among the nobles of Quraysh. Then I saw him strike the hollow of his camel’s neck and turn it loose in the camp; there was not a single tent but that some of its blood was spattered upon it.
When this reached Abū Jahl—may Allah curse him—he said, “Here is yet another ‘prophet’ from the sons of al-Muṭṭalib! Tomorrow, if we meet, we shall see who is killed.”
Ibn Isḥāq relates: (1) Once Abū Sufyān was sure that he had secured the caravan, he sent word to Quraysh: “You only set out to protect your caravan, your men, and your wealth. Allah has saved them; so turn back.”
Abū Jahl ibn Hishām replied, “By Allah, we shall not go back until we reach Badr—it is one of the Arabs’ festival sites where a market is held every year. There we shall stay three days, slaughter camels, feast, drink wine, let the singing-girls play for us, and the Arabs will hear of our march and our muster and will forever stand in awe of us. Forward!”
Al-Akhnas ibn Shurayq ibn ʿAmr ibn Wahb al-Thaqafī—an ally of Banū Zuhrah—was with them at al-Juhfah and said, “O Banū Zuhrah! Allah has preserved your wealth and rescued your man, Makhramah ibn Nawfal. You only came out to protect him and his goods. Put the blame of cowardice on me and turn back, for you have no need to go out on a venture that brings you no gain, whatever this man may say.”
So they turned back, and not a single Zuhri was present at the battle; they obeyed him, for he was obeyed among them. There was no clan of Quraysh but that some of its men stayed behind—except Banū ʿAdiyy, for not one man of them came out. Thus Banū Zuhrah went back with al-Akhnas, and no one from those two tribes witnessed Badr.
The rest of the force marched on. A discussion took place between Ṭālib ibn Abī Ṭālib—who was with them—and some men of Quraysh. They said, “By Allah, O sons of Hāshim, though you march with us, we know your sympathies lie with Muḥammad.” Ṭālib therefore returned to Mecca with the others who withdrew and composed the following rajaz lines:
O Lord, should Ṭālib go out to raid
with an allied, war-ready band,
a squadron among these squadrons,
then let the plundered be other than the plunderer,
and let the vanquished be other than the victor.
Ibn Isḥāq continues: (4) Quraysh advanced until they encamped on the farther bank of the valley, behind al-ʿAqnqal and in the wadi bottom known as Yalyal, between Badr and al-ʿAqnqal. The sand-hill (al-Kathīb) lay behind them, while the well of Badr was on the nearer bank of the valley toward Madīnah.
I say: Concerning this, Allah the Exalted has said (5):
“Remember when you were on the nearer bank and they were on the farther bank, while the caravan was lower than you”—meaning on the coastal side—“and had you made an appointment with one another you would surely have failed to keep it; but Allah ordained the matter…”