After reciting Tashahhud, Ta‘awwuz and Surah al-Fatihah, His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (aba) said that he would mention the Battle of Khandaq, also known as the Battle of Ahzab (Battle of the Trench). This battle took place in 5 AH, or February/March 627 AD.
His Holiness (aba) said that the Battle of Ahzab has been mentioned in the Holy Qur’an as follows:
‘O ye who believe! remember the favour of Allah on you when there came down upon you hosts, and We sent against them a wind and hosts that you saw not. And Allah sees what you do. 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. There and then were the believers sorely tried, and they were shaken with a violent shaking. And when the hypocrites and those in whose hearts was a disease said, ‘Allah and His Messenger promised us nothing but a delusion.’ And when a party of them said, ‘O people of Yathrib, you have possibly no stand against the enemy, therefore turn back.’ And a section of them even asked leave of the Prophet, saying, ‘Our houses are exposed and defenceless.’ And they were in truth not exposed. They only sought to flee away. And if entry were effected against them into the town from its environs, and then they were asked to join in the disturbances, they would have at once done so, and would not have tarried in their houses save a little. And truly they had already covenanted with Allah that they would not turn their backs. And a covenant with Allah will have to be answered for. Say, ‘Flight shall not avail you if you flee from death or slaughter; and even then you will enjoy but a little.’Say, ‘Who is it that can save you against Allah if it be His wish to do you harm or if it be His wish to show you mercy?’ And they will not find for themselves any friend or helper other than Allah. Verily Allah knows those among you who hinder men and those who say to their brethren, ‘Come to us;’ and they come not to the fight but a little, Being niggardly with regard to you. But when danger comes, thou seest them looking towards thee, their eyes rolling like one who is fainting on account of death. But when the fear has passed away, they assail you with sharp tongues being greedy for wealth. These have never believed; so Allah has rendered their works null and void. And that is an easy thing for Allah. They think that the confederates have not gone away; and if the confederates should come again, they would wish to be among the nomad Arabs in the desert, asking for news about you. And if they were among you they would not fight save a little. Verily you have in the Prophet of Allah an excellent model, for him who fears Allah and the Last Day and who remembers Allah much. And when the believers saw the confederates, they said, ‘This is what Allah and His Messenger promised us; and Allah and His Messenger spoke the truth.’ And it only added to their faith and submission. Among the believers are men who have been true to the covenant they made with Allah. There are some of them who have fulfilled their vow, and some who still wait, and they have not changed their condition in the least; That Allah may reward the truthful for their truth, and punish the hypocrites if He so please, or turn to them in mercy. Verily Allah is Most Forgiving, Merciful. And Allah turned back the disbelievers in their rage; they gained no good. And Allah sufficed the believers in their fight. And Allah is Powerful, Mighty.’ (The Holy Qur’an, 33:10-26)
His Holiness (aba) said that this battle is known as the Battle of Khandaq (Trench or Ditch) because, contrary to the common tactics of Arab warfare, for the first time, the Muslims dug a trench and fought a defensive battle. This is also known as the Battle of Ahzab (Confederates), as labelled by the Holy Qur’an, as various tribes and groups joined together to fight against the Muslims.
His Holiness (aba) said that in Rabi al-Awwal 4 AH, the Banu Nadir was expelled from Madinah on account of their treachery, rebellion and plots to assassinate the Holy Prophet (sa). Expulsion from the land was indeed the lighter punishment for them, and so they settled in Khaibar. However, in just four months, the Jews formulated a plan to completely eradicate the Muslims. As such, the chief of the Banu Nadir, Huyayy bin Akhtab – known as the Abu Jahl of the Jews – along with some other leaders, went to the Quraish and expressed support for them against the Muslims and suggested the formulation of a pact. Abu Sufyan welcomed them and said that none was dearer to them than those who wished to oppose the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa). They all made an oath of mutual support in destroying the Muslims.
His Holiness (aba) said that after a plan to brutally end the Muslims was created, the Banu Nadir’s leadership went to other Arabian tribes who were also opposed to Islam and had previously attempted to attack the Muslims. As such, they were able to gather the support and soldiers of tribes such as the Banu Ghatafan, Banu Sulaim, Banu Fazarah, Banu Asad, Banu Murrah, and Banu Asjah. All of these tribes were well known throughout Arabia for their might.
His Holiness (aba) quoted Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad (ra) who writes,
‘Although the Quraish of Makkah and the tribes of Najd known as the Ghatafan and Sulaim, were already thirsty for Muslim blood and remained forever engaged in schemes to attack Madinah, until now they had not yet collected their forces in a single field to oppose Islam. When the people of Banu Nadir, which was a Jewish tribe, were exiled from Madinah due to their treachery and sedition, their chieftains forgot this noble, nay, benevolent treatment of the Holy Prophet (sa) and proposed among themselves to collect the dispersed forces of the whole of Arabia at one place in an attempt to expunge Islam. Since the Jewish people were very clever and cunning, and possessed great mastery in hatching such conspiracies, their seditious efforts proved to be successful; the tribes of Arabia came together in the field of battle as one against the Muslims.
Among the Jewish chieftains, Salam bin Abil-Huqaiq, Huyayy bin Akhtab and Kinanah bin Ar-Rabi‘ were primarily responsible for this uprising. These mischief-makers set out from their new homeland of Khaibar and toured the tribes of Hijaz and Najd, but before anything else, they reached Makkah and brought the Quraish onboard. In order to please the Quraish, they even said that their religion (polytheism and idol worship) was better than the religion of the Muslims. Then, they travelled to Najd and allied with the Ghatafan tribe and prepared the branches of this tribe such as the Fazarah, Murrah and Ashja‘, etc., to go forth with them. After this, due to the incitement of the Quraish and Ghatafan, the tribes of Banu Sulaim and Banu Asad also joined this chain of unity in opposition of Islam. Along with this, the Jews sent word to their ally, the Banu Sa‘d, and incited them to stand in aid of them. In addition to this strong coalition, the Quraish brought aboard many people from among the surrounding tribes who were subservient to them. Finally, after full preparation, these bloodthirsty beasts of the Arabian desert overflowed into Madinah in the likeness of a grand flood with the intention of annihilating the Muslims. They resolved that until they had expunged the Muslims from the face of the earth, they would not return.’
(The Life and Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa), Vol. 2, pp. 449-451)
His Holiness (aba) said that the army of the Quraish set out with 4,000 soldiers led by Abu Sufyan while Khalid bin Walid led the riders and Uthman bin Talhah as their flag bearer. They were joined by 700 men from the Banu Sulaim, 1,000 of the Banu Fazarah, 400 from the Banu Ashja’, 400 from the Banu Murrah, 6,000 soldiers promised from the Banu Ghatafan and a reserve of 2,000 Jewish soldiers who remained behind the army. As such, the total number of this army is estimated to be 10,000 or, according to other reports, 24,000. This was the largest recorded army in Arabia until that time.
His Holiness (aba) quoted Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad (ra) who further elaborates,
‘This grand army of the disbelievers is estimated to have been from between 10,000 to 15,000 men; rather, in light of certain narrations, 24,000 men. Even if the estimate of 10,000 is taken as correct, at that time, this number was so great that perhaps prior to this, such a large number had never taken part in the tribal wars of Arabia. The arrangement was such that the overall leader or commander in chief of the entire army was Abu Sufyan bin Harb, who also led the individual contingent of the Quraish as well. The tribes of Ghatafan were collectively led by ‘Uyainah bin Hisn Fazari, and under him, there was a separate commander for each tribe. The commander of the Banu Sulaim was ‘Abdi Sufyan Shams, while the Banu Asad were led by Tulaihah bin Khuwailid. Food and drink, as well as equipment of war was ample in all respects. This army began to march towards Madinah in Shawwal 5 A.H., i.e., February or March 627 A.D.’
(The Life and Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa), Vol. 2, p. 451)
His Holiness (aba) quoted the Second Caliph, Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad (ra) who has taken the number of this army to be on the higher end; around the 20,000 mark or higher. In contrast, the people of Madinah were far less in number and much weaker in comparison.
His Holiness (aba) said that as the disbelieving army advanced and the Holy Prophet (sa) was informed, he decided that a trench should be dug. The Holy Prophet’s (sa) department of intelligence was not yet aware of the disbelievers’ movements while the Holy Prophet (sa) was receiving reports from all directions. Hence, he gathered the companions and consulted them as to whether they should leave Madinah to defend it, or whether they should do so whilst remaining in Madinah. The majority proposed that they should defend Madinah while remaining in it. It is recorded that Hazrat Salman (ra) suggested that a ditch should be dug, saying that in Persia when an army of riders was approaching, they would dig a trench so that the riders could not cross it. The Holy Prophet (sa) appreciated this suggestion and decided that it should be implemented. Some reports also suggest that this idea of digging the trench was also revealed to the Holy Prophet (sa), because this tactic was very foreign to the Arabian way of warfare.
His Holiness (aba) said that the disbelieving army advanced with great pride, thinking that there was nothing standing in their way and they would obliterate Madinah. However, as they approached Madinah they came to find a trench that was 5 kilometres long, 8-9 feet deep and wide, which could not be crossed even by their horses. As a result, they were infuriated. They sent a letter to the Holy Prophet (sa) swearing by their idols and saying that they would not leave until they destroyed Madinah. Yet they saw a trench surrounding Madinah and wondered how this idea had come about. The letter said that no matter if the battle took place that day or not, there would come a day when they would destroy Madinah and its inhabitants. The Holy Prophet (sa) replied saying that he received the letter and that he knew they were filled with pride against God and that they intended to completely erase Madinah. However, they had not been able to do so by the decree of God, and God Himself would bring down such a judgment whereby they would forget the names of their idols. As for where the idea of digging the trench came from, the Holy Prophet (sa) said that this was revealed to him by God. The Holy Prophet (sa) said that ultimately, God would see to the victory of the Muslims whereas the idols would all be shattered to pieces and he would remind them of this on the day that it occurred.
His Holiness (aba) said that this letter elucidates that although Hazrat Salman (ra) may have made the suggestion, the ultimate decision regarding the trench was made by the Holy Prophet (sa) as a result of divine revelation. Allah knows best.
His Holiness (aba) said that he would continue narrating these incidents in the future.
His Holiness (aba) urged that everyone should remember the Pakistani Ahmadis in their prayers, especially during these days. Pakistani Ahmadis themselves should also focus on prayers and giving alms; may Allah the Almighty protect them, save them from the evil of the opponents, and turn the mischief of the mischief-makers back onto them.
His Holiness (aba) also urged prayers in general for the state of the world; may Allah the Almighty protect the world from disorder.
Summary prepared by The Review of Religions
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