Surah Al-Ahzaab (33) — Ayah 9

(Ayah 9) ➊ At the beginning of { يٰۤاَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوا اذْكُرُوْا نِعْمَةَ اللّٰهِ عَلَيْكُمْ …:} Surah, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was commanded to fear Allah and was instructed to proclaim every command of His openly and to act upon it without caring about the disbelievers and hypocrites. He was also commanded to place his trust in Allah in this matter and in every affair. Now, as evidence that Allah is sufficient for the one who fears Him and relies on Him, Allah reminds the Muslims of His blessing of help during the Battle of Ahzab. This battle was more terrifying than any other battle faced by the Muslims. It is explained here that when Allah’s obedient servants rely solely on Him, He helps them with armies that are not even visible. In this verse, Muslims are addressed with {’’ يٰۤاَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوا ‘‘}, which shows that the previous address to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is also for all Muslims. The mention of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is because when the Prophet is bound to obey this command, then the Ummah is even more obliged to comply. (Biqā‘ī)

➋ Our teacher Muhammad Abduh (may Allah have mercy on him) writes: “This is the mention of the Battle of Khandaq, which is also called the Battle of Ahzab, which, according to authentic and well-known narrations, took place in Shawwal of the fifth year of Hijrah. Its brief account is that in the fourth year of Hijrah, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) exiled the Jewish tribe of Banu Nadir from the land of Madinah. Some of their chiefs went to Makkah and met with the leaders of Quraysh, inciting them against the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the Muslims, and promised that if they attacked Madinah, they would support them and help them in every way. When the Quraysh agreed, they went to the tribes of Ghatafan and Hudhayl in Najd and incited them to attack Madinah, promising every possible assistance, until they too agreed. Thus, in the fifth year of Hijrah, on one side, the army of Quraysh and their allied tribes under the leadership of Abu Sufyan, and on the other side, the army of Ghatafan, Hudhayl, and their allied tribes under the leadership of ‘Uyainah bin Hisn, arrived to attack Madinah and besieged it from the south and east. From the north, the Jews of Banu Nadir and Banu Qaynuqa‘ came, who, after being exiled from Madinah, had settled in Khaybar and Wadi al-Qura. Altogether, their number was ten thousand. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), assessing the situation, on the advice of Salman al-Farsi (may Allah be pleased with him), had a trench dug in those directions and himself participated in digging and carrying earth along with the common Muslims. To the west, the Jews of Banu Qurayzah lived, who were allies of the Muslims, so the Muslims were unconcerned from their side, and even sent their families to the forts on their side. But the chief of Banu Nadir, Huyayy bin Akhtab, went to them and, by appealing to the favorable circumstances, persuaded them to break their pact with the Muslims. Thus, Madinah became surrounded from all sides by polytheists and Jews. In these verses, while referring to these critical circumstances, Allah mentions His favor and blessing upon the Muslims.” (Ashraf al-Hawashi) It should be noted that in the Qur’an, the details of this battle are not presented in the chronological order of historians, but rather for admonition and lesson, so some later events are mentioned earlier and some earlier ones later.

➌ In the Battle of Ahzab, the number of disbelievers was ten thousand, while according to the well-known opinion, the Muslims were three thousand. One opinion is that they were nine hundred. Ibn Hazm said in “Jawami‘ al-Sirah”: “This is the authentic matter without doubt, and the first is an illusion.” To depict the condition of the Muslims at that time, a few hadiths are mentioned. Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) says that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) went out to the trench, and the Muhajirun and Ansar were digging the trench in the morning cold, and they had no slaves to do this work for them. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saw their hardship and hunger, he supplicated to Allah:

{اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنَّ الْعَيْشَ عَيْشُ الْآخِرَهْ ¤ فَاغْفِرْ لِلْأَنْصَارِ وَ الْمُهَاجِرَهْ}

“O Allah! Life is only the life of the Hereafter, so forgive the Ansar and the Muhajirun.”

The Companions replied to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):

{نَحْنُ الَّذِيْنَ بَايَعُوْا مُحَمَّدًا ¤ عَلَي الْجِهَادِ مَا بَقِيْنَا أَبَدَا}

“We are those who have pledged allegiance to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) for jihad, forever, as long as there is life in our bodies.”

Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) says, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would say in response:

{اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنَّهُ لَا خَيْرَ إِلاَّ خَيْرُ الْآخِرَهْ ¤ فَبَارِكْ فِي الْأَنْصَارِ وَ الْمُهَاجِرَهْ}

“O Allah! Goodness is only the goodness of the Hereafter, so bless the Ansar and the Muhajirun.”

Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: [ يُؤْتَوْنَ بِمِلْءِ كَفَّيَّ مِنَ الشَّعِيْرِ فَيُصْنَعُ لَهُمْ بِإِهَالَةٍ سَنِخَةٍ تُوْضَعُ بَيْنَ يَدَيِ الْقَوْمِ ، وَالْقَوْمُ جِيَاعٌ ، وَهِيَ بَشِعَةٌ فِي الْحَلْقِ وَلَهَا رِيْحٌ مُنْتِنٌ ] [ بخاري، المغازي، باب غزوۃ الخندق وھي الأحزاب : ۴۰۹۹، ۴۱۰۰ ] “When the Companions were given as much as two handfuls of barley, food was prepared for them with fat that had a changed smell, which was placed before the people. They were hungry, and this food would get stuck in their throats and it had an unpleasant smell.” Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) said: [ إِنَّا يَوْمَ الْخَنْدَقِ نَحْفِرُ فَعَرَضَتْ كُدْيَةٌ شَدِيْدَةٌ، فَجَاؤا النَّبِيَّ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ سَلَّمَ فَقَالُوْا هٰذِهِ كُدْيَةٌ عَرَضَتْ فِي الْخَنْدَقِ، فَقَالَ أَنَا نَازِلٌ ثُمَّ قَامَ وَ بَطْنُهُ مَعْصُوْبٌ بِحَجَرٍ، وَ لَبِثْنَا ثَلاَثَةَ أَيَّامٍ لاَ نَذُوْقُ ذَوَاقًا، فَأَخَذَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ سَلَّمَ الْمِعْوَلَ فَضَرَبَ فِي الْكُدْيَةِ، فَعَادَ كَثِيْبًا أَهْيَلَ أَوْ أَهْيَمَ، فَقُلْتُ يَا رَسُوْلَ اللّٰهِ! ائْذَنْ لِيْ إِلَي الْبَيْتِ فَقُلْتُ لاِمْرَأَتِيْ رَأَيْتُ بِالنَّبِيِّ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ سَلَّمَ شَيْئًا، مَا كَانَ فِيْ ذٰلِكَ صَبْرٌ، فَعِنْدَكِ شَيْءٌ ؟ قَالَتْ عِنْدِيْ شَعِيْرٌ وَعَنَاقٌ، فَذَبَحْتُ الْعَنَاقَ وَطَحَنَتِ الشَّعِيْرَ، حَتّٰی جَعَلْنَا اللَّحْمَ فِي الْبُرْمَةِ، ثُمَّ جِئْتُ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ سَلَّمَ وَالْعَجِيْنُ قَدِ انْكَسَرَ، وَالْبُرْمَةُ بَيْنَ الْأَثَافِيِّ قَدْ كَادَتْ أَنْ تَنْضَجَ فَقُلْتُ طُعَيِّمٌ لِيْ، فَقُمْ أَنْتَ يَا رَسُوْلَ اللّٰهِ! وَ رَجُلٌ أَوْ رَجُلاَنِ، قَالَ كَمْ هُوَ؟ فَذَكَرْتُ لَهُ، قَالَ كَثِيْرٌ طَيِّبٌ قَالَ قُلْ لَّهَا لاَ تَنْزِعِ الْبُرْمَةَ وَ لاَ الْخُبْزَ مِنَ التَّنُّوْرِ حَتّٰی آتِيَ فَقَالَ قُوْمُوْا، فَقَامَ الْمُهَاجِرُوْنَ وَ الْأَنْصَارُ، فَلَمَّا دَخَلَ عَلَی امْرَأَتِهِ قَالَ وَيْحَكِ، جَاءَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ سَلَّمَ بِالْمُهَاجِرِيْنَ وَالْأَنْصَارِ وَمَنْ مَعَهُمْ، قَالَتْ هَلْ سَأَلَكَ؟ قُلْتُ نَعَمْ، فَقَالَ ادْخُلُوْا وَلاَ تَضَاغَطُوْا فَجَعَلَ يَكْسِرُ الْخُبْزَ وَ يَجْعَلُ عَلَيْهِ اللَّحْمَ، وَيُخَمِّرُ الْبُرْمَةَ وَالتَّنُّوْرَ إِذَا أَخَذَ مِنْهُ، وَيُقَرِّبُ إِلٰی أَصْحَابِهِ ثُمَّ يَنْزِعُ، فَلَمْ يَزَلْ يَكْسِرُ الْخُبْزَ وَ يَغْرِفُ حَتّٰی شَبِعُوْا وَ بَقِيَ بَقِيَّةٌ قَالَ كُلِيْ هٰذَا وَ أَهْدِيْ، فَإِنَّ النَّاسَ أَصَابَتْهُمْ مَجَاعَةٌ ] [بخاري، المغازي، باب غزوۃ الخندق و ھي الأحزاب : ۴۱۰۱ ] “On the day of the trench, we were digging when a hard rock appeared. The Companions came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and informed him that a hard rock had appeared. He said: ‘I will go down.’ So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stood up, and there was a stone tied to his stomach. Three days had passed and we had not tasted anything. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) took a pickaxe, struck the rock, and it became like loose earth. I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah! Allow me to go home.’ I went home and said to my wife: ‘I have seen such a state of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that I cannot bear it. Do you have anything (to eat)?’ She said: ‘I have some barley and a small goat.’ I slaughtered the goat, she ground the barley, and we put the meat in the pot. Then I went to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), by then the dough was ready and the pot was about to be cooked. I said: ‘There is a little food, O Messenger of Allah! You and one or two men with you come.’ He asked: ‘How much is it?’ I told him, and he said: ‘It is plenty and excellent. Tell your wife not to remove the pot from the fire or take bread out of the oven until I come.’ He told the Companions: ‘Come.’ The Muhajirun and Ansar stood up. Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) went to his wife and said: ‘Woe to you! The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is bringing the Muhajirun and Ansar and whoever is with them.’ She said: ‘Did he ask you?’ I said: ‘Yes!’ Anyway, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘Enter and do not crowd.’ He kept breaking bread and putting meat on it. After taking out food from the pot and bread from the oven, he would cover it and place it before the Companions, then repeat the process. He kept serving bread and meat until all were full and food was left over. He said to Jabir’s wife: ‘Eat and give as a gift, for hunger has reached the people.’ In the next narration, Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ اُدْعُ خَابِزَةً فَلْتَخْبِزْ مَعَكِ ] ‘Call another woman who can bake bread with you.’ And Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) said: ‘They were a thousand, and by Allah! They ate and left the food, the pot was still boiling as it was, and the dough was being baked.’ [ بخاري، المغازي، باب غزوۃ الخندق و ھي الأحزاب : ۴۱۰۲ ] This hadith supports Ibn Hazm’s statement that the Muslim army was not three thousand but about one thousand.

The pressure from the disbelievers to cross the trench was so intense that, due to continuous defense, sometimes even his prayer would be missed and you would perform it later. Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) says: “Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) came after sunset at the trench and, cursing the Quraysh, said: ‘By Allah! O Messenger of Allah! I could not even approach the prayer until the sun was about to set.’ The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ وَاللّٰهِ! مَا صَلَّيْتُهَا ] ‘By Allah! I too have not (prayed ‘Asr).’ So we descended with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) at Bathan, performed ablution for prayer, and he prayed ‘Asr after sunset, then Maghrib.” [ بخاري، المغازي، باب غزوۃ الخندق وھي الأحزاب : ۴۱۱۲ ] Abdullah bin Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him) says: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) supplicated against the Ahzab (allied armies) and said: [ اَللّٰهُمَّ مُنْزِلَ الْكِتَابِ! سَرِيْعَ الْحِسَابِ! اِهْزِمِ الْأَحْزَابَ، اَللّٰهُمَّ اهْزِمْهُمْ وَ زَلْزِلْهُمْ ] [ بخاري، المغازي، باب غزوۃ الخندق وھي الأحزاب : ۴۱۱۵ ] ‘O Allah! O Revealer of the Book! Swift in reckoning! Defeat these armies. O Allah! Defeat them and shake them severely.’ Allah used the word {’’ جُنُوْدًا ‘‘}, although its singular {’’جُنْدٌ‘‘} (army) would have sufficed to indicate a large number, but since these were different groups—Quraysh of Makkah, Banu Ghatafan, etc.—the word {’’ جُنُوْدًا ‘‘} was used.

➍ { فَاَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ رِيْحًا :} It is stated in Al-Raheeq Al-Makhtum: “The polytheists besieged Madinah for a month or nearly a month.” These days of trial were very severe. During this period, the condition of the Muslims is described in the following verses. The disbelievers had come with the intention of eradicating the Muslims completely, and upon arrival, to kill the men and take the women and children as captives. What was the significance of one thousand against ten thousand? But by Allah’s grace, due to the trench, they could neither enter Madinah nor achieve any success. They had come with the plan of victory in a single assault, but here they had to stay for a month in siege, for which they were not prepared, nor did they have the necessary food and other supplies to stay that long, so they were attacking with increasing force every moment. Although the Muslims defended as much as they could, their numbers, preparations, and strategies were by no means sufficient to face these armies. But seeing their plight and hearing their cries, Allah had mercy on them and helped them from the unseen. This help consisted of two things: a severe windstorm and such armies that were hidden from the Muslims’ sight. {’’ رِيْحًا ‘‘} refers to that extremely cold and fierce windstorm which uprooted the tents of the disbelievers, extinguished their fires, overturned their pots, their horses and camels broke their ropes and ran away, and such intense fear overtook them that they fled the siege overnight. Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) says that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ نُصِرْتُ بِالصَّبَا وَأُهْلِكَتْ عَادٌ بِالدَّبُوْرِ ] [ بخاري، المغازي، باب غزوۃ الخندق و ھي الأحزاب : ۴۱۰۵ ] “I was helped with the Saba (east wind), and ‘Ad was destroyed with the Dabbur (west wind).”

➎ { وَ جُنُوْدًا لَّمْ تَرَوْهَا :} These armies refer to the armies of angels, who cast terror into the hearts of the disbelievers, broke their spirits, and scattered them. Some have written that the descent of angels in the Battle of Khandaq is not explicitly proven by authentic hadiths, but this is not correct. It is narrated from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), she said: [ لَمَّا رَجَعَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ سَلَّمَ مِنَ الْخَنْدَقِ وَ وَضَعَ السِّلاَحَ وَاغْتَسَلَ، أَتَاهُ جِبْرِيْلُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ فَقَالَ قَدْ وَضَعْتَ السِّلاَحَ وَاللّٰهِ! مَا وَضَعْنَاهُ، فَاخْرُجْ إِلَيْهِمْ قَالَ فَإِلٰی أَيْنَ؟ قَالَ هَاهُنَا، وَأَشَارَ إِلٰی بَنِيْ قُرَيْظَةَ، فَخَرَجَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ سَلَّمَ إِلَيْهِمْ ] [ بخاري، المغازي، باب مرجع النبي صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم من الأحزاب… : ۴۱۱۷ ] “When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) returned from the trench, he put down his weapons and took a bath. Then Jibril (peace be upon him) came to him and said: ‘You have put down your weapons, but by Allah, we have not put ours down. So go out to them.’ He asked: ‘To where?’ He pointed towards Banu Qurayzah and said: ‘That way.’ So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) set out towards them.” Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) says: [ كَأَنِّيْ أَنْظُرُ إِلَی الْغُبَارِ سَاطِعًا فِيْ زُقَاقِ بَنِيْ غَنْمٍ مَوْكِبِ جِبْرِيْلَ حِيْنَ سَارَ رَسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ سَلَّمَ إِلٰی بَنِيْ قُرَيْظَةَ ] [ بخاري، المغازي، باب مرجع النبي صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم من الأحزاب…: ۴۱۱۸ ] “It is as if I am seeing the dust shining that was rising from the mount of Jibril (peace be upon him) in the street of Banu Ghanm when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) went towards Banu Qurayzah.”

The descent of angels and the arrival of His armies in the battles of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) is mentioned in several places in the Qur’an. In the Battle of Hunayn, it is said: «{ ثُمَّ اَنْزَلَ اللّٰهُ سَكِيْنَتَهٗ عَلٰى رَسُوْلِهٖ وَ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ وَ اَنْزَلَ جُنُوْدًا لَّمْ تَرَوْهَا }» [ التوبۃ : ۲۶ ] “Then Allah sent down His tranquility upon His Messenger and upon the believers, and sent down armies which you did not see.” These “armies” were angels, as clarified in the account of the Battle of Badr in Surah Al-Anfal, where it is said: «{ اِذْ يُوْحِيْ رَبُّكَ اِلَى الْمَلٰٓىِٕكَةِ اَنِّيْ مَعَكُمْ فَثَبِّتُوا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا سَاُلْقِيْ فِيْ قُلُوْبِ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوا الرُّعْبَ فَاضْرِبُوْا فَوْقَ الْاَعْنَاقِ وَ اضْرِبُوْا مِنْهُمْ كُلَّ بَنَانٍ }» [ الأنفال : ۱۲ ] “When your Lord was revealing to the angels: ‘I am with you, so strengthen those who have believed. I will cast terror into the hearts of those who have disbelieved, so strike above their necks and strike every fingertip of them.’” In Surah At-Tawbah, the help of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in the cave with these unseen armies is mentioned: «{ اِلَّا تَنْصُرُوْهُ فَقَدْ نَصَرَهُ اللّٰهُ اِذْ اَخْرَجَهُ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوْا ثَانِيَ اثْنَيْنِ اِذْ هُمَا فِي الْغَارِ اِذْ يَقُوْلُ لِصَاحِبِهٖ لَا تَحْزَنْ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ مَعَنَا فَاَنْزَلَ اللّٰهُ سَكِيْنَتَهٗ عَلَيْهِ وَ اَيَّدَهٗ بِجُنُوْدٍ لَّمْ تَرَوْهَا وَ جَعَلَ كَلِمَةَ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوا السُّفْلٰى وَ كَلِمَةُ اللّٰهِ هِيَ الْعُلْيَا وَ اللّٰهُ عَزِيْزٌ حَكِيْمٌ }» [ التوبۃ : ۴۰ ] “If you do not help him, Allah has already helped him when those who disbelieved drove him out, when he was one of two in the cave, when he said to his companion: ‘Do not grieve; indeed, Allah is with us.’ So Allah sent down His tranquility upon him and supported him with armies you did not see and made the word of those who disbelieved the lowest, while the word of Allah is the highest. And Allah is Exalted in Might, Wise.” Even after the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), the descent of angels has been witnessed many times in the battles of Muslims against the disbelievers. In our times as well, many such incidents have occurred, provided that jihad is for the exaltation of Allah’s word and there is steadfastness upon it. See also the commentary of Surah Al-Anfal, verse (10).

➏ This battle was the greatest campaign launched by the disbelievers against the Muslims. Its outcome was that after this, they could never gather such armies again, nor did they dare to attack Madinah again. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had already foretold this. Sulaiman bin Surad (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that when those armies left the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he said: [ اَلْآنَ نَغْزُوْهُمْ وَلاَ يَغْزُوْنَنَا، نَحْنُ نَسِيْرُ إِلَيْهِمْ ] [ بخاري، المغازي، باب غزوۃ الخندق وھي الأحزاب : ۴۱۱۰ ] “Now we will attack them, they will not attack us; we will advance towards them.”

➐ The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), instead of any pride or arrogance, always attributed the defeat of these armies to the work of his only Lord. Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to say: [ لاَ إِلٰهَ إِلاَّ اللّٰهُ وَحْدَهُ، أَعَزَّ جُنْدَهُ، وَنَصَرَ عَبْدَهُ وَ غَلَبَ الْأَحْزَابَ وَحْدَهُ، فَلاَ شَيْءَ بَعْدَهُ ] [ بخاري، المغازي، باب غزوۃ الخندق وھي الأحزاب : ۴۱۱۴ ] “There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone. He gave victory to His army, helped His servant, and alone overcame all the groups, so there is nothing after Him.”

➑ { وَ كَانَ اللّٰهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُوْنَ بَصِيْرًا :} That is, whatever you were doing against the enemy—digging the trench, enduring the hardships of hunger, thirst, and fear, and remaining steadfast—Allah was fully aware of everything, so He, seeing your condition, helped you from the unseen.