When the apostle—u. w. b.—had driven the Bani Annatzyr away from the vicinity of Mekkah, they dispersed in the country. A number of them, such as Hay B. Akhttâb and Sollâm B. Al-tahyq and Kenanah B. Rabyi’, with their adherents, went to Khayber, where they settled. They were, however, day and night meditating how they might avenge themselves upon the Musalmâns, till at last about twenty individuals of them went with Abu A’amer the monk to Mekkah, and invited the Qoraish idolaters to wage war against the professors of Islâm. They also informed Abu Sofyân of the object of their visit, saying: ‘We have come to make an alliance with you to extirpate and to annihilate Muhammad, and to confirm our intention by a treaty.’ Sofyân replied: ‘You are welcome. We love those people best who hate Muhammad most and are ready to assist us in that matter to the best of their ability.’ Then the Jews requested Abu Sofyân to cause seventy chosen men of the Qoraish to go among the curtains of the Ka’bah, so as to touch the house of Allah with their breasts. In this way they made a covenant with each other to be steadfast and unanimous in their enmity towards his lordship the apostle, and not to cease to wage war against him during their whole lives, and Abu Sofyân said, at the instigation of the Qoraish, to the Bani An-natzyr Jews: ‘We keep the buildings of the Ka’bah in good order, we slaughter camels with big hunches for our guests, we provide the pilgrims with food and drink, we cherish our kindred, and maintain the worship of idols according to the custom of our fathers and ancestors; but Muhammad has brought a new religion with new-fangled usages. Tell us now, as you are learned and possessors of the book [of the Pentateuch], which of these two religions is better?’ The Jews, although they hated idolatry, nevertheless gave preference to the Qoraish over the orthodox religion and most noble Law on account of their envy, not dreading the wrath of God the Most High, who thereon revealed the following verse with reference to them: ‘Lookest thou not upon those to whom a part of the book has been given; they believe in Jibt and in Ttâghût, and say to those who have professed unbelief: “These are more directed in the [right] way than those who have believed. They are those whom Allah has cursed,”’* till the end of the verse. After the Qoraish had obtained the approbation of the Jews they made preparations for war. The Bani Natzyr and the idolaters appointed a time for assembling, and after they had satisfied their minds on the progress of their affairs they went to the tribe Ghattafân, and received their aid on the promise of one year’s crop of dates, and entered into similar engagements with other tribes. Abu Sofyân occupied himself with collecting the army, and started from Mekkah with four thousand men, one thousand five hundred camels, and three hundred horses. The banner [of command], which had been tied [to a spear] in the ‘house of assembly,’ was given to Nu’mân B. Ttolhah B. Abu Ttolhah. In Mara-Atzahrân, O’tbah B. Hassyn Qorâwi, the chief of the tribe Ghattafân, and Ttolhah B. Kowildar, the headman of the Bani Asad, and the chiefs of other tribes, such as Hâreth B. A’wuf and Sa’d B. Baryrah and others, arrived with their troops and met the Qoraish. The multitude of the enemies was so great that the mountains and plains could scarcely contain them, and all of them marched together towards Madinah. When the ray of information shone upon the front of his lordship’s luminous mind he convoked the principal Mohâjer and Anssâr, in order to consult with them about warding off the evil intentions of the enemies and opponents. A’bdullah B. Abu Salûl’s opinion was not to leave the town, and the majority of the companions coincided therewith. Salmân Fârsi* represented that whenever a numerous army approached a town in Persia, and the inhabitants were not strong enough to meet it, they usually dug a ditch around the town. This advice being approved of, preparations were made for the campaign. His lordship—u. w. b.— left Ebn Maktûm as his lieutenant in Madinah, conferred the banner of the Mohâjer upon Zayd B. Hârethah, and that of the Anssâr on Sa’d B. A’bâdah, and marched from Madinah with three thousand men, pitching his camp on the flank of a mountain near the town. Other portions of the vicinity of Madinah were obstructed by edifices and walls; but in the place where the camp had been established the excavation of a ditch became necessary. Accordingly orders, to which obedience was due, had been issued from the court of prophecy to the Musalmâns to dig a fosse, his lordship first marking it with the line of direction and then dividing [the excavation of] it among his companions; according to a certain tradition, ten cubits were allotted to each squad of ten men. His lordship being on good terms with the Bani Qoryttah Jews, spades, baskets, and other tools were borrowed from them, and the Musalmâns began with all diligence to excavate the fosse, to carry soil, and to aid each other in the work. It is said that in those days Salmân did as much work as ten other men, and there is a tradition that one day Qays B. Abu Ssa’ssa’h struck Salmân on the eye, so that he fainted and fell to the ground. When this matter reached the luminous mind of his lordship the best of men, he ordered Qays to perform the religious ablution for the sake of Salmân, to wash the latter with the water of it, and then to place the vessel that contained it upside down on the back of Salmân, which having been done, he was immediately delivered of his calamity.
It is related that on account of the coldness of the weather, and the famine and dearth which raged on that occasion, the professors of Islâm had great trouble in digging the fosse, which they nevertheless completed within the space of six days, but confined their wives, children, and property within the strongholds of Madinah.
Barâ B. Ghârab and Jâber B. A’bdullah the Anssâri relate that whilst digging the fosse the people met with a large and hard stone, upon which neither spade nor mattock could take effect, and that they were unable to break it. Accordingly the difficulty was reported to the prince of apostles—u. w. b.—who replied: ‘I shall come myself,’ although on account of hunger he felt his own blessed abdomen [hard?] as if a stone had been on it. As soon as the apostle of God had arrived near the stone he scattered the pieces thereof with powerful blows.
In the Mostaqadza it is related of O’mar B. A’wuf that he said: ‘The apostle of God—u. w. b.—had repeatedly ordered me, and Salmân, and Khodaifah, and Nu’mân, with six other Anssâr to excavate forty cubits of soil, but we met suddenly with a rock, in the digging out of which all our tools were broken. Accordingly I said to Salmân: “Inform his lordship the apostle of this matter.” He did so, and the latter vouchsafed to come and to enter the ditch with Salmân, while we other nine persons stood on the margin. His lordship took the pickaxe from the hand of Salmân, and hit the stone so that it split, and lightning issued therefrom, which illuminated the whole of Madinah like a lamp in a dark room. Hereon his lordship shouted the “Takbyr of victory,” the Musalmâns seconding him. After that he again struck the rock, and the same lightning gushed out. Then the Takbyr and the blow were given twice more, whereon Salmân exclaimed: “May my father and mother be a sacrifice for thee, O apostle of God! What is this, the like of which we have never seen before?” The apostle turned to the people, and said: “Have you seen what Salmân has seen?” They replied: “Yes, O apostle of God!” After that he continued: “At the first blow I gave I saw by the lightning thereof the kiosks of Ssafâ in Yemen, and Jebrâil informed me that my people shall take that country.”’ In some other traditions we read that when his lordship struck the rock, and at each blow lightning issued, he asked his companions: ‘Have you seen the light?’ They answered: ‘Yes, O apostle of God.’ He continued: ‘At the first luminousness I beheld the palaces of Syria, at the second the castles of Yemen, and at the third the white palace of Kesra.’ Then he addressed Salmân, and examined him about the peculiarities of the kiosk of Madayn. Salmân replied: ‘I swear by that God who has sent thee in truth, that whatever thou hast said about this palace coincides with the reality, and I testify that thou art the apostle of God.’ His lordship then said to his companions: ‘The dominion of my people will extend to that place, and afterwards the professors of Islâm will conquer those regions.’ The Musalmâns rejoiced at this news, and said: ‘Praise and glory be to God, who has vouchsafed to give us the promise of victory!’ Salmân says: ‘I swear by God that after the [decease of the] prophet I saw everything fulfilled as he had predicted.’
Abu Sofyân—being aware that the Bani Qoryttah Jews had made an alliance with the apostle not to aid his enemies, on condition that his lordship would likewise not injure themselves—requested Hay B. Akhttâb, when he was about to commence hostilities against the Musalmâns, to go and to induce Ka’b B. Asa’d the chieftain by some means or other to break his promise, and to ally himself [with his people the Bani Qoryttah] to the opponents of the prince of apostles. Accordingly Hay B. Akhttâb, being deluded by the words of Abu Sofyân and tempted by Satan, placed his foot into the plain of aberration, went to the fort of Ka’b, and knocked at the gate. When the latter knew that Hay was at the portal of his stronghold, he said to himself: ‘What am I to do to impede Hay from entering, for he is a cunning man, and will endeavour to persuade me to break my word?’ Then he ordered the gatekeeper not to admit him. When Hay perceived that the door of hope was barred against him, he exclaimed: ‘O Ka’b, open the gate of thy fort; I am Hay.’ Ka’b replied: ‘Hay, thou art an unhallowed man, and by thy malevolence the Bani An-natzyr have been dispersed and undone. Hast thou now come to destroy and to annihilate us also? Return; for we have made an alliance with Muhammad, which he has honestly confirmed. Heretofore we have experienced from him nothing but uprightness, truth, and love.’ Hay rejoined: ‘Open the door, that I may speak to thee. Wouldst thou withhold thy hospitality from me, not refresh me, and not even open the gate to me?’ As among the Arabs no vice is considered more despicable than avarice, Ka’b was under the necessity of opening the door, and when Hay entered, he said: ‘Ka’b, I bring thee tidings of felicity. The chiefs of the Arabs and the princes of the Qoraish have assembled in great numbers at Majma’ Alassâl; the tribe Ghattafân, and besides them many others of the Azad and of the Asad leaders, have encircled the region of Ohod, and have made a league with each other that they will not return until they have destroyed Muhammad and his companions.’ Ka’b replied: ‘I swear by God that thou hast arrived contemptible and abject! Thou hast brought a cloud which will not shed its water,* and contains nothing but thunder and lightning. Leave thou Muhammad alone, for we have experienced from him nothing but honesty and kindness.’ Though in the beginning Ka’b returned answers like the words just recorded, that unfortunate man nevertheless succumbed at last to the cunning persuasion of Hay, swerving from the straight path, but uttered the following apprehension: ‘I fear lest the Qoraish return to their own country without being able to injure Muhammad; thou also wilt return to thy country, and we shall be punished with death as a reward for what we have done.’ Hay now swore by the Torâtah [Pentateuch], and said: ‘If the Qoraish and the Ghattafân return without attaining their object, I shall enter thy fort with thee, and be ready to suffer anything which may befall thee.’ And that companion of the army of Eblis [i.e., Satan] used such cunning that the chieftain of the Qoryttah was deceived by his words, and tore the treaty to pieces which he had made with his lordship the Mussttafa—u. w. b.
When the impure mind of that base and accursed individual, i.e., of Hay, had been set at rest with reference to the Bani Qoryttah, he returned and informed the Qoraish of the success of his mission. When the information that the Jews had broken their covenant reached the exalted audition, the sublime mind was greatly affected, and, by the permission of his lordship the best of men, Zobeyr B. Ala’wwâm, went among the Bani Qoryttah to make inquiries on the subject, and brought on his return the news that they were engaged in collecting their animals and repairing their fort. After that Sa’d B. Moa’adh and Sa’d B. A’bâdah and A’bdullah B. Ruâhah went by order of the apostle—u. w. b.—to the Bani Qoryttah to treat with them in case the above information should prove to be true. The just-mentioned individuals arrived among the Jews, and found them intent on enmity and contention; therefore they began first to advise Ka’b B. Asa’d, but without success, so that at last sharp words were exchanged between him and Sa’d B. A’bâdah. After Sa’d B. Moa’adh had pacified Sa’d B. A’bâdah, all of them returned together to Madinah and informed the favourite of the Most High of what had taken place, whereon his lordship exclaimed: ‘We trust in Allah, and He is a good advocate!’
When the information had spread among the Musalmâns that those faithless people had broken their covenant, their fears and apprehensions increased. Meanwhile the cavalry of the idolaters began to make their appearance. Mâlek B. A’wuf and O’tbah B. Hassyn, with the Bani Asad, the Ghattafân and the Bani Qorârah, arrived from the upper part of the Wâdi, which is situated east of Madinah, and the Qoraish, with the Bani Kanânah, became visible at the extremity of the Wâdi. The hearts of the weak among the Musalmâns failed them, and their eyes were dazzled at the aspect of the formidable multitude of the enemy, as God the Most High has said: ‘When they came against you from above you and below you, and when [your] sight became troubled and [your] hearts came even to [your] throats [for fear], and ye imagined of Allah [various] imaginations. Then were the faithful tried, and made to tremble a violent trembling.’* Moghaytt B. Qasrah, who was one of the hypocrites, said on the occasion of the siege: ‘Muhammad is promising that the treasures of the Qayssar and the Kesra will fall to our lot, and now we have not even a chance to go out to answer the calls of nature; therefore the promises made to us by Allah and by His apostle are but lies and falsehoods.’ God has said: ‘And when the hypocrites, and those in whose hearts was an infirmity, said, Allah and His apostle have made you no other than a fallacious promise.’* A number of hypocrites were persuading the Musalmâns to return to their houses and not to follow his lordship the apostle—u. w. b. Accordingly some of them waited on his lordship, asking for permission to return to their habitations, on the pretence that they were empty [of people] and that the enemy might enter and plunder them. On this subject God the Most High revealed the following verse: ‘And when a party of them said, O inhabitants of Yathrab, there is no place [of security] for you [here]; wherefore return [home]. And a part of them asked leave of the prophet [to depart], saying, Verily our houses are defenceless [and exposed to the enemy]; but they were not defenceless, [and] their intention was no other than to flee.’*
When the idolaters arrived near the bank of the ditch they were astonished, because that custom* had not been in use in the Arab country. Then they commenced besieging the professors of Islâm, and hostilities began on both sides by fighting and shooting arrows. During the contest the infidels endeavoured to approach the tent of his lordship the apostle, but were unable to cross the ditch, from which some valiant men were keeping them off. It is related that on account of the haste wherewith the Musalmâns had been working, one of the sides of the ditch had been left unfinished, and that for fear the idolaters might find an entrance by it into the camp, his lordship was accustomed nightly to watch it in his own sacred person, and the cold being intense at that time, his lordship went every time he felt chilly to A’ayshah to warm his blessed body, and again returned to his post. Nor did his lordship suffer such hardships in any other Ghazwah as in ‘the War of the Ditch,’ because in those days there was great scarcity of victuals, famine prevailed among the Musalmâns, and the weather was very inclement. Nevertheless, for the sake of relieving the distress of his companions, his lordship the receptacle of termination— u. w. b.—found it expedient to give one-third of the produce of Madinah to the Ghattafân and to the Qorârah to induce them to return, and thus to cause a division in the army of the idolaters. O’tbah B. Hassyn and Hâreth B. A’wuf, who were the chiefs of those people, agreed to make peace, and were for the completion of the treaty admitted into the assembly of his holy and prophetic lordship— u. w. b.—Dhun-nûryn being ordered to write the treaty; but before this was confirmed by witnesses the prince of existences found it convenient to consult Sa’d B. Moa’adh and Sa’d B. A’bâdah, both of whom spoke as follows: ‘O apostle of God, if the affair of the treaty of peace be commanded by Divine revelation, we hear and obey; but if it be based on other considerations pray inform us?’ His lordship replied: ‘Divine revelation has nothing to do with this matter, but as I saw that the Arab tribes are, as it were, all shooting arrows from the same bow at you, I thought that by making peace with a portion of them I would produce a division among the infidels, and lessen their power.’ The two Sa’ds continued: ‘O apostle of God, at the time when we and they were as yet idolaters they never aspired to the possession of a single date from our palm-groves except as guests. Why should we at present, when we have been exalted to the honour of following thee, submit to such humiliation and become liable to such baseness? We swear by Allah that we shall not give them anything except [blows with our] swords, until God the Most High decides between us and them.’ Accordingly, at a sign from his lordship the apostle, Sa’d B. Moa’adh tore the treaty to pieces, whereon the chiefs of the Ghattafân and of the Qorârah left the august assembly disappointed and awed.
Wâqidi says that O’tbah and Hâreth had come into the most noble assembly for the purpose of completing the treaty of peace, and were sitting therein, when Asyd B. Khadzyr, fully armed and equipped in iron and steel, hastened to wait on the refuge of termination, and perceived O’tbah sitting [contrary to etiquette] with outstretched legs in the presence of his lordship. Asyd knew not what had been written, but, being angry at O’tbah’s incivility, addressed him as follows: ‘O thou eye of a fox’s pup, draw in thy legs; for it is unbecoming to stretch them out, and to sit thus in the assembly of the apostle— u. w. b. By Allah! if it were not for the respect due to the presence of the apostle, I would pierce both thy sides with one arrow.’ The rest of the words of Asyd expressed his dissent from the proposed treaty, and resembled those recorded above of Sa’d B. Moa’adh. His lordship thereon ordered the agreement to be torn to pieces. O’tbah, being disappointed, now rose and said: ‘It would have been better for you to yield some of the dates of Madinah than to expose yourself to the hardship of war, because you have neither the patience nor the strength to cope with our tribes.’ Asyd retorted: ‘O’tbah, threatenest thou us with the sword? It will soon appear whether you or we will lament. I swear by Allah that if I were not restrained by the respect due to the assembly of the apostle—u. w. b. —you would not return.’ Then his holy and prophetic lordship said in a loud voice to the Ghattafân chiefs: ‘Return to your people, for between you and us the sword alone will decide.’ It is related that when those who had coveted the dates of Madinah had witnessed the unanimity and firmness of the Anssâr they were confounded, and returned to the Qoraish with empty bags.