Cambridge Khutbas etc is one of the best Islamic websites out there. ‘Nuff said. Simple, easy to use, inspiring, and it contains a huge amount of easy to listen to, short khutbas by someone who I truly believe is one the ‘Awliya of Allah.

In this talk, Shaykh Abdal Hakim begins with describing some of the amazing miracles that occurred at the Battle of Badr (It occurred during Ramadan and its anniversary was around a week ago). He then moves on to talk about the inspiration the martyrs and victors of Badr had, which was the Qur’an. He goes onto delve into the inner aspects and dimensions of what it means to believe that the Qur’an is the literal word of God, and it will leave you truly amazed. A must listen:

http://cambridgekhutbasetc.blogspot.com/2009/09/miracles-of-badr.html

Jihad menurut anda (?).

Apa yang dimaksud dengan “jihad”?

Simak kata-kata Abu Bakar ketika ia terpilih sebagai khalifah!

“Saudara-saudara sekalian,” kata Abu Bakar seperti tercatat dalam kitab Kanzul-’Ummal, “Aku telah terpilih sebagai pemimpin kalian, padahal aku bukan yang terbaik di antara kalian. Karena itu, bila aku menunaikan tugas dengan baik, bantulah aku. Sebaliknya, bila aku melakukan tugas dengan buruk, tentanglah aku. Kebenaran (dalam menjalankan tugas) adalah amanat, ketidak-jujuran adalah khianat. Sehubungan dengan itu, orang yang lemah di antara kalian (yang haknya dirampas) menjadi kuat bagiku, sehingga akan kukembalikan kepadanya haknya, in sya-Allah(u). Sebaliknya orang yang kuat di antara kalian (yang mengambil hak si lemah), menjadi lemah bagiku, sehingga akan kuambil darinya hak orang yang dirampasnya. Jangan ada seorang pun di antara kalian yang mengabaikan jihad, karena pasti Allah akan menimpakan kehinaan kepada mereka. Patuhilah aku selagi aku patuh pada Allah serta meneladai rasulnya. Bila aku berbuat sebaliknya, maka terlepaslah kewajiban kalian untum mematuhiku.”

Perhatikanlah bahwa jihad dalam konteks pidato Abu Bakar sama sekali berbeda dari jihad yang dipahami sementara orang sekarang.

Jihad akbar

Nabi Muhammad membagi jihad menjadi dua, yaitu jihad kecil (jihadul-asghari) dan jihad besar (jihadul-akbari) melalui ucapannya yang terkenal sekembalinya dari Perang Badr (tahun 2 H, 624 M). Jihad kecil adalah perang fisik, perang untuk mempertahankan kedaulatan negara, yang baru dilakukan di tanah bernama Badr itu (sekitar 136 Km di sebelah Baratdaya Madinah). Sementara jihad besar adalah perang melawan (hawa) nafsu.

Selama ini perang melawan nafsu selalu dipahami sebagai perang individual,  parsial, dan otomatis tidak ada hubungan langsung dengan penyelengaraan negara. Padahal, bila kita ungkap konteks sejarahnya, perang melawan nafsu itu justru berjalin berkelindan dengan urusan negara, bahkan merupakan tangung-jawab negara (pemerintah). Bagaimana logikanya?

'Tafsir' lain tentang jihad.

Pertama, pelampiasan nafsu selalu berhubungan dengan hukum. Ketika seseorang hendak ‘melampiaskan’ nafsu seks, misalnya, hukum yang disepakatinya akan membayanginya. Siapa yang menjadi lawannya ketika melampiaskan nafsu itu, menjadi penentu bagi nilai sexual intercourse yang dilakukan, apakah jatuh menjadi halal atau haram. Bila pilihan hanya diserahkan kepada individu, hanya orang yang ‘kuat iman’ yang bisa melakukan hubungan seks secara sah menurut hukum, yaitu dalam lembaga pernikahan. Dengan demikian, negara sebagai lembaga hukum dalam ukuran besar, memang berkewajiban untuk menjaga agar warganya mengindahkan hukum, alias tidak mengumbar nafsu seenaknya.

Kedua, ucapan itu dikeluarkan oleh Nabi Muhammad, yang di medan perang Badr bertindak sebagai panglima perang, dan sekembali dari sana ia mulai menata masyarakat Madinah dengan tatanan hukum, dan ia sendiri kemudian menjadi kepala negara di sana.  Hal itu merupakan isyarat bahwa jihad besar (perang melawan nafsu) itu tidak dilakukan secara individual tapi secara bersama-sama, dilakukan oleh pemimpin bersama rakyatnya. Jihad itu juga tidak dilakukan secara parsial, dengan hanya memerangi nafsu (kejahatan) tertentu, tapi dilakukan secara menyeluruh dan sistematik, untuk memerangi segala penyakit (mental; moral) manusia, yang menjadi warga sebuah negara.

Itulah yang diungkapkan Abu Bakar, dengan bahasanya sendiri, dalam pidatonya di atas. Termasuk ketika ia menyebut kebenaran dan pengkhiatan, hubungannya adalah dengan penegakan hukum itu.

Abu Bakar juga menyinggung bahwa pelanggaran hukum biasanya dilakukan oleh orang-orang kuat (pejabat, orang kaya, preman), yang dengan kekuatannya itu mereka potensial merampas hak orang-orang lemah. Diisyaratkan oleh Abu Bakar bahwa orang kuat hanya bisa ditaklukkan oleh orang terkuat (khalifah, presiden), dan hanya orang terkuat pula yang mampu mengembalikan hak orang lemah. Dengan kata lain, jihad akbar di sini berarti menutup segala kemungkinan terjadinya ‘perampokan’ orang kuat atas orang lemah dalam arti seluas-luasnya.

Sebentar lagi kita memilih presiden.

Kita berharap, mudah-mudahan presiden terpilih akan mengingat kata-kata Abu Bakar, yang mungkin sempat ditemuinya dalam tumpukan kepustakaan politiknya.

Kita berharap agar ia memahami konsep pembagian jihad tersebut dengan sebaik-baiknya. Ketika terjun ke dalam kegiatan kampanye, yang makan banyak tenaga dan biaya, mudah-mudahan ia sadar bahwa itu hanya sebuah jihad kecil, yang harus dilakukan semata-mata demi meraih sebuah sarana bernama kekuasaan. Selanjutnya, kekuasaan itu pastilah akan digunakannya untuk melaksanakan jihad tahap berikutnya, yang lebih memakan enerji dan biaya, yang lebih banyak tantangan, rintangan, dan godaannya. Jihad melawan segala bentuk nafsu yang ada pada setiap warga negara dan penyelenggara negara.

Itulah jihad besar, yang bentuk konkretnya adalah penegakan hukum.

]]> http://miftaahulkhair.wordpress.com/2009/05/20/the-battle-of-badr-and-hijra-as-prophesised-in-the-bible-isaiah-2113-17/ Wed, 20 May 2009 09:40:30 +0000 naadhim http://miftaahulkhair.wordpress.com/2009/05/20/the-battle-of-badr-and-hijra-as-prophesised-in-the-bible-isaiah-2113-17/

THE HIJRA (MIGRATION) AND THE BATTLE OF BADR

As Prophesised IN THE Bible- ISAIAH 21:13-17

CERTAIN PEOPLE KEEP ON CHANGING THE BIBLE AND CONTINUE TO CONFUSE OUR CHRISTIAN FRIENDS. ANY REFERENCE TO OUR NABI (SAW) FOR EXAMPLE THE GOSPEL OF ST. BARNABAS IS REMOVED. HOWEVER, WITH ALL THE CHANGES THERE STILL EXIST CERTAIN PROPHECIES ABOUT OUR PROPHET IN THE CURRENT BIBLE. THE CHRISTIAN SCHOLARS REGARD THE PROPHECY BELOW AS “OBSCURE”.

Important conventions about  prophecies!

The text is not always clear and explicit. They require interpretation and comment. Some prophecies are only understood after the actual appearance or with some special context. A day sometimes means a year & sometimes a thousand years. Parts of prophecies, which may contain myths, will be accepted only so far as real facts or other scriptures corroborate them.

Isaiah 21:13-17 of the current bible is quoted hereunder and our comment/explanation is stated below each biblical verse

13—The burden upon Arabia. In the forests in Arabia shall ye lodge. O ye travelling companies of Ded-a-nim.

Comment: the burden upon Arabia refers to the final prophethood of Muhammad (SAW) for the benefit of all mankind. Muhammad (S.A.W) is the only prophet through whom the Arabs received God’s revelations at the time when darkness had covered the earth. To understand the burden one needs to know the religious situation before the advent of Islam.

The Arabs had long forgotten the teachings of Ebrahim and Isma’eel (A.S)

The polytheists, who faked Abrahamism, were far detached from its precepts and developed certain peculiar religious superstitions that managed to leave a serious impact on the religious and socio-political life in the whole of Arabia.

Judaism turned into abominable hypocrisy. Rabbis turned into lords to the exclusion of the Lord. Their sole target turned into acquisition of wealth and power even at the risk of losing their religion or the emergence of atheism and disbelief.

Christianity likewise opened its doors to polytheism and got too difficult to comprehend as a heavenly religion. As a religious practice, it developed a sort of peculiar medley of man and God.

The word lodge indicates with the appearance of the final Prophet (SAW) Mecca(Bakka) will become a central point in Arabia. Ded-a-nim refers to a tribe in Arabia who were merchants

After Muhammad(SAW) received the first revelation he returned to Khadijah (R.A) with a trembling heart.  After his fear was dispelled he told her his encounter with Angel Gabriel in cave Hira. Khadijah ‘s cousin Waraqa, who was old and blind and who knew the Jewish and Christian Scriptures spoke of his faith and trust: “ I swear by him in who’s hand Waraqa’s life is, Allah has chosen you to be the prophet of this people. They will call you a liar, they will persecute you, they will banish you and they will fight against you. Oh that I could live to those days. I would fight for these.’ And he kissed him on his forehead .

14- the inhabitants of the land of Te-ma brought water to him that was thirsty; they prevented with their bread him that fled.

Comment Te-ma means a place of water & trees in north west Arabia-probably zamzam

The Arabs were very hospitable people; they used to provide water for travellers.

The Quraish of Makkah were exasperated when their mission to capture the Muslims who fled to Abyssinia failed. They held a council of war and decided to take stern action to root out Islam. The Holy Prophet (S.A.W) and such of the Hashimites, who chose to protect him as a matter of tribal honour, were forced to seek shelter in a glen outside Makkah. The Quraish guarded the approaches to the glen and took steps to ensure that food grains and other articles of everyday use could not reach the Hashimites. The boycott and isolation lasted for  3 long years. The Muslims and the sympathisers of the Muslims cause suffered severe hardships, starvation and isolation, want of clothing and bare necessities. Some people ate leaves of trees. Man, women and children were thin and weak from starvation. This very hospitable people caused undue hardships to the Muslims.

15- For they fled from the swords, from the drawn swords and from the bent blow and from the grievousness of war.

Comment The Quraish decided that our Nabi (S.A.W) should be prevented from escaping to Yathrib(Madinah) and he should be killed.

They agreed one man should be chosen out of every tribe and that each man should strike a blow at him with his sword so that responsibility of that guilt would rest equally on all tribes and the Hashimites would not be able to revenge their kinsman’s death. A number of youths were selected for the bloody deed. As night advanced the assassins posted

themselves round the prophets dwelling. The prophet (SAW) miraculously escaped while Hazrat Ali (R.A) slept in his bed.

16- for this hath the Lord said unto me, within a year according to the years of an hireling and all the glory of Ke-dar shall fail.

17- and the residue of the number of archers, the mighty men of the children of Ke’dar shall be diminished: for the Lord God of Israel hath spoken it.

Comment Ke’dar is one of the son’s of Isma’eel (A.S), which links up to the Quraish tribe. Glory of Ke-dar refers to powerful leaders. The Battle of Badr took place on the 17 Ramadhaan 2 years after Hijra. In this battle many Qurashi leaders amongst them Abu Jahl- the detestable Pharaoh of his nation was killed. The number of arches and mighty men refers to Abu Jahls army of 1000 well-equipped warriors with 700 camels and 300 horses. The Prophet was accompanied by 313 ill-equipped sahabah with 70 camels and 2 horses. With the exception of Abu Lahab all the chiefs of every clan in Makkah were ready for war. It was a war of truth against falsehood.

By divine command Hazrat Jibraeel (A.S) advised Rasulullah (S.A.W) to pick a handful of sand and throw it in the midst of the enemy. The result was that the kufaar began to flee in all directions as the dust went into every enemy’s eyes, nose and mouth. It was a DIVINE victory for the Muslims.

CONCLUSION: Muhammed (S.A.W) was harassed by his people and had to leave Makkah. He miraculously escaped from the drawn sword and the bent bow and within a year after his migration, the descendants of Ke’dar met him at Badr (the place of the 1^st battle between the Mekkans and the Prophet) the children of Ke’dar and their number of arches diminished and all the glory of Ke’dar fails. If the holy Prophet (S.A.W) is not to be accepted as the fulfilment of all these prophecies then they will still remain unfulfilled.

A scene before the battle of Badr when the Quraisy are coming to attack the muslims. The Muhajirin are 100% loyal to the prophet. But the prohpet was waiting for an answer from the Anshor people for their opinion in this battle.

Saad bin Muaz a a nobleman Anshor got up and said, “O prophet of Allah, go on and fight for indeed there is not a single mountain that if we wish to cut, we will cut it with you. There is not a single plain that if we wish to pass except that we will pass it with you. There is not a single sea that if we wish to cross except that we will cross it with you. And we urge you O prophet of Allah, to take from our wealth and that which you have taken from our wealth is more beloved than that of which you have left. And O prophet of Allah, we will not tell you as the companions of Musa has told Musa, “O Musa, go and fight you and your Lord and we will stay here”, rather we will tell you, O prophet of Allah, go and fight you and your Lord and we will fight with you.”

The prophet s.a.w. smile hearing this.

It was truely amazing that Anshor people could answer like the Muhajirin during this time.

At City and Guilds College (part of the Imperial College) we had a club for students who wished to learn gliding. The members did everything themselves. This included repairs to the glider – which was required frequently as rough landings were frequent by the novices. The gliding was held on the lovely Downs at Dunstable, about an hours motorcycle run from London. These downs are low hills covered with short turf and with easy slopes. The wind in these parts was fairly stiff but just comfortable for helping the glider to rise as it caught the uplift coming up the slope. The glider was started off by a party of two or four men holding it in front (but clear of the nose). There were an additional four men pulling a long, strong elastic cord attached to the glider’s tail. When the pull was balanced, the pullers released the glider with the quick release hook and the front ropes dropped off as the glider shot forward like a stone from a catapult! The nose was facing the wind and, with a combination of luck and skill, the pilot got the uplift and soared away.

I joined the club, I think in my second year, and attended the gliding sessions a few times. During these sessions, I had attempted the feat myself about half a dozen times, my best being a flight of about 200 feet! Unfortunately, another member had a bad landing and the skids on the glider were badly damaged. We went to the flying sessions after classes as daylight during the early Summer lasted until 8 p.m. However, I found that I was losing a lot of time from my studies two to three days per week so I decided to give it all up.

As mentioned earlier, the students in second year were more oriented towards their respective specialties. I, being a Civil Engineering student, had a lot of surveying practice to do. During the year, we had an hour each week surveying different areas of Hyde Park which were adjacent to the College.

When the year finished in early May, we were taken to a Surveying Camp located near Ringwood in the New Forest area. Possibly many of you will remember the stories of Robin Hood and his Merry Men and “wicked” Sheriff! Ringwood is near the City of Bournemouth, about 100 miles south-west of London. It has a lovely climate in Summer.

We were accommodated in tents and had a proper camp life. We washed and bathed in the small stream flowing nearby, cooked our own meals and ate around a campfire. The days were spent carrying out a survey of a project – different for each group of four, there being five groups in total. The weather was kind and, after the day’s work, it was very refreshing to have a swim in the cold water of the stream. The water was quite cold (about 16 degrees celsius) and I found that I could not stay in it for more than 10 minutes or so. On the other hand, the English students were quite happy to spend more time in playing water polo and generally enjoying themselves.

As Bournemouth was quite near, and we had a holiday from work on Sundays, I went over to the city and spent a day sightseeing. It is a very pleasant place, or at least it was then, and I am sure it still has much of its charm even now: pleasant climate, gardens, and the “cheynes” which are deep and short valleys draining into the English Channel.

We spent a fortnight on this survey project, then returned to London.The whole of our 3rd year was spent in drawing out the survey details on the special “water paper” we were provided. This paper could be cleaned with water after all the inked-in lines had been completed. After cleaning, the plan was coloured with water colours, something like what is seen in the coloured maps in atlases. We had two hours per week for this work but many of us worked quite a bit more so that we could produce real works of “art”!

The weather continued to be gorgeous and my cousin, Kamran Latifi, who was studying in Cambridge University suggested that we make a trip to the Isle of Wight (which is just off Bournemouth). With the two of us sharing costs, the expense was reduced quite a lot. We spent a very enjoyable week sightseeing, playing tennis and swimming in the sea.

Another thing that happened around this time was that my other cousin Badruddin was in London and staying with his friends, Jim Ede and his wife Helen. I had a very interesting time visiting with them one evening as the Edes were very artistic and showed me a glimpse into a different type of culture. Badr’s autobiography, Memoirs of an Egoist, describes Jim Ede as “the well known aesthete, author and art connoisseur”. At the time I met him, he was the Associate Director of the Tate Gallery and proved to be a most fascinating individual.

Idag fick jag följande mejl från Yasmen Eva Badr, en för mig okänd person.

Mejlet gladde mig oerhört och har fått mig att sväva på små små moln hela dan. Det känns som om jag fått en liten gåva.

“Hej Bernt,

För några dagar sedan tittade jag på din film om din mor. Den var som jag
trodde mycket bra. Mycket tänkvärd och intressant. På sista tiden har jag
ofta tänkt på varför det är som det är i relationen mellan Israel och
Palestina. Jag är inget “snille” vad gäller politik eller historia. Jag har
inte läst mycket och jag är inte välutbildad (endast 9 år i grundskola och 2
år i gymnasiet för ganska länge sedan). Jag är bara en snart 48-årig
lokalvårdare. Men det hindrar inte mig från att vara en mycket nyfiken
person som ofta tänker tyst för mig själv på allt möjligt.

Sedan några år tillbaka bor jag tillsammans med en egyptisk man tillika
muslim och förstås arab. (Själv är jag kristen) Han tittar ofta på
nyhetskanalen Al-Jazeera. Jag förstår inte många ord arabiska men jag ser
hur Al-Jazeera sänder i det närmaste 24 timmar om dygnet från området. Med
bilder och musik beskriver de kriget och visst är det hemskt det som händer.
Men någonstans tycker jag mig känna att deras beskrivning av det hemska som
nu sker, är alltför ensidig. Ibland får jag för mig att de sysslar med
hjärntvätt. Men det är förstås något jag inte har några belägg för. Jag
inbillar mig i alla fall att de inte alls är särskilt objektiva. Jag vill så
gärna höra allas synpunkter om läget. Jag är ingen människa som i mitt inre
dömer den ena eller den andra, nej, jag försöker förstå. Alla människor har
rätt att leva i fred och frihet. Men ibland händer hemska saker, och jag
undrar, varför?

Nu åter till din film. Sedan jag såg den tänker jag på den då och då. Det är
oundvikligt. En mycket modig idé att söka upp släktingarna till
självmordsbombaren. Jag tänker att det måste ha varit en kluven känsla att
träffa dem. Jag tror mig förstå hur det kan ha känts. Det som var så fint
var att jag inte kunde se någon ilska hos dig; lugn och saklighet och ett
konstaterande av ett hemskt faktum. Emellanåt ser man förstås att du är
mycket ledsen och bedrövad. Och då blir jag också ledsen.

Du har gjort en känslosam och tänkvärd dokumentation av ett möte mellan
människor som inte lämnar mig oberörd. Tack för att du gjorde den. Den
öppnade mitt sinne lite till.

Ha det bra och TACK, Yasmen Eva Badr”

17th Ramzan – the battle of Badr.

Battle of Badr was the first most important battle between the Muslims and the Mushrikeen of Makkah.  The battle was fought in 2 A.H. on Friday 17th of Ramazan and Allah(swt) had promised the Muslims of victory even before the battle had started.

Allah(swt) says in the Quran :  “And indeed Allah assisted you at Badr when you were weak, so be careful (to your duty) to Allah so that you may be of the thankful ones. When you said to the believers ‘Does it not suffice you that your Lord should assist you with three thousand angels sent down..” – Sura Aal-e-Imran 3:123 & 124

A Historical perspective
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The battle of Badr was the first of the great battles of Islam. The faithfuls were put to the first real test during this battle. Badr is the name of a celebrated well and a market-place of Arabia, and is so named after a certain Badr bin Quraish bin Mukhlad bin an-Nadr bin Kananah, who hailed from the clan of Ghaffar.

From the start of Ramzan, a report reached to Madina that a large trading caravan of Quraish was returning to Mecca from Syria under the leadership of Abu Sufyan bin Harb accompanied by fifty armed guards. It has been pointed out that this richly loaded caravan constituted a grave threat to the security of Madina, therefore, Prophet Mohammad(sawaw) dispatched Talha bin Ubaidullah and Saeed bin Zaid, to gather intelligence about the caravan and to report back. It was discovered that it was a large caravan in which all the Makkans had shares. The Quraish had decided to put all their savings into it and use the profits on arms, horses and other items of war to use against the Muslims.

The news was highly disturbing. The Prophet (S.A.W) left Madina and decided to meet the caravan in Badr with 313 men. Among them only 2 were on horses and 70 had camels and the rest were on foot. There were only 6 men with protective gear (zirah). Imam Ali(a.s.) was the standard bearer of the Muslim army.

Abu Sufyan feared an attack from the Muslims and sent a messenger to Makkah telling them of his fears. On receiving the message, an army of 1000 men, 100 horses and 700 camels under the leadership of Abu Jahl left Makkah to go to Badr. Meanwhile Abu Sufyan took a different route back to Makkah avoiding Badr. When the army of Abu Jahl reached at Jahfah, a little half-way to Badr, an emissary of Abu Sufyan – or Abu Sufyan himslef according to some traditions – met with the army of Abu Jahl and informed them that the caravan had passed through the danger zone safely and that it was not necessary to march towards Madina. On hearing this, some of them counseled that they should go back, but Abu Jahl and his party rejected the suggestion violently in their proudness and the lust of power and their desire to crush the Muslim army and proceeded towards Badr.

The importance of the first great battle of Islam
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The personality of the Messenger(sawaw), his leadership and his unequalled firmness. He was to the Muslims the final refuge at Badr and at every battle he attended. The Hashmites (the clan of the Prophet(sawaw)), led by Imam Ali ibn-e-Abu Talib(a.s..) who entered this battle relatively obscure and came out with unequalled military fame. His military performances became the popular subject of the Arab caravans conversations throughout the Arabic Peninsula.

Hearts of hundreds of companions of the Messenger were filled with the faith and readiness for sacrifice. Many of them viewed martyrdom to be a gain, equal to life and victory. These good companions were the army of Islam, its first line of defense and thick wall behind which the Messenger(sawaw) used to stand. They were the attackers and the defenders.

The importance of the outcome of the battle were evident from the prayers of the Prophet(sawaw) himself. Abdul Malik ibn-e-Hushham narrates in his book As-Seerah An-Nabawiyah that the Prophet(sawaw) prayed to his Lord : ” God this is Quraish. It has come with all its arrogance and boastfulness, trying to discredit Thy Apostle. God, I ask Thee to humiliate them tomorrow. God, if this Muslim band will perish today, Thou shall not be worshipped.”

The two armies meet at Badr on 17th Ramazan 2 A.H.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the beginning as per Arab custom, single combat (one to one) took place. The famous Quraysh warriors Utbah ibn-e-Rabi’ah – the father-in-law of Abu Sufyan -, his son Walid ibn-e-Utbah and his brother Shebah ibn-e-Rabi’ah came to challenge the Muslim warriors. Hundreds of companions were around the Prophet(sawaw) and many of them were expecting to be called upon to start the battle but the Prophet(sawaw) chose to start from his own family. The load was heavy and the heavy load could be carried only by the people to whom it belonged as he called upon Imam Ali(a.s.), Al-Hamza and Obeidah Al Harith (all from the clan of the Prophet(sawaw)) to face the three warriors. Imam Ali(a.s.) destroyed Al-Walid and Al-Hamza killed Utbah; then they both assisted Obeidah against his opponent Sheibah. Sheibah died immediately and Obeidah was the first martyr at this battle. He died after he lost his leg.

The Quraysh got disturbed and began attacking en masse. When the general offensive began, hundreds of companions participated in the battle and offered sacrifices and pleased their Lord. But the members of the house of the Prophet(sawaw) distinguished themselves. Imam Ali(a.s.)’s endeavour was unique at this battle. When Hanthala Ibn Abu Sufyan faced him, Imam Ali(a.s.) liquified his eyes with one blow from his sword. He annihilated Al Auss Ibn Saeed, and met Tuaima Ibn Oday and transfixed him with his spear, saying “You shall not dispute with us in God after today.”

In the thick of the battle, the Prophet(sawaw) prayed to Allah(swt). In Surat-ul Anfal Allah(swt) gave the answer:
“When you asked for help from your Lord, He answered you. Indeed I will aid you with a thousand of the angels in rows behind rows”.
Sura Anfa’al 8:9

According to authentic tradition, Allah(swt) had already promised victory to the muslims following the prayers of the Phophet Mohammad(sawaw) and during the battle, Allah(swt) sent down first one thousand then three thousand and then five thousand angels to help the Muslim army. According to some narrators of the army of infidels, they saw these warriors having a sword in one hand and a whip in the other and whoever got stuck by the whip was instantly killed. It is stated by Maulvi Abdul Haq Muhaddis Dehlvi that Allah(swt) sent all angels in the face of Imam Ali(a.s.).

The Results
~~~~~~~~~~~
The mushrakeen army got frightened and began to retreat. The skill of Imam Ali(a.s.), the other Muslim soldiers and the sight of so many angels struck terror in the enemies hearts. 72 Kuffar were killed including their leader Abu Jahl. Imam Ali(a.s.) killed no less that 20 of them , though some historians give his credit of killing 36 of them. 14 muslims were martyred.

70 prisoners were taken by the Muslims. This was the first opportunity of the Muslims after their long and bitter sufferings at the hands of the Meccans to wreak vengeance on them, if they chose. However, the prisoners were treated with kindness and some became Muslims. In later days some of the prisoners said: “blessed be the men of Medina, they made us ride whilst they walked, they gave us wheat and bread to eat when there was little of it contenting themselves with plain dates.” The rich prisoners paid ransom and were set free. Others were asked to gain their freedom by teaching 10 Muslims to read and write.

The battle of Badr strengthened the faith of the Muslims and laid the foundation of the Islamic State and made out of the Muslims a force to be reckoned with by the dwellers of the Arabic Peninsula

Historians have recorded that from the day of Badr there was such awe-inspiring effect on the Arab populace about Imam Ali’s swordsmanship, daring and courage that the word ‘shuja’at’ became synonymous with Ali

Angles Salute Imam Ali(a.s.)
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It is related by Imam Ali(a.s.) in Yanabi-al-Mawadah that he stated that “On the night of Badr, Prophet Mohammad(sawaw) sent me to fetch water from a well. On the way back three strong gusts of winds hit me. When I reached the Prophet(sawaw) I mentioned about those winds the Prophet(sawaw) told me that they were groups of angels sent by Allah(swt) in the leadership of Hazrat Jibrael(a.s.), Hazrat Israfeel(a.s.) and Hazrat Mikaeel(a.s.) and they saluted me.”

In another tradition also mentioned in Yanabi-al-Mawadah, Imam Ali(a.s.) used to mention it proudly to his companions that who could be like me who received the salutation of three thousand angels on the night of Badr which included angels Jibreel(a.s.), Mikaeel(a.s.) and Israfeel(a.s.).

The Demise of Fatimah

Fatimah was the youngest daughter of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and her mother was Khadijah Bint Khuwailid. Fatimah was born five years before prophethood, i.e. before Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, was sent as Allah’s Prophet.

She was engaged to `Ali Ibn Abu Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, in the second year after Hijrah (the Prophet’s Migration to Madinah) in Ramadan, then they got married in Dhul Hijja. She gave birth to Al-Hasan, Al-Husain, Zainab, Umm Kulthum and Muhsin who died when he was a child.

She was very dear to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. `A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, narrated: “Fatimah, may Allah be pleased with her, was coming towards our home, walking exactly like the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. The Prophet said: ‘Welcome, my daughter!’ He seated her to his right or left. Then he told her something in secret, and she cried. I (`A’ishah) said to her: ‘The Prophet discloses his secrets to you and you cry, how come? Then the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, told her another thing in secret and she laughed. Hence I (`A’ishah) said: ‘I’ve never seen a sad mood turning in a moment to happiness as I see today’. I asked her about what the Prophet told her, but she said: ‘I am not to reveal the secrets of Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him.’

Later on when the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, passed away, I asked her again. She answered: He (the Prophet) told me: ‘Gabriel used to reveal the Qur’an to me once a year. Yet he did it twice this year. So I think it is a sign that my days are numbered, and you will be the first one of my folk who will die after me. What a good predecessor I am to you!’ Hence, I cried. Then he told me: ‘Doesn’t it gladden you to be the master of believing women in Paradise?’ Hence, I laughed.” This incident is agreed upon.

It is said that she never laughed after the Prophet’s demise out of overwhelming sadness and eagerness to follow her father, peace and blessings be upon him.

Fatimah, may Allah be pleased with her, died on the third of Ramadan, the night of Tuesday, 11 A.H. May Allah be pleased with her.

Martyrdom of Imam `Ali Ibn Abu Talib

`Ali Ibn Abu Talib was the Prophet’s nephew; his father was Abu Talib Ibn Abdul Muttalib, and his mother was Fatimah bint Asad. He embraced Islam when he was just seven. He married Fatimah, the Prophet’s daughter and apple of his eye and the mistress of believing women in Paradise. Fatimah bore him Al-Hasan, Al-Husain, Zainab and Umm Kulthum.

On the Day of Khaibar, the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: “Tomorrow, I will give the banner to a man whom Allah will make victorious. That man loves Allah and His Messenger, and Allah and His Messenger love him.” On the next day, the Prophet, peace be upon him, summoned Ali and gave him the banner. Also, on the day of Tabuk, Ali was sad that the Prophet, peace be upon him, would leave him at home to take care of the household. Hence the Prophet said to him: “Aren’t you happy that you are for me exactly as Harun (Aaron) was for Musa (Moses), save that there is no Prophet after me?”

`Ali was one of the greatest heroes of Islam; he never refrained from fighting nor feared death in the cause of Allah. On the Battle of Badr, he fought along with Hamzah and `Ubaidah Ibn El-Harith against three of the enemies and the Muslim group won. On the Battle of Al-Khandaq, he fought `Amr Ibn Wudd, one of the strongest men in Quraish, and killed him. `Ali was assassinated by `Abdur-Rahman Ibn Muljam, may Allah curse him, on 17th Ramadan, 40 A.H. at the age of 58.

His Quotable Remarks:

Once he said: “The true scholar is the one who does not make the people despair of Allah’s Mercy; or make them heedless of His punishment; or gives them permission to disobey Him; or (he himself) discards the Qur’an for the sake of anything else; and there is no good in worship that is void of knowledge, and knowledge that is void of understanding, and reading that is void of contemplation. ”

 The Massacre in the Ibrahimi Mosque

The dawn of Friday 15 Ramadan 1414 a.h. / 25 February 1994 marked the first of three massacres perpetrated by Israeli settlers accompanied by the Israeli Army. There were more than 90 martyrs and 270 injured. The victims were performing Fajr (Dawn) Prayer at the mosque.

The main criminal was Baruch Goldstein, a Jewish settler of American origin who grew up in Brooklyn , NY in an Orthodox Jewish family. His friends say that his father was very strict with him and did not want Baruch to play with Catholic children, out of his Zionist sense that the assimilation of Jews in non-Jewish society is almost a sin. His original name was Benjamin, but in keeping with the present trend among American Jews of showing their commitment to the Jewish cause and Israel, he changed his name to the Jewish name Baruch. His friends describe him as a typical Zionist with a strong commitment to the Jewish cause and Israel.

Just like previous cases, the massacre was met with nothing more than condemnation. It was nothing new; rather, it was just a reminder of the many massacres that had happened before, including Deir Yaseen, Sabra and Shatilla, to name but a few.

After more than eight years (after 9/11 occured), comes the question: Who really cherishes terrorism and supports the killing of civilians and non-combatants?

The Prophet Married Sawdah

Sawdah Bint Zam`ah Ibn Qays was a noble Qurayshiete woman. She was the first woman to whom the Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him, got married after the death of Khadijah, may Allah be pleased with her. She was a noble, respectful woman. She was married first to As-Sakran Ibn `Amr, brother of Suhayl Ibn `Amr Al-`Amiri. When they came back from Abyssinia, her husband died and then the Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him, proposed to her.

The Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him, got married to her in Ramadan, 10 years after his mission. He migrated with her from Makkah to Madinah where she died in Shawwal, 54 A.H. Some scholars say that she died during the Caliphate of `Umar Ibn Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with them all.

It is worth stressing here that she was the one who when attained old age, donated her own night with the Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him, to `A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with them all, as a sign of love and kindness.

`Ali Ibn Abu Talib & Khalid Ibn Al-Walid in Yemen

Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, sent `Ali Ibn Abu Talib and Khalid Ibn Al-Walid to Yemen in Ramadan 10 A.H.

Al-Hafiz Al-Bayhaqi narrated on the authority of Abu Is-haq that Al-Bara’ said that Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, sent Khalid to people of Yemen to call on them to Islam.

Al-bara’ said: I was one of those who went with Khalid and we stayed amongst people there for six months propagating Islam, but nobody answered, so Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, sent us `Ali Ibn Abu Talib and asked him to send Khalid back with his group, unless someone would like to stay. Actually I opted for staying.

After `Ali came we went to the Yemenis and they gave us warm reception. `Ali then led us in a prayer. After that he organized us all in one line and started to read to us Prophet Muhammad’s letter. At hearing the letter all members of the tribe of Hamadan embraced Islam.

`Ali then sent the news of Hamadan’s embracing Islam to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. On hearing that the Prophet knelt down and prostrated for Allah, showing gratefulness to Him, and he raised his head repeating: “Peace be upon Hamadan, Peace be upon Hamadan.”

Al-Bayhaqi also said that this incident was narrated by Al-Bukhari, but in a shorter narration and from another source.

Hurub Ar-Riddah (The Wars of Apostasy)

Muslims were stricken by the demise of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and none could pacify them but Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, when he recited to people the Qur’anic verse, {Muhammad is but a messenger, messengers (the like of whom) have passed away before him. Will it be that, when he dieth or is slain, ye will turn back on your heels? He who turneth back doth no hurt to Allah, and Allah will reward the thankful}. (Al `Imran: 144) But some Arab tribes began to reject Islamic Law and refused to pay the due Zakat, while some others made undue claims to prophethood.

After becoming Caliph, as the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, recommended before his death, Abu Bakr pursued the policy of the Prophet, peace be upon him. So he considered those who refused to pay Zakat as apostates, and said: “By Allah, if they withhold a rope of a camel they used to give its due Zakat to Allah’s Messenger, I will fight them for it.”

Abu Bakr set for preparing the Muslim armies, but, beforehand, he sent envoys to the rebel tribes to call them to return to Islam or face severe punishment.

At the beginning of Rajab, eleven Muslim armies set out to fight renegade tribes all over the Arab Peninsula. Khalid Ibn Al-Walid led three-thousand army to the tribe of Taiy whole leader Tulaihah Ibn Khwailed Al-Asdi claimed prophethood. War broke out between them in a place called Bozakhah at the beginning of Ramadan, 11 A.H. Then the Muslim fighters managed to win the war and end temptations against Islam, Tulaihah could flee. Later on he repented and pledged allegiance to `Umar and fought in the cause of Allah.

Badr

In the first year after the Hijrah, the Prophet (pbuh) sent Hamza ibn Abdul Muttalib with thirty Muslim riders to Saif al Bahr to investigate three hundred riders from Quraish who had camped auspiciously in that area. The Muslims were about to engage the disbelievers, but they were separated by Majdy ibn Umar al-Juhany. The Hypocrites of Al-Madinah, hoping to oppose the unity of the Muslims, built their own masjid (called Masjid al-Dhirar). The Prophet (pbuh) ordered this masjid to be destroyed in Ramadan. On the seventeenth of Ramadan, 2 A.H., Almighty Allah (SWT) separated truth from falsehood at the Great Battle of Badr. Allah (SWT) gave them a decisive victory on this day of Ramadan, that would never to be forgotten. The Prophet, sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam, and 313 of his companions set out to intercept a caravan of their own goods that had been left in Makkah. It was led by Abu Sufyan himself, and estimated at 50,000 dinars. They were met, instead, by a well-equipped army of the nobility of Quraish, intend on putting out the light of Islam. Despite being outnumbered three to one and appearing weak and unseasoned, the Muslims defended their faith with a burning desire to protect the Prophet and meet their Lord through martyrdom. Allah gave them a decisive victory on this day of Ramadan, that would never be forgotten.

It’s kind of old news, but this is the first concrete evidence I’ve seen in the Western media, and it deserves to be highlighted.  From the AP via YahooNews

So, we’re at it again. Gotta love those “dirty wars”. According to the AP article, the Badr organization and Iraqi Security Forces, with the complicity of the American military and the Prime Minister’s office, are waging a “dirty war” against Sadr’s political operatives, greatly weakening Sadr’s party and fueling splits between local factions of the movement.  As the reporter makes clear, this goes above and beyond the strikes on “special groups” that have been going on since the start of “The Surge.”  Most of the assasinations are carried out by Iraqi forces or Badr militiamen, and most are directed at political organizers and local leaders of the Sadr party.

The elimination of this critical mid-level leadership has not only begun to break the Jaish al-Mehdi’s stranglehold on the provision of social services, such as cooking gas, that form the core of the famed Sadrist “shaddow state,” but also caused splits between local affiliates of the movement, particularly militia cells.  The reporter beleives these groups are trying to position themselves ahead of the (postponed) provincial elections, aiming to get on the side of Badr, ISF, and the “Powers that Be.”  With the last anecdote about neighborhood Imamns (perhaps in Bagdhad?) “chastising” Sadrist MPs for “abandoning” their neighborhoods to the ISF, the reporter seems to be saying that theses assasinations are being felt at the local level, and now the poor Shi’ite vote is up for grabs.

In this case, though, things might be a bit different. Noah Shachtman at Danger Room and Spencer Ackerman at the Washington Independent (is that now called WIndy?) point out why with this question: is Sadr just retrenching and burying himself further into Iraqi society? As Badger and others have repeatedly pointed out, the ISF “offensives” against the JAM in Basra were ended with deals between the militias and the Iraqi Army that allowed the army into the city, but let the militia keep their weapons. This could well be the same – winning back credibility with poor Shi’ites, lost because of the JAM’s gangster-like behavior, while keeping a large, but theoretically disarmed, reserve to fight another day, while the wilder limbs of his organization are pruned by US and Iraqi hit squads.