Passion at the Battle of the Ditch

When the Battle of the Ditch had taken place, the Holy Prophet (sa) contemplated sending Uyainah bin Hisn a third of the dates of Medina, on the condition that the people of the Ghatfan tribe travelling with him would go back. With the exception of all else, the Holy Prophet (sa) took counsel from only Hazrat Sa‘d (ra) bin Mu‘az and Hazrat Sa‘d (ra) bin Ubadah. Both of them replied, “O Messenger (sa) of Allah, if you have been commanded by God Almighty to do so then by all means proceed in doing so. However, if this is not the case, then by God we shall give them nothing but the sword” (i.e., we will take what is our right, or they shall receive whatever punishment was due as a result of this hypocrisy or breaking of their oath). Upon this, the Holy Prophet (sa) stated, “I have not been instructed in this regard, rather it was my personal opinion which I shared with both of you.” They both then answered, “O Messenger (sa) of Allah, these people did not even expect such treatment from us in the jahiliyyah (period of ignorance prior to Islam), so why now, after God Almighty has guided us through you?” (In other words, the rules and customs which were in place before should still apply to them now). The Holy Prophet (sa) was pleased with their answer.

(Usdul Ghabah, Vol. 2, p. 442, Sa‘d bin Ubadah (ra), Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 2003)

Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad Sahib (ra) has mentioned the details of this, with regard to the conditions during the Battle of the Ditch, as follows:

“These days were ones of grave pain, apprehension and danger. As the siege grew longer and longer, the Muslims naturally began to lose their strength to fight and although they were full of faith and sincerity, their bodies, which of course functioned according to the material law of nature, began to fall weak.” In other words, the body has certain physical needs, such as comfort and the need of nourishment. However, since the siege had prolonged, therefore they had to endure extremely difficult circumstances and could neither get proper rest, nor proper food and were consequently losing their strength. This impact on their bodies was owing to the natural laws. “Thus, when the Holy Prophet (sa) witnessed this state of affairs, he called upon the two chieftains of the Ansar, Sa‘d (ra) bin Mu‘az and Sa‘d (ra) bin Ubadah and recalling to them all of the circumstances at hand sought their counsel” in light of the conditions of the Muslims. “The Holy Prophet (sa) even proposed, ‘If you are in agreement, it is also possible that we may give the Ghatan tribe a portion of our wealth, so that this war may be averted.’ Sa‘d (ra) bin Mu‘az and Sa‘d (ra) bin Ubadah resonated the same words, and submitted, ‘O Messenger (sa) of Allah! If you have received divine revelation in this respect, then we submit to you in obedience. In this case, most definitely, let us act upon this proposition gladly.’ The Holy Prophet (sa) said, ‘Nay, nay, I have not received any revelation in this matter. I only present this suggestion out of my consideration for the hardship you are being made to bear.’ The two Sa‘ds responded, ‘Then our suggestion is that if we have never given anything to an enemy while we were idolaters, why then should we do so as Muslims?” i.e. they will continue to follow the rules that were a custom of the time. “By God! We shall give them nothing but the strikes of our swords.’

“The Holy Prophet (sa) was worried on account of the Ansar, who were the native residents of Medina” and so the Holy Prophet (sa) was particularly concerned about them in regard to the prolonged siege, whether they had any reservations or were in discomfort from it. “Furthermore, in seeking this counsel, the only intent of the Holy Prophet (sa) was to perhaps gather insight into the mental state of the Ansar, as to whether they were worried about these hardships or not, and if they were, then to console them. Thus, when this proposal was put forth, the Holy Prophet (sa) happily accepted and war continued.”

(Sirat Khatamun-Nabiyyin, Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad (ra), pp. 589-590)