18th shawwal , 15 august 2014. Name: Battle of the Trench Arabic: غزوة الخندق Date: 18th Shawwal, 5 AH Location: Yathrib (now Madinah), Saudi Arabia The Battle of the Trench, was a fortnight-long siege of Yathrib (now Medina) by Arab and Jewish tribes. The strength of the confederate armies is estimated around 10,000 men with six hundred horses and some camels, while the Madinan defenders numbered 3,000. The word khandaq is the Arabic form of the Persian word kandak (meaning That which has been dug). For this reason the word trench could be replaced with ditch. It may also be referred to by its original Arabic name khandaq. Hazrat Salman al farsi (Salman the Persian) advised Prophet Muhammad (saw) to dig Kandak. The battle is also referred to as the Battle of Confederates (Arabic غزوة الاحزاب). The Quran uses the term confederates (Arabic الاحزاب) in sura Al-Ahzab to denote the confederacy of pagans and Jews against Islam. The largely outnumbered defenders of Madinah, mainly Muslims led by Prophet Muhammad (saw), dug a trench, which together with Madinahs natural fortifications, rendered the confederate cavalry (consisting of horses and camels) useless, locking the two sides in a stalemate. Hoping to make several attacks at once, the confederates persuaded the Madinah-allied Banu Qurayza to attack the city from the south. However, negotiations were derailed. The well-organized defenders, the sinking of confederate morale, and poor weather conditions caused the siege to end in a fiasco. The siege was a battle of wits, in which the Muslims tactically overcame their opponents while suffering very few casualties. Efforts to defeat the Muslims failed, and Islam became influential in the region. As a consequence, the Muslim army besieged the neighbourhood of the Banu Qurayza tribe, leading to their unconditional surrender. The defeat caused the Makkans to lose their trade and much of their prestige. The Battle of the Trench was the last attempt of the Quraish to destroy Islam and the Muslims. Following their withdrawal in defeat and humiliation, Prophet Muhammad (saw) declared: From this moment we will march upon them; they will no longer be able to raid us.
Posted on: Fri, 15 Aug 2014 05:09:24 +0000
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