The Messenger of Allah approached the Banu'n-Nadir, a large tribe of Jews, to ask for their help in paying the blood-money of two men of the Banu 'Air who had been killed. An alliance had been made between the Banu'n-Nadir and the Banu 'Air. Although they promised to co-operate with him, they were really plotting to assassinate him. While the Messenger of Allah was sitting by the wall of one of their houses, they discussed what to do next. 'You will never have such a good opportunity as this again. Who will go up to the top of this house and throw a rock down onto him and rid us of him!'
With the Messenger of Allah was a group of his Companions including Abu Bakr, Umar and Ali.
Allah informed His Messenger about the treacherous plan. He went straight back to Madinah and ordered the Muslims to prepare for war against the Banu'n-Nadir. Then he led them to the enemy fortress. It was in the month of Rabi' al-Awwal in 4 A.H.
The Messenger of Allah laid siege to the Jews for six nights, casting terror into their hearts. They then asked the Messenger of Allah if he would banish them from the city and spare their lives on condition that they take with them all their belongings on their camels, except their weapons. The offer was accepted and they left Madinah after destroying their houses, taking whatever their camels could carry.
The Messenger of Allah divided what property was left among the first Muhajirun.
The Dhat ar-Riqa' expedition
In 4 A.H. the Messenger of Allah decided to make a raid into Najd, advancing with his Companions until he reached Nakhl. They had only one camel between six of them so their feet became raw from walking. They tore their clothes into strips to bandage their feet and toes. This expedition was called Ghazwah Dhat ar-Riqa, the expedition of Rags.
Though the two sides approached each other, no fighting ensued as they were too wary of each other. The Messenger of Allah led the Prayer of Fear on this occasion.
The Battle of the Ditch
The Battle of the Ditch took place in Shawwal 5 A.H. It was a decisive battle but it presented to the Muslims grave trials that they had not previously experienced. Allah says in the Qur'an:
When they came against you from above you and from below you, and when your eyes swerved and your hearts reached your throats, and you thought thoughts about Allah; there it was that the believers were tried, and shaken most mightily. (33: 11)
The Jews instigated these hostilities. People from the Banu'n-Nadir and the Banu Wa'il went to the Quraysh in Makkah, calling on them to fight the Messenger of Allah. The Quraysh who had already experienced war with the Prophet were reluctant to get involved again. However, the Jewish delegation painted such a rosy picture of the outcome that they agreed to co-operate.
'We will support you,' the Jews promised, 'until you obliterate him.'
That delighted the Quraysh. They were eager to carry out the Jews' ideas. They gathered their forces and prepared for battle. The Jewish delegation then went to the Ghatafan tribes and invited them to join the Quraysh. After the Ghatafan agreed to join in, they went to other tribes, presenting them with the same plan backed by the Quraysh.
Thus an alliance was formed between the Quraysh, the Jews, and the Ghatafan against the Muslims.
Certain conditions were drawn up. The Quraysh had to gather four thousand fighters and the Ghatafan six thousand, making ten thousand in all. This vast army was to be commanded by Abu Sufyan ibn Harb. The Jews agreed to give one year's harvest of Khaybar to the Ghatafan to compensate them for their military expenses.
Wisdom is the Lost Property of the believer
The Muslims decided to fortify themselves in Madinah and defend the city. Their army numbered less than three thousand so Salman al-Farsi suggested that a ditch should be dug around the city for protection.
'In Persia,' Salman said, 'when we feared invaders, we would dig a ditch around us to keep them at bay.' The Messenger of Allah agreed to his suggestion and a ditch was dug on the exposed side from where they feared the enemy would attack. The Messenger of Allah planned the work and assigned forty cubits of digging to each group of ten Muslims. The length of the ditch was about five thousand cubits and its depth varied between seven and ten cubits. Its width was at least nine cubits.
The spirit of equality and mutual support among the Muslims
The Messenger of Allah helped to dig the ditch and encouraged the Muslims working alongside him. Although it was bitterly cold and food was in short supply, the work proceeded smoothly.
Abu Talhah said, 'We complained to the Messenger of Allah of hunger and we showed him the stones that we had tied round our bellies to ease the pain. Then the Messenger of Allah showed us that he had two stones on his belly.'
In spite of all this they were happy, praising Allah and chanting poems. No one complained or expressed any regrets.
Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said, 'The Messenger of Allah went out to the ditch when the Muhajirun and Ansar were digging in the bitterly cold morning air. They had no slaves to do it for them. Seeing their state of fatigue and hunger, he said:
O Allah! True life is the life of the Next World. So forgive the Ansar and the Muhajirun.
In response they said:
We are those who have given homage to Muhammad.
To fight in jihad as long as we have life.
The Muslims came upon a large rock which their picks could not shift. When they complained to the Messenger of Allah about it, he took up a pick, saying, 'In the name of Allah.' His first blow broke off a third of the rock and sent sparks flying.
'Allah is greater!' he said, 'I have been given the keys of Syria. By Allah, I see its red castles, if Allah wills.'
He struck at the rock a second time and another third broke off.
'Allah is greater. I have been given the keys of Persia and, by Allah, I see the white castles of al-Mada'in.
With his third blow, he invoked the name of Allah and the rest of the rock shattered.
'Allah is greater!' he exclaimed, 'Allah is greater! I have been given the keys of the Yemen. By Allah, I see the gates of San'a' from here.
Prophetic miracles
A number of miracles were witnessed by the Companions at this time. Once when the ground was too hard to dig in part of the ditch, the Messenger of Allah called for some water, spat into it and prayed a supplication willed by Allah. When he poured the water over the hard ground, it became soft like sand. On other occasions, a great blessing would appear when a small amount of food could satisfy a large number of Muslims or even be sufficient for an entire army of three thousand workers.
When they came to you from above you and from beneath you
The Muslims had scarcely finished work on the ditch when the Quraysh and the Ghatafan arrived and pitched camp outside Madinah with ten thousand warriors. The Messenger of Allah assembled his three thousand Muslims, keeping the ditch between them and the enemy.
A treaty existed between the Muslims and the Madinan Jewish tribe of Banu Qurayzah. Huyayy ibn Akhtab, the chief of Banu'n-Nadir encouraged the Jews to break the treaty. When the Messenger of Allah heard of this, he realised that it was a serious setback and everyone feared the consequences. Some of the hypocrites displayed their hypocrisy openly. The Messenger of Allah even considered making a treaty with the Ghatafan, giving them one-third of Madinah's dates in order to make things easier for the Ansar who always bore the greatest hardships during wars.
He rejected that option after Sa'd ibn Mu'adh and Sa'd ibn 'Ubadah advised him to remain firm, upright and resolute before the enemy and to refuse any compromise.
'Messenger of Allah,' they said, 'We and these people all used to associate other things with Allah and worship idols; none of us worshipped nor recognised Allah. They would not eat a single date except through hospitality or purchase. Now that Allah has honoured us with Islam and guided us to it and made us mighty by you and Himself, shall we still give them our property? By Allah, we have no need to and, by Allah, we will not give them anything but the sword until Allah decides between us and them.'
Quraysh cavalry
The Messenger of Allah and the Muslims remained besieged by their enemies but no fighting took place. However, some of the mounted Quraysh galloped their horses up to the edge of the ditch. When they saw the ditch, they Said, 'By Allah, this is a device which the Arabs have never used!'
Then, having found the narrowest part, they beat their horses until they jumped over the ditch into the territory of Madinah. Among them was the famous horseman Amr ibn Abd Wudd who was said to be the equal of a thousand horsemen. He stopped and asked, 'Who will face me?'
Ali ibn Abi Talib sprang forward and said, 'Amr!
You swore by Allah that if a man of the Quraysh offered you two alternatives, you would accept one of them!'
'Yes, I did.'
'I call you to Allah and to His Messenger and to Islam,' Ali said.
'I have no need of that.'
'Then I call on you to encounter me.'
'Nephew,' said Amr to Ali, 'By Allah, I do not want to kill you.'
'But, by Allah,' Ali replied, 'I want to kill you.'
Amr was so furious that he leapt from his horse, hamstrung it, and slapped its face. Then he advanced on Ali who fought back. They circled one another, thrusting and parrying. Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) eventually beheaded Amr with a sweeping blow of his sword. The other horsemen rapidly retreated back across the ditch.
A mother encouraging her son to fight and gain martyrdom
Before the veil was prescribed, A’ishah, Umm al-Mu'minin, said that she was with the Muslim women in the fortress of Banu Harithah when, 'Sa'd ibn Mu'adh passed by wearing armour so short that his forearm was exposed. He was chanting some verses and his mother called, "Catch up, my son. By Allah, you are late." '
A’ishah continued, 'I said to her, "Umm Sa'd, I wish Sa'd's armour were longer than that."
What A’ishah feared took place. Sa'd ibn Mu'adh was hit by an arrow which severed a vein causing excessive bleeding. He died a martyr in the subsequent battle with the Banu Qurayzah.
To Allah belong the armies of the heavens and the earth
Their enemies laid siege to the Muslims for about a month. They invaded all the surrounding areas creating great hardship. The hypocrites showed their true colours; some even asked the Messenger of Allah if they could go into Madinah because they had left their houses unlocked. In reality, they only wanted to flee from the battlefront.
While the Messenger of Allah and his Companions kept a close watch on the enemy besieging them, Nu'aym ibn Mas'ud from the Ghatafan came up to him to say,
'Messenger of Allah, I have become a Muslim but my people do not know that. Tell me what you want me to do and I will do whatever you wish.'
The Messenger of Allah replied, 'You are the only Muslim there, so stay among our enemies and try to help us in whatever way you can. War is a clever device.'
Nu'aym ibn Mas'ud then went to the Banu Qurayzah and aroused doubts in their minds about their position. He mentioned their alliance with the Quraysh and Ghatafan who were distant tribes, and their antagonism towards the Muhajirun and Ansar who were their close neighbours. He suggested they should not fight alongside the Quraysh and Ghatafan until they had taken some leaders as hostages for security. They answered, 'You have given us good advice.'
When he went to talk to the Quraysh, he told them that the Jews were regretting what they had done and would be asking for some of their leaders to be held hostage as security that the treaty would not be broken. He also said that when they handed them over to the Prophet and his Companions, they would strike off their heads. Then he told the Ghatafan the same story as he had told the Quraysh. The seeds of distrust that he planted in their minds put the two groups on their guard and made them angry with the Jews. A split developed between the allies as a result, and each of them feared the others.
When Abu Sufyan and the leaders of the Ghatafan were ready to fight a decisive battle with the Muslims, the Jews put it off, demanding hostages from both sides first. The Quraysh and Ghatafan were convinced that Nu'aym ibn Mas'ud had told them the truth so they refused to grant the Jews' request. The Jews were also convinced that he had told them the truth. Thus their distrust of each other broke their unity and they split up.
Allah supported His Messenger by causing a hurricane to blow during the cold wintry nights. It blew down the enemy's tents and overturned their cooking-pots. The men were disheartened. Abu Sufyan got up and said,
'Company of Quraysh! By Allah, we are not in a permanent camp. The horses and camels are dying. The Banu Qurayzah have broken their promise to us and we have heard things about them which we dislike. We have suffered from the harshness of the wind as you can see and we are left without a cooking pot, or a fire. Not even a tent is standing up. Leave now, for I am going.'
Abu Sufyan went to his camel which was hobbled and mounted it. He beat it but did not unhobble it until it was standing.
When the Ghatafan heard that the Quraysh had departed, they also left. The Messenger of Allah was standing in prayer when his spy, Hudhayfah ibn al-'Yaman, informed him of what had taken place. In the morning the Messenger of Allah left the ditch and returned to Madinah. All the Muslims followed him, laying down their weapons. Allah Almighty spoke the truth:
O you who believe, remember Allah's blessing on you when hosts came against you, and We loosed against them a wind, and hosts you did not see. Allah sees what you do. (33: 9) and, Allah sent back those that were unbelievers in their rage and they attained no good. Allah spared the believers of fighting. Surely Allah is Strong, Mighty. (33: 25)
The hardships of war were over and the Quraysh never again returned to fight the Muslims.
The Messenger of Allah said, 'The Quraysh will never raid you after this year. Rather you will raid them.
Seven Muslims were martyred on the Day of the Ditch while four idol-worshippers were killed by the Muslims.
The Banu Qurayzah break a treaty
When the Messenger of Allah came to Madinah, he had a covenant drawn up between the Muhajirun and Ansar to which the Jews were also a party. The Jews were given freedom of religion and protection of life and property. They had reciprocal obligations. The clauses included: 'Each must help the other against anyone who attacks. They must seek mutual advice and consultation, and piety rather than wrongdoing. They are bound to help one another against any attack on Yathrib.
However Huyayy ibn Akhtab, the Jew who was leader of the Banu'n-Nadir, encouraged the Banu Qurayzah to break the treaty and to collaborate with the Quraysh although another leader, Ka'b ibn Asad al-Qurazi, had said, 'I have seen nothing but truthfulness and loyalty in Muhammad. But Ka'b ibn Asad broke his word and absolved himself of any promise made between himself and the Messenger of Allah. When this news reached the Prophet, he sent Sa'd ibn Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him), leader of the Aws (allies of the Banu Qurayzah) and Sa'd ibn 'Ubadah, leader of the Khazraj, with some Ansar representatives for confirmation. They found the situation even worse than they had feared.
'Who is the Messenger of Allah ? There is no treaty or agreement between us and Muhammad, 'the Banu Qurayzah alleged.
They were preparing to attack the Muslims, threatening to stab them in the back. That was harder to bear and more harmful than any onslaught on an open battlefield. It is referred to in the Qur'an: 'When they came against you from above you and from underneath you.'(33:10)
The situation was extremely perilous for the Muslims.
The advance on the Banu Qurayzah
When the Messenger of Allah and the Muslims left the ditch to return to Madinah they laid down their weapons. Jibril appeared and asked, 'Have you laid down your weapons, Messenger of Allah!' 'Yes,' he answered.
'The angels have not yet laid down their weapons. Allah the Mighty and Exalted commands you to go to the Banu Qurayzah. I am also to go there to shake them.'
The Messenger of Allah had it announced that:
'Whoever hears and obeys should not pray 'Asr before arriving at the Banu Qurayzah.'
He pitched camp and laid siege to the Banu Qurayzah for twenty-five days. By then they were so hard pressed that they surrendered for Allah had cast terror into their hearts.
Although the Banu Qurayzah submitted to the judgement of the Messenger of Allah, the leaders of the Aws interceded on their behalf. They maintained that the Banu Qurayzah were their allies against the Khazraj. The Messenger of Allah said,
'Will you be satisfied, Aws, if one of your men gives judgement on them?'
'Yes,' they replied.
The Messenger of Allah said, 'Sa'd ibn Mu'adh is the right man.'
When Sa'd was brought to him, the Aws people begged him, Abu Amr! Deal well with your friends. The Messenger of Allah appointed you for that so that you could be good to them.'
When they persisted, he said, 'A time has come when Sa'd is beyond caring about the praise or blame of anyone. I judge that the men be killed and their property divided up and that their children and women be taken as slaves.'
The Messenger of Allah Said, 'You have given the judgement of Allah regarding them.'
The judgement conformed with the law of war laid down for the Children of Isra'il given in the Torah. Sa'd ibn Mu'adh's sentence was carried out on the Banu Qurayzah and the Muslims were made safe from any acts of treachery.
Sallam ibn Abi'l-Huqayq was one of the Jews who had formed the confederation against the Muslims. The Khazraj killed him at his house in Khaybar. The Aws had already killed Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf who had done his utmost to incite the Quraysh against the Muslims and to slander the Messenger of Allah. Thus, the Muslims were saved from the leaders of enemy movements against Islam.
Thumamah ibn Uthal
The Messenger of Allah sent mounted soldiers towards Najd. They captured Thumamah ibn Uthal, the chief of the Banu Hanifah. When they returned to Madinah, they tied him to one of the columns of the Messenger of Allah's mosque.
The Messenger of Allah passed by him and said, 'What do you expect, Thumamah!'
He answered, 'Muhammad! If you kill me, you kill someone whose blood must be avenged. If you are gracious, you are gracious to someone who will be grateful. If you want money, ask what you like and it will be given!' The Messenger of Allah left him. When he passed by him again he asked the same question and received the same reply. On the third occasion he said, 'Release Thumamah,' so they set him free.
Thumamah went to a palm grove near the mosque where he washed himself. He returned to the mosque and became a Muslim, declaring, 'By Allah, there was no one on the face of the earth whose face was more detested by me than yours. Now your face has become the dearest of faces to me. By Allah, there was no religion on the face of the earth more hateful to me than yours and now it is the dearest of all to me. Your cavalry seized me when I was going to perform 'umrah.'
The Messenger of Allah congratulated him and invited him to perform 'umrah.
When Thumamah came to Makkah, the Quraysh said, 'Have you left your religion, Thumamah?'
'No, by Allah, but I have become a Muslim with Muhammad. No, by Allah, not a grain of wheat will come to you from Yamamah until the Messenger of Allah gives permission for it.' Yamamah had extremely fertile land and was the main supplier of grain to Makkah.
Thumamah went back home and forbade any caravans from transporting goods to Makkah. The Quraysh became so desperate that they wrote to the Messenger of Allah asking him, because of their kinship, to write to Thumamah to get the food ban lifted. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) did just that, and grain was once again brought to Makkah.
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