THE JOURNEY OF A LIFETIME WITH PROPHET MUHAMMAD THE PROPHET OF ALLAH 048 PRELUDE TO THE ENCOUNTER AT THE TRENCH by Khadeijah A.Stephens Copyright © 1984-2012 by Allah.com Muhammad.com Mosque.com Khadeijah A. Stephens Bismillah Ir Rahman Ir Raheem Prelude to the Encounter at the Trench The Revenge of the Tribe of An-Nadir As the fifth year drew to a close, the expelled Jews from the tribe of An-Nadir who had relocated to Khaybar a little over two years before became more restless than ever. Every time there had been an incident or skirmish they hoped it would go against the Muslims. There had been talk for a long time that the Koraysh were bent on revenge and planned to rid themselves of Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) and his followers. With this in mind, Huyay -- who had been the chief conspirator in the failed attempt to kill the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) -- together with the chieftains of Khaybar and the hierarchy of the An-Nadir, journeyed across the hot pebbled desert sands to Mecca to progress the matter. The Jews themselves had amassed a large arsenal of weapons and armor but were too cowardly to challenge the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) alone. Upon their arrival Huyay and his fellow chieftains were taken to Abu Sufyan, who welcomed them as they ingratiated themselves telling him that the Koraysh were dearer to them than anyone else on account of their intent to rid themselves of the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam). Abu Sufyan was heartened by these words and together with Safwan, and the other Koraysh chieftains they made their way to the Ka’bah, entered it, and took a solemn oath that they would not fail one another in the achievement of their mutual goal to rid themselves of the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) and the Muslims once and for all. During this congenial occasion, Abu Sufyan inquired of his new allies, "You are knowledgeable of the first scripture, therefore, give us your opinion. Is our religion better than that of Muhammad?" Without hesitation, and despite the undeniable fact that both Judaism and Islam preached the same message, the Oneness of the Creator and the abomination of idols, the Jews replied, "Your religion is better than his -- you are nearer to the truth!" In an effort to enlist the hostile or indifferent nomadic tribes of the Najd, it was agreed that the Jews should visit with their chieftains and if revenge was an insufficient enough reason to win their support, then they would offer handsome bribes. There was no need to offer a bribe to the tribe of Asad; they readily lent their support. However, the tribe of Ghatfan with its branches declared their need to be recompensed. Eventually a deal was struck with the Ghatfan being promised half the date harvest of Khaybar. As for the tribe of Sulaym, there were among them those who inclined to Islam and so the leaders of the An-Nadir were unable to secure their full support. When the tribe of Aamir was approached they declined, remaining loyal to the alliance contracted earlier with the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam). The current strength of the Koraysh army and its previous allies was four thousand strong. However, through the effort of Huyay and his fellow chieftains, their ranks were swelled by an additional two thousand, seven hundred men -- more than double the Koraysh number at Uhud and so preparations for further hostilities were once again set in motion. The Koraysh Prepare for the Attack The enemies of the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) were divided into two divisions, the Koraysh, together with its proven allies from the south were to set out upon their march to Medina via the coastal route which was also the same route they had taken to Uhud. As for the second division, it was agreed that they would approach Medina from their homeland of the Najd. There was much prestige to be gained in the forthcoming encounter so, although Abu Sufyan was the commander of the Koraysh army, it was agreed among the Koraysh chieftains that they would take it in turn to lead the army, so that the honor would be evenly divided. Crucial Information of Al-Abbas It is possible that Al-Abbas, as a matter of expedience concealed his conversion to Islam so that he might remain undetected among the enemies of Islam. On close examination of Al-Abbas’ actions it leads one to suppose the possibility that he had secretly embraced Islam and Allah knows best. One must also bear in mind that during that era the male unbelievers would not tolerate their wives or family members embracing Islam and if they had done so, the family members were subjected to extreme cruelty. However, Al-Abbas’ wife was not only one of the early converts but the second lady to convert after Lady Khadijah, yet Al-Abbas never raised any objection to her professing or practicing her new faith. On several occasions Al-Abbas, the young uncle of the Prophet, had played an important role in supporting and delivering crucial information to the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam). Now once again, as an imminent threat of a major attack by the Koraysh and their allies loomed high on the horizon against the Muslims, Al-Abbas, fearing for the safety of his nephew and his followers, dispatched under the cloak of secrecy several horsemen to Medina with the news. The urgent state of affairs compelled them to ride with such haste that they reached Medina in just four days. Upon reaching Medina, the horsemen wasted no time and went directly to the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) to inform him of the two armies advancing on Medina on either side giving details of their numbers and weaponry. Once again, the Muslims had a week in which to prepare for the hostilities. Immediately, the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) shrewdly sent word to his followers in the outlying areas of Medina to return to the City, and called for a meeting to discuss a strategy that would best serve them. Once more, he reminded the Companions that if they obeyed Allah and were patient, victory would be theirs. His words made an indelible impression upon the Companions as they remembered the disobedience of some among them with its consequences at Uhud. Ideas abounded from every quarter, however Salman proposed a plan that had been both used and proven effective in Persia. Salman advised the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) that when the Persians feared a cavalry attack, they would dig a large, circular trench around them as it was extremely difficult for the horses of the enemy to cross the wide divide and consequently they were better able to defend themselves. Salman's proposal met with great enthusiasm and so it was agreed that this would be the best course to adopt. The Digging of the Trench It was unnecessary to dig a complete trench around the entire City as there was an unbroken line of fortified houses, strong enough to resist the advance of the enemy in one part. Then again, outside the City lay the fortresses of their allies from the Jewish tribe of Krayzah that also afforded them additional protection. There was yet another blessing, outside the City towards the north-west lay impenetrable hillocks of rock. One of these hillocks was called the hill of Sila, and it was there that the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) decided they would establish their camp after connecting the existing fortifications together by the trench. The site had other advantages; the ground on the near side of Sila’s slope was considerably higher than in other places, not only did it afford additional protection but from it they would be able to monitor the movements of the unbelievers. There was no time to waste, so Salman instructed the Companions on the depth and width of the trench, and the digging began. Salman had until recently been the slave of the tribe of Krayzah. Salman knew his former masters owned many tools, so it was agreed that they should be asked to loan their tools in accordance with the pact they had signed with the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) a few years ago which also stated the Krayzah would not ally themselves with an enemy of the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) and that they would assist the Muslims when the need arose. The Krayzah were quick to realize that they stood to lose their possessions and date groves if they did not help defend Medina and so every tool they possessed was made available and the Muslim began their work. Each section of the Muslim community was assigned a specific area to excavate and soon the continuous sound of axes hacking away at the ground and shovels removing the loosened ground filled the air, coming only to a halt at the time of prayer and when sleep finally overtook them. Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) worked tirelessly alongside his Companions, who encouraged one another to work harder. As for Salman, he was an extremely strong, fit person. During his years of slavery he had labored tirelessly in the fields digging and carrying, and his companions were amazed to see just how strong he actually was; all were of the opinion that his labor was worth the labor of ten of them put together. As the digging progressed, rocks were excavated and put to one side for use during the anticipated encounter. There were not enough baskets to go around to take away the earth so the Companions took to using their upper garments as bags. Young lads came out to lend a hand, but the work was much too arduous, so much to their sorrow, they were thanked but told to return home. The Miracle of the Boulder Jabir and his companions were working hard on their section when they struck a huge boulder. Try as best they might, no one, not even the strongest among them could shatter it, let alone move it. When the news of the boulder reached the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) he left his section of digging and made his way to it. Then, taking hold of an ax struck the boulder three times saying “Allah is the Greatest” whereupon it disintegrated into piles of sand. When the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) struck the boulder the first time, a light shone so brilliantly from it that it reached the palaces of Syria (Ash Sham). Upon his second strike, the light stretched as far away as Madian in Persia whereas the light of the third strike reached and lit up Yemen, which was under the protectorate of Abyssinia at that time. The Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) later explained that the miraculous light was a sign that one day Islam would spread to those distant lands. This light is reminiscent of the light that emitted from Lady Aminah when she conceived and then again when she gave birth to the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam), the Koran states that the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) was sent as a light shedding lamp: “O Prophet, We have sent you as a witness, a bearer of glad tidings, and to bear warning; a caller to Allah by His permission and as a light shedding lamp.” 33:45-46 The Miraculous Meal Before the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) returned to his digging, Jabir asked permission to return home to his wife. The Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) agreed and Jabir went home. Jabir had noticed the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) had strapped a stone to his stomach to ease the pains of hunger and Jabir was also told that the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) had not eaten for three days. It distressed him greatly to see the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) in such a condition and so upon reaching his home he asked his wife if she had any food in the house. Jabir's wife told him that the only food they had was some barley and their nanny goat. Immediately, Jabir went out, slaughtered the goat, and ground the barley. A fire was kindled and a large cooking pot filled with water placed on it to which the goat meat was added, and then the oven was made ready to bake the bread. When the food was almost ready and the barley flour kneaded, Jabir returned to the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) and told him that he had prepared some food at home and asked if he and some others would care to join him in a meal. The Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) was grateful and asked what he had prepared, whereupon Jabir told him and he remarked, "That is indeed a lot of food." The Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) told Jabir to return to his wife and tell her not to remove the pot from the fire, nor yet the bread from the oven until he arrived. Then, the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) turned to all his Companions and said, "Let us go," and so they all laid down their tools and made their way to Jabir's house. Jabir reached his home shortly before the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) and his Companions arrived and told his wife, "The blessing of Allah be upon you, the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) together with all the Muhajirin, Ansar, and others are coming!" Shortly afterwards, the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) entered and told his Companions to take their place a few at a time and not to overcrowd the room. Then, he broke the bread into pieces and put some of it on top of the meat. Following this, he took some more bread from the oven and asked his Companions to pass the food around. As soon as the first group had taken their fill, the next group entered and the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) humbly served his Companions until all were replete. Even after everyone had eaten, the same quantity of bread and meat remained as it had been before they ate. Then the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) spoke to Jabir's wife saying, "Eat some and send some as a gift to the hungry." Prelude to the Encounter at the Trench 048 Back Cover Subtitles The Revenge of the Tribe of An-Nadir The Koraysh Prepare for the Attack Crucial Information of Al-Abbas The Digging of the Trench The Miracle of the Boulder The Miraculous Meal