Tricks and T "fa.wn^143
was a personal initiative meant to protect them, they tefused the terms o f
that treaty and informed the .Messenger that in view of the situation, the
only way out was to fight.
At that moment, the Prophet teceived a visit from Nuaym ibn 1hsud,
a prominent elder from the Quraysh who was well respected by all the
tribes in the Peninsula, who came to tell Muhammad that he had convert~
ed to Islam but that nobody knew it so far. He placed himself at the
Prophet's disposal. Nuaym was well known and respected by all the chiefs
who were besieging Medina. i{uhammad knc-w it and told him, " D o what
is necessary to stir up discord among them!" Nuaym asked if he could lie,
and the Prophet answered: "Do what you want to loosen the grip on us;
\var is deceid"Z8 Nuaym came up with an emcient stratagem. H e first went
to the Banu Quray".ah and warned them about their new allies' intentions.
If things rook a bad turn, he said, the Confederates would not hesitate to
let them down, and they would be given oyer to I\Iuhammad without any
protection. He advised them to demand that the other tribes send some
of their men as hostages, as a guarantee that they would not forsake the
Banu Qurayzah. They liked the idea and decided to send an envoy to the
Quraysh leaders to explain their request. Nuaym then hurried to Abu
Sufyan ro warn him that the Sanu Qurayzah were deceiving him and were
in fact Muhammad's allies. He declared that they were going to ask him
for men as a pledge of his fidelity, but that in reality they intended to give
them up to i\'1uhammad as evidence of their good faith. \Vhen the Sanu
Qurayzah envoy came to Abu Sufyan and told him about the request for
hostages, Abu Sufyan was convinced that Nuaym had spoken the truth
and that the Banu Qurayzah were indeed deceiving him. H e immediately
summoned Huyay, the Banu Nadir chief, and questioned him about that
betrayal. Huyay, surprised and taken aback, at first did not know what to
say, and Abu Sufyan thought he could see in this an acknowledgment of
treachery.
The first signs of division wete appearing in the Co nfederate camp.
Mutual trust reigned among some clans, while others wete waty of each
Other. The news greatly weakened the resolution of the fighters in league
with the Quraysh. Weariness and lack of food only heightened the atmos-
phere of discouragement. Then a strong, ·~itter wind beset thc plain and
convinced them that it had become impossible to overcome Medina's
tesistance. 11uhammad had been i.nformed of the enemy troops' morale,