Seerah of Prophet Muhammad 60 - The Battle of Khandaq/Ahzab p4 - Dr. Yasir Qadhi | 8th May 2013
Seerah of Prophet Muhammad 60 - The Battle of Khandaq/Ahzab p4 - Dr. Yasir Qadhi | 8th May 2013
Turn of the Tide
We started talking about the role of Nuaym in the battle. And indeed Allah had chosen him to have a very unique status that he had friendships with Abu Sufyan, people within the Banu Qurayza and he himself was a Ghatafani. And he himself narrates that he accepted Islam on the very evening on the nights of Khandaq. He says in the first person in al-Waqidi that he had dealings with the Banu Qurayza, and he used to drink with them and have dinner etc. And he said during Khandaq, Allah threw Islam into his heart - he was camped outside the city and Allah threw Islam in his heart. So he said he went to the Prophet PBUH and saw him praying, so he waited until he finished. And then the Prophet PBUH said to him, "O Nuaym why have you come?" And as we said the Prophet PBUH had already interacted with him so out of all of the 10,000 gathered outside, here is one man who knows Ka'b ibn Asad the leader of the Banu Qurayza, he knows Abu Sufyan, and he has some basic relationship with the Prophet PBUH. Literally Allah threw Islam upon him, out of nowhere. So the Prophet PBUH allowed him that, "Do what you can for us." And again of the etiquette of war is that you are not honest - but this doesn't justify treachery which Islam forbids; that is breaking promises, breaking treaties etc.
He went to the Banu Qurayza first and said what we said before. And then to Abu Sufyan that the Banu Qurayza want to go back to their treaty, and, "They've offered Muhammad 70 of your men to execute to be forgiven for what they've done. So be careful especially if they ask for your noblemen because that is what they promised Muhammad." Then he said the same thing to his own people that, "The Quraysh can leave at any time, and the Banu Qurayza can flip at any time, and they've offered 70 of us and 70 of the Quraysh to the Prophet PBUH." The Banu Qurayza sure enough sent Azzal ibn Samuel to the Quraysh, and he sent harshly: "the Quraysh have done nothing but talk. So let us agree on a date, you attack from your side, we from our side and the Ghatafan on our side. But before this, we want 70 of your noble men because we want to secure the fact you won't turn around when the battle gets tough." It's a genuine tactic: They are saying we will all attack together so give us 70 and they will attack with us. Abu Sufyan said, "Let me think about this" and he announced to the Quraysh what Nuaym had told him. That it was a clear plot and the Banu Qurayza are flipping over. Nuaym went back to the Banu Qurayza and he said, "Wallahi we will not hand them one baby camel, do they expect us to trust them that they will not execute these 70 men and hand them back to Muhammad?" Most likely he really did say this - and the Banu Qurayza were furious with this that after all they've done they are being accused. So Ka'b ibn Asad began sensing the shift of the tide. And he began saying, "Woe to me woe to me, wallahi Huyayy ibn Akhtab brings nothing but bad luck." He started cursing Huyayy, and Ibn Ishaq mentions another of the Banu Qurayza, Zubayr ibn Batta, said, "If the Quraysh and Ghatafan leave, there will be nothing left for us except the sword - and why should they give us 70 of them? They have more numbers than us, and they have more arms, and they can flee while we remain." So Zubayr ibn Batta is being logical. And note we learn here the Banu Qurayza fully understand they deserve what will happen to them. They understand and knew the stakes.
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The Sabbath
Abu Sufyan is agitated and feeling more and more perturbed. That if the Banu Qurayza flips, the Muslims will attack them. So Abu Sufyan said, "We will all attack tomorrow morning." So he sent a high level delegation led by Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahal to the Banu Qurayza and demanded that tomorrow morning (as a surprise - literally 12 hours) they all attack. Allah had willed something else. They came to the Banu Qurayza after Asr on Friday. And the next day is the Sabbath, Saturday. And the Quraysh never heard of this weird custom - they are completely clueless about this issue. Of course the Jews were not allowed to do anything on the Sabbath and to this day Jews practice this. So Ikrimah says, "Tomorrow morning we will launch that attack." But they began saying, "Tomorrow is Saturday we cannot do it - give us some time and let's do it on Sunday." Alarm bells start going off - what do you need time for?! Why should we delay 24 hours? Just enough time to go and tell the Prophet PBUH so you can attack us? And on top of this Ka'b ibn Asad said, "We will not attack until you hand over 70 of your men." Still he isn't budging on that condition. So Ikrimah goes back confused and he says to Abu Sufyan, "They have betrayed us - they say tomorrow is a day they don't fight and don't work etc." And Abu Sufyan went into a rage and called Huyayy and said, "What is this Sabbath?! It's just a day of the week." But Huyayy was adamant they can't do anything. And Abu Sufyan said, "By al-Lat and Uzza this is treachery." He literally cannot believe there is something called the Sabbath.
Huyayy was so panicked that he himself went to the Banu Qurayza and begged them to break the Sabbath and fight on Saturday. Ka'b ibn Asad became even more enraged that, "How dare you tell me to break the Sabbath - you're supposed to be on our side! Go ahead and break it." So technically Ka'b was correct in terms of being a Jew, and it was a part of their sharia, but Huyayy was willing to break the Sabbath out of hatred of the Prophet PBUH. And note the Sabbath was one of the biggest commandments Allah gave the Jews, it was part of the 10 commandments. Ka'b said, "Even if we are killed we won't break the Sabbath." Deep down inside he could not imagine breaking the Sabbath, and Huyayy was so scared of Abu Sufyan he decided not to return to the Quraysh and that decision proved to be his death. In his cowardice he remained, and thus he remained inside the trench lines in the fortress of the Banu Qurayza.
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The Windstorm
Friday night turned out to be the worst night of the year in terms of the weather. According to some sahaba the worst night of their life. It was thunderstorm, and gusting winds, and tornadoes etc. And on that very night the Prophet PBUH stood up and asked for volunteers what's happening with the Quraysh. So the Prophet PBUH wants a spy: And here we have another famous companion playing an incredibly brave and important role. This is Hudhayfah ibn Yaman the Keeper of the Secrets. His father al-Yaman was killed accidentally, and he forgave not only the killers but gave them back the blood money. And this is that sahabi whose father and him were caught in the middle of the desert by the Quraysh and they agreed they wouldn't fight them, so in Badr the Prophet PBUH did not let them fight. They had a genuine promise with the Quraysh, and even though it was extracted literally at the tip of a sword, still they made a promise so the Prophet PBUH said, "We have to fulfill that promise." So on this night, Hudhayfah was in Iraq many years later as an old man with some young men, and one of the young men said, "Had I been with the Prophet PBUH, I would have shown what is real fighting!" In one version the young man said, "Had I been alive then, I would not even have allowed the Prophet PBUH to walk, I would have carried him on my back." So they think they are better than the sahaba. When Hudhayfah heard this, he became enraged. And he gave a story that tells this night.
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Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman RA
To this young boastful kid who thinks he is some sort of man, Hudhayfah said, "You will show me? I will tell you of that night. Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali, Ubayd, etc. were ALL there, all of us were with the Prophet PBUH. A severe wind was blowing, and on top of that it was freezing cold. And the Quraysh was above us, and then the Banu Qurayza were beneath us, and we were scared our families would be attacked. And no night never came upon us darker and windy as that night. The wind itself sounded like the thunder. And it was so dark we could not see our fingertips if we extended our hands." Imagine that night they are cold, hungry, they are so tired, it's been a whole month of siege, they are fearful for their families, the despair and tiredness they were in. The Prophet PBUH stood up and said, "Who is there who shall bring me news of the enemy and I Shall be his companion on the Day of Judgement." Subhan'Allah what can our Prophet PBUH bribe with? Those of Iman they want to hear THIS type of reward. In that auspicious gathering not a single soul gave a whisper. One whole month of torture: It's cold, windy, everyone is hungry, and Hudhayfah said not a single one amongst the sahaba said anything. And the Prophet PBUH repeated for a second time, "Who will bring me news and I will be his companion on the Day of Judgement?" And again nothing from the sahaba. Then for a third time the Prophet PBUH said, "Who will bring me news and I will be his companion on the Day of Judgement?" Three times in a row, and not a single companion stood up. Why? Nobody had the energy or strength to even stand up. Looking at the situation and danger they were in, not a single sahabi volunteered. And then the Prophet PBUH said, "Ya Hudhayfah" so I stood up. "You go and get me the news." From this Hudhayfah said now that he mentioned him by name he had to go.
This shows us his own honesty and modesty: He didn't put himself in a positive light. He said, "I had no choice but to go." And in this we see his true maqam. There isn't a single witness to correct him, he tells the story exactly as it happened. None of the sahabi stood up, and when his name was mentioned he was forced to go. In this we see the sincerity of Hudhayfah. Also when the Prophet PBUH is saying, "Who will go?" - it's just a request. It's not a fard commandment. But when the Prophet PBUH said Hudhayfah by name, then it becomes wajib for him to go. Also the Prophet PBUH knew the sahaba so he picked Hudhayfah by purpose. For sure he cannot send a Qureshi, he has to send someone they don't recognize. Hudhayfah didn't fight in Badr or Uhud. So Hudhayfah stood up shaking and cold and the Prophet PBUH made a du'a, "O Allah, protect him from his right, protect him from the left, from on top, and from below," and Hudhayfah said every single fear that he felt vanished. And he walked in that darkness, only Allah knows how, and he quietly made his way through the crowd and to the camp of the Quraysh until he said, "I saw the back of the one that looked like the leader, and I figured out he was Abu Sufyan." So the Prophet PBUH told Hudhayfah to find out the news but to be discrete: Don't let them catch you. Hudhayfah said he was about to take his arrow and shoot Abu Sufyan, but then he remembered the command of the Prophet PBUH.
After a while Abu Sufyan spoke and said, "I am about to say something, so let everyone amongst you verify the person next to you is trustworthy - make sure it's our group, the Quraysh." And it's dark, you can't see clearly anyway but look at Hudhayfah's quick thinking: Hudhayfah turned to the person to his right, held his hand firmly and said, "WHO ARE YOU?" And the man replied. And similarly to the left, he said to the man, "WHO ARE YOU?" In the process Hudhayfah didn't tell them who he is. He gave the aura of authority: He imitated the people next to him with such confidence that they didn't even ask him who he was. And where is this confidence coming from on such a night? Nowhere but the du'a of the Prophet PBUH. How is he thinking so quickly? Subhan'Allah.
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The Quraysh Leaves
Then Abu Sufyan stood up and said, "We are not here in our houses; our horses are tired, our animals are perished and the Banu Qurayza has betrayed us." In his eyes this fancy tale of the 'Sabbath' and they can't fight on a Saturday is ludicrous and clearly an act of betrayal. So he continues and says, "Now you see this wind harming us, neither can we keep a pot on our fires, nor even can our fire remain lit." Subhan'Allah the pots themselves were being turned upside down - it was a terrible windstorm, and in the middle of a desert it become a sandstorm. And it is something so harsh that the dust is so extreme you think you are blind, there is such darkness you can't see anything, and you see the dust and sand crawling in your entire body. It's so sticky and you simply cannot breathe. This is IN the city NOW, imagine what it was like for them. Firstly this is an adhab (punishment) that Allah Himself has especially sent so it's 10x worse. Second it's in the middle of the desert - there is no protection. So Abu Sufyan is saying, "We don't even have a house to protect us, and I think we should all return. Whatever you say, I'm returning anyway." And as he said this he went to his camel, told the camel to get up, and just left. Hudhayfah said again he had a clear shot at him but he remembered what the Prophet PBUH said. And so the entire Quraysh left with him.
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Bringing Back the News to the Prophet PBUH
With this news Hudhayfah returned back to the Prophet PBUH. Al-Bayhaqi says when Hudhayfah was returning back, he found in the middle of nowhere 20 horseman coming towards him with their faces covered, and they said to him, "Go tell your companion we have done the job of fighting for him." And so Hudhayfah returned and said he found the Prophet PBUH praying. And he added what Aisha RA said in Bukhari, that whenever the Prophet PBUH was disturbed by something he would stand up in prayer. And Hudhayfah says the same thing here. He is praying in this time of cold - and the Prophet PBUH is so cold he is wearing a blanket of his wife during salah. And Hudhayfah was shivering as well, and at this the Prophet PBUH motioned to him to come and sit inside the blanket. So Hudhayfah sat inside the blanket while the Prophet PBUH finished salah. This was another blessing: He is sitting at the foot of the Prophet PBUH inside the blanket. And then he gave the Prophet PBUH the good news, and at this Allah revealed Surah al-Ahzab verse 9:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اذْكُرُوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذْ جَاءَتْكُمْ جُنُودٌ فَأَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ رِيحًا وَجُنُودًا لَّمْ تَرَوْهَا ۚ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرًا
"O you who have believed, remember the favor of Allah upon you when armies came to [attack] you and We sent upon them a wind and armies [of angels] you did not see. And ever is Allah , of what you do, Seeing." [33:9]
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The Windstorm Only Caused Them to Leave, and It Did Not Kill Them
What was the Prophet PBUH doing? On this night he made special du'a to Allah, "O Allah, the One who's revealed the book, and the One who is quick in retribution, destroy them and shake the ground from them." In another hadith one sahabi narrates the Prophet PBUH said to the people, "Don't wish to meet the enemy. But if you are forced to fight, then be patient and know Jannah is under the shade of the swords," and then he made the du'a: "O Allah, the One who has sent the book down, the One who sends the clouds and winds, destroy the Ahzab, and help us against them." And subhan'Allah this is exactly what Allah did - he sent down the most severe sandstorms and winds. Ibn Ishaq mentions not a single tent, pot, or fire remained lit. Every single man among them had to flee because they just could not take it. In a hadith the Prophet PBUH said, "Allah has helped me with the winds of Saba and Ad was destroyed by the wind of Dabur." Subhan'Allah - this shows us the winds have armies. The wind of Saba was given to the Muslims during Khandaq and the winds of Dabur for Ad. What is Saba? It's said it's that wind which carried the scent of Yusuf AS to Ya'qub AS. So it's generally a wind of mercy. Dabur comes from the west, and so it's harsher than Saba. These are just interpretations of scholars - Allah knows best. And indeed Allah knew the concern the Prophet PBUH had for his people, he sent him the Saba and NOT the Dabur. Because when the Dabur is sent, there is complete destruction. So Ibn Hajar comments that was the reason they evacuated and caused to leave, but the wind did not kill any one of them. Subhan'Allah. Saba was just enough to cause them to leave but not destroy them. Why? Allah knew the Prophet's PBUH love for his people, and the same Ghatafan, the same Quraysh etc. all eventually accepted Islam.
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Outcome of the Battle
Thus the Quraysh returned home having gained nothing, having humiliated themselves and been humiliated and disgraced in a manner unparalleled in Arabian history. 10,000 strong, and yet they were not able to kill less than 10 people. In return, after this as the Prophet PBUH said, "Now WE will launch an attack and they will never launch an attack against us." The tide has officially changed. That they sent the Muslims the BEST they had, but they still failed.
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What Did Allah Use for the Victory?
So what did Allah use for the victory in the Battle of Ahzab?
1. The Iman of the sahaba and the du'a of the Prophet PBUH. After Ahzab the Prophet PBUH would frequently say du'a pertaining to Ahzab. We normally here these phrases during Eid khutbah. That, "He fulfilled his promise, that We will defend you. And He helped His servants. He brought about honor to His army. And He destroyed the massive Ahzab all by Himself. Allah is sufficient to fight on behalf of the believers." LITERALLY they didn't lift a sword. They didn't do ANYTHING other than prove their Iman to Allah. When they proved they Iman, Allah gave them everything that they needed.
2. Nuaym ibn Mas'ud - wallahi an amazing and most perfect person with the right connections. He was in Makkah when Abu Sufyan needed a neutral party gaining his confidence. Imagine - Allah is planning from YEARS before. Doing this favor he built a friendship with Abu Sufyan. On top of this he drank wine with chief of the Banu Qurayza and knows him well. And he interacted with the Prophet PBUH a few times too. And of course he is from the Ghatafan - and he was a noble businessman from the second rank. He wasn't the leader but one below so everyone trusted them. And again in his wisdom he didn't get his tribe involved with the Quraysh or Banu Qurayza. Allah is using him - imagine how perfectly the pieces are falling into place. On the night of Ahzab out of nowhere Allah threw Islam into his heart. When his tribe are outside Madinah he decides to embrace Islam and just goes to the Prophet PBUH from nowhere. Note Nuaym after this made Hijrah and settled in Madinah, and he died a shaheed in the war of the camel.
3. The ignorance of the Quraysh with regards to the rules of the Jews. This rule seems so bizarre - some Jews now don't even use electricity, or answer the phone. Some walk miles to the synagogue and don't use the car. Imagine the Quraysh who have never heard of this - to think an entire day you do nothing and sit around. He said, "What is Saturday except the day before Sunday?" So he literally though they were inventing something to trick him.
4. The long drawn out siege. Over 25 days - their own supplies are dwindling, and their own animals are dwindling. They are away from family and children. From that high moral in the beginning, after 25 days of torture they are so worn out and tired they can't take it anymore. They can't take living in the cold in tents in the desert. As for the Muslims they have Iman.
5. Allah sent his armies of winds and angels. Armies that "could not be seen."
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Conclusion
And this was the end of Ahzab. And immediately after this, the Banu Qurayza had to be dealt with. When it comes to politics [in our times], the number one smear against the Prophet PBUH is [in how he dealt with] the Banu Qurayza. That he massacred an entire tribe - and then there are charges of antisemitism, racism, etc. But wallahi we have already seen the nature of things. Look at the context. This occurred not because of who they are, but because of what they did. And it's in every hadith book, every seerah book, so it definitely happened. On top of this, the Quran indirectly implies what happened to them. But what happened to them was done because of what they did. It's wallahi so simple.