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Forums Forums Sources of Islam Badr Caravan

  • Ahsan

    Moderator March 12, 2023 at 7:50 am
  • Dr. Irfan Shahzad

    Scholar March 12, 2023 at 7:54 am

    This has been analyzed in detail in the book Hayat e Rasool Ummi by Dr. Khalid Masood, translated into English by his daughter Nikhat Sattar, in the title, The Life of the Gentile Prophet (SWS). Its summary goes as follows:

    Keeping all evidence and the time required for travel between the various

    convoys in mind, a more plausible explanation is that when Abū Sufyān heard

    that a large group of Muslims had arrived at Dhū al-‘Ashīrah when he had left it

    on his way from Makkah to Syria, he assumed that they were planning to rob his

    convoy, and that although he had been safe until then, they might be waiting for

    him and the convoy could be in danger. To pre-empt this, he sent a man,

    Ḍhamḍam Bin ‘Amr to the Quraysh with the message that they should make

    special preparations to protect the convoy on its way back. After sending the

    message, he proceeded to Syria. When Ḍhamḍam reached Makkah, the incident

    of the sariyyah of ‘Abdullāh Bin Jaḥash had just happened and the Quraysh

    began to see this vague assumption as a reality. Some Idolaters also said that the

    Muslims had the wrong perception that they could repeat the incident of

    Nakhlah. The Quraysh leaders used this danger to incite the feeling of honour

    among their people, but the plan they made was to use the protection of the

    convoy as a ploy to eliminate the Muslims forever. Hence, they made elaborate

    arrangements which suited their real purpose of waging war. They had plenty of

    time for this, as the convoy would take time to come from Syria. As the time of

    the convoy’s arrival came near, God showed a dream to His Prophet (sws) that aChapter 28 : The Life of the Gentile Prophet (sws) – Ḥayāt-i Rasūl-i Ummī 274

    trade convoy was coming from one side, and the Quraysh army from the other.

    He instructed the Prophet (sws) to call the Muslims out, and promised him that

    Muslims would be granted victory over one of these two groups. The Prophet

    (sws) gathered his people together, told them about his dream and about both

    possibilities and gave orders to prepare for war. Because the fight would be

    tough, he gave instructions to prepare accordingly. The Muslims were oppressed,

    poor and without many possessions. Some expressed the wish that they should

    not have to fight in such conditions of poverty and that they be allowed to attack

    the trade convoy. Other companions saw in this a confrontation between Islam

    and disbelief and they understood that the time had come for the promise for the

    defeat of falsehood to be fulfilled. Biographers, referring to this situation, write:

    “When the Prophet (sws) motivated his people for war, some took it as an

    ordinary happening, but others felt its weight. This happened because people did

    not believe that the Prophet (sws) would face war”.1

    We believe that this is a description of the psychological condition of two

    groups of Muslims. One understood the seriousness of the issue and prepared

    accordingly. The other remained under the presumption of meeting the trade

    convoy, and thought that the idea of a war was too farfetched. Coincidentally, the

    narratives that have been collected by the oldest biographers represent those

    related to the second group; this is why historians have not given importance to

    the first view, although events show that the majority held these views.

    • Ahmad Shoaib

      Contributor March 12, 2023 at 11:14 am

      Why would someone randomly make up that the Muslims were waiting at dhul ashirah?

      There must be some reality to this rumour no? Or at least something must have sparked it?

  • Dr. Irfan Shahzad

    Scholar March 13, 2023 at 3:54 am

    These are the perceptions of the people there who narrated the events, but since the reality is told by Quran, so we are in the position to refute the perceptions of the narrators. Now we have to reorganize the jigsaw as much as we can or even speculate, in accordance with the description of the Quran.

    • Ahmad Shoaib

      Contributor March 13, 2023 at 7:54 am

      What specific part of the Quran refutes the Muslims attacking the caravan?

  • Dr. Irfan Shahzad

    Scholar March 14, 2023 at 12:20 am

    8: 5. The very start of the expedition refutes it and then other verses that say it was to set or framed by God to establish Haq from Batil

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