“…even though the criminals detest it.” (al-Anfāl 8:5–8)
The verses that come after this, up to the end of the narrative in Sūrat al-Anfāl, have been discussed in their proper place (1); here we shall quote, in each section, whatever is appropriate.
Ibn Isḥāq (2), may Allah have mercy on him, after recounting the expedition of ʿAbd Allāh ibn Jahsh, said:
Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ learned that Abū Sufyān Ṣakhr ibn Ḥarb was returning from Syria with a large caravan belonging to Quraysh. It carried their wealth and merchandise, and with it were thirty or forty men, among them Makhramah ibn Nawfal and ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ.
Mūsā ibn ʿUqbah (3) narrated from al-Zuhrī: This took place two months after the killing of Ibn al-Ḥaḍramī.
He added: The caravan numbered a thousand camels, bearing the entire wealth of Quraysh except that of Ḥuwayṭib ibn ʿAbd al-ʿUzzā; for this reason he remained behind from Badr.
Ibn Isḥāq (4) said: Muḥammad ibn Muslim ibn Shihāb, ʿĀṣim ibn ʿUmar ibn Qatādah, ʿAbd Allāh ibn Abī Bakr, and Yazīd ibn Rumān related to me—from ʿUrwah ibn al-Zubayr; and others among our scholars—from Ibn ʿAbbās. Each narrated to me part of the account, and their reports concur in the version of Badr that I set down.
They said:
When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ heard that Abū Sufyān was coming from Syria, he rallied the Muslims and said,
“This is the caravan of Quraysh carrying their wealth. Go out after it; perhaps Allah will grant it to you as booty.”
The people volunteered: some responded promptly while others were reluctant (5), because they did not think the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would encounter a battle.
Meanwhile Abū Sufyān, as he drew near to the Ḥijāz, kept seeking news (6), questioning every rider he met, fearing for the people’s property. He eventually heard from some travellers that Muḥammad had mobilised his Companions against him and his caravan. Alarmed, he hired Ḍamḍam ibn ʿAmr al-Ghifārī, dispatched him to Mecca, and ordered him to rouse Quraysh to defend their wealth and to inform them that Muḥammad had laid an ambush for it with his followers. Ḍamḍam ibn ʿAmr set off quickly for Mecca.
Ibn Isḥāq (7) said: A reliable informant told me—on the authority of ʿIkrimah from Ibn ʿAbbās, and of Yazīd ibn Rumān from ʿUrwah ibn al-Zubayr—that:
ʿĀtikah bint ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib had seen, three nights before Ḍamḍam arrived in Mecca, a dream that terrified her. She sent for her brother al-ʿAbbās ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib and said:
“My brother, by Allah, I saw a dream last night that has frightened me, and I fear it may portend evil and calamity for your people. Keep secret what I am about to tell you.”
He asked her, “What did you see?”