Muhammad: The Prophet of Islam

Muhammad The Prophet of Islam

1985 8 August 21-23 Muhammad: The Prophet of Islam (1394)

Part I Chapter V (Contd.)

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Among the expeditions that the Prophet Mohammad made was the one known as Zat-ul-Riqa’a (4AH). An incident that occurred during this expedition, and which has been recorded in Bukhari, as well as in biographies of the Prophet, is related by Jabir.

A member of the Banu Ghatfan tribe, Ghaurath Ibn Al-Harith, once asked his people: “Would you like me to kill Mohammad?” “Of course,” they replied, “but how will it be possible?” “I will catch him unawares, and kill him,” Ghaurath replied, and then set off on his errand. Soon he reached the camp of Mohammad and his companions. There were trees and bushes in the area, and the Muslims were lying in their shade. The Prophet, too, had hung his sword up on the branch of a tree, and was resting in its shade, when Ghaurath approached. When the tribesman saw the Prophet lying all alone, with his sword hanging on a branch, he went and seized the sword. Drawing it, he advanced on the Prophet. “Who will save you from me?” he challenged. “God,” the Prophet replied. “Take a look at the sword I am holding in my hand,” Ghaurath went on. “Don’t you fear it?” “Of course not,” the Prophet said. “Why should I fear it, when I know that God will save me?” The supreme confidence of the Prophet’s reply proved too much for Ghaurath, and his courage left him. Instead of attacking the Prophet, he put the sword back in its sheath and returned it to the Prophet. The Prophet made him sit down, and called his companions. When they arrived, they saw the Prophet, with the tribesman sitting next to him. The Prophet told them the whole story. Ghaurath was petrified, expecting to be killed at any moment. But the Prophet let him go without any punishment (Seerat Ibn Hisham. Vol. III, Tafseer Ibn Kathir, Vol. I).

Those who put absolute trust in God do not fear anything or anyone. The faith that God, a Live and All-Powerful Being, is always there to help one, makes one bold in the face of every other power. A person’s greatest strength, when faced with an enemy, is fearlessness. Have no fear of any foe, and he himself will start fearing you.

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The Battle of the Trench (5AH), also known as the Battle of the Armies, took place when Medina was attacked by various Arab tribes, including the Quraish and Ghatfan, and some Jewish tribes. One can gauge the ferocity of the onslaught from these words of the Quran:

“They attacked you from above and from below, so that your eyes were blurred, and your hearts lept to your throats, and your faith in God was shaken. There the faithful were put to the proof; there they were severely afflicted” (33:10-11).

This fully-equipped army included 4,500 camels and 300 horses. They besieged Medina, cutting the city off from the outside world. So short were supplies that people began to starve. It was at this time that a companion complained of hunger to the Prophet: pulling up his shirt, he exposed a stone, tied to his belly. In reply, the Prophet pulled up his shirt: there were two stones tied to it.

When news of the impending attack reached the Prophet, he held consultations with his companions. Salman Farsi’s view, – that the Muslims should combat the enemy from within the city’s precincts – was accepted. At that time, Medina was enclosed on three sides, by mountains, forest and walls. It was exposed only on the north-west front. The Muslims decided to dig a trench on this open front, extending between two mountains. After six days of continual labour, the trench was dug. It proved so successful in holding the enemy back that it gave its name to the battle, the Battle of the Trench.

On reading of the Battle of the Trench, one is faced with a question: how was it that a small trench was able to hold the enemy back? It was only six metres long, with a depth of two and a half metres, and a width of about three – roughly the size of a small canal. For a fully-equipped army, a trench of this size presents no more of an obstacle than a ditch. They could easily have crossed it, and entered Medina. Later events show that the Muslims were within range of enemy archers, for Sa’ad Ibn Mu’az was actually hit by an enemy arrow. It is also clear from accounts that at least some of the enemy did in fact cross the trench. A group headed by Amr Ibn Abd Wud came on horseback to inspect the trench. Finding it narrower at one point, they jumped over it there on their horses. Then a duel took place between Amr Ibn Abd Wud and Ali in which Umr Ibn AbdWud was slain. The siege was lifted after nearly a month, following a violent storm. The enemy were so dazed by the sandstorm that at one point Abu Sufyan sat on his camel and started urging it on, but forgot to unite it.’ But the question still remains: Why did a fully-equipped army of 10,000 men not cross the trench and enter Medina. There were only 3,000 inside the city. How could such a small force, ill-equipped as they were, have withstood the onslaught of the enemy?

The answer to this question lies in a law of God, which is to put awe and fear into the hearts of the enemy by enlarging the fighting power of the faithful in their eyes. This is what the Qur’an has to say on the, subject:

“We will put terror into the hearts of the unbelievers. They serve other gods for whom no sanction has been revealed” (3:151).

God helped the believers by putting fear into the hearts of their enemies on several occasions, one of which was the Battle of the Trench. In this campaign, the trench that the Muslims dug appeared before the enemy in a greatly enlarged form. But still the Muslims had to do the digging. They had at least to fashion a ditch with their own hands. If they had not done that much – if they had not wearied themselves digging a ditch – then how could God have enlarged it into a trench in the eyes of the enemy?

Present-day Muslim can also have the help which God provided to their predecessors; fear can be put into the hearts of their foes also. But, for this to happen, the Muslims must tread the path laid out by the Prophet and his companions. Those who follow any other path will be befriended only by the devil; they will never be able to avail of divine – succour. To be deserving of God’s assistance one has to devote oneself entirely to truth; one has to lay down everything one has for the sake of truth, even if it means relinquishing one’s position in favour of another, as the people of Medina did after the emigration of the Prophet to their town.

The conditions under which one can become deserving of divine succour are summed up in this verse of the Qur’an:

“Whoever helps God shall be helped by Him” (22:40).

One could put this another way and say: God helps those who help others. God will only come to our assistance if we treat others in the same manner as we ourselves seek to be treated by God. If we ourselves harm others, then how can we expect mercy from the Lord? If we persecute those whom we overpower, then on what grounds can we hope that God will come to our rescue when others overpower and oppress us? If a person in trouble seeks our help, and we do not come to his assistance, is God then going to assist us when we are in trouble and call to Him? In this world one is always strong in relation to some and weak in relation to others. This is how God puts us to the test. We seek God's help against those stronger than ourselves, but in order to receive it we must show compassion to those who are weaker than us. One who persecutes the weak can never be worthy of God's help against the strong. No amount of prayer and supplication will help him.