The plot of the Jews and the march of the Confederates

This is the account of the story as Ibn Ishaq and others mention. Ibn Ishaq said: then was the campaign of the Trench in Shawwal of the year five, and Yazid ibn Ruman related to me, from Urwa, and one whom I do not suspect, from Abdallah ibn Ka’b ibn Malik, and Muhammad ibn Ka’b al-Qurazi, and az-Zuhri, and Asim ibn Umar ibn Qatada, and Abdallah ibn Abi Bakr, and others of our scholars, some relating what others do not. They said: of the story of the Trench was that a group of the Jews, among them Sallam ibn Abi l-Haqiq an-Nadiri, Huyayy ibn Akhtab an-Nadiri, Kinana ibn ar-Rabi’ ibn Abi l-Haqiq, Hawdha ibn Qays al-Wa’ili and Abu Ammar al-Wa’ili, in a group of the Banu an-Nadir and a group of the Banu Wa’il: and they are those who confederated the Confederates against the Messenger of Allah: went out until they came to Quraysh in Mecca and called them to the war of the Messenger of Allah, saying: we shall be with you against him until we eradicate him.

Quraysh said to them: O assembly of Jews, you are the people of the Book, the first, and of the knowledge of what we and Muhammad dispute today: is our religion better or his religion? They said: rather your religion is better than his religion and you are more worthy of the truth than he. They are those of whom Allah sent down: have you not seen those given a portion of the Book, believing in idols and false deities and saying of those who disbelieved: these are better guided in the way than those who believe? Those are they whom Allah has cursed [an-Nisa: 51-52], the verses. When they said that to Quraysh it pleased them and they were stirred for what they were called to of the war of the Messenger of Allah, and gathered for that and prepared; then that group of the Jews went out until they came to Ghatafan of Qays Aylan and called them to the war of the Prophet, informing them they would be with them against him,

and that Quraysh had followed them in that and gathered with them in it. Quraysh went out, their leader being Abu Sufyan, and Ghatafan went out, their leader being Uyayna ibn Hisn ibn Hudhayfa ibn Badr among the Banu Fazaré, and al-Harith ibn Awf ibn Abi Haritha al-Murri among the Banu Murra, and Mus’ar ibn Rakhila ibn Nuwayra ibn Tarif ibn Suhma ibn Abdallah ibn Hilal ibn Khulawah ibn Ashja’ ibn Rayth ibn Ghatafan among whoever of his people of Ashja’ followed him. When the Messenger of Allah heard of them and of what they had combined against him he dug the Trench around Medina. Ibn Hisham said: it is said the one who suggested it was Salman. At-Tabari and as-Suhayli said: the first to dig trenches was Minouchehr ibn Iraj ibn Faridoun, and he was in the time of Moses, peace be upon him. Ibn Ishaq said: the Messenger of Allah worked in it inciting the Muslims to reward, and the Muslims worked in it,

while a group of the hypocrites held back excusing themselves with weakness, and of them was one who slipped away secretly without his permission or knowledge, peace be upon him. Allah the Most High sent down thereupon His word: the believers are only those who believed in Allah and His Messenger and, when they were with him upon a collective affair, went not until they asked his leave [an-Nour: 62-64]. Ibn Ishaq said: the Muslims worked in it until they made it firm, and they declaimed in it a man of the Muslims called Ju’ayl, whom the Messenger of Allah named Amr, and they said in their saying: he named him, after Ju’ayl, Amr, and he was for the wretched one day a back; and when they said Amr the Messenger of Allah said with them: Amr; and when they said: a back, he said to them: a back. Al-Bukhari said: Abdallah ibn Muhammad narrated to us: Mu’awiya ibn Amr narrated to us: Abu Ishaq narrated to us, from Humayd: I heard Anas say:

the Messenger of Allah went out to the Trench and the Muhajirun and the Ansar were digging on a cold morning, and they had no slaves to do that for them. When he saw what they had of toil and hunger he said: ’O Allah, indeed life is the life of the Hereafter, so forgive the Ansar and the Muhajirun.’ They answered him: we are those who pledged Muhammad allegiance upon jihad as long as we remain. In the two Sahihs, from Shu’ba, from Mu’awiya ibn Qurra, from Anas, the like; and Muslim reported it from the hadith of Hammad ibn Salama, from Thabit and Humayd, from Anas, likewise. Al-Bukhari said: Abu Ma’mar narrated to us: Abd al-Warith narrated to us, from Abd al-Aziz, from Anas, who said: the Muhajirun and the Ansar began digging the Trench around Medina, carrying the earth upon their backs, saying: we are those who pledged Muhammad allegiance upon jihad as long as we remain; and the Prophet, answering them, said: O Allah, there is no good but the good of the Hereafter,

so bless the Ansar and the Muhajirun. He said: they were brought a handful of barley, and made for them a coarse porridge placed before the people, the people hungry, and it was vile in the throat and had a fetid smell. Al-Bukhari said: Qutayba ibn Said narrated to us: Abd al-Aziz ibn Abi Hazim narrated to us, from Sahl ibn Sa’d, who said: we were with the Messenger of Allah at the Trench while they dug and we carried the earth upon our spines, and the Messenger of Allah said: O Allah, no life but the life of the Hereafter, so forgive the Muhajirun and the Ansar; and Muslim reported it from al-Qa’nabi, from Abd al-Aziz, likewise. Al-Bukhari said: Muslim ibn Ibrahim narrated to us: Shu’ba narrated to us, from Abu Ishaq, from al-Bara ibn Azib, who said: the Messenger of Allah carried the earth on the day of the Trench until his belly was covered, or his belly was dusted, saying: ’By Allah, were it not for Allah we would not be guided,

nor have given charity nor prayed; so send down tranquility upon us and steady the feet if we meet; indeed the insolent have rebelled against us; if they desire trial we refuse.’ And he raised his voice with it: we refuse, we refuse; and Muslim reported it from the hadith of Shu’ba, likewise. Then al-Bukhari said: Ahmad ibn Uthman narrated to us: Shurayh ibn Maslama narrated to us: Ibrahim ibn Yusuf related to me: my father related to me, from Abu Ishaq, from al-Bara, relating: on the day of the Confederates the Messenger of Allah dug the Trench and I saw him carrying from the earth of the Trench until the earth covered the skin of his belly, and he was copious in verse, and I heard him declaiming the words of Abdallah ibn Rawaha while carrying from the earth, saying: ’O Allah, were it not for You we would not be guided, nor have given charity nor prayed; so send down tranquility upon us and steady the feet if we meet; indeed the insolent have rebelled against us,

and if they desire trial we refuse.’ Then he would extend his voice with its end. Al-Bayhaqi said in ad-Dala’il: Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Abdan informed us: Ahmad ibn Ubayd as-Saffar informed us: Isma’il ibn al-Fadl al-Balkhi narrated to us: Ibrahim ibn Yusuf al-Balkhi narrated to us: al-Musayyab ibn Sharik narrated to us, from Ziyad ibn Abi Ziyad, from Abu Uthman, from Salman, that the Messenger of Allah struck in the Trench and said: ’In the name of Allah and by Him we are guided, and had we worshipped other than Him we would have gone astray; O what a good Lord and good religion’: and this hadith is strange by this route. The Imam Ahmad said: Sulayman narrated to us: Shu’ba narrated to us, from Mu’awiya ibn Qurra, from Anas, that the Messenger of Allah said while they dug the Trench: ’O Allah, no good but the good of the Hereafter, so set right the Ansar and the Muhajirun’; and the two reported it in the two Sahihs from Ghundar, from Shu’ba.