Battle of Badr in the context of "Hegira"

In Islam, Muhammad (Arabic: مُحَمَّد) is venerated as the Seal of the Prophets who transmitted the eternal word of God (Qur'ān) from the angel Gabriel (Jibrīl) to humans and jinn. Muslims believe that the Quran, the central religious text of Islam, was revealed to Muhammad by God, and that Muhammad was sent to guide people to Islam, which is believed not to be a separate religion, but the unaltered original faith of mankind (fiṭrah), and believed to have been shared by previous prophets including Adam, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. The religious, social, and political tenets that Muhammad established with the Quran became the foundation of Islam and the Muslim world.

According to Muslim tradition, Muhammad was sent to the Arabic community to deliver them from their immorality. Receiving his first revelation at age 40 in a cave called Hira in Mecca, he started to preach the oneness of God in order to stamp out idolatry of pre-Islamic Arabia. This led to opposition by the Meccans, with Abu Lahab and Abu Jahl as the most famous enemies of Muhammad in Islamic tradition. This led to persecution of Muhammad and his Muslim followers who fled to Medina, an event known as the Hijrah, until Muhammad returned to fight the idolaters of Mecca, culminating in the semi-legendary Battle of Badr, conceived in Islamic tradition not only to be a battle between the Muslims and pre-Islamic polytheists, but also between the angels on Muhammad's side against the jinn and false deities siding with the Meccans. After victory, Muhammad is believed to have cleansed Arabia from polytheism and advised his followers to renounce idolatry for the sake of the unity of God.

Al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (c. 566–653 CE) was a paternal uncle and sahabi (companion) of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, just three years older than his nephew. A wealthy merchant, during the early years of Islam he protected Muhammad while he was in Mecca, but only became a convert after the Battle of Badr in 624 CE (2 AH). His descendants founded the Abbasid dynasty in 750.

The Quraysh (Arabic: قُرَيْشٍ) are an Arab tribe who controlled Mecca before the rise of Islam. Their members were divided into ten main clans, most notably including the Banu Hashim, into which Islam's founder prophet Muhammad was born. By the seventh century, they had become wealthy merchants, dominating trade between the Indian Ocean, East Africa, and the Mediterranean. The tribe ran caravans to Gaza and Damascus in summer and to Yemen in winter, while also mining and pursuing other enterprises on these routes.

When Muhammad began preaching Islam in Mecca, the Quraysh initially showed little concern. However, their opposition to his activities quickly grew as he increasingly challenged Arab polytheism, which was prevalent throughout pre-Islamic Arabia. As relations deteriorated, Muhammad and his followers migrated to Medina (the journey known as the Hijrah) after negotiating with the Banu Aws and the Banu Khazraj to mediate their conflict. However, the two sides proved unable to reach a peaceful resolution, and the Quraysh continued to obstruct Muhammad's community's attempts to perform the Islamic pilgrimage at Mecca, prompting him to confront them through armed conflict, primarily by conducting raids on their caravans. These raids eventually escalated into several major battles, including those at Badr, Uhud, and "the Trench" (Medina's outskirts). Following these engagements and changes in Medina's political landscape, including the expulsion of three Jewish tribes, Muhammad reportedly shifted the focus of his military campaigns from Quraysh caravans to the northern Arab tribes, such as the Banu Lahyan and the Banu Mustaliq.

The Mushrikites (Arabic: الْمُشْرِكِين, romanized: al-Mushrikīn or Arabic: الْمُشْرِكُون, romanized: al-Mushrikūn, singular Arabic: مُشْرِك, romanized: mushrik) were the Arab polytheists that opposed the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his followers, the Muslims, in the early 7th century. Their leaders were mostly from the Quraysh, but others also belonged to the Qays.

After Muhammad's declaration of prophethood, the Mushrikites harassed members of the nascent Muslim community and were led by Amr ibn Hisham ("Abu Jahl"). Following the increase of tensions between the Mushrik and the Muslims, Muhammad and his companions (ṣaḥāba) migrated to the neighboring city of Medina, where the Islamic prophet was offered sovereignty over the city. An Islamic state was formed in Medina, which received vehement opposition from the Mushrikites, and subsequently, both parties fought at the Battle of Badr in 624, resulting in a defeat.

Al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam ibn Khuwaylid al-Asadi (Arabic: الزُّبَيْر بْن الْعَوَّام بْن خُوَيْلِد الأَسَدِيّ, romanized: al-Zubayr ibn al-ʿAwwām ibn Khuwaylid al-ʾAsadī; c. 594–656) was an Arab Muslim commander in the service of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and caliphs Abu Bakr (r. 632–634) and Umar (r. 634–644) who played a leading role in the Ridda wars against rebel tribes in Arabia in 632–633 and later participated in early Muslim conquests of Sassanid Persia in 633–634, Byzantine Syria in 634–638, and the Exarchate of Africa in 639–643.

An early convert to Islam, Zubayr was a commander in the Battle of Badr in 624, in which the latter was instrumental in defeating the opponent forces of the Quraysh. He participated in almost all of the early Muslim battles and expeditions under Muhammad. In the Battle of the Trench, due to his military service, Muhammad bestowed the title Hawari Rasul Allah ('Disciple of Messenger of God') upon him. After Muhammad's death, Zubayr was appointed as a commander in the Ridda Wars by caliph Abu Bakr. He was involved in the defense of Medina and Battle of Yamama. During Umar's reign, Zubayr served in the Muslim conquests of Egypt, Levant, Persia, Sudan, and Tripolitania.

The Battle of Uhud (Arabic: غزوة أحد, romanized: Ghazwat ʾUḥud) was fought between the early Muslims and the Quraysh during the Muslim–Quraysh wars in a valley north of Mount Uhud near Medina on Saturday, 23 March 625 AD (7 Shawwal, 3 AH).

Following the Muslim emigration to Medina, hostilities with the Quraysh intensified, largely due to Muslim raids on Meccan trade caravans. In 624, the Quraysh suffered a major defeat at the Battle of Badr, during which several of their leaders were killed. The following year, Abu Sufyan ibn Harb led a force of approximately 3,000 men toward Medina to avenge the loss. The two sides met near Mount Uhud, just north of the city. At the outset of the engagement, the Muslims gained the upper hand and forced the Meccan lines to retreat. A group of Muslim archers had been stationed by Muhammad on a nearby hill in order to protect the army’s rear and guard against a cavalry attack. However, believing the battle was won, many of them left their positions to collect spoils from the Meccan camp. This lapse allowed the Meccan cavalry, led by Khalid ibn al-Walid, to launch a counterattack from the rear, reversing the momentum of the battle, and disrupting the Muslim lines. The resulting chaos led to heavy losses on the Muslim side, including the death of Hamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib.

Banu Zuhrah (Arabic: بنو زُهرة) is a clan of the Quraysh tribe.

Akhnas ibn Shariq al-Thaqifi and the Banu Zuhrah were with the Meccan as part of the escort that preceded the battle of Badr, but since he believed the caravan to be safe, he did not join Quraish on their way to a festival in Badr. He together with Banu Zuhrah returned, so these two clans present in the battle