Lessons from the Battle of Badr | Jumu'ah Khutbah | Sh. Yaser Birjas

The Day of Furqan: Lessons from the Battle of Badr

Ibadallah, my dear brothers and sisters, on this day exactly - the 17th of the month of Ramadan, 1445 years ago - it was a huge decisive event in Islamic history. And that is the Battle of Badr.

The Battle of Badr, which Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentioned:

He told the sahabah radiallahu anhum: "And Allah had already given you victory at Badr while you were weak." You were weak - He reminds them, which means your weakness didn't stop the event from happening and did not prevent Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala from giving that victory. So fear Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that you may be grateful.

And Allah azza wa jal called that day and that event with a very beautiful term: يوم الفرقان - Yawm al-Furqan. It was a day not just a day of victory, it was a day of criteria by which Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala separated between falsehood and the haq and the truth.

Ramadan: A Month of Remembrance and Strength

Brothers and sisters, Ramadan by the grace of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is not just a month for fasting. It's a month we also study events in the history of Islam - a reminder when you feel physically weak as you get hungry and thirsty and you feel that "I can't do this, I can't do this." Come this event in the middle of the month of Ramadan to remind you: Look, a weak ummah, a weak group of people, still in terms of numbers, in terms of preparations for a battle, they won against a huge and large number.

An incentive, a reminder that that kind of weakness we feel, if you pair that with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's power, you're very powerful. Nothing can stop you.

The Beginning: Unprepared for Battle

My dear brothers and sisters, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala at the beginning of Surat al-Anfal, in which He mentioned the story of the Battle of Badr, at the very beginning subhanahu wa ta'ala is reminding us why this group of people won against a larger group of people.

If you remember in the story, there were about 314 of the sahabah, not prepared for battle. They were only going out after the caravan, that's all. When they heard that Abu Sufyan - they collected all the stuff that the sahabah left behind in Mecca when they migrated. They left all their belongings over there. So the Meccans in Italy, what did they do? They collected all that stuff and they took it out to ash-Sham to sell it so they can make money off of it.

When the sahabah heard that, they said, "Ya Rasulullah, our stuff! How could they do that?" So the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said, "If you want, we can go and stop them. We can go and take our stuff." They said, "We will," and that's why they went out - not prepared for battle.

But then Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, as He mentioned in the surah, He said: "If you made an appointment to fight, you would never be able to make that appointment. You would not be able to meet. But Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala made that appointment for you, and it happened."

A Message of Hope for Our Time

So that group of sahabah, they were like any other human being. They felt a bit worried, they were not sure, they were wondering if we should or not. And that story, the end of that story which is a victory Allah has given the people of Badr, is a refreshing story for a time like ours when people feel defeated, they feel weak, they feel no hope. They realize what's happening right now in the Muslim land and everybody is just taking advantage of it and see how weak the people are and the nations are.

But at the end of the day, victory comes from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, not from the people.

The True Believers Described

So Allah is telling us why those people deserved to be given victory. At the beginning, He said subhanahu wa ta'ala in Surat al-Anfal:

"They ask you in regards to al-Anfal" - which is the war spoils after the battle. Like the first thing it began with is giving them the good news - you got the war spoils and now they just wonder what do we do with it. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says: "It's for Allah and for the messenger." And then He says: "You be conscious of Allah azza wa jal and make sure to reconcile amongst yourselves."

Why? A reminder of how much dunya can divide the people. They didn't go for this, but now they're winning a huge spoil, and that could subhanahu wa ta'ala could change the heart and the intention of many people. And here Allah is telling them: "Taqullah - fear Allah azza wa jal, stay conscious of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Make sure that you set in your affairs and reconcile with one another."

What does that tell us? That one of the reasons that our ummah is actually weak is because of the division that is happening in the people - not just on a nation level, I'm talking about on the individual level. When you spend some time as an imam and hearing people's complaints about things that are so petty, we argue about a car, about a house, about this, about that. There is akhira that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala wants you to stand before Allah, and Allah will answer for it. You be prepared for that.

Make sure that you obey Allah and the messenger. That's gonna give you the right path in this life. You will be very well determined and you know where you'll be going if you truly believe in Allah azza wa jal.

Allah is reminding us: "Those believers, when the name of Allah is mentioned, their hearts start trembling, humbling itself to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. When they hear the words of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, it increases them in their iman. Who are they? Those who pray - they maintain salah very well. And they spend - they give charity from what you have provided for them. These are the true believers."

Those are the ones Allah says, those are the people who will have stations with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. They will be granted forgiveness and they will be given a lot of provision in the dunya and in the akhira. May Allah make us some of them.

Brothers and sisters, that beginning and start of Surat al-Anfal, before even starting talking about the story of the Battle of Badr, is a reminder why they were given victory. It's because they deserved it. They reached that level where they deserved that from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And when we look around us, why we are unable to have that today? Because the answer is very obvious.

Lessons from the Battle of Badr

Lessons we learned, my dear brothers and sisters, from the Battle of Badr. I want to share with you insha'Allah.

First Lesson: Victory Begins with Faith, Not Numbers

Number one: The first thing we learned from the Battle of Badr when it comes to victory - it begins with faith, not with numbers. And even when Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentioned about preparation, "You prepare whatever you can," He didn't say prepare a matching power. He didn't say that. He said prepare whatever you can, because the rest of it is in the hand of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

The companions of Badr, they prepared whatever they could. They had whatever they had. They were not ready to face a thousand well-prepared soldiers, but they prepared whatever they had in their hands, and the rest of it was in the hand of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And Allah azza wa jal compensated for that with what? With the angels coming to support them.

So victory does not necessarily begin with numbers - it begins with faith. How's your faith? Check on yourself. Don't wait, don't talk about the people. No, talk about yourself. I'm talking about each and every one of us over here as a Muslim, as a quality of a Muslim.

And I'm not saying - don't take me wrong - I'm not saying that I want you to be pure like an angel. That's not going to happen. You can never be an angel. But I just want to ask you: When you make a mistake, do you regret it? Do you come back to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala? Because that's a sign of righteousness. And it's not a sign of righteousness to be flawless without any mistakes, but at least I know when I make a mistake, I come back to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, because my faith keeps bringing me back to Allah azza wa jal.

Brothers and sisters, how many times Allah has shown us in the Quran - few, few people, they were able to win against larger numbers. And even we have seen that in the conquest stories of Khalid ibn Walid and many of the leaders and the heroes of Islam. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala forgive them.

Brothers and sisters, when we look at the story of Badr, there's so many scenes and so many stories of individual sahabah and how much faith was a big factor in their motivation on that battlefield on that day. So therefore, remember, victory comes with faith, not necessarily with numbers. And make sure that to win with the heart more than anything else.

Second Lesson: Victory Requires Preparation

The second thing, my dear brothers and sisters, that we have from the story of Badr is that victory comes of course after preparation with the means. Means you need to prepare. As a believer, Nabi sallallahu alaihi wa sallam mentioned:

(Sahih Muslim)

"A strong believer is way better with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala than a weak believer." Now the ulema of Hadith, they say this is about the strength of faith, but also, the ulema they say it comes to the physical strength as well too, because when you're healthy, you'll be able to wake up for tahajjud, you'll be able to come to the masjid, you'll be able to give, you'll be able to work and donate and do a lot of things.

So even your physical health is part of your preparation and your means. And all what you need to do is just whatever you can. You can run, run. You can walk, walk. You can carry weight, go for it. But you're doing it for the right reason - for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

And even part of it is not just the physical preparation, it's the knowledge, the understanding, like reading history. Make sure to prepare yourself. Understand the stories and how things are done.

And Nabi sallallahu alaihi wa sallam in the story of Badr, he himself utilized all the means he had in his hands, even the intellectual ones and strategy of war. Like when the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam wanted to place the army in one location in Badr, one of the sahabah told him: "Is that location you're choosing for us because Allah wants you to be here, or is that a strategy of war?" "That's a strategy of war," he said. "No, that's a strategy of war. I think that's a good location." He said, "No, I have a better position for you," and he showed him where to put his position. And the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, he liked his idea and said, "Let's do that."

He sallallahu alaihi wa sallam opened the discussion with the people around him because he wanted to have all the resources he had sallallahu alaihi wa sallam.

Brothers and sisters, learning, reading, educating yourself, making sure you have that understanding of things the way they are - that's part of the preparation, that's part of the power. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala give us that ability to reach that level.

Third Lesson: The Power of Du'a

Brothers and sisters, one of the lessons of the Battle of Badr as we learn is that du'a is so powerful. We underestimate the du'a, and unfortunately it has become so... we get so used to making du'a and supplication becomes mechanical. Like you just raise your hand after salah and you make du'a, and suddenly it's just like if you ask, "What did you say?" "I don't know." You have memorized a few lines of du'a and that would be it.

The du'a needs to come from the heart. It comes from the heart - like really you mean it when you say it. We've seen that from the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam. When he was... he prepared everything. He prepared the people in lines. He prepared the strategy. He made sure that they're standing in good position. And then what?

The Prophet's Dua at Badr

The most important thing - then he turned away from the people and he raised his hand to Allah making dua:

"O Allah, You will not be worshipped on earth after this day! Ya Allah, if that group is gone I don't guarantee anyone else is going to come to worship you after this."

And he kept making dua to Allah to support him, to give him what He promised, until his cloak fell off his shoulders on the ground. Abu Bakr al-Siddiq came from behind and pulled it up and put it back again and said, "O Messenger, take it easy on yourself. Easy on yourself. I swear to you, Allah will fulfill His promise to you."

And the Prophet after that session of dua, he came out so happy, so confident, and with such good spirit. And he was motivating the people until Allah gave him what He promised.

Allah's Promise and Support

He says: Remember when you were pleading to Allah, you were pleading to Allah - He answered your call and He gave you angels. He supported you with angels. What does that mean?

When it comes to the support from Allah, it's not mathematical. It's not mathematical. Allah can make miracles happen. And like we say, sometimes smaller groups can win against larger groups, and we've seen that through the history of mankind, and especially among the sahaba.

So brothers and sisters, when it comes to Ramadan, that's the time to make a lot of dua for the ummah, a lot of dua for yourself, a lot of dua for the innocent people. May Allah keep them all safe.

Unity: The Secret of Strength

Another lesson we learned from the Battle of Badr, my dear brothers and sisters, that unity is a secret for strength. How so?

You see, the sahaba - there were only 314. But the Prophet was wondering, are they going to all be there? Because Allah mentioned that at the beginning of Surat al-Anfal that He brought them to the battlefield, dragging them almost, because they were scared. Humans after all.

When the moment came, no one faltered. They all stood in line and the Prophet made them stand in line next to each other. Back in the days, the Arabs didn't stand in line when they fight - they just go back and forth. That's how it was back in the days. The Prophet introduced the system for them. He brought them into lines and they were standing next to each other.

As Allah mentioned in the Quran:

"Allah loves those who fight for His sake to be in one line, one single line, like a solid structure." And that's how the believer should always be.

Obey Allah, obey the Messenger. Don't dispute among yourselves - you will lose. That's what Allah is telling us in the Quran. And the Battle of Badr was an example for this. And they all became on one plan, one leadership, one position. They were able to make victory, they were able to make miracles.

But we've seen another example in Uhud. When they disobeyed the orders, we know that they lost that battle, but it was a lesson that they learned.

Call for Unity in Ramadan

Brothers and sisters, it's time for the Ummah, on an individual level at least. Now that it's Ramadan and we're heading closer to the last ten nights of the month of Ramadan - it's time. It's time just to get all these hatreds and all these things from our heart and reconcile with one another as much as we can.

There is no time - we don't have time for this. We have something bigger than that to focus on. So therefore, make sure to start your last ten nights of Ramadan with a clean heart.

Victory of Principles

Brothers and sisters, finally we've come to the month of Ramadan. We understand that victory is really the victory of principles. Badr taught us that it's a victory of principles truly.

Allah says in the Quran about this battle, so He would confirm the truth and He would remove falsehood.

We are an Ummah that has missions. We're supposed to be the people who stand against troubles, fight against injustice. And we have seen the society over here when they gave those billionaires whatever they want to do, and there is no standing before Allah. You saw what they've done.

We're just like the last Ummah, the last frontier. Everybody is talking about Muslims, especially in Ramadan: "Wow, I don't know how they do that. They're the most disciplined, the most devoted." That's not because of the color of our skin - that's because of the principles we believe in. Because we believe in Allah and we believe that we stand - we will stand before Him. We believe in a mission in this life. That's what made the difference for them.

Badr as a School for the Ummah

Brothers and sisters, Badr was not just a story from history. It's indeed a school - a school, a lesson for the Ummah. May Allah make us some of those who listen to the speech and follow the best of it.

My dear brothers and sisters, in a few days the last ten nights of Ramadan will come in. On Monday at night, that will be the first night of the last ten nights. May Allah make us some of those who go through them and we get the reward for the last ten nights.

Applying Badr's Principles

Brothers and sisters, these principles of Badr - you need to observe them in these last few nights. Make sure to focus on these things:

The strength of your Iman. The preparation on a personal level, on a community level. Making sure that you always think about the community as a community, insha'Allah. Knowing that you have principles you need to follow.

If you can focus on this for the last ten nights, insha'Allah, I hope that we become a better community, one year after another. And if you continue with that, I hope it's a month after a month, a day after a day. Because again, Ramadan is where men are really built, or people are built to make history.

And if you would like to make history, this is your chance, insha'Allah.

Brother, just move forward please. Fill in all the gaps, shoulder to shoulder. Brother in the hallway.