The correct answer is 14. During the Battle of Badr, fought on the 17th of Ramadan in the second year of Hijrah (March 624 CE), a total of 14 Muslim fighters attained martyrdom. Despite facing a heavily armed Quraysh army... Read More
The correct answer is 14. During the Battle of Badr, fought on the 17th of Ramadan in the second year of Hijrah (March 624 CE), a total of 14 Muslim fighters attained martyrdom. Despite facing a heavily armed Quraysh army that outnumbered them nearly three to one—with approximately 1,000 opposing soldiers against an initial Muslim force of 313—the casualties sustained by the Muslim side were remarkably low in comparison to the scale of the confrontation.
Historical chronicles, including the works of Ibn Ishaq and Al-Waqidi, meticulously record the identities of those who fell during the engagement. Out of the 14 martyrs, 6 belonged to the Muhajirun (emigrants from Makkah) and 8 belonged to the Ansar (helpers from Madinah). Specifically, among the Ansar, 6 men were from the Khazraj tribe and 2 were from the Aws tribe.
Prominent figures among the early Muslims who lost their lives in this battle include Ubaydah ibn al-Harith from the Muhajirun, who suffered fatal injuries during the initial single-combat duels and passed away shortly after the battle concluded as the army retreated back toward Madinah. Other notable companions who gave their lives on the battlefield included Saad ibn Khaythamah and Aqil ibn al-Bukayr.
The relatively low number of casualties—contrasted with the 70 deaths and 70 captures recorded on the side of the Quraysh—has been analyzed by historians through the lens of battlefield positioning and tactics. The Muslim army secured the higher ground and the freshwater wells of Badr before the engagement began, which provided a defensive advantage that minimized prolonged exposure to enemy formations.
Following the conclusion of the battle, the bodies of the 14 martyrs were buried on the battlefield of Badr before the Muslim army began its return journey to Madinah. Their sacrifice cemented the solidarity of the nascent Muslim community and established a precedent of collective resilience that would shape subsequent military and political developments in the Arabian Peninsula.
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