Editing Muhammad (section)

===Beginning of armed conflict===
{{Main|Battle of Badr}}
{{See also|Military career of Muhammad|List of expeditions of Muhammad}}
{{Campaignbox Campaigns of Muhammad}}

Following the emigration, the people of Mecca seized property of Muslim emigrants to Medina.<ref>[[Fazlur Rahman Malik|Fazlur Rahman]] 1979, p. 21.</ref> War would later break out between the people of Mecca and the Muslims. Muhammad delivered Quranic verses permitting Muslims to fight the Meccans.<ref>[[John Kelsay]] 1993, p. 21.</ref> According to the traditional account, on 11 February 624, while praying in the [[Masjid al-Qiblatayn]] in Medina, Muhammad received revelations from God that he should be facing Mecca rather than Jerusalem during prayer. Muhammad adjusted to the new direction, and his companions praying with him followed his lead, beginning the tradition of facing Mecca during prayer.{{sfn|Watt|1961|pp=112-114}}

{{Quote box|quoted=true|bgcolor=#ffeeaa|align=right|width=25%|salign=right|quote=Permission has been given to those who are being fought, because they were wronged. And indeed, Allah is competent to give them victory. Those who have been evicted from their homes without right—only because they say, "Our Lord is Allah." And were it not that Allah checks the people, some by means of others, there would have been demolished monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques in which the name of Allah is much mentioned. And Allah will surely support those who support Him. Indeed, Allah is Powerful and Exalted in Might.|source=—&thinsp;Quran (22:39–40)}}

Muhammad ordered a number of raids to capture Meccan caravans, but only the 8th of them, the [[Raid on Nakhla]], resulted in actual fighting and capture of booty and prisoners.<ref name="Watt2024" /> In March 624, Muhammad led some three hundred warriors in a raid on a Meccan merchant caravan. The Muslims set an ambush for the caravan at Badr.{{sfn|Rodinson|2002|p=164}} Aware of the plan, the Meccan caravan eluded the Muslims. A Meccan force was sent to protect the caravan and went on to confront the Muslims upon receiving word that the caravan was safe.{{sfn|Holt|Lambton|Lewis|1977|p=45}} Due to being outnumbered more than three to one, a spirit of fear ran throughout the Muslim camp; Muhammad tried to boost their morale by telling them he had a dream in which God promised to send 1,000 angels to fight with them.{{sfn|Armstrong|2013|p=11|loc=Chapter Four: Jihad}}<ref>[[Quran 8]]:5–9</ref> From a tactical standpoint, Muhammad placed troops in front of all of the wells so the Quraysh would have to fight for water, and positioned other troops in such a way that would require the Quraysh to fight uphill while also facing the sun.{{sfn|Armstrong|2013|p=11|loc=Chapter Four: Jihad}} The [[Battle of Badr]] commenced, and the Muslims ultimately won, killing at least forty-five Meccans with fourteen Muslims dead. They also succeeded in killing many Meccan leaders, including [[Abu Jahl]].<ref>Glubb 2002, pp. 179–186.</ref> Seventy prisoners had been acquired, many of whom were ransomed.<ref>Lewis 2002, p. 41.</ref>{{sfn|Watt|1961|p=123}}{{sfn|Rodinson|2002|pp=168–169}} Muhammad and his followers saw the victory as confirmation of their faith{{sfn|Buhl|Welch|1993}} and Muhammad ascribed the victory to the assistance of an invisible host of angels. The Quranic verses of this period, unlike the Meccan verses, dealt with practical problems of government and issues like the distribution of spoils.<ref>Lewis 2002, p. 44.</ref>

The victory strengthened Muhammad's position in Medina and dispelled earlier doubts among his followers.{{sfn|Rodgers|2012|loc=ch. 1}} As a result, the opposition to him became less vocal. Pagans who had not yet converted were very bitter about the advance of Islam. Two pagans, [[Asma bint Marwan]] of the Aws Manat tribe and [[Abu 'Afak]] of the 'Amr b. 'Awf tribe, had composed verses taunting and insulting the Muslims. They were killed by people belonging to their own or related clans, and Muhammad did not disapprove of the killings. This report, however, is considered by some to be a fabrication.<ref>Maulana Muhammad Ali, ''Muhammad The Prophet'', pp. 199–200.</ref> Most members of those tribes converted to Islam, and little pagan opposition remained.{{sfn|Watt|1956|pp=178–179}}

Muhammad expelled from Medina the [[Banu Qaynuqa]], one of three main Jewish tribes,{{sfn|Buhl|Welch|1993}} but some historians contend that the expulsion happened after Muhammad's death.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Zeitlin |first=Irving M. |title=The Historical Muhammad |publisher=John Wiley and Sons |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-7456-5488-1 |page=148}}</ref> According to [[al-Waqidi]], after [[Abd Allah ibn Ubayy]] spoke for them, Muhammad refrained from executing them and commanded that they be exiled from Medina.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Faizer |first=Rizwi |title=The Life of Muhammad: Al-Waqidi's Kitab al-Maghazi |publisher=Routledge |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-136-92113-1 |page=79}}</ref> Following the Battle of Badr, Muhammad also made mutual-aid alliances with a number of Bedouin tribes to protect his community from attacks from the northern part of [[Hejaz]].{{sfn|Buhl|Welch|1993}}