The Two Ends of the Valley

It begins with a proper scene. A very graphic scene is given at the beginning, for the opening of the Battle of Badr, from verses 42 and 43 onwards — the verses that were read at the beginning. The translation may be given here, to make it easy and to furnish that imagery and that scene.

Remember when you were upon the nearest end of the valley and they upon the furthest end — both, then, in the same valley, the valley of Badr — and the caravan below you. Had you made an appointment with one another, you would have disagreed about the appointment. Which is to say that this was God-incidental, as against coincidental. Allah willed it to happen so. Had you planned it, you could not have come together in this way. But it happened so, that Allah might accomplish what was destined to be done, so that whoever was to perish might perish knowingly, and whoever was to live might live knowingly. And Allah is indeed All-Hearing, All-Knowing.