On March 13, 624, Mohammed led Muslims to victory in the Battle of Badr, Saudi Arabia. This was a major event in the spread of Islam on the Arabian Peninsula.

Mohammed, the Prophet of Islam, had left his hometown of Mecca years before, a migration called the hijra. He settled in the town of Medina. The conflict between Muslims in Medina and Mohammed’s family, the powerful Quraysh tribe of merchants, had grown as the new faith attracted followers. Muslims engaged in frequent skirmishes with Quraysh caravans, which traveled to and from Medina on trade routes.

A Quraysh caravan, which had stopped at Badr, was ambushed by Mohammed’s forces. At the valley of Badr, the Muslims were met by a Quraysh army. The Battle of Badr was the first large-scale confrontation between Muslims and the Quraysh. More than a thousand men engaged in the battle, which lasted hours and resulted in a decisive Muslim victory. Six years later, the Quraysh in Mecca peacefully surrendered to an army led by Mohammed.