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The First Battle In Muslim History
A stepping stone to a great future and regional domination
The religion of Islam is quickly closing in on 2 billion adherents worldwide. This makes Islam the world’s second largest religion after Christianity (2.4 billion adherents.) Islam began with humble roots after emerging on the Arabian Peninsula in the 7th century. From these humble beginnings, the religion exploded out of Arabia and swept across North Africa and the Middle East. Some scholars claim that the early Islamic expansion was second only to that of Alexander the Great in terms of speed and impact on the world.
All of this began with one battle. This battle unfolded at the town of Badr in 624 CE and set the stage for one of the most seismic changes in human history. The battle pitted Muhammad’s burgeoning army against a caravan of the Quraysh people based in nearby Mecca.
The Quraysh were the historical rulers of Arabia, and Muhammad was born into one of the mercantile Quraysh tribes. This gave him intimate knowledge of their practices, capabilities, and routes. The Prophet used this information to force a battle at Badr, which gave him the prestige and the supplies to take control of the entire region. In the grand scheme of history, the battle itself was small, but its importance has reverberated ever since.
