to prevent the Believers from ever forgetting their salutary duty; for
this did away with the pretext, so frequent in their deserts, that
lack of water hindered the performance of ablutions.
[Sidenote: THE BATTLE OF THE DITCH (_Year V of the Hegira, A.D. 627_)]
A deputation of Jews from the tribe of the Banu Nazir, and a few
malcontents of the Wayls journeyed to Makkah to offer the Quraish an
alliance. The Ghatafans, a tribe hailing from the north of the Hijaz,
and the "Habash," or Arab Confederates, joined them. Thus was
organised a vast conspiracy, threatening Al-Madinah on all sides.
This time, when the Prophet got to hear of the importance of this
expedition, he had no difficulty in persuading the Believers that the
only way to save themselves was by entrenchment in the town and there
awaiting the advent of the enemy.
Al-Madinah was protected in almost every direction, either by
ramparts, fortlets, or gardens. At the north only would it have been
possible for the enemy to arrange a formidable assault. A learned
Persian, Salman-i-Farisi, recently converted, explained to the Prophet
a system of efficacious protection. It was by means of a ditch, and
Salman had seen it practised in his own country. Mohammad was so
struck by the Persian's arguments that this ditch was ordered to be
dug immediately. All the Believers, confiding in their chief's
farsightedness, set ardently to work.
Nevertheless, they were in a state of extreme distress. An icy north
wind, such as blows frequently in winter on these table-lands of the
desert where there is intense radiation, benumbed their shivering
bodies. Roads where the work of revictualling was carried on were
blocked by the enemy; provisions were lacking. The pangs of hunger
would have paralysed their strength if it had not been kept up and
rekindled by faith, for all they had to eat were a few grains of
barley cooked in rancid, nauseous mutton-fat.
Meanwhile, the shovelfuls of earth accumulated, thrown up with great
spirit by the workers, and the ditch had reached a good depth, when
suddenly the pickaxes struck against a rock which they were powerless
to uproot. Mohammad filled his mouth with water and spat it out on the
stone, at the same time as he implored the help of the Almighty. The
diggers again applied themselves to their task and the vigour of their
arms, increased tenfold by the certainty of success which the
Prophet's action had instilled into their hearts, met with no further
obstacles. It seemed to them that the hard stone had become as friable
as the sand; the rock splitting into countless fragments under the
attack of their tools.
Scarcely was the ditch ready, when the entire plain was covered by the
tents of the enemy's army, ten thousand strong: the Quraish, Banu
Kamanah, Ghatafans, Arabs of the Tuhamah and of the Najd, etc. Despite
their great superiority of numbers, the Infidels were not sanguine as
to the result of their conflict with the Prince of Apostles, and they
cast about for new allies. Huwai ibn Akhtab, an enemy of Allah,
approached Kab ibn Asad, Prince of the Jewish tribe of the Banu
Quraizah who, although deeply hostile to the Prophet, had signed a
treaty with him. Ill at ease, Kab repulsed his visitor in these terms:
'O Huwai! the step thou dost take is fraught with great danger for my
tribe. I have signed a treaty with strict fidelity.'--'Open thy door
to me, O Kab, for I only wish to partake of thy "Shishah," a kind of
soup. Kab let him in, and Huwai immediately broached the subject that
brought him there. He vaunted the power of the ten thousand
Confederates encamped near the Uhud, and demonstrated how he was
certain of ridding the world of Mohammad. 'Thou bringest me ugly
business, O Huwai!' replied Kab, still hesitating. ''Tis an empty
raincloud in which only thunder and lightning remain. I see no
advantage for me. What have I to do with all this?'
His interlocutor never left off until he had coaxed Kab into
cancelling his contract with Mohammad and forming an alliance with the
Infidels.
The rumour of this defection coming to the Prophet's ears, he sent Sad
ibn Muaz, Sad ibn Ubaidah and Chuat ibn Zubayr to see if it was true.
When these envoys reminded the Banu Quraizah of their pledge, the
following reply was made: 'Who is this Prophet of Allah of whom ye
speak? There exists no treaty between him and us.'
This was downright treachery, for the Banu Quraizah were marvellously
well-informed as to the Believers' secrets and weak points of the
town. To guard against the anxiety that such treason might create
among his disciples, Mohammad, when his envoys returned, exclaimed:
'Allah is Great! Here have we good news! Hearken, O Moslem comrades!'
In this way he predicted that the spoils accruing from the overthrow
of the Banu Quraizah would soon enrich the Believers, thus brazenly
betrayed.
The sight of the ten thousand sparkling spears that made the plain
look like a field of darts, produced, nevertheless, a great impression
on the Believers lining the ramparts. The "Hypocrites," as was their
wont, instead of exhorting the citizens to pluck up courage, tried to
sow the seeds of panic. 'Admire Mohammad,' they would say. 'He
promised us the treasures of Chosroes and of Cæsar; and yet, this very
day, he himself is not certain of having a roof over his head!'
To put an end to these gloomy forebodings, the Prophet made his troops
sally forth and posted them behind the ditch. They were covered in the
rear by the Sala hill. At that juncture, some of the soldiers whose
courage was on the wane asked the permission of the Prophet to return,
saying: 'Of a truth, our houses are left defenceless.' "_But they were
not left defenceless: verily their sole wish was to flee away * If the
enemy had effected an entry at all points, and they had been asked to
promote rebellion among the Believers, they would certainly have done
so; but only a short time would they have remained in._" (THE QUR'AN,
XXXIII, 13, 14.)
Frankly, great anxiety reigned; but the faith of the sincere
Mussulmans and the unchanging serenity of the Apostle got the best of
it. On the other hand, the Confederates, despite all their advantage,
were still smitten with terror at the thought of the mysterious forces
that they always found facing them each time they fought against
Allah's warriors; and dared not risk an attack before making sure that
it would not turn out to be another miserable, humiliating failure. So
they were contented with drawing near to the walls.
For twenty days and twenty nights, hostilities were limited to
encircling the city and a few flights of arrows, without any result.
Ashamed, at last, of their inaction, several horsemen of the Quraizah
and Kinanas, got ready for the fray. In close rank, they broke away
from the enemy front. Their breasts pressed to the necks of their
steeds, they dashed forward in a frenzied charge, swallowed up in the
orange-tinted whirlwind of dust.... Then suddenly, the living
hurricane stopped dead, and when the clouds of sand enfolding the
idolatrous riders lifted, they were seen petrified with affright in
front of the deep ditch in which they had nearly been engulphed;
whilst the horses, with twitching nostrils, their mouths twisted and
bleeding by reason of the sudden jerk of the bit, stopping them in
their forward bound, remained with stiffened, trembling legs on the
edge of the trench....
'By our gods!' swore the Infidels, 'this is a trick that Arabs never
play!' They sought for a spot where the moat was the most narrow, and
savagely spurring on their steeds, they lifted them in fantastic
jumping efforts and so reached the other side. Ali, followed by a few
soldiers, went out to meet them. Getting between them and the ditch,
he cut off their retreat. One of the men on horseback, Amr ibn
Abd-i-Aud, of frightful aspect and gigantic stature, howled the vilest
curses and challenged the Believers to single combat. With the
permission of the Prophet who buckled on his own breastplate, rolled
his turban round his head and placed his sword in his hand, Ali stood
face to face with the giant. At the sight of his assailant, only a
boy, Amr, the terrible, made a gesture of scorn and pity. 'I am loth
to shed thy blood,' he said, 'for thy father was my friend '--'As for
me,' retorted Ali, 'I shall have no compunction in shedding thine.'
At these words, Amr foamed with rage, and Ali bade him remark that if
he despised his young adversary, he did not disdain to profit by
remaining on horseback to defend himself against an enemy on foot. Amr
jumped off his horse and hamstrung it; thereby showing that he did not
wish to use it for fight or flight. Mad with rage at the mocking
challenge of so youthful a foe, he beat his own face with his clenched
fists.... Then he rushed at Ali, aiming a fierce blow which glanced
lightly off the lad's forehead, after having smashed his shield to
pieces.
As quick as lightning, Ali sprung on one side and, by an unexpected
bound, got behind his adversary. Carried forward by the violence of
his advance, the monster was bewildered and staggered when he tried to
turn round. Ali seized the opportunity at once and made a skilful
thrust. The blade pierced Amr's throat, through and through, cutting
the carotid artery. An enormous gush of blood spurted from the gaping
wound; like a drunken man, the colossus, with hoarse hiccoughs
proceeding from his severed throat, made a few faltering steps and
fell in a heap at the feet of Islam's champion.
At this sight, the Mussulmans sang the "Takbir," and the other
Infidels, overwhelmed by consternation, fled at a wild gallop. One of
them, Nuhfil ibn Abdullah, having miscalculated his jump, rolled with
his mount down into the ditch, where he was slowly being killed by
showers of stones, when Zubayr put an end to the torture by a cut from
his scimitar, which after having cleft his body in twain, was stopped
by the saddle.
Safiyah, the Prophet's aunt on his mother's side, kept an eye on the
foe from the top of a fortlet belonging to Hasan ibn Sabit, who
remained by her side. She caught sight of a Jew wandering round the
ramparts and said to Hasan: 'Seest thou that Jew prowler? Without a
doubt, he seeketh to find a weak point in our walls, and whilst the
Prophet and his soldiers are busy on the front facing the enemy, other
Jews will be fetched to follow the spy and capture our fortlet. Go
down and kill him!'--'May Allah pardon thee! O daughter of Abdul
Muttalib, I am not a warrior accustomed to the use of arms. I am a
poet.'
Shrugging her shoulders, masculine-minded Safiyah seized a mace and
went down. Gliding behind the Jew, she felled him by dint of dealing
repeated blows on his head; and then went back to Hasan. 'Now thou
canst go down and strip the Jew of all he possesseth, for it is not
seemly for a woman to undress a man.'
Several skirmishes of slight importance took place at long intervals;
but if an attack was not to be feared, thanks to the precautionary
moat which had upset the Confederates' calculations, the garrison
might have been mastered by famine. Great uneasiness prevailed in
their ranks.
Meanwhile, Naim, Prince of the Ghatafans, sought out Mohammad, saying:
'O Prophet! I have become a Mussulman and my people know it not. I am
entirely at thy disposal.'--'Of what use is all thy courage? Thou art
alone! But couldst thou not help us by provoking relinquishment among
the Confederates? In all wars, there are tricks which are licit.'
Naim understood at once the part he had to play. He went to the Banu
Quraizah, having often broken bread among them when he was an
idolater.
[Illustration: _"Al Fitr", the Prayer on the Breaking of the Ramadhan
Fast._]
'O Banu Quraizah!' said he, 'ye know how I feel towards you
all?'--'Verily, and we have entire confidence in thee.'--'Being so,
listen to me. The Quraish and the Ghatafans, your allies, are not in
the same position as you. This part of the country is yours: here is
your property; here dwell your families. Ye cannot abandon your land
for another. They, on the contrary, are only here to fight Mohammad
and his companions; their belongings and their families are beyond
their enemies' reach. If the fortune of war turneth against them, they
will return in tranquility to their own country and leave you in
yours, to do the best you can with this man. Will ye be able to resist
him, once ye face him alone? Fight therefore no more with these
"qawms" without claiming hostages chosen from their noblemen, so as to
make sure that you will never be left in the lurch before ye have
brought Mohammad to his knees.'--'Of a truth, thy advice is good!'
they declared unanimously. Nai then went to the Quraish
idol-worshippers and talked to them. 'Ye know how I feel towards you
all.'--'Aye.'--'I have been able to ascertain something that I
consider is only right that you should be told at once. But swear to
keep it secret.'--'We swear!'--'This is it,' he went on. 'Know that
the Jews regret having annulled their compact with Mohammad and
consequently have sent him this message: "Most certainly do we regret
what we did, but if thou dost consent to pardon us, we will give up to
thee several hostages chosen amongst the most noble of the Quraish or
the Ghatafans we have seized; and we will remain thy faithful allies
until thine enemies are exterminated." Mohammad having accepted, the
Jews therefore will come and claim hostages, pretexting that they are
certain of never being thrown over whilst holding these sureties. Take
care never to give them a single hostage!'
He said the same thing to the Ghatafans, his fellow-countrymen, and
was just as successful with them. The Quraish and the Ghatafans swore
they would be on their guard.
One night, on the eve of a Saturday in the month of Shawwal, Abu
Sufyan and the chieftains of the Ghatafans sent Ikrimah to the Banu
Quraizah, charging him to say to them: 'We can no longer sojourn in
these parts, so unsuitable to our horses and camels. Be ready to fight
Mohammad to-morrow. We must get done with him!' They made answer:
'To-morrow is a Saturday, the Sabbath day, which means obligatory
repose in our religion. But, at any rate, we cannot fight by your side
unless ye grant us hostages chosen from the most noble among you, as a
guarantee that ye will not abandon us before having crushed our common
enemy.' When Ikrimah repeated these words, the Quraish and the
Ghatafans cried out: 'By all our gods, what Naim told us concerning
the Banu Quraizah was perfect truth!' The Confederates immediately
sent another message, declaring plainly: 'By our gods, we'll not give
you a single hostage!'
It was now the turn of the Banu Quraizah to find out how correct was
the information vouchsafed by Naim and they came to a rupture with the
Confederates. This piece of news, reported by Naim, made the Prophet
rejoice exceedingly; but being desirous of knowing the effect produced
by this rupture in the ranks of the Quraish and the Ghatafans, he said
to Huzaifah: 'Make thy way, this very night, into the enemy's camp and
find out what they may be planning. Come back and tell me without
letting anyone know.'
Thanks to the pitchy darkness of that wintry night, Huzaifah glided
among the enemies' tents. A high, icy wind had put out all the fires
and blown down all the cooking-pots. The whistling gusts deafened all
ears; and the shivering idolaters huddled together, wrapped up in the
folds of their mantles. 'Keep an eye on your companions!' was the
watchword shouted by Abu Sufyan, meaning: 'Beware of spies!' Huzaifah,
with great presence of mind, seized the hand of an Infidel standing
close to him and demanded in threatening accents: 'Who art
thou?'--'Such an one; son of such an one.' Huzaifah let him go, and
the Infidel, forced to exonerate himself, never thought of putting
questions as well.
The relinquishment of the Banu Quraizah; the difficulties with regard
to feeding camels and horses; and, above all, the disorder arising
from that calamitous night, caused Abu Sufyan to be discouraged. After
a short discussion between him and the other Quraish chieftains, in
the hearing of invisible Huzaifah, the return of the besiegers to
their dwellings was decided.
Having got to know all he wanted, Huzaifah went back to his camp. He
found the Prophet praying and he beckoned to his disciple to approach.
When Huzaifah was close to him, to warm his messenger, he covered him
with part of the mantle spread out on the ground in lieu of a praying
carpet. When Mohammad had finished his devotions, he listened to the
intrepid scout and congratulated him on the success of his mission.
Next day, the plain was clear of the enemy; and the Prophet, leaving
the ditch, led his troops back to Al-Madinah. 'The Quraish came here
to attack us for the last time,' he declared. 'Henceforward it will be
for us to go and beard them in their dens.'
[Sidenote: THE TREATY OF AL-HUDAIBIYAH (_Year VI of the Hegira A.D.
628_)]
The Prophet dreamt that he entered Makkah in the midst of his
companions and then marched to Mina, in the Valley of Sacrifices. This
vision embodied the greatest desire of his heart; and all the
Believers felt the same, as they suffered from not being able to visit
the Holy Places since the Hegira. So Mohammad determined to satisfy
their craving.
In the month of Zu'l-Qa'dah, he went out of Al-Madinah, and took the
road to Makkah at the head of fourteen hundred pilgrims, driving
seventy camels for sacrificial purposes. To show that his intentions
were peaceful, he caused garlands to be hung round the victims' necks.
Furthermore, at Zu'l Halifah, he solemnly put himself in the state of
"Ihram," which consists in assuming the pilgrim's garb of double
cloths without seams, and abstaining from all that is forbidden during
the visit to the holy places: approaching women; the use of perfumes;
cutting the beard, hair or nails; fighting or quarrelling; and the
slaying of animals others than those sacrificed. His disciples
followed his example and he gave out the "Talbiyah": "_I stand up for
Thy service, O Allah!_" which they all repeated in chorus.
At Osfan, he met with Bishr ibn Al-Kâab on his return from Makkah
whither he had been sent to glean information, and who told him: 'O
Prophet! the Quraish know that thou art on the way. They have called
upon the Saquifs and the Habash who are coming to face thee, bringing
with them their wives and children, to stop themselves from even
thinking of flight. They also lead their she-camels and the young
camels, so as to be certain not to suffer from lack of meat or milk;
and the warriors have covered their bodies with skins of panthers as a
token that they will never give in, but fight to the last gasp. At
this moment, they are encamped at Zu Sua. Khalid ibn Walid, at the
head of their cavalry, is in ambush at Kurrat-ul-Ghamin.'
'Who can guide us along some other road than that by which they expect
us?' asked the Prophet. A guide of the Aslams proffered his services
and led the army of the Believers through an unknown path, but it was
frightful to look upon. It meandered through an inextricable chaos of
wild ravines, jagged rocky heights, abrupt ascents and descents,
strewn with pointed pebbles that cut the feet of men and animals.
After having mastered exhaustion and fatigue, the Believers debouched
in the sandy bed of a broad wadi which seemed to their bruised and
bleeding feet like a carpet of the richest pile. They offered up
thanksgivings to the Compassionate, and obeying the commands of their
inspired leader, they cried out: "_We implore the forgiveness of Allah
and we repent in His Presence!_"
Then they went through the pass of Al Morar, and arrived at the foot
of the hill of Al-Hudaibiyah, situated partly on holy ground and
partly in ordinary territory, a day's journey from Makkah. At this
spot, Qaswa, the Prophet's she-camel, suddenly knelt and refused to
get up. 'Is she restive?' asked his companions.--'No, she is not
restive,' replied Mohammad; 'but she is stopped by Him who formerly
stopped the elephant of the Negus Abrah, and prevented him entering
Makkah.' And the Apostle gave orders to pitch the tents.
The enemy, surprised at not having met Mohammad, and knowing he was
not far off, soon found out that he had taken a new road. They turned
back in the greatest haste, sending their horsemen on in front to bar
the way to their city. They despatched Budail and several Arabs of the
Khuzzah tribe, to sound the Prophet as to his intentions.
Budail, having heard from the Prophet's own lips that all he wanted
was to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Places and not to wage war
against his fellow-countrymen, returned to inform the Quraish. But
they had no faith in the Khuzza men whose secret sympathy for Mohammad
was known, so they sent him another messenger, Al Halis ibn Alqamah.
'Let the victims be paraded in front of him,' ordered the Prophet when
he saw him arrive. When Al Halis had seen the long rows of victims
going by with garlands round their necks which were shorn at the parts
where their throats would be cut, he thought it would be useless to
continue and went back to the Quraish to give them an account of his
observations.
'Sit down,' they told him. 'Thou art naught else but a simpleton of
the Bedouin tribes and thou dost not understand the cunning of
Mohammad who haileth from our part of the country.' Al-Halis got out
of temper. 'O Assembly of the Quraish! Ye do not respect the terms of
our compact. No one hath a right to drive away from the Temple of
Allah the man who cometh to glorify the Most High! By Him who holdeth
in His hands the soul of Al-Halis, ye will let Mohammad finish his
pious visit in peace; or else we Confederates will break off with
you--and at once!' They shrugged their shoulders. 'Pshaw! Let us be
until we have achieved what we have planned.' And they charged Ora ibn
Masud, a chieftain of the Saquifs, with the mission which, in their
judgment, had been badly carried out by the previous messengers. 'O
Assembly of the Quraish!' he objected; 'I have hearkened to the bitter
words with which ye welcomed the return of your men sent to the enemy.
Ye know me by my mother; I am on your side, for I belong to the folks
dwelling in the Makkan valley. If ye suspect me in the least, lay your
hearts bare ere I depart.'--'Thou art in the right. We know thee. We
are not at all distrustful of thee.'
Ora came into the presence of the Prophet and bowed down to him. 'O
Mohammad,' he said, 'thou hast gathered together a horde of people of
all countries and thou dost come back to thy egg (birthplace) to smash
it with their assistance! Now the Quraish have sworn a most solemn
oath, to the effect that never, so long as their eyelashes quiver on
their eyelids, shalt thou set foot again in Makkah, unless by force of
arms. And, by our gods! the scum surrounding thee must flee from thy
side, before the sun setteth on another day!'
At these words, a flame of indignation lit up the eyes of the
companions standing, the lower half of their faces veiled, behind the
Prophet. From out of the group, strode Abu Bakr. He went up to the
Infidel and shouted to him: 'Begone and bite the belly of Lat, thine
idol! Dost thou think for a moment that we could abandon Allah's
Messenger?'--'Who is this man, O Mohammad?' queried Ora.--'The son of
Abu Kuhafah.'--'By our gods!' Ora went on, turning to Abu Bakr, 'if I
were not bound to thee by a debt of gratitude, I would have rewarded
thee according to thy deserts. But, by thine insult, we are quits for
the future.'