Both armies were positioned near the well of Badr. It seemed like a battle was inevitable. However, even though it had been revealed to him through a verse that they would win, our Master did not want to fight his own people, the Quraysh. He still had hope that they might find guidance.

With this intention, he sent Omar (ra) as an envoy to the pagans, offering them a proposal: “Give up this battle and go back. Fighting against someone other than you would be better for us.”

Hakim bin Hizam among the polytheists responded positively to this proposal, expressing his opinion to his people: “O my people, you see that Muhammad is dealing fairly with us. We should consider what he is proposing. If we refuse, he might not be as fair with us in the future.”

However, Abu Jahl strongly opposed this request: “We must not miss this opportunity. God (!) has prepared an opportunity for us to take revenge on them. If we miss this chance, we will undoubtedly be ungrateful. Now we must make their place clear to them in such a way that they can never send a scout or intercept our caravans again in the future.”

Abu Jahl’s speech convinced the pagans to abandon their plan of returning. It is noteworthy that Abu Jahl was consistently the one encouraging the pagans to fight the Muslims and preventing them from turning back. His actions will continue to be observed as the story unfolds, leading to his ultimate fate…

The next step for the Quraysh pagans was to determine the true strength of the Muslims. To achieve this, they assigned the task of reconnaissance to Umair bin Wahb, an expert in gathering intelligence. Umair would approach the Muslim camp as closely as possible and gather extensive information about their numbers, equipment, and morale.

Umair quickly mounted his horse and headed straight for the Islamic camp. He circled around the Muslims without revealing himself and carefully observed their situation. When he returned to his companions, he provided the following information:

“Their numbers are approximately around three hundred, perhaps three to five less or more. They have about seventy camels and two horses. I don’t think their food supplies are abundant. Their biggest advantage, from our perspective, is that they are stationed near a water source. If the battle doesn’t end quickly, we will suffer from severe thirst, which would be a significant disadvantage for us.

As for their warriors, their morale is very high. They are thinking about dying, not losing. For this reason, I don’t foresee us defeating them unless we kill at least as many of their men as we have. After losing this many men from our side, the victory, in my opinion, will taste bitter.

If you ask me, I suggest not to fight with these people who have high morale and little war equipment… Even if we defeat them, this victory will come at a very high cost, which is not worth it. “

Umair’s report made the Quraysh deeply contemplate their decision. If what Umair described was accurate, then engaging in battle did not seem like a wise choice. However, any decision regarding this matter needed to be made after careful consideration. Following a meeting, there was consensus to send a second scout for reconnaissance, and the final decision would be made based on the information brought back. Subsequently, Abu Usama al-Jushmi was sent to scout around the Muslim camp.

Jushmi quickly completed his reconnaissance and returned to his comrades, summarizing what he had observed:

“I swear, these people are not fit for battle. They lack proper horses, equipment, or even a proper rear guard. All they have are a few camels, two horses, and their weapons. However, their morale is incredibly high; they are determined to either die or win. Engaging in battle with them would only result in severe losses for us. Now, you should make the final decision accordingly...”

Utba, who was already inclined towards turning back, heard these reports and decided to act.

Hakim bin Hizam, upon hearing this information and being in favor of turning back, immediately stood up and went directly to Utba, one of the leaders among the pagans, and made him the following offer:

“O Utba, you are one of the respected and influential leaders of the Quraysh. Do you wish to remain so in the future as well?”

Utba asked in amazement:

“Of course, I do, Hakim. What is the offer you have in mind?”

 Hakim bin Hizam explained what he wanted Utba to do:

“Prevent the people from engaging in combat against the Muslims! By doing so, no one will have shed any blood, and you will always be loved and respected for thinking about your people!”

Utba found the offer appealing, as he had carefully listened to the reports from the two scouts and concluded that it might be better to follow this course of action. However, there was a problem - Abu Jahl, who was like a constant thorn in their side. What would he say?

Utba communicated his decision to Hakim with a suggestion:

“Let’s do as you proposed. After all, the caravan has already been saved. However, you should go to that son of Hanzala (referring to Abu Jahl), and try to convince him as well. Otherwise, we can’t manage this alone. I’m making the same offer to the others here as well…”

Utba then stood up and began to explain his thoughts:

“O people of Quraysh, if you listen to me, let’s reconsider fighting against Muhammad and his companions. For every one of them that you kill, you’ll be killing your own uncle, your cousin, or someone from your tribe. Whom will you face after that? In my opinion, we should withdraw and leave him to deal with the other tribes. If he loses to them, we’ll be rid of him. But if he wins, we can make peace and maintain our relations with him…”

While Utba was speaking, Hakim went directly to Abu Jahl for a second time and repeated exactly what Utba had just said to the people. Then he waited for Abu Jahl’s response.

Abu Jahl, as he listened to what was explained to him, became increasingly angry and agitated. His anger flared up, and he spoke vehemently:

“You and Utba have swollen with fear! Furthermore, his son is among Muhammad and his companions, so he doesn’t want to fight against them. I swear we won’t return without fighting!”

Meanwhile, among the Quraysh polytheists, these kinds of debates were intensifying.

During this time, Huzeyfah al-Yamani (ra) known as the confidential secretary of Rasulullah (saw), was on his way to join the Muslim forces in Badr along with his father. Their intention was to join the Muslims and participate in the battle against the polytheists. However, as they were traveling, by a twist of fate, they were captured by the polytheists while attempting to pass through the vicinity of the Quraysh camp.

Huzeyfah (ra) was well-known among the Quraysh polytheists, and they chose not to harm him. Instead, they released him on the condition that he would not join the forces of Muhammad (saw) and the Muslims. According to the agreement, Huzeyfah was to return directly to Yathrib without participating in the battle.

Following his release, Huzeyfah and his father made their way to the presence of our Master (saw) and recounted their experiences. Upon hearing the agreement, they had made with the Quraysh, our Master advised them to keep their promise and return to Yathrib. This decision aimed to prevent them from being subjected to any harm or backlash due to the terms they had accepted.

Huzeyfah and his father obeyed our Master’s counsel and headed back to Yathrib as instructed.