regarding the stray sheep he said: Take it (and keep it with you) till its seeker comes to it.

God’s Messenger sent us with a detachment and the people wheeled round in flight, so when we came to Medina we hid in it thinking that we had become corrupted.1 Then we went to God’s Messenger and told him we were those who had fled, but he replied, “No, you are the ones who return to fight after wheeling away, and I am your main body.”2 1. Literally “had perished.” They thought that they had committed a serious sin by turning in flight. 2. The word fi’a is here used. The suggestion is that to withdraw to join one’s unit stationed in the rear is not flying from the enemy. Cf. Al-Qur’an; 8:16. Tirmidhi transmitted it. Abu Dawud’s version has something similar. He said, “No, you are the ones who return to fight after wheeling away.” We then approached and kissed his hand, and he said, “I am the main body of the Muslims.”

Ibn ‘Abbas said “When the Apostle of Allaah(saws) had victory over Quraish in the batte of Badr and came to Madeenah he gathered the Jews in the market of Banu Qainuqa and said “O community of Jews embrace Islam before you suffer an injury as the Quraish suffered.” They said “Muhammad, you should not deceive yourself (taking pride) that you had killed a few persons of the Quariash who were inexperienced and did not know how to fight. Had you fought with us, you would have known us. You have never met people like us.” Allah Most High revealed about this the following verse “Say to those who reject faith, soon will ye be vanished... one army was fighting in the cause of Allaah, the other resisting Allaah.”

This addition made by Hammad bin Salamah bin Kuhail, Yahya bin Sa’id, `Ubaid Allah bin `Umar and Rabi’ah; “if its owner comes and recognizes its container, and its string,” is not guarded. The version narrated by Uqbah bin Suwaid on the authority of his father from the Prophet (SWAS) has also the words : “make it known for a year”. The version of `Umar bin al-Khattab has also been transmitted from the Prophet (SWAS). This version has : “Make it known for a year”.

Ibn Umar was sent with a detachment of the Messenger of Allah (saws). The people wheeled round in flight. He said: I was one of those who wheeled round in flight. When we stopped, we said (i.e. thought): How should we do? We have run away from the battlefield and deserve Allah's wrath. Then we said (thought): Let us enter Medina, stay there, and go there while no one sees us. So we entered (Medina) and thought: If we present ourselves before the Messenger of Allah (saws), and if there is a change of repentance for us, we shall stay; if there is something else, we shall go away. So we sat down (waiting) for the Messenger of Allah (saws) before the dawn prayer. When he came out, we stood up to him and said: We are the ones who have fled. He turned to us and said: No, you are the ones who return to fight after wheeling away. We then approached and kissed his hand, and he said; I am the main body of the Muslims.

Asma' bint Yazid reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Shall I tell you who is the best of you?" "Yes,," they replied. He said, "Those who remind you of Allah when you see them." He went on to say, "Shall I tell you who is the worst of you?" "Yes," they replied. He said, "Those who go about slandering, causing mischief between friends in order to separate them, and desiring to lead the innocent into wrong action."

When we came to Madinah we ate from its fruits and did not feel comfortable in it, and we became ill. The Prophet (ﷺ) was trying to find out about the well of Badr, and when we heard that the mushrikeen had come, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) marched to Badr, and Badr was a well. We got there before the mushrikeen and we found two of their men, a man from Quraish and a freed slave of “Uqbah bin Abi Mu`ait. As for the Qurashi, he managed to escape, but we caught the freed slave of ‘Uqbah and started asking him: How many are the people? He said: By Allah, they are great in number and powerful. When he said that, the Muslims began to beat him and they brought him to the Prophet (ﷺ), who said: How many are the people? He said: By Allah, they are great in number and powerful. The Prophet (ﷺ) tried hard to make him tell him how many they were, but he refused. Then the Prophet (ﷺ) asked him: How many camels do they slaughter? He said: Ten each day. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: They are one thousand; each camel is for one hundred men. Then a shower of rain fell on us at night and we rushed to seek shelter beneath the trees and leather shields, sheltering from the rain. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) spent the night calling upon his Lord, may He be glorified and exalted, saying: “O Allah, if You cause this band to be destroyed, You will never be worshipped.” When dawn came, he called out: `Prayer, O slaves of Allah!” And the people came from beneath the trees and shields and the Messenger of Allah led us in prayer and encouraged us to fight. Then he said: `The army of Quraish is beneath this red outcrop of the mountain.` When the people drew close to us, and we stood in ranks facing one another, we saw one of their men, riding a red camel of his, going around among the people. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: `O `Ali, call Hamzah for me` - as he was the closest of them to the mushrikeen - and said `Who is the one on the red camel and what is he saying to them?` Then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: `If there is anyone among the people who is enjoining good, then perhaps it is the one on the red camel.` Hamzah came and said: He is `Utbah bin Rabee`ah, and he is telling them not to fight; he is saying to them: O people, I can see people who are going to fight to the death and you will never be able to harm them, because it will cost you too dear to do so. O people, put the blame on me ...