Burial place of the Mushrikeen of the Battle of Badr

This barren land, close to Masjid Areesh, is where it’s believed the mushrikoon (pagans) of Makkah were buried following the Battle of Badr. The area is known as ‘Al-Qaleeb’.

• 70 people from the side of the Quraysh were killed in battle, with another 70 captured on the day of Badr. Among those killed were Abu Jahal and Ummayah bin Khalaf, two of the worst enemies of Islam.

• Abdur-Rahman bin Auf (رضي الله عنه) narrated that while he was fighting in the front file on the day of Badr a young boy approached him and said, “Show me Abu Jahl.” Abdul Rahman (رضي الله عنه) replied, “What have you to do with him?” “I have been told that he defames the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah on him). By the One in Whose hand my life lies, I shall kill him when I see him, or shall be killed by him!” Another young boy told Abdul Rahman (رضي الله عنه) the same thing. Suddenly, Abdul Rahman (رضي الله عنه) spotted Abu Jahl on the battlefield and pointed him out to the two young boys. They attacked him fiercely with their swords, and Abu Jahl fell to the earth. After the battle, they both presented themselves before the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah on him), each claiming to have killed Abu Jahl. He looked at their swords and proclaimed, “Both of you have killed him.” The young boys were Mu’adh ibn Afra and Mu’adh ibni Amr.

• Abdullah bin Mas’ood (رضي الله عنه), who found Abu Jahl dying on the battlefield, placed his leg on his old enemy’s neck and caught hold of his beard to behead him. “Hasn’t Allah disgraced you, Oh enemy of Allah?” Even as he lay dying Abu Jahl was unrepentant. “For what have I been disgraced? Is there anybody above the man you have killed? I only wish someone other than a farmer had killed me. Tell me, who was victorious today?”. “Allah and His Messenger,” Abdullah said. “O herdsman! You have mounted a very difficult place,” Abu Jahl responded. Abdullah (رضي الله عنه) then cut his head off and placed it before the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah on him). “Allah is the Greatest! All praise are due to Allah,” the Prophet cried. “He has proven His promise to be true, helped His servants, and defeated the opposing army.” Gazing at Abu Jahl’s head before him, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah on him) said, “He was the Pharaoh of his nation.”

• Narrated by Abu Talha (رضي الله عنه): On the day of Badr, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah on him) ordered that the corpses of twenty four leaders of Quraysh be thrown into one of the dirty dry wells of Badr. When he halted at the edge of the well, he addressed the corpses of the Quraysh by their names and their fathers’ names, “O so-and-so, son of so-and-so and O so-and-so, son of so-and-so! Would it have pleased you if you had obeyed Allah and His Apostle? We have found true what our Lord promised us. Have you too found true what your Lord promised you?” Umar (رضي الله عنه) said, “O Allah’s Apostle! You are speaking to bodies that have no souls!” The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah on him) said, “By Him in Whose Hand Muhammad’s soul is, you do not hear, what I say better than they do.”

• While the Muslims were heading back to Madinah, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah on him) received a revelation from Allah concerning the distribution of the spoils of war. One-fifth of the booty was set aside for the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah on him), and the rest was to be distributed among those who fought in the battle. He became the first prophet who was allowed to share in the spoils of war.

• Upon hearing the news of the great victory, many of the citizens from Madinah traveled toward Badr in hopes of being the first to congratulate the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah on him). They met the victorious Muslims in Ruha, and accompanied them back to Madinah. The sight of the triumphant Muslims entering Madinah with dozens of captives led many people to become Muslims.

References: When the Moon Split – Shaykh Safiur Rahman Mubarakpuri, Muhammad (s.a.w.) the Last Prophet – Moulana Sayyed Hasan Ali Nadwi, The Life of Muhammad  (s.a.w) – Tahia Al-Ismail