Military career of Muhammad Quraysh that a Muslim attack was imminent, a Meccan relief force of 1000 men, many of them wearing mail armour, was sent. Abu Jahl, who led the relief army, pressed northwards to where he expected the Muslim army to be: at Badr. While marching, however, around 200–400 warriors left his army and headed back to Mecca. Muhammad was unaware of the Meccan army until one day before contact, when his men captured two Quraysh waterbearers. The Muslims took up a defensive position. The battle started off with a duel between three Muslim and three Meccan champions, which the Muslims decided
Military career of Muhammad in their favour. Afterwards the two armies exchanged arrow fire, before finally clashing. According to the Quran, thousands of angels descended from heaven and participated in the battle, being instructed by Allah to "smite the [Meccan warrior's] necks and smite of them each finger." According to another Quranic verse, Allah fought and killed the Meccans representatively for the Muslim warriors. The Meccan army eventually collapsed soon after the horse of Abu Jahl was brought down, resulting in the first major Muslim victory. This victory must not so much be ascribed to divine intervention as is done in the Islamic sources,