The Scouts of Badr

Before the Battle of Badr, the Prophet ﷺ sent Sa'id ibn Zayd and Talhah ibn 'Ubaydillah to scout the Quraysh caravan returning from Syria. They went north and waited near al-Hawra' for news.

By the time they returned to Madinah, the Prophet ﷺ had already left with the army, and the battle was already near. They hurried to catch up, but the fighting was over by the time they arrived.

The Prophet ﷺ gave them a share of the spoils and counted them with the people of Badr in reward and honour, because they had been away on his command. Their case became a standard example for scholars of the idea that one who is prevented by service to the cause is counted as present.