Umar's Conduct in the Battlefield-The Battle of Badr

For a man to flee for his life from the field of battle is conclusive evidence that he has no real faith in the promises of reward and the threats of punishment set forth in the Qur'an; furthermore, to abandon the Prophet (P) when in the midst of foes proves that he has little, if any, love for him. Thus, it is absolutely essential that the successor of the Prophet (P) should be a man who has the courage to stick to his post in the face of every danger, and who is ready to lay down his life for Islam and the Prophet (P). On no account must he run away from the field, or battle to save his own life. Moreover, it is also necessary that he should not be defeated by anyone, either on the field of battle, or in the lecture-room. He should be second to none in any contest or in any walk of life. With him is bound up the dignity of Islam; if he is defeated, Islam is defeated.

 Let us review the battles of the prophet (P) from this point of view.

 The Battle of Badr; 19th Ramadan A. H. 2 (A. C. 624).

This was the first battle of Islam; had it been lost, Islam would not have survived. The Prophet (P) fully realized its importance when he prayed to God in these words: "0 God, if today this army is lost, Thou wilt not be worshipped on the face of the earth till eternity,,(1).

Margoliouth says: "It certainly appears that the winning of this most important fight was in the main due to the prowess of Imam 'Ali (who fought without armour on his back) and Hamza"(2) 

Seventy warriors of Quraish fell dead on the battlefield, half of this number having been slain by Imam 'Ali alone, with the remainder killed bythe rest of the Muslim army(3).

 Included among those killed by Imam 'Ali were members of almost all the important families of Quraish. Some of their names are: AI- Walid ibn 'Utba, brother of Hind, wife of Abu Sufyan and the mother of Muawiya; Shaibaibn Rabfa, uncle of the same Hind; As ibn Sa'Id ibn As AI-Amawi; Nawfal ibn Khuwailid ibn Asad; Masud ibn AI-Mughira, who was the brother of AI-Walid, father of Khalid; Abu AI-Qais ibn al-Fakah; 'Abdallah ibn AI-Mundhir; As ibn Munya ibn Al-Hajjaj; Hanzala and Abu 'Umar , sons of Abu Sufyan Abu 'Ubaid ibn Al-Harith; and 'Aqil ibn Nawfal. This list included five close relatives of Muawiya.

(1) Diyar Bakri: "Tarlkh-al-Khamis", Vol. 1, pp. 427-429.
(2) Life of Muhammad, p. 260.
(3) Diyar.Bakrl: "Tarlkh-al-Khamis", Vol. 1, pp. 417, 426, 427.,Ibn-al-Athir: "Tiirikh-AI-Kamil", Vol. 2, pp. 44, 47.,Shah Wali Allah: "Izalat-al-Khafa" Urdu Translation, Part 3,  'Ubaid Allah Al-Arnritsarl: "Arjah-al-Matiilib", Chptr 3, p. 241.

In this battle we do not hear the name of 'Umar mentioned at all. 'Uthman was absent, and Abu Bakr was sitting safely in the 'Arsh, a high place of refuge constructed for the Prophet (P), where Abu Bakr had gone uninvited.