Battle of the Trench
Ishaq p. 450
This took place in the month of Shawwal, AH 5
A number of Jews who had formed a party against Muhammad went to Quraysh at Mecca and invited them to join them in an attack on Muhammad so that they might get rid of him altogether.
Seeing the plight of the Banu Nadir tribe probably was a motivator.
Quraysh said: "You, Oh Jews, are the first scripture people and know the nature of our disputed with Muhammad. Is our religion the best or his?" They replied that certainly their religion was better than his and they had a better claim to be in the right.
Interesting to see the Jews endorse the pagan Arab religion over Islam. Probably they were a bit more easy-going about religion than Muhammad. This upsets Muhammad, who gives this reply:
It was about them that Allah sent down:
Quran 4:51: Have you not seen those who were given a portion of the Scripture? They believe in A-Jibt and At-Tâghût and say to the disbelievers that they are better guided as regards the way than the believers.
Quran 4:52: They are those whom Allâh has cursed, and he whom Allâh curses, you will not find for him (any) helper. Or have they a share in the dominion? Then in that case they would not give mankind even a Naqîra (speck on the back of a date stone).
Quran 4:54: Or do they envy men for what Allâh has given them of His bounty? Then, We had already given the family of Ibrâhîm (Abraham) the Book and Al-Hikmah, and conferred upon them a great kingdom.
Quran 4:55: Of them were (some) who believed in him, and of them were (some) who averted their faces from him; and enough is Hell for burning.
One may wonder what right Muhammad has to correct the Jews in matters of their religion. After all, they were literate and knew their scritures and their religion much better than Muhammad did. Back in Mecca, there is general rejoicing over coming along so well:
These words rejoiced Quraysh, and they responded gladly to their invitation to fight Muhammad, and they assembled and made their preparations. Then that company of Jews went off to Ghatafan of Qays Aylan and invited them to fight Muhammad, and told them that they would act with them and that Quraysh had followed their lead in the matter; so they too joined in with them.
A multinational alliance is formed, with the purpose of putting and end to Muhammad and his activity.
When Muhammad heard of their intention, he drew a trench around Medina and worked at it himself, encouraging the Muslims with the hope of reward in heaven.
Being probably short on worldly rewards, Muhammad used the heavenly instead. It works:
The Muslims worked very hard with him, but the disaffected held back from them and began to hide their real object by working slackly and by stealing away to their families without Muhammad's permission or knowledge. A Muslim who had to attend to an urgent matter would ask Muhammad's permission to go and would get it, and when he had carried out his business, he would return to the work he had left becuase of his desire to do what was right and his respect for the same.
Getting the Muslims in line was a never-ending work. The discipline was quite strict - even going to answer the call of nature required the personal permission of Muhammad.
So Allah send down concerning those believers:
Quran 24:62: The true believers are only those who believe in Allâh and His Messenger; and when they are with him on some common matter, they go not away until they have asked his permission. Verily, those who ask your permission, those are they who believe in Allâh and His Messenger. So, if they ask your permission for some affairs of theirs, give permission to whom you will of them, and ask Allâh for their forgiveness. Truly, Allâh is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
Worth noting is the formulation "Allah and His Messenger." Since Allah never spoke directly to anyone except Muhammad, this becomes a requirement to obey Muhammad unconditionally. We see the Quranic backing for the requirement that even taking a toilet break required explicit permission. This is true obedience, as is appreciated in the hadith:
This passage came down concerning those Muslims who desired the good and respected it, and obeyed Allah and his Messenger.
Then Allah said of the disaffected who were stealing away from work and leaving it without Muhammad's permission:
Quran 24:63: Make not the calling of the Messenger among you as your calling one of another. Allâh knows those of you who slip away under shelter. And let those who oppose the Messenger's commandment beware, lest some Fitnah should befall them or a painful torment be inflicted on them.
Quran 24:64: Certainly, to Allâh belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth. Surely, He knows your condition and the Day when they will be brought back to Him, then He will inform them of what they did. And Allâh is All-Knower of everything.
As we have seen on many occasions, suitable scripture appears when Muhammad needs the Muslims to do something extraordinary.
The Muslims worked at the trench until they had finished it.
I have heard some stories about the digging of the trench in which there is an example of Allah's justifying His messenger and confirming his prophetic offcie, things which the Muslims saw with their eyes.
The 'I have heard' introduction is Ibn Ishaq's way of indicating low credibility for a story.
When they were working on the trench a large rock caused great difficulty, and they complained to Muhammad. He called for some water and spat on it; then he prayed as Allah willed him to pray; then he sprinkled the water on the rock. Those who were present said: "By Him who sent him a prophet with the truth, it was pulverized as though it were soft sand, so that it could not resist axe or showel."
Another account of the difficult rock is somewhat different. No water or spitting, but the same result:
I was working with a pick in the trench where a rock gave me much trouble. Muhammad, who was near at hand, saw me hacking and saw how difficult the place was. He dropped down into the trench and took the pick from my hand, and gave such a blow that lightning showed beneat the pick. This happened a second and a third time. I said: "Oh you, dearer than father or mother, what is the meaning of this light beneath your pick as you strike?"
He said: Did you really see that, Salman? The first means that Allah has opened up to me the Yaman; the second Syria and the west; and the third the east.'
We catch here a glimpse of the motivation for Muhammad and the early Muslims.
Abu Hurayra used to say when these countries were conquered in the time of Umar [2nd caliph] and Uthman [3rd caliph] and after: "Conquer where you will, by Allah, you have not conquered and to the resurrection day will not conquer a city whose keys Allah had not given beforehand to Muhammad."
This event is interesting, because it is visionary and apparently was remembered by the successors of Muhammad. Tabari has a much more detailed account of this event. We step in after the actual hitting of the stone:
Muhammad turned to the men and asked: "Did you see what Salman says?" They said: "Yes, Messenger of Allah, you who are as dear to us as father and mother; we saw you strike and lightning come out like waves. We saw you shout "Allahu-Akbar" and so we shouted "Allahu-Akbar." We saw nothing else.
"You have spoken truely," he said. "I struck my first blow, and what you saw flashed out, so taht the palaces of al-Hirah and al-Madain of Kisra lit up for me from it as if they were dogs' teeth, and Gabriel informed me that my nation would be victorious over them.
These are the summer and winter capitals of the Sasanian Empire, located in present-day Iraq.
Then I struck my second blow, and what you saw flashed out, so that the palaces of the pale men in the land of the Byzantines lit up for me from it as if they were dogs' teeth, and Gabriel informed me that my nation would be victorious over them.
This may refer to the closer Syria or the further, much later, conquest of Asia Minor.
Then I struck my third blow, and what you saw flashed out, so that the palaces of Sana lit up for me from it as if they were dogs' teeth, and Gabriel informed me that my nation would be victorious over them:
This is located in present-day Yemen.
"Rejoice; victory shall come to them! Rejoice, victory shall come to them! Rejoice, victory shall come to them!"" So the Muslims rejoiced and said: "Praise be to Allah! The promise of One who is true and faithful! He has promised us victory after tribulation." So when the allied clans came up, the believers said: "This is what Allah and his messenger promised us. Allah and his messenger have spoken truely." And it only increased them in faith and surrender.
There is nothing like future prospects to increase morale.
But the hypocrites said: "Do you not wonder? He discourses to you, increases your faith and promises you false things. He tells you that from Yatrib he can see the palaces of al-Hirah and al-Madain of Kisra and that they will be conquered by you - and this while you are digging the trench and cannot go forth!"
These rational Muslims probably didn't realize the power of the determined elite. One questions stood open, however: What on earth justified that foreign countries should be conquered by Arabs? It certainly was not in retaliation for them invading Arabia, which hardly anyone bothered to do. Jealousy should be ruled out, as no true religious leader would succomb to such a simple feeling. The question gets no satisfactory answer.
So the following Quran was revealed:
Quran 33:12: And when the hypocrites and those in whose hearts is a disease said: "Allâh and His Messenger promised us nothing but delusion!"
As always, the Quran has an apt reply. Much of Sura 33 is given as response to the Battle of the Trench. Anyone interested in the wider subject of Islam conquering the surrounding nations is recommended to read Legacy of Jihad by Andrew Bostom. This contains extensive details of Jihad conquest in line with this Islamic tradition. Much blood was shed and many tears were cried during these campaigns.
When Muhammad had finished the trench, Quraysh came and encamped where the torrent-beds of Ruman meet between al-Juruf and Zughaba with ten thousand of their black mercenaries and their followers from B. Kinana and the people of Tihama. Ghafatan too came with their followers from Najd and halted at Dhanab Naqma towards the direction of Uhud.
While the number might or might not be accurate, there is no doubt that this is a quite significant force going against Muhammad and the Muslims.
Muhammad and the Muslims came out with three thousand men having Sal at their backs. He pitched his camp there with the trench between him and his foes, and gave orders that the women and children were to be taken up into the forts.
Quite fortunate for Muhammad that he had recently conquered forts from the Banu Nadir Jews.
The enemy of Allah Huyayy b. Akhtab al-Nadri went out to Kab b. Asad al-Qurazi who had made a treaty with Muhammad. When Kab heard of Huyayy's coming, he shut the door of his fort in his face, and when he asked permission to enter he refused to see him, saying that he was a manof ill omen and that he himself was in treaty with Muhammad and did not intend to go back on his word because he had always found him loyal and faithful.
Much quarreling follows. But eventually:
Thus Kab broke his promise and cut loose from the bond that was betweeen thim and Muhammad.
One may wonder, in the midst of all these alliances, war preparations and posturing: Where is the religious stuff? Where is the peaceful resolution of pointless conflicts, the couragious standing up against the worldly kings, the resignation from worldly affairs for the good of God? The answer is disappointingly simple: There isn't any. Nothing is being excluded from the accounts of Ishaq and Tabari.
Before Muhammad was called to prophethood, he would seek solitude in the caves. But at no point after the somewhat unpleasent encounter there is it reported that Muhammad sought solitude in a systematic or religious fashion. During the decade of conflict in Mecca, the means were restricted to insulting words between the parties, rarely resolved by actually looking up ancient scripture, preferring to engage in more mutual denigration.
Now for five years we have seen the conflict between Muhammad and the Meccans devolve into armed struggle, and it is set to continue like this. Islam has its five pillars (which was a bit in a flux still - the hadith has conflicting versions of them), but some stood out clear: Believe in Allah and obey Muhammad; Pay the Zakat tax; Fight the infidels. We know that Muhammad had a pulpit to speak from, but little about what he said there.
When Muhammad and the Muslims heard of this, Muhammad sent Sad b. Muadh, who was chief of the Aus at the time, and Sad b. Udaba, chief of al-Khazraj at the time, together with Abdullah b. Rawaha, and Khawwat b. Jubayr, and told them to go and see whether the report was true or not. "If it is true, give me an enigmatic message which I an understand, and do not undermine the people's confidence; and if they are loyal to their agreement, speak out openly before the people."
Good tactics. If there is good new, use it to encourage the fighting people. If there's not, deal with it.
They went forth and found the situation even more deplorable than they had heard; they spoke disparingly of Muhammad, saying: "Who is the messenger of Allah? We have no agreement or undertaking with Muhammad." Sad b. Muadh reviled them and they reviled him. He was a man of hasty temper and Sad b. Ubada said to him: "Stop insulting them, for the dispute between us is too serious for recrimination." Then the two Sad's returned to Muhammad and after saluting him said: "Adal and al-Qara", i.e. (It is) like treachery of Adal and al-Qara towards the men of al-Raji, Khubayb and his friends. Muhammad said: "Allahu Akbar! Be of good cheer, Muslims."
The rejection of the treaty is solid. Not much Muhammad can do about that.
The situation became serious and fear was everywhere. The enemy came at them from above and below, until the believers imagined vain things.
Under construction
Sirat p. XXX, Tabari YY p. XXX
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