Badr
| Feature | Located 130 km southwest of Medina |
|---|---|
| Area | A plain 9 km long and 7 km wide (or 8 km by 4 km) |
| Historical Information | |
| Important events | Battle of Badr |
Badr (Arabic: بدر) is a region in the Hijaz where the first major battle between Muslims and the polytheists of Mecca took place in the month of Ramadan, 2/624, known as the Battle of Badr. Badr was situated on the caravan route connecting Medina to Mecca and Syria. Due to the presence of water, it served as a resting place for caravans and a site for an annual pre-Islamic market.
In the early Islamic period, the Banu Ḍamra and Banu Ghifār tribes lived in this region; Abu Dharr al-Ghifari belonged to the latter tribe.
There is a difference of opinion regarding the name "Badr". The historical significance of Badr is due to the Battle of Badr al-Kubra (the Great Badr) and the burial of its martyrs, which transformed this land into a place of pilgrimage. However, it is said that the Prophet Muhammad (s) had previously come to this region during the expedition of Badr al-UlA (the First Badr).
The land of Badr gradually developed into a village and then a small town. Today, it is a small city with a population of over 15,000, located southwest of Medina. Following the construction of the Hijrah Highway, it is no longer on the main transit route.
Geographical Location
The region of Badr was a settlement on the road from Medina to Mecca. Its water wells were famous, and due to its water resources and greenery, it was considered a resort for Arabs. Badr served as a type of market where Arabs would go seasonally to trade goods.[1]
This region is located 130 kilometers southwest of Medina, in a plain 9 kilometers long and 7 kilometers wide (or 8 km by 4 km) in the lower part of Wadi Safra' (modern sources consider it part of Wadi Farʿa), at an altitude of 187 meters above sea level. Except for the southwestern part of Badr, where the soil is soft and has become a lush palm grove, the rest of the area is sandy, surrounded by steep hills and sand dunes. The two openings of this plain (northwest and southeast) are named "al-ʿUdwat al-Dunya" (the nearer bank) and "al-ʿUdwat al-Quṣwa" (the farther bank) based on their proximity to Medina, as mentioned in the Quran.[2][3] Between these two openings, in the southwest of the plain, there is a high mountain called "Jabal Asfal," from where the sea is clearly visible.
Badr was situated at the junction of the road from Medina to the caravan route from Mecca to Syria. Because of its water, it was a resting place for caravans. Before Islam, a market was held there every year from the 1st to the 8th of Dhu l-Qa'da, where recreational programs and worship ceremonies (for idols) were performed.[4]
At the beginning of Islam, the Banu Ḍamra tribe lived in this spot, and the Banu Ghifar was one of its clans.[5] Abu Dharr al-Ghifari, who was assigned to guide the Banu Ghifar in the first years of the Prophet's mission, was from this clan.
Etymology
There is a disagreement in sources regarding the origin of the name of this place. According to one view, Badr is the name of a person to whom the wells of this place were attributed. The lineage and tribe of this person have been reported in various ways.[6] Another view is that Badr is not a person's name, but rather the wells of Badr were the water source for the Banu Ghifar without being the property of a specific individual.[7]
Historical Significance
The occurrence of the Battle of Badr al-Kubra (the Great Badr) and the burial of the martyrs of that battle in this plain gave it a special status, turning it into a place of visitation (ziyara).[8] Before this battle, the Prophet (s) had pursued thieves from Medina to this region in the expedition of Badr al-Ula (the First Badr).[9] Dawati, during his visit to this place, observed a crypt which was the burial place of the martyrs of the first expedition of the Prophet Muhammad (s). Over time, Badr became a village and then a small town; its population was reported between 2,000 and 10,000 in 1389/1970-1.[10]
One of the two mosques in this village is called Ghamama or 'Arish, which is the site of the Friday Prayer. This mosque was built on the site of the trellis (ʿarish) of the Prophet (s) during the Battle of Badr. It marks the position of the trellis, which was situated on a hill overlooking the battlefield, though fruit orchards now obstruct the view. In 1357/1939-40, three inscriptions were observed in this mosque: one broken near the mihrab, another above the mihrab in Tughra script,[11] and a third above the minbar with spelling errors, dated Rabi' I 21, 906/October 19, 1500.[12] Sharif ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib, the governor of Hijaz during the Ottoman era, built a fortress in this place which is now ruined, and no trace remains of its mud wall.
Recent Years
Badr is a small city located 153 kilometers southwest of Medina and 343 kilometers north of Mecca, inhabited by tribes from the Hijaz, with a population exceeding 15,000.[13] Before the construction of the Hijrah Highway, it was on the transit route between Mecca and Medina, but after the highway was built, it is no longer a passage for travelers.[14]
Notes
- ↑ Wāqidī, Kitāb al-maghāzī, 1966, vol. 1, p. 44.
- ↑ Quran, 8:42.
- ↑ Bakrī, Muʿjam mā istaʿjam, 1403/1983, vol. 1, pp. 231-232.
- ↑ Jawād ʿAlī, al-Mufaṣṣal, 1978, vol. 7, pp. 371, 376-377.
- ↑ Bakrī, Muʿjam mā istaʿjam, 1403/1983, vol. 1, p. 231.
- ↑ Jawād ʿAlī, al-Mufaṣṣal, 1978, vol. 7, pp. 323, 355, 376; Ibn Ḥazm, Jamharat ansāb al-ʿArab, 1418/1987-8, pp.11-12.
- ↑ Ḥamawī, Muʿjam al-buldān, 1965, vol. 1, p. 524; Bakrī, Muʿjam mā istaʿjam, 1403/1983, vol. 1, p. 231.
- ↑ Ibn Baṭṭūṭa, Safar-nāma-yi Ibn Baṭṭūṭa, 1361Sh, vol. 1, p. 132.
- ↑ Ibn Khayyāṭ, Tārīkh Khalīfa, 1415/1994-5, p. 20.
- ↑ Farhang-i jughrāfiyāyī-yi ʿArabistān, under "Badr".
- ↑ A form composed of several vertical lines ending in a nested and parallel curve, containing the name and title of a sultan or emir, written at the top of decrees and orders. (Dehkhoda, Lughat-nāma, under "Tughra", quoting Muʿjam al-udabāʾ).
- ↑ Mushāhadāt-i Muḥammad Ḥamīdallāh. See: Urdu dāʾira-yi maʿārif-i Islāmiyya, under "Badr".
- ↑ Yamānī, Badr al-kubrā, pp. 25, 33-35, 39-45.
- ↑ Jaʿfariyān, Āthār-i Islāmī-yi Makka va Madīna, 1386Sh, p. 393.
References
- Bakrī, ʿAbd Allāh b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz al-. Muʿjam mā istaʿjam min asmāʾ al-bilād wa l-mawāḍiʿ. Edited by Muṣṭafā Saqqā. Beirut, ʿĀlam al-Kutub, 3rd ed., 1403/1983.
- Ḥamawī, Yāqūt b. ʿAbd Allāh al-. Muʿjam al-buldān. Edited by Ferdinand Wüstenfeld. Leipzig 1866-1873, Offset Tehran, 1965.
- Ibn Baṭṭūṭa, Muḥammad b. ʿAbd Allāh. Safar-nāma-yi Ibn Baṭṭūṭa. Translated by Muḥammad ʿAlī Muwaḥḥid. Tehran, Bī-nā, 1361Sh.
- Ibn Ḥazm, ʿAlī b. Aḥmad. Jamharat ansāb al-ʿArab. Beirut, Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyya, 1408/1987-8.
- Ibn Khayyāṭ, Khalīfa. Tārīkh Khalīfa. Beirut, Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyya, 1415/1994-5.
- Jaʿfariyān, Rasūl. Āthār-i Islāmī-yi Makka va Madīna. Tehran, Nashr-i Mashʿar, 8th ed., 1386Sh.
- Jawād ʿAlī. Al-Mufaṣṣal fī tārīkh al-ʿArab qabl al-Islām. Beirut, Dār al-ʿIlm li-l-Malāyīn, 2nd ed., 1978.
- Urdu dāʾira-yi maʿārif-i Islāmiyya. Vol. 4. Lahore, 1389/1969. Under "Badr" (by Muḥammad Ḥamīdallāh).
- Wāqidī, Muḥammad b. ʿUmar al-. Kitāb al-maghāzī. Edited by Marsden Jones. London, 1966.