BADR

More correctly, Badr Hunayn, a small

town to the south-west of Medina, and

at the junction of the old caravan route

from Mecca to Syria. At the time of

Muhammad it was a small market cen-

tre, situated in a plain, encircled by steep

hills and sand dunes. It was the site of

the first great battle between Muham-

mad and the pagan Meccans in the

middle of Ramadan 2/March 624. The

battle of Badr was a huge psychological

victory for the nascent Muslim commu-

nity, with 300 of the devout of Medina

overcoming 1,000 well-equipped Quray-

shis, of whom over seventy were slain,

including their leader, Abu Jahl. There

are various references to the battle in the

Qur ) an, although it is to the hadith and

the sira (historical stories) that one must

turn for details. Colin Turner

AL-BAGHAWI Al-Husayn b. Mas

( ud b. Muhammad al-(

Allama Abu Muhammad al-Farra‘ al-

Baghawi was born in Bagh, or Baghshur,

near Herat. Arab sources often identify

him by the nickname al-Farra’. He was

known for temperance and piety,

renouncing sumptuous foods and sur-

viving on bread and olive oil. He died an

octogenarian in Marw al-Rudh some

time between 510/1117 and 516/1122. Al-Suyuti describes him as a Shafi

( ite

authority on exegesis, traditions and

jurisprudence. Al-Baghawi’s works

include Masabih al-sunna (Lights of the

way of the Prophet) and Sharh al-sunna

(Making the Prophets’ way known),

both studies of the traditions; al-Tahd-

hib (The Expurgation), a study of jur-

isprudence; and Ma ( alim al-tanzil (The

signposts of the Revelation), a com-

mentary on the Qur ) an. All his writing

draws on narrative in illustrating doctrine

and interpreting scripture. In this he followed the model of al-Tha

( labi (d.