Quwwat al-Aqida Sabil al-Nasr fi Ghazwat Badr al-Kubra
- Author died
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- Editions
- Majallat al-Jāmi‘ah al-Islāmīyah bi-al-Madīnah al-Munawwarah
Quwwat al-Aqida Sabil al-Nasr fi Ghazwat Badr al-Kubra (The Strength of Faith is the Path to Victory in the Great Battle of Badr) is a historical and theological treatise by the scholar Dr. Muhammad Abd al-Maqsud Jab Allah, an instructor at the Faculty of Da‘wah at the Islamic University of Madinah, examining the pivotal role of spiritual conviction in early Islamic military history .
Background and Purpose
The author frames the study around the imperative for Muslims to draw inspiration from early Islamic history in facing modern ideological and geopolitical challenges . Jab Allah identifies the Battle of Badr as the quintessential model of how firm belief (‘aqida) and sacrifice triumph over numerical and material supremacy . The treatise was published in serialized installments in the journal of the Islamic University of Madinah (Majallat al-Jami'ah al-Islamiyyah bi-al-Madinah al-Munawwarah) .
Structure and Contents
The treatise is organized into six primary thematic sections :
- Introduction to the Battle: Surveys the pre-battle conditions, including over a decade of patience under persecution in Mecca—citing the martyrdom of Sumayya bint Khayyat and Yasir ibn Amir—the subsequent emigration to Medina, and the divine permission to fight in self-defense .
- Cause of the Expedition and the Engagement: Traces the interception of the Quraysh caravan led by Abu Sufyan ibn Harb and the ensuing mobilization of Mecca's forces, which numbered 950 fighters, 200 horses, and 700 camels . It highlights Abu Jahl’s obstinate insistence on proceeding to Badr to display military power even after the caravan had safely escaped via the coastal route .
- The Disgrace of Quraysh: Documents the humiliation and tactical failure of the Meccan polytheist leadership .
- Causes and Factors of Victory: Analyzes how divine aid and moral-spiritual strength (al-quwwa al-ma‘nawiyya) proved decisive over material superiority . It notes that fourteen Muslim fighters were martyred, highlighting the narration regarding Haritha ibn Suraqa and his attainment of the highest paradise (al-Firdaws) .
- The Prisoners of War: Details the handling of the seventy captives taken at Badr . The Prophet ﷺ ordered their humane treatment, stating استوصوا بالأسارى خيرًا ("Treat the prisoners well"), and applied policies ranging from ransom and enslavement to execution, the latter reserved strictly for persistent persecutors such as al-Nadr ibn al-Harith and Uqba ibn Abi Mu'ayt .
- Conclusion: Summarizes the battle's strategic and historical outcomes, characterizing Badr as al-Furqan (the criterion that distinguished truth from falsehood) and the foundational milestone for the expansion of the Islamic state .
Key Themes and Lessons
Jab Allah deduces enduring military and strategic principles from the battle that remain applicable across eras . Among the foremost lessons emphasized is the vital necessity of disrupting and neutralizing an enemy's economic power, noting that targeting economic resources directly undermines their military capability . The work also emphasizes the humane ethics of warfare introduced by the Prophet ﷺ in dealing with captured combatants .
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