ABSTRACT
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.