After the expedition against Banu Nadir and the meek departure of the Quraysh from Badr, a year and a half went by without any disturbances. It seemed that the Muslims were finally free to spread their religion and bring about changes in their environment and daily lives, but the idyll was soon to be disrupted.

The exiled Jews had consolidated their base at Khaybar, and having done so they began to dream of vengeance. Realising the need to rally as much manpower as possible, they went about seeking allies against the Muslims. Some biographers say that twenty chieftains and leaders of Khaybar Jews went to the Quraysh pledging support for a renewed military campaign. When the Quraysh agreed, the Jewish delegation contacted Banu Ghatfan, and they also gave their consent. More and more clans were roped in, and the plan was that each of them should move towards Madinah simultaneously.

Digging the trench

When the news of the coalition reached Madinah, the Prophet conferred with his Companions as to strategy. The Muslims being so heavily outnumbered, it was imperative that they come up with an impenetrable defence. Salman Al-Farsi advised that the Muslims should dig a trench to keep the enemy away, and everyone approved of the suggestion.

Madinah was naturally fortified on three fronts, with volcanic plains and granite hills to the east, west and south; the city was exposed only on the north, from where the enemy forces could launch an assault. Therefore, the Prophet chose to fortify that front. He marked the narrowest spot stretching between the east and west and covering a distance of about one mile. Both belts were connected at this spot by the trench. In the west, the trench began from the north of the Sal’a hills and joined the end of the easterly belt at Shaykhayn.

The Prophet divided his men into units of ten with each responsible for diffing forty cubits. He himself participated in the task of digging the trench and carrying the loads of earth. It was a massive undertaking, and the Muslims worked steadily. Their morale soared as they relied on their faith in Allah and their devotion to His Prophet for moral sustenance. The Companions sang praises of Allah and the Prophet joined in. When the Prophet sang the Companions responded. They bore with quiet heroism the rigorous hardships before them, particularly the biting cold and gnawing hunger. A handful of barley was procured and cooked in rancid, foul smelling fat. Swallowing the food was a challenge in itself.

Once a man went to the Prophet complaining of debilitating hunger. As proof, each showed him a slab of stone tied to his belly to stave off the hunger pangs. The Prophet lifted his shirt. Tied to his abdomen were two slabs of stone. The pagans had clamoured for miracles to confirm the divine nature of the Prophet’s message. Allah had sent them signs that they ignored. During the excavation of the trench, Allah sent the Muslims several signs of His grace, signs that increased their faith and sustained them through adversity.

On one occasion, Jabir bin Abdullah could not bear to see the Prophet assailed by severe hunger. He slaughtered a ewe, and his wife ground about 2 ½ kilograms of barley. He then went to the Prophet and discretely invited him and a few of the Prophet’s Companions. The Prophet accepted the invitation, but brought everyone along – all one thousand of them. Everyone ate until he was full, but the pot remained replete and the bread continued to bake unchecked.

Similarly, once, the sister of Nu’man bin Bashir took a handful of dates for her father and maternal uncle. The Prophet took the dates and scattered them on a cloth. He then called all the men as they worked away from the trench. Each of them ate to his fill and left, but the dates kept multiplying and could barely be contained within the cloth.

The soil the men encountered was rocky and obdurate. Jabir and his group struck a particularly rocky patch that failed all their efforts. The problem was brought to the notice of the Prophet , and he struck it with his pick, it crumbled into a mound of pliant sand.

Other obstacles became oracles with Allah’s grace. Baraa and his unit came across a large rock. The Prophet knelt and said Bismillah before he used his pick. A piece of the rock came loose with a light emerging from it. The Prophet said, “Allahu Akbar! The keys of Syria have been given to me, and right now I see its red castle.”

The Prophet then struck a second blow with his pick and received the tidings of the imminent victory over Persia; the last blow signified the conquest of Yemen. In this way the entire rock was demolished, with each blow bringing the Muslims hope.