VOL 8.2

6

The

Events of the Year

5

(June 2, 626-May 22, 627)

Muhammad’s Marriage to Zaynab bt. Jahsh

In this year the Messenger of God married Zaynab bt. Jahsh . 1

According to Muhammad b. 'Umar [al-Waqidl] 2 — 'Abdallah b.

'Amir al-Aslami 3 — Muhammad b. Yahya b. Habban , 4 who said:

1. Zaynab was the daughter of Muhammad's paternal aunt Umaymah bt. 'Abd

al-Mutfalib and Jahsh b. Ri'hb, a member of the tribe of Asad b. Khuzaymah, who

had settled in Mecca and become a confederate of the Banu Umayyah of the 'Abd Shams clan of Quraysh. Muhammad had arranged her marriage to his freedman and adopted son, Zayd b. Harithah. Cf . El 1 , s.v. Zainab bint Djahsh; Lings, Muhammad, 40; Stowasser, Women in the Qur’an, Traditions, and Interpretation, 87-89.

2. Muhammad b. 'Umaral-Waqidi(b. 130/747 in Medina, d. 207/823 in Baghdad)

was a major historian and author of Kitab al-maghdzi on the military campaigns of the Prophet. See GAS, I, 294-97.

3. 'Abdallah b. 'Amir al-Aslami Abu 'Amir al-Madani was a traditionist who

died in Medina in 150/767-68 or 151/768. As a transmitter of hadith he was

considered "weak." See Ibn tfajar, Tahdhlb, V, 275-76.

4. Muhammad b. Yahya b. Habban al- An$ari al-Mazini was a scholar who taught

in Medina. He died in 121/738-39 at the age of seventy-four. See Ibn Ha jar, Tah-

dhib, IX, 507-8.

[1460]

2

The Victory of Islam

The Messenger of God came to the house of Zayd b. Harithah. 5

(Zayd was always called Zayd b. Muhammad.) Perhaps the Messenger

of God missed him at that moment, so as to ask, "Where is

Zayd?" He came to his residence to look for him but did not find

him. Zaynab bt. Jahsh, Zayd's wife, rose to meet him. Because she

was dressed only in a shift, the Messenger of God turned away

from her. She said: "He is not here, Messenger of God. Come in,

you who are as dear to me as my father and mother!" The Messenger

of God refused to enter. Zaynab had dressed in haste when

she was told "the Messenger of God is at the door." She jumped up

in haste and excited the admiration of the Messenger of God, so

that he turned away murmuring something that could scarcely be

understood. However, he did say overtly: "Glory be to God the

Almighty! Glory be to God, who causes hearts to turn!"

When Zayd came home, his wife told him that the Messenger of

God had come to his house. Zayd said, "Why didn't you ask him to

come in?" She replied, "I asked him, but he refused." "Did you

hear him say anything?" he asked. She replied, "As he turned

away, I heard him say: 'Glory be to God the Almighty! Glory be to

God, who causes hearts to turn!'"

So Zayd left, and, having come to the Messenger of God, he said:

"Messenger of God, I have heard that you came to my house. Why

didn't you go in, you who are as dear to me as my father and

mother? Messenger of God, perhaps Zaynab has excited your admiration,

and so I will separate myself from her." The Messenger

of God said, "Keep your wife to yourself." Zayd could find no

possible way to [approach] her after that day. He would come to

the Messenger of God and tell him so, but the Messenger of God

5. Zayd b. Harithah was brought to Mecca as a slave by a nephew of Muhammad's first wife, Khadljah. The nephew sold Zayd to Khadijah, who gave him to Muhammad before the beginning of his calling as a prophet. Although Zayd's father later came to Mecca to free his son, Zayd refused to leave Muhammad, who subsequently freed him and adopted him. Zayd came to be known thereafter as Zayd b. Muhammad. He was a very early convert to Islam and emigrant to Medina; fought at Badr, Uhud, and the Trench; was present at al-Hudaybiyah; and commanded several expeditions. He died as one of the commanders of the expedition to Mu’tah in a.h. 8 . See EI l , s.v. Zayd b. Harithah.

The Events of the Year 5

3

would say to him, "Keep your wife." Zayd separated from her and

left her, and she became free. 6

While the Messenger of God was talking with 'A’ishah, 7 a fainting

8 overcame him. When he was released from it, he smiled and

said, "Who will go to Zaynab to tell her the good news, saying that

God has married her to me?" Then the Messenger of God recited:

"And when you said unto him on whom God has conferred favor

and you have conferred favor, 'Keep your wife to yourself . . —

and the entire passage. 9

According to 'A’ishah, who said: "I became very uneasy because

of what we heard about her beauty and another thing, the greatest

and loftiest of matters — what God had done for her by giving her

in marriage. I said that she would boast of it over us."

According to A’ishah, who said: "Salma, the maidservant of the

Messenger of God, went out to inform Zaynab of this, and

[Zaynab] gave [Salma] some anklets that she was wearing." 10

6. Sc. from any impediment to marriage. Ordinarily this implied abstinence

from conjugal relations with the former husband for a time i'iddah) long enough to establish that the woman was not pregnant by him, thereby removing any uncertainty about the paternity of any future children. The passage implies that Zayd divorced Zaynab.

7. The marriage of Muhammad to Abu Bakr's daughter 'A’ishah was arranged

after the death of Khadljah and three years before the emigration to Medina.

'A’ishah was only six years old at the time, and the marriage was not consummated until seven or eight months after the Hijrah, when 'A’ishah was about ten years old |v. al-Tabari, I, n6xj. She was very beautiful and remained Muhammad's favorite wife. See EP-, s.v. 'A’ishah bt. Abi Bakr; Abbott, Aishah the Beloved of Muhammad/ and Spellberg, Politics, Gender, and the Islamic Past.

8. Arabic ghashyah, a swoon or fainting spell; literally "a covering": here signifying an episode of revelation {wafty). See EI l , s.v. wahy, for a description of such episodes.

9. Qur’an 33:37. The verse continues: . . and fear God.' And you did hide in

your mind that which God was to bring to light, and you did fear mankind whereas G6d had a better right that you should fear Him. So when Zayd had performed the necessary formality [of divorce) from her, We gave her unto you in marriage, so that [henceforth) there may be no sin for believers in respect of wives of their adopted sons, when the latter have performed the necessary formality |of release) from them. The commandment of God must be fulfilled." Cf. the commentary on the passage in al-Tabari, Jimp al-bayan, XXII, 10-n.

10. The pronouns in the Arabic are ambiguous regarding who gave whom the

anklets. My translation is suggested by a similar incident at p. 109, below, where

another prospective bride of the Prophet gives the bearer of the good news a gift out of joy.

4

The Victory of Islam

According to Yunus b. 'Abd al-A'la 11 — Ibn Wahb 12 — Ibn

Zayd, 13 who said: The Messenger of God had married Zayd b.

Harithah to Zaynab bt. Jahsh, his paternal aunt's daughter. One

day the Messenger of God went out looking for Zayd. Now there

was a covering of haircloth over the doorway, but the wind had

lifted the covering so that the doorway was uncovered. Zaynab

was in her chamber, undressed, and admiration for her entered the

heart of the Prophet. After that happened, she was made unattractive

to the other man. 14 So he came and said, "Messenger of God, I

want to separate myself from my companion." Muhammad asked:

"What is wrong? Has anything on her part disquieted you?" "No,

by God," replied Zayd, "nothing she has done has disquieted me,

Messenger of God, nor have I seen anything but good." The Messenger

of God said to him, "Keep your wife to yourself, and fear

God." That is [the meaning of] the Word of God: 15 "And when you

said unto him on whom God has conferred favor and you have

conferred favor, 'Keep your wife to yourself, and fear God.' And

you did hide in your mind that which God was to bring to light."

You did hide in your mind [the thought] that "if he separates

himself from her, I will marry her."

The Expedition to Dumat al-Jandal and Other Events

According to al-Waqidi: In this year he mounted an expedition

 against Dumat al-Jandal 16 in the month of Rabi* I. 17 The reason for

it was that word reached the Messenger of God that a host had

assembled there and had approached his territories; so the Messenger

of God mounted an expedition against them and reached

Dumat al-Jandal, but he had no clash with the enemy. He left Siba'

b. 'Urfutah al-Ghifari in charge of Medina.

11. Yunus b. 'Abd al-A’la was bom in 170/787 and died in 264/877. He was

Egypt's leading scholar in the fields of ljadith and Qur’an reading. Al-Tabari studied with him in Egypt. See GAS, I, 38 (which identifies this isndd as pointing to a Qur’an commentary by 'Abd al-Rabman b. Zayd b. Aslam); and F. Rosenthal, in "General Introduction," 27.

12. 'Abdallah b. Wahb b. Muslim al-Fihri al-Qurashi was bom in Egypt in

125/743 and died in 197/812. He was a traditionist, Qur’in commentator, and

jurist, and was a student of Malik b. Anas. See GAS, I, 466.

13. 'Abd al-Rabman b. Zayd b. Aslam al-'AdawI of Medina (d. 182/798I was

known primarily as a Qur’an commentator. See Ibn H*i ar < Tahdhib, VI, 177-78;

GAS, I, 38.

14. I.e., God caused her to become unattractive to her husband Zayd. Cf. Stow-

asser, Women in the Qur’an, Traditions, and Interpretation, 88.

15. Qur’an 33:37.

16. Dumat al-Jandal is an oasis in northern Arabia at the head of Widl Sirhan. It

was inhabited by the Bani Kinanah subtribe of the Banu Kalb, plus some Christian

Arabs. The present town of al-Jawf is on the site. See EP-, s.v. Dumat al-Djandal.

17. Rabi' I of a.h. 5 began on 31 July 626. Parallels: IH, III, 213 (tr. Guillaume,

449h W, I, 402-4 (fuller version).

The Events of the Year 5

5

According to Abu Ja'far [al-Tabari]: In this year the Messenger of

God made a truce with 'Uyaynah b. Hi§n 18 that the latter might

pasture his herds in Taghlaman and its vicinity.

According to Muhammad b. 'Umar [al-Waqidl] — Ibrahim b.

Ja'far — his father [Ja'far b. Mahmud]: 19 This was because 'Uyaynah's

lands became affected by drought. The Messenger of God

therefore made a truce, so that 'Uyaynah might pasture his herds

in Taghlaman as far as al-Marad. 20 The land there had become

lush with pasturage because of a rain cloud that had arrived. The

Messenger of God made a truce with him that he might pasture

his herds there.

According to al-Waqidl: In this year the mother of Sa'd b.

'Ubadah 21 died while Sa'd was journeying with the Messenger of

God to Dumat al-Jandal.

The Battle of the Trench

In this year the battle of the Messenger of God at the trench took

place in the month of Shawwal, 22 according to Ibn Humayd 23 —

18. 'Uyaynah b. Hi$n b. Hudhayfah was leader of the Banu Fazarah subdivision

of the tribe of Dhubyan (itself part of Ghafafan). See Watt, Muhammad at Medina, 91-92; and El 2 , s.v. Fazara.

19. Parallel: W, II, 5 52. Ibrahim b. Ja'far b. Mahmud b. Muhammad b. Maslamah

al-An?ari al-Harithi was a frequent informant of al-Waqidi, providing information

from his father. See Ibn Hajar, Tahdhib, n, 106.

20. Al-Mara<j was about 36 Arab miles from Medina, in the area of al-faraf

(present-day al-$uwaydirah) on the road to Iraq, according to al-Samhudi, Khula$at al-wafa', 578-79, 604.

2 1 . Sa'd b. 'Ubadah of the Banu Sa'idah clan was a leader of the tribe of al-Khazraj of Medina. See also Ibn Hajar, Tahdhib, III, 475-76.

22. Shawwal of A.H. 5 began on 23 February 627. For general background, the

article Khandak in EP by W. Montgomery Watt may be consulted, as well as

Hamidullah, The Battlefields of the Prophet Muhammad, 29-36.

23. Muhammad b. Humayd b. Hayyan al-Razl al-Tamimi died in al-Rayy in

248/862. See Ibn Uajar, Tahdhib, IX, 127-31; al-Khajib al-Baghdadi, Ta’rikh

Baghdad, II, 259-64.

6

The Victory of Islam

Salamah 24 — Ibn Ishaq. 25 What brought on the battle of the Mes-

senger of God at the trench, according to what has been reported,

was what happened because of the expulsion of the Banu al-Nadir

from their settlements by the Messenger of God. 26

According to Ibn Humayd— Salamah— Muhammad b. Ishaq—

Yazld b. Ruman 27 (a mawla of the family of al-Zubayr) — 'Urwah

b. al-Zubayr; 28 and [according to) someone whom I do not doubt —

'Ubaydallah b. Ka'b b. Malik, 29 al-Zuhri, 30 'A§im b. 'Umar b. Qatadah, 31 'Abdallah b. Abi Bakr b. Muhammad b. *Amr b. Hazm, 32

Muhammad b. Ka'b al-Qurazi, 33 and others of our learned men

24. Salamah b. al-Fa<Jl al-An$3ri died in 191/806. See Ibn Hajar, Tdhdhib, IV,

153-54.

25. Muhammad b. Ishaq b. Yas3r, bom in Medina ca. 85/207, died in Baghdad in

150/767, was the most influential of the early biographers of the Prophet. His

Kitab al-maghazi, in its recension by Ibn Hishim, d. 218/834, generally known as

Shat Rasul Allah, or simply the Shah, became the standard treatment of the

events of the Prophet's life. See El 2 , s.v. Ibn Ishakj Guillaume, The Life of Muhammad (tr. of Ibn Hisham's Sirah), pp. xiii-xli, GAS, I, 288-90.

26. For the expulsion of the Jewish tribe of Banu al-Nadir in the previous year,

see al-Tabari, I, 1448-53. The tribe had left for Khaybar and Syria to the north,

forfeiting their property in Medina. See El 2 , s.v. Nadir, Banu 1*.

27. Yazld b. Ruman al-Asadi (d. 1 30/747) was a mawla (a client, i.e., a freed slave

or a person of non-Arab origin) of the al-Zubayr family and author of a book about the Prophet's campaigns. See Ibn Hajar, Tahdhib, XI, 325; GAS, I, 284.

28. ’Urwah b. al-Zubayr b. al-’Awwam al-Asadi (b. between 23/643 and 29/649,

d. 94/712-13) was the son of a prominent companion of the Prophet and the

younger brother of ’Abdallah b. al-Zubayr, whose challenge to the caliphate of the Umayyads ended with his death in 73/692. He became one of the most respected authorities of Medina on traditions and early Islamic history. See Ibn Hajar, Tahdhib, VII, i8o-8s, GAS, I, 278-79; Duri, Rise of Historical Writing, 7 6-93.

29. Abu Fadalah ’Ubaydallah b. Ka’b b. Malik al-An?ari (d. 97/7*S or 98) is

identified by al-Tabari (1, 1364) as "one of the most learned of the An$5r." See Ibn Hajar, Tahdhib, VII, 44-45; GAS, I, 276-77.

30. Muhammad b. Muslim b. ’Ubaydallah b. ’Abdallah b. Shihib al-Zuhri |b.

50/670 or s 1, d. 1 24/742) was a celebrated traditionist and historian. See Ibn Hajar, Tahdhib, IX, 445-5 1; EI\ s.v. al-Zuhri; GAS, I, 280-83; Duri, Rise of Historical

Writing, 95-121.

31. ’A$im b. 'Umar b. Qatadah al-An$ari (d. 120/737) was known as an authority

on the campaigns of the Prophet. See Ibn Hajar, Tahdhib, V, 53-54; GAS, 1, 279-80.

32. ’Abdallah b. Abi Bakr b. Muhammad b. ’Amr b. Hazm al-Madani was bom in

60/679 (or in 56) in Medina and died in 130/747 (or 135)- He was a transmitter of historical reports and traditions, which he received from his father (died 120/737) and from Anas b. Malik. See Ibn Hajar, Tahdhib, V, 164-65; GAS, I, 284.

33. Muhammad b. Ka’b b. Sulaym al-Qura?I (d. 1x8/736), the son or grandson of

a convert to Islam from the Banu Quray?ah, was known primarily as a commentator on the Qur'an. See Ibn Sa'd, Tabaqdt, V, 272-73; VH/a, 193; Ibn H a ) ar < Tahdhib, IX, 420-22; GAS, I, 32.

The Events of the Year 5

7

(the report of each has been combined in this account of the

Trench, some of them relating what others do not relate): 34 The

account of the trench is as follows. A group of Jews, including

Salam b. Abl al-Huqayq al-Nadari, 35 Huyayy b. Akhtab al-Nadari,

Kinanah b. al-Rabf b. Abl al-Huqayq al-Nadari, Hawdhah b. Qays

al-Wa’ili, and Abu ‘Ammar al-Wa’ili, along with a group of men

from the Banu al-Nadir and a group from the Banu Wa’il, 36 were

the ones who assembled parties of men against the Messenger of

God. They went to the Quraysh in Mecca and invited them to

make war on the Messenger of God. They said, "We will be with

you against him until we root him out." The Quraysh said to

them: "People of the Jews, you are the people of the first scripture, 37

and you have knowledge about the subject on which we

and Muhammad have come to differ. Is our religion better or his? "

"Your religion is better," they said, "and you are closer to the

truth than he."

They are the ones concerning whom God revealed: "Have you

not seen those to whom a portion of the scripture has been given,

how they believe in idols and false deities, and how they say of

those who disbelieve, 'These are more rightly guided than those

who believe'?" — until the words, "Hell is sufficient for [their]

burning." 38

When they said this to Quraysh, the latter were pleased by what

they said and embarked enthusiastically on what they invited

them to do, namely, make war on the Messenger of God. They

determined to do it and decided on a time for it. 39 Then the same

34. Parallel: IH, III, 114 ff.; tr. Guillaume, 450 ff.

35. I.e., of the Jewish tribe of Banu al-Na<JIr.

36. The Banu Wa’il were a clan of the Aws Manat of Medina. They seem to have

lived among the Jews; here they are treated as if they were Jews. See Watt, Muham-

mad at Medina, 15 4, 164.

37. I.e., the Torah.

38. Qur’an 4:51-5$. For "idols and false deities" the Arabic reads al-jibt and al-

tdghdt." Commentators disagreed on the exact meaning. Al-Sha'bl said that the

words meant "they believe in enchantment and the devil." Ibn ’Abbas thought the words referred specifically to Huyayy b. Akhtab and Ka'b b. al-Ashraf or that these two Jews prostrated themselves before the gods of Quraysh in order to induce Quraysh to join with them in a league against Muhammad. See Lane, Lexicon, I, 373, s.v. jibt.

39. For itta'adu "decided on a time," Ms. S reads ista'addu "prepared

themselves."

8

The Victory of Islam

group of Jews set out and came to [the tribe of] Ghafafan, 40 a

division of Qays 'Aylan, and called on them to make war on the

Messenger of God. The Jews told them that they would be with

them against him and that Quraysh had followed them and had

decided on the matter. So they responded favorably. Quraysh set

out under the leadership of Abu Sufyan b. Harb; 41 Ghatafan set out

under the leadership of 'Uyaynah b. Hi?n b. Hudhayfah b. Badr

with the Banu Fazarah, al-Harith b. 'Awf b. Abi Harithah al-Murrl

with the Banu Murrah, and Mas'ud b. Rukhaylah b. Nuwayrah b.

Tarif b. Suhmah b. 'Abdallah b. Hilal b. Khalawah b. Ashja' b.

Rayth b. Ghatafan with those of his fellow tribesmen from Ashja'

who followed him. When the Messenger of God received word of

them and what they had determined to do, he laid out a trench to

protect Medina.

According to Muhammad b. 'Umar [al-Waqidi], who said: 42 The

person who advised the Messenger of God about the trench was

Salman. 43 It was the first combat that Salman saw with the Messenger

of God. He was a free man at this time. He said, "Messenger

of God, in Persia, whenever we were surrounded, we would dig a

trench to protect ourselves."

Resumption of the account of Ibn Ishaq: The Messenger of God

worked [at building the trench] in order to inspire the Muslims

with hope of reward, and they set to work on it. He toiled at it, and

they toiled. Certain men of the hypocrites 44 hung back from the

Messenger of God and from the Muslims in their work.

40. Ghatafan was a group of North Arabian tribes to the east of Medina and

Mecca in the land between the Hijaz and the Shammar Mountains. Among its

divisions were 'Abs, Ashja', and Dhubydn — the latter with its divisions Fazarah

(the tribe of 'Uyaynah b. yi§n), Murrah, and Tha'labah. See Watt, Mohammad at

Medina, 91—95; EP, s.v. Ghatafan.

4 1 . Abu Sufyan b. Harb b. Umayyah, of the clan of 'Abd Shams of Quraysh, was a prominent Meccan merchant. See EP, s.v. Abu Sufydn.

42. Parallel: W, 445.

43. For the religious quest and conversion to Islam of SalmSn, a Persian land-

owner's son who had gone to Syria to learn about Christianity and then to Arabia

to investigate prophecies of a new religion, see IH, 1 , 214-22; tr. Guillaume, 95-98; EP, s.v. Salman al-Farisi.

44. The munafiqun "hypocrites, waverers"— Brockett in EP, s.v., prefers the

rendering "dissenters"— were nominal Muslims who secretly opposed many of

Muhammad's policies. 'Abdallah b. Ubayy was said to be their leader. See also

Watt, Muhammad at Medina , 180-91.

The Events of the Year 5

9

They began pretending to be too weak to work and slipping away to

their families without the knowledge or permission of the Messenger

of God. As for the Muslims, whenever some matter of

unavoidable necessity befell any of them, he would mention it to

the Messenger of God and ask leave to attend to his need, and the

Messenger of God would grant him leave. Having attended to his

need, the person would return to the work he had been doing —

this from a desire for good and because he reckoned on a reward for

his work. Concerning this, God revealed: "They only are the true

believers who believe in God and His Messenger and, when they

are with him on some common enterprise, go not away until they

have asked leave of him" — until the words "and ask for them forgiveness

of God. Lo! God is forgiving, merciful." 45 This verse was

revealed about all those believers who were people who reckoned

(on a reward in the world to come], desired good, and obeyed God

and His Messenger. God then said, referring to the hypocrites who

would slip away from work and depart without leave from the

Messenger of God: "Make not the calling of the Messenger among

you as your calling one of another"— -until the words "He knows

your condition." 46 (That is, He knows your condition with regard

to truthfulness or lying.) The Muslims worked at the trench until

they had finished it solidly. As they were working, they improvised

a work song 47 about a Muslim who used to be called fu'ayl

but whom the Messenger of God had named 'Amr. They said:

After he had been Ju'ayl, he named him 'Amr;

and to the once needy man he was backing.

Whenever they came to the word "'Amr," the Messenger of God

would say "'Amr"; whenever they said "backing," the Messenger

of God would say "backing."

45. Qur’an, 24:62.

46. Qur’an, 24:63-64.

47. Arabic: "they recited a verse in lajaz" (the meter used for extemporized

poems). See Goldziher, Abhandlungen zur aiabischen Pbilologie, 1 , 80. The name

change to which the verse alludes may have been made to improve Ju'ayl's morale, as his name appears to be a diminutive of ju'al "dung beetle." In W, 447, fu'ayl is said to have been "pious but ugly." Cf. Ibn Ha jar, Iqabah, 1 , 49.

10

The Victory of Islam

According to Muhammad b. Bashshar 48 — Muhammad b. Khalid

Ibn 'Athmah 49 — Kathir b. ‘Abdallah b. 'Amr b. ‘Awf al-Muzani 50 —

 his father ['Abdallah b. ‘Amrj 51 — his father ['Amr b.

'Awf], 52 who said: The Messenger of God laid out the trench in the

Year of the Parties, 53 from the Fortress of the Two Shaykhs (u/'um

al-shaykhayn ) on the side of the Banu Harithah 54 until it reached

al-Madhad. 55 He divided it up forty cubits between each ten

[men]. 56 The Emigrants 57 and the Ansar 58 disputed over Salman

the Persian, who was a strong man. The An$ar said, "Salman is

one of us." The Emigrants said, "Salman is one of us." So the

Messenger of God said, "Salman is one of us, the People of the

Household." 59

According to 'Amr b. 'Awf: I, along with Salman, Hudhayfah b.

al-Yaman, al-Nu'man b. Muqarrin al-Muzani, and six of the Ansar,

was in a 40-cubit [section of the trench]. We dug beneath

48. Abu Bakr Muhammad b. Bashshar b. 'Uthman b. Dawud al-'Abdi (b. 167/783

in al-Ba?rah, died 352/866) was considered a reliable transmitter of traditions. See Ibn tfajar, Tahdhib, IX, 70-71 t GAS, I, 113-14-

49. For Muhammad b. Khalid, who was called Ibn 'Athmah after his mother

'Athmah, see ibn Hajar, Tahdhib, IX, 142-43.

50. Kathir b. 'Abdallah b. 'Amr b. ‘Awf al-Yashkurl al-Muzani {died between

1 so/767 and 160/777 in Medina) was generally considered a weak transmitter of fradith. See Ibn Hajar, Tahdhib, VIII, 421-23.

5t. 'Abdallah b. 'Amr b. 'Awf b. Zayd al-Muzani was a transmitter of fyadith

generally considered sound. See Ibn Hajar, Tahdhib, V, 339-40.

52. 'Amr b. 'Awf al-An?ari was present at the Battle of Badr and died during the

caliphate of 'Umar. See Ibn Hajar, Tahdhib, VIII, 85-86.

53. Years were named after their most prominent events: hence Year of the

Hijrah and Year of the Ahzdb (the parties, confederates, or allied clans that at-

tacked Medina in this year). Sura 33 of the Qur’an, Surat al-AlfzSb, is named for

them.

54. The Band Harithah, a clan of the al-Aws, had land on the northeast side of

Medina. See Watt, Muhammad at Medina, 151 (map); Hamidullah, Battlefields,

26, 32 {photograph of a mosque on the site).

55. Al-Madhad was a stronghold belonging to the Band Haram of the Band

Salimah clan of al-Khazraj (see al-Samhudi, Khula$at al-wafS', 603). It lay to the

west of Mt. Sal' (see map in Hamidullah, Battlefields, 31).

56. I.e., he divided the work so that ten men were responsible for digging each

40-cubit section (approximately 60 feet).

57. The Emigrants {al-muhdjimn} were the followers of Muhammad who had

migrated from Mecca to Medina with him. See EP-, s.v. Muhadjirun.

58. The An^ar ("helpers") were Muslims from Medina, primarily from the tribes

of al-Aws and al-Khazraj. See EP-, s.v. An$ 3 r.

59. Arabic ahl al-bayt designates the Prophet's household.

The Events of the Year 5

11

Dhubab 60 until we reached al-Nada. 61 Then God caused a white

rock to emerge from the bottom of the trench, a flint that broke

our iron implements and exhausted us. So we said, "Salman, go up

to the Messenger of God and inform him about this rock— either

that we may turn aside from it, for the place to turn aside is near,

or that he may give us his order about it — for we do not wish to

deviate from his plan."

Salman climbed out and went to the Messenger of God, who

was pitching a Turkish-style round tent 62 nearby, and said: "O

Messenger of God, who are as dear to us as father and mother, a

white rock came out of the trench, a flint that broke our iron

implements and exhausted us, so that we can make no impression

small or great on it. Give us your order concerning it, for we do not

wish to deviate from your plan." The Messenger of God went

down into the trench with Salman, and we nine climbed up onto

its side. The Messenger of God took the pickaxe from Salman and

struck the rock a blow that cracked it, and a flash of lightning shot

out, illuminating everything between the two tracts of black

stones — that is, Medina's two tracts of black stones 63 — like a

lamp inside a dark room. The Messenger of God shouted, "God is

greatest!" — a shout of victory — and the Muslims, too, shouted,

"God is greatest!" Then the Messenger of God struck it again and

cracked it, and a flash of lightning shot out, illuminating everything

between Medina's two tracts of black stones — like a lamp

inside a dark room. The Messenger of God shouted, "God is

greatest!" — a shout of victory — and the Muslims, too, shouted,

"God is greatest!" Then the Messenger of God struck it a third

time and broke it, and a flash of lightning shot out, illuminating

60. Dhubab |or Dhubab) was located to the north of Mt. Sal*. According to al-

Samhudi, Khula$at al-waf&\ 552, it became the site of the Mosque of the Banner. See Hamidullah, Battlefields, 32, for a photograph of the site.

61. The reading al-Nada is uncertain; see the apparatus of ed. Leiden.

62. As noted in ed. Leiden, Glossarium, p. cl, "Turkish-style round tent" \qubbah turkiyyah ) is an apparent anachronism, at least as regards the adjective "Turkish." Note, however, that the Prophet's tent at the time of the conquest of Mecca |p. 177, below) is called a qubbah, which normally implies a round tent. In any case, that this is not a very great anachronism is shown by a report from a.h. 16 (al- Tabari, I, 2444) indicating that the Arab conquerers of al-Mada’in found qibab turkiyyah "Turkish round tents" containing baskets of treasure.

63. Medina is surrounded by black lava flows called ^wr/ah or labah.

12

The Victory of Islam

everything between Medina's two tracts of black stones — like a

lamp inside a dark room. The Messenger of God shouted, "God is

greatest!" — a shout of victory — and the Muslims, too, shouted,

"God is greatest!" Then he took Salman's hand and climbed out.

Salman said: "You are as dear to me as father and mother, Messenger

of God! I have seen something I never saw before." The

Messenger of God turned to the men and asked, "Did you see what

Salman says?" They said: "Yes, Messenger of God, you who are as

dear to us as father and mother; we saw you strike and lightning

come out like waves. We saw you shout 'God is greatest/ and so

we shouted 'God is greatest.' We saw nothing else." "You have

spoken truly," he said. "I struck my first blow, and what you saw

flashed out, so that the palaces of al-Hirah 64 and al-Mada’in 65 of

Kisra lit up for me from it as if they were dogs' teeth, and Gabriel

informed me that my nation would be victorious over them. Then

I struck my second blow, and what you saw flashed out, so that

the palaces of the pale men in the land of the Byzantines lit up for

me from it as if they were dogs' teeth, and Gabriel informed me

that my nation would be victorious over them. Then I struck my

third blow, and what you saw flashed out, so that the palaces of

$an'a’ 66 lit up for me from it as if they were dogs' teeth, and

Gabriel informed me that my nation would be victorious over

them, [saying]: "Rejoice,* victory shall come to them! Rejoice; victory

shall come to them! Rejoice; victory shall come to them!" So

the Muslims rejoiced and said: "Praise be to God! The promise of

One who is true and faithful! He has promised us victory after

tribulation." So when the allied clans came up, the believers said:

"This is what God and His Messenger promised us. God and His

Messenger have spoken truly." And it only increased them in faith

and surrender. 67 But the hypocrites said: "Do you not wonder? He

discourses to you, raises your hopes, and promises you false

things.

64. Al-HIrah, on the west bank of the Euphrates, southeast of the present Najaf

in Iraq, was the capital of the pre-Islamic Arab vassal state of the Sasanian empire governed by the Banu Lakhm (Lakhmids). See EP, s.v. al-HIra.

6s. Al-Mada’in (Ctesiphon), on the Tigris about 20 miles south of the site of

later Baghdad, was the winter capital of the Sasanian emperors, who in Arabic are normally given the title Kisri (from Persian Khusraw, the name of several rulers in the dynasty). See EP, s.v. al-Mada’in.

66. At this time §an'i’ in Yemen was ruled by a Persian governor. One of the

palaces was presumably the famous Ghumdan, said to have been twenty stories

tall. See EP, s.v. $an'a.

67. Cf. Qur'an 33:22.

The Events of the Year 5

13

He tells you that from Yathrib 68 he can see the palaces of

al-Hirah and al-Mada'in of Kisra and that they will be conquered

by you — and this while you are digging the trench and cannot go

forth!" So the following (verse of the] Qur’an was revealed: "And

when the hypocrites and those in whose hearts is sickness were

saying, 'God and His Messenger promised us naught but

delusion.' " 69

According to Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Muhammad b. Ishaq —

someone not to be doubted — Abu Hurayrah: 70 When these cities

were conquered in the time of 'Umar, 71 'Uthman, 72 and afterward,

[Abu Hurayrah] used to say, "Conquer for yourselves whatever

seems good to you; for, by the One who holds Abu Hurayrah's soul

in His hand, you have conquered no city, neither shall you conquer

any until the Day of Resurrection, but that Muhammad was

given its keys beforehand."

According to Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Ibn Ishaq, who said: The

people of the trench were 3,000.

When the Messenger of God had finished the trench, Quraysh

came and encamped where the stream beds meet at Rumah,

between al-Juruf and al-Ghabah, 73 with 10,000 of their Ahabish 74

and those of the Banu Kinanah and people of Tihamah 75

who followed them.

68. Yathrib was the old name of Medina.

69. Qur’in 33:12.

70. Abu Hurayrah, a companion of the Prophet, is said to have acquired his

nickname ("the man with the kitten") because he kept a kitten to play with while

he herded his goats. He came to Medina in a.h. 7. Later he became noted as a

prolific narrator of traditions. See EP-, s.v. Abu Hurayra.

71. 'Umar b. al-Khaftab ruled as caliph from 13/634 to 23/644.

72. 'Uthman b. 'Affan ruled as caliph from 23/644 to 35/656.

73. IH, III, 219 reads "Zaghabah," for al-Ghabah. Al-Tabari's reading of al-

Ghabah is noted by Yaqut, Mu' jam al-bulddn, s.v. Zaghabah. Yaqut implies that al- Tabari chose his reading because he believed a place called "Zaghabah" was unknown; Y 3 qut then cites fyadith to show that such a place was known. Al-Ghabah was eight miles north of Medina. See Yaqut, Mu'jam al-bulddn, s.v.; Hamidullah, Battlefields. 31 (map).

74. Ahabish (plural of uhbush or ulibushah) means "companies or bodies of men

not all of one tribe." They consisted of a number of small clans or subtribes allied

with Quraysh. The most important was Banu al-Uarith b. 'Abd Manat b. Kinanah;

others were al-Mussaliq (of Khuza'ah) and al-Hun (of Khuzaymah, with subdivisions ’A^al and al-Qarah). The thesis of Henri Lammens that they were Abyssinian slave mercenaries is mistaken. Cf. El 2 , s.v. Habash; W. Montgomery Watt, Muhammad at Mecca, 153-56; Muhammad at Medina, 81-83.

75. Tihamah is the Red Sea coastal plain of the Arabian peninsula.

14 The Victory of Islam

Ghatafan and the people of Najd who followed them came and

encamped at Dhanab Naqama, beside Uhud. 76 The Messenger of God and the Muslims went out and set their backs toward Sal' 77 with 3,000 of the Muslims. There he pitched his camp, with the trench between him and the enemy.

He commanded that the children and women should be taken up

into the strongholds. 78

The enemy of God, Huyayy b. Akhjab, went out and came to

Ka'b b. Asad al-Qura?i, who was the possessor of the treaty and

covenant of the Banu Qurayzah. 79 Ka'b had made a truce with the

Messenger of God for his people, making a contract and covenanting

with him on it. When Ka'b heard Huyayy b. Akhjab, he shut

his fortress in his face. Huyayy asked to be allowed in, but Ka'b

refused to open to him. Huyayy called to him, "Ka'b, open to me!"

"Woe to you, Huyayy," answered Ka'b, "you are a man who brings

bad luck! I have made a treaty with Muhammad and will not break

the pact that exists between me and him. I have seen nothing but

faithfulness and truth on his part." Huyayy said: "Woe to you!

Open to me, and I will speak to you!" "I will not do it," said Ka'b.

Huyayy said, "By God, you have shut me out only on account of

your gruel, 80 lest I should eat any of it with you." This angered the

man, so that he opened to him, Huyayy said: "Woe to you, Ka'b! I

have brought you everlasting might and an overflowing sea. I have

brought you Quraysh, with their leaders and chiefs, and have

caused them to encamp where the stream beds meet at Rumah;

76. Uljud, where a battle between the Muslims and Meccans had taken place in

Shawwai 3 a.h. (March 625), is about a mile north of Medina. See Yaqut, Mu' jam

al-buldan, s.v.j Hamidullah, Battlefields, 22, 31 (maps).

77. Sal' was a hill in the central area of Medina. See Yaqut, Mu' jam al-bulddn,

8.v.j Hamidullah, Battlefields, 31 (map).

78. "Medina was at first not a compact town, but a collection of scattered

settlements, surrounded by groves of date palms and cultivated fields. For defense, therefore, a large number of forts or strongholds [djdm, sing, utum; also djdm, sing. ujum ) had been constructed, perhaps 200 in all. In these the local inhabitants took refuge in times of danger." M. Watt in EP, s.v. al-Madina, p. 994.

79. The Band Quray?ah were one of the three main Jewish tribes of Medina,

with lands toward the southeast of the oasis; see EP, s.v. Kuray?a. On this treaty,

cf. W, 434-56, which implies that it was a document written by Muhammad and

that Huyayy, having persuaded Ka'b to go over to his side, tore it up.

80 . Jashishah was a gruel of coarsely ground wheat or barley, sometimes with

the addition of dates and meat. See Lane, Lexicon, II, 425.

The Events of the Year 5

15

and Ghatafan, with their leaders and chiefs, and have caused them

to encamp at Dhanab Naqama beside Uhud. They have made a

treaty and covenant with me not to withdraw until they root out

Muhammad and those who are with him." Ka'b b. Asad said to

him: "By God, you have brought me everlasting humiliation — a

cloud that has already shed its water, that thunders and lightens

but has nothing in it. Woe to you! Leave me to continue with

Muhammad as I am now, for I have seen nothing from Muhammad

except truth and faithfulness." But Huyayy kept wheedling 81

Ka'b until he yielded to him, Huyayy having given him a promise

and oath by God that "if Quraysh and Ghafafan retreat without

having killed Muhammad, I will enter your fortress with you, so

that whatever happens to you shall happen to me." So Ka'b b. Asad

broke his treaty and renounced the bond that had existed between

him and the Messenger of God.

When the news reached the Messenger of God and the Muslims,

the Messenger of God sent out Sa'd b. Mu'adh b. al-Nu'man b.

Imru’ al-Qays (one of the Banu ‘Abd al-Ashhal who at that time

was the chief of al-Aws), Sa'd b. 'Ubadah b. Dulaym (one of the

Banu Sa'idah b. Ka'b b. al-Khazraj who at that time was the chief of

al-Khazraj 82 ), and with them 'Abdallah b. Rawahah 83 (a member

of the Banu al-Harith b. al-Khazraj) and Khawwat b. Jubayr (a

member of the Banu 'Amr b. 'Awf ), and said: "Go and see whether

what has reached us about these men is true or not. If it is true,

speak to me in words that we can understand but that will be

unintelligible to others, and do not break the strength of the people.

But, if these men remain loyal to the pact between us and

them, announce it to the people."

So they went out and came to them. They found them engaged

in the worst of what had been reported about them. -

81. Literally, "kept twisting (the fur of] the upper part and the fore part of the

hump"; the metaphor is of a refractory camel that must be massaged and coaxed before it will allow the nose rein to be attached. See Lane, Lexicon, VI, s.v. gharib.

82. Al-Aws and al-Khazraj were the two most important Arab tribes of Medina

(as opposed to the jews); see Watt, Muhammad at Medina, 15 1 ff. (genealogical

table, p. 154]) and El 1 , s. w. Sa'd b. Mu'adh, Sa'd b. 'Ubada.

83. 'Abdallah b. Rawahah was a leader of his clan and a poet. He was one of the

Medinans who pledged allegiance to Muhammad at the Second Pledge of 'Aqabah, a year before the Hijrah. He fought at Badr, Uhud, and the Trench and was killed at Mu’tah in A.H. 8. See EP, s.v. 'Abd Allah b. Rawaha; GAS, II, 292-93.

1 6 The Victory of Islam

They slandered the Messenger of God and said, "There is no treaty between

us and Muhammad and no covenant." Sa'd b. 'Ubadah reviled

them, and they reviled him — Sa'd was a man with a sharp temper.

So Sa'd b. Mu'adh said to him, "Stop reviling them, for the disagreement between us and them is too serious for an exchange of

taunts." The two Sa'ds and the men with them went back to the

Messenger of God and, having greeted him, said, "'Atfal and al-

Qarah!" jThey meant that it was] like the treachery of 'Atjal and

al*Qarah to the companions of the Messenger of God who were

[betrayed] at al-Rajl', Khubayb b. 'Adi and his companions. 8 * The

Messenger of God said: "God is greatest! Rejoice, people of the

Muslims!"

Soon the trial became great, and fear intensified. Their foe came

at them from above them and below them, so that the believers

were beset with fears of all kinds. 85 The hypocrisy of some of the

hypocrites became evident. Mu'attib b. Qushayr, a member of the

Banu 'Amr b. 'Awf, said, "Muhammad was promising us that we

should eat up the treasures of Kisra and Caesar, and now none of

us can go out to relieve himself!" Aws b. Qay?I, one of the Banu

Harithah b. al-Harith, said, "Messenger of God, our houses lie

exposed to the enemy" 86 — he had been put up to this by certain

chiefs of his tribe — "therefore give us leave, and let us return to

our dwelling place, for it lies outside Medina."

84. For the story of how a group of men from the clans of 'A<jal and al-Qarah

came to Muhammad in Medina in a.h. 4 and asked for men to instruct them in

Islam and how, after Muhammad had sent six men back with them (including

Khubayb b. ‘AdI), they betrayed the six to the pro-Meccan Libyan subtribe of

Hudhayl (which had a vendetta against the Muslims) at the watering place of al-

Rajr, see al-Tabari, 1 , 1431-37; Watt, Muhammad at Medina, 33-34; and EP, s.v.

Libyan. For an account of Muhammad's eventual retaliation, see p. 42 ( 1 , 1501],

below.

85. The sentence is virtually a paraphrase of Qur'an 33:10. According to al-

Tabari, Jam f albayan, ad loc. (XXI, 71), those who came "from above" refers to

Uyaynah b. Hi$n, who came from the highlands of Najd, and those who came

"from below" refers to Quraysh from Mecca. The final phrase in al-Tabari, hatta

%anna al-mu’minuna kulla ?annin, parallels the Qur’Snic wa-ta^unnUna billdhi

al-^ununa, generally translated as if the verb ?anna meant "thinking unsubstantiated thoughts, making vain suppositions." But with the omission of billahi, "concerning God," it seems more natural to translate according to another meaning of the idiom ?ann abfunun. Cf. Dozy, Supplement, II, 86: “s'abandonner aux pensdes les plus douloureuses, se dit en parlant de celui qui est rempli de crainte."

86. Cf. Qur’an 33:13.

The Events of the Year 5

17

The Messenger of God and the polytheists 87 stayed in their

positions for over twenty nights — nearly a month — with no warfare

between the troops, except for the shooting of arrows and the

siege.

According to Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Muhammad b. Ishaq —

'Asim b. ‘Umar b. Qatadah and Muhammad b. Muslim b. Shihab

al-Zuhri: 88 When the trial became great for the people, the Messenger

of God sent to ‘Uyaynah b. Hi§n and al-Harith b. ‘Awf b.

Abi Harithah al-Murri, the two leaders of Ghafafan, and offered

them a third of the date harvest of Medina on condition that they

and their followers go back, leaving the Messenger of God and his

companions. The truce between the two sides progressed to the

point of drawing up a written document, but there was no witnessing

or firm determination to make peace; it was only a matter

of maneuvering. So the two of them acted as they did. When the

Messenger of God was about to act, he sent to Sa’d b. Mu‘ adh and

Sa'd b. 'Ubadah, gave them an account, and asked their advice.

The two said, "Messenger of God, is it something you would like

us to do, or is it something God has commanded you to do that we

must do, or is it something you are doing for us?" He answered:

"Indeed, it is for you. By God, I am doing it only because I saw that

the Arabs had shot at you from a single bow 89 and had dogged you

from every side; so I wanted somehow to avert their furor from

you for a time." Sa‘d b. Mu'adh said: "Messenger of God, we and

these people used to be polytheists, associating [other divinities]

with God and worshiping idols, and we neither worshiped God nor

knew him; and they did not hope to eat a single date of ours except

in hospitality or by buying. Now that God has conferred Islam on

us, guided us to it, and strengthened us with your presence, shall

we give them our wealth? We have no need for this! By God, we

will offer them only the sword, until God judge between us and

them." "As you wish," said the Messenger of God. So Sa'd took

the sheet and erased the writing on it. Then he said, "Let them do

their utmost against us."

87. Mushrikiin, those who associate other divinities with Allah, is the regular

Quranic term for pagans.

88. Parallel with more details: W, 477-80.

89. I.e., were unanimous against you. See Lane, Lexicon, VII, 2575, for the

proverb.