Battle of the Ditch

Background

The Battle of the Ditch was an extension of the Battle of Uhud as the Battle of Uhud was an extension of the Battle of Badr. The Quraish suffered defeat at the Battle of Badr. Battle of Uhud was fought by the Quraish to take revenge of their defeat at the Battle of Badr. The Battle of Uhud proved to be indecisive. The Quraish were therefore, still suffering from the ignominy of their defeat at the Battle of Badr. The Quraish allied themselves with some Arab tribes of the desert and succeeded in mustering a force ten thousand strong.

Defense of Madina

When the Holy Prophet came to know of the war preparations of the Quraish, he held a council of war. It was felt that in view of the large strength of the forces of the enemy it would not be possible for the Muslims to face the enemy in the open. The Muslims had a bitter experience of the Battle of Uhud, and it was not proper to repeat the mistake. It was accordingly necessary to adopt a new strategy to face the enemy. Salman Farsi, a companion who hailed from Persia suggested that a ditch be dug around Madina for the purposes of defense. This advice was accepted by the Holy Prophet, and it was decided that in the impending battle, the Muslims should remain on the defensive.

The Ditch

Madina had natural defenses on three sides. Only the fourth side was vulnerable to attack. It was decided that a ditch should be dug on this side. The site for the ditch was demarcated by the Holy Prophet. All male adults of the Muslim community in Madina were mobilized to dig the ditch. The labor force was divided into batches and each batch had a leader. Each batch was required to dig a ditch ten yards long. Ali led one batch. The Holy Prophet, Ali and all other companions worked day and night as laborers to dig the ditch. The Muslims labored to the rhythm of a war song they sang:

By God, had not Allah guided us, we would not have been on the right path. We would not have given any Sadaqa nor offered prayer. May Allah bestow on us confidence and calmness of mind. May He make our steps firm to face the enemy. The enemy has risen against us and seeks our destruction. Allah, we seek your protection. There is no welfare except that in the next world; Allah, shower your grace on the Ansars and the Muhajjirs." These verses were composed by Ali.

These verses inspired the Muslims to action, and the entire stretch of the ditch was completely dug within twenty days. The ditch was five yards deep and five yards broad. Each batch of the Muslims who had dug the ditch was required to stand guard over the ditch in their part of the sector. In each sector there were archers who shot arrows to keep the enemy away from the ditch.

The Battle

The forces of the Quraish and the Arab tribes arrived beating drums, and raising shouts boasting, of their strength and invincibility. When they reached Madina, and found that a ditch intervened between them and Madina. They were confused as the Arabs were not used to ditch warfare. They set up their camps at some distance from the Ditch. Thus began the siege of Madina. The enemy made several attempts to cross the ditch, but the Muslim archers kept them at bay. The enemy approached the Jews of Banu Quraiza in Madina to help them in crossing the ditch. The Banu Quraiza were heavily bribed. They threw some dead animals in that part of the ditch where the Muslim defense was not very strong. Due to the treachery of the Banu Quraiza, some warriors of the Quraish led by Amr b Abdwoud managed to cross the ditch. Brandishing his sword, Amr challenged the Muslims to a duel in single combat; Amr was a formidable man who enjoyed the reputation of being equal to a thousand men in physical strength. Ali rose to accept the challenge. The Holy Prophet bade him sit down. Amr repeated his challenge for the second time, and Ali rose up once again to accept the challenge. The Holy Prophet once again asked Ali to sit down. Amr gave the challenge for the third time and Ali stood up again to accept the challenge. This time the Holy Prophet let Ali accept the challenge. When the duel began Ali appeared to be no match for Amr. Amr confident of his physical strength said to Ali that he did not want to kill him. Ali retorted that he intended to kill him. Amr succeeded in inflicting some wounds on Ali, but each time Ali aimed a blow, Amr successfully avoided the blows of Ali. When it appeared that the end of Ali was imminent, something miraculous happened. Amr imagined that some one was going to stab him in the rear. He turned his head. It was for a moment, but Ali took full advantage of the opportunity, and with a blow of his sword cut off the feet of Amr. Amr fell down, and Ali stabbed him to death. Thereupon Usl the son of Amr fell upon Ali. Ali was now as ferocious as a lion. He killed Usl with one stroke of his sword. Thereafter Naufal attacked Ali. Ali charged with full force, and while retreating Naufal fell in to the ditch, Ali jumped after him in the ditch and killed him there. Ikrama b Abu Jahl who had crossed the ditch along with Amr did not dare face Ali. He along with all other men who had crossed the ditch withdrew, and after again crossing the ditch found refuge in their camp. Ali was the hero of the day. It came to be felt that if Ali could overthrow Amr who was believed to be equivalent to a thousand men, Ali would be a man equivalent to ten thousand men. When the sister of Amr came to know that her brother had been killed she inquired from the people as to who had killed him, and when she came to know that Ali had killed him, she said that verily Ali was the bravest man among the Quraish.

Flight of the Quraish

The death of Amr at the hands of Ali demoralized the Quraish and their allies. The men of the Banu Ghaftan came to feel that some supernatural power was helping the Muslims. The Holy Prophet sent his agents to work with the confederates and give them the message of Islam. The leader of Banu Ghaftan accepted Islam, and withdrew his contingent from the battlefield. The game of the confederates was to draw the Muslims into the open and defeat them. The Muslims under the command of the Holy Prophet did not fall into the trap. As the siege lengthened, the Arabs of the desert became weary of the prolonged struggle. Under these circumstances more Arab tribes left for their homes. The confederates also began to suffer on account of the scarcity of food and fodder. It was nature that struck the final blow at the confederates. One midnight, a strong storm lashed the countryside. Rain and fast blowing winds overturned the tents of the confederates and extinguished their fires. The Muslims were safe in their houses in Madina, but the confederates who had to bear the brunt of the fury of the storm, rain and hail were unnerved. Losing all hope of victory Abu Sufyan the Quraish leader mounted his camel and ordered a retreat. Thus miserably foiled, the great coalition which had appeared so invincible at the outset suffered a great reverse. The battle ended in the triumph of Islam. That raised the morale of the Muslims, and they came to believe that Islam was the truth against which the forces of falsehood could not maintain a stand. The Muslim victory in the Battle of the Ditch was due to the superior generalship and organizational skill of the Holy Prophet and the prodigies of valor on the part of Ali. The Battle of the Ditch struck the last nail in the coffin of the Quraish of Makkah. Thereafter the Quraish lost their initiative, which now passed on to the Muslims.