Handful of Dust

The initial few months after coming to Medina were of great endurance for the Muslims migrants. They had come leaving all their belongings in Makka and in few cases even the families were left behind. Besides financial constraints they were also facing the domestic problems like their boarding and lodging. Holy prophet (PBUH) establishing the fraternal relations between the Muslims of Medina and the migrants tried to solve this problem. Ansars of Medina also set examples of sacrifice and sincerity to accommodate their brethrens of faith. Every Ansari Muslim equally shared their belongings with his migrant Muslim brother.

After some time when a gulf crept in between the relation of Jews and Muslims, Quraish taking the advantage of the situation invited the Jews of Medina to join them in the war against Muslims. Jews agreed to take side with Quraish when the time would come. Jews were much stronger than Muslims economically. The markets and business centers were under there control. Quraish decided to use economic tactics against Muslims by putting and embargo upon the trading caravans to deal with Muslims and also started controlling the trade routs in the north. They controlled the trade links in such a manner that no item of necessity could reach Medina.

Muslims were left with no other option but to disallow the trade caravans destined for Makka front passing near Medina. But the problem in carrying out this scheme was that the Quraish had trade agreements with all the tribes living on those routes and they used to pay them a specific amount as tax for providing sale passage for their trade caravans.

Holy Prophet (PBUH) decided to call upon the Bedouin tribes and invited them to have coalition with Muslims. Those tribes agreed to ally with Muslims and thus the passage of the trade caravans to Makka was obstructed.

When few trade caravans of Makka were disallowed to pass through the territories of Medina Quraish raised their brows.

And, when the annual trading caravan of two thousand goods carrying camels lead by Abu Sufyan was heading for Makka, rumor of an attack on that caravan by Muslims panicked the Makkans and they sent an army consisting of all the prominent chieftains of Makka towards Medina. Abu Jehal was leading the propaganda campaign against Muslims. Abu Sufyan, in the meantime managed to reach Makka safely. When that army heard the news of the safe arrival of their trade caravan, they told their commander to return. But Abu Jehal suggested that we should celebrate this good news somewhere near Medina. This, according to him, would not only impress the Muslims of their military might but the allied tribes of Muslims would also be forced to reconsider their alliance with the Muslims and the entire Arabia will fear our force.

When Holy Prophet (PBUH), came to know about the intentions of Makkans, he declared to frustrate the designs of infidels of Makka. Representing the migrants Abu Bakkar (RA) and Omar (RA) seconded him and Muqdad Bin Umro, representing the Ansars of Madina said, "We stand by thee to carry out any thing commanded to thee from your Lord. We would not behave Bani Israil who had told their prophet that he and his God should fight against the enemies of God. By God, Who has sent you to preach the truth and reality, we would follow you with our lives.

In the month of Ramadan of 2 AH, 313 Muslim volunteers, who had only seventy camels and two horses, set out to advance towards Baddar. Using the riding animals turn by turn, the Muslims kept on advancing and finally laid their camp near the springs of Baddar, Makkan Army with all its logistics and arsenals had camped on the other side of the Valley.

Islamic army intelligence captured two men of the Makkan and in the light of information provided by them, Holy Prophet (PBUH) with consultation of Habab Bin Munzar, decided to shift their position. Muslims advanced further and set their control over the water of springs. Holy Prophet (PBUH) went out to the battlefield in the company of his companions. At one place he stopped and said, "Tomorrow at this place Abu Jehal will be killed”. After covering some more distance he said, "And, Atba’s corpse would fall here.” Thus, during making round of the field, he foretold his companions about the deaths of all the prominent chieftains of Makka.

It rained the very same night and the sand where Muslims had camped settled but the place where the Makkan army was turned into mud and mire.

“He covered you with a sort of drowsiness to give you calm as from Himself and He caused rain to descend on you from heaven, to clean you therewith, to remove the stain of Satan, to strengthen your hearts and to plant your feet firmly therewith.”     (S: 8, V: 11)

Muslims made a covered shelter for Holy Prophet (PBUH) on a hill behind the Islamic army, as suggested by Saad Bin Muaz, so that he could observe the movements of both the armies.

Next morning the Makkan army entered the battlefield with pretentious grandeur and boastful air. Atba feeling that the stubbornness of Abu Jehal and few other chieftains was about to cause killings of their own relatives whose only crime was that they had turned Muslims, he addressed the people of Quraish and said. You would not perform a feat by fighting Mohammad and his companions. If you succeeded in slaying them you would he seeing those faces that will not give you any joy because everyone of us would be slaying one or the other person of his own tribe. So lets not fight and return, Leave Mohammad and his followers. Arabs would deal with them at their own." He was riding on a red camel. Holy Prophet (PBUH) commented that if any one is having some sense then it was the man on the red camel and if his people listened to him they would be doing the right thing.

To nullify the effect of Atba's speech Abu Jehal raised his hand to pray saying, "O God! Help the party that is liked by you and smash the party that does the wrong and cuts away the relations!"

Quran replying to this prayer says:

"O unbelievers! If you prayed for victory and judgment, now hath the judgment come to you; if you desist from wrong, it will be best for you, if you opt animosity, so shall We. Not the least good will your forces are to you even if they were multiplied for verily God is with those who believe."     (S: 8, V: 19)

In the morning of 17th day of Ramadan, 2 AH both the armies set their ranks. Before the battle Holy Prophet (PBUH) prostrated before God and prayed:

"O God, these are the Quraish filled with false vanity, disobedient to Thee and ready to inflict war upon Thy Apostle, O God we are in need of Thy help, which Ye have promised to us. O God fewer are the believers if they are killed today no one would be there to worship Thee."

He was so engrossed in praying to his Lord that in his prostration his shawl fell from his shoulders and the prostration continued for quite some time. Holy Prophet (PBUH), and everyone of the Islamic contingent experienced a strange thing. A sort of drowsiness fell upon the entire army. A wave of peace and calm overtook them. When they opened their eyes, the enemy appeared to them of much smaller in size and force.

"There is a Sign for you in in the two armies that met in combat. One was fighting in the cause of God and the other resisting God, they were seeing with their own eyes twice their number. But, God cloth support with His aid whom He pleaseth, in this is a warning for those who have eyes to see.     (S: 3, V: 13)

In the eyes of both the armies before the actual combat, their opponents were appearing much smaller than their actual number but when fighting started Muslims started to appear much larger in number and they felt scary of them. When the fighting started, according to the Arab tradition three warriors from the army of Quraish stepped forward and challenged the Muslims. Although Atba was not in favor of that fighting, he came forward with his son Waleed and brother Sheeba and shouted. 'Who is to face us?"

Three Ansari youths advanced but the proud Quraish chieftains refused to fight with them saying that some known dignitary should come to fight with them. On this, Hamza, Ali (RA) and Ubaida (RA) stepped forward and killed all the three infidels. Ubaida wounded resulting the assault of Sheeba. Ali (RA) helped to bring him back. Seeing the three dead bodies of their warriors lying in the dust, Quraish attacked the Muslims and hand-to-hand combat started. After a fierce battle Quraish were defeated.

Infidels, to reach the Muslims, had to cross an uneven sandy piece of land and the Muslims were ranked comparatively on a hard ground. When the infidels were arranging their ranks Holy Prophet (PBUH) took a handful of dust and pebbles and threw them towards the army of infidels saying, "Be humiliation fall upon the faces of infidels." When he threw that handful of dust a whirl of wind seized the army of infidels and dust covered their faces. God declared that act of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) as His action.

This event of the success of Muslims is reported in the Quran in these words.

"It was not ye who slew them: it was God. Who thou threw a handful of dust, it was thy act but God threw it so that He might confer a gracious benefit on the believers, Indeed God is He who heareth and knoweth all things.”     (S: 3, V: 17)

A fierce battle started in the field of Baddar. For some time nobody could say that who would win or loose and who would be eventually victorious? But, suddenly the Muslims overpowered the infidels. Many renowned warriors of Makka including the leader of infidel army Abu Jehal were killed, many wounded and they started fleeing the battlefield with humiliation and disgrace. Many dignitaries of Quraish were taken prisoners. More than seventy people of Quraish were killed in the battle of Baddar many were arrested as prisoners of war, fourteen Muslims, in total, martyred on that day and the help of God in the form of their victory reached the Muslims.

Exchange of thoughts is a process that keeps on taking place between the creatures of the cosmic family of universe. We are more familiar to jinns and angels amongst these creatures. The thoughts coming to our mind are received from other galactic systems and their inhabitations. These thoughts reach us by means of light waves.

We have a very firm relation with galactic systems. Paradigm of thinking of creatures has a common point. Three of all the species are more common in ways of their activities as well. These three have been mentioned as man, jinns and angels. These three creatures exist in all the galactic systems of this universe. Man inhabits countless planets and how many types of human beings are there, it is beyond human estimation and the same can be said about jinns and angels.

When Holy Prophet (PBUH) was asked this question that what was there before this universe, he had relied a single worded answer. “Am’aa.”

What happened next? He was asked.

His reply was again a single word, “Maa”.

 In Arabic terminology, “Am’aa” stands for such a negativity that cannot be comprehended by human intellect and the word “Maa” was used for that positivity, which is the foundation and the basis of this universe. This very positivity is known as the Realm of Behest (alam-e-amer). Am'aa, which is technically known as Mawra-ul-mawra (Beyond than any Above) is introduced as the Realm of Noor. The final limits of human understanding and comprehension are technically termed as Hijab-e-Mehmood (The Extolled Veil). These are the heights that are at the last frontiers of the Great Throne (Ursh-e-Azam).

It is the excellence of highest order of the human self that could accustom and train its perception for understanding the realities of Extolled Veil and could comprehend the Attributes of God operative at that level. This Realm is beyond the flights of the Exalted Angels. The final limit of the Exalted Angels is termed as Sidra-tul-Mintaha (The Last Lote Tree). They cannot advance farther than that limit. Beneath the Lote Tree is another height, which is termed as Bait-ul-Mamoor (Inhabited Dwelling).

Angels living between these two heights are of three types. One of them is the group of those angels that remaining in the presence of God celebrates His Praises, the angels of other group carry the Commands of God to the Universe and third one is the that group of angels, which preserves God Commands for the Realm of Behest in their Memory. All these angels belong to the Preserved Scripturum.

Lower than the Realm of Noor is the limits of the Exalted Angels. These are the angels with six wings. They have the sagacity of understanding the affairs of the Realm of Noor and can withstand the pressure of the messages of the Realm of Noor. These are the very messages that God issues from the seat of the Great Throne. Below to them is the range of the Mystic Angels, who have the sagacity of understanding the messages of the Exalted Angels. Blow to them is the range of the Mystic Angels. They are versed with the messages of Mystic Angels. Last come the angels of the lower cadre who have the sagacity of getting the messages implemented that reach them from the Heavenly Angels. These are permeating the whole atmosphere of the earth.

When Holy Prophet (PBUH) prayed in the battlefield of Baddar for the help and assistance of God. God graciously accepted his supplication. This sanction of the prayer of Holy Prophet (PBUH) was notified to the Exalted Angels who, according to the system of Cosmic Administration, passed it on to the Mystic Angels who in turn delivered it to the Heavenly Angels and the angels of the fourth cadre also known as Angels of Elementarily, confronted the infidels. Thus God ensured success and victory to Muslims.