The 24 Chiefs in the Well
Hazrat Abu Talha (ra) participated alongside the Holy Prophet (sa) in the Battle of Badr. Hazrat Abu Talha (ra) narrates that on the day of Badr, the Holy Prophet (sa) passed a verdict that twenty-four chiefs from among the Quraish to be thrown into one of the feculent wells situated in Badr. Whenever the Holy Prophet (sa) was victorious over a people, he would stay in the battleground for three nights. When the Holy Prophet (sa) stayed in Badr and the third day approached, he ordered for the saddle to be placed on his camel, which was subsequently prepared. The Holy Prophet (sa) then set off and the Companions (ra) also joined him. The Companions (ra) stated that they thought that perhaps the Holy Prophet (sa) set off for a particular reason. The Holy Prophet (sa) then reached the well and stood over the well where the bodies of the 24 men had been thrown. This was a closed well. The Holy Prophet (sa) began to call their names as well as the names of their fathers that “O son of such and such person! Had you obeyed Allah and His Messenger, would you not have rejoiced now? Verily, we have received what our Lord had promised us but have you also received what your lord had promised you?” Hazrat Abu Talha (ra) narrates that Hazrat Uma r(ra) submitted, “O Messenger (sa) of Allah! What are you saying to these lifeless corpses?” The Holy Prophet (sa) stated, “I swear by Him in Whose hands lies the life of Muhammad! You are not hearing these words any more than they are hearing them.” That is, Allah the Almighty was now relaying these words to them to signify how terrible their end was.
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitabul Maghazi, Bab Qatli Abi Jahl, Hadith 3976)