(^138) In the FoOtsttpl of the Prophet
liked it and they decided to imp lement it. They had to act fast, h aving o nly
a week to dig a moat sufficiently wide and deep to prevent h o rses from
jumping over it.
This \vas the third major confrontation with the Quraysh, and it was
also, in effect, the third strategy the Muslims adopted. Badr, with the gath-
ering around the wells, and Uhud, with the strategic use of the hill, had
nothing to do with the present technitjue o f waiting and keeping th e
enemy at a distance, which seemed to be the only means available to with-
stand the attack and possibly, if the siege lasted, to give those sheltered
inside the city a chance to resist. Such inventiveness in military strategy is
revealing of the manner in which the Prophet taught his Companions
both deep faith and the exploitation of intellectual creativity in all circum-
stances: they had not hesitated to borrow a foreign war technique, sug-
gested by a Persian, and adapt it to their situation in l ... ledina. The genius
of peoples, the wisdom of nations, and healthy human creativity were
integrated into their mode of thinking, without hesitation or timidity. As
the Prophet forcefully stated: " [Human] wisdom is the believer's lost
belonging; he is the most worthy of it wherever he finds it.,,19 This was
:111 invit:ltion to study the best human thoughts and products and adopt
them as part of humankind's positive heritage (nltlruf, what is acknowl-
edged as the common good). On a broader level, it meant showing curios-
ity, inventiveness, and creativity in the management of human affairs, and
this appeared not only through rus approach to war and its strategies but
also, as we have seen, through his way of considering the world of ideas
and culture.
The Moat
Work started immediately, and the whole city joined in. They determined
where the moat was to be dug, and where rocks or the topography of the
area would prevent the enemy from getting through and so a moat was
unnecessary. Working days were long, and the Companions labored from
dawn prayer to sunset.
Muhammad took part in the work, and his Companions would hear
him sometimes invoking God, sometimes reciting poems, sometimes
singing songs in which they would all join. Such moments o f communion
martin jones
(Martin Jones)
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