Under the Shadow of Swords
The fighting between the two continued for some time, with blows being exchanged with their swords, until both of them were wounded.
By that time, Hazrat Hamzah and Hazrat ‘Ali رضي الله عنهما had already defeated their respective opponents. Therefore, they both advanced toward them and finished off ‘Utbah.
Then the wounded Hazrat ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Harith رضي الله عنه was lifted and brought back to the army.
He was laid down before the Prophet ﷺ.
He asked:
“O Messenger of Allah! Am I not a martyr?”
The Prophet ﷺ replied:
“I testify that you are a martyr.”
After this, Hazrat ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Harith رضي الله عنه passed away at a place called Safra’.
He was buried there while the Prophet ﷺ was returning toward Madinah after completing the Battle of Badr.
Before the battle, the Noble Prophet ﷺ had straightened the rows of the Companions رضي الله عنهم with a spear.
While straightening the rows, he passed by Hazrat Sawad ibn Ghaziyyah رضي الله عنه, who was standing slightly ahead of the row.
The Noble Prophet ﷺ touched his stomach with an arrow and said:
“O Sawad! Do not stand ahead of the row. Stand straight.”
Hazrat Sawad رضي الله عنه said:
“O Messenger of Allah! You have caused me pain with this arrow. Allah Almighty sent you with truth and justice, so allow me to take retaliation.”
The Prophet ﷺ immediately exposed his stomach and said to him:
“Here, take your retaliation.”
Hazrat Sawad رضي الله عنه stepped forward, embraced the Prophet ﷺ, and kissed his blessed abdomen.
The Prophet ﷺ then asked:
“Sawad! Why did you do this?”
He replied:
“O Messenger of Allah! You can see that the battle is about to begin. Therefore, I thought that if these are the final moments of my life with you, I should spend them in such a way that my body touches your blessed body.
“That is, if I am martyred in this battle, these will be the final moments of my life.”
Upon hearing this, the Noble Prophet ﷺ prayed for him.
According to one narration:
“Whoever among the Muslims touched the body of the Noble Prophet ﷺ, the Fire would not touch that body.”
Another narration states:
“Whatever touched the body of the Noble Prophet ﷺ, the Fire would not burn it.”
Then, after the Noble Prophet ﷺ had straightened the rows, he said:
“When the enemy comes close, drive them back with arrows, and do not shoot your arrows until they come near.
“(This is because shooting arrows from a great distance is often ineffective, and the arrows are simply wasted.)
“Likewise, do not draw your swords until the enemy comes very close.”
After this, the Prophet ﷺ delivered the following sermon to the Companions رضي الله عنهم:
“Through patience at the time of hardship, Allah Almighty removes difficulties and grants relief from sorrows.”
Then the Prophet ﷺ went into his canopy.
Hazrat Abu Bakr al-Siddiq رضي الله عنه was with him at that time.
At the entrance of the canopy, Hazrat Sa‘d ibn Mu‘adh رضي الله عنه and some Ansari Muslims were standing with their unsheathed swords so that they could prevent the enemy from advancing toward the Prophet ﷺ.
Riding animals were also kept there for the Prophet ﷺ so that he could mount one if necessary.
Among the Muslims, the first person to advance was Mihja‘ رضي الله عنه.
He was the freedman of Hazrat ‘Umar رضي الله عنه.
‘Amir ibn al-Hadrami shot him with an arrow, and he was martyred.
Meanwhile, the Noble Prophet ﷺ fell into prostration inside his canopy and supplicated before Allah Almighty:
“O Allah! If the group of believers is destroyed today, then there will remain no one to worship You.”
Then the Noble Prophet ﷺ came out of his canopy and went among the Companions.
To encourage them to fight, he said:
“By the One in Whose hand is the life of Muhammad, whoever fights these polytheists today with patience and courage, stands firm before them, and does not turn his back, Allah Almighty will admit him into Paradise.”
Hazrat ‘Umayr ibn Humam رضي الله عنه was eating dates at that time.
Upon hearing these words, he dropped the dates from his hand and exclaimed:
“Wonderful! Then the only distance between me and Paradise is that one of these disbelievers kills me.”
As soon as he said this, he drew his sword and charged at the enemy.
He continued fighting until he was martyred.
Hazrat ‘Awf ibn ‘Afra’ رضي الله عنه asked the Prophet ﷺ:
“O Messenger of Allah! By what action of a servant does Allah smile?”
(That is, by which action does Allah Almighty become pleased with him?)
The Prophet ﷺ replied:
“When a warrior attacks the enemy without wearing armor.”
As soon as he heard this, he removed his armor and threw it aside, drew his sword, and charged at the enemy.
He continued fighting until he was martyred.
Hazrat Ma‘bad ibn Wahb رضي الله عنه participated in the battle carrying a sword in each hand.
He was the brother-in-law of the Noble Prophet ﷺ, meaning that he was the husband of the sister of Umm al-Mu’minin Hazrat Sawdah رضي الله عنها.
During the battle, the Noble Prophet ﷺ picked up a handful of pebbles and threw them toward the polytheists.
Hazrat Jibril عليه السلام had instructed the Prophet ﷺ to do this.
As the Prophet ﷺ threw the pebbles from his hand, he said:
“May these faces be ruined.”
According to one narration, these words were:
“O Allah! Fill their hearts with fear and make their feet lose their firmness.”
By the command of Allah and through the supplication of the Prophet ﷺ, there was no disbeliever upon whom those pebbles did not fall.
The pebbles caused the disbelievers to become confused and disoriented.
Eventually, the result was that they were defeated and fled.
The Muslims began pursuing them, killing some and taking others prisoner.
Regarding the handful of pebbles, Allah Almighty says in the Noble Qur’an:
“And you did not throw when you threw, but Allah threw.”
(Surah al-Anfal, verse 17)
After the disbelievers had been defeated, the Noble Prophet ﷺ announced:
“Whoever among the Muslims has killed a particular disbeliever, that disbeliever’s belongings belong to that Muslim; and whoever among the Muslims has captured a particular disbeliever, that person is his prisoner.”
Those disbelievers who were unable to escape were captured.
During this battle, Hazrat Abu ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah رضي الله عنه killed his father.
His father had first attacked his son.
However, Hazrat Abu ‘Ubaydah رضي الله عنه escaped his attack and struck him himself, which resulted in his death.
Upon this, Allah Almighty revealed the following verse:
“You will not find people who truly believe in Allah and the Last Day befriending those who oppose Allah and His Messenger, even if they are their fathers, their sons, their brothers, or their close relatives.”
(Surah al-Mujadilah, verse 22)
In this battle, Hazrat ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn ‘Awf رضي الله عنه captured Umayyah ibn Khalaf and his son.
Before Islam, this man had been a friend of Hazrat ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn ‘Awf رضي الله عنه in Makkah.
And this was the same Umayyah ibn Khalaf who had inflicted severe persecution upon Hazrat Bilal رضي الله عنه.
Hazrat ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn ‘Awf رضي الله عنه was passing through the battlefield with both of them when Hazrat Bilal رضي الله عنه caught sight of Umayyah ibn Khalaf.