Message of Peace - Justice P K Shamsuddin
The
news of this huge mobilization of men and arms against Medina instilled fear in
the minds of the Muslims. Not much help was possible from outside and their
only option turned out to be fortification of the city. Halmanal Farra, who was
familiar with war ethics, advised digging of a dry mot around Medina and
fortification of buildings within. The mot was dug and Mohammed worked with his
hands alongside his companions. All the Muslims participated in this endeavor with
picks and tools borrowed from the Qurayzah Jews, who remained true to their covenant
with Mohammed. The work was completed within six days with great effort. The walls
of the buildings facing the enemy were reinforced and the inhabitants were
evacuated. They reserved these buildings for the use of the army.
The Meccans and their allies marched
forward, expecting to see the Muslims somewhere on the way, but they couldn’t
find any. They further marched towards Medina, where they found to their great
surprise, a ditch surrounding the whole city. They accused the Muslims for resorting
to such an unusual technique of war. The army finally encamped at a place
called Rumah and the forces of Ghatafan and its allies encamped at a place
called Dharab Naqana. Mohammed gathered there, thousand Muslims on the side of
Hal mountain in Medina. Only the ditch separated the Muslims from the enemy.
The Meccans and the allies realized the impossibility of crossing the ditch and
were forced to restrict their military activity just to the extent of Javelin. Abu
Sufian was convinced that they have to wait for a very long time before they
could storm it. The season was winter and the cold was unbearable. Wind and storm
continued without break, adding more woe to the situation. To the Meccans, it became
amply clear that a victory was impossible, as long as the Muslims under
Mohammed controlled the other side of the ditch and Banu Utarayya supplied
Medina with enough food provisions to enable them to hold on to their positions
for months or even for years.
Some
of the Meccan allies began to think of returning home. However, the leaders of
the Meccan force knew that another mobilization would be difficult once if they
were allowed to disperse. Abu Sufian pondered over and weighed all the conciliations.
He finally decided to use his last trump card. He told the Meccans that he
would persuade Banu Qurahah to violate their covenant with Mohammed and bring him to his camp and thus cut off
supply of food to Muslims, for ever.
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