Did Prophet Muhammad raid caravans?

Did the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) Raid Caravans?

Qur'an 8:5 "For it was your Lord who made you [Prophet} venture from your home for a true purpose-- though a group of the believers disliked it (6) and argued with you about the truth after it had been made clear, as if they were being driven towards a death they could see with their own eyes. (7) Remember how God promised you [believers] that one of the two enemy groups would fall to you: you wanted the unarmed group to be yours, but it was God's will to establish the truth according to His Word and to finish off the disbelievers"

Below is commentary from Abdullah Yusuf Ali's translation of the Qur'an:

"Just before Badr there were two alternatives before the Muslims in Medina, to save themselves from being overwhelmed by the Meccan Quraish with all their resources from the rich Syrian trade. One, which had least danger for the time being, and also promised much booty, was to fall upon the Quraish caravan returning from Syria to Mecca richly laden, and led by Abu Sufyan with only 40 men unarmed. From a worldly point of view this was the safest and most lucrative course. The other alternative, which was actually adopted by the Apostle by the guidance of God, was to leave the booty alone and march out boldly against the well-armed and well-equipped Quraish army of 1,000 men coming from Mecca. The Muslims had no more than 300 men, ill-armed, to oppose to this force. But if they could defeat it, it would shake the selfish autocracy which was in possession of Mecca. By God's help they won a splendid victory, and the standard of Truth was established, never to be lowered again."

The caravan was on its way from Syria back to Mecca and it was loaded with booty. The caravan wasn't very heavily armed and would have made a very easy and appealing target. Many of the Muslims wished to raid the caravan, but Muhammad (pbuh) refused. Instead, he chose to go after the reinforcements coming from Mecca. This army consisted of 1,000 men that were very well armed and equipped. The Muslim army barely consisted of 300 and was very ill-equipped. Yet, Muhammad (pbuh) refused to raid the caravan and its booty, choosing instead, with the guidance of God, to bravely face the oncoming army. A few things to keep in mind:

►Medina was a 13 day journey from Mecca.

►Badr was 3 days away from Medina.

►Badr was 10 days away from Mecca.

The Muslims could have easily have raided the caravan with more than a week to spare before reinforcements arrived. They never did. Instead, they waited until the enemy neared, then set out to meet them on the battlefield. The Quraish army had been traveling for 10 days, and the Muslim army for 3 when the armies met at Badr. Obviously the Muslims were taking a defensive stand against an invading force. Considering the time period, and the fact that the Prophet waited about a week after the enemy dispatched before he set out, the caravan was a long ways away by then. There was ample opportunity for the Muslims to easily overtake the caravan, but they never did. The above verse makes it clear that the decision to fight the Quraish army was made rather than to overtake the caravan. Consider the following verses:

group of the believers disliked it (6) and argued with you about the truth after it had been made clear, as if they were being driven towards a death they could see with their own eyes. (7) Remember how God promised you [believers] that one of the two enemy groups would fall to you: you wanted the unarmed group to be yours, but it was God's will to establish the truth according to His Word and to finish off the disbelievers"

Notice that the verse clearly states that the Muslims wanted the unarmed group. Above that it states that they disliked and argued with the Prophet about his decision "as if they were being driven towards a death they could see with their own eyes." If they did go after an unarmed caravan, they would not have been afraid and arguing. Also, notice the word "but" indicating that God willed differently than having them raid the caravan.

From: Muhammad the Prophet, p. 84

The long standing anxiety of the Quraish to crush the growing power of Islam was the sole cause of the battle. The Muslims were in fact forced into it. The very fact that the Muslims strength aggregated only 313, including boys, all poorly armed, proves that there could have been little eagerness to fight a force 1,000 strong fully equipped. [the Muslims had 2 horsemen, and 70 camels, and the Quraish 100 horsemen, and 700 camels]. The Holy Qur'an thus depicts their state of mind when they were called upon to stand up in their own defense: "A party of the believers were surely averse. ... As if they were being drive to death." There were many who looked upon it, it says, as a great hardship, thinking they were being thrust into the very jaws of death. Nevertheless they had to strike a blow in self defense. The Holy Prophet summoned them together, explained the situation to them, stressing the fact that they could not help taking the field against a foe who was bent upon striking at their very existence. The Helpers had promised to defend the Holy Prophet only within the walls of Madinah, but now the situation required the enemy to be met before they attacked the town. When the Holy Prophet turned towards them to know their mind, he found them all ready to follow his lead and to stand by him under the severest trials. This small band of Muslims hastily recruited and ill-equipped, placing their reliance on Allah, marched out on the road to Makkah to check the onslaught of the Quraish. It was inadvisable to let the flames of fighting approach their homes at Madinah. Reaching Badr, so called after a well of the same name, they found the Quraish army already encamped there. They did the same.

After the migration to Medina by the Muslims, the Quraish were relentlessly harassing and threatening the Muslims. The following Hadith shows an example of this:

"When the Holy Prophet and his Companions came to Madina, and the helpers gave them shelter, all the Arabs combined to fight them. The Companions had to sleep by their weapons, till the morning" (Hakim and Darimi, quoted in Shibli's Sirat an-Nabi, p. 308).

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and his followers withstood 13 years worth of persecution while Mecca, never once raising a sword. During all these years of persecution, the Quraish tribe offered to make him the wealthiest man in Mecca. They offered him kingship, and they offered him women if he would just stop preaching this new message, which they viewed as a threat to their pagan beliefs and their commerce. He refused. During all the years of persecution in Mecca, he would remind his followers:

"I have been commanded to forgive, so do not fight." (Hadith collection Nasa'i, Book of Jihad)

In the fifth year of his prophethood, Muhammad (pbuh) had some of his followers migrate to Abyssinia to seek protection. Some of the Quraish fled after them, but Abyssinia refused to hand the Muslims over. The persecution became so severe, that finally, after 13 years of enduring the punishment, Muhammad (pbuh) and his followers fled to Medina. Still, the Quraish chased them, threatening to destroy them. The following was sent by Quraish to the leader of Medina:

"O people of Madina, you have given refuge to our adversary. (Muslims). We swear by God that if you do not fight them or expel them, we shall come against you and kill your fighting men and capture your women." (Abu Dawud, vol. ii, p. 495)

Then came the revelation from God telling the Muslims they must defend themselves. They were the ones with Gods final revelation and they had to protect it. The following verse was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) making it clear that the Muslims were to defend themselves, but were forbidden to ever aggress:

Qur'an 22:39 "Those who have been attacked are permitted to take up arms because they have been wronged -- God has the power to help them -- (40) those who have been driven unjustly from their homes only for saying, 'Our Lord is God.' If God did not repel some people by means of others, many monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques, where God's name is much invoked, would have been destroyed. God is sure to help those who help His cause -- God is strong and mighty."