THE TRUE JIHAD

~ 18 ~ worked hard day and night along with his companions to dig a long trench between him and his opponents. This trench served as a buffer. Therefore, when the army of the Quraysh arrived, they could not attack. So they camped there for some days. In the end they gave up the idea of attacking as it was impossible to cross the ditch. They eventually left Madinah. The digging of this trench provides an example of opting for a peaceful course instead of a violent course. 4. The Hudaybiyya peace treaty also provides another example of this sunnah of the Prophet. At that time the Prophet and his companions had wanted to perform the minor pilgrimage (umrah) by entering Makkah. But when they reached Hudaybiyya, which was nine miles from Makkah, they were stopped by the Quraysh leaders. They said that in no event would they allow them to enter Makkah. This again was a military challenge. If the Prophet wanted to advance as planned towards Makkah, an encounter was sure to take place. Therefore, the Prophet ended his journey at Hudaybiyya and entered into a peace treaty, accepting unilaterally the conditions laid down by