the outcome of the battle was as aforementioned an ignominious rout for the polytheists and a manifest victory for the muslims. fourteen muslims were killed, of whom six were from the emigrants and eight from the helpers. the polytheists sustained heavy casualties, seventy were killed and a like number taken prisoners. many of the principal men of makkah, and some of muhammad [pbuh]’s bitterest opponents, were among the slain. chief of these was abu jahl.

on the third day, the messenger of allâh [pbuh] went out to look at the slain polytheists, and said:

"what an evil tribe you were as regards your prophet, you belied me but the others have believed; you let me down while the others have supported me; you expelled me, whereas the others have sheltered me."

he stood over the bodies of twenty-four leaders of quraish who had been thrown into one of the wells, and started to call them by name and by the names of their fathers, saying: "would it not have been much better for you if you had obeyed allâh and his messenger? behold, we have found that our lord’s promise do come true; did you (also) find that the promises of your lord came true?" thereupon, ‘umar bin al-khattab said: "o messenger of allâh! why you speak to bodies that have no souls in them?" the prophet [pbuh] answered: "by him in whose hand is muhammad [pbuh]’s soul! you do not hear better what i am saying than they do."