THE BATTLE OF MOAT
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Through a special group of Muslims assigned to keep vigil on Quraysh
movements, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him
peace) had come to know that the Quraysh of Makkah were arranging an army of
ten thousand soldiers in order to wipe out the Muslims. He also knew that they were
looking for a moment of his absence from Madinah so that they could invade the city with
the help of the Jews and the Munafeqeen. They were expecting the Prophet (may
Allah bless him and grant him peace) to attack a border city, Domat-ul-Jandal,
which had formed a triple alliance with the Jews of Khaybar and the Quraysh of Makkah
aimed at obstruction of Medinite caravans to Syria and Bain-al-Nahreen thus putting
Madinah under an economic siege. In spite of the knowledge of their preparations, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) still
decided to go to Domatul-Jandal to regain the trade route for the Medinite caravans;
either by negotiations, or in case of their failure, by force. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and
grant him peace) opted to leave Madinah for two reasons. Firstly, the distance
from Madinah to Domatul-Jandal was not a very long one. Secondly, Muslim spies had
informed him that preparations for the Makkan army were still incomplete. Hence, the
Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)
left Madinah, accompanied by one thousand warriors. On his way to Domatul-Jandal while
passing through the territory of the tribe Ghatfan, he stopped to negotiate with its
chief, and remind him of his neutral role - in case a battle started later on. The chief of Ghatfan tribe made it explicitly and honestly clear that
he had formed an alliance with the Quraysh of Makkah and the Jews of Khaybar. In return,
he expected to get loads of dates from the Jews. If the Muslims offered more dates, I
along with my men was prepared to remain neutral. As the negotiations were still in
progress, the chief said, "O Muhammad, Im running short of time to carry on
talking further. I have to join the Quraysh along with my men, as they will soon be
invading Madinah. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and
grant him peace) had this statement verified soon. After its confirmation, he
decided to return to Madinah immediately. The Jews and the Munafeqeen were greatly surprised at his return, as
they knew that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant
him peace) never returned from any war mission, except when the matter had been
settled. After his return, some people of Khauzah tribe entered the city to deliver the
information that the Quraysh army had left for Madinah. They added that it would take them
eleven days to cover the distance. The informers themselves had reached Madinah in only
four, as they had been travelling continuously day and night to deliver the news urgently.
They also said that the Quraysh army consisted of ten thousand men armed to teeth. The
Quraysh had also vowed not to return before completely eradicating Islam. At this news the Prophet (may Allah
bless him and grant him peace) gathered all the Muslims and told them to start
preparations for war without any delay. He also told them that owing to the huge number of
the enemy they would have to adopt a "defensive" strategy this time. This defensive technique adopted by the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) to face the enemy,
constituted the digging of a huge moat. This battle, which took place in 627 AD. in the
month of Shawwal, is known as Jang-e-Khandaq (The Battle of Moat or Ditch). As various
groups and tribes had gathered against the Muslims it is also called as Jang-e-Ahzab (War
of Clans/Tribes). Digging a protective ditch around the city was as alien a concept for
Arabs as had been forming phalanxes (flanks) in the Battles of Badr and Uhud. This method
was suggested by Salman FarsiR.A. He told the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) that in
Persia, a moat was normally dug around a fort or a city to defend it. The moat had to be
wide and deep enough to stop soldiers and horses from crossing it. Salman FarsiR.A was a tall, broad-shouldered, and robust person who had
contributed heavily - both in wealth and support for Islam. His advice was immediately
accepted by the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him
peace). While giving orders for digging the trench, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) also
ordered that the harvest of crops and orchards at the outskirts of Madinah be moved inside
the city so that when the enemy reached Madinah, it would be unable to harm the crops or
use them. Such a war-stratagem was employed in the World War-II by the Russians against
the Germans. They took away or destroyed all of their harvest towards their rear lines
that were in the way of the German army, so that it would not be of any use to the enemy.
Fourteen hundred years from now, the Prophet (may Allah
bless him and grant him peace) adopted this technique and had all the
agricultural produce shifted to Madinah. Later on, the Makkan army for want of provisions,
faced great difficulty over dearth of food. All the Muslim men and women, even young boys and girls who could lift
either spade or mattock, became involved in digging up the ditch. The moat was dug around
northern, south-western and western parts of Madinah completely but only on some parts
towards the South. The moat started from the fort of Sheikheen, in the north of Madinah,
and ended in the environs of the valley of Quba. Care was taken while digging the moat
that, as far as possible, natural land barriers be included in the parts of the city to be
encircled so that people could use them for protection and as vantage points in battle. The demarcations of Madinah were made in Zaraay. One Zara was the
length from the elbow to the middle finger of hand, i.e., one Zara of Madinah approximated
about half a meter in todays measurements. For this purpose, the Prophet (may Allah
bless him and grant him peace) divided the Muslims in groups of ten and
assigned each group to dig forty Zaraay (i.e., about twenty meters). The total length of
the ditch was about twelve thousand Zaraay, i.e., about six kilometres. The depth was
somewhat more than five Zaraay, that are, more than 2.5 meters, and the width about three
meters. No doubt, it was quite deep and wide and its walls were perpendicular. If the
width had been less, horse-riders would have been able to jump across it. Similarly if the
walls had not been straight, soldiers would have been able to climb out to reach the city. To dig six kilometres long trench around the city required extreme
effort. Every one worked day and night. Some Muslims while digging parts of the trench
used to keep watch in turns. The Prophet (may Allah bless
him and grant him peace) himself worked day and night, carrying soil and
digging with the mattock. The spirit of Islam was so great that when facing dearth of
sacks, eminent personalities like UmarR.A and Abu BakrR.A started carrying the soil in their laps. As the trench started from Sheikheen and ended near Quba, areas of
Madinah, towards its east, north-east and south east were not surrounded by it. In these
areas there were many other obstacles in the way of the enemy. Orchards and narrow winding
streets offered good resistance to the enemy. In addition, Muslim archers could easily
target the enemy from higher areas. While the moat was being dug, the Prophet
(may Allah bless him and grant him peace) allowed the people to sing war-songs.
Poets composed passionate and encouraging verses to motivate the Muslims. A twelve year
old boy, Ammarah Hazm was among the moat-diggers. He used to sing very melodiously. One
day the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)
was passing by the area where Ammarah Hazm was working. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) heard him and liked his
voice. Afterwards wherever the Prophet (may Allah bless him
and grant him peace) went, he took Ammarah with him to sing and motivate the
Muslims. There was a great sacrificing spirit while the trench was being dug.
When a group completed its task instead of resting, it joined other groups to help in the
digging. Such a passion of collective devotion, co-operation and solidarity is rarely
witnessed in the ancient world. In the contemporary world, a similar example could be that
of the people of Leningrad who, during the World War-II, came out of their houses,
irrespective of age and sex, to dig the moat to protect their city against enemy invasion. The Makkan army reached Madinah at a time when the trench had been
completed and the Muslim men were ready with their weapons to protect the city. Towards
the South the rocky terrain of Madinah would have checked advancements. The Makkan army,
went round Madinah and decided to attack from the foot of the mountain. Their army was led
by Abu Sufyan who expected to meet the Muslim army at the foot of the mountain. He had
thought of eliminating the Muslims with his huge army of ten thousand soldiers. Banu
Fazarah, Ghatfan, Ahabesh, Tahamah and Kananah were some of the tribes siding with Abu
Sufyan. Abu Sufyan was sure that on surrounding the Muslims, he would eliminate them by
his fierce attack. When he did not see the Muslim army at the expected place, he ordered
his forces to invade Madinah. The Quraysh soldiers galloped away on their horses and camels till they
came to a sudden halt on reaching the Moat around Madinah. Quite bewildered, they looked
at each other. They had never seen a trench as means of fortification around a city. When Abu Sufyan saw the trench he, like his soldiers, was very
surprised. It seemed impossible for him to cross this ditch. If the Makkan army had been
led by a Roman or a Persian commander, he would not have been surprised by it. Abu Sufyan
by profession was a merchant and the Makkans were ignorant of this strange defence tactic,
as a result ten thousand warriors became helpless in crossing it. It appeared so difficult
for them that without any instruction from their commander, they began to encamp near the
trench. It was better to besiege Madinah, in the hope that one day the Muslims would be
compelled to come out of the city. Only the trench separated the Makkan army on one side and the Muslim
army on the other. They could easily see and hear each other. The Makkan soldiers taunted
and instigated the Muslims "You are neither Arabs nor brave, as Arabs would not have
veiled themselves behind a huge ditch. Did our ancestors ever fight by digging ditches as
you have done so? Bring out your swords to test your mettle with us if you are
Arabs!" The Muslims heard this, but knew these to be empty words. However, they were
vigilant lest the Quraysh tried to cross the trench. When the Makkan army had reached Madinah, the weather was becoming
cooler. Muslim soldiers who were not patrolling or not on watch for that night were
allowed to go home, but the Prophet (may Allah bless him
and grant him peace) used to stay there the entire night. Owing to the breach caused by the trench, the armies could not enter
into direct combat. The routine of battle became the exchange of arrows on both sides till
night fall. Satiric poetry was also recited aloud against each other. Besides shooting arrows and lampooning each other, bargaining was also
carried out. One day the Muslims shouted at the Banu Ghatfan that they would be given all
the date produce of Madinah if they joined with the Muslims and left the Makkans. Such
bargaining in the midst of a battle may seem quite bizarre, since such actions are
supposed to be carried out in secret, but the Arabs had no discrepancy of words and
action. The days kept passing by and still the Makkan army could not go across
the trench to reach Madinah. Thus Abu Sufyan thought of communicating with the Jews and
ask them to attack the Muslims from the rear. Of the three major Jewish tribes that used
to live in Madinah, only Banu Qareedah was left there. Abu Sufyan, though unable to cross the trench, was successful in
contacting the Jews. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and
grant him peace) immediately came to know of this through his spies. He sent
two Muslims, as emissaries to the Jews to remind them to abide by the constitution of
Madinah where the Jews had agreed not to rally against the Muslims or to side with
anti-Islamic forces. Instead of giving a straight forward reply, the Jews answered in
ambiguous words which meant they had designs of co-operating with the Makkan forces. When
the Muslims came to know of this war-pact, they went to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and said, "O
Prophet of Allah! We are in great danger. If Banu Qareedah attacks us from rear and the
Quraysh from the front, we will face a great loss and it is quite probable that we will
get eliminated". With great poise and confidence, the Prophet
(may Allah bless him and grant him peace) replied, "The Quraysh have trust
in the Jews, whereas I trust the assistance of Allah. I assure you that you will not be
left helpless by Allah. Although you faced some rout in the Battle of Uhud, it was because
of in-discipline of some Muslims who had forgotten the Prophet
(may Allah bless him and grant him peace)s instruction". Whatever the Prophet (may Allah bless
him and grant him peace) said, soon turned into reality and Allah opened the
doors of His succour to His Prophet (may Allah bless him
and grant him peace) and his people. It happened that at the very moments when
the Muslims were considering themselves besieged by internal and external enemies, a
person named Naeem bin Masood, who was negotiating the deal between the Jews and the
Unbelievers, changed his course and came to the Prophet
(may Allah bless him and grant him peace). He said, "O Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)! I have
been assigned to formulate a pact between Banu Qareedah and the Makkans to attack you from
rear, but I am a devotee and a supporter of you. I have never wished that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) of Allah be
defeated. Your success and the exaltation of Islam is what I yearn for". This sudden arrival of Naeem to help the Muslims proved extremely
provident. Naeems move disrupted the alliance of the Jews and the Unbelievers. It is
noteworthy here that the literal meaning of Naeem is "grace" or
"Divine blessings". Another person known by the name Naeem bin Abdullah had also
led to UmarR.As conversion to Islam. Naeem bin Masood asked the Prophet (may
Allah bless him and grant him peace) what he could do for him and the Muslims.
The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)
said, "O Naeem! As you know we are in the middle of a crisis, therefore it is quite
lawful for us to exercise vigilance on our enemy and its designs. If we remould the
information reaching the enemies ears, then it would not be a trickery but a war-tactic
because war is not testing power alone but a strategy as well". Naeem bin Masood bowed his head in obedience and after receiving
necessary instructions reached the Jews of Banu Qareedah that day. He said "Brothers!
As you know I have been a close friend of yours since long. I am sure that you take me as
your well-wisher". The Jewish chief nodded in the affirmative. Naeem bin Masood
continued, "You should not be proud to see the Makkan army on the other side of the
trench, as the Makkan soldiers are not citizens of Madinah who will keep on staying here.
Neither will those tribes that aid them. They will return to their homes soon and then we
will be left to deal with these valiant Muslims!". On hearing this, the Jewish chieftain raised his eyebrows and his face
showed signs of worry. Considering it the right moment, Naeem bin Masood said,
"Suppose the Makkan army does not return home soon but stays to fight on. Who knows
whether they will win or lose?. You saw in the battle of Uhud, that there was no trench in
the way of Abu Sufyan. He had an army four times that of the Muslims even then he was
unable to hurt or bring harm to them. If you listen to me, think carefully before severing
off your relations with the Muslims. Inviting enmity from the Muslims does not do you any
favour. Being a well-wisher of yours, I warn you that I do not trust Abu Sufyan and other
chiefs of Quraysh. As soon as they realise there is any danger, they will run away to
leave you in the middle of battle. Before inviting trouble from the Muslims, you ought to
invite a few of the eminent people of the Quraysh and hold them hostages, so that the
Quraysh are compelled to stand by your side. Otherwise, be assured that on getting the
first alarm of danger, they will abandon you leaving you at the mercy of the
Muslims". Listening to Naeem bin Masood made the Jews realise that he talked
logic and sense, therefore, they began to have second thoughts about joining with the
Quraysh. |
After talking with the Jews, Naeem bin Masood reached Abu Sufyan and in
a very friendly manner began, "As you know, I am one of your sincerest friend and the
people of Makkah. It would be undesirable to me that you face defeat in this battle ....
but ....". "But what?" Asked Abu Sufyan impatiently. "But Banu Qareedah are formulating a secret deal with the Muslims.
I have been informed, that in order to prove their allegiance to the Muslims, they are
going to invite some of the eminent of Quraysh on the pretext of surety, just to hand them
over to the Muslims". Abu Sufyan was startled to hear this, but before he spoke, Naeem bin
Masood continued, "O, the venerable chief of Makkah! If you listen to me, instantly
send a message to the Jews that they should attack the Muslims this Saturday and if they
make a feint against it, consider that they are wasting time and do not want to face the
Muslims for real". Abu Sufyan was in deep thought, it was clear that suspicion had come to
his mind. The common people of Madinah had also been airing this rumour that Banu Qareedah
had plans to take some eminent people of Quraysh as hostages to deliver them to the
Muslims. When the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant
him peace) was asked about the rumours, the Prophet
(may Allah bless him and grant him peace) gave a non-committal reply. The answer of the Prophet (may Allah
bless him and grant him peace) was total truth and anyone could have derived a
meaning according to their thinking. Under such circumstances, doubts surfaced in the
hearts of the Jews and Abu Sufyan. At last, in such an air of rumour, the Jews sent a message to Abu
Sufyan, that if he wanted them (Banu Qareedah) to attack the Muslims from rear, he should
send some leading men of his army to them as guarantee that the Makkan army would not
leave them alone in the battlefield. This demand of the Jews verified the statements of
Naeem bin Masood. At this, Abu Sufyan refused to send his chiefs and asked the Jews to
attack the Muslims on the coming Saturday, as the confrontation was becoming prolonged and
further delays would be against expediency. Abu Sufyan strongly recommended that no
further delays be made and they should assail the Muslims on Saturday. They (the Makkans)
would also attack them from the rear lines and would try to enter the city without caring
for heavy losses. The Jews replied that they could not fight on Saturdays, as they
believed that if any Jew participated in blood-shed on Saturday, he would face misfortune
and ill-luck not only in this world but in the hereafter as well. On hearing this answer,
Abu Sufyans doubts were confirmed. He became sure the Jews wanted to trap him for
the Muslims and so the alliance between them was broken. When the army of ten thousand men had stayed inactive for two weeks,
the shortage of food for the soldiers and fodder for the cattle started becoming a
problem. Madinah had no dearth of eatables, but the soldiers of Abu Sufyan were being
gripped by the claws of hunger. Additionally they were tormented by the increasing cold.
The Makkan soldiers were residents of hot areas and they could not sleep well in the cold
weather of Madinah. They kept shivering in their tents till dawn. Apart from this the
month of Shawwal was ending and the month of Zeqadh was about to commence. In Zeqadh and
in Zilhajj all war was forbidden due to the Arabian custom of the sacred months. The
Makkan army therefore realised that time was running short. If they did not launch an
attack within the coming few days, then they would have to face the chilly nights for the
next three months. If they survived this cold, they would be taken over by hunger as the
provision of the food needed for 10,000 soldiers in the barren lands would be impossible. In these fifteen days when the Makkan army remained paralysed at the
other end of the trench there ensued several times single man to man combats between the
Muslims and the Quraysh. In such fights, the two famous chiefs of the Quraysh, Umro bin
Ubdooh and Nawfal bin Makhzumi were put to death by AliR.A. Nawfal Makhzumi, attempted to jump across the trench but fell in it
with his horse. The next moment AliR.A jumped in as well.
Though it was the perfect moment for AliR.A to slay him,
he waited for Nawfal to stand on his feet and take out his sword. When Nawfal fell in the
trench, the sun was setting and its sharp rays impaired Alis vision whereas Nawfal
had his back towards the sun. Thus AliR.A faced
unfavourable circumstances. Even then, he slew Nawfal Makhzumi before the sun had set. As the women of Quraysh had amputated the dead of Muslims in Uhud, Abu
Sufyan became worried that the body of Nawfal Makhzumi, who was a renowned Qurayshi chief
might be amputated the same way. He sent a message to AliR.A
that he would give him one hundred camels for not amputating and beheading the body of
Nawfal. AliR.A who had no intention of performing these
brutal acts refused to accept Abu Sufyans gift, but allowed to send Nawfals
body as it was, to the Quraysh. The other chief of Quraysh killed by AliR.A
was Umro bin Ubdooh. This person, besides being courageous and brave, was physically
renowned as a great wrestler of Arabia. He was successful in injuring AliR.A
twice with his sword. AliR.A was not the type to stop
fighting on receiving two wounds. He put up a steadfast fight and his powerful blow hit
Umros hand, the sword flew out of his hand and he sat down groaning. AliR.A took a step and putting his
foot on Umros sword addressed him, "O Umro, if you enter Faith, I will spare
your life". Instead of replying, Umro bin Ubdooh spat at Alis face and roared
angrily, "I will not accept Islam". AliR.A wiped his face clean by the
sleeve and stayed motionless for a few moments. When Umro observed this he said, "O
Ali, I have told, I will not accept Islam, then why do not you slay me?". AliR.A replied, "Because when you
spat on me, I was over-powered by anger. If I had put you to death at that very moment, it
would have been personal revenge. I do not want to slake my anger or personal revenge. We,
Muslims, fight only in the way of Allah and if we shed blood, it is only for His religion
and not for revenge". Then AliR.A softly addressed Umro bin
Ubdooh. "O Umro, although you spat at my face, yet I invite you to Islam. If you
enter it, I will spare your blood". Umro remained obstinate and replied stubbornly
that he would never become a Muslim. At this, AliR.A
beheaded him by one sword blow. It should be made clear that during his fight with AliR.A,
Umro was wearing a precious chain-armour, on which were hung gold rings. AliR.A
sent the chain-coat to Umros sister, so that it should not be thought that AliR.A had killed him in greed of this precious chain-coat. The Makkan army was already facing hunger and cold, when, a storm hit
them. As the provisions they had gathered blew away their scum of valour settled down. One
night the wind blew so hard that the tents of the unbelievers were uprooted. The fires
went out and torrential rain brought flood. Abu Sufyan was so horrified that he ordered
retreat without a second thought. It is said that he himself was in such a hurry when he rode his camel
that he did not even notice his camel was still tied. He lashed out at it, whereas the
poor creature was tied to a peg and could not move. That night the army of idolaters gave up the siege and fled away. In
this way the Battle of Trench, which is also called Jang-e-Ahzab, ended. In this battle,
the idolaters bore the loss of eight lives, and the Muslims six. These people were killed
in man-to-man encounters, whereas both the armies did not face each other in direct
combat. Though the battle had ended and the Makkan army retreated, Madinah was
still under economic siege. The city was caught between the enmity from Makkah on one side
and from Khaybar Jews on the other. Both these cities were resistant to the Medinite
caravan movements. These cities were also citadels of anti-Islamic forces. Majority of the
people of Khaybar consisted of Jews. The Jews could arrange an army of thousands due to
their wealth. On the other hand, the Makkans influenced by the Quraysh, only thought of
their hatred against Islam. In addition, there had taken place an agreement between the
Jews and the Makkans, according to which, if the Muslims attacked Khaybar, then the
Makkans would instantly attack Madinah and vice versa so that the Muslims would be
helpless from attacking any of the two. In Madinah itself, there were two foes for the Muslims. On one hand,
Jews and on the other the hypocrites or Munafeqeen. Munafeqeen were those who always
adopted duality and would not side with the Muslims yet on the surface they declared to be
in their favour. They were led by Abdullah bin Obei and had never openly sided with anyone
during the battles already mentioned. At the battle of Trench, they reached a decision -
to side with the Makkans. This promise remained only verbal and the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) did not
consider them punishable. Banu Qareedah on the other hand had violated the Madinah pact during
this battle and had even negotiated with the Quraysh to attack from the rear. In the
Battle of Uhud, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant
him peace) himself had told the Jews that the Muslims were fighting a religious
war against the Makkans and hence the Jews were not bound to enter the battlefield. It is
very clear that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant
him peace) asked the Jews to go back as he did not trust them. In the Battle of
Trench, it was proved that the Prophets (may Allah
bless him and grant him peace) doubts were not unfounded. The Jews violated the
pact in hard times and forgot all the promises made with the Muslims. As Banu Qareedah had realised they had broken their promise, they
expected the Muslims to retaliate and thus fortified themselves in their homes. The
Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)
assigned the task of making the Jews surrender to AliR.A
bin Abu Talib, his son-in-law. In Arabic, Qareedah is the name of acacia tree, and as some parts of
this tree are used in tanning, therefore the Jews of this profession had become known as
Banu Qareedah. Many among them were goldsmiths, tanners and agriculturists.
They had become very rich. They built houses that could be used as forts as well. When the
Makkan army left, they fortified themselves in these houses and decided to remain in the
opposition of Islam. AliR.A besieged the colony of Banu
Qareedah and invited them to Islam, but they replied that they did not believe Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) as a
Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace),
since he belonged to the Arabs. In their belief, a prophet could only be raised among Banu
Israel, and no-one else. Until then, all the Prophets had belonged to Bani Israel. The
Muslims kept them under siege for four weeks. When their food had become scarce the chief
of the tribe, Kaab Asad showed himself on the turret of a fort and addressed Ali,
"O AliR.A our infants are deprived of milk as the
bosoms of their mothers have dried up. These lactating mothers lack food to fill their
breasts with milk; thus our children are crying with hunger". AliR.A replied "O Asad, I and my
companions, who have surrounded you, also have small children and we well know how a child
wails when he is hungry. Let it be known to you that we rear no grudge against your
children, nor are we responsible for your present stage. It is you who violated the
constitution of Madinah, subverted with the Makkans and tried to stab us in the back, and
have now fortified yourself in your houses against us. How can we trust you and leave you
free? Even then, to solve the issue, I offer you a suggestion. Are you willing to accept
someone as an arbitrator? What he decides, will you accept it?" Kaab bin Asad replied that he could not answer for the time
being. He wanted some time to counsel with the heralds of his tribe. According to the pact
of Madinah issuance of laws rested with the Prophet (may
Allah bless him and grant him peace) and he had full authority in regulating
them. He was not bound to accept an arbitrator in order to resolve the differences between
the Muslims and Banu Qareedah. With the permission of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), AliR.A
had suggested to the Jews to accept the decision reached upon by another arbitrator. After the given respite, Kaab bin Asad reappeared on the same
turret and announced that his tribe had agreed to accept the arbitration of a neutral
person. AliR.A said, "O Kaab Asad, let it be
known to you that we do not want to put you under any pressure. You have full freedom to
appoint anyone as your arbitrator. When you do so, we will send to you two representatives
from our side. You should also send two representatives from your side. Our
representatives will talk to you about breaking the mutual agreement and violating the
charter of Madinah from your side. Your representatives will be free to converse; but when
the negotiations are over and the judge gives his verdict, will you accept his decision
honestly?" The Jews replied, "O Ali, we will!" AliR.A
said, "Then we also will accept his decree!" Although the battle had not ended and the Jews were still under siege,
yet, AliR.A allowed the Jews enough eatables to last for
a week. He also directed that the Jews should be given whatever they demanded so that
their infants would not wail from hunger. The Jews of Banu Qareedah counselled again and then sent the message,
"We appoint Saad Muaz our arbitrator". Saad Muaz was the
chief of tribe Aus and had friendly relations with the Jews and the Muslims. The
Muslims laid the complaint against the Jews before him and informed him about various
clauses of the charter of Madinah. They said that by this pact, all the tribes were bound
to side in defence with the Muslims in case Madinah was invaded, but Banu Qareedah,
instead of supporting the Muslims had contacted their enemies to form a coalition against
them. The representatives of Banu Qareedah tried to defend themselves.
Mentioning the Battle of Uhud they said that they had wanted to help the Muslims but that
offer had been turned down by the latter. They were sure that Muslims would again turn
down their offer to help. The Muslims said that they had not violated the pact by turning
down Jewish help and that the Jews had blatantly violated the pact in the battle of the
Moat and had tried to stab them in their backs at instigation of the enemy. The representatives of Banu Qareedah denied this and said that they had
neither contacted the Makkan army nor had tried to enter a deal with them. At this point,
the Muslims at once produced Naeem bin Masood as a witness who told in detail the tasks
assigned to him. In addition, he also told the names of the Jews one by one who had given
him various instructions. The court proceedings lasted for many days. Saad Muaz
listened attentively to the arguments and witnesses from both sides. Then he gave his
decision, "As Banu Qareedah broke their promise, violated Mithaq-e-Madinah and tried
to conspire with an enemy who had come to eliminate the Muslims, therefore they all
deserve death!" It must be noted here that this decree did not come from a Muslim but
from a person whom the Jews considered their well-wisher and who they themselves had
chosen as their judge. After the issuance of this decree, AliR.A
allowed women, young children and old men to be exempted from this punishment. If other
people entered Faith, they would also be exempted. Hence, some Jews of Banu Qareedah
embraced Islam, but other Jews, consisting of men only, did not bother to come out of
their fort-like houses, rather they took to resist the Muslims. At this moment, AliR.A resigned from
the battle of Banu Qareedah, because the Prophet (may Allah
bless him and grant him peace) had assigned him another task. However, while on
the way out, AliR.A once again insisted that women,
children, young boys and girls and old men be allowed to leave the fort, in case a fight
ensued, these people might not suffer from hunger and thirst. The Muslims obeyed
Alis orders. However of those Jews who resisted the Muslims because of their
stubbornness, none survived. |