Surah Al-Ahzaab (33) — Ayah 9

9. O you who believe! Remember Allah’s favor upon you when the armies came against you, and We sent upon them a wind and forces you could not see [14]. And Allah was seeing all that you were doing.

[14]
The Real Instigators of the Battle of Ahzab Were the Jews Who Had Taken Refuge in Khaybar:

From verse 9 to verse 27, the account of the Battle of Ahzab or the Battle of the Trench is given. However, it does not have the continuity found in the narration or writing of a human or historian. He would first mention the causes of the battle, then detail the events, and then comment on the results. But the style of the Quran is entirely different from this. The main subject of the Quran is the guidance of mankind and the moral and practical training of Muslims. Therefore, with this specific style, the account of this battle is begun, and they are told that when the obedient servants of Allah rely only on Allah, then by what unseen means Allah helps His servants. Therefore, Muslims should rely only on Allah even in the most difficult trials, and whatever work they can do, they must perform it with full effort. Later, the Quran also comments on the roles of all the factions that participated in this battle. Now, first, we will briefly present the circumstances of this battle in order, so that the background and events of this battle remain clear and the meaning of the Quranic verses is easier to understand. Which groups and tribes were included in the united group of disbelievers? In this battle, the Quraysh of Makkah, the Jews of Madinah, and the polytheist Bedouin tribes all participated, which is why it is called the "Battle of Ahzab." As for the hypocrites, instead of coming out openly, they were spreading discouragement among the Muslims, demoralizing them, mocking them, and playing a role in collusion with the enemies. Since the leader of this joint army of the disbeliever allies was Abu Sufyan, most of the participation in this battle can be considered that of the Quraysh of Makkah. The battle began as follows: after the Battle of Uhud, the expedition of Banu Nadir took place, as a result of which the Jews were expelled from Madinah and they took refuge in Khaybar. Among these exiled Jews, a delegation of twenty people came to the Quraysh of Makkah and encouraged them to inflict a collective and decisive blow on the Muslims—a blow that would uproot the Muslims and put an end to their daily talk. The Quraysh of Makkah responded positively to the call of the Jewish delegation and considered this opportunity favorable, especially since at the end of the Battle of Uhud, Abu Sufyan had challenged to fight in the field of Badr after a year. Despite the Muslims arriving at Badr at the appointed time, Abu Sufyan did not show up. This offer from the Jews boosted his morale and he immediately became their ally. After receiving an encouraging response from the Quraysh of Makkah, this delegation went to Banu Ghatafan. Since this tribe was already an ally of the Jews, they also immediately agreed. Afterwards, this delegation went around other anti-Islamic tribes until all the anti-Islamic elements were incited to wage war against the Muslims. Thus, in Dhu al-Qa'dah, 5 AH, under the leadership of Abu Sufyan, an army of four thousand people from the Quraysh, Kinana, and other allied tribes residing in Tihamah set out from the southern side towards Madinah. At Marr al-Zahran, the sub-tribes of Banu Sulaym, who had deceitfully martyred seventy (70) top Qurra near Bi'r Ma'unah, joined Abu Sufyan's army. From the eastern side, the Ghatafani tribes of Fazarah, Harrah, and Ashja' also joined this army. In short, by the time they reached Madinah, the number of this army had reached ten thousand. While the total population of Madinah was less than ten thousand, and among them, only three thousand were fighting men, including the hypocrites. If the Muslims had not dug the trench and defended themselves in time, this great army would have been enough to annihilate the Muslims in a single attack.

The Council of Consultation and the Digging of the Trench:

On the other hand, the Muslims' intelligence department was much more active and dynamic than that of the disbelievers. When the delegation of the Jews of Banu Nadir was inciting the Quraysh and other tribes to war, this news soon reached Madinah, and the Prophet ﷺ consulted the Companions as to what strategy should be adopted for defense. Accordingly, on the advice of Sayyiduna Salman al-Farsi ؓ, the proposal to defend by digging a trench on the front side of Madinah was approved. Thus, the work of digging the trench began. The trench was dug 15 feet deep. Every ten men were assigned to dig a forty-hand-long section of the trench, and three thousand people together completed the trench in twenty days. Economically, this was also a time of extreme hardship for the Muslims. The Muslims were tying stones to their stomachs while digging the trench. Sayyiduna Anas ؓ says that when the Muhajirin and Ansar began to dig the trench around Madinah, they were carrying the soil on their backs and reciting this couplet: "We are the people who have pledged allegiance to Muhammad ﷺ that as long as we live, we will live for Islam." And the Prophet ﷺ would reply to them: "O Allah! True goodness is only that of the Hereafter, so grant blessing to the Muhajirin and Ansar."

Scarcity of Food:

Sayyiduna Anas ؓ says that at that time, the scarcity of food was such that a small amount of barley would be cooked with foul-smelling fat. The people were hungry, so they would eat even that, although the bad-tasting fat would stick in their throats and it had a foul smell. [بخاری۔ کتاب المغازی۔ باب غزوۃ الخندق]

The Prophet Breaking the Rock Alone:

And Jabir bin Abdullah ؓ says that when we were digging the trench, a large, hard piece of earth came up that could not be dug with a pickaxe. The people informed the Prophet ﷺ of this situation. The Prophet ﷺ said: I will go down myself. He stood up, and due to hunger, a stone was tied to his stomach, and we too had not tasted any food for three days. The Prophet ﷺ struck the pickaxe on that piece with such force that it shattered into pieces. When I saw the Prophet ﷺ in such a state of hunger, I could not bear it. I went straight home to my wife (Suhaylah) and said: I have seen the Messenger of Allah in this condition. Do you have anything to eat? She said: There is a sa' of barley and a kid goat. My wife ground the barley, and I slaughtered the goat and put its meat in the pot. When I set out to invite the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, my wife said: "Invite only a few people with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and do not embarrass me in front of everyone."

The Invitation at Jabir bin Abdullah's ؓ House and the Prophet's Miracle:

I went to the Prophet ﷺ and quietly said that we have ground a sa' of barley and slaughtered a kid goat, so please come to our house with a few people. Upon hearing this, the Prophet ﷺ called out loudly, "People of the trench! There is an invitation for you at Jabir's house. Come quickly!" And he said to Jabir ؓ: "Do not remove the pot from the stove until I come, and do not bake the bread from the dough." I had just returned home when many people were present with the Prophet ﷺ. My wife said to me, "May Allah deal with you!" The husband said: I told the Prophet ﷺ exactly as you said. Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ breathed into the dough and prayed for blessing. After that, he went to the pot, breathed into it as well, and said to my wife: "Call another woman to help bake the bread, and keep taking the meat out of the pot with a ladle, and do not remove it from the stove." Sayyiduna Jabir ؓ says that the number of eaters was one thousand, and I swear by Allah that everyone ate to their fill, but the pot was still the same, boiling with meat, and bread was still being made from the dough. [بخاری۔ کتاب المغازی۔ باب غزوۃ الخندق]

The Treachery of Banu Qurayzah:

After the trench was ready, another calamity occurred: the Jewish tribe of Banu Qurayzah, who were allies of the Muslims and had so far remained true to their covenant, were incited to treachery by Huyayy bin Akhtab and the assurance of cooperation even after the battle. The Prophet ﷺ sent Hudhayfah bin al-Yaman to investigate this news and strictly instructed him not to mention the situation to anyone and to inform only him in private. The messenger, after investigating the situation, informed the Prophet ﷺ that the news of Banu Qurayzah's treachery was true. This news caused the Prophet ﷺ great distress. This was a time of severe trial for the Muslims. On one side of the trench was the enemy's army, surging like the sea, and inside Madinah, the hypocrites had become snakes in the grass. The severe shortage of food was another issue. The siege by the disbelievers lasted for about a month. Every day, there was spear-throwing and archery from both sides across the trench, but the battle did not reach a decisive stage. This was such a severe trial that even the best of the Companions' feet began to falter. In this situation, Allah Almighty helped the Muslims in two ways.

The Political Stratagem of Nu'aym bin Mas'ud ؓ and Division Among the Allied Groups:

One way was that a chief of Banu Ghatafan, Nu'aym bin Mas'ud, came to the Prophet ﷺ and embraced Islam. Neither the Quraysh nor the Jews knew about this. Both considered him their allied friend. Nu'aym bin Mas'ud asked the Prophet ﷺ: In these circumstances, how can I serve you and Islam? The Prophet ﷺ assigned him the task of sowing discord between the Quraysh and the Jews. He was a very intelligent man. He immediately came up with a plan. He first went to Banu Qurayzah and said: Look, if the allies are defeated in the battle, the Quraysh will return to their homes, but you are sitting among the Muslims. They will destroy you. Therefore, my advice is that you demand ten hostages from the Quraysh so that in such a case, they will be forced to cooperate with you. The Jews liked this idea very much. Then he went to Abu Sufyan and said: The Jews have become suspicious of you, and they want to demand ten hostages from you, whom they can hand over to the Muslims at any time and thus change the course of the battle and save themselves from the Muslims. Therefore, do not accept their demand at all. This idea took root in Abu Sufyan's heart. The next day, when Abu Sufyan sent a message to Banu Qurayzah for a joint attack, they demanded ten hostages. In this way, both parties fell into discord.

The Fierce Cold Windstorm:

The second way in which Allah Almighty helped the Muslims, and which is mentioned in the verse, was that a cold, icy wind blew so fiercely that it uprooted the tents, broke the ropes of the horses, and they ran away. The pots broke apart. The fire was extinguished. The wind was so bitterly cold that it seemed to pierce and go through the body. In short, great panic spread in the army of the disbelievers and chaos ensued.

Zubair bin al-Awwam ؓ Volunteering to Bring News of the Enemy:

In these circumstances, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ addressed the Companions and asked: Who will go and bring news of the enemy? But in such a cold windstorm, no one had the courage. Finally, Sayyiduna Zubair bin al-Awwam ؓ volunteered for this service. The Prophet ﷺ repeated the question, and again Sayyiduna Zubair bin al-Awwam ؓ said, I will go. The Prophet ﷺ asked a third time, and again Sayyiduna Zubair bin al-Awwam ؓ volunteered. Thus, he set out towards the army of the disbelievers. He himself says that at that time, he did not feel any cold at all. He returned and reported the same situation that people were hearing. At that time, the Prophet ﷺ said: "Every prophet has a disciple, and my disciple is Zubair." [بخاری۔ کتاب المغازی۔ باب غزوۃ خندق وھی]

The Prophet's ﷺ Statement That the Disbelievers Would Not Be Able to Attack Us Again:

Thus, these circumstances forced the enemy to retreat, and they fled in a state of panic. At that time, the Prophet ﷺ said: "After today, the disbelievers will not attack us; rather, we will attack them." [بخاری۔ کتاب المغازی۔ باب غزوہ خندق]
Thus, the Prophet's ﷺ statement was fulfilled word for word.

The Unseen Armies of Allah Almighty:

In this verse, there is mention of help through the wind, and also of such armies that you could not see. By this are meant those hidden causes by which the disbelievers were forced to flee. It is possible that this refers to angels who were appointed over the winds. And Allah knows best. In any case, the descent of angels in this battle is not explicitly proven from authentic hadith.