Islamiyat · May / June 2020 · Paper 11 · Question 4

The Battle of the Trench (Khandaq) was fought in 627. Give an account of the main events that took place.

Use the AO1 Mark Grid

Candidates may include some of the following points. All other relevant points must be credited.

Banu Nadir had broken their treaty agreements and planned to kill the Prophet (pbuh). They planned an attack with the Makkans and other Arab tribes, and gathered an army of 10 000. The Muslims gathered 3000 men, so were outnumbered. Salman al-Farsi suggested the Muslims dig trenches to keep the army out of Madina, wide enough and deep enough not to be crossed. Many miracles were also witnessed by the Muslims, including feeding a large number of people with one sheep.

The hypocrites in Madina withdrew their support, making excuses. Banu Qurayza did not initially want to break their agreements with the Prophet (pbuh), but later were convinced to help the Quraysh.

The Quraysh tried to cross the trench; a couple of riders managed to cross a part that was narrower; ‘Ali fought them off.

The siege ran into weeks.

The Prophet (pbuh) used strategic skills to create mistrust between the alliances, sending Nuaym bin Mas’ud to sow seeds of mistrust between the allies.

The Makkans eventually gave up after a storm for three days which prevented them from lighting fires, cooking food and keeping warm; Banu Qurayza were punished for their treachery by their own laws.

What can Muslims learn from this event about taking advice from others?

Even if you are in a position of authority or power, you should not think that you cannot take advice from others. There will often be people who know more than you, or have more experience or wisdom about a subject. Therefore when you are in need, or have a dilemma, it is good to ask others who know, as the Prophet (pbuh) would also consult and take advice from his companions.

It is not necessary to always follow the advice, but people should be open to receiving it.