Sykes' History of Persia Vol 2 (pdf) - Heritage Institute

1 6 HISTORY OF PERSIA CHAP.
which the Moslems were invariably successful, and in the
engagement which ensued they carried all before them,
the Kureish fleeing,
after sustaining
a loss of forty-nine
killed against
fourteen on the other, side.
Among the
slain were some of Mohamed's leading enemies, and those
among the prisoners who were specially obnoxious to the
Moslems were butchered in cold blood. The remainder
were taken to Medina, where they were well treated until
ransomed. Of the rich spoil taken the Prophet reserved
one-fifth for himself, and divided the remainder equally.
The victory of Badr was a turning-point in Islam ;
for if
the Prophet had returned to Medina a fugitive,
his enemies
would probably have prevailed against him. As it
was,
his success against
a force of the Kureish three times as
strong as his own justified
him before his followers in
ascribing the victory to divine aid. In the eighth sura
we read, "And ye slew them not, but God slew them."
The year after the battle of Badr Mohamed felt himself
strong enough to attack the Beni Kainucas, one of the
three tribes of Jews resident in Medina. The other two
made no attempt to come to the aid of their co-religionists,
and the unfortunate Beni Kainucas were forced by lack of
supplies to submit. The Prophet at first intended to
massacre all the men, but in the end they were permitted
to leave Medina after being stripped of their property.
As they were goldsmiths and armourers by occupation
their departure did not furnish landed property to the
Moslems.
The Battle of Ohod, A.H. 3 (625), and the Expulsion of
the Beni Nazir. The career of the Prophet was not
without vicissitudes. In A.H. 3 (625) a Kureish force
3000 strong, burning to avenge the defeat at Badr,
attacked the Moslem army, which only mustered 1000
men, at Ohod, outside Medina. As at Badr, the Moslems
had the advantage in the single combats, but in the general
hand-to-hand contest which ensued, the superior numbers
of the Kureish won the day. Mohamed was wounded,
and but for his foresight
in fighting with his back to
some crags, there might well have been an irretrievable
disaster.
As it
was, he lost seventy-four warriors, and his