‘Incidents from the Life of the Holy Prophet (sa) – The Battle of the Ditch’
After reciting Tashahhud, Ta`awwuz and Surah al-Fatihah, His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad(aba) said that he would continue narrating incidents from the Battle of Ahzab.
Treachery of the Banu Quraizah
His Holiness(aba) quoted Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad(ra) who described the manner in which Madinah was protected on one side by the ditch that had been dug and by orchards and trees on the other sides. As the disbelieving army approached, they sent Huyayy bin Akhtab to the chief of the Banu Quraizah tribe to incite them to join their cause. Despite being in an active peace treaty with the Muslims, the Banu Quraizah ultimately decided to break this treaty and help the disbelieving army. Due to the peace treaty, the Muslims in no way expected the Banu
Quraizah to be involved, and even if they didn’t actively help the Muslims, they expected that due to the treaty, the Banu Quraizah wouldn’t help against them either.
However, now with this newfound alliance between the disbelieving army and the Banu Quraizah, an entry point for that army would be accessible into Madinah.
His Holiness(aba) continued quoting Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad(ra) who said that upon learning of this new alliance, the Muslims became worried and also had to devise a plan in light of it. As such, the Holy Prophet(sa) formed a contingent of 500 Muslims. The state of fear of Muslims upon hearing this news is described in the Holy Qur’an as follows:
‘When they came upon you from above you, and from below you, and when your eyes became distracted, and your hearts reached to the throats, and you thought diverse thoughts about Allah.’ (The Holy Qur’an 33:11)
His Holiness(aba) said that the Muslims still stood firm to protect Madinah and under the leadership of Hazrat Zubair bin al-Awwam(ra), there were eight stations along the ditch that were being guarded. Now with the Banu Quraizah joining the besieging army and the threat of an imminent attack, the Holy Prophet(sa) deployed two contingents to various parts of Madinah and also instructed them that from time to time, they should raise slogans glorifying Allah.
His Holiness(aba) quoted Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad(ra) who writes:
‘At this time, as far as apparent means were concerned, the horizon of Madinah was immensely dark and gloomy. On all four fronts of the city, thousands of bloodthirsty enemies had set up camp. All of them lay in ambush to find an opportunity so that they could pounce at the Muslims and annihilate them. Within the city, at arms reach of the Muslims, were the treacherous Banu Quraizah, who were no less than a fierce army in themselves, boasting hundreds of armed young men. They were in a position to attack the Muslims from the rear whenever they so pleased or whenever an opportunity presented itself. The Muslim women and children, who resided in the city, were easy prey for them at all times. As a result of this state of affairs, and the reality of this cannot remain hidden upon any wise individual, immense fear and terror surged through the weaker Muslims, and the hypocrites openly criticised:
“It seems as if the promise of God and His Messenger with respect to the victory and triumph of the Muslims was nothing but lies.”
Various hypocrites presented themselves before the Holy Prophet(sa) and began to say, “O Messenger of Allah, our homes are completely unprotected in the city, please grant us permission so that we may stay in our homes to defend them.” In response to this, the following divine revelation was sent down:
“It is incorrect that these people are worried about their homes being exposed, rather, the fact of the matter is that they seek a way to flee from the field of battle.”
It was at this very juncture, however, that sincere Muslims exhibited the true colours of their faith. As such, the Holy Qur’an states:
“And when the believers saw the army of the disbelievers, they said, ‘This is what Allah and His Messenger promised us; and indeed, Allah and His Messenger are truthful. Hence, this onslaught only added to their faith and submission.” However, all equally felt the vulnerable situation and threatening circumstances at hand. In this regard, Allah the Exalted states:
“Remember the time when the army of the disbelievers came upon you from above you, and from below you in hordes, and when your eyes became overwhelmed with anxiety, and your hearts came to your throats, and you began to entertain diverse thoughts about Allah (all in your own way). That time, was indeed a time of sore trial for the believers, and they were shaken with a violent shaking.”
At such a perilous time, how could this small group of Muslims contest, who consisted of various weaker dispositions and hypocrites as well? They did not even have enough men to adequately arrange to stand guard at less secure posts. As a result, this harsh duty of day and night utterly exhausted the Muslims. On the other hand, due to the treachery of the Banu Quraizah, it was necessary to strengthen security in the streets and alleys of the city as well, so that the women and children could be protected. The disbelieving warriors exhausted every possible avenue in an attempt to agonise the Muslims. At times, they would gather at a weaker point and launch an attack and the Muslims would be forced to regroup there in denfese. At this, the disbelievers would immediately redirect their strength and press another point and the poor Muslims would make haste in that direction. On other occasions, they would wage an attack at two or three points simultaneously and the Muslim force would be dispersed into smaller fragments. At times, the course of events would take on an extremely delicate state and the disbelieving army almost penetrated the weaker points to enter the city. These full-fledged attacks were generally warded off by the Muslims with arrows. However, at times, a strategy employed by the disbelieving warriors was that one contingent would shower the Muslims with arrows to hold them back, while another contingent would storm a weaker point of the ditch and wage a general attack, in an attempt to cross over. This method of warfare would continue from dawn till dusk, and sometimes it would even carry on during parts of the night.’
(The Life and Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa), Vol. 2, pp. 465-467)
Determination of the Companions in the Face of Hardships
His Holiness(aba) further quoted Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad(ra) who writes:
‘These days were ones of grave pain, apprehension and danger. As the siege grew longer and longer, the Muslims naturally began to lose their strength to fight and although they were full of faith and sincerity, their bodies, which of course functioned
according to the material law of nature, began to fall weak. When the Holy Prophet(sa) witnessed this state of affairs, he called upon the two chieftains of the Ansar, Sa’d bin Mu’adh(ra) and Sa’d bin ‘Ubadah(ra) and recalling to them all of the circumstances at hand sought their counsel. The Holy Prophet(sa) even proposed, “If you are in agreement, it is also possible that we may give the Ghatafan tribe a portion of our wealth, so that this war may be averted.” Sa’d bin Mu’adh(ra) and Sa’d bin ‘Ubadah(ra) resonated the same words, and submitted, “O Messenger of Allah! If you have received divine revelation in this respect, then we bow before you in obedience.
In this case, most definitely, let us act upon this proposition gladly.” The Holy Prophet(sa) said, “Nay, nay, I have not received any revelation in this matter. I only present this suggestion out of my consideration for the hardship you are being made to bear.” The two Sa’ds responded, “Then our suggestion is that if we have never given anything to an enemy while we were idolators, why then should we do so as
Muslims? By God! We shall give them nothing but the strikes of our swords.” The
Holy Prophet(sa) was worried on account of the Ansar, who were the native residents of
Madinah. Furthermore, in seeking this counsel, the only intent of the Holy Prophet(sa) was to perhaps gather insight into the mental state of the Ansar, as to whether they were worried about these hardships or not, and if they were, then to console them. Thus, when this proposal was put forth, the Holy Prophetsa happily accepted and war continued.’
(The Life and Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa), Vol. 2, p. 471)
The Holy Prophet’s (sa) Selfless Services to His People
His Holiness(aba) said that despite the ditch, it did not mean that the Muslims were completely safe. Despite the peace treaty, after the Banu Quraizah’s alliance with the disbelieving army, there were some enemy soldiers already within Madinah presenting a real threat. Furthermore, there were certain areas along the borders of Madinah which the enemy army could penetrate and enter Madinah. In light of these worrying circumstances, the Muslims were assigned to stand guard at various points. The Holy Prophet(sa) would also take shifts in standing guard. These duties, in the form of shifts, would continue day and night, despite the extreme cold during the nights.
His Holiness(aba) said that the Holy Prophet(sa) selflessly served Madinah and its people. When he would be on guard at night, sometimes he would get extremely cold, and so he would go inside his tent only until his body warmed up, and then he would go back to duty. The Holy Prophet(sa) came to learn that the enemy was rearing to attack and so the Holy Prophet(sa) called out to see if there were any companions around. There was a group who was standing guard around the Holy Prophet’s (sa) tent. The Holy Prophet(sa) instructed them to go to the ditch where there was a group of enemies trying to cross it. This contingent went and drove that group of enemy soldiers away. In this way, not only did the Holy Prophet(sa) selflessly serve Madinah and its people, but he put the safety of all others over his own.
Hazrat Safiyyah’s(ra) Valour During the Battle
His Holiness(aba) quoted Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad(ra) who narrates an incident of bravery displayed by Hazrat Safiyyah(ra) during this battle. He writes:
‘The Holy Prophet(sa) had generally gathered the women and children of the city in a special area, which could be likened to a fortress. However, a sufficient number of Muslims could not be made available to adequately protect them. Especially at such times when the enemy onslaught in the battlefield was at full force, the Muslim women and children would practically be left unguarded, and only such men would be left to protect them who for some reason or other, were unfit for the field of battle. Therefore, capitalising on a situation like the one just mentioned, the Jews proposed to attack one such area of the city where the women and children had gathered. These people sent a spy ahead of them to assess the situation in this quarter of the city. It so happened that the only person present near the women at the time was Hassan bin Thabit, the poet, who was unable to go to the battlefield due to his being very weak at heart. When the women noticed this Jewish enemy surveying their encampment in such a suspicious manner, Safiyyah bint ‘Abdil-Muttalib, the paternalaunt of the Holy Prophet(sa), said to Hassan(ra), “This individual is an enemy Jew, who is prowling about to acquire intelligence and is bent upon mischief. Kill him, so that he does not return to his people and cause harm to us.” However, Hassan(ra) could not find the courage to do so. Therefore, Hadrat Safiyyah moved forward herself and fought the Jew, after which she killed him and he fell to the ground. Then, according to her own proposal, the Jewish spy was beheaded and thrown to that side of the stronghold where the Jews had gathered, so that they would not dare to attack the Muslim women, and were made to believe that they were guarded by many men. Hence, this strategy proved to be successful. As a result, the Jewish people were awe-struck and turned back.’
(The Life and Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa), Vol. 2, pp. 472-473)
Hazrat Ali’s(ra) Duel With Amr bin Abd al-Wudd
His Holiness(aba) said that there was also an incident of Hazrat Ali(ra) killing Amr bin Abd Wudd. As the disbelieving army lay siege to Madinah, they agreed to find a weak point in the border and send some soldiers through that entry. Among the people who entered Madinah was Amr bin Abd Wudd, a brave soldier who was likened to being as brave as a thousand Arab men. When he entered Madinah he called out challenging anyone to battle him. Hazrat Ali(ra) wished to get up and fight him, but the Holy Prophet(sa) stopped him. However as Amr bin Abd al-Wudd continued calling out, Hazrat Ali(ra) got up and the Holy Prophet(sa) didn’t stop him, rather he granted Hazrat Ali(ra) with his turban and sword and sent him off with prayers.
His Holiness(aba) said that upon coming face to face, Hazrat Ali(ra) invited Amr bin Abd al-Wudd to join Islam however Amr refused. Then Hazrat Ali(ra) challenged him to fight. Upon asking his lineage, Amr realised that he knew Hazrat Ali’s(ra) father and said that he did not wish to spill his blood and so he should call someone else to face him. Hazrat Ali(ra) said that he had no hesitation in fighting him, and so a fight ensued, in which Hazrat Ali(ra) was ultimately victorious and killed Amr bin Abd al-Wudd. Upon seeing this, Amr’s comrades tried to flee. They were either killed or captured.
His Holiness(aba) said that he would continue narrating these incidents in the future.
Guidance & Prayers for the Lajna and Ansar Annual National Ijtemas
His Holiness(aba) said that today the Ijtemas (Annual Gatherings) of the Ahmadiyya Women’s Auxiliary Organisation (Lajna Ima’illah) and the Elder’s Auxiliary
Organisation (Ansarullah) are commencing. His Holiness(aba) advised all attendees to focus on prayers especially during these days and sending salutations upon the Holy Prophet(sa). His Holiness(aba) prayed that may Allah enable everyone to do so and enable them to fulfil the purpose of these gatherings. His Holiness(aba) prayed that may Allah bless these events in every respect.
