In the last episode, we discussed the Battle of the Trench and in this episode, we will discuss that battle as well. In the Battle of the Trench, the Quraysh tribe, the Banu Nazir tribe and The Batafar tribe united and attacked the Muslims.
This group of 10,000 soldiers attacked Medina. To stop them, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) dug trenches about four and a half kilometres long on the north side of Medina.
They tried to cross the border several times but were unsuccessful, so they ordered the Banu Quraysh, a Jewish tribe within Medina, to revolt. Although they initially refused to rebel, they later agreed. On the other hand, both sides were unable to win the war despite using all their tactics.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) thought about it and realized that the Quraysh did not want the Muslims to rise because then the influence of the Quraysh would decrease in the entire Arab world. But the Gaddafa tribe that came to fight the Quraysh was mainly fighting in the hope of gaining wealth. The Prophet (peace be upon him) thought that if a peace treaty had to be made, it could be made with this tribe. Jihad does not just mean fighting in person, but rather, it means diplomatic maneuvers, foresight, and wisdom. The Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) agreement with this tribe Gaddafa is a reflection of his far-sighted attitude. They were offered a third of the annual crops produced in Medina if they left the Quraysh behind.
It’s not easy to get the harvest without fighting. They initially demanded half, but later they accepted the deal. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) called them to a secret meeting and they came to the meeting.
The content of the agreement concluded with them was that first of all This agreement will be signed only between the Muslims and the Gaddafi tribe. Secondly: They will make a peace treaty with the Muslims and will not do anything against the Muslims. The third group will abandon the Quraysh and return to their positions. And in exchange, the Muslims will give them one-third of the crops of Medina. But the Prophet (peace be upon him) after consulting with the Ansar informed the people Gaddafi tribe that they were not interested in this agreement.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) was willing to negotiate, but the Ansar were willing to fight. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was the best and his followers were the best. Then help came from Allah. Allah sends a strong storm and cold wind to help the Muslims. And along with that, an army of angels is created to create illusions in the minds of the enemies. In this regard, Allah Almighty says in the Quran that:
O you who have believed, remember the favor of Allah upon you when armies came to [attack] you and We sent upon them a wind and armies [of angels] you did not see. And ever is Allah, of what you do, Seeing.
(Quran 33:9)
Although the Quraysh were not destroyed by this storm, it created great fear in their minds. Their houses were destroyed by a violent storm, and at the same time, angels surrounded them from all sides, shouting Allahu Akbar. But the surprising thing is that even though so much happened, the Muslims did not realize anything. Whatever happened, it was only in the enemy camp. If the Muslims could not have won alone because they were outnumbered by the enemy forces.
Winning this war was kind of impossible. So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) asked Allah for help.
Although the Quraysh army had weapons, they had no morale left. Mutual distrust and stormy winds weakened their morale. They realized they couldn’t do it anymore. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) sent Hudhayfah to bring news of the enemy army, who returned and informed the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that the enemy army was preparing to withdraw.
What do we learn from the Battle of the Trench? We learn that if we remain steadfast in faith, Allah will help us. And the last lesson is that we have forgotten one of the teachings of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), which is Jihad. Allah Almighty says in the Quran that:
There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day and [who] remembers Allah often.
(Quran 33:21)
This verse of the Quran is most often used to explain the importance of the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). It is said to follow the Sunnah of this verse. Nowadays, people talk a lot about the Sunnah, but they don’t talk about Jihad, even though this Jihad is the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah.
