The Battle of the Trench

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The Battle of the Trench

Bilal Husayn Attari Madani

A vast portion of the Prophet Muhammad’s صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم pristine biography comprises of ghazwāt. This facet of his sacred life not only guides humankind regarding how to behave on the battlefield, but also how to conduct various matters of politics, welfare, and ideology.

These defensive battles that took place after the hijrah to Madinah concluded with the Battle of Khandaq, which was fought in Shawwāl/Dhū al-QiꜤdah, 5 AH. This is also known as the Battle of the Trench. [1]

Khandaq and Aḥzāb

Khandaq refers to a long and deep defensive trench dug on the battlefield to protect against enemy attack. This is a defensive stratagem of war originating in Persia. This event is referred to as the Battle of the Trench, as a long, deep trench was excavated alongside the flat, open areas adjacent to Medina. It is also called the Battle of Aḥzāb. The word aḥzāb connotes numerous groups. It is referred to as such because Jews allied with the polytheists of Mecca and various other Arab tribes to form a military alliance against the Muslims.[2]

Backdrop

When the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم laid siege to the Jews of the Banū Naḍīr tribe due to their cunning ploys and breach of promises, he صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم also expelled them from Medina. Some of their chiefs (Ḥuyayy b. Akhṭab etc.) went to Khaybar, where they were shown great honour and taken as leaders of the people there. Their banishment in the Battle of Banū Naḍīr disgraced and humiliated them. They began to plan a major attack on Medina to seek revenge.

They came to Mecca and met with Qurayshī disbelievers. This ill-intentioned meeting led to mutual agreement. The Quraysh themselves sought revenge for their defeat in the Battle of Badr and other such events. They joyously and willingly extended their hand to the Jews as partners.

Following this, Jews approached the Ghaṭafān and enticed them with a portion of wealth from Khaybar. The latter also joined their army. In short, Jews travelled within the Arabian Peninsula and prepared the Banū Ghaṭafān, Banū Sulaym, Quraysh, and various other Arab and Jewish tribes for battle against the Muslims. In this way, bringing all of them on one platform, they arranged a confederate force. This was a severe battle for the Muslims. Such a bloodthirsty army had not been witnessed in the history of the Arabs. This was the first time the disbelievers had united in an organised manner to attack Muslims. The total size of this force was 10,000 combatants.[3]

When news of the imminent attack of this colossal force reached Medina, the Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم gathered the Companions عَلَیْہِمُ الرِّضْوَان and held a discussion. Salmān al-Fārisī رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَـنْهُ suggested the idea of a trench by saying, “O Messenger of Allah! In Persia, when we were besieged, we would dig a trench.” This was a new military tactic for the Arabs. All present showed their liking for this, and the Greatest Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم accepted this suggestion.

The Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم appointed Ibn Umm Maktūm رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَـنْهُ as his representative in Medina. With a force of 3000 Anṣār and Muhājirīn, he then set up an encampment at the foot of Mount Sela. With their back to the mountain behind them, the trench was excavated quickly, a work in which the Greatest Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم himself took part in.  According to one view, the trench was completed in 6 days.

Mount Sela was behind the Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم and before him was the trench. Beyond the trench lay the enemy forces.[4]

Until the confederate force of Arab polytheists and Jews attacked, the Jewish tribe of Banū Qurayẓah (which lived in Medina) was adherent to the Covenant of Medina.[5] During the attack and upon the insistence of Ḥuyayy b. Akhṭab (the leader of Banu Naḍīr), the Banū Qurayẓah then also allied themselves with opposing forces. The Muslims were betrayed right in the midst of battle. After the Battle of the Trench, the Prophet    صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم addressed this treachery of theirs in what is historically referred to as the Battle of Banū Qurayẓah.[6] (A brief description of this is to follow.)

Polytheist and Jewish forces launched their attack on Medina, but the valiant faith of the Companions رَضِیَ اللهُ عَنْهُم and the vast trench remained a barrier to their impure offence. The disbelieving army camped near the trench and formed fortifications, trying to reach the city of Medina. Some disbelievers attempted to traverse the trench at narrower parts. A few were successful but met their end at the hands of the self-sacrificing Companions of the Holy Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم.[7] During the siege, apart from the volleying of arrows from both sides and minor skirmishes, there was no all-out fighting.[8]

Intense weather, a lengthening siege, depleting provisions, and news of the Jews treachery worried the disbelievers greatly. Allah Almighty then sent an intense storm in support of the Muslims; strong enough to overturn the cauldrons of the disbelievers upon their stoves, uproot their tents, and scare them to the extent they sought to flee.

The leader of the disbelievers announced retreat with the words, “By God! Our animals are perishing and Jews have deceived us. Look at this storm; neither are our cauldrons staying on their stoves, nor can we ignite fires, and we are unable to set up any tents. Our siege is nothing apart from futile over exertion.”

With cries of الرّحیل الرّحیل (Depart! Depart!), the polytheists fled in shameful defeat and the Jews retreated into their fortresses.[9]

Now the sacred land of Allah’s Messenger was rid of this impure force, the Muslim army returned to Medina. The Muslims did not suffer great casualties in this battle. In total, 6 were martyred. Yet, a great personality of the Anṣār, the leaders of the Aws, SaꜤd b. MuꜤādh رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَـنْهُ was injured by an arrow and did not recover.[10]

Holding Banū Qurayẓah to account

After Medina was successfully defended and the confederate force fled, time arrived for holding the Banū Qurayẓah to account for their violation of the Covenant of Medina, that too during wartime.  

After the Battle of the Trench, the Greatest Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم announced for people to not lay down their weapons and head towards the Banū Qurayẓah. The Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم laid siege to their fortresses for 25 days. Finally, the recalcitrant forces of Banū Qurayẓah were killed along with their leaders (i.e., the central antagonist of the confederate force, Ḥuyayy b. Akhṭab, as well as he who breeched the Covenant of Medina, KaꜤb b. Asad). Their bodies were cast into pits. In this way, the pure land of Medina was rid of these mischievous disbelievers.[11]

Why the polytheists and Jews were defeated

A study of this battle reveals three main reasons for the defeat of the confederate army.

1. Intense storm: Allah Almighty mentions regarding this:

یٰۤاَیُّہَا الَّذِیْنَ اٰمَنُوا اذْکُرُوْا نِعْمَۃَ اللّٰہِ عَلَیْکُمْ  اِذْ جَآءَتْکُمْ جُنُوْدٌ  فَاَرْسَلْنَا عَلَیْہِمْ رِیْحًا وَّ جُنُوْدًا لَّمْ تَرَوْہَا ؕ وَ کَانَ اللّٰہُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُوْنَ بَصِیْرًا ۚ(۹)

O you who believe!  Remember the favour of Allah upon you when some armies confronted you, so We sent upon them a strong wind and armies that you could not see. And Allah sees your actions.[12]

Note: Angels frightened the disbelievers in this battle but did not participate in direct combat.[13]

2. The state of Medina’s newfound battle strategy

Digging a trench was a Persian defensive war stratagem. This was an unheard of and newfound tactic for Arab tribes, as the latter had not experienced the vicious battles of Rome and Persia. For this reason, they were completely unprepared for it. Coming face to face with this formidable obstacle left them with no answer.[14]

3. NuꜤaym b. MasꜤūd’s gift to the Muslim army

NuꜤaym b. MasꜤūd al-AshjaꜤī رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَـنْهُ was a highly respected name in the Banū Ghaṭafān. Both the Quraysh and Jews trusted him completely. He had come to the Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم and embraced Islam, yet the enemy remained unaware of this.

To disrupt and break the disbelievers’ plans, he took permission from the Greatest Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم and went to the Jews. He told them:

Take some respected individuals from the Quraysh and Banū Ghaṭafān as a surety. You seek to take up stay in Medina, but there is no guarantee the polytheists will remain loyal to you, as they are from Mecca and have no vested interest in Medina. If they leave you in the lurch, how do you expect to fight Muhammad (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم)?

Having sown this seed amongst them, he then came to the Quraysh and Banū Ghaṭafān. He told them:

The Jews now regret betraying Muhammad (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم). They have made a secret agreement with him to take some high-ranking names from you, which they will hand over to him to be executed.  Do not give your prominent personalities to the Jews.

The Banū Qurayẓah did not know he was Muslim and acted upon what he said. Trust between the confederates was shattered and they began to accuse each other of treachery. Through NuꜤaym b. MasꜤūd al-AshjaꜤī رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَـنْهُ, the alliance was fragmented.[15]

Note: It is permitted to lie during wartime to trick the enemy. The Greatest Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم explained, “War is ploy and strategy.”[16]

Further facets of the Battle of Khandaq

1. Manifestation of miracles

Many miracles of the Greatest Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم manifested in this battle.

i) Jābir hosted a dinner, comprising of just baby goat and a ṣāꜤ of barley. This satiated the entire Muslim army. After the meal, the same amount of food remained as was initially present.[17]

ii) Bashīr b. SaꜤd’s daughter brought some dates as breakfast for her father, as well as her uncle, ꜤAbdullāh b. Rawāḥah. The Greatest Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم took them in his blessed hand, scattered them upon a cloth, and invited others to eat. They all ate to their fill, whilst the dates continued to fall from the corners of the cloth.[18]

iii) During the excavation of the trench, a formidable rock presented itself, which the Companions رَضِیَ اللهُ عَنْهُم could not break. The Greatest Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم struck it with a pickaxe, reducing it to a powdery heap.[19]

iv) The shin of ꜤAlī b. Ḥakm رَضِىَ اللهُ عَـنْهُ broke after it collided with a wall of the trench. The Greatest Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم passed his blessed hand over it, whereupon it was miraculously cured.[20]

v) The Greatest Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم was unable to offer Ꜥaṣr salah once, due to being busy with war-related matters. The sun proceeded to set. Allah Almighty then moved the sun back and the Greatest Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم  performed Ꜥaṣr salah.[21]

2. Codewords

In wartime and especially at night, it was especially important to develop codewords that saved one from killing an ally. Various words were employed when required for identification purposes. In the Battle of the Trench, during night raids, the codeword of the Muhājirīn was یَا خَیْلَ اﷲ and that of the Anṣār was حٰمٓ لَایُنْصَرون.[22]

3. Flagbearers

In this battle, the flag of the Muhājirīn was in the hand of Zayd b. Ḥārithah رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَـنْهُ, whereas that of the Anṣār was in the hand of SaꜤd b. ꜤUbādah رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَـنْهُ .[23]

4. The unshakeable faith of the Anṣār

Considering the severity of war, the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم called for the leaders of the Aws and Khazraj, SaꜤd b. MuꜤādh and SaꜤd b. ꜤUbādah رَضِیَ الـلّٰـهُ عَنْهُمَا. A discussion was held regarding a potential agreement with the Banū Ghaṭafān, for the latter to leave the alliance in exchange for a third of Medina’s produce.

When these two Companions رَضِیَ الـلّٰـهُ عَنْهُمَا heard this, they exhibited a display of faith similar to that witnessed in Badr by exclaiming, “O Messenger of Allah صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم! When we were in the state of disbelief, these people could not even take a single date from us.  Now, we are believers and your loyal servants. We are not in need of this agreement! Our swords are the only thing we can give to them.”[24]

5. The dangerous role of reconnaissance

During this battle, the Greatest Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم sent Ḥudhayfah b. al-Yamān رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَـنْهُ to gather intelligence about the disbelievers. The Companion رَضِىَ اللهُ عَـنْهُ armed himself and set off in the intense cold.

When he came across them, a swift wind was blowing. Stones lifted by said wind were striking people. Dust flew into their eyes alongside this. The leader of the enemy forces tried to make them aware of reconnaissance by saying, “Be wary of spies. Everyone, check the person next to you.” They began to interrogate whoever was next to them.

Exhibiting great acumen and presence of mind, Ḥudhayfah b. al-Yamān رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَـنْهُ grabbed hold of the hand of the person next to him and asked, “Who are you?” The person replied, “I am so-and-so, son of so-and-so.”[25]

6. Actions of the hypocrites

In accordance with their previous demeanour, hypocrites left no stone unturned in their attempt to stab the Muslims in the back. For example:

i) They exhibited laziness during the excavation of the trench and would return to their homes secretly.[26]

ii) When news of the Banū Qurayẓah joining the ranks of confederate forces was confirmed, fear began to spread. In these serious circumstances, the hypocrites spoke harshly amongst people, saying, “Muhammad (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم) promised us we would own the treasures of Caesar and Chosroes, whereas the situation here is that one of us cannot even relieve himself in peace.”[27] (نَعُوذُ بِاللہ)

iii) When enemy forces launched their attack, hypocrites succumbed to fear. Some of them began sighing words of defeat, whilst others offered excuses and began to seek permission to return home.[28]

Consequences of the Battle of the Trench

This combined assault of the polytheist Arabs and Jews failed so comprehensively, their collective will and strength then dwindled to nothing. Awe of the state of Medina became imprinted in their hearts. Audacity to attack the blessed city was never found in them again. In this way, this was the final defensive battle fought by the Muslims. Allah’s Messenger صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم declared, “Now we shall attack them, whilst they will not do this to us. We will march towards them.”[29]

If the political situation of the Arabian Peninsula is considered, Medina had two battlefields to contest in. One was from the secret plots of the Jews, and the second from the opportunistic polytheists of Mecca, who remained ever eager to avenge Badr, etc. Due to this victory, Medina was completely freed from these malevolent disbelievers and salvation was attained from secretive plots.[30] Afterwards, the far-sighted and strategic Treaty of Ḥudaybiya was agreed, which provided respite from the attacks of Meccan polytheists.

When the dangers posed from both these fronts were removed, great opportunities presented themselves for the propagation of Islam. The Greatest Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم began to dispatch ambassadors to invite other nations to Islam, and the circle of delegations arriving to Medina widened and grew in number. In short, the Medinan state advanced in leaps and bounds after the Battle of the Trench.

With the Treaty of Ḥudaybiyah, the frequenting of delegations, and various military expeditions, the Medinan state then undertook the Conquest of Makkah. A time then arrived, when let alone Arab polytheists and Jews, not even Roman forces governed by Caeser could stand against it.