MUHAMMAD SAW THE MESSENGER OF ISLAM (515 pages, 27/41)
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ly, despite the millions of minarets that point heavenwards and resound, five times every day with the blessed name of Muhammad , carrying the echo as far as the Throne itself, despite the mention of this name through many centuries and its firm hold over
the hearts of hundreds of millions, there are people who are loath to admit the perfection of a moral ideal as incorporated by the Prophet Muhammad , and who therefore have construed out of a marriage that took place in the fifth year of the Hijra a fallacy with which they try to launch an attack on those whose hearts are sincerely devoted to the Holy Prophet . Therefore I wish to set forth this incident in full detail and I beg you to read and consider carefully what we relate.
Zayd, the freed slave and adopted son of the Holy Prophet , asked for the hand of the Prophet’s cousin Zaynab bint Jahsh in marriage. She was of noble parentage; on her father’s side she was descended from the Asadi tribe, on her mother’s side she was Hashimi, being the daughter of Umayma, who was Abdul- Muttalib’s daughter, the Holy Prophet’s aunt. The Prophet had always preached that not a grain of sand existed without the Will of Allah, and that he who excelled in pious reverence of the Lord and exhibited the most Compassion for His Creation was preferable to the Divine Presence. He now could not refuse Zayd’s request, although in the community, Zayd was nevertheless regarded as nothing but a freed slave, whereas he occupied a high station at the court of the Heavenly King. Knowing this very well for a fact, the Holy Prophet did not refuse Zayd’s request. Making Zaynab accept him as her social equal, he let Zaynab’s family know that it was his wish to marry her to Zayd, requesting them to make known to her this circumstance.
Zaynab was told of the Prophet’s wishes. Of course, she could not refuse his express wish, but there was something, of which she had not uttered a word to any soul. This concerned the love that she bore in her heart for the Holy Prophet
. Zaynab confided this to no one except to Allah Almighty, who is Lord over the hearts of men.{7}
Zaynab, who knew that love means ensuring the pleasure of the beloved, for fear of denying the Holy Messenger’s directive accepted the Prophet’s dispensation when he made known to her that he was giving her to Zayd. But Zaynab and her husband Zayd only managed to live peacefully with each other for one year.
Nevertheless, contrary to what is related in quite a number of books, Zaynab never once said to Zayd, “You were nothing but a slave, whereas I am the daughter of a noble family.” Only when Zaynab was by herself, she addressed herself to the Lord Almighty who hears the sighing of every anguished heart, and to him she confided her burning tears: “Oh Allah, the whole created universe turns between two of your fingers, that of Mercy and that of Wrath! Make it
possible for me to attain my beloved, let me be wed to him, oh my Lord!”
Finally, Allah Almighty accepted the prayer of her burning heart, and the voice of her fiery passion. Divine Agency decreed that Zayd was to divorce Zaynab and this decree was made known to the heart of Zayd, her husband. He came to the Holy Prophet and said, “Oh Rasulullah ! Zaynab has hardened against me and her words are harsh. Permit me to divorce her.” To this the Holy Prophet replied, “Hold your wife firmly!”
Then the Prophet received this revelation:
When thou saidst to him whom God had blessed and thou hadst favored, ‘Keep thy wife to thyself and fear God,’ and thou wast concealing within thyself what God should reveal, fearing other men; and God has better right for thee to fear Him. So when Zayd has accomplished what he would of her, then We give her in marriage to thee, so that there should not be any fault in the believers, touching the wives of their adopted sons, when they have accomplished what they would of them; and God’s commandment must be performed.
(The Confederates, 37)
This Divine Command needs some further elucidation. “You have kept secret a matter, which I (the Divine Person) would disclose, for the sake of your people, lest they might reproach you for marrying the divorced wife of your adopted son. You thought they might criticize you for that and thereby risk loss of their faith. When Zayd came to you complaining of Zaynab, you said to him, “Keep your wife to yourself and fear God!” Whereas there was nothing in this matter that was to be feared before God, it was only your feeling for your people that they might not be led to reproach you for this action and from there fall into doubts and disbelief. But God has greater right to be feared than mankind. When the time had come for Zayd to sever his connection with his wife Zaynab, while you were shy of the talk of the people, We charged you with openly making known the state of the affair and to inform that there is no blame on the believers in marrying the divorced wives of their adopted sons, once they have dismissed them charitably.”
Oh Seeker after Truth! This incident was one of the greatest trials for the Holy Prophet , for which he suffered benevolent reproach from his Lord, which turned into great mercy for his people.
In the end, Zaynab’s prayer found acceptance with the Almighty Lord, and the divorce from Zayd took place. Zaynab returned to her parents’ house. Her people
were very hurt by this and only when the Holy Prophet took Zaynab into wedlock was their grief dispelled. Actually, Zaynab had only accepted to marry Zayd so as not to spurn the Prophet’s bidding. Now the time had come when her fervent prayers to Allah Almighty were to be answered and she was to attain her utmost delight. As has been set forth in the holy verses mentioned above, Zaynab was duly married to the Holy Prophet and became one of the Mothers of the Faithful.
The Battle of the Trench
As mentioned before, the unbelievers were trying to raise a united force of all the important Arabian tribes against the Prophet Muhammad . In particular, the tribes of the Bani Nadir and Bani Qaynuqa who had been exiled from Madinah on account of their assassination attempt on the Holy Prophet did not cease working against Islam and trying to harm the Pride of the Worlds .
These dangerous enemies met at Khaybar, which became a nest of intrigue and mischief making. The heads of the unbelievers, such as Sallam ibn Abi-l- Huqayq, Huyayy ibn Akhtab, and Kinana bin Abi-l-Huqayq went to Mecca and conspired with the chiefs of Quraysh. They came with a suggestion, which was more than welcome to the Quraysh and which met with enthusiastic approval.
They said, “There is only one means left to us in order to eliminate Muhammad
, and that is to march on Madinah with combined forces. What do you say to that?” The chiefs of the Quraysh replied, “Whatever is necessary and required, we are ready to do it.”
The chiefs of Bani Nadir then went to Ghatafan and told them of their plan to strike out against Muhammad , and elicited their support, promising them half of the revenues of Khaybar, should they agree to be their accomplices in the struggle against Muhammad . They also made the Bani Asad who were allies of the Ghatafan participate in this campaign. The Bani Sulaym were related to the Quraysh by blood-ties, hence they too were obliged to join.
The leaders of the Quraysh gathered at Dar-un-Nadwa. They decided to oppose the Prophet of Allah , who preached the religion of Allah and proclaimed the unlawfulness of idol worship and the principles of justice and honor. They declared war against Muhammad whose pure heart beat with compassion for all of creation. The fortunes of Islam were to be assailed by grave danger. A force of thirty thousand men now stood assembled against the band of believers.
It was in the fifth year of the Hijra in the month of Dhul-Qa’da that the enemies
of God marched against the Muslims. The Quraysh army comprised four thousand men and fifteen hundred camels. The standard-bearer was ‘Uthman, the son of Abu Talha. At a place named Marr-al-Zahran the army coming from Mecca joined forces with the contingent of Ghatafan coming from the Najd under the command of the chief of the Bani Fazara, Uyayna bin Hisn. The leader of the Bani Murra, Harith ibn ‘Awf joined them there as well. The army of the Bani Asad under the command of Talha, and that of the Bani Sulaym and the tribes of Ashja’ had united their forces and came to meet the army. The army of the Arabs thus consisted of three divisions: firstly, the division of Ghatafan fighters under the command of the famous leader Uyayna ibn Hisn; secondly, the Bani Asad under command of Talha; thirdly, a troop of tribesmen allied to the Quraysh. The army’s supreme commander was Abu Sufyan.
When Muhammad heard of these war preparations, he gathered all his Companions to discuss how they should meet such a tremendous force. Salman al-Farsi was familiar with tactics of war from his country of origin. He spoke up at the gathering, saying, “Oh Prophet of Allah , if you permit, I will set forth how we ought to proceed in this battle. This time we are the defenders of our city, and in defensive warfare trenches have been used with great success. Therefore, we should dig trenches all around the city of Madinah.” Salman’s suggestion met with approval and he was made general commander in the Battle of the Trench.
Oh Traveler on the Road to Truth! Since the name of Salman al-Farsi has been mentioned, I cannot pass on without adding a few words about this noble personage. Salman was of Persian origin and had set out on the search for Truth at a tender age, when hardly more than a boy. In this cause he left his homeland and searched far and wide for a teacher to lead him to his goal. He came in contact with a number of Christian ascetics and holy men, and he learned from them about the anticipated coming of a new prophet. By the time Islam was revealed, Salman had fallen into slavery and was working for his master at Madinah. It was there that he found what he had been seeking. He met the Holy Prophet and was drowned in the love of him. Later he experienced the rare distinction of being granted this special privilege by the Holy Prophet ; he reached a rank and a station higher than we can imagine, in that he was singled out in the Holy Prophet’s utterance:
“Salman is of my household.”
How lofty a station, how elevated a delight, to be raised to the station of a member of the Prophet’s household, a truly majestic gift! May the Almighty
grant him his intercession, Amin.
The following event served as occasion for this utterance of the Prophet Muhammad :
A verbal controversy had arisen between Salman al-Farsi and one of the noble companions of the Prophet , on account of which the companion was somewhat hurt and offended. Some time later, this companion challenged Salman before a gathering of the companions with the intention of shaming him before them. He began asking all those present about their family tree and lineage. For it was one of the characteristics of the Arabs of the Jahiliyya (the Age of Ignorance, the time before the revelation of Islam) to take great pride in their lineage and they competed with each other in noble descent. After the revelation of Islam, however, this custom was renounced, and preference and rank was attributed to him who excelled not through noble descent, but through piety. As set forth in this holy verse,
Surely the noblest among you in the sight of God is the most godfearing of you. God is All-Knowing, All-Aware. (The Apartments, 13)
That is to say, Allah Almighty gives preference to him who excels in pious veneration and awe of the Lord and who shows the most mercy and compassion towards Allah’s creatures.
As they were all recounting their lines of descent and the greatness and importance of their fathers and forefathers, they would ask, “How do they call you, what is your patronymic?” The question was put to ‘Umar who answered:
“I am ‘Umar, the son of al-Khattab!”
Salman al-Farsi sat there, his head bowed, his eyes damp with tears, his heart filled with tenderness. “They call me ‘Child of Islam’,” he answered, thereby demonstrating how faith had taken possession of all aspects of his life. When those present heard these words, it was as if fire fell into their hearts and they repented of their talk and their tactless questioning, and the questioner began to weep.
The Guardian of the Holy Law, ‘Umar, then said, “Let none of us ever ask such unsuitable questions again. Should Salman ever have to repeat his answer to this question, we shall all of us burn.” The other companion turned to Salman and pleaded with him to forgive the questioner.
When word of this reached the Holy Prophet , he called his companions and
said to them, “Salman is of the people of my household,” and Salman was henceforth known as belonging to the company of Muhammad .
Oh you who travel the Road to Truth! As we delve into the source of Islam, we find that among all the noble companions who traveled on the high road of Islamic teaching and under the shadow of Heavenly Ascent, the group traveling at the greatest speed were always the slaves. This is because their worldly fortunes were so discouraging, they were forlorn strangers in this world of semblance, and they were of the broken-hearted.
Allah Almighty has proclaimed:
“Verily, I dwell in the hearts of the broken-hearted.”
Now, among the noble Companions of the Prophet who were with Salman al- Farsi there was one named Hilal. This companion was the slave and the groom of a rich man, who was also a companion of the Prophet . One day this honored companion fell ill and was laid low with a raging fever. The angel Jibra’il came to the Prophet Muhammad with a message from Allah Almighty, saying, “Oh Prophet of God, arise, the Lord sends you His Salams. ‘One of My servants is ill’, He will have you know. ‘Let My Beloved go and visit My servant for My sake, as for his own, and let him enquire about his well-being.’”
Immediately the Holy Prophet arose that his faithful companions wished to learn his intended destination. Muhammad mentioned the name of the house he was instructed to visit, and the companions rushed ahead to alert the people of that house of the blissful advent of the Holy Prophet , as was their habit and custom. When they gave the good tidings to the head of the household, he at once began to prepare to receive the Holy Prophet . He rose to meet him at his gate, saying, “Welcome to you, oh Prophet of Allah , what great honor and blessing you bring to my house!” The Holy Prophet however answered, saying, “No, it is not to you I have come. Where is Hilal?” His owner thereupon said, “I don’t know, oh Prophet of Allah. If you will permit, I will send someone to fetch him.” The Prophet said, “It is because of this, because you do not know where he is, that I will not enter your house. I have come here upon Divine Command. I know where Hilal is, open the door of the stable, there you will find him lying ill, and it is there that I will visit him!” The slave’s owner then said, “Oh Muhammad , by your leave, I will have him brought out of there so that you may visit him.” “No,” said the Prophet , “when it was time you should have concerned yourself with him and have had him brought out of there. Now it is too late for that, for I have been ordered to go and visit him where he is. So,
open the gates of the stable for me, quickly!”
The gate was opened. From his excessively high fever Hilal was quite beside himself. As soon the Holy Prophet entered the stable, Hilal came to and exclaimed, “Oh my Lord, where am I? I perceive the fragrance of Thy Beloved, it is the scent of Mercy that envelopes me!” and he sat upright and looked about.
The Holy Prophet said to him, “Oh Hilal, do not tire yourself, I have come to see you.” “Oh, Rasulullah ,” cried Hilal, “how could you come here, to this lowly place. By your leave, let me crawl outside the stable, and let me take your orders there.” “No, Hilal,” answered the Prophet , “do not move from your place. My Lord has commanded me, in the Name of the Lord of all Beings, and in my own name, to visit you right here, in this place where you stay.”
Then the Holy Prophet bent down and embraced Hilal and kissed him, and they both wept.
Now, back to the scene of the war council: Salman’s suggestion was accepted, and the Muslims began to make preparations for the defense of the city. The Holy Prophet together with Salman went to the site of the prospective trenches, and personally drew the demarcations of the ditches that were to be dug. Madinah was perilously exposed on the side facing Syria; all the other sides were made up of walled houses, which more or less formed one continuous city wall.
The Prophet ordered men to begin the digging of trenches in groups of ten at the exposed front, which meant that each man had to dig about one yard of ground. The women, children and the infirm were sent to the fortified areas of the city. The Holy Prophet himself participated in clearing away the earth, while he recited verses of poetry. Thereby he encouraged his companions to work with greater vigor and enthusiasm. The noble companions answered to this by saying, “Until our last breath we will continue to fight for your cause, oh Prophet of Allah !”
The Holy Prophet then made this supplication, “Oh Lord! Had You not guided us in Your Grace and Mercy, how sorry would have been our state! We would not have known about worship, nor would we have followed the path of guidance!”
Being experienced in the digging of such trenches, Salman ul-Farsi was able to do the work of ten men. There was, however, one trench in which a big boulder obstructed the digging, and no one could split it. Neither the strength of Salman,
nor the utensils the Sahaba employed made the slightest dent on this rock. It would neither budge from its place, nor could they split it at all. This incident was reported to Muhammad who smiled and went over to the site himself. “Give the pickaxe to me,” he said. Then he began invoking the Divine Name, repeating the words, “Bismillahir-rahmanir-rahim,” the Bismillah, which is the key to resolving all difficulties, and the fundamental tool of the Muslims. As soon as his pickaxe touched the unmovable stone, it slid from its place and broke up into pieces.
The words of the Bismillah were the tool wherewith the Holy Prophet performed the miracle of splitting the moon asunder, and whereby the fire of Nimrod was transformed into light. With them, Musa’s shepherds’ staff was invested with power, so that it could overthrow and obliterate Pharaoh’s claims to lordship.
Sparks flew under the blows of the Prophet as he wielded the pickaxe, and the rock broke up into three pieces. It was shown to Muhammad in a vision that Sham would soon fall under the domination of the Muslims, and he exclaimed, “Allahu Akbar! By Allah, at this moment I behold the red roofs of Damascus!” In this miracle he announced to the Sahaba that Sham would be given into Muslim hands before long.
A second blow of the axe, and in the flying sparks the Holy Prophet perceived that Yemen would be given to him. He announced to his Companions, “Now I see the gates of the city of Sanaa...”
At the third blow of the axe in the Name of Allah, the rock turned into salt and ice. The Holy Prophet again proclaimed Allah’s Greatness, “Allahu Akbar!” and said, “By Allah, I now behold the white houses of Mada’in belonging to the Khosroes. The arm-rings of Khosroes will be slipped onto Saraqa’s wrist.” He herewith manifested a plain visionary miracle.
Nowadays, fourteen centuries after the lifetime of this holy man, there are disrespectful people who - from spiritual poverty - claim that his revelations were due to what they assuredly refer to as “epileptic fits”, although they have never met the Prophet face to face. Let us then ask them a simple question: what kind of invalid is he, before whose strength even the hardiest of men showed deference, and before whose judgment all respectfully deferred their own opinions? As for those ill-fated miscreants who refuse to confirm him, they are unwittingly proven false by the tidings he brought. The Book, the Glorious Quran which is Muhammad’s teacher and which confirms that his judgments
will never be invalidated through the passage of time. More and more it is now being read in Western countries.
For centuries, millions of people have followed in his footsteps, not from pressure of power or money, or on account of organized propaganda campaigns. They remember his name five times a day, at the very least. How many historical celebrities were affected by the love of the blessed Prophet ! What manner of epileptic is he, who is honored and revered by so many mighty rulers, men of valorous exploits, as well as men of reason and excelling in intellect?
While digging the trenches, the Holy Prophet made this supplication for his Companions, the Noble Sahaba:
“Oh Lord, make them flourish in their eternal destinations!”
The trenches were completed within a period of two weeks. The enemy army was seen to be approaching. The Holy Prophet assembled and mustered the army of the believers in the Unity of Allah, and led them outside of the city, behind the hill of Sal’. There they stood arrayed, waiting to face the enemy. Although the tribesmen of the Bani Qurayza were still guarding their neutrality, the Holy Prophet knew very well that they were waiting for the first good opportunity, and in order to forestall any possible attack from their side, he sent Maslama bin Aslam to speak to them.
Prior to this, Huyayy bin Akhtab had made this request of the chief of the Bani Qurayza, Ka’b bin Asad: “We have here come together with Muhammad’s own clans people in order to shed his blood; do not let this good opportunity for erasing the notion of ‘Islam’ slip by!” To this Ka’b bin Asad replied, “I am fearful, for Muhammad is true to his word, and mindful of the treaty we have with him.” However, he was only looking for ways to break out of this agreement. In the end, Ka’b bin Asad was snared into breaking the treaty with Muhammad . The Muslims were informed of this development.
The Bani Qurayza had a guarantee of safety from the Bani ‘Aws. Therefore, Sa’d ibn Mu’adh, Sa’d bin ‘Ubada, Abdullah bin Rawaha and Khawwat bin Jubayr now went to the Bani Qurayza to warn them of the evil consequences of their breach of contract. But however much they tried to talk sense to them, they trusted more in the words of the idolaters, and refused to listen to these high- minded Sahaba. “We have no contract with this man Muhammad whom you call Rasulullah, the Messenger of God. We do not recognize any existing agreement with him,” they rejoined.
This made things even more critical for the Muslims, for the Bani Qurayza, being of Madinah, would be able to show the unbelievers beleaguering the city where lay the weak points of its defense. As for the hypocrites within, they too were increasingly active and gaining strength. The Holy Prophet said, “Let no mention be made of this the breach of contract by the Bani Qurayza in a way that might frighten the Muslims. Faith, Iman, makes all things crumble before it, and purity of intention, Ikhlas, obliterates all wickedness. Allah is the best of Protectors. He will suffice us, and the future belongs to the believers.”
In the Holy Quran this is referred to in these verses:
When they came against you from above you and from below you, and when your eyes swerved and your hearts reached your throats, while you thought thoughts about
God; there it was that the believers were tried, and shaken most mightily.
(The Confederates, 10)
The enemy then proceeded to attack, launching with full force a startling, all out assault. Again the destiny of Islam seemed to be endangered, and many eyes stared wildly in shock, many hearts throbbed in terror. Many thoughts crossed the minds of the Muslim soldiers, concerning Allah and what He had in store for them. This was a moment of great trial for the believers, in which they were severely shaken.
Beware, oh True Believer! Take full account of the meaning of this sacred verse, and remember that in this world of tribulation you are subject to trials at every moment!
The hypocrites were not able to stand the menace of this war in the way the true Muslim fighters did. One by one they came to the Holy Prophet with some form of excuse and requested permission to leave the battlefield, professing concern for their families and children. Allah Almighty informed His Holy Prophet of their true motivations for fleeing the battleground.
As they came face to face with the powerful army which had come to destroy the religion of Islam and its noble Prophet , the true believers - whose love belonged to Allah Almighty and whose sincere devotion was with their Prophet Muhammad - stood unwavering in their faith and their complete reliance on the wisdom of the Divine Decree, as transmitted to them by the Prophet of Allah
, and attested to their surrender in a way that stupefied those who had not yet
tasted the sweetness of true faith. “This is what Allah and the Holy Prophet have promised us, and assuredly Allah and His Prophet are true to their word,” they firmly spoke, thereby passing this very harsh test of faith.
The siege lasted a full twenty days. The Prophet’s companions frequently went without food for days. As the siege wore on, it increased in severity. The enemy made every attempt to cross the trenches, but did not succeed. The enemy troops tried to breach the trenches and enter the quarter of the women and children, the infirm and aged.
The Prophet himself appointed his commanders, and he himself undertook to defend the most dangerous parts of the front, thinking that perhaps the Ansar would be anxious about this development. Sa’d ibn ‘Ubada and Sa’d ibn Mu’adh of the Ansar heard of this, and they went to the Prophet Muhammad in order to reassure his noble concern, saying to him, “Oh Rasulullah, Beloved of the Lord! You have propounded to us Allah’s Will and have given us the benefaction of Islam! You are ever the pinnacle of our joy! The Ansar have no life of their own, all their lives belong to you - so have no worry for us!”
These words brought tears to the eyes of the Holy Prophet which were as windows to the Truth. He bowed down in prostration and prayed, “Oh Lord! Send Your Divine Support upon this small band of Muslims who believe in Your Unity! If it be Your Will, send against their foes an angelic army, or turn the elements of nature that follow Your Divine Command against the enemy. Fulfill Your Promise to me, however You choose to do it!” When he raised his head from his Sajda, he turned to his friends and said, “The enemy may do whatever he likes, the Lord Almighty is on our side!”
But the hypocrites realized the peril of the situation, and when they met a man whose faith was yet new and tender, they would say, “Muhammad has promised us the treasure troves of Khosroes, the gardens and pavilions of San’a, the mansions of Caesarea, did he not? Now we have for days endured this siege behind these trenches, as we have hitherto not experienced. Yet we have not taken even a single step toward the promised goal.” With words such as these they sowed poison seeds into the hearts of the newcomers.
The unbelievers changed the commander of their forces every day. Finally, with winter setting in, they grew tired of waiting and they were running out of fodder for their animals. Therefore, they decided on one final concerted effort, staging an all-out offensive in which different divisions attacked together in one general assault.
The first to break through the trenches on horseback was the famous Arab warrior ‘Amr ibn ‘Abdu Wudd, before whose strength everyone trembled. He was an old man of ninety who had been injured at Badr and who had sworn not to comb his hair until he had taken his revenge. Behind him came the brother of ‘Umar, Dirar ibn-al-Khattab, Hubayra bin Abi Wahb, and Ikrima ibn Abi Jahl, each one of whom was the equivalent of an army. Beating their horses to exert the utmost effort, they suddenly dashed through the trenches at their narrowest part. Abu Sufyan and Khalid ibn-ul Walid came to the edge of the trench to assist, but as they could not cross it, they contented themselves with being onlookers.
But ‘Amr ibn ‘Abdu Wudd dashed ahead of his companions on horseback, looking for the Holy Prophet and yelling all the while, “Where are you, who started all this business of ‘La ilaha illAllah’? Who wishes to destroy all inherited tradition by this claim of One God only, and resurrection after death? I have come and I am ready! I challenge you to send me a man who will fight me, send out one your fighters!”
The Holy Prophet looked at his men and asked, “Who will step forward and fight him?” Even though all the great Sahaba were assembled there, no one wanted to go out and meet this challenge, for this ruffian was known as a fierce warrior who was capable of single-handedly throwing a whole company in disarray. Therefore, all were hesitant to v
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ly, despite the millions of minarets that point heavenwards and resound, five times every day with the blessed name of Muhammad , carrying the echo as far as the Throne itself, despite the mention of this name through many centuries and its firm hold over
the hearts of hundreds of millions, there are people who are loath to admit the perfection of a moral ideal as incorporated by the Prophet Muhammad , and who therefore have construed out of a marriage that took place in the fifth year of the Hijra a fallacy with which they try to launch an attack on those whose hearts are sincerely devoted to the Holy Prophet . Therefore I wish to set forth this incident in full detail and I beg you to read and consider carefully what we relate.
Zayd, the freed slave and adopted son of the Holy Prophet , asked for the hand of the Prophet’s cousin Zaynab bint Jahsh in marriage. She was of noble parentage; on her father’s side she was descended from the Asadi tribe, on her mother’s side she was Hashimi, being the daughter of Umayma, who was Abdul- Muttalib’s daughter, the Holy Prophet’s aunt. The Prophet had always preached that not a grain of sand existed without the Will of Allah, and that he who excelled in pious reverence of the Lord and exhibited the most Compassion for His Creation was preferable to the Divine Presence. He now could not refuse Zayd’s request, although in the community, Zayd was nevertheless regarded as nothing but a freed slave, whereas he occupied a high station at the court of the Heavenly King. Knowing this very well for a fact, the Holy Prophet did not refuse Zayd’s request. Making Zaynab accept him as her social equal, he let Zaynab’s family know that it was his wish to marry her to Zayd, requesting them to make known to her this circumstance.
Zaynab was told of the Prophet’s wishes. Of course, she could not refuse his express wish, but there was something, of which she had not uttered a word to any soul. This concerned the love that she bore in her heart for the Holy Prophet
. Zaynab confided this to no one except to Allah Almighty, who is Lord over the hearts of men.{7}
Zaynab, who knew that love means ensuring the pleasure of the beloved, for fear of denying the Holy Messenger’s directive accepted the Prophet’s dispensation when he made known to her that he was giving her to Zayd. But Zaynab and her husband Zayd only managed to live peacefully with each other for one year.
Nevertheless, contrary to what is related in quite a number of books, Zaynab never once said to Zayd, “You were nothing but a slave, whereas I am the daughter of a noble family.” Only when Zaynab was by herself, she addressed herself to the Lord Almighty who hears the sighing of every anguished heart, and to him she confided her burning tears: “Oh Allah, the whole created universe turns between two of your fingers, that of Mercy and that of Wrath! Make it
possible for me to attain my beloved, let me be wed to him, oh my Lord!”
Finally, Allah Almighty accepted the prayer of her burning heart, and the voice of her fiery passion. Divine Agency decreed that Zayd was to divorce Zaynab and this decree was made known to the heart of Zayd, her husband. He came to the Holy Prophet and said, “Oh Rasulullah ! Zaynab has hardened against me and her words are harsh. Permit me to divorce her.” To this the Holy Prophet replied, “Hold your wife firmly!”
Then the Prophet received this revelation:
When thou saidst to him whom God had blessed and thou hadst favored, ‘Keep thy wife to thyself and fear God,’ and thou wast concealing within thyself what God should reveal, fearing other men; and God has better right for thee to fear Him. So when Zayd has accomplished what he would of her, then We give her in marriage to thee, so that there should not be any fault in the believers, touching the wives of their adopted sons, when they have accomplished what they would of them; and God’s commandment must be performed.
(The Confederates, 37)
This Divine Command needs some further elucidation. “You have kept secret a matter, which I (the Divine Person) would disclose, for the sake of your people, lest they might reproach you for marrying the divorced wife of your adopted son. You thought they might criticize you for that and thereby risk loss of their faith. When Zayd came to you complaining of Zaynab, you said to him, “Keep your wife to yourself and fear God!” Whereas there was nothing in this matter that was to be feared before God, it was only your feeling for your people that they might not be led to reproach you for this action and from there fall into doubts and disbelief. But God has greater right to be feared than mankind. When the time had come for Zayd to sever his connection with his wife Zaynab, while you were shy of the talk of the people, We charged you with openly making known the state of the affair and to inform that there is no blame on the believers in marrying the divorced wives of their adopted sons, once they have dismissed them charitably.”
Oh Seeker after Truth! This incident was one of the greatest trials for the Holy Prophet , for which he suffered benevolent reproach from his Lord, which turned into great mercy for his people.
In the end, Zaynab’s prayer found acceptance with the Almighty Lord, and the divorce from Zayd took place. Zaynab returned to her parents’ house. Her people
were very hurt by this and only when the Holy Prophet took Zaynab into wedlock was their grief dispelled. Actually, Zaynab had only accepted to marry Zayd so as not to spurn the Prophet’s bidding. Now the time had come when her fervent prayers to Allah Almighty were to be answered and she was to attain her utmost delight. As has been set forth in the holy verses mentioned above, Zaynab was duly married to the Holy Prophet and became one of the Mothers of the Faithful.
The Battle of the Trench
As mentioned before, the unbelievers were trying to raise a united force of all the important Arabian tribes against the Prophet Muhammad . In particular, the tribes of the Bani Nadir and Bani Qaynuqa who had been exiled from Madinah on account of their assassination attempt on the Holy Prophet did not cease working against Islam and trying to harm the Pride of the Worlds .
These dangerous enemies met at Khaybar, which became a nest of intrigue and mischief making. The heads of the unbelievers, such as Sallam ibn Abi-l- Huqayq, Huyayy ibn Akhtab, and Kinana bin Abi-l-Huqayq went to Mecca and conspired with the chiefs of Quraysh. They came with a suggestion, which was more than welcome to the Quraysh and which met with enthusiastic approval.
They said, “There is only one means left to us in order to eliminate Muhammad
, and that is to march on Madinah with combined forces. What do you say to that?” The chiefs of the Quraysh replied, “Whatever is necessary and required, we are ready to do it.”
The chiefs of Bani Nadir then went to Ghatafan and told them of their plan to strike out against Muhammad , and elicited their support, promising them half of the revenues of Khaybar, should they agree to be their accomplices in the struggle against Muhammad . They also made the Bani Asad who were allies of the Ghatafan participate in this campaign. The Bani Sulaym were related to the Quraysh by blood-ties, hence they too were obliged to join.
The leaders of the Quraysh gathered at Dar-un-Nadwa. They decided to oppose the Prophet of Allah , who preached the religion of Allah and proclaimed the unlawfulness of idol worship and the principles of justice and honor. They declared war against Muhammad whose pure heart beat with compassion for all of creation. The fortunes of Islam were to be assailed by grave danger. A force of thirty thousand men now stood assembled against the band of believers.
It was in the fifth year of the Hijra in the month of Dhul-Qa’da that the enemies
of God marched against the Muslims. The Quraysh army comprised four thousand men and fifteen hundred camels. The standard-bearer was ‘Uthman, the son of Abu Talha. At a place named Marr-al-Zahran the army coming from Mecca joined forces with the contingent of Ghatafan coming from the Najd under the command of the chief of the Bani Fazara, Uyayna bin Hisn. The leader of the Bani Murra, Harith ibn ‘Awf joined them there as well. The army of the Bani Asad under the command of Talha, and that of the Bani Sulaym and the tribes of Ashja’ had united their forces and came to meet the army. The army of the Arabs thus consisted of three divisions: firstly, the division of Ghatafan fighters under the command of the famous leader Uyayna ibn Hisn; secondly, the Bani Asad under command of Talha; thirdly, a troop of tribesmen allied to the Quraysh. The army’s supreme commander was Abu Sufyan.
When Muhammad heard of these war preparations, he gathered all his Companions to discuss how they should meet such a tremendous force. Salman al-Farsi was familiar with tactics of war from his country of origin. He spoke up at the gathering, saying, “Oh Prophet of Allah , if you permit, I will set forth how we ought to proceed in this battle. This time we are the defenders of our city, and in defensive warfare trenches have been used with great success. Therefore, we should dig trenches all around the city of Madinah.” Salman’s suggestion met with approval and he was made general commander in the Battle of the Trench.
Oh Traveler on the Road to Truth! Since the name of Salman al-Farsi has been mentioned, I cannot pass on without adding a few words about this noble personage. Salman was of Persian origin and had set out on the search for Truth at a tender age, when hardly more than a boy. In this cause he left his homeland and searched far and wide for a teacher to lead him to his goal. He came in contact with a number of Christian ascetics and holy men, and he learned from them about the anticipated coming of a new prophet. By the time Islam was revealed, Salman had fallen into slavery and was working for his master at Madinah. It was there that he found what he had been seeking. He met the Holy Prophet and was drowned in the love of him. Later he experienced the rare distinction of being granted this special privilege by the Holy Prophet ; he reached a rank and a station higher than we can imagine, in that he was singled out in the Holy Prophet’s utterance:
“Salman is of my household.”
How lofty a station, how elevated a delight, to be raised to the station of a member of the Prophet’s household, a truly majestic gift! May the Almighty
grant him his intercession, Amin.
The following event served as occasion for this utterance of the Prophet Muhammad :
A verbal controversy had arisen between Salman al-Farsi and one of the noble companions of the Prophet , on account of which the companion was somewhat hurt and offended. Some time later, this companion challenged Salman before a gathering of the companions with the intention of shaming him before them. He began asking all those present about their family tree and lineage. For it was one of the characteristics of the Arabs of the Jahiliyya (the Age of Ignorance, the time before the revelation of Islam) to take great pride in their lineage and they competed with each other in noble descent. After the revelation of Islam, however, this custom was renounced, and preference and rank was attributed to him who excelled not through noble descent, but through piety. As set forth in this holy verse,
Surely the noblest among you in the sight of God is the most godfearing of you. God is All-Knowing, All-Aware. (The Apartments, 13)
That is to say, Allah Almighty gives preference to him who excels in pious veneration and awe of the Lord and who shows the most mercy and compassion towards Allah’s creatures.
As they were all recounting their lines of descent and the greatness and importance of their fathers and forefathers, they would ask, “How do they call you, what is your patronymic?” The question was put to ‘Umar who answered:
“I am ‘Umar, the son of al-Khattab!”
Salman al-Farsi sat there, his head bowed, his eyes damp with tears, his heart filled with tenderness. “They call me ‘Child of Islam’,” he answered, thereby demonstrating how faith had taken possession of all aspects of his life. When those present heard these words, it was as if fire fell into their hearts and they repented of their talk and their tactless questioning, and the questioner began to weep.
The Guardian of the Holy Law, ‘Umar, then said, “Let none of us ever ask such unsuitable questions again. Should Salman ever have to repeat his answer to this question, we shall all of us burn.” The other companion turned to Salman and pleaded with him to forgive the questioner.
When word of this reached the Holy Prophet , he called his companions and
said to them, “Salman is of the people of my household,” and Salman was henceforth known as belonging to the company of Muhammad .
Oh you who travel the Road to Truth! As we delve into the source of Islam, we find that among all the noble companions who traveled on the high road of Islamic teaching and under the shadow of Heavenly Ascent, the group traveling at the greatest speed were always the slaves. This is because their worldly fortunes were so discouraging, they were forlorn strangers in this world of semblance, and they were of the broken-hearted.
Allah Almighty has proclaimed:
“Verily, I dwell in the hearts of the broken-hearted.”
Now, among the noble Companions of the Prophet who were with Salman al- Farsi there was one named Hilal. This companion was the slave and the groom of a rich man, who was also a companion of the Prophet . One day this honored companion fell ill and was laid low with a raging fever. The angel Jibra’il came to the Prophet Muhammad with a message from Allah Almighty, saying, “Oh Prophet of God, arise, the Lord sends you His Salams. ‘One of My servants is ill’, He will have you know. ‘Let My Beloved go and visit My servant for My sake, as for his own, and let him enquire about his well-being.’”
Immediately the Holy Prophet arose that his faithful companions wished to learn his intended destination. Muhammad mentioned the name of the house he was instructed to visit, and the companions rushed ahead to alert the people of that house of the blissful advent of the Holy Prophet , as was their habit and custom. When they gave the good tidings to the head of the household, he at once began to prepare to receive the Holy Prophet . He rose to meet him at his gate, saying, “Welcome to you, oh Prophet of Allah , what great honor and blessing you bring to my house!” The Holy Prophet however answered, saying, “No, it is not to you I have come. Where is Hilal?” His owner thereupon said, “I don’t know, oh Prophet of Allah. If you will permit, I will send someone to fetch him.” The Prophet said, “It is because of this, because you do not know where he is, that I will not enter your house. I have come here upon Divine Command. I know where Hilal is, open the door of the stable, there you will find him lying ill, and it is there that I will visit him!” The slave’s owner then said, “Oh Muhammad , by your leave, I will have him brought out of there so that you may visit him.” “No,” said the Prophet , “when it was time you should have concerned yourself with him and have had him brought out of there. Now it is too late for that, for I have been ordered to go and visit him where he is. So,
open the gates of the stable for me, quickly!”
The gate was opened. From his excessively high fever Hilal was quite beside himself. As soon the Holy Prophet entered the stable, Hilal came to and exclaimed, “Oh my Lord, where am I? I perceive the fragrance of Thy Beloved, it is the scent of Mercy that envelopes me!” and he sat upright and looked about.
The Holy Prophet said to him, “Oh Hilal, do not tire yourself, I have come to see you.” “Oh, Rasulullah ,” cried Hilal, “how could you come here, to this lowly place. By your leave, let me crawl outside the stable, and let me take your orders there.” “No, Hilal,” answered the Prophet , “do not move from your place. My Lord has commanded me, in the Name of the Lord of all Beings, and in my own name, to visit you right here, in this place where you stay.”
Then the Holy Prophet bent down and embraced Hilal and kissed him, and they both wept.
Now, back to the scene of the war council: Salman’s suggestion was accepted, and the Muslims began to make preparations for the defense of the city. The Holy Prophet together with Salman went to the site of the prospective trenches, and personally drew the demarcations of the ditches that were to be dug. Madinah was perilously exposed on the side facing Syria; all the other sides were made up of walled houses, which more or less formed one continuous city wall.
The Prophet ordered men to begin the digging of trenches in groups of ten at the exposed front, which meant that each man had to dig about one yard of ground. The women, children and the infirm were sent to the fortified areas of the city. The Holy Prophet himself participated in clearing away the earth, while he recited verses of poetry. Thereby he encouraged his companions to work with greater vigor and enthusiasm. The noble companions answered to this by saying, “Until our last breath we will continue to fight for your cause, oh Prophet of Allah !”
The Holy Prophet then made this supplication, “Oh Lord! Had You not guided us in Your Grace and Mercy, how sorry would have been our state! We would not have known about worship, nor would we have followed the path of guidance!”
Being experienced in the digging of such trenches, Salman ul-Farsi was able to do the work of ten men. There was, however, one trench in which a big boulder obstructed the digging, and no one could split it. Neither the strength of Salman,
nor the utensils the Sahaba employed made the slightest dent on this rock. It would neither budge from its place, nor could they split it at all. This incident was reported to Muhammad who smiled and went over to the site himself. “Give the pickaxe to me,” he said. Then he began invoking the Divine Name, repeating the words, “Bismillahir-rahmanir-rahim,” the Bismillah, which is the key to resolving all difficulties, and the fundamental tool of the Muslims. As soon as his pickaxe touched the unmovable stone, it slid from its place and broke up into pieces.
The words of the Bismillah were the tool wherewith the Holy Prophet performed the miracle of splitting the moon asunder, and whereby the fire of Nimrod was transformed into light. With them, Musa’s shepherds’ staff was invested with power, so that it could overthrow and obliterate Pharaoh’s claims to lordship.
Sparks flew under the blows of the Prophet as he wielded the pickaxe, and the rock broke up into three pieces. It was shown to Muhammad in a vision that Sham would soon fall under the domination of the Muslims, and he exclaimed, “Allahu Akbar! By Allah, at this moment I behold the red roofs of Damascus!” In this miracle he announced to the Sahaba that Sham would be given into Muslim hands before long.
A second blow of the axe, and in the flying sparks the Holy Prophet perceived that Yemen would be given to him. He announced to his Companions, “Now I see the gates of the city of Sanaa...”
At the third blow of the axe in the Name of Allah, the rock turned into salt and ice. The Holy Prophet again proclaimed Allah’s Greatness, “Allahu Akbar!” and said, “By Allah, I now behold the white houses of Mada’in belonging to the Khosroes. The arm-rings of Khosroes will be slipped onto Saraqa’s wrist.” He herewith manifested a plain visionary miracle.
Nowadays, fourteen centuries after the lifetime of this holy man, there are disrespectful people who - from spiritual poverty - claim that his revelations were due to what they assuredly refer to as “epileptic fits”, although they have never met the Prophet face to face. Let us then ask them a simple question: what kind of invalid is he, before whose strength even the hardiest of men showed deference, and before whose judgment all respectfully deferred their own opinions? As for those ill-fated miscreants who refuse to confirm him, they are unwittingly proven false by the tidings he brought. The Book, the Glorious Quran which is Muhammad’s teacher and which confirms that his judgments
will never be invalidated through the passage of time. More and more it is now being read in Western countries.
For centuries, millions of people have followed in his footsteps, not from pressure of power or money, or on account of organized propaganda campaigns. They remember his name five times a day, at the very least. How many historical celebrities were affected by the love of the blessed Prophet ! What manner of epileptic is he, who is honored and revered by so many mighty rulers, men of valorous exploits, as well as men of reason and excelling in intellect?
While digging the trenches, the Holy Prophet made this supplication for his Companions, the Noble Sahaba:
“Oh Lord, make them flourish in their eternal destinations!”
The trenches were completed within a period of two weeks. The enemy army was seen to be approaching. The Holy Prophet assembled and mustered the army of the believers in the Unity of Allah, and led them outside of the city, behind the hill of Sal’. There they stood arrayed, waiting to face the enemy. Although the tribesmen of the Bani Qurayza were still guarding their neutrality, the Holy Prophet knew very well that they were waiting for the first good opportunity, and in order to forestall any possible attack from their side, he sent Maslama bin Aslam to speak to them.
Prior to this, Huyayy bin Akhtab had made this request of the chief of the Bani Qurayza, Ka’b bin Asad: “We have here come together with Muhammad’s own clans people in order to shed his blood; do not let this good opportunity for erasing the notion of ‘Islam’ slip by!” To this Ka’b bin Asad replied, “I am fearful, for Muhammad is true to his word, and mindful of the treaty we have with him.” However, he was only looking for ways to break out of this agreement. In the end, Ka’b bin Asad was snared into breaking the treaty with Muhammad . The Muslims were informed of this development.
The Bani Qurayza had a guarantee of safety from the Bani ‘Aws. Therefore, Sa’d ibn Mu’adh, Sa’d bin ‘Ubada, Abdullah bin Rawaha and Khawwat bin Jubayr now went to the Bani Qurayza to warn them of the evil consequences of their breach of contract. But however much they tried to talk sense to them, they trusted more in the words of the idolaters, and refused to listen to these high- minded Sahaba. “We have no contract with this man Muhammad whom you call Rasulullah, the Messenger of God. We do not recognize any existing agreement with him,” they rejoined.
This made things even more critical for the Muslims, for the Bani Qurayza, being of Madinah, would be able to show the unbelievers beleaguering the city where lay the weak points of its defense. As for the hypocrites within, they too were increasingly active and gaining strength. The Holy Prophet said, “Let no mention be made of this the breach of contract by the Bani Qurayza in a way that might frighten the Muslims. Faith, Iman, makes all things crumble before it, and purity of intention, Ikhlas, obliterates all wickedness. Allah is the best of Protectors. He will suffice us, and the future belongs to the believers.”
In the Holy Quran this is referred to in these verses:
When they came against you from above you and from below you, and when your eyes swerved and your hearts reached your throats, while you thought thoughts about
God; there it was that the believers were tried, and shaken most mightily.
(The Confederates, 10)
The enemy then proceeded to attack, launching with full force a startling, all out assault. Again the destiny of Islam seemed to be endangered, and many eyes stared wildly in shock, many hearts throbbed in terror. Many thoughts crossed the minds of the Muslim soldiers, concerning Allah and what He had in store for them. This was a moment of great trial for the believers, in which they were severely shaken.
Beware, oh True Believer! Take full account of the meaning of this sacred verse, and remember that in this world of tribulation you are subject to trials at every moment!
The hypocrites were not able to stand the menace of this war in the way the true Muslim fighters did. One by one they came to the Holy Prophet with some form of excuse and requested permission to leave the battlefield, professing concern for their families and children. Allah Almighty informed His Holy Prophet of their true motivations for fleeing the battleground.
As they came face to face with the powerful army which had come to destroy the religion of Islam and its noble Prophet , the true believers - whose love belonged to Allah Almighty and whose sincere devotion was with their Prophet Muhammad - stood unwavering in their faith and their complete reliance on the wisdom of the Divine Decree, as transmitted to them by the Prophet of Allah
, and attested to their surrender in a way that stupefied those who had not yet
tasted the sweetness of true faith. “This is what Allah and the Holy Prophet have promised us, and assuredly Allah and His Prophet are true to their word,” they firmly spoke, thereby passing this very harsh test of faith.
The siege lasted a full twenty days. The Prophet’s companions frequently went without food for days. As the siege wore on, it increased in severity. The enemy made every attempt to cross the trenches, but did not succeed. The enemy troops tried to breach the trenches and enter the quarter of the women and children, the infirm and aged.
The Prophet himself appointed his commanders, and he himself undertook to defend the most dangerous parts of the front, thinking that perhaps the Ansar would be anxious about this development. Sa’d ibn ‘Ubada and Sa’d ibn Mu’adh of the Ansar heard of this, and they went to the Prophet Muhammad in order to reassure his noble concern, saying to him, “Oh Rasulullah, Beloved of the Lord! You have propounded to us Allah’s Will and have given us the benefaction of Islam! You are ever the pinnacle of our joy! The Ansar have no life of their own, all their lives belong to you - so have no worry for us!”
These words brought tears to the eyes of the Holy Prophet which were as windows to the Truth. He bowed down in prostration and prayed, “Oh Lord! Send Your Divine Support upon this small band of Muslims who believe in Your Unity! If it be Your Will, send against their foes an angelic army, or turn the elements of nature that follow Your Divine Command against the enemy. Fulfill Your Promise to me, however You choose to do it!” When he raised his head from his Sajda, he turned to his friends and said, “The enemy may do whatever he likes, the Lord Almighty is on our side!”
But the hypocrites realized the peril of the situation, and when they met a man whose faith was yet new and tender, they would say, “Muhammad has promised us the treasure troves of Khosroes, the gardens and pavilions of San’a, the mansions of Caesarea, did he not? Now we have for days endured this siege behind these trenches, as we have hitherto not experienced. Yet we have not taken even a single step toward the promised goal.” With words such as these they sowed poison seeds into the hearts of the newcomers.
The unbelievers changed the commander of their forces every day. Finally, with winter setting in, they grew tired of waiting and they were running out of fodder for their animals. Therefore, they decided on one final concerted effort, staging an all-out offensive in which different divisions attacked together in one general assault.
The first to break through the trenches on horseback was the famous Arab warrior ‘Amr ibn ‘Abdu Wudd, before whose strength everyone trembled. He was an old man of ninety who had been injured at Badr and who had sworn not to comb his hair until he had taken his revenge. Behind him came the brother of ‘Umar, Dirar ibn-al-Khattab, Hubayra bin Abi Wahb, and Ikrima ibn Abi Jahl, each one of whom was the equivalent of an army. Beating their horses to exert the utmost effort, they suddenly dashed through the trenches at their narrowest part. Abu Sufyan and Khalid ibn-ul Walid came to the edge of the trench to assist, but as they could not cross it, they contented themselves with being onlookers.
But ‘Amr ibn ‘Abdu Wudd dashed ahead of his companions on horseback, looking for the Holy Prophet and yelling all the while, “Where are you, who started all this business of ‘La ilaha illAllah’? Who wishes to destroy all inherited tradition by this claim of One God only, and resurrection after death? I have come and I am ready! I challenge you to send me a man who will fight me, send out one your fighters!”
The Holy Prophet looked at his men and asked, “Who will step forward and fight him?” Even though all the great Sahaba were assembled there, no one wanted to go out and meet this challenge, for this ruffian was known as a fierce warrior who was capable of single-handedly throwing a whole company in disarray. Therefore, all were hesitant to v
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