This slumber occurred on the night before the battle

والصَّلَاةُ والسَّلاَمُ عَلَى سَيّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ أَشْرَفِ اْلمُرْسَلِيْنَ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ الطَّيّبِيْنَ الطَّاهِرِيْن

The Muslims spent the night before the battle in a state of peace and reassurance. During that night, Allah sent down drowsiness and tranquillity upon them, as mentioned in Suratu l-‘Anfal:

﴾إِذْ يُغَشِّيكُمُ النُّعَاسَ أَمَنَةً مِنْهُ وَيُنَزِّلُ عَلَيْكُمْ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً لِيُطَهِّرَكُمْ بِهِ وَيُذْهِبَ عَنْكُمْ رِجْزَ الشَّيْطَانِ وَلِيَرْبِطَ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِكُمْ وَيُثَبِّتَ بِهِ الْأَقْدَامَ﴿

"When He covered you with slumber as a security from Him and sent down upon you from the sky, rain by which to purify you and remove from you the evil of Satan and to make steadfast your hearts and plant firmly thereby your feet."

Al-Qurtubiyy commented: "This slumber occurred on the night before the battle, which was to take place the following day. The fact that they could sleep peacefully, despite the significant event ahead of them, was truly remarkable. It was as if Allah had fortified their heart."

As for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, he remained in prayer, weeping until the break of dawn. ^Aliyy ibnu ‘Abi Talib narrated, "None among us was mounted on a horse that day at Badr except for Al-Miqdad, who rode a piebald horse. I saw that none of us was awake, except for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, who was praying and weeping under a tree until morning came."

The following day, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ commenced his strategic planning for the battle. He arranged the Muslim forces, positioning them to face the west, so that the sun was behind them, shining directly into the eyes of their enemies. In doing so, he ensured that the sun's rays would impair their vision. He then proceeded to align the ranks, carefully straightening them to form tight, orderly rows.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then began issuing orders and directives to his troops. Among his commands was to engage the enemy with arrows if they drew near, instructing them, "If the enemy approaches, shower them with arrows." He also forbade the drawing of swords until the ranks were fully engaged, saying, "Do not unsheathe your swords until they have closed in on you." Additionally, he advised his companions to be frugal with their arrows, urging them, "Conserve your arrows."

Encouragement from the Prophet ﷺ to His Companions

The Prophet ﷺ’s encouragement had a profound effect on his companions' spirits and morale. He motivated and urged them to fight with zeal. For instance, he said to his companions, “Rise to enter a paradise whose width is as the heavens and the earth.” Upon hearing this, ^Umayr ibnu l-Humam al-‘Ansariyy asked, “O Messenger of Allah, a paradise as wide as the heavens and the earth?” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ affirmed, “Yes.” 'Amir replied, “Great! Great!” The Prophet ﷺ then asked, “What leads you to say, ‘Great! Great!’?” ^Umayr responded, “By Allah, O Messenger of Allah, only out of hope to be among its inhabitants.” The Prophet ﷺ reassured him, “Indeed, you are among its inhabitants.”

^Umayr then took some dates from his quiver, began eating them, and remarked, “If I live until I finish these dates, it would indeed be a long life.” He then threw away the remaining dates and fought the enemy until he was martyred.

The Prophet's ﷺ encouragement encompassed his promise to his companions that they would defeat the leaders of Quraysh, even specifying the locations where each of them would fall. He also assured them of victory before the battle began, saying to ‘Abu Bakr, "Rejoice." He stood before the companions and declared, "By The One Who owns the soul of Muhammad, no one fights them today, standing firm, seeking reward, advancing without retreating, but that Allah will admit him to Paradise."

The Prophet ﷺ prayed earnestly for the Muslims' victory, saying, "O Allah, here is Quraysh, having come with their arrogance and pride, defying You and denying Your Messenger. O Allah, grant me the victory You have promised me."

   Following: (Episode 7) Serpentine Heads and Sword-Like Faces