The Battle of the Trench (Arabic: ???? ?????? ?, translit. Ghazwat al-Khandaq is also known as Battle of the Confederates (Arabic: < span lang = "ar" dir = "rtl"> ???? ??????? ?, translit.Ã, Ghazwat al-Ahzab ), is a Yathrib siege for 30 days (now Medina ) by Arab and Jewish tribes. The strength of the confederate army is estimated at about 10,000 people with six hundred horses and several camels, while the defenders of Medina number 3,000.
Most of the advocates of Medina, especially Muslims led by Muhammad's prophet, dug a ditch on the suggestion of Salman Farsi, who, along with the natural castle of Medina, made confederation cavalry (consisting of horses and camels) useless, locking both sides in a dead end. Hoping to make several attacks at once, his allies persuaded the allied Madinese Jews, Banu Qurayza, to attack the city from the south. However, Muhammad's diplomacy thwarted the negotiations, and dissolved the confederation against him. Well-organized defenders, confederation morale, and poor weather conditions cause the siege to end in failure.
The siege is a "battle of mind", in which Muslims tactically overcome their opponents while suffering very few victims. Attempts to defeat Muslims failed, and Islam became influential in the region. As a result, Muslim armies besieged the Banu Qurayza tribal areas, which caused them to surrender and be enslaved or executed.
Defeat caused the Meccans to lose trade and much of their prestige.
Video Battle of the Trench
Name
This battle is called a "ditch", or khandaq , which is excavated by Muslims in preparation for battle. The khandaq ( ???? ) is an Arabic form of Persian "what has been dug"). Salman farsi Persians suggest Muhammad to dig a ditch around the city. This battle is also called the Battle of Confederates ( ???? ??????? ). The Qur'an uses the term allies ( ??????? ) in the Al-Ahzab < [Quran 33: 9-32] to show non-Muslim and Jewish confederations against Islam. Maps Battle of the Trench
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After their expulsion from Mecca, Muslims fought against the Quraysh people of Mecca at the Battle of Badr in 624, and at the Battle of Uhud in 625. Although Muslims did not win or lose to the Uhud War, their military power gradually grew. In April 626 Muhammad raised the power of 300 men and 10 horses to meet the 1,000-strong Quraysh army at Badr for the second time. Although no fighting took place, the coastal tribes were impressed with Muslim power. Muhammad also tried, with limited success, to break many alliances against Muslim expansion. However, he could not prevent the Meccans.
As they did in Badr and Uhud wars, the Muslim army once again used a strategic method against their opponents (in Badr, Muslims surrounded the well, but did not remove their opponents of water because Ali did not follow in the footsteps of the Meccan Army; in Uhud War Muslims use strategic hills). In this battle they dug a trench to make the enemy's cavalry ineffective.
The reason for the battle
The reason for this battle was to defend Medina from the attack, after Banu Nazir and Banu Qaynuqa tribe formed an alliance with Quraish to attack him in retaliation for expelling them from Medina during the Invasion of Banu Qaynuqa and Banu Nadir Invasion. Muslim scholar Ibn Kathir states: "The reason why the Confederacy came was that a group of Banu Nadir leaders, whom the Messenger of Allah had expelled from Al-Madinah to Khaybar, including Sallam ibn Abu Al-Huqayq, Sallam ibn Mishkam and Kinanah bin Ar-Rabi`, went to Mecca where they met the Quraish leaders and incited them to fight against the Prophet "
Confederation
At the beginning of 627, Bani Nadir met with the Quraysh in Mecca. Huyayy ibn Akhtab, along with other leaders of Khaybar, traveled to swear allegiance with Safwan ibn Umayya in Mecca.
Most of the Confederate forces were collected by the Quraysh of Mecca, led by Abu Sufyan, who deployed 4,000 troops, 300 horsemen, and 1,000-1,500 men with camels.
Bani Nadir began to build nomad Najd. Nadir enrolled Bani Ghatafan by paying half of their crop. This contingent, the second largest, adds a force of about 2,000 men and 300 horsemen led by Unaina bin Hasan Fazari. Bani Assad also agreed to join, led by Tuleha Asadi. From Banu Sulaym, Nadir secures 700 people, although this force is likely to be much larger because there is no leader sympathetic to Islam. Bani Amir, who had a covenant with Muhammad, refused to join.
Other tribes include Banu Murra, with 400 men led by Hars ibn Auf Murri, and Banu Shuja, with 700 men led by Sufyan bin Abd Shams. In total, the forces of the Confederate army, though not approved by scholars, are thought to have included about 10,000 men and six hundred horsemen. In January 627 the army, led by Abu Sufyan, marched to Medina.
In accordance with the plan troops began marching to Medina, Mecca from the south (along the coast) and the other from the east. At the same time the horsemen from Bani Khuza'a went to warn Medina of the attacking army.
Muslim Defense
The people of the Banu Khuza'a reached Muhammad in four days, warning him of the Confederate army that will arrive in a week. Muhammad gathered the Medinah people to discuss the best strategy to overcome the enemy. Meeting enemies in the open (which led to victory at Badr), and waiting for them inside the city (a lesson from Uhud's defeat) are both recommended. In the end, the defeated Muslims chose to engage in defensive battles by digging deep trenches to act as a barrier along the northern front. Defensive trench tactics were introduced by Salman the Persian. Every competent Muslim in Madinah including Muhammad contributed to dig a big trench in six days. The ditch was dug on the north side, while the other part of Medina was surrounded by rugged mountains and trees, impenetrable to large armies (especially horsemen). The trench excavation coincided with a near famine in Medina. Women and children were moved to the city center. The Medinans harvested all their plants early, so Confederate soldiers had to rely on their own food reserves.
Muhammad established his military headquarters on a small hill of Sala 'and the army was confined there; This position will give Muslims an advantage if the enemy cross the ditch.
The last army that will defend the city from the invasion consists of 3,000 people, and includes all residents of Madinah over the age of 14, except Banu Qurayza (Qurayza supplies Muslims with some tools to dig a trench).
The siege of Medina
The siege of Medina began in January 627 and lasted for 27 days. Because the siege was not unusual in Arab warfare, the confederates who came were not ready to deal with the trenches that were dug by Muslims. The Confederate tried to attack with the horsemen in the hope of forcing a passage, but the Medians were rigidly entrenched, preventing such crossings. The two armies gathered on both sides of the trench and spent two or three weeks exchanging prose and verse, supported with arrows fired from a comfortable distance. According to Rodinson, there are three dead among the attackers and five among the defenders. On the other hand, the harvest has been collected and the besiegers have trouble finding food for their horses, which proved to be of no use to them in the attack.
The veterans of Quraish became impatient with the impasse. A group of militants led by 'Amr bin' Abd Wudd (who is considered the same as a thousand men in battle) and Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahl attempted to push through the moat and successfully crossed, occupying a swampy area near a small hill of Sala. 'Amr challenges Muslims to duel. In response, Ali bin Abi Talib accepted the challenge, and was sent by Muhammad to battle. When Ali went to fight Amr bin Abd Wudd, Muhammad said of Ali, "He is the embodiment of all Faith that will face the embodiment of all Unbelief."
Both fighters were lost in the dust when the duel became intense. Finally, the soldiers heard a shout that marked a decisive blow, but it was not clear which of the two were successful. The slogan, 'Allahu Akbar' (God is the greatest) of dust affirms Ali's victory. The Confederate was forced to retreat in panic and confusion. Ali, in principle, allowed the group of Amr to retreat; Ali never pursued the escaping enemy.
The Confederate Army made several other attempts to cross the trenches at night but repeatedly failed. Although confederations can deploy their infantry troops to the entire trench, they do not want to involve Muslims at close range because the former regard the latter as superior in hand-to-hand combat. When the Muslim army is dug well behind a dike made of earth that has been taken from a ditch and prepared to bombard an attacker with stones and arrows, any attack can cause many casualties.
Banu Qurayza
The Confederacy then tried several simultaneous attacks, especially by trying to persuade Banu Qurayza to attack Muslims from the south. From the Confederacy, Huyayy ibn Akhtab, a Khaybarian, Banu Nadir exiled tribal leader, returned to Medina seeking their support of Muslims.
So far Banu Qurayza has tried its best to remain neutral, and very hesitant to join the Confederacy because they had previously made a covenant with Muhammad. When Akhtab approached them, their leader refused to let him in.
Akhtab finally got in and persuaded them that Muslims would be overwhelmed. Seeing a large Confederate army, soaring on the ground with soldiers and horses as far as the eye could see, swung the Qurayza's opinion in support of the Confederacy.
The news of Al-Qurayzah's rejection of the covenant with Muhammad leaked, and Umar immediately informed Muhammad. Such suspicion is reinforced by the movement of the enemy forces towards the Qurayza fortress. Muhammad became anxious with their behavior, and was aware of the potential dangers of the Qurayza's grave. Because of his agreement with the Qurayza, he had never bothered to make defense preparations along the Muslim border with the tribe. The Qurayza also has armaments: 1,500 swords, 2,000 spears, 300 armor, and 500 shields.
Muhammad sent three prominent Muslims to give details on the latest developments. He advises men to publicly announce their findings, should they find Banu Qurayza to be faithful, so as to enhance the morale of Muslim fighters. However, he warned against spreading the word about the possibility of a breach of covenant in the Qurayza section, so as to avoid panic in the Muslim ranks.
The leaders discovered that the pact had indeed left and tried in vain to convince the Qurayza to return by reminding them of the fate of Banu Nadir and Banu Qaynuqa at the hands of Muhammad. The leaders' findings signaled Muhammad with the metaphor: " Adal and Qarah ". Since the Adal and Qarah people had betrayed the Muslims and killed them at the right time, Mawdudi believed that the metaphor meant that the Qurayza was supposed to do the same.
Crisis in Medina
Muhammad tried to conceal his knowledge of Banu Qurayza's activities; However, rumors soon spread a massive attack on the city of Medina from the Qurayza side that greatly lowered the spirit of the Medinans.
Muslims find themselves in greater difficulty during the day. The food runs short, and the night gets colder. Lack of sleep makes things worse. So tense is the situation that, for the first time, the canonical daily prayer is ignored by the Muslim community. Only at night, when the attack stops because of the darkness, can they continue their regular worship. According to Ibn Ishaq, the situation becomes serious and fear is everywhere.
The Quran describes the situation in the letter of Al-Ahzab:
Muslim response
Soon after hearing rumors about the Qurayza, Muhammad had sent 100 people to the city center for his protection. Then he sent 300 horsemen (cavalry not needed in the trenches) as well to protect the city. Loud voices, where troops pray every night, create the illusion of great power.
The crisis showed Muhammad that many of his subordinates had reached their endurance limits. He sent a message to Ghatafan, tried to pay for their defection and offered them a third of the Medina date if they resigned. Though Ghatafan demanded half, they finally agreed to negotiate with Muhammad on those terms. Before Muhammad started the order of arrangement, he consulted with the leaders of Medina. They sharply rejected the terms of the treaty, protesting that Medina had never sunk to such a degree of abandonment. Negotiations broken. While Ghatafan did not retreat they have compromised by entering into negotiations with Medina, and the Confederate internal conflicts have increased.
At around that point, Muhammad received a visit from Nuaym ibn Masud, an Arab leader respected by all confederations, but who, they did not know, secretly converted to Islam. Muhammad asked him to end the siege by creating a dispute between the Confederacy [citation needed].
Nuaym then comes up with an efficient strategy. He first went to Banu Qurayza and warned them about the intention of the rest of the Confederacy. If the siege fails, he says, the Confederacy will not be afraid to leave the Jews, leaving them at the mercy of Muhammad. Thus, Qurayza should demand the Confederate leader as a hostage in exchange for cooperation. This advice touches the fear that Qurayza has buried.
Next Nuaym went to Abu Sufyan, the leader of the Confederation, warning him that the Qurayza had defected to Muhammad. He claimed that the tribe intended to ask the Confederacy for the hostages, as if in exchange for cooperation, but actually gave it to Muhammad. Thus the Confederacy should not give anyone a hostage. Nuaym repeats the same message to the other tribes of the Confederation.
The collapse of the Confederation
Nuaym's strategy works. After consultation, the Confederate leaders sent Ikrimah to the Qurayza, signaling a combined invasion of Medina. However, the Qurayza demanded the hostage as a guarantee that the Confederacy would not abandon them. Confederate, given that the Qurayza might have hostage to Muhammad, refused. Messages are repeatedly sent back and forth between the parties, but each retains its position stubbornly.
Abu Sufyan summoned Huyayy ibn Akhtab, telling him about Qurayza's response. Huyayy was astounded, and Abu Sufyan labeled him as a "traitor". Worried for his life, Huyayy fled to the Qurayza fortress.
The Bedouin tribe, Ghatafan, and other Confederates of Najd had been compromised by Muhammad's negotiations. They have taken part in the expedition in the hope of plundering, rather than certain prejudices against Islam. They lose hope because the chances of success are reduced, not interested in continuing the siege. Two confederate soldiers were marked by mutual accusations and mutual disbelief.
The terms of the Confederate army are gone. Horses and camels die of starvation and wounds. For days it was very cold and wet. The violent wind blew the camp fire, taking from their Confederate army of hot sources. The Muslim camp, however, is protected from such winds. The enemy tent was torn, their fire was extinguished, the sand and the rain blowing in their faces, and they were frightened by the signs against them. They were almost falling among themselves. That night the Confederate army retreated, and in the morning the land was cleansed from all enemy troops.
Aftermath: The siege and death of Banu Qurayza
After the retreat of the Confederate army, the Banu Qurayza neighborhood was besieged by Muslims, for revenge. After a 25-day siege in their neighborhood, Banu Qurayza surrendered unconditionally. When the Banu Qurayza tribe surrendered, the Muslim army seized their fortress and their possessions. At the request of Banu Aus, who was allied with the Qurayza, Muhammad chose one of them, Sa'ad ibn Mu'adh, as the arbitrator to declare judgment on them. Sa'ad, who later will die of his wounds from the battle, decides the punishment according to the Torah, where people will be killed and women and children enslaved. Deuteronomy 20: 10-14 says:
When you march to attack a city, make his people offer peace. If they accept and open their gates, everyone in it will be forced to work and will work for you. If they refuse to reconcile and they involve you in battle, surround the city. When the Lord your God sends it into your hands, put the sword to all the men in it. As for women, children, cattle and everything else in the city, you can take this as a foreclosure to yourself. And you can use the Lord's loot from your enemies.
Muhammad approved of this decision, and the next day the punishment took place.
The people - between 400 and 900 - were bound and placed under the custody of Muhammad bin Maslamah, while women and children were placed under Abdullah ibn Salam, a former rabbi who had converted to Islam.
Ibn Ishaq explains the murder of the Banu Qurayza men as follows:
Some individuals are spared when various Muslims intervene on their behalf. Some accounts record Muhammad's friends as executioners, Umar and Al-Zubayr in particular, and that each clan of Aws is also accused of killing a group of Qurayza men.
According to Muhammad's biography written by Ibn Ishaq, a woman who had thrown rocks from a fort during the siege and killed one of the Muslim besiegers, was also beheaded along with the men. 'ÃÆ'Æ''isha, one of Mohammad's wives, is quoted as describing the woman as laughing and chatting with her during the massacre, until her name is called:
"By Allah," he said, "that's me." I said to him, "You poor man, what will happen to you?" He said: "I must be killed." "Why?" I asked him. "For something I do," she replied. He left and was beheaded. By Allah, ('Æ'Æ'ishish added) I will never forget his joy and his great laugh when he knows that he must be killed.'
Ibn Asakir writes in his book Damascus History that Banu Kilab, an Arab client clan of Banu Qurayza, was also killed.
Spoils of warfare, including enslaved women and tribal children, were shared among Muslims who had participated in the siege and among the migrants from Mecca (who had been dependent on the aid of the indigenous Muslims of Medina.
As part of his booty, Muhammad chose one woman, Rayhana, for himself and took it as part of his booty. Muhammad offered to release and marry him and according to some sources he accepted his proposal, while according to others he rejected it and remained Muhammad's slave. He was later said to be a Muslim.
Experts argue that Muhammad had decided this judgment before the surrender of the Qurayza, and that Sa'ad laid his allegiance to the Muslim community above it for his tribe. One of the reasons cited by some for such a punishment is that Muhammad's final pardon against a defeated enemy was against the Arab and Jewish law at the time, and was seen as a sign of weakness. Others see punishment in response to what is considered an act of betrayal by the Qurayza because they betrayed their mutual defense pact with Muhammad by providing help and comfort to the Muslim enemies. Maxime Rodinson interpreted the massacre as a shrewd political movement that ruled out all human feelings, to eliminate the constant source of threat to Medina, and to destroy its enemies.
Implications
The failure of the siege marked the start of Muhammad's undoubted political power in the city of Medina. The Meccans have exerted their power to drive Muhammad out of Medina, and this defeat caused them to lose their trade with Syria and much of their prestige with it. Watt speculates that the Meccans at this point began to contemplate that conversion to Islam would be the wisest choice.
Primary Islamic sources
Quran
The main contemporary source of the battle is the 33rd Sura of the Quran.
Sunni Muslim Mufassir Ibn Kathir mentions that [Quran 33: 10-22 (translated by Yusuf Ali)] is about this incident in his Tafsir bin Kathir, and his commentary on this verse mentions his reason and the Battle Event, his comment are as follows:
Hadith
This event is referenced in the Sunni, Sahih al-Bukhari Hadith collection, it mentions the death of Saad ibn Mu'adh, as follows:
The Sahih al-Bukhari collection also mentions that after the battle, Muslims must carry out an offensive attack against their enemies:
Muhammad for stopping an attack calling for a counterattack against idolaters, He asserted to his earlier followers: Abdullah bin Abu Aufa reported: The Messenger of Allah (?) At a time when he confronted the enemy, and was waiting for the sun to set up, standing and saying, "O people, do not be long against enemies and ask God to give you peace, but when you face the enemy, show patience and perseverance, and remember that Jannah lies under the shade of the sword." Then he summoned God, saying, "O Allah , Book Discoverer, cloud dispatcher, Traitor of the Confederacy, put our enemies to defeat and help us in their control. " [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]. (46)
This event is also mentioned in the collection of Sahih Muslim Hadith as follows:
Biographical literature
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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