The Second Battle of Badr and the Prophet’s Marriage to Umm Salamah The final scene of the Battle of Uhud came when Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, the leader of Quraysh, called out to the Muslims with a challenge: “Our next meeting will be at Badr next year.” In other words, at the time of the next Battle of Badr, both the Muslim army and the Quraysh army would return to Badr for another confrontation. The Prophet ﷺ said to ʿUmar ibn al-Khattab: “Tell him: ‘Yes. There is an appointment between us and you, if Allah wills.’” A full year passed after Uhud. Then came the month of Shaʿban in the fourth year after the Hijrah, and the agreed time for the meeting at Badr arrived. The Muslims began preparing to march to Badr. Meanwhile in Makkah, Abu Sufyan had no desire to face the Muslims again. He feared another confrontation. Yet at the same time, he felt he could not simply stay behind, because doing so would damage the prestige of Quraysh in the eyes of both the Muslims and the rest of Arabia. At that time, there was a man in Makkah named Nuʿaym ibn Masʿud from the tribe of Ghatafan. Abu Sufyan reached an agreement with him: he would travel to Madinah and frighten the Muslims by exaggerating the size of the Quraysh army. In return, Abu Sufyan promised him twenty camels if he succeeded. Abu Sufyan said to him: “I have decided that I do not wish to march, but I dislike the idea that Muhammad would march while I remain behind, for that would only make his followers bolder. I would rather they be the ones who stay back than us. Go to Yathrib (Madinah) and tell them that we are coming with a massive army beyond their ability to face. If you succeed, you shall have twenty camels.” Nuʿaym arrived in Madinah and found the Muslims preparing for departure. He immediately began spreading fear among them, speaking of the enormous strength of Quraysh. The hypocrites also repeated his claims in an attempt to discourage the believers. The Muslims, however, responded only by saying: “Allah is sufficient for us, and He is the best Disposer of affairs.” The Muslim force numbered 1,500 men. On the other side, Abu Sufyan marched out with an army of 2,000 men, believing that Nuʿaym had succeeded in frightening the Muslims and that they would not come. His intention was to appear before all Arabia as though Quraysh had honored the challenge while the Muslims had been too afraid to show up. The Quraysh army traveled for only two days until it reached Majannah, a well-known market approximately 80 kilometers from Makkah. There, Abu Sufyan received news that the Muslims had indeed arrived at Badr. Once he learned this, he became afraid of facing them again. He addressed Quraysh: “People of Quraysh, this is only a suitable year for campaigning when there is abundance. This year is a year of drought, so I am returning. Return with me.” The Quraysh army turned back. Abu Sufyan became the subject of ridicule throughout Arabia—even in Makkah itself. The people of Makkah mocked them, saying: “You only went out to drink sawiq.” As a result, they became known as “The Army of Sawiq.” (Sawiq was a common travel food among the Arabs, made from roasted and ground wheat or barley. It was called sawiq because it was easy to swallow.) Despite having the larger army— * Quraysh: 2,000 soldiers * Muslims: 1,500 soldiers —the polytheists still withdrew, demonstrating their fear of confronting the Muslims. The Muslims remained at Badr for eight days. This battle became known as the Second Battle of Badr. It was especially significant because: 1. It restored much of the prestige the Muslims had lost after Uhud and the tragedies that followed, including the Incident of al-Rajiʿ and the Tragedy of Bi’r Ma’unah. 2. It restored the Muslims’ confidence in themselves, while deeply discouraging the Quraysh, who became an object of ridicule throughout Arabia—even among their own people in Makkah. The idolaters realized that the people of Makkah were no longer capable of confronting the Muslims and were, in reality, far weaker than they had imagined. The Prophet’s Marriage to Umm Salamah Also during the fourth year after the Hijrah, the Prophet ﷺ married Umm Salamah, one of the Mothers of the Believers. Her husband, Abu Salamah, was the Prophet’s foster brother. He had been among the very first Muslims to migrate to Abyssinia together with Umm Salamah. About seven months after the Battle of Uhud, Abu Salamah passed away from wounds he had sustained during the battle. The Prophet ﷺ said: “When someone dies, speak only good words, for the angels say ‘Āmīn’ to what you say.” Umm Salamah asked: “O Messenger of Allah, what should I say?” He replied: “Say: Indeed, we belong to Allah, and to Him we shall return. O Allah, forgive him. O Allah, reward me in my affliction and replace it with something better.” She repeated the supplication exactly as the Prophet ﷺ had taught her. Yet she thought to herself: “Who could possibly be better than Abu Salamah?” Allah answered her prayer, and after her waiting period (ʿiddah) had ended, she married the Prophet ﷺ. According to the source text, the Prophet’s marriage to Umm Salamah also established the legal permissibility of marrying the widow of one’s foster brother after his death.