The Medina army's march to Badr

In Ramadan of the 2nd year AH the army of Medina set out seeking the Quraysh caravan, and its march ended at Badr, where the Meccan army had camped. The road from Medina to Badr was roughly 150 kilometres, and the Muslims covered it with an army that was not fully prepared: two horses and seventy camels, which the men rode in turns ¹.

• From Medina to Bi'r al-Rawha: the Prophet ﷺ left Medina by the Naqb road, the main route to Mecca, and appointed Ibn Umm Maktum over Medina. When he reached al-Rawha he sent back Abu Lubaba ibn Abd al-Mundhir (may God be pleased with him) and put him in charge there ¹.
• From al-Rawha to al-Naziya: the Prophet left the Mecca road on his left and turned right toward al-Naziya, heading for Badr. He then crossed the Wadi Rahqan between al-Naziya and the pass of al-Safra, and went through the pass until he was near al-Safra ¹.
• At al-Safra: he sent Basbas ibn Amr and Adi ibn Abi al-Zaghba of Juhayna to Badr to spy on the news of the caravan ¹.
• From al-Safra to Dhafiran: news of the caravan and of the Meccan levy reached the Prophet while he was still in Wadi Dhafiran, and it became clear to him that there was no way left to avoid a bloody encounter ².
• Al-Asafir and al-Dabba: the Prophet took a route through the passes called al-Asafir, then descended to a place called al-Dabba, leaving al-Hinan on his right, and then camped near Badr ³.
• Reconnaissance at Badr: the Prophet went round the Meccan camp with Abu Bakr. They questioned an old man of the Arabs about the two armies, and the Prophet returned to his companions with news of the people and their number ³.

On arrival there was a military consultation, which the Prophet called. The three emigrant speakers spoke first, then Sa'd ibn Mu'adh announced on behalf of the Ansar that they were ready to hear and obey, and that no one from the army would hold back ⁴. The account here is taken from the people of the sira; al-Rahiq gives detail on the differing reports at this point.

The Muslims then camped at the nearest of Badr's waters, on the advice of al-Hubab ibn al-Mundhir (may God be pleased with him). They prepared cisterns and stopped up the other wells ⁵. They built a shelter for the Prophet on a height overlooking the battlefield, and young men of the Ansar, led by Sa'd ibn Mu'adh, guarded it ⁶.

• Exact place of the advisory council: the museum's data says it was held at Dhafiran or Dhu Afran. The pages of al-Rahiq (208–210) say it was held after the news arrived, without naming the place, so no place name is given in the march. To be reviewed.
• Dhu Afran: appears in the station data as a stage of the march. Its position in the text of al-Rahiq that was read is not confirmed.
• The core account here is from al-Rahiq al-Makhtum by al-Mubarakpuri, a modern work that relies on the books of the sira. It has not yet been checked against Ibn Hisham's text in the approved edition, and should be reviewed before it is adopted.