Surah Al-Ahzaab (33): Read Online and Download - English Translation

Commentary

At the beginning of the Surah, by saying: وَ اتَّبع مَا یُوحٰٓی اِلَیکَ , the Holy Prophet ﷺ was asked to follow the Divine revelation sent to him. Then, in the previous verse: اَلنَّبِیُّ اَولٰی بِالمُؤمِنِینَ , the believers have been obligated with the implementation of the orders of the recipient of the revelation. It is to further confirm and emphasize these very two things that, in the present two verses as well, the same two subjects have been reiterated, that is, the recipient of the revelation has been obligated to follow the revelation received by him from Allah and the non-recipient of the revelation has been obligated to follow the recipient of the revelation.

The Covenant of the Prophets

The covenant taken from the blessed prophets, according to the cited verse, is in addition to the universal pledge taken from the entire creation as it appears in a saying of the Holy Prophet ﷺ reported by Imam Ahmad (رح) :

خُصُّوا بِمِیثاقِ الرِّسَالۃَ وَ النُّبُوَّوۃِ وَ وھُوَ قَولُہ، تَعَالٰی وَ اِذ اَخَذنَا مِنَ النَّبِیّٖن مِیثاقَھُم

"It was the prophets only from whom the covenant of messenger-ship and prophethood was taken, and this is the meaning of what Allah Ta’ ala has said: .... (And when We took from the prophets their covenant...to the end of the verse).

This pledge from the prophets was the pledge of discharging the duties of prophethood and messenger-ship and of attesting to the veracity of each other and of being mutually helpful - as Ibn Jarir, Ibn Abi Hatim and others have reported from Sayyidna Qatadah ؓ . And according to one narration, it was also included in this pledge of the prophets that they should also proclaim that "Sayyidna Muhammad al-Mustafa ﷺ is the messenger of Allah, and the last of the prophets. After him, there will be no prophet [مُحَمَّدُ رَّسُولُ اللہِ لَا نَبِّی بَعدَہ،]

And this pledge from prophets was also taken in eternity (Azal) at the same time when the pledge of: اَلَستُ بِرَبِّکُم (alastu bi-rabbikum: Am I not your Lord?) was taken from the created at large. (Ruh a1-Ma’ ani and Mazhari)

After having generally mentioned prophets, peace be on them all, before saying: ومِنکَ وَ مِن نُّوح (and from you and from Nuh... up to the end of the verse), five of them were particularly named on the basis of the unique distinction they have among the group of prophets. Then, even within those, it was by using the word: مِنکَ (minka: from you) that the mention of the Holy Prophet ﷺ was made to precede that of others - although, his appearance in this world is later than all of them. The reason for this has been given in Hadith itself:

کُنتُ اَوَّلَ النَّاسِ فِی الخَلقِ وَ اٰخِرَھُم فِی البَعثِ (رواہ ابن سعد وابو نعیم فی الحلیۃ عن میسرۃ الفجر و الطبرانی فی الکبیر عن ابن عباس ؓ ۔ مظھری)

'I am the first human being in the creation and the last of them in being sent (with the prophetic mission).' (Reported by Ibn Sa'd and Abu Nu'aim in Al-Hilyah from Maisirah al-Mafjar and At-Tabarani in al-Kabir from Ibn ` Abbas ؓ - Mazhari)

Commentary

Identified in the previous verses was the great station of the Holy Prophet ﷺ along with the instruction to Muslims that they should follow and obey him totally and perfectly. Congruent to this, these two full sections of the Qur'an have been revealed about the event of the battle of al-Ahzab. Mentioned therein is the simultaneous attack of the combined forces of many groups of disbelievers and polytheists, their threatening encirclement, the subsequent blessings bestowed on Muslims by Allah Ta’ ala and the several miracles that issued forth at the hands of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . Then, very much as a corollary to this, there are many instructions and injunctions relating to different departments of life. It is because of these very priceless instructions that great commentators have written about the details of the event of Ahzab with considered details at this place, particularly al-Qurtubi, Mazhari and others. Therefore, some details of the event of Ahzab along with the instructions are being written here. Most of it has been taken from al-Qurtubi and Mazhari. That which has been taken from some other book carries the necessary reference.

The event of the battle of al-Ahzab

The word: (al-ahzab) is the plural form of: حِزب (hizb) which means party or group. In this battle, the combined forces of different groups of disbelievers had, under a pact to eliminate Muslims, mounted an attack on Madinah. Therefore, this battle has been named as the battle of al-Ahzab. And since, in this battle, a trench was also dug under the orders of the Holy Prophet ﷺ across the line of enemy attack, therefore, this battle is also called the battle of the Trench (Khandaq). The battle of Banu Quraizah too - which took place immediately after the battle of al-Ahzab and finds mention in the cited verses as well - that too, was actually a part of the battle of al-Ahzab, as it would appear through the details of this event.

In the year only next to the year the Holy Prophet ﷺ graced Madinah after migrating from Makkah al-Mukarramah, the event of the battle of Badr came to pass. In the third year, came the battle of Uhud. In the fourth year, it was this battle of al-Ahzab. Some narrations say that this event came to pass in the fifth year. Nevertheless, the attacks of the disbelievers against Muslims had been continuing since the hijrah up to this time without any break. The attack on the occasion of the battle of al-Ahzab was made with full power, determination and mutual pledge. Therefore, this battle was the severest on the Holy Prophet t and the noble Sahabah as compared with other battles - because, the count of the attacking confederate forces of the disbelievers has been given as twelve to fifteen thousand. On the other side, there were Muslims, three thousand in all, and those too very ill-equipped. Then, the time was hard winter. The Qur'an describes the horrible severity of this event by saying things like: زَاغَتِ الاَبصَارُ (the eyes were distracted - 33:10), بَلَغَتِ القُلُوبُ الحَنَاجِرَ (and hearts reached the throats - 33:10) and وَ زُلزِلُوا زِلزَالاً شَدِیداً (they were shaken with a violent convulsion - 33:11).

But, the way this time was the hardest on Muslims, they were also compensated at its best by Allah Ta’ ala. It was with His help and support that the matter ended in favour of Muslims in the form of such a great success and victory that broke the back of all hostile groups of Mushriks, Jews and Hypocrites leaving them just about incapable of even thinking of some attack against Muslims in the future. From that angle, this battle was the last armed confrontation between kufr and Islam. - fought on the plains of al-Madinah al-Munawwarah in the fourth or fifth year of hijrah.

The event began when about twenty men from the Jewish tribe of Banu Nadir and the tribe of Abu Wa'il who were morbidly hostile to the Holy Prophet and Muslims at large reached Makkah al-Mukarramah. They met with Quraish chiefs and roused them to start a war against Muslims. The Quraish chiefs were under the impression that the way Muslims took their idol-worship to be kufr (disbelief, infidelity) and for which reason they regarded their religion as ill-founded, the Jews too would be no different and their thinking would be similar to it. If so, how could they hope for a common ground of unity from them? Therefore, these chiefs asked the Jews, "You people know that there is difference of religion and creed between us and Muhammad t. And you are the people of the Book and the people of learning. First of all, you tell us as to which religion is better in your sight, ours or theirs?"

A lie is no novelty in the arena of politics!

The reply given by these Jews was totally contrary to their knowledge and conscience. To them, they said, "Your religion is better than the religion of Muhammad." Thereupon, the infidels of Makkah were somewhat satisfied. Still, the matter was taken to a future demonstration of intent. It was decided that these twenty visitors joined by fifty men from among the Quraish chiefs would go to al-Masjid al-Haram, cling to the walls of the Baytullah by their chests and make a solemn pledge before Allah that they would continue fighting against Muhammad t to their last man.

A marvel of the forbearance and magnanimity of Allah Ta'ala!

Here are the enemies of Allah in the House of Allah clinging to the walls of the Ka'abah of Allah making a compact to fight a war against His Rasul - and then return satisfied with a new passion for war! This is unique manifestation of the forbearance and magnanimity of Allah Ta’ ala. Then, the ultimate end of this compact is not too far to find. It will appear towards the end of the narrative in that all of them bolted from this battle.

These Jews, after having made a pact with the Quraish of Makkah, reached the tribe of Ghitfan, a great warring tribe of Arabia. They told them that they and the Quraish of Makkah were in full agreement with the plan to eliminate the spreaders of this new religion (Islam) once for all with their combined power. They asked them too to join hands with them in that pact. Then, they also offered them a bribe. They promised to give them the total produce of dates in one year in Khaibar - according to some narrations, they promised the half of it to the tribe of Ghitfan. ` Uyaiynah Ibn Hisn, the chief of the tribe of Ghitfan, approved of his participation in the pact under this condition. Thus, they too became a part of the war effort.

Then, in accordance with the mutual pact, the Quraish armed force of four thousand men, three hundred horses and war supplies laden on one thousand camels came out of Makkah under the command of Abu Sufyan and stopped at Marr az-Zahran. Here, all tribes of Aslam, Ashja', Banu Murrah, Banu Kinanah, Fazarah and Ghitfan joined them. Their total number has been reported in some narrations as ten thousand, as twelve thousand in some others and as fifteen thousand in still other.

The most lethal attack on Madinah

The armed force that fought against Muslims in the battle of Badr was that of one thousand men. Then, the army that attacked in the battle of Uhud had three thousand men. This time, the numerical strength of the attacking forces was greater than it was any time before that - the equipment and the combined power of the Arab and Jewish tribes were also to be counted as additional factors.

Three ingredients of Muslim war effort

When the information about this aggressive united front reached the Holy Prophet t, the very first verbal reaction came out from him in the words:

Allah is all-sufficient for us, and the best One to trust in - 3:173.

After that, he assembled opinion leaders from among the Emigrants and Helpers together and went into consultation with them. Although, the blessed recipient of Wahy (revelation) really needs no consultation for he acts directly with the permission of Allah Ta’ ala. But, there were two advantages in having such consultation: (1) To initiate and establish the Sunnah (practice) of consultation in the Muslim community and (2) to revive mutual liaison and unity in the hearts of the believers and to persuade them to the need of helping and supporting each other. After that, they talked about matters of defence and the physical resources needed in fighting a war. Present among the group of consultants. there was Sayyidna Salman al-Farisi ؓ who had recently freed himself from the artificially imposed slavery of a Jew and had devoted himself to the service of Islam. He advised that in his country, the Persian kings have used trenches they arranged to be dug across the enemy line of attack. This had always helped stop the enemy. Accepting his advice, the Holy Prophet ﷺ ordered that trenches be dug - and he himself participated with others doing that.

The digging of trenches

It was decided to dig this trench on the entire passage way behind the mount of Sal' which could be used by the enemy to come into Madinah from the north. The ground marking of the length and width of this trench was personally drawn by the Holy Prophet t. Beginning from Shaikhayn, this trench came as far as the western corner of the mount of Sal' and later it was extended to the intersection of the valleys of Buthan and Rana. The total length of this trench was approximately three and a half miles. The precise measurement of the width and depth could not be ascertained from any narration. But, it is obvious that the width and depth would have also been special, of the kind the enemy would have not found easy to cross.

It has appeared in the narration of the event relating to Sayyidna Salman digging the trench that he used to dig his allotted portion of the trench which, at the end of the day, came to be five yards long and five yards deep (Mazhari). From this, it can be said that the depth of the trench was five yards.

The size of the Islamic 'army'

At that time, Muslims were a total of three thousand in number along with a total of thirty six horses.

Participant age of maturity was set at fifteen years

Some non-pubert children had also come out with the Islamic 'army' with the desire to defend their faith. The Holy Prophet ﷺ asked children below the age of fifteen years to leave. Those fifteen year old were accepted - included therein were Sayyidna ` Abduliah Ibn ` Umar, Zayd Ibn Thabit, Abu Said al-Khudri and Bara' Ibn ` Azib ؓ When this Islamic force was ready to march for battle, the hypocrites who normally kept a face and remained intermingled among Muslims, started backing out. Some bolted away incognito. Others came up with false excuses and tried to get the permission of the Holy Prophet ﷺ to go back. This was a new trouble that rose from within. Some of the cited verses have been revealed about these very hypocrites. (Qurtubi)

Islamic nationality and Islamic unity do not contradict administrative and social division

For this Jihad, the Holy Prophet ﷺ appointed Sayyidna Zayd Ibn Harithah ؓ as the standard bearer of the Muhajirin and Sayyidna Sa'd Ibn ` Ubadah ؓ as the standard bearer of the Ansar. At that time, the mutual brotherhood among the Muhajirin and the Ansar stood established on very firm foundations. All of them were brothers to each other. But, it was in view of administrative convenience that the leadership of the Muhajirin was separated from the leadership of the Ansar: From this, we learn that Islamic nationality and Islamic unity are not contradictory to administrative and social division. In fact, by placing the burden of responsibility an each group helped strengthen the bond of mutual confidence and cooperation. And in the very first assignment, that is, in the digging of trenches before this battle, this mutual cooperation became all too evident as described below:

The job of digging the trenches was spread over the whole army

The Holy Prophet ﷺ divided the whole army of the Muhajirin and the Ansar in groups of ten men each and made every group of ten men responsible for digging forty yards of the trench. Since Sayyidna Salman al-Farisi ؓ was the one who had advised the digging of the trench, knew the job, was strong and was neither one of the Ansar nor one of the Muhajirin, it created a sort of competition among the Ansar and Muhajirin for each of the two wanted to have him with them. The matter reached to the extent that the Holy Prophet ﷺ had to intervene in order to avoid any dispute. He gave his verdict by saying: سَلمَانُ مِنَّا اَھلُ البَیتِ (Salman is part of our family).

The discrimination of local and foreign in functional expertise

The universal wont in our time is that people do not like to treat those non-resident and non-local at par with them. But, this was a place where every group felt proud of having the competent one on their side and with them. It was for this reason that the Holy Prophet ﷺ included him in his family on his own and thus put an end to the dispute. Then, he practically picked up some Muhajirin and some Ansar to form a group of ten which included Sayyidna ` Amr Ibn ` Awf, Sayyidna Hudhaifah and others who were from among the Muhajirin.

A great miracle

By chance, in the section of the trench entrusted with Sayyidna Salman and others with him, a huge, hard and glossy rock showed up. Sayyidna Salman's colleague, Sayyidna ` Amr Ibn ` Awf ؓ says, "This rock broke our implements and we failed to cut it apart. Then I suggested to Salman that though it is possible to dig the trench bypassing the huge rock and join it up with the main trench with a minor crookedness in it, but we should not deviate from the line drawn by the Holy Prophet ﷺ as based on our opinion. So, you go, tell the Holy Prophet t about the position here and get an order from him about what we should do now."

Divine reminders

It is strange that in this three and a half mile stretch of land no one from among the diggers of the trench faced any impediment which would render him helpless. The only one who did face it was Sayyidna Salman ؓ who had given the advice of digging a trench and the whole project had started on his advice. To him Allah Ta’ ala showed that there was no way out even after digging and making a perfect trench - except turning to Allah Ta’ ala for help in the face of the failure of all implements and instruments. Here, these blessed souls were being taugh اِنَّ بُيُوْتَنَا عَوْرَةٌ that assembling material means to the measure of capacity and ability was obligatory, but to place trust in these was not correct. The trust of a believer - even after having assembled all possible material means - should be in Allah Ta’ ala alone.

Sayyidna Salman ؓ presented himself before the Holy Prophet ﷺ and told him about what had happened. At that time, the Holy Prophet ﷺ was himself working in his part of the trench. He was busy hauling the dugout earth from the trench. Sayyidna Bara' Ibn ` Azib ؓ says, "I saw him. Dust had covered his blessed body in a manner that the skin on his front and back was not visible." Rather than give Sayyidna Salman ؓ any advice or order, he accompanied him in person to the problem spot. With the ten Sahabah busy digging the trench with Sayyidna Salman ؓ ، he too went down into the trench and joined the diggers. He took the pickaxe in his blessed hands, struck at the rock and recited the verse: تَمَّتْ كَلِمَتُ رَبِّكَ صِدْقًا (tammat kalimatu rabbika sidqa: And the Word of your Lord is perfect in truth... - al-An` am, 6:115). With this one single stroke from it, one third portion of the rock was cut off and released from this rock was a streak of light. After that, he struck at the rock once again and recited the said verse upto the end, that is: تَمَّتْ كَلِمَتُ رَبِّكَ صِدْقًا وَّعَدْلًا is (tammat kalimatu rabbika sidqan wa 'adla : And the Word of your Lord is perfect in truth and justice - al-An` am, 6:115). Cut off with this second stroke was an additional one third portion of the rock which released a streak of light as before. The third time, he recited the same verse in full and executed the third stroke. With it, the rock was all finished. The Holy Prophet t came out of the trench, picked up the sheet wrap he had left at the edge of the trench and sat down on one side of it. At that time, Sayyidna Salman al-Farisi ؓ said, "Y Rasulallah, every time struck at the rock, every time I saw a light coming out of the rock." The Holy Prophet ﷺ asked Sayyidna Salmn ؓ ، "Have you really seen this light?" He said, "Y Rasulallah, I have seen it with my own eyes."

The Holy Prophet ﷺ said, "In the light that was released after the first strike, I saw the palaces of the cities of Yaman and those of Cyrus and Angel Jibra'il told me: 'your Ummah will conquer these cities.' And when I struck at the rock the second time, I was shown the red palaces of the Byzantines and Angel Jibra'il gave the good news, 'your Ummah will conquer these cities as well.' " After having heard this, all Muslims felt at peace and became assured of their great successes in the future.

Hypocrites throw taunts at Muslims for believing in their Prophet's promises

At that time, the hypocrites who were part of the digging operations of the trench, started asking other Muslims, 'It is strange that you people are not surprised at what Muhammad is telling you. Is it not that he is making all those baseless promises to you in the depth of this trench being dug in Yathrib where he is claiming to be seeing the palaces of Hirah (in the South) and Mada'in (in the North)? And on top of it all, he is telling you that it is you people who are going to conquer them! Just look at yourself. Here you are, digging and digging, forgetful of all your needs. Frankly, you do not even have the time to take care of your human compulsions. Still, is it you who are going to conquer the countries of Cyrus and others?' Thereupon, it was about this very event that, in the twelfth verse cited above, it was revealed:

وَاِذْ يَقُوْلُ الْمُنٰفِقُوْنَ وَالَّذِيْنَ فِيْ قُلُوْبِهِمْ مَّرَضٌ مَّا وَعَدَنَا اللّٰهُ وَرَسُوْلُهٗٓ اِلَّا غُرُوْرًا

(And (remember) when the hypocrites and those having malady in their hearts were saying, "Allah and His messenger did not promise us but deceitfully; - 12). Here, in this verse, by saying: الَّذِيْنَ فِيْ قُلُوْبِهِمْ مَّرَضٌ

those having malady in their hearts), reference is being made to the state of the same hypocrites hidden in whose hearts there was that disease of hypocrisy.

Just imagine the kind of time it was, a severe trial indeed. At stake was the very faith of Muslims for they had to believe in the word of the Holy Prophet ﷺ with the full backing of their mind and heart despite being threatened by disbelievers from all sides. They had no servants to dig their trench for them. They were doing this hard work with their own hands braving the lashing winter. The unfriendly weather, the approaching enemy factor, theirs was a general climate of fear all around. In a situation like that, it was not easy to be sure of even one's defence and survival within whatever means were available. How could they go on from here and start believing in the good news of the conquests of the great kingdoms of Byzantine and Persia? But, the value of 'Iman (faith) is the highest of all deeds for the reason that they, even when facing totally contrary causes and conditions, did not have the least doubt or qualm of conscience about what the Holy Prophet t had told them.

Seniors must share every trial with their juniors - Great guidance for Muslims

Who does not know that the Sahabah of the Holy Prophet ﷺ were such selfless servants of the Holy Prophet t that they never wanted to have him do the hard labor of digging the trench with them, but it was the personal initiative of the Holy Prophet ﷺ that he chose to share this hard labor with his noble companions to mollify their hearts and teach them their essential lesson to put mutual brotherhood to practice. Of course, the noble companions staked their lives for the Holy Prophet ﷺ on the basis of his most perfect attributes as prophet and messenger of Allah, but of the many outward causes for this attachment, there was this major cause that he would be with them on all occasions facing all sorts of trials and pains like everybody else. When he did that, nobody ever thought of what we know as a class difference. There was no ruler and there was no one being ruled. There was no king around and there was no subject paying homage. Who was the man in power and who was the man from the masses? This kind of difference was unimaginable at that time. Unfortunately, from the time the Muslim wielders of power abandoned this Sunnah (the blessed practice of the Holy Prophet ﷺ) that, was the time these differences gushed forth bringing all sorts of tests and trials in their wake.

The master prescription of achieving success against something hard to accomplish

In the event mentioned above, the Holy Prophet ﷺ has recited the verse of the Qur'an: وَتَمَّتْ كَلِمَتُ رَبِّكَ صِدْقًا وَّعَدْلًا ۭلَا مُبَدِّلَ لِكَلِمٰتِهٖ (And the Word of your Lord is perfect in truth and justice. None is there to change His Words - al-An` am, 6:115) while striking at this invincible rock. This tells us that the recitation of this verse is a tested prescription for the resolution of something difficult.

The selfless mutual cooperation of the noble Sahabah

We already know that there were ten men appointed for the digging of the trench at every ten yards. But, it is obvious that some people are stronger and can finish their job sooner than others. The same was true here. The noble Sahabah who finished their allotted portion of digging would never go on to sit doing nothing and thinking that their duty was over. In fact, they would help out other Sahabah whose portion of digging was still incomplete. (Qurtubi, Mazhari)

Three and a half mile long trench was completed in six days

The outcome of the hard work put in by the noble Sahabah, may Allah be pleased with them all, was before everybody in six days in that such a long, wide and deep trench stood all completed within that short period of time. (Mazhari)

An open miracle in the feast hosted by Sayyidna Jabir

It was during the digging of this very trench that the well known event came to pass. On one of those days, when Sayyidna Jabir ؓ looked at the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، he felt deep down in his heart that he was really affected by hunger. He went to his wife and told her, "If you have something with you, cook it. I simply cannot bear by seeing this effect of hunger on his blessed person." His wife said, "We have about a sa` of barley grains in our home. I am going to grind them and make some flour." One sa` is equal to about three and a half kilograms in terms of our weights. So, his wife got busy with the grinding of barley, making flour, preparing dough and baking bread. There was a goat kid in the house. Sayyidna Jabir ؓ slaughtered it, cooked the meat and was ready to go out and invite the Holy Prophet ﷺ in when his wife called out to him saying, "Look, there is a crowd of the Sahabah with the Holy Prophet ﷺ . Do something and somehow invite only the Holy Prophet alone. Please, do not put me to disgrace by causing such a big crowd of the noble Sahabah come in with the Holy Prophet ﷺ ." Sayyidna Jabir ؓ ، acting realistically, made the actual situation fully clear before the Holy Prophet ﷺ telling him that they had only that much of food in the house. But, as for the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، he made a public announcement before the entire work force asking everyone to come to the feast at Sayyidna Jabir's ؓ home. Sayyidna Jabir ؓ was struck with wonder. When he reached home, his wife was extremely disturbed. She asked, "Did you tell the Holy Prophet ﷺ about the actual situation at home and the amount of food available?" Sayyidna Jabir ؓ said, "Yes, that I have told him." This put his wife at peace and she said, "Then we have nothing to worry about. The Holy Prophet ﷺ is our master. Let him have it the way he wishes."

Any more detail of the event is unnecessary at this place. It is enough to know the outcome that the Holy Prophet ﷺ took it upon himself to distribute the bread and curry to everybody with his own blessed hands and see that they are entertained and fed satisfactorily. As a result, the whole crowd ate to their fill. And Sayyidna Jabir ؓ says that "even after everybody having finished eating, our stock pot showed no dearth of meat, nor our kneaded flour any signs of decrease. All of us in the family ate to our heart's content and whatever remained we sent to the neighbours."

Thus, when the digging of the trench was finished within six days, the Confederate army arrived and the Holy Prophet ﷺ and his noble Companions, may Allah be pleased with them all, went into battle formation with the Mount of Sal' thoughtfully kept towards their rear.

The Jews of the tribe of Bani Quraizah break their pledge and join the Confederate aggressors

That was a time when a group of three thousand ill-equipped people standing up to fight against an equipped army of some ten to twelve thousand men was something far too wild to believe. On top of all that, there came up a new factor. Out of the Confederate forces, Huyayy Ibn Akhtab, the chief of the tribe of Banu Nadir who had contributed most in rallying everyone against the Holy Prophet ﷺ and his Muslim followers, took another step. He reached Madinah and conspired to win over the Jewish tribe of Banu Quraizah over their side. The situation was that Banu Quraizah and the Holy Prophet ﷺ already had a peace treaty signed between them. This was a solemn undertaking and the two parties naturally had no apprehensions from each other. Ka` b Ibn Asad was the chief of the tribe of Banu Quraizah. Huyayy Ibn Akhtab went to see him. When Ka'b heard about his reported arrival, he had the gate of his castle closed, so that this man would not reach him. But, Huyayy Ibn Akhtab hanged out there, he called and called and insisted that the gate be opened. Ka'b told him from inside the gate, "We have already made a peace treaty with Muhammad ﷺ and we know of nothing from his side other than truth, honesty and strict adherence to the treaty right to this day, therefore, we are bound with this treaty and cannot join hands with you." For long, this dialogue between the two continued with Huyayy Ibn Akhtab insisting that the gate be opened and that Ka'b should talk to him and the later kept refusing to do that while staying inside the closed gate. But, consequently when Huyayy Ibn Akhtab challenged Ka'b's sense of shame in that he was treating a visitor in such a crude manner, the gate was opened. Once called in, Huyayy Ibn Akhtab painted such a rosy picture of his proposals that Ka` b ultimately fell into the trap laid out by him and gave his word that he would take part in the Confederate expedition. When Ka'b related what he had done before other chiefs of his tribe, they all said in one voice, "You did something terrible. You broke your pledge with Muslims for no reason whatsoever and that by going along with the other side you have exposed your own self to danger." Ka'b too was affected by their comments and even repented for what he had done. But, things had gone out of his control by that time and this very pledge-breaking finally went on to become the cause of the destruction of Banu Quraizah as it would be mentioned later.

At that particular time, when the Holy Prophet ﷺ and the noble Sahabah got this information, they were shocked by this breach of trust from Banu Quraizah. What worried them most was the strange situation created for them. They had a trench dug across the line of the marching forces of the Confederates who were coming from outside Madinah. But, these Banu Quraizah people were right there inside Madinah. How were they going to defend against them? About this when the Qur'an says that the disbelieving forces of the Confederate army had overtaken you: مِّنْ فَوْقِكُمْ وَمِنْ اَسْفَلَ مِنْكُمْ (from above you and from below you -10), Tafsir authorities say that the expression: فَوق (from above) means the Banu Quraizah and those who came from below them (اَسفَل) mean the rest of the Confederates.

To find out the reality of this breach of trust and to assess the correct situation in the whole matter, the Holy Prophet ﷺ sent a deputation comprising Sayyidna Sa'd Ibn Mu’ adh ؓ ، the chief of the Ansar tribe of Aws and Sayyidna Sa'd Ibn ` Ubadah, the chief of the tribe of Khazraj, to Ka` b in order to talk to him about the matter. The instruction given to them was that should the event of this breach of trust turn out to be incorrect, they were to tell the whole truth before all the Sahabah openly. And should it turn out to be true, they should, on their return, say something ambivalent which will be a message only we shall understand while the rest of the Sahabah will remain safe from facing any panic because of it.

When both these elders named Sa'd reached there, they saw open proofs of the breach of pledge all over which even went to the extent of hot exchanges of words between them and Ka'b. On their return, following the instructions given to them earlier, they reported back their findings in unclear words and thus informed the Holy Prophet ﷺ that the event of the breaking of the pledge was true.

At the time when the Jewish tribe of Banu Quraizah, once an ally of Muslims, also joined the war against them, something else started happening. The hypocrisy of people who posed to be a part of the Muslim community lost its cover. Some of them became far too vocal and started saying things against the Holy Prophet ﷺ as was mentioned earlier in: وَاِذْ يَقُوْلُ الْمُنٰفِقُوْنَ (and when said the hypocrites - 12). Then, they were others who cooked up all sorts of excuses to run away from the battlefield and sought the permission of the Holy Prophet ﷺ to do that - which has been mentioned in verse 13: اِنَّ بُيُوْتَنَا عَوْرَةٌ (Our homes are vulnerable).

Now according to the present state of the battle front, the Confederate forces could not march in because of the trench with the Muslim army positioned on the other side. There was almost a continuous exchange of arrows between them all the time. This state of affairs dragged on for nearly a month. They could neither confront each other in some open or decisive battle, nor could they turn heedless towards the opponent for any extended period of time. Day and night, the Holy Prophet ﷺ and his noble Sahabah would stand guard by the trench. Although, the Holy Prophet ﷺ was personally involved in this hard task like everybody else, yet the thought that all his companions were suffering from extreme anxiety due to this impasse was very painful for him.

A strategic plan of the Holy Prophet ﷺ

It was already in the knowledge of the Holy Prophet ﷺ that the chief of the tribe of Ghitfan had joined hands with these Jews as tempted by the greed of having the fruits and dates of Khaibar. He sent an emissary to the two chiefs of the tribe of Ghitfan, ` Uyaynah 'Ibn Hisn and Abu al-Harith Ibn ` Amr, with the message: "If you leave the battlefield with your men, we shall give you one-third of the fruit of Madinah." This negotiation was still on. The two chief had agreed and a peace treaty was close to be signed. But, as was his wont and habit, the Holy Prophet ﷺ decided to consult the noble Sahabah in this matter. He called the two Sa'ds, the chiefs of the tribe of Aws and Khazraj, that is, Sayyidna Sa'd Ibn ` Ubadah and Sa'd Ibn Muadh, and sought their advice.

The Faith, the Sense of Shame and the Granite of a Determination shown by a Sahabi of the Rasul of Allah ﷺ

Both of them said, "Ya RasulAllah, if you have orders from Allah Ta’ ala to do this thing, then, we cannot dare say anything. We shall accept. If not, tell us: Is it your personal opinion or you have devised this as a measure to save us from all this hardship and suffering?"

The Holy Prophet ﷺ said, "Neither is there a Divine order for it, nor do I have any personal inclination to do so. In fact, I have come up with this via media in view of your pain and suffering because you are surrounded from all sides. So, I simply wished to shatter the power of the adversary in this manner without losing any time." Sayyidna Sa'd Ibn Mu` adh ؓ said, "Ya RasulAllah, when we worshipped idols, we did neither know Allah nor did we worship Him. At that time, these people could not dare look at a single fruit of our city with greedy eyes - except that they be our guests and we offer some of it to them by way of hospitality, or that they would buy it from us and take it away with them. Today, when Allah Ta’ ala has, in His infinite grace, given us the ability of knowing Him, and has bestowed upon us the honor of Islam, shall we, on this day, let these people have our fruits and our wealth and our properties? We need no peace and compromise from them. As for us, we are not going to give them anything but the cutting edge of our swords - to the extent that Allah Ta’ ala Himself gives the ultimate verdict between us and them."

When the Holy Prophet ﷺ heard Sayyidna Sa'd ؓ and saw this high determination and this great enthusiasm in the matter of his 'Iman, he cast that thought of his aside and said, "You now have the right to do what you wish." Sayyidna Sa` d ؓ took the peace treaty document from his blessed hands and erased the writing on it because it was not signed yet. ` Uyaynah and Harith, the chiefs of the Ghitfan tribes who were present in the meeting ready to sign this treaty found themselves personally unnerved in their hearts at this demonstration of power and determination from the noble Companions of the Holy Prophet ﷺ .

The wound received by Sayyidna Sa'd Ibn Mu'adh ؓ and his prayer

On the other side, the activity of throwing arrows and stones on each other continued unabated. Sayyidna Sa'd ؓ had gone into the fortress of Banu Harithah to see his mother where women had been housed under security. Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ says, "At that time, I too was in the same fortress and the injunctions of hijab for women were yet to be enforced. I saw that Sa'd Ibn Mu'adh ؓ was wearing a small coat of mail from which his hands were protruding out rather awkwardly and his mother was telling him to make haste, go and join the men fighting with the Holy Prophet ﷺ . I said to his mother, "A larger coat of mail would have been better for him. I apprehend that his hands and feet showing out of his coat of mail may be exposed to danger." His mother said, "It does not matter. Whatever Allah has to do is what has to happen."

When Sayyidna Mu'adh ؓ reached the battlefield, he was hit by an arrow which cut through his medial arm vein. At that time, Sayyidna Mu'adh رضی اللہ تعالیٰ عنہ made the following prayer:

"0 Allah, if there is yet another attack by the Quraish destined to come against the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، please keep me alive for that, because I have no worthwhile wish left in me but that I fight the people who have caused all sorts of pain to the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، expelled him from his homeland and falsified his person and mission. And if, in Your ultimate knowledge, this process of war has come to an end, please bless me with the death of a martyr in the way of Allah - but, let not death come to me until such time that the treachery of Bani Quraizah is avenged as the parting delight of my eyes."

Allah Ta’ ala answered both these prayers from him. This event of al-Ahzab was made to be the last attack of the disbelievers. After that, began the period of Muslim victories. First came Khaibar, then Makkah al-Mukarramah and then other areas. As for the event relating to Banu Quraizah, it follows later as to how they were brought forth as captives and their case was entrusted with none else but Sayyidna Sa'd Ibn Mu` adh ؓ for the final verdict. It was in accordance with his verdict that their men were killed and their women and children were taken prisoners.

During this event of al-Ahzab, the noble Sahabah ؓ and the Holy Prophet ﷺ had to maintain an all-night vigilance throughout the trench area. The slightest relaxation at any time had to be broken at the faintest sound of commotion from any side. In fact, the Holy Prophet ﷺ would himself put his arms back on and come out in the battle area. Umm ul-Mu'minin Sayyidah Umm Salamah ؓ says, "Every single night, this would happen several times that he would come in for a little rest and then heard some sound and went out immediately. The same thing happened again. The moment he would put his back for rest, he would hear some sound and leave as usual."

Umm al-Mu'minin Sayyidah Umm Salamah ؓ ، also says, "I have been with the Holy Prophet ﷺ in many battles such as Muraisi', Khaibar, Hudaibiyah, the battles of the conquest of Makkah and Hunain. None of these caused more hardship on the Holy Prophet ﷺ as did the battle of Khandaq. Muslims also received a lot more wounds in this battle. Then, they were hit by the severity of the winter chill as well. Furthermore, their circumstances were extremely straightened in terms of food and water available to them. (Mazhari)

The Holy Prophet ﷺ had to miss four Salahs in this Jihad

One of those days, the confronting disbelievers decided to launch a joint and simultaneous attack and force their way ahead by somehow crossing the trench. Once they had resolved to do that, they threw themselves dauntlessly against the Muslims and their archers rained their arrows so incessantly that the Holy Prophet ﷺ and his noble Sahabah ؓ had to remain so engaged throughout the day that they did not find any respite to even make their Salah. As a result, four Salahs missed during the day had to be performed at the time of ` Isha'.

The prayers of the Holy Prophet ﷺ

When things became unbearably hard on Muslims, the Holy Prophet ﷺ prayed against the Confederate forces of the disbelievers, doing that for three days consecutively on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday inside Masjid al-Fath imploring Allah Ta’ ala to bring defeat on the Confederates and victory for Muslims. It was on the third day, on Wednesday between Zuhr and ` Asr that the prayer was answered. Pleased, the Holy Prophet ﷺ came to his noble Sahabah ؓ and gave them the glad tiding of victory. They say that after that time no Muslim faced any hardship any more. (Mazhari)

The unraveling of the causes of victory

In the combined forces of the enemy, the tribe of Ghitfan was a power to reckon with. It was the most perfect power of Allah Ta’ ala that put the light of faith in the heart of Nu'aim Ibn Masud who, as destiny would have it, was one of them. He presented himself before the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، confessed to his faith in Islam and told him that no one from among his people is aware of the fact that he has become a Muslim. Then, he wished that he be told as to how he could serve Islam. The Holy Prophet ﷺ told him, ` You being all alone here would not be able to do anything worthwhile. If you can go back to your people, be with them and still do something in defence of Islam, then, go ahead and do it.' Nu'aim Ibn Mas'ud was an intelligent man. He conceived of a plan of action in his heart and sought the permission of the Holy Prophet ﷺ to be given the choice of saying what is expedient when he reaches those people. He gave the permission.

From here, Nu'aim Ibn Masud ؓ went to see the tribe of Banu Quraizah with whom he had age-old relations since the time of Jahiliyyah. He said to them: '0 people of Banu Quraizah, you know that I am an old friend of yours.' They said, 'We have, no doubt about your friendship.' After that, Sayyidna Nu'aim Ibn Masud ؓ addressed the chiefs of Banu Quraizah as a well-wisher and asked them, 'You know that none of us be they the Quraish of Makkah or our tribe of Ghitfan or the several other Jewish tribes - have their homes here. If these people face defeat and run, they do not lose much. Your case is different from all of them. Madinah is your home. Your women and your properties are all here. Now, if you were to participate in the war effort with them and if, later, when these people taste defeat and run, what would happen to you? Would you be able to fight against the Muslims all by yourselves?

Therefore, as one who wishes the best for you, I advise you not to take part in the joint war effort with them until such time that they do not put with you a certain number of their selected chiefs as ransom and guarantee that they would not throw you all at the mercy of Muslims and run.' The people of Banu Quraizah found this advice good. They appreciated it and said so before him.

After that, Nu'aim Ibn Masud ؓ reached the Quraish chiefs and said to them, 'You know that I am your friend and that I have nothing to do with Muhammad t. I have a little bit of information with me. Being one who wishes well for you, it is necessary that I pass on that information to you - of course, on the condition that you will not disclose my name as its source. Here is that information: The Jews of the tribe of Banu Quraizah have now regretted their decision after they had concluded their pact with you. They have sent a message to Muhammad ﷺ about it telling him that they will be willing to go along with him subject to the condition that they would hand over some chiefs of the tribes of Quraish and Ghitfan and that he would then put them to the sword. Once that was done, they would join hands with him and fight against all of them. Muhammad ﷺ has accepted this proposal made by them. Now the Banu Quraizah were going to demand that you put some of your chiefs as ransom with them and it was upto them to figure out what they were going to do in their case.

After that, Nu'aim Ibn Mas` ud ؓ went to his own tribe, Ghitfan and to them, he passed on the same information. Concurrent to this, Abu Sufyan appointed ` Ikrimah Ibn Abi Jahl on behalf of the tribe of Quraish and Warqa' Ibn Ghitfan on behalf of the tribe of Ghitfan to the mission of going to Banu` Quraizah and telling them that their war supplies were diminishing and their men were getting tired of having to fight continuously. So, according to the provision of their pact, they were looking forward to their help and participation. The tribe of Banu Quraizah, acting in the light of 'their' (latest) understanding of the pact, told them that they will not take part in the war effort with them until such time that some chiefs from both of their tribes have been placed in their custody as ransom (guarantee, hostage). ` Ikrimah and Warqa', the two emissaries carried the message back to Abu Sufyan. As a result, the chiefs of Quraish and Ghitfan came to believe that the information given by Sayyidna Nu'aim Ibn Masud ؓ was correct. So they sent a return message to Banu Quraizah telling them that they were not going to let them have any of their men. Now it was up to them. If they wished they could join the war effort with them and if they did not, they were free not to. When Banu Quraizah saw this state of affairs, their belief in what Nu` aim' Ibn Masud ؓ had said became all the more firm. It was in this manner that Allah Ta’ ala caused a rift in the ranks of the enemy through a person who came from their camp and soon after they lost their foothold on the battlefield.

Along with it there came another calamity upon them. Allah Ta’ ala caused a cold stormy wind overtake them which uprooted their tents and blew their cooking pots from their stoves. As for these, they were only outward causes generated by Allah Ta’ ala to make them desert the battlefield. More came in the form of His angels who were sent to put awe in their hearts inwardly too. These two things have been mentioned at the beginning of the verses cited above as follows: فَأَرْ‌سَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ رِ‌يحًا وَجُنُودًا لَّمْ تَرَ‌وْهَا (and We sent upon them a wind, and the forces (of angels) you did not see - 9). As a consequence, they had no choice but to run.

The event of Sayyidna Hudhaifah ؓ going into enemy lines and reporting back about conditions prevailing there

On the other side, when the Holy Prophet ﷺ heard the report of what Nu'aim Ibn Masud ؓ had accomplished and how a rift was caused among the Confederate forces, he was strongly inclined towards the idea of someone from among the Muslims going into the enemy lines and returning with the much needed intelligence about the enemy formations and intentions. But, this severe and chilly wind storm that was sent upon the enemy, however, did affect the whole of Madinah and Muslims too were affected by it. The chill was bitter. The time was night. The noble Sahabah were, after the heavy grind of a long day, sitting all shattered because of the confrontation, huddled together feeling the pinch of bitter cold. Addressing the gathering, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said, "Is there someone who would stand up and go into the enemy lines and bring some news about them and may Allah Ta’ ala admit him into Jannah?" Of course, this was a gathering of Sahabah who would have normally staked their lives at his call. But, the objective conditions prevailing with them were such that no one could stand up. The Holy Prophet ﷺ got busy with Salah. After remaining busy with Salah for a while, he addressed the gathering again saying, "Is there someone here who would bring me some news from the enemy lines and receive Jannah in return for it?" This time too, silence prevailed over the entire gathering. No one rose. The Holy Prophet ﷺ got busy with Salah once again. After some time, it was the third time that he made the same appeal, "Whoever does it shall be in Jannah with me." But, everyone was so broken down from fatigue, hunger and chill and so utterly helpless that no one could still bring himself up to rise.

The narrator of the hadith, Sayyidna Hudhaifah Ibn Yaman ؓ ، says, 'at that time the Holy Prophet ﷺ called me by name and said, "Hudhaifah, you go." My condition was no different from the others. But, once I was ordered by name, I had no option but to obey. I stood up while my whole body was shivering with bitter cold. He passed his blessed hand over my head and my face and said, "Go into the enemy lines and just bring back some news and do nothing before you return to me." Then he prayed for my safety. I picked up my bow and arrows, tied up my own clothes on my body and took my way towards them.

When I started moving ahead from here, I noticed something strange. The shivering sensation that had me in its grips while I was in the tent was all gone. Actually, I was walking as if one was inside a hot bath all the way up to enemy camp. Once there, I saw that the wind storm had uprooted their tents and upturned their cooking pots. Abu Sufyan was seated by the make-shift fire place relaxing before the heat. When I saw this (a sitting target), I trained my bow and arrow over my shoulders and was about to shoot Abu Sufyan with my arrow, I remembered the order given by the Holy Prophet ﷺ : 'Do nothing before you return back to me.' Abu Sufyan was absolutely within the striking range of my arrow, but it was in consideration of this order of the Holy Prophet ﷺ that I disengaged my arrow from the bow.

Disturbed by the condition around him, Abu Sufyan wanted to announce the plan to withdraw. But, in order to do that, it was necessary that he should talk to responsible people from among the combined armed forces. The night was dark and the place was desolate. The danger of a snooping spy nearby who may overhear what they were talking about was very much present. Therefore, Abu Sufyan did something smart. Before starting to talk, he asked the whole gathering to recognize the person sitting next to everyone so that no one who is not one of them would be able to hear what they said.'

Sayyidna Hudhaifah ؓ says, "Now, I was scared. What if the person sitting next to me were to ask me: Who are you? If so, my cover will blow up.' It was with great presence of mind and courage that he himself took the initiative, and slapping the hand of the person sitting next to him, he himself asked: Who are you? The man said, 'Strange that you do not know me. I am so and so the son of so and so.' He was a member of the tribe of Hawazin. Thus, Sayyidna Hudhaifah ؓ was saved by Allah Ta'ala from being arrested on the spot.

When Abu Sufyan ensured it that the gathering was that of his own people and that there was no stranger present among them, he related the disturbing conditions around them, how the tribe of Banu Quraizah had committed a breach of pledge and the extent to which their war supplies had shrunk. After having recounted the situation, he said: In my opinion, all of us should now leave and go back and I too am going back. Immediately thereafter, a state of panic hit the Confederate army and everyone started going back.

Sayyidna Hudhaifah ؓ says, "As I started going back from there, I felt as if I had some sort of a hot bath around me that was shielding me from the bitter chill. When I reached the home base, I found the Holy Prophet ﷺ busy with Salah. When he turned for Salam, I reported the event. Pleased with this happy news, the Holy Prophet ﷺ started laughing - to the extent that, in the darkness of the night, his blessed teeth were seen shining. After that, the Holy Prophet ﷺ made room for me close to his feet and covered my body with a part of the sheet he had wrapped around him until I went to sleep in that condition. When morning came, he himself woke me up saying: قُم یا نَومَان ('Up 0 big sleeper! )

Good News after the ambition of the disbelievers is shattered

According to a narration of Sayyidna Sulayman Ibn Surad ؓ appearing in the Sahih of al-Bukhari, when the Confederate forces retreated, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said:

الاٰن نغزُوھُم وَ لَا یَغزونَنَا نَحنُ نَسِرُ اِلَیھِم (بخاری)

Now, they shall not attack us, instead, we will attack them and run over their territory - )al-Bukhri as in Mazhari (.

After having said that, the Holy Prophet ﷺ and his noble Sahabah returned to the city of Madinah and it was only after a month that Muslims formally disarmed themselves.

A special note

This event pertaining Sayyidna Hudhaifah ؓ appears in the Sahih of Muslim. It is an example-setter of great class as well as a bearer of many elements of guidance and miracles of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . Those who ponder over it would themselves find these out, therefore, any more details are not needed.

The Battle of Banu Quraizah

The Holy Prophet ﷺ had just about reached Madinah when suddenly came Sayyidna Jibra'il al-Amin (علیہ السلام) in the guise of the Sahabi, Sayyidna Dihyah Ibn Khalifah al-Kalbi ؓ and said, "Even though you people have disarmed yourselves but the angels have not. Allah Ta’ ala commands you to attack Banu Quraizah and I am going right there ahead of you."

To announce this in Madinah, the Holy Prophet ﷺ sent a proclaimer who proclaimed this order of the Holy Prophet ﷺ before the people making sure that it reaches everyone. The order was: لَا یُصَلِّینَ اَحَدُ العَصَر اِلَّا فِی بَنِی قُرَیظَۃَ (Let no man make his Salah of ` Asr until he reaches Banu Quraizah).

All Companions got ready for this second Jihad immediately and marched towards Banu Quraizah. On their way came the time of ` Asr. Some of them, following the outward sense of the prophetic order, did not make their Salah of ` Asr en-route - instead, made it only after having reached the designated destination of Banu Quraizah. And there were others who thought that objective of the Holy Prophet ﷺ was to reach Banu Quraizah within the time for ` Asr. So, they thought, if they made their Salah en route and reached there within the time for ` Asr, then, it would not be contrary to the order of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . Thus, they made their Salah of ` Asr as it became due while still en route.

In the difference of Mujtahids, no side is sinful or blameworthy

When the Holy Prophet ﷺ was informed about this difference in the practical compliance of his order on the part of the noble Sahabah, he put no blame on any of the two parties; in fact, he approved of both. From here, the religious scholars of the Muslim community have deduced the principle that none of the different sayings of Mujtahid ` Ulama' who are Mujtahids in the real sense of the term and have the required expertise and ability of Ijtihad (arriving at a Shari'ah-based religious solution of problems at the highest conceivable level) can be called 'sin' or 'blameworthy.' For both such differing sides, reward is recorded against their action as based on their respective Ijtihad.

At the time of marching out for Jihad against Banu Quraizah, the Holy Prophet ﷺ handed over the Muslim flag to Sayyidna ` Ali al-Murtada ؓ . Hearing about the coming of the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، and his noble Sahabah, the Banu Quraizah decided to shut themselves into their fort. The Islamic army laid a siege around it.

The Speech of Ka'b, the Chief of Banu Quraizah

Ka'b, the Chief of the tribe of Banu Quraizah who had broken the pledge given to the Holy Prophet ﷺ in favor of a compact with the Confederates, assembled his people together, told them about the delicate situation and presented three possible solutions of the problem:

"To begin with, the first option is that you all embrace Islam and follow Muhammad ﷺ because, and I tell you on oath, you already know that he is in the right and the prophecy of his coming is there in your Torah which you recite. If you were to do this, not only that you will find safety for your life, property and children in this mortal world but also that your Hereafter too will turn out to be good and correct.

The second option is that you start by first killing your women and children with your own hands and then go on to fight and kill them with all power at your command until such time that all of you are also killed in the process.

The third option is that you make a surprise attack on Muslims on the day of Sabbath - for Muslims know that fighting and killing on the day of Sabbath is unlawful in our religion. Therefore, they would not be expecting an attack from our side on that particular day. Now, if we were to launch a sudden attack, it is possible that we may succeed."

After having heard this address of their chief, Ka'b, his people replied that they will never accept the first option of embracing Islam, because they did not want to abandon the Torah and start believing in some other Book. As for the second option, what wrong had their women and children done that they go about killing them? As for the third option, it was by itself against the commandment of the Torah and their religion. They could not do that too.

After that, all of them reached an agreement that they would lay down their arms before the Holy Prophet ﷺ and be ready to accept whatever he decided about them. Present there were some Ansari Sahabah belonging to the tribe of Aws. They had an age-old pact with Banu Quraizah. So these Sahabah from the tribe of Aws requested the Holy Prophet ﷺ that these people may be handed over to them. The Holy Prophet ﷺ said, "Would you like me to entrust their case with one of your own chiefs?" When they agreed, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said, "He is your chief, Sa'd Ibn Mu` adh. I entrust this matter with him for a judgment." Everyone approved of it.

Sayyidna Sa'd Ibn Mu’ adh ؓ was fatally wounded during the battle of Khandaq (the Trench) by an arrow. The Holy Prophet ﷺ had housed him in a tent pegged within the compound of the Masjid so that he could be attended to. According to the order of the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، the verdict on the prisoners from Banu Quraizah was left up to him. The verdict that he gave was that the warring young from them should be killed and women, children and the aged should be treated as prisoners of war which is well-recognized in Islam. This very verdict was enforced. Soon after this verdict, the wound of Sayyidna Sa'd Ibn Muadh ؓ started bleeding suddenly. Therefrom he died. Allah Ta’ ala answered both prayers made by him - that there would be no attack from the Quraish against the Holy Prophet ﷺ in the future, and that the Banu Quraizah would receive the punishment for their treachery which Allah caused to come upon them precisely through him.

Some of those earmarked for killing were set free because of having embraced Islam. ` Atiyyah al-Qurazi, well-known among the Sahabah, is one of them. Also among them, there was Zubayr Ibn Bata. His freedom was specially requested from the Holy Prophet ﷺ by the Sahabi, Sayyidna Thabit Ibn Qays Ibn Shammas ؓ . The reason was that Zubayr Ibn Bata had done a favour to him during the days of the Jahiliyyah when, in the battle of Bu` ath, Thabit Ibn Qays had fallen a prisoner in the hands of Zubayr Ibn Bata who had simply cut the locks of his hair on the head and let him go free. He had not killed him.

Return of favour and national pride: Two unique models

After having received the order for the release of Zubayr Ibn Bata, Sayyidna Thabit Ibn Qays went to him and said, "I have done it to return your favor you had done to me during the battle of Bu’ ath." Zubayr Ibn Bata said, "There is no doubt that one gentleman deals with another gentleman just like that. But, please tell me what for would a man whose entire family is no more there like to stay alive?" When Sayyidna Thabit Ibn Qays heard this, he presented himself before the Holy Prophet ﷺ and submitted that the life and honor of his family and children may also be spared. In his grace, he approved of it. When he informed Zubayr Ibn Bata about it, he took another step forward saying, "0 Thabit, now tell me how a man with a family would stay alive if he is left with nothing to support it?" Sayyidna Thabit Ibn Qays returned to the Holy Prophet ﷺ once again and arranged to have whatever wealth or property he had also given back to him. Up to this point, narrated here was the case of the gentleness and gratitude of a true Muslim as demonstrated by Sayyidna Thabit Ibn Qays.

Now, we can go to have a look at what happened on the other side. When Zubayr Ibn Bata was fully satisfied after having earned his freedom and the freedom of his family and children as well as his wealth and property, he asked Sayyidna Thabit Ibn Qays about the chiefs of the Jewish tribes: "What happened to Ibn Abi al-Huqaiq whose face was like a Chinese mirror?" He said that he was killed. Then, he asked, "What became of the Banu Quraizah chiefs, Ka` b Ibn Quraizah and ` Amr Ibn Quraizah?" He told him that they too were killed. Then he asked about another two groups. In response, he was informed that all of them were killed.

Hearing this, Zubayr Ibn Bata said to Sayyidna Thabit Ibn Qays, "You have returned the favor done to you and you have fulfilled your responsibility as due. But, I am not going to rehabilitate myself on my property after they are no more. Include me among them." He meant that he too should be killed. Sayyidna Thabit Ibn Qays refused to kill him. After that, it was on his insistence that some other Muslim killed him. (Qurtubi)

This was the national pride or sense of communal shame demonstrated by a disbeliever, a kafir who, even after having been given everything back, did not like to continue living without his companions. Here we have two models of conduct demonstrated by a believer and a disbeliever, a mu'min and a kafir. Both belong to significant historical record. This victory against Banu Quraizah had taken place in the fifth year of Hijrah towards the end of the month of Dhulqa'dah and the beginning of Dhul-Hijjah. (Qurtubi)

A special note of caution

That the battle of al-Ahzab and Banu Quraizah have been taken up here in a somewhat detailed manner is because of two factors. (1) First of all, the Qur'an has itself opted to describe it in details spread over two sections. (2) Then, there is another reason for it. These events carry many instructions about different departments of life and they also spell out many clear miracles and lessons. These have been highlighted in the text of the present commentary under bold headings. Once we come to know the whole event, the translation of the meanings of the verses given above under the Arabic text, along with the footnotes, would become easier to understand. There are a few things that should, however, be taken note of:

Firstly, mention has been made of extreme hardships faced by Muslims in this battle. One state of the anxiety of believers has been pointed to in the words: تَظُنُّونَ بِاللَّـهِ الظُّنُونَا ( and you were thinking about Allah all sorts of thoughts. - 10) These thoughts refer to scruples that emerge in one's heart beyond his control at the time of acute anxiety under which one may feel death as near with no hope of deliverance left, or at other occasions like that. Such non-voluntary apprehensions and scruples are neither contradictory of the perfection of 'Iman (faith) nor that of one's nearness to Allah (wilayah). Nevertheless, they do point out to the extent of the severity of distress and anxiety under which scruples had started creeping into the hearts of even the noble Sahabah who, otherwise, were virtual mountains of fortitude.

The second state mentioned here is that of the hypocrites for they had started saying that the promises of Allah and His Rasul ﷺ were a web of deception: إِذْ يَقُولُ الْمُنَافِقُونَ وَالَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَ‌ضٌ مَّا وَعَدَنَا اللَّـهُ وَرَ‌سُولُهُ إِلَّا غُرُ‌ورً‌ا (And (remember) when the hypocrites and those having malady in their hearts were saying, "Allah and His messenger did not promise us but deceitfully; -12). This was an externalized demonstration of their inner disbelief. Onward from here, mention has been made of two groups of hypocrites who were practically a part of the Jihad effort along with Muslims, though outwardly only. One of the two groups started running without any permission saying: وَإِذْ قَالَت طَّائِفَةٌ مِّنْهُمْ يَا أَهْلَ يَثْرِ‌بَ لَا مُقَامَ لَكُمْ فَارْ‌جِعُوا (and when a group of them said, "0 people of Yathrib (Madinah), there is no place for you to stay; so go back. - 13" And the other group requested the permission of the Holy Prophet ﷺ to go back on the basis of false excuses. Their conduct has been mentioned as: وَيَسْتَأْذِنُ فَرِ‌يقٌ مِّنْهُمُ النَّبِيَّ يَقُولُونَ إِنَّ بُيُوتَنَا عَوْرَ‌ةٌ (And a group of them was seeking permission (to leave) from the prophet, saying, "In fact our homes are vulnerable," while they were not vulnerable - 13). Thus, the Qur'an exposed the hollowness of their excuses as a pack of lies. The truth of the matter was no more than that they intended to run from the battlefront:إِن يُرِ‌يدُونَ إِلَّا فِرَ‌ارً‌ا (They wanted nothing but to escape - 13). Taken up in the next several verses is their mischief-making and enmity with Muslims following which their sad end has been pointed out.

After that, the text mentions sincere believers and praises their firmness and fortitude. In the same connection, there comes a strong assertion of the need to obey and follow the Holy Prophet ﷺ almost in the form of a legal rule of conduct: لَّقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَ‌سُولِ اللَّـهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ (There is indeed a good model for you in the Messenger of Allah - 21). From here it stands proved that all sayings and doings of the Holy Prophet ﷺ have to be followed. But, the Shari'ah authorities have explained the rule about the different degrees of following required from a Muslim. The rule is that any act or omission of the Holy Prophet ﷺ proved to have been done as an obligation would have to be obeyed and followed as wajib (obligatory, necessary). And any act or omission on his part that is proved to have been done as a preferable conduct (istihbab) and not as an obligatory one, should be followed by us too as a commendable (mustahab) conduct and not as a necessary obligation This, in other words, means that its contravention will not be declared to be a sin. (For a detailed discussion, see al-Jassas in Ahkam ul-Qur'an)

The last three (25-27) of the cited verses refer to the event relating to Banu Quraizah. In verse 26: وَأَنزَلَ الَّذِينَ ظَاهَرُ‌وهُم مِّنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ مِن صَيَاصِيهِمْ it was said that Allah Ta’ ala had, by putting the awe of the Holy Prophet ﷺ and his Muslim followers into the hearts of the people of the Book who had helped the Confederate forces, made them come down from their strong fortresses and had thus made Muslims the inheritors of their properties, homes and areas of concentration.

In the last verse (27), good news of future victories has been given. Gone is the time when disbelievers attacked. Now the cycle of Muslim victories will begin and they will come to be on lands their feet have not touched yet. And this prophecy unfolded itself during the tenure of the noble Sahabah and everyone witnessed the spectacle of great empires ruled by Cyrus and Caesar come under them. And Allah does what He wills.