Emigration—From Makkah to Madinah

of action and fight in ranks. He stressed the importance of fighting, not as individuals, but as a unit. The believers were urged to destroy the Quraysh’s strength with the strength of solidarity: God loves those who fight for His cause in ranks as if they were a solid, cemented edifice.150 Faith and the Muslims’ ability to fight as one unit brought about the first victory of Islamic history—the Battle of Badr. Victory of Islam Defeat at Badr had the effect of further provoking the Quraysh, and several battles, notably those of Uhud (A.H. 3) and the Trench (A.H. 5), ensued within the space of a few years. The Muslims ran into severe difficulties during these campaigns. For example, the 800 who participated in the Battle of the Trench suffered extreme cold, hunger and exhaustion. So much so that no one stood up when the Prophet asked someone to volunteer for a spying foray into the enemy camp. Eventually, the Prophet personally delegated this task to Huzayfah. There were also recurrent problems with the Jews of Madinah, who, in alliance with the Quraysh, were always conspiring against the Muslims. As a result, Madinah was besieged for twenty days during the Battle of the Trench. Finally, the Quraysh were forced by a violent sandstorm to return to Makkah. Now that collaboration with the Quraysh had been exposed; the Prophet chose this time