Indexed OCR Text

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Sūrah al-Aņzab : 33 : 9 - 27
Divine reminders
It is strange that in this three and a half mile stretch of land no one
from among the diggers of the trench faced any impediment which would
render him helpless. The only one who did face it was Sayyidna Salman
who had given the advice of digging a trench and the whole project
had started on his advice. To him Allah Ta'ala showed that there was no
way out even after digging and making a perfect trench - except turning
to Allah Ta'ala for help in the face of the failure of all implements and
instruments. Here, these blessed souls were being taught that assembling
material means to the measure of capacity and ability was obligatory, but
to place trust in these was not correct. The trust of a believer - even after
having assembled all possible material means - should be in Allah Ta'ala
alone.
Sayyidna Salman
que presented himself before the Holy Prophet
and told him about what had happened. At that time, the Holy Prophet
was himself working in his part of the trench. He was busy hauling
the dug out earth from the trench. Sayyidna Bara' Ibn 'Azib cee says, "I
saw him. Dust had covered his blessed body in a manner that the skin on
his front and back was not visible." Rather than give Sayyidna Salman
any advice or order, he accompanied him in person to the problem spot.
With the ten Sahabah busy digging the trench with Sayyidna Salman,
he too went down into the trench and joined the diggers. He took the
pickaxe in his blessed hands, struck at the rock and recited the verse: 23
Vis Kijaas (tammat kalimatu rabbika sidqa: And the Word of your
Lord is perfect in truth ... - al-An'am, 6:115). With this one single stroke
from it, one third portion of the rock was cut off and released from this
rock was a streak of light. After that, he struck at the rock once again and
recited the said verse upto the end, that is: ◌ًتَمَّتُ كَلِمَةُ رَبّکَ صِدْقًا وَّعَدُلا (tammat
kalimatu rabbika sidqan wa 'adla : And the Word of your Lord is perfect
in truth and justice - al-An'am, 6:115). Cut off with this second stroke was
an additional one third portion of the rock which released a streak of light
as before. The third time, he recited the same verse in full and executed
the third stroke. With it, the rock was all finished. The Holy Prophet
came out of the trench, picked up the sheet wrap he had left at the edge
of the trench and sat down on one side of it. At that time, Sayyidna
Salman al-Farisi 4ge said, "Ya Rasulallah, every time struck at the rock,

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ever time I saw a light coming out of the rock." The Holy Prophet
asked Sayyidna Salman, "Have you really seen this light?" He said, "Ya
Rasulallah, I have seen it with my own eyes."
The Holy Prophet
said, "In the light that was released after the
first strike, I saw the palaces of the cities of Yaman and those of Cyrus
and Angel Jibra'il told me: 'your Ummah will conquer these cities.' And
when I struck at the rock the second time, I was shown the red palaces of
the Byzantines and Angel Jibra'il gave the good news, 'your Ummah will
conquer these cities as well.' " After having heard this, all Muslims felt at
peace and became assured of their great successes in the future.
Hypocrites throw taunts at Muslims for believing in their
Prophet's promises
At that time, the hypocrites who were part of the digging operations of
the trench, started asking other Muslims, 'It is strange that you people
are not surprised at what Muhammad
is telling you. Is it not that he is
making all those baseless promises to you in the depth of this trench being
dug in Yathrib where he is claiming to be seeing the palaces of Hirah (in
the South) and Mada'in ( in the North)? And on top of it all, he is telling
you that it is you people who are going to conquer them! Just look at
yourself. Here you are, digging and digging, forgetful of all your needs.
Frankly, you do not even have the time to take care of your human
compulsions. Still, is it you who are going to conquer the countries of
Cyrus and others?' Thereupon, it was about this very event that, in the
twelfth verse cited above, it was revealed:
إِذْ يَقُوْلُ الْمُنْفِقُونَ وَالَّذِيْنَ فِىُ قُلُوبِهِمُ مَّرَضٌ مَّا وَعَدَنَا اللَّهُ وَرَسُوْلُهُ، إِلَّا غُرُورًا
(And (remember) when the hypocrites and those having malady in their
hearts were saying, "Allah and His messenger did not promise us but
deceitfully; - 12). Here, in this verse, by saying: ◌ٌالَّذِينَ فِى قُلُوبِهِمْ مَّرَض (and
those having malady in their hearts), reference is being made to the state
of the same hypocrites hidden in whose hearts there was that disease of
hypocrisy.
Just imagine the kind of time it was, a severe trial indeed. At stake
was the very faith of Muslims for they had to believe in the word of the
Holy Prophet &g with the full backing of their mind and heart despite
being threatened by disbelievers from all sides. They had no servants to

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dig their trench for them. They were doing this hard work with their own
hands braving the lashing winter. The unfriendly weather, the
approaching enemy factor, theirs was a general climate of fear all around.
In a situation like that, it was not easy to be sure of even one's defence
and survival within whatever means were available. How could they go
on from here and start believing in the good news of the conquests of the
great kingdoms of Byzantine and Persia? But, the value of 'Iman (faith) is
the highest of all deeds for the reason that they, even when facing totally
contrary causes and conditions, did not have the least doubt or qualm of
conscience about what the Holy Prophet $
had told them.
Seniors must share every trial with their juniors - Great
guidance for Muslims
Who does not know that the Sahabah of the Holy Prophet were
such selfless servants of the Holy Prophet
that they never wanted to
have him do the hard labor of digging the trench with them, but it was
the personal initiative of the Holy Prophet that he chose to share this
hard labor with his noble companions to mollify their hearts and teach
them their essential lesson to put mutual brotherhood to practice. Of
course, the noble companions staked their lives for the Holy Prophet > on
the basis of his most perfect attributes as prophet and messenger of Allah,
but of the many outward causes for this attachment, there was this major
cause that he would be with them on all occasions facing all sorts of trials
and pains like everybody else. When he did that, nobody ever thought of
what we know as a class difference. There was no ruler and there was no
one being ruled. There was no king around and there was no subject
paying homage. Who was the man in power and who was the man from
the masses? This kind of difference was unimaginable at that time.
Unfortunately, from the time the Muslim wielders of power abandoned
this Sunnah (the blessed practice of the Holy Prophet
) that. was the
time these differences gushed forth bringing all sorts of tests and trials in
their wake.
The master prescription of achieving success against something
hard to accomplish
In the event mentioned above, the Holy Prophet
has recited the
verse of the Qur'an: تَمَّتُ كَلِمَةُ رَبِّكَ صِدْقًا وَعَدُلاً لَا مُبَدِّلَ لِكَلِمُتِه (And the Word of
your Lord is perfect in truth and justice. None is there to change His

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Words - al-An'am, 6:115) while striking at this invincible rock. This tells us
that the recitation of this verse is a tested prescription for the resolution of
something difficult.
The selfless mutual cooperation of the noble Şahabah
We already know that there were ten men appointed for the digging
of the trench at every ten yards. But, it is obvious that some people are
stronger and can finish their job sooner than others. The same was true
here. The noble Sahabah who finished their allotted portion of digging
would never go on to sit doing nothing and thinking that their duty was
over. In fact, they would help out other Sahabah whose portion of digging
was still incomplete. (Qurtubi, Mazhari)
Three and a half mile long trench was completed in six days
The outcome of the hard work put in by the noble Sahabah, may
Allah be pleased with them all, was before everybody in six days in that
such a long, wide and deep trench stood all completed within that short
period of time. (Mazhari)
An open miracle in the feast hosted by Sayyidna Jabir de
It was during the digging of this very trench that the well known
event came to pass. On one of those days, when Sayyidna Jabir die
looked at the Holy Prophet , he felt deep down in his heart that he was
really affected by hunger. He went to his wife and told her, "If you have
something with you, cook it. I simply cannot bear by seeing this effect of
hunger on his blessed person." His wife said, "We have about a sa' of
barley grains in our home. I am going to grind them and make some
flour." One sa' is equal to about three and a half kilograms in terms of our
weights. So, his wife got busy with the grinding of barley, making flour,
preparing dough and baking bread. There was a goat kid in the house.
Sayyidna Jabir dge slaughtered it, cooked the meat and was ready to go
out and invite the Holy Prophet 2g in when his wife called out to him
saying, "Look, there is a crowd of the Sahabah with the Holy Prophet .
Do something and somehow invite only the Holy Prophet & alone.
Please, do not put me to disgrace by causing such a big crowd of the noble
Şahabah come in with the Holy Prophet
." Sayyidna Jabir dee, acting
realistically, made the actual situation fully clear before the Holy Prophet
telling him that they had only that much of food in the house. But, as
for the Holy Prophet , he made a public announcement before the

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entire work force asking everyone to come to the feast at Sayyidna Jabir's
home. Sayyidna Jabir
was struck with wonder. When he reached
home, his wife was extremely disturbed. She asked, "Did you tell the Holy
Prophet%
about the actual situation at home and the amount of food
available?" Sayyidna Jabir 400 said, "Yes, that I have told him." This put
his wife at peace and she said, "Then we have nothing to worry about.
The Holy Prophet af is our master. Let him have it the way he wishes."
Any more detail of the event is unnecessary at this place. It is enough
to know the outcome that the Holy Prophet
, took it upon himself to
distribute the bread and curry to everybody with his own blessed hands
and see that they are entertained and fed satisfactorily. As a result, the
whole crowd ate to their fill. And Sayyidna Jabir dee says that "even after
everybody having finished eating, our stock pot showed no dearth of
meat, nor our kneaded flour any signs of decrease. All of us in the family
ate to our heart's content and whatever remained we sent to the
neighbours."
Thus, when the digging of the trench was finished within six days,
the Confederate army arrived and the Holy Prophet &g and his noble
Companions, may Allah be pleased with them all, went into battle
formation with the Mount of Sal' thoughtfully kept towards their rear.
The Jews of the tribe of Bani Quraizah break their pledge and
join the Confederate aggressors
That was a time when a group of three thousand ill-equipped people
standing up to fight against an equipped army of some ten to twelve
thousand men was something far too wild to believe. On top of all that,
there came up a new factor. Out of the Confederate forces, Huyayy Ibn
Akhtab, the chief of the tribe of Banu Nadir who had contributed most in
rallying everyone against the Holy Prophet
¿ and his Muslim followers,
took another step. He reached Madinah and conspired to win over the
Jewish tribe of Banu Quraizah over their side. The situation was that
Banu Quraizah and the Holy Prophet
already had a peace treaty
signed between them. This was a solemn undertaking and the two parties
naturally had no apprehensions from each other. Ka'b Ibn Asad was the
chief of the tribe of Banu Quraizah. Huyayy Ibn Akhtab went to see him.
When Ka'b heard about his reported arrival, he had the gate of his castle
closed, so that this man would not reach him. But, Huyayy Ibn Akhtab

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hanged out there, he called and called and insisted that the gate be
opened. Ka'b told him from inside the gate, "We have already made a
peace treaty with Muhammad af and we know of nothing from his side
other than truth, honesty and strict adherence to the treaty right to this
day, therefore, we are bound with this treaty and cannot join hands with
you." For long, this dialogue between the two continued with Huyayy
Ibn Akhtab insisting that the gate be opened and that Ka'b should talk to
him and the later kept refusing to do that while staying inside the closed
gate. But, consequently when Huyayy Ibn Akhtab challenged Ka'b's
sense of shame in that he was treating a visitor in such a crude manner,
the gate was opened. Once called in, Huyayy Ibn Akhtab painted such a
rosy picture of his proposals that Ka'b ultimately fell into the trap laid out
by him and gave his word that he would take part in the Confederate
expedition. When Ka'b related what he had done before other chiefs of his
tribe, they all said in one voice, "You did something terrible. You broke
your pledge with Muslims for no reason whatsoever and that by going
along with the other side you have exposed your own self to danger." Ka'b
too was affected by their comments and even repented for what he had
done. But, things had gone out of his control by that time and this very
pledge-breaking finally went on to become the cause of the destruction of
Banu Quraizah as it would be mentioned later.
At that particular time, when the Holy Prophet
and the noble
Şahabah got this information, they were shocked by this breach of trust
from Banu Quraizah. What worried them most was the strange situation
created for them. They had a trench dug across the line of the marching
forces of the Confederates who were coming from outside Madinah. But,
these Banu Quraizah people were right there inside Madinah. How were
they going to defend against them? About this when the Qur'an says that
the disbelieving forces of the Confederate army had overtaken you: 3.
from above you and from below you -10), Tafsir) فَوُقِكُمُ وَمِنْ أَسْفَلَ مِنْكُمْ
authorities say that the expression: 3 (from above) means the Banu
Quraizah and those who came from below them (Jewl) mean the rest of
the Confederates.
To find out the reality of this breach of trust and to assess the correct
situation in the whole matter, the Holy Prophet 22 sent a deputation
comprising Sayyidna Sa'd Ibn Mu'adh dee, the chief of the Ansar tribe of

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Aws and Sayyidna Sa'd Ibn 'Ubadah, the chief of the tribe of Khazraj, to
Ka'b in order to talk to him about the matter. The instruction given to
them was that should the event of this breach of trust turn out to be
incorrect, they were to tell the whole truth before all the Sahabah openly.
And should it turn out to be true, they should, on their return, say
something ambivalent which will be a message only we shall understand
while the rest of the Sahabah will remain safe from facing any panic
because of it.
When both these elders named Sa'd reached there, they saw open
proofs of the breach of pledge all over which even went to the extent of
hot exchanges of words between them and Ka'b. On their return,
following the instructions given to them earlier, they reported back their
findings in unclear words and thus informed the Holy Prophet > that the
event of the breaking of the pledge was true.
At the time when the Jewish tribe of Banu Quraizah, once an ally of
Muslims, also joined the war against them, something else started
happening. The hypocrisy of people who posed to be a part of the Muslim
community lost its cover. Some of them became far too vocal and started
saying things against the Holy Prophet
, as was mentioned earlier in:
and when said the hypocrites - 12). Then, they were others) وَإِذْ يَقُوُلُ الْمُنْفِقُونَ
who cooked up all sorts of excuses to run away from the battlefield and
sought the permission of the Holy Prophet w to do that - which has been
mentioned in verse 13:ٌإِنَّ بُيُوتَنَا عَوْرَة (Our homes are vulnerable).
Now according to the present state of the battle front, the Confederate
forces could not march in because of the trench with the Muslim army
positioned on the other side. There was almost a continuous exchange of
arrows between them all the time. This state of affairs dragged on for
nearly a month. They could neither confront each other in some open or
decisive battle, nor could they turn heedless towards the opponent for any
extended period of time. Day and night, the Holy Prophet 5 and his
noble Sahabah would stand guard by the trench. Although, the Holy
Prophet
was personally involved in this hard task like everybody else,
yet the thought that all his companions were suffering from extreme
anxiety due to this impasse was very painful for him.
A strategic plan of the Holy Prophet
It was already in the knowledge of the Holy Prophet
that the chief

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of the tribe of Ghitfan had joined hands with these Jews as tempted by
the greed of having the fruits and dates of Khaibar. He sent an emissary
to the two chiefs of the tribe of Ghitfan, 'Uyaynah Ibn Hisn and Abu
al-Harith Ibn 'Amr, with the message: "If you leave the battlefield with
your men, we shall give you one-third of the fruit of Madinah." This
negotiation was still on. The two chief had agreed and a peace treaty was
close to be signed. But, as was his wont and habit, the Holy Prophet
decided to consult the noble Sahabah in this matter. He called the two
Sa'ds, the chiefs of the tribe of Aws and Khazraj, that is, Sayyidna Sa'd
Ibn 'Ubadah and Sa'd Ibn Mu'adh, and sought their advice.
The Faith, the Sense of Shame and the Granite of a
Determination shown by a Şahabi of the Rasul of Allah
Both of them said, "Ya Rasulallah, if you have orders from Allah
Ta'ala to do this thing, then, we cannot dare say anything. We shall
accept. If not, tell us: Is it your personal opinion or you have devised this
as a measure to save us from all this hardship and suffering?"
1
The Holy Prophet
said, "Neither is there a Divine order for it, nor
do I have any personal inclination to do so. In fact, I have come up with
this via media in view of your pain and suffering because you are
surrounded from all sides. So, I simply wished to shatter the power of the
adversary in this manner without losing any time." Sayyidna Sa'd Ibn
Mu adh de said, "Ya Rasulallah, when we worshipped idols, we did
neither know Allah nor did we worship Him. At that time, these people
could not dare look at a single fruit of our city with greedy eyes - except
that they be our guests and we offer some of it to them by way of
hospitality, or that they would buy it from us and take it away with them.
Today, when Allah Ta'ala has, in His infinite grace, given us the ability of
knowing Him, and has bestowed upon us the honor of Islam, shall we, on
this day, let these people have our fruits and our wealth and our
properties? We need no peace and compromise from them. As for us, we
are not going to give them anything but the cutting edge of our swords -
to the extent that Allah Ta'ala Himself gives the ultimate verdict between
us and them."
When the Holy Prophet
heard Sayyidna Sa'd 4ee and saw this
high determination and this great enthusiasm in the matter of his 'Iman,
he cast that thought of his aside and said, "You now have the right to do

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what you wish." Sayyidna Sa'd 4ee took the peace treaty document from
his blessed hands and erased the writing on it because it was not signed
yet. 'Uyaynah and Harith, the chiefs of the Ghitfan tribes who were
present in the meeting ready to sign this treaty found themselves
personally unnerved in their hearts at this demonstration of power and
determination from the noble Companions of the Holy Prophet .
The wound received by Sayyidna Sa'd Ibn Mu'adh que and his
prayer
On the other side, the activity of throwing arrows and stones on each
other continued unabated. Sayyidna Sa'd 4ge had gone into the fortress of
Banu Harithah to see his mother where women had been housed under
security. Sayyidah 'A'ishah Que d > says, "At that time, I too was in the
same fortress and the injunctions of hijab for women were yet to be
enforced. I saw that Sa'd Ibn Mu'adh was wearing a small coat of mail
from which his hands were protruding out rather awkwardly and his
mother was telling him to make haste, go and join the men fighting with
the Holy Prophet . I said to his mother, "A larger coat of mail would
have been better for him. I apprehend that his hands and feet showing
out of his coat of mail may be exposed to danger." His mother said, "It
does not matter. Whatever Allah has to do is what has to happen."
When Sayyidna Mu'adh dee reached the battlefield, he was hit by an
arrow which cut through his medial arm vein. At that time, Sayyidna
Mu'adh 4ge made the following prayer:
"O Allah, if there is yet another attack by the Quraish destined
to come against the Holy Prophet , please keep me alive for
that, because I have no worthwhile wish left in me but that I
fight the people who have caused all sorts of pain to the Holy
Prophet , expelled him from his homeland and falsified his
person and mission. And if, in Your ultimate knowledge, this
process of war has come to an end, please bless me with the
death of a martyr'in the way of Allah - but, let not death come
to me until such time that the treachery of Bani Quraizah is
avenged as the parting delight of my eyes."
Allah Ta'ala answered both these prayers from him. This event of
al-Ahzab was made to be the last attack of the disbelievers. After that,
began the period of Muslim victories. First came Khaibar, then Makkah
al-Mukarramah and then other areas. As for the event relating to Banu

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Quraizah, it follows later as to how they were brought forth as captives
and their case was entrusted with none else but Sayyidna Sa'd Ibn
Mu'adh dee for the final verdict. It was in accordance with his verdict that
their men were killed and their women and children were taken prisoners.
During this event of al-Ahzab, the noble Sahabah and the Holy
Prophet ag had to maintain an all-night vigilance throughout the trench
area. The slightest relaxation at any time had to be broken at the faintest
sound of commotion from any side. In fact, the Holy Prophet would
himself put his arms back on and come out in the battle area. Umm
ul-Mu'minin Sayyidah Umm Salamah Le Ul ~>, says, "Every single
night, this would happen several times that he would come in for a little
rest and then heard some sound and went out immediately. The same
thing happened again. The moment he would put his back for rest, he
would hear some sound and leave as usual."
Umm al-Mu'minin Sayyidah Umm Salamah رضى الله عنها also says, "I
have been with the Holy Prophet g in many battles such as Muraisi',
Khaibar, Hudaibiyah, the battles of the conquest of Makkah and Hunain.
None of these caused more hardship on the Holy Prophet
as did the
battle of Khandaq. Muslims also received a lot more wounds in this battle.
Then, they were hit by the severity of the winter chill as well.
Furthermore, their circumstances were extremely straightened in terms of
food and water available to them. (Mazhari)
The Holy Prophet
had to miss four Salahs in this Jihad
One of those days, the confronting disbelievers decided to launch a
joint and simultaneous attack and force their way ahead by somehow
crossing the trench. Once they had resolved to do that, they threw
themselves dauntlessly against the Muslims and their archers rained
their arrows so incessantly that the Holy Prophet &g and his noble
Şahabah had to remain so engaged throughout the day that they did not
find any respite to even make their Salah. As a result, four Salahs missed
during the day had to be performed at the time of 'Isha'.
The prayers of the Holy Prophet
When things became unbearably hard on Muslims, the Holy Prophet
prayed against the Confederate forces of the disbelievers, doing that
for three days consecutively on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday inside

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Masjid al-Fath imploring Allah Ta'ala to bring defeat on the Confederates
and victory for Muslims. It was on the third day, on Wednesday between
Zuhr and 'Asr that the prayer was answered. Pleased, the Holy Prophet
came to his noble Sahabah and gave them the glad tiding of victory.
They say that after that time no Muslim faced any hardship any more.
(Mazharī)
The unraveling of the causes of victory
In the combined forces of the enemy, the tribe of Ghitfan was a power
to reckon with. It was the most perfect power of Allah Ta'ala that put the
light of faith in the heart of Nu'aim Ibn Mas'ud who, as destiny would
have it, was one of them. He presented himself before the Holy Prophet
ne, confessed to his faith in Islam and told him that no one from among
his people is aware of the fact that he has become a Muslim. Then, he
wished that he be told as to how he could serve Islam. The Holy Prophet
told him, 'You being all alone here would not be able to do anything
worthwhile. If you can go back to your people, be with them and still do
something in defence of Islam, then, go ahead and do it.' Nu'aim Ibn
Mas'ud was an intelligent man. He conceived of a plan of action in his
heart and sought the permission of the Holy Prophet to be given the
choice of saying what is expedient when he reaches those people. He gave
the permission.
From here, Nu'aim Ibn Mas'ud went to see the tribe of Banu
Quraizah with whom he had age-old relations since the time of
Jahiliyyah. He said to them: 'O people of Banu Quraizah, you know that
I am an old friend of yours.' They said, 'We have no doubt about your
friendship.' After that, Sayyidna Nu'aim Ibn Masud 4
addressed the
chiefs of Banu Quraizah as a well-wisher and asked them, 'You know
that none of us - be they the Quraish of Makkah or our tribe of Ghitfan or
the several other Jewish tribes - have their homes here. If these people
face defeat and run, they do not lose much. Your case is different from all
of them. Madinah is your home. Your women and your properties are all
here. Now, if you were to participate in the war effort with them and if,
later, when these people taste defeat and run, what would happen to you?
Would you be able to fight against the Muslims all by yourselves?
Therefore, as one who wishes the best for you, I advise you not to take
part in the joint war effort with them until such time that they do not put

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Surah al-Aḥzab : 33 : 9 - 27
with you a certain number of their selected chiefs as ransom and
guarantee that they would not throw you all at the mercy of Muslims and
run.' The people of Banu Quraizah found this advice good. They
appreciated it and said so before him.
After that, Nu'aim Ibn Mas ud a reached the Quraish chiefs and
said to them, 'You know that I am your friend and that I have nothing to
do with Muhammad 9. I have a little bit of information with me. Being
one who wishes well for you, it is necessary that I pass on that
information to you - of course, on the condition that you will not disclose
my name as its source. Here is that information: The Jews of the tribe of
Bani Quraizah have now regretted their decision after they had
concluded their pact with you. They have sent a message to Muhammad
about it telling him that they will be willing to go along with him
subject to the condition that they would hand over some chiefs of the
tribes of Quraish and Ghitfan and that he would then put them to the
sword. Once that was done, they would join hands with him and fight
against all of them. Muhammad g has accepted this proposal made by
them. Now the Banu Quraizah were going to demand that you put some
of your chiefs as ransom with them and it was upto them to figure out
what they were going to do in their case.
After that, Nu'aim Ibn Mas'ud 4
went to his own tribe, Ghițfan and
to them, he passed on the same information. Concurrent to this, Abu
Sufyan appointed 'Ikrimah Ibn Abi Jahl on behalf of the tribe of Quraish
and Warqa' Ibn Ghitfan on behalf of the tribe of Ghitfan to the mission of
going to Banu Quraizah and telling them that their war supplies were
diminishing and their men were getting tired of having to fight
continuously. So, according to the provision of their pact, they were
looking forward to their help and participation. The tribe of Banu
Quraizah, acting in the light of 'their' (latest) understanding of the pact,
told them that they will not take part in the war effort with them until
such time that some chiefs from both of their tribes have been placed in
their custody as ransom (guarantee, hostage). 'Ikrimah and Warqa', the
two emissaries carried the message back to Abu Sufyan. As a result, the
chiefs of Quraish and Ghitfan came to believe that the information given
by Sayyidna Nu'aim Ibn Mas'ud des was correct. So they sent a return
message to Banu Quraizah telling them that they were not going to let

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them have any of their men. Now it was up to them. If they wished they
could join the war effort with them and if they did not, they were free not
to. When Banu Quraizah saw this state of affairs, their belief in what
Nu'aim Ibn Mas'ud dee had said became all the more firm. It was in this
manner that Allah Ta'ala caused a rift in the ranks of the enemy through
a person who came from their camp and soon after they lost their foothold
on the battlefield.
Along with it there came another calamity upon them. Allah Ta'ala
caused a cold stormy wind overtake them which uprooted their tents and
blew their cooking pots from their stoves. As for these, they were only
outward causes generated by Allah Ta'ala to make them desert the
battlefield. More came in the form of His angels who were sent to put awe
in their hearts inwardly too. These two things have been mentioned at
فَاَرُسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ رِيُحًا وَّجُنُودًا لِّمُ :the beginning of the verses cited above as follows
w's (and We sent upon them a wind, and the forces (of angels) you did
not see - 9). As a consequence, they had no choice but to run.
The event of Sayyidna Hudhaifah 4
going into enemy lines and
reporting back about conditions prevailing there
On the other side, when the Holy Prophet
heard the report of what
Nu'aim Ibn Mas'ud dee had accomplished and how a rift was caused
among the Confederate forces, he was strongly inclined towards the idea
of someone from among the Muslims going into the enemy lines and
returning with the much needed intelligence about the enemy formations
and intentions. But, this severe and chilly wind storm that was sent upon
the enemy, however, did affect the whole of Madinah and Muslims too
were affected by it. The chill was bitter. The time was night. The noble
Şahabah were, after the heavy grind of a long day, sitting all shattered
because of the confrontation, huddled together feeling the pinch of bitter
cold. Addressing the gathering, the Holy Prophet 5 said, "Is there
someone who would stand up and go into the enemy lines and bring some
news about them and may Allah Ta'ala admit him into Jannah?" Of
course, this was a gathering of Sahabah who would have normally staked
their lives at his call. But, the objective conditions prevailing with them
were such that no one could stand up. The Holy Prophet
¿ got busy with
Salah. After remaining busy with Salah for a while, he addressed the
gathering again saying, "Is there someone here who would bring me some

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news from the enemy lines and receive Jannah in return for it?" This time
too, silence prevailed over the entire gathering. No one rose. The Holy
Prophet
got busy with Salah once again. After some time, it was the
third time that he made the same appeal, "Whoever does it shall be in
Jannah with me." But, everyone was so broken down from fatigue,
hunger and chill and so utterly helpless that no one could still bring
himself up to rise.
The narrator of the hadith, Sayyidna Hudhaifah Ibn Yaman, says,
'at that time the Holy Prophet
called me by name and said,
"Hudhaifah, you go." My condition was no different from the others. But,
once I was ordered by name, I had no option but to obey. I stood up while
my whole body was shivering with bitter cold. He passed his blessed hand
over my head and my face and said, "Go into the enemy lines and just
bring back some news and do nothing before you return to me." Then he
prayed for my safety. I picked up my bow and arrows, tied up my own
clothes on my body and took my way towards them.
When I started moving ahead from here, I noticed something strange.
The shivering sensation that had me in its grips while I was in the tent
was all gone. Actually, I was walking as if one was inside a hot bath all
the way up to enemy camp. Once there, I saw that the wind storm had
uprooted their tents and upturned their cooking pots. Abu Sufyan was
seated by the make-shift fire place relaxing before the heat. When I saw
this (a sitting target), I trained my bow and arrow over my shoulders and
was about to shoot Abu Sufyan with my arrow, I remembered the order
given by the Holy Prophet
¿: 'Do nothing before you return back to me.'
Abu Sufyan was absolutely within the striking range of my arrow, but it
was in consideration of this order of the Holy Prophet that I
disengaged my arrow from the bow.
Disturbed by the condition around him, Abu Sufyan wanted to
announce the plan to withdraw. But, in order to do that, it was necessary
that he should talk to responsible people from among the combined armed
forces. The night was dark and the place was desolate. The danger of a
snooping spy nearby who may overhear what they were talking about
was very much present. Therefore, Abu Sufyan did something smart.
Before starting to talk, he asked the whole gathering to recognize the
person sitting next to everyone so that no one who is not one of them

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would be able to hear what they said.'
Sayyidna Hudhaifah 4ee says, "Now, I was scared. What if the person
sitting next to me were to ask me: Who are you? If so, my cover will blow
up.' It was with great presence of mind and courage that he himself took
the initiative, and slapping the hand of the person sitting next to him, he
himself asked: Who are you? The man said, 'Strange that you do not
know me. I am so and so the son of so and so.' He was a member of the
tribe of Hawazin. Thus, Sayyidna Hudhaifah was saved by Allah Ta'ala
from being arrested on the spot.
When Abu Sufyan ensured it that the gathering was that of his own
people and that there was no stranger present among them, he related
the disturbing conditions around them, how the tribe of Banu Quraizah
had committed a breach of pledge and the extent to which their war
supplies had shrunk. After having recounted the situation, he said: In my
opinion, all of us should now leave and go back and I too am going back.
Immediately thereafter, a state of panic hit the Confederate army and
everyone started going back.
Sayyidna Hudhaifah " says, "As I started going back from there, I
felt as if I had some sort of a hot bath around me that was shielding me
from the bitter chill. When I reached the home base, I found the Holy
Prophet
busy with Salah. When he turned for Salam, I reported the
event. Pleased with this happy news, the Holy Prophet
started
laughing - to the extent that, in the darkness of the night, his blessed
teeth were seen shining. After that, the Holy Prophet
made room for
me close to his feet and covered my body with a part of the sheet he had
wrapped around him until I went to sleep in that condition. When
morning came, he himself woke me up saying: 5454 ( 'Up O big
sleeper!')
Good News after the ambition of the disbelievers is shattered
According to a narration of Sayyidna Sulayman Ibn Surad 4ge
appearing in the Şahin of al-Bukhari, when the Confederate forces
retreated, the Holy Prophet said:
الآنَ نَغْزُوُهُمْ وَلَا يَغْزُوْنَنَا نَحْنُ نَسِيْرُ إِلَيْهِمُ (بخارى)
Now, they shall not attack us, instead, we will attack them and
run over their territory - al-Bukhari as in Mazhari.

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After having said that, the Holy Prophet & and his noble Sahabah
returned to the city of Madinah and it was only after a month that
Muslims formally disarmed themselves.
A special note
This event pertaining Sayyidna Hudhaifah des appears in the Şahin
of Muslim. It is an example-setter of great class as well as a bearer of
many elements of guidance and miracles of the Holy Prophet . Those
who ponder over it would themselves find these out, therefore, any more
details are not needed.
The Battle of Banu Quraizah
The Holy Prophet as had just about reached Madinah when suddenly
came Sayyidna Jibra'il al-Amin al in the guise of the Sahabi, Sayyidna
Dihyah Ibn Khalifah al-Kalbi 4ge and said, "Even though you people
have disarmed yourselves but the angels have not. Allah Ta'ala
commands you to attack Banu Quraizah and I am going right there
ahead of you."
To announce this in Madinah, the Holy Prophet
sent a proclaimer
who proclaimed this order of the Holy Prophet
before the people
لَايُصَلِّيَنَّ اَحَدُ الْعَصُرَ إِلَّ فِى:making sure that it reaches everyone. The order was
day (Let no man make his Salah of 'Asr until he reaches Banu
Quraizah).
All Companions got ready for this second Jihad immediately and
marched towards Banu Quraizah. On their way came the time of 'Asr.
Some of them, following the outward sense of the prophetic order, did not
make their Salah of 'Asr en route - instead, made it only after having
reached the designated destination of Banu Quraizah. And there were
others who thought that objective of the Holy Prophet
was to reach
Banu Quraizah within the time for 'Asr. So, they thought, if they made
their Salah en route and reached there within the time for 'Aşr, then, it
would not be contrary to the order of the Holy Prophet 5. Thus, they
made their Salah of 'Asr as it became due while still en route.
In the difference of Mujtahids, no side is sinful or blameworthy
When the Holy Prophet
" was informed about this difference in the
practical compliance of his order on the part of the noble Sahabah, he put
no blame on any of the two parties; in fact, he approved of both. From

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here, the religious scholars of the Muslim community have deduced the
principle that none of the different sayings of Mujtahid 'Ulama' who are
Mujtahids in the real sense of the term and have the required expertise
and ability of Ijtihad (arriving at a Shari'ah-based religious solution of
problems at the highest conceivable level) can be called 'sin' or
'blameworthy.' For both such differing sides, reward is recorded against
their action as based on their respective Ijtihad.
At the time of marching out for Jihad against Banu Quraizah, the
Holy Prophet & handed over the Muslim flag to Sayyidna 'Ali
al-Murtada 4ee. Hearing about the coming of the Holy Prophet z and his
noble Şahabah, the Banu Quraizah decided to shut themselves into their
fort. The Islamic army laid a siege around it.
The Speech of Ka'b, the Chief of Banu Quraizah
Ka'b, the Chief of the tribe of Banu Quraizah who had broken the
pledge given to the Holy Prophet
in favor of a compact with the
Confederates, assembled his people together, told them about the delicate
situation and presented three possible solutions of the problem:
"To begin with, the first option is that you all embrace Islam and
follow Muhammad
because, and I tell you on oath, you already know
that he is in the right and the prophecy of his coming is there in your
Torah which you recite. If you were to do this, not only that you will find
safety for your life, property and children in this mortal world but also
that your Hereafter too will turn out to be good and correct.
The second option is that you start by first killing your women and
children with your own hands and then go on to fight and kill them with
all power at your command until such time that all of you are also killed
in the process.
The third option is that you make a surprise attack on Muslims on the
day of Sabbath - for Muslims know that fighting and killing on the day of
Sabbath is unlawful in our religion. Therefore, they would not be
expecting an attack from our side on that particular day. Now, if we were
to launch a sudden attack, it is possible that we may succeed."
After having heard this address of their chief, Ka'b, his people replied
that they will never accept the first option of embracing Islam, because

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they did not want to abandon the Torah and start believing in some other
Book. As for the second option, what wrong had their women and children
done that they go about killing them? As for the third option, it was by
itself against the commandment of the Torah and their religion. They
could not do that too.
After that, all of them reached an agreement that they would lay
down their arms before the Holy Prophet
and be ready to accept
whatever he decided about them. Present there were some Ansari
Şahabah belonging to the tribe of Aws. They had an age-old pact with
Banu Quraizah. So these Sahabah from the tribe of Aws requested the
Holy Prophet & that these people may be handed over to them. The Holy
Prophet 5 said, "Would you like me to entrust their case with one of your
own chiefs?" When they agreed, the Holy Prophet % said, "He is your
chief, Sa'd Ibn Mu'adh. I entrust this matter with him for a judgement."
Everyone approved of it.
Sayyidna Sa'd Ibn Mu'adh 4ee was fatally wounded during the battle
of Khandaq (the Trench) by an arrow. The Holy Prophet
had housed
him in a tent pegged within the compound of the Masjid so that he could
be attended to. According to the order of the Holy Prophet &g, the verdict
on the prisoners from Banu Quraizah was left up to him. The verdict that
he gave was that the warring young from them should be killed and
women, children and the aged should be treated as prisoners of war
which is well-recognized in Islam. This very verdict was enforced. Soon
after this verdict, the wound of Sayyidna Sa'd Ibn Muadh cee started
bleeding suddenly. Therefrom he died. Allah Ta'ala answered both
prayers made by him - that there would be no attack from the Quraish
against the Holy Prophet
ug in the future, and that the Banu Quraizah
would receive the punishment for their treachery which Allah caused to
come upon them precisely through him.
Some of those earmarked for killing were set free because of having
embraced Islam. 'Ațiyyah al-Qurazi, well-known among the Sahabah, is
one of them. Also among them, there was Zubayr Ibn Bata. His freedom
was specially requested from the Holy Prophet 5 by the Sahabi,
Sayyidna Thabit Ibn Qays Ibn Shammas 4ce. The reason was that
Zubayr Ibn Bata had done a favour to him during the days of the
Jahiliyyah when, in the battle of Bu'ath, Thabit Ibn Qays had fallen a

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prisoner in the hands of Zubayr Ibn Bata who had simply cut the locks of
his hair on the head and let him go free. He had not killed him.
Return of favour and national pride: Two unique models
After having received the order for the release of Zubayr Ibn Bata,
Sayyidna Thabit Ibn Qays went to him and said, "I have done it to return
your favor you had done to me during the battle of Bu'ath." Zubayr Ibn
Bața said, "There is no doubt that one gentleman deals with another
gentleman just like that. But, please tell me what for would a man whose
entire family is no more there like to stay alive?" When Sayyidna Thabit
Ibn Qays heard this, he presented himself before the Holy Prophet g and
submitted that the life and honor of his family and children may also be
spared. In his grace, he approved of it. When he informed Zubayr Ibn
Bata about it, he took another step forward saying, "O Thabit, now tell me
how a man with a family would stay alive if he is left with nothing to
support it?" Sayyidna Thabit Ibn Qays returned to the Holy Prophet
once again and arranged to have whatever wealth or property he had
also given back to him. Up to this point, narrated here was the case of the
gentleness and gratitude of a true Muslim as demonstrated by Sayyidna
Thabit Ibn Qays.
Now, we can go to have a look at what happened on the other side.
When Zubayr Ibn Bata was fully satisfied after having earned his
freedom and the freedom of his family and children as well as his wealth
and property, he asked Sayyidna Thabit Ibn Qays about the chiefs of the
Jewish tribes: "What happened to Ibn Abi al-Huqaiq whose face was like
a Chinese mirror?" He said that he was killed. Then, he asked, "What
became of the Banu Quraizah chiefs, Ka'b Ibn Quraizah and 'Amr Ibn
Quraizah?" He told him that they too were killed. Then he asked about
another two groups. In response, he was informed that all of them were
killed.
Hearing this, Zubayr Ibn Bata said to Sayyidna Thabit Ibn Qays,
"You have returned the favor done to you and you have fulfilled your
responsibility as due. But, I am not going to rehabilitate myself on my
property after they are no more. Include me among them." He meant that
he too should be killed. Sayyidna Thabit Ibn Qays refused to kill him.
After that, it was on his insistence that some other Muslim killed him.
(Qurțubī)

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Surah al-Ahzab : 33 : 9 - 27
This was the national pride or sense of communal shame
demonstrated by a disbeliever, a kafir who, even after having been given
everything back, did not like to continue living without his companions.
Here we have two models of conduct demonstrated by a believer and a
disbeliever, a mu'min and a kafir. Both belong to significant historical
record. This victory against Banu Quraizah had taken place in the fifth
year of Hijrah towards the end of the month of Dhulqa'dah and the
beginning of Dhul-Hijjah. (Qurțubi)
A special note of caution
That the battle of al-Ahzab and Banu Quraizah have been taken up
here in a somewhat detailed manner is because of two factors. (1) First of
all, the Qur'an has itself opted to describe it in details spread over two
sections. (2) Then, there is another reason for it. These events carry many
instructions about different departments of life and they also spell out
many clear miracles and lessons. These have been highlighted in the text
of the present commentary under bold headings. Once we come to know
the whole event, the translation of the meanings of the verses given
above under the Arabic text, alongwith the footnotes, would become
easier to understand. There are a few things that should, however, be
taken note of:
Firstly, mention has been made of extreme hardships faced by
Muslims in this battle. One state of the anxiety of believers has been
pointed to in the words: تَظُنُّونَ بِاللَّهِ الظُّنُوُنَا ( and you were thinking about Allah
all sorts of thoughts. - 10) These thoughts refer to scruples that emerge in
one's heart beyond his control at the time of acute anxiety under which
one may feel death as near with no hope of deliverance left, or at other
occasions like that. Such non-voluntary apprehensions and scruples are
neither contradictory of the perfection of 'Iman (faith) nor that of one's
nearness to Allah (wilayah). Nevertheless, they do point out to the extent
of the severity of distress and anxiety under which scruples had started
creeping into the hearts of even the noble Sahabah who, otherwise, were
virtual mountains of fortitude.
The second state mentioned here is that of the hypocrites for they had
started saying that the promises of Allah and His Rasul were a web of
deception : إِذْ يَقُوُلُ الْمُنْفِقُونَ وَالَّذِيْنَ فِى قُلُوبِهِمُ مَّرَضٌ مَّا وَعَدَنَا اللَّهُ وَرَسُوْلُهُ إِلَّا غُرُورًا (And
(remember) when the hypocrites and those having malady in their hearts