28 August 2011
Seerah of Muhammed*
*: May the Peace, Blessings & Mercy of Allah be upon him
TMQ: Translation to the nearest meaning of the Qur’an
Battle of the Trench / Confederates (Coalition) [part2]
Seerah: Miracles during the Battle of the Trench
A cry for help came from Jabir, who had dug down to a rock which none of their implements could loosen. The Prophet* called for some water and spat into it; then having prayed, he sprinkled the water over the rock, and they were able to shovel it out like a heap of sand.'
Another day it was the Emigrants who needed help. After many vain attempts to split or dislodge a rock he had struck, 'Umar went to the Prophet*, who took the pickaxe from him and gave the rock a blow at which a flare as of lightning flashed back over the city and towards the south. He gave it another blow and again there was a flash but in the direction of Uhud and beyond it towards the north. A third blow split the rock into fragments, and this time the light flashed eastwards. Salman saw the three flashes and knew they must have some significance, so he asked for an interpretation from the Prophet*, who said: "Didst thou see them, Salman? By the light of the first I saw the castles of the Yemen; by the light of the second I saw the castles of Syria; by the light of the third I saw the white palace of Kisra' at Mada'in. Through the first hath God opened unto me the Yemen; through the second hath He opened unto me Syria and the West; and through the third the East. "
On another day the Prophet* saw a girl enter the camp with something in her hand, and he called her to him. It was the niece of 'Abd Allah ibn Rawahah, In her own words: "When I told the Messenger of God that I was taking some dates to my father and mine uncle, he bade me give them to him. So I poured them into his hands, but they did not fill them. He called for a garment, which was spread out for him, and he threw the dates upon it in such wise that they were scattered over its surface. Then he bade those who were with him invite the diggers to lunch, and when they came they began to eat, and the dates increased and they were still overflowing from the edges of the garment when the men turned away from them."!
Jabir had been struck by the Prophet*'s exceeding leanness the day he had needed his help at the trench, and that evening he asked his wife if she could not cook him a meal. "We have naught but this ewe," she said "and a measure of barley." So he sacrificed the ewe, and the next day she roasted it and ground the barley and made some bread. Then, when it was too dark to continue working, Jabir went to the Prophet* as he was leaving the trench and invited him to the meal of mutton and barley bread. "The Prophet* put his palm against mine", said Jabir, "and knotted his fingers through my fingers. I wanted him to come alone, but he told a crier to call out: 'Go with the Messenger of God unto the house of Jabir, Respond, for Jabir inviteth you.''' Jabir uttered the verse which the faithful are recommended to utter at a moment of disaster: Verily we are for God, and verily unto Him are we returning, and he went on ahead to warn his wife. "Didst thou invite them or did he?" she said. "Nay, he invited them," said Jabir. "Then let them come," she said, "for he knoweth best." The meal was placed in front of the Prophet* and he blessed it and uttered the Name of God over it and began to eat. There were ten sitting down with him, and when they had all eaten their fill they rose and went to their homes, making room for ten more, and so it went on until all the workers at the trench had satisfied their hunger, and there still remained some mutton and some bread.
Some Fighting
There were a few skirmishes. Only a few managed to cross the Trench at its weakest point. One of these, 'Amr, shouted a challenge to single combat. When 'Ali offered himself he refused, saying: "I hate to kill the like of thee. Thy father was a boon companion of mine. Therefore go back, thou art but a stripling." But 'Ali insisted, so 'Amr dismounted and both men advanced. A cloud of dust soon hid them from view; then they heard 'All's voice raised in magnification and they knew that 'Arnr was dead or dying. Sa'd ibn Mu'adh was struck in the arm by an arrow which severed a vein, and many of the horses of Quraish and Ghatafan were wounded.
During the process of fighting, Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh was shot by an arrow that pierced his artery. Perceiving his end approaching, he invoked Allah saying: “Oh, Allah, you know nothing is closer to my heart than striving in Your way against those people (disbelievers) who belied Your Messenger and banished him from his town. Oh, Allah, I deeply believe that You have decreed that we should fight them, so if there is still more fighting to go with them, let me stay alive in order to strive more against them. If it has settled down, I beseech you to ignite it again so that I breathe my last in its context.”
Banu Quraizah's treachery
The Bani Qurayzah's renunciation of their pact did not remain hidden. Many of the hypocrites were undetermined as to which side they belonged to, and they were ready to betray the secrets of either side to the other. 'Umar was the first of the Companions to hear that the Jews were now a potential enemy. He went to the Prophet*, who was sitting in his tent with Abu Bakr. "O Messenger of God," he said, "I have been told that Bani Qurayzah have broken their treaty and are at war with us." The Prophet* was visibly troubled; and he sent Zubayr to find out the truth of the matter. On hearing this bad news, the Messenger despatched four Muslim prominent leaders Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh, Sa‘d bin ‘Ubada, ‘Abdullah bin Rawaha and Khawat bin Jubair for investigation but warning against any sort of spreading panic amongst the Muslims and advising that they should declare in public that the rumours are groundless if they happen to be so: "Go and see if it be true. Ifit be false, then say so plainly. But if it be true, then tell me in some subtle way that I shall understand." Unfortunately the four men discovered that the news was true and that the Jews announced openly that no pact of alliance existed any longer with Muhammad*. and when they saw that they were wasting their words they returned to the Prophet*. "'Aqal and Qarah," they said to him, these being the two tribes who had betrayed Khubayb and his companions to the men of Hudhayl. The Prophet* understood and magnified God: "Allahu Akbar! Be of good cheer, O Muslims." The Messenger of Allah was briefed on this situation, and the Muslims understood their critical position with the horrible danger implied therein. Their back was vulnerable to the attacks of Banu Quraiza, and a huge army with no way to connive at in front, while their women and children unprotected standing in between. They reached the fortresses of Qurayzah soon after Zubayr and found that they had indeed renounced the pact. They adjured them by God to revert to it again before it was too late, but they only answered: "Who is the Messenger of God? There is no pact between us and Muhammad* nor any agreement." In vain they reminded them of the fates of the Bani Qaynuqa and the Bani Nadir. Ka'b and the others were now too confident of the victory of Quraish to listen to them;
It was now necessary to reduce the strength of the forces at the trench and to keep a garrison within the town itself, so the Prophet* sent back a hundred men. Then the warning came to him that Huyay was urging Quraish and Ghatafan to send by night each a thousand men to the fortresses of Qurayzah and from there to raid the centre of the town and break into the fortresses of the Muslims and carry off their women and children. The appointed night, for various reasons, was put off more than once, and the project was never realised; but as soon as the Prophet* heard of it he sent Zayd with a troop of three hundred horse to patrol the streets, magnifying God throughout each night, and it was as if the city was filled with a mighty host.
Hadith:
Sadly, no time for Hadith this week too (outvoted)
News
Hurricane Irene
A brief review of the hurricane currently lashing New York and the Eastern Part of the USA. A short reflection on what disasters tend to make the news and a reminder of how the Qur’an mentions the destruction of the people of Aad through a strong wind, and the message of Prophet Hud to his dead people. Also, a reminder of how Muslims should seek to help all people suffering from disasters.
Feedback
Visit to Mecca and Medina
A lovely explanation of a recent trip to the Holy Land and the rituals involved in Umrah and the feelings the trip evokes.
