The parties
Plural of party, a group in which there is strength and solidity - every people whose desires and deeds are similar - the two factions or two discordant groups.
The Trench
A deep, rectangular groove dug on the battlefield for soldiers to meet
The Time
The Battle of Khandaq took place in Shawwal of the fifth year (February of the year 627 AD) by agreement among historians, but Ibn Khaldun says in his history, (the correct view is that it is four, and Ibn Umar strengthens it by saying: The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, returned me on a Sunday when I was fourteen years old, Then he granted me leave on the Day of the Trench when I was fifteen years old, there is only one year between them, which is correct, as it is undoubtedly before Dumat al-Jandal.
The place of the invasion
North of Medina: The choice of these sites was successful. Because the north of the city is the side exposed to the enemy, from which he can enter the city and threaten it, as for the other sides, they are fortified and impenetrable, standing as an obstacle to any attack carried out by the enemies. The floors on the south side were close together, high like an impenetrable wall, Harrat Waqim to the east, and Harrat Al Wabra to the west, served as a natural fortress, the raids of Banu Qurayza in the south-east were sufficient to secure the back of the Muslims, since there was a covenant between the Messenger Muhammad and Banu Qurayza that they would not support anyone against him, and do not support an enemy against him. Shut the door: close it.
The digging the trench was associated with great difficulties
The weather was cold, the wind was strong, and the living conditions were difficult, in addition to the fear of the enemy’s arrival, which they expected at every moment, added to this is the painstaking work, as the Companions used to dig with their hands, they carry the dirt on their backs, and there is no doubt that this circumstance naturally requires a great deal of firmness and seriousness, there was a group of Ansar guarding the Prophet Muhammad every night, led by Abbad bin Bishr, the Messenger divided the work of digging the trench among the Companions, every forty cubits for ten of the Companions, and he assigned a group to each side to dig in it.
The reason for the Battle of the Trench
It is that the Jews of Banu Nadir broke their covenant with the Messenger Muhammad and tried to kill him, so he directed his army to them and besieged them until they surrendered, then he expelled them from their homes. As a result, the Jews of Banu Nadir wanted to take revenge on the Muslims, so they began inciting the Arab tribes, on the invasion of Medina, the Arabs responded to them: the Quraish tribe and its allies: Kenana Al-Ahabish, and the Ghatafan tribe (Fazara, Banu Murrah, and Ashja’) Its allies were Banu Asad, Salim and others, and they were called Al-Ahzab, then the Jews of Banu Qurayza joined them, between whom there was an agreement and covenant with the Muslims.
And in a narration
When the evacuation of the Banu al-Nadir took place, a group of their elders marched from them, including Salam bin Mishkam and their leader, Kinana bin Abi al-Haqiq al-Nadhari, Wahyy bin Akhtab, Hudha bin Qais Al-Waeli, and Abu Amer Al-Fasiq, Until they came to Mecca against the Quraysh, calling on them and inciting them to war against the Messenger of God.
The position of the hypocrites in this battle
The hypocrites had withdrawn from the army, and their fear increased, until Mu'tab bin Qusayr al-Dubai'i al-Awsi said: Muhammad used to promise us that we would eat the treasures of Chosroes and Caesar, and none of us felt safe from going to the bathroom to defecate, others asked for permission to return to their homes under the pretext that they were shameful. Their position was characterized by cowardice, trembling, and abandonment of the believers,
The Qur’an depicted the condition of the hypocrites in these verses
وَإِذْ قَالَتْ طَائِفَةٌ مِنْهُمْ يَا أَهْلَ يَثْرِبَ لَا مُقَامَ لَكُمْ فَارْجِعُوا وَيَسْتَأْذِنُ فَرِيقٌ مِنْهُمُ النَّبِيَّ يَقُولُونَ إِنَّ بُيُوتَنَا عَوْرَةٌ وَمَا هِيَ بِعَوْرَةٍ إِنْ يُرِيدُونَ إِلَّا فِرَارًا وَلَوْ دُخِلَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْ أَقْطَارِهَا ثُمَّ سُئِلُوا الْفِتْنَةَ لَآَتَوْهَا وَمَا تَلَبَّثُوا بِهَا إِلَّا يَسِيرًا وَلَقَدْ كَانُوا عَاهَدُوا اللَّهَ مِنْ قَبْلُ لَا يُوَلُّونَ الْأَدْبَارَ وَكَانَ عَهْدُ اللَّهِ مَسْئُولًا قُلْ لَنْ يَنْفَعَكُمُ الْفِرَارُ إِنْ فَرَرْتُمْ مِنَ الْمَوْتِ أَوِ الْقَتْلِ وَإِذًا لَا تُمَتَّعُونَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا قُلْ مَنْ ذَا الَّذِي يَعْصِمُكُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ إِنْ أَرَادَ بِكُمْ سُوءًا أَوْ أَرَادَ بِكُمْ رَحْمَةً وَلَا يَجِدُونَ لَهُمْ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ وَلِيًّا وَلَا نَصِيرًا قَدْ يَعْلَمُ اللَّهُ الْمُعَوِّقِينَ مِنْكُمْ وَالْقَائِلِينَ لِإِخْوَانِهِمْ هَلُمَّ إِلَيْنَا وَلَا يَأْتُونَ الْبَأْسَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا أَشِحَّةً عَلَيْكُمْ فَإِذَا جَاءَ الْخَوْفُ رَأَيْتَهُمْ يَنْظُرُونَ إِلَيْكَ تَدُورُ أَعْيُنُهُمْ كَالَّذِي يُغْشَى عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الْمَوْتِ فَإِذَا ذَهَبَ الْخَوْفُ سَلَقُوكُمْ بِأَلْسِنَةٍ حِدَادٍ أَشِحَّةً عَلَى الْخَيْرِ أُولَئِكَ لَمْ يُؤْمِنُوا فَ يَحْسَبُونَ الْأَحْزَابَ لَمْ يَذْهَبُوا وَإِنْ يَأْتِ الْأَحْزَابُ يَوَدُّوا لَوْ أَنَّهُمْ بَادُونَ فِي الْأَعْرَابِ يَسْأَلُونَ عَنْ أَنْبَائِكُمْ وَلَوْ كَانُوا فِيكُمْ مَا قَاتَلُوا إِلَّا قَلِيلًا
And when a group of them said, “O people of Yathrib, there is no place for you, so return, and a group of them asked the Prophet for permission, saying, “Our houses are Awrah, but they are not a Awrah, they only want to flee, even if it enters upon them from its regions, then they were asked about temptation,they would have reach it, and they only tarried in it for a short time, And they had covenanted with God before that they would not turn their backs, and God’s covenant was accountable, say, flight will not benefit you if you flee from death or killing, and then you will not have any enjoyment except a little, say: Who is it that will protect you from God if He intends evil for you or desires mercy for you? And they will find for themselves, besides God, no guardian or helper, God may know those who hinder: those among you who divert you from goodness and those who say, for their brothers, come to us, and let them not bring hardship in war except a little, they are stingy for you, and when fear comes, you saw them looking at you, their eyes rolling like someone fainting from death, then, when fear is gone, they will sharpen you with iron tongues, sharpening their desires for good, those who did not believe thought that the parties had not gone, and if the parties come, they wish that they were clear among the Bedouins, they ask about your news, and if they had been among you, they would not have fought except a little.
Awrah: Every house or place in which there is a defect through which it is feared that the enemy will enter.
How did the Messenger and the Muslims confront the parties?
This was done by digging a trench north of Medina to prevent parties from entering it, when the parties reached the borders of Medina, they were unable to enter it, so they imposed a siege on it that lasted three weeks, this siege led to Muslims being exposed to harm, hardship and hunger. The Battle of the Trench ended with the withdrawal of the parties, this is due to their exposure to the strong cold wind, and Muslims believe that their victory in the Battle of the Trench was because God Almighty shook the bodies and hearts of the parties, he dispersed them in discord, put terror into their hearts, and sent down soldiers from his side.
After the battle ended, the Prophet Muhammad ordered
His companions headed to Banu Qurayza, so they besieged them until they surrendered. The Jews called on the Quraysh to fight the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, They said to them, “We will be with you until we eradicate it.” They became suspicious because the religion of the Jews is close in essence to Islam and far from idol worship, and the Quraysh are idol worshipers, that is why they said to them, “O community of Jews, you are the people of the first book and knowledge of what we and Muhammad have begun to disagree about. Is our religion better or his religion? The Jews said, “Rather, your religion is better than his religion, and you are more deserving of the truth than him, when they said that to the Quraysh, they were pleased by what they said and prepared for war. Then those Jews went out until they came to Ghatafan and invited them to participate in the war, They mentioned to them the readiness of the Quraysh, and they responded. The Jews responded to the Quraysh that the (pagan) religion of the Quraysh was better than the religion of Muhammad, the contrary to their religion, which calls for the worship of one God, they achieved their goal It is to fight the Muslims and expel them from the city and to return their brothers to their homes. It would have been better for them to live with Muslims in harmony and refrain from intrigues, strife, and joining the enemies, so God Almighty revealed regarding them:
{أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ أُوتُواْ نَصِيبا مّنَ الْكِتَبِ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْجِبْتِ وَالطَّغُوتِ} (النساء: 51) الآيات..
{Have you not seen those who were given a share of the book who believe in magic and a lot of transgression} (An-Nisa: 51) verses..
It is no secret that those who gave this hadith are not from ordinary Jews, so it can be said that they do not know what they are saying, Or they are the emergence of the parties and their leaders. The Quraysh emerged, and their leader was Abu Sufyan bin Harb. Ghatfan emerged, and their leader was Uyaynah bin Hisn bin Hudhayfah, Bani Fazara, Al-Harith bin Awf bin Abi Haritha Al-Marri in Bani Murrah, and Masoud bin Rukhaila bin Nuwayra bin Tarif, Who among his people followed him was the braves digging the trench. When the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him, heard of their faction and going out to fight him, he ordered the digging of a trench around the city, In areas that were not fortified to hinder the attacking enemy, What Salman Al-Farsi, may God be pleased with him, referred to as being dug by him, may God bless him and grant him peace, The Persians used to dig trenches for defense in war, Salman said: O Messenger of God, we were in Persia and when we were besieged, we dug a trench against us. The Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him, was busy digging the trench himself so that the Muslims would follow his example to encourage them to work, the Muslims worked with him, but the hypocrites used to hesitate and leave without the permission of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, they burdened themselves with work and became discouraged. Some of the hypocrites lingered, and one of them began to leave for his family without asking permission.
Story: Salman is from the family of the Prophet
The Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him, marked the trench and then cut it forty cubits between every ten, so the Muhajireen and the Ansar disagreed regarding Salman the Persian, He was a strong man, so the Ansar said: Salman is from us, and the Muhajiroun said: Salman is from us, so the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Salman is from us, Ahl al-Bayt, While a group of Muslims were working on digging the trench in the part allocated to them, along with Salman Al-Farisi, a white, turbid rock appeared and broke the iron, Their shovels were hard for them, so they said: O Salman, go to the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, and tell him the news of this rock. Either we turn away from it, for the rate is close, or he orders it as he commands, for we do not like to go beyond his line, Salman go until he came to the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, and he was placing a dome on it, He said: O Messenger of God, may God bless you and our mother. A white rock came out of the trench and broke our iron and split us in pieces, We don't even think about it a little or a lot, so go through it according to your command, for we do not like to go beyond your line, So the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, landed with Salman in the trench and took the pick from Salman, may God be pleased with him, and said: “In the name of God,” then he struck it, scattering a third of it, and a light came out from it that illuminated what was between the city, He said: “God is great. I have been given the keys to Syria. By God, I can see its red palaces from where I am, Then he struck the second, cutting off another third, and a brightness flashed from the direction of Persia, illuminating what was between its two doors. He said: “God is great, I have been given the keys to Persia, By God, I see the white palace of Al-Mada’in now, so give good tidings of victory, The Muslims were delighted, then he struck the third time and said: “In the name of God.” He cut off the rest of the stone and a light came out from the direction of Yemen, illuminating what was between the city, Even as if it was a lamp in the middle of a dark night, and he said: “God is great. I have been given the keys to Yemen. By God, I can see the gates of Sana’a from where I am at the moment,
The people of Khandaq were three thousand
When the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him, finished the trench, the Quraysh approached and encamped in a group of Al-Asayal from Duma between Al-Jarf and Al-Ghaba, with ten thousand of their Ahabish and those who followed them, From Kinana and the people of Tihama, Ghatafan and the people of Najd who followed them came until they camped at Dhaban Naqma next to Uhud, Ka'b bin Asad Al-Qurazi, the leader of Banu Qurayza, had made a contract with the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, with his people on this matter, so Huyay bin Akhtab Al-Nadhari went to him, He was one of those who joined the parties. When Ka'b heard: Huyay ibn Akhtab, he closed the door of his fortress behind him, He asked permission to do so, but he refused to let it be opened for him, so Ibn Akhtab insisted on him, so he opened for him. He continued to persuade and tempt him until he broke his covenant and was freed from what had happened between him and the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, He, his people, and Banu Qurayza joined the parties against the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, and the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, learned of this, at that time, the affliction became greater and the fear increased.
The fear of factionalism intensified
Especially after the Banu Qurayza broke their covenant and joined the enemies, the believers had every suspicion, but the hypocrites took advantage of this opportunity to discourage them, Banu Haritha and Banu Salamah tried to fail, apologizing that their homes were exposed to enemies, outside the city, then God made them steadfast, and the siege on the Muslims lasted nearly a month, and there was nothing among them except archery, the Muslims had enough supplies for more than a year, Then knights from the Quraish came out on their horses after they had prepared to fight until they stood outside the ditch, and when they saw him they said: a swampy area not suitable for agriculture due to its salinity between the ditch, and Ali bin Abi Talib went out with a group of Muslims until he took over the breach they had entered, Amr bin Abdul Wad went out and asked for a duel. He was ninety years old, so Ali bin Abi Talib dueled him and killed him. Ibn Ishaq mentioned, The polytheists sent to the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, to buy the body of Amr for ten thousand, The Messenger of God said: “It is for you, and we do not eat the price of the dead, His horses came out defeated, until they stormed out of the trench, fleeing, and two men were killed with Amr, Munabbih bin Othman bin Ubaid bin Al-Sabaq bin Abdul Dar, He was struck by an arrow and died from it in Mecca, and from Banu Makhzum, Nawfal bin Abdullah bin Al-Mughirah He had stormed into the trench and got stuck in it, so they threw stones at him and said: O Arabs, you are better killers than this one. So Ali went down to him and killed him.
From those who were fighting with Muslims
Khalid bin Al-Walid and Amr bin Al-Aas, before they converted to Islam, On that day, Saad bin Muadh was shot by an arrow thrown by a man called Ibn al-Arqah al-Amiri, and he said: Take it while I am Ibn al-Irqah. Saad said: May God make your face sweat in Hell, So he hit the kohl part of it and cut it off, and Saad said: Oh God, do not let me die until my eyes are pleased with (Bani Qurayza), and they were his allies and loyalists in the pre-Islamic era before he converted to Islam.
Saad was taken wounded to Rufaida's tent
A woman was treating the wounded in the mosque, Safiya bint Abdul Muttalib was in Hassan bin Thabit’s fort and said: Hassan was with us there, along with the women and children. Safiya said: Then a Jewish man passed by us and began to circle around the fort. The Banu Qurayza had fought and cut off ties between them and the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, There is no one between us and them who will defend us, and the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, and the Muslims are in the throats of their enemy, unable to turn away from them if they come to us, She said: So I said: O Hassan, this Jew, as you see, is circumambulating the fort, and by God, I do not believe him to let any of the Jews behind us point out our Awrah: A place where the enemy is afraid to enter, The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, and his companions were distracted from us, so go down to him and kill him, He said: May God forgive you, daughter of Abdul Muttalib. By God, I know what this man is like. She said: When he said that to me and I did not see anything with him, I was detained, then I took a pole, then I went down from the fort to him and hit him with the pole until I killed him, When I finished, I returned to the fort and said: O Hassan, go down to him and plunder him.Nothing prevented me from stealing it except that he was a man. He said: I have no need to steal it, O daughter of Abdul Muttalib, Safiya was braver than Hassan. The fighting continued on one of the days of the trench from all sides of the trench until the night, and the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, did not pray, None of the Muslims prayed the noon, afternoon, sunset, and evening prayers, and the Muslims began to say: We did not pray, and the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him, said, “Neither did I,” when the fighting unfolded And the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, came to his dome and ordered Bilal to call for prayer. He established the iqama for the noon prayer and prayed. Then he established the iqama for each prayer and he and his companions prayed.