Badr

The plain and its wells where the Battle of Badr was fought — the name of a man, Badr ibn Yakhlud of Banu Damra, who dug the original well; the well, then the whole plain, took his name.

Geography

Located between Makkah and Madinah, closer to Madinah — ~130 km southwest of Madinah, ~280 km northwest of Makkah. Before modern transport it was about a 3-day journey from Madinah. Its wells decided the battle’s tactics.

Significance in the Seerah

• The battlefield of 17 Ramadan 2 AH; on al-Hubab ibn al-Mundhir’s advice the Muslims camped so as to control the wells, denying the Quraysh water.
• Site of the dry well (al-Qalib) into which the slain Quraysh chiefs were cast, and which the Prophet ﷺ addressed by name after the victory.
• Not to be confused with Ghazwa Badr al-Sughra (the “Minor Battle of Badr” / Badr al-Ula), an earlier pursuit of camel-raiders on the same plain, unrelated to Quraysh.

Cross-references

The Battle of Badr · Mecca · Madinah (Yathrib) · Muhammad ﷺ · Seerah Timeline

Sources

• S006 — Yasir Qadhi Seerah EP 036–037. Ibn Ishaq, al-Waqidi; modern geography of Badr.