may Allah be pleased with them) stayed behind that day. While they were burying her, Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) heard the sound of takbir. Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O Usamah, what is this sound of takbir?" Sayyiduna Usamah (may Allah be pleased with him) looked, and it was Sayyiduna Zayd bin Harithah (may Allah be pleased with him), riding the she-camel of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) called al-Jad'a (the one with the cut nose), bringing the glad news of the destruction of the polytheists at Badr. (Thereupon) the hypocrites said: "By Allah, this is nothing (reliable). It is nothing but a lie." Until the polytheists were brought in shackles, tightly bound.

Ubaydah al-Salmani states that on the day of Badr seventy of the polytheists were taken captive and seventy of the polytheists were killed. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) gathered the Ansar and gave them a choice (concerning the captives), saying: "Whatever you wish (will be done). If you wish, you may kill them, and the same number of you will be killed. And if you wish, you may take ransom, so that you may gain strength by it in the way of Allah." The Ansar said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), we will take the ransom, by which we will gain strength in the way of Allah, and let the same number of us be killed." The narrator said: So the same number of the Companions as of the disbelievers were killed on the day of Uhud.

Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) also narrates from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) a hadith like the hadith of Abd al-Rahim.

It is narrated from Zayd bin Yuthay' that on the day of Badr, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) on the shelter. The narrator said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) began to supplicate, saying: "O Allah, help this band. If You do not help, You will not be worshipped on the earth." Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Some of your imploring of your Lord is enough. By Allah, Allah Almighty will surely fulfil the promise He made to you."

It is narrated from Yahya bin Abdullah that the captives of Badr were brought. At that time Sayyidah Sawdah bint Zam'ah (may Allah be pleased with her), the wife of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), was with the family of Afra, with the women mourning Awf and Mu'awwidh, the sons of Afra. This was before the command of hijab came down upon the women. Sayyidah Sawdah said: The captives were brought, so I came to my home, and all at once I saw Suhayl bin Amr in the corner of the room, with both his hands bound to his neck. When I saw him, I lost control of myself and said: "Abu Yazid, you have handed yourselves over with your own hands. Why did you people not die an honourable death?" Sayyidah Sawdah said: By Allah, nothing alerted me except the voice of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) coming from the house: "O Sawdah, against Allah and His Messenger?" I said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), by Allah, when I saw Abu Yazid I lost control of myself, and I said what I said."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) that on the day of Badr the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "What is your opinion concerning the captives of Badr?" Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), (these people) are of your own people and tribe. Seek their survival and their repentance; perhaps Allah Almighty will turn to them (that is, guide them)." Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), these people denied you and drove you out (of the city). Bring them forward so that we may strike their necks." Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Rawahah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), you are in a valley with plenty of firewood. So set this valley ablaze against them, then throw them into that blazing fire." (Thereupon) Sayyiduna al-Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "May Allah sever your kinship." The narrator said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) remained silent and gave the Companions no answer. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) stood up and went inside. People began to say: "He (peace and blessings be upon him) will take the word of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him)." (Some) people said: "He (peace and blessings be upon him) will take the word of Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him)." And (some) people said: "He (peace and blessings be upon him) will take the word of Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Rawahah (may Allah be pleased with him)." Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came out and said: "Indeed Allah Almighty has softened the hearts of some men concerning them (the captives), until they have become softer than milk. And Allah Almighty has hardened the hearts of some people concerning them, until they have become harder than stone. O Abu Bakr, your likeness is that of Ibrahim, who said: 'Whoever follows me is of me, and whoever disobeys me, then You are Forgiving, Merciful.' [Ibrahim: 36] And your likeness, O Abu Bakr, is that of Isa, who said: 'If You punish them, they are Your servants; and if You forgive them, You are the Mighty, the Wise.' [Al-Ma'idah: 118] And your likeness, O Umar, is that of Musa, who said: 'Our Lord, obliterate their wealth and harden their hearts, so that they will not believe until they see the painful punishment.' [Yunus: 88] And O Umar, your likeness is that of Nuh, who said: 'My Lord, do not leave upon the earth a single dweller from among the disbelievers.' [Nuh: 26] You people are (at this time) destitute, so none of them shall go free except by ransom or by the striking of the neck." Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), make an exception of Suhayl bin Bayda, for I have heard him speak of Islam." Ibn Mas'ud said: He (peace and blessings be upon him) remained silent. "I have never on any day been more afraid that stones would fall on me from the sky than on that day," until he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Suhayl bin Bayda is excepted." (Thereupon) Allah Almighty revealed this verse: "It is not for a prophet to have captives until he has thoroughly subdued (the enemy) in the land" [Al-Anfal: 67] to the end of the verse.

It is narrated from al-Hakam that he said: On the day of Badr the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) killed, as a captive, only Uqbah bin Abi Mu'ayt.

It is reported from Sa'id bin Jubayr that on the day of Badr the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not kill anyone as a captive except three men: Uqbah bin Abi Mu'ayt, al-Nadr bin al-Harith and Tu'aymah bin Adi. And it was Sayyiduna al-Miqdad (may Allah be pleased with him) who had captured al-Nadr bin al-Harith.