Global InformationBattle of the Trench information
| Battle of the Trench | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Muslim–Quraysh War | |||||||
 Map of the Battle of the Trench | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
|
Muslims including
|
Confederates including
| ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Muhammad Ali Ibn Abi Talib Salman the Persian 'Ubadah ibn al-Samit[6] |
Abu Sufyan Amr ibn Abd al-Wud † Tulayha | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 3,000[7] |
10,000 7,500 (Watt’s Estimate)[8] | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 5[9] – 6[10][11] | 3[10][11] | ||||||
  class=notpageimage| Location within Saudi Arabia | |||||||
The Battle of the Trench (Arabic: غزوة الخندق, romanized: Ghazwat al-Khandaq), also known as the Battle of Khandaq (Arabic: معركة الخندق, romanized: Ma’rakah al-Khandaq) and the Battle of the Confederates (Arabic: غزوة الاحزاب, romanized: Ghazwat al-Ahzab), was part of the conflict between the Muslims and the Quraysh, where this time the Quraysh took the offensive and advanced on the Muslims, who defended themselves in Medina by digging a trench around their settlement at the suggestion of Salman the Persian.[12] The battle, which took place in 627 and lasted around two weeks,[11] was lightly fought,[13] with the Muslims reported to have suffered five to six casualties and the Quraysh three.[10][11][9]
The Quraysh, tired of seeing the Islamic prophet Muhammad continue to raid and plunder their trade caravans despite his defeat at the Battle of Uhud, decided to occupy his city base, Medina.[4] Realizing that they had little military capability as they were only merchants, they negotiated vigorously with the Bedouins to get them to join the campaign.[4] The Banu Nadir, whom Muhammad had previously expelled from Medina, were also part of this effort, to the extent that they offered the Bedouins half of their crops in Khaybar to persuade them to take part.[14] In the end, they reportedly managed to gather a confederate force of 10,000 men (Watt estimates less than 7,500), including Banu Ghatafan, Banu Sulaym, and Banu Asad.[8]
On the other hand, Muhammad, having learned of the impending Quraysh advance, took the advice of Salman the Persian to have his followers make a deep trench to impede their movement.[15][12] The Jewish tribe of Banu Qurayza assisted with this Muslims' effort by digging the trench and lending them their tools.[16][17][18] When the Quraysh approached, they were unfamiliar with this tactic and struggled to get beyond the trench.[12] As the siege gradually dragged on, Muhammad used the time to negotiate secretly with the Banu Ghatafan, sowing distrust among his opponents. After about two weeks, the weather deteriorated and the invading party withdrew.[4]
The battle caused the Meccans to lose their trade to Syria and much of their prestige.[5] Whereas for Muhammad, he was then reportedly visited by Gabriel, who directed him to attack the Banu Qurayza,[19] which led to the slaughter and enslavement of its population by the Muslims.[a]
- ^ Watt 1956, p. 35–36.
- ^ Brockopp 2010, p. 9.
- ^ Lapidus 2012, p. 42.
- ^ a b c d Buhl & Welch 1993, p. 370.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
statesmanwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Gil, Moshe (27 February 1997). Ibn Sa'd, 1(1), 147 VII(2), 113f, Baladhuri, Tarikh Tabari, 1 2960, Muqaddasi, Muthir, 25f; Ibn Hisham, 311. Cambridge University press. p. 119. ISBN 0521599849. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Rodinson 208was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Watt 1961, p. 166-167.
- ^ a b Hazleton 2014, p. 259.
- ^ a b c Rodgers 2012, p. 148.
- ^ a b c d Watt 1961, p. 169.
- ^ a b c Watt 1961, p. 168.
- ^ Hoyland 2015, The Battle of the Ditch (Trench).
- ^ Watt 1961, p. 166.
- ^ Rodgers 2012, p. 143.
- ^ Rodinson 2021, p. 209.
- ^ Gabriel 2014, p. 136.
- ^ Rodgers 2012, p. 145.
- ^ Spellberg 1994, p. 45.
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