woke-up, I saw him with the sword drawn over my head and he was asking me, ‘Who can
now save you from me?' I replied 'Allah.' Now he is sitting before you. The Prophet (r) did
not, however, punish the Bedouin. (Al-Bukhaari, Chap. Expedition of Dhatur-Riq’a)
EXPEDITION without FIGHTING
The same year, in Sh’aban, the Prophet (r) went forth to Badr to keep his appointment
with Abu Sufyan at Uhud. He remained at Badr for eight days with a large force waiting
arrival of the Makkan army. Abu Sufyan did come out of Makkah to honor his call, but he did
not venture to advance more than a few miles in the desert. He pursuaded his men to re-
turn since it was a season of drought in which his people were in a bad shape. There was
thus no fighting and the Muslims returned with their prestige and morale bolstered higher
than before.
The Prophet (r) undertook another expedition of Dumatul-Jandal a few months later. But
the Muslims returned to Madinah once more without any fighting. (Ibn Hisham, Vol. II, pp.
209-213).
THE BATTLE OF THE TRENCHES
The reason for this battle was to eliminate the Muslims once and for all. The Jews were
the real instigators of hostilities leading to the composing of this alliance.
The battle of the Trenches, or, of Al-Ahza’b (confederates) as it is sometimes called, took
place in the month of Shawwal, 5 A.H. The location was Madinah itself.
The Muslim force was 3,000 soldiers, where the alliance force were 10 thousand soldiers
Seven Muslims laid down their lives in the battle of the Trenches while they killed four of
the enemy, and on a cold and cloudy night, a violent hurricane from the desert uprooted the
tents of the nomads and overthrew their cooking pots. The severe weather, sent by Allah,
disheartened the enemy.
The battle resulted in utter defeat for the Quraysh-led alliance under Abu Sufyan and a
complete triumph for the Muslims under the Great Prophet (r).
“O ye who believe! Remember Allah’s favor unto you when there came against you
hosts and we sent against them a great wind and hosts ye could not see. And Allah is
ever Seer of what ye do,” [Qur'an 33:9]“And Allah repulsed the disbelievers in their wrath; they gained no good. Allah averted
their back from the believers. Allah is strong, Mighty.” [Qur'an 33:25]