THE PROPHET’S DUA AGAINST THE CONFEDERATES
The Prophet’s Dua Against The Confederates And How Allah Dealt With Them By His Wisdom And Power
Thus Allah cast terror into their hearts; then sent against them tornadoes which convulsed them.
It is recorded in the Saheehain from ‘Abdullah Ibn Abi Awfa that Allah’s Messenger supplicated against the Ahzab thus: “O Allah! The Revealer of the Book, the Swift-Taker of Accounts, defeats the Ahzab (the Confederates). O Allah, defeat them and convulse them.” In another version, he said: “O Allah, defeat them and grant us victory over them.”
Al-Bukhari related from Abu Hurairah that Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, used to supplicate thus: “La ilaha ill-Allah Wahdahu’, A’azza jundahu, wa nasara abdahu wa galabal-azab wahdahu, fa la shay’a ba’dahu.” (None has the right to be worshipped except Allah, Alone, (Who) honored His warriors and made His slave victorious, and He, Alone, defeated the confederates; so there is nothing after Him).
Nu‘aim Ibn Mas‘ood came to Allah’s Messenger, peace be upon him, and said: “O Messenger of Allah, I have accepted Islam without the knowledge of my people, so you may command me with whatever you wish.” The Prophet said: “You are only one man amongst us, so to go and incite distrust among the enemies toward them for war is a stratagem.”
Then Nu‘aim approached Banu Quraizah with whom he had some comradeship during the Jahiliyyah. He said to them: “O Banu Quraizah, you are aware of my sympathy for you and the special relation existing between me and you.” They acknowledge that they did not feel suspicious toward him. Then Nu‘aim said to them: “The Quraish and the Ghatafan are not in a similar situation as you. The town is yours which comprises your properties, children and wives and you cannot abandon them and go somewhere else. The Quraish and Ghatafan are here to fight Muhammad and his Companions. You are supporting them against him while their own town, women and properties are not here, so they are different from you. If they find an opportunity, they will avail themselves of it but if the situation goes bad, they will return to their own land and abandon you to confront the man whom you will not be able to withstand. Do not partake in the war till you take some of their noblemen as mortgage. Let them be in your possession as measure of assurance for you and on condition that you all fight against Muhammad to a logical conclusion.” Quite impressed by the suggestion, they said: “You have indeed directed us to an intelligent suggestion.”
Thereafter, Nu‘aim proceeded to the Quraish and said to Abu Sufyan Ibn Harb and his company from the Quraish: “You are aware of my sympathy for you and my estrangement from Muhammad. I am privy to a conspiracy of which I see as rightful for me to inform you as a precaution but keep this as a secret.” After giving him the assurance of secrecy, Nu‘aim then said: “The Jews have become regretful of what they have committed between them and Muhammad. In fact, they have sent a message saying: ‘We deeply regret our action. However, will it please you that we deliver the leaders of the Quraish and Ghatafan to you so that you may chop off their necks and then we shall align with you to finish the remainder of them?’ And he (Muhammad) had sent back a word in appreciation of that. So, if the Jews request you for some of your noblemen as mortgages, do not grant them even a single person.”
Then Nu‘aim proceeded to the Ghatafan and said to them, “O people of Ghatafan, you are of my roots, my family and the most beloved people to me so I do not feel that you are suspicious of me.” When they acknowledged their trust in him, he then requested that they be secretive about the information he intended to grant them. After they had given him their words, he told them similar to what he told the Quraish and urged them to take precaution as the Quraish.
On the night of a Saturday in the month of Shawwal, 5th year of Hijrah, from Allah’s favor to His Messenger was that Abu Sufyan and some chiefs of the Ghatafan sent ‘Ikrimah Ibn Abi Jahl among other individuals from the Quraish and the Ghatafan charging them with the message that: “We cannot stay here forever. The infantry and Calvary are bogged down. So be prepared to fight along with us till we finish off Muhammad and what is between us and him is settled once and for all.” Banu Quraizah also sent a message back, saying: “Today is Saturday which coincides with a day we do not do anything. Some of us have violated this sacred day in the past and the consequence of their action is not hidden from you. Moreover, we will not partake in fighting against Muhammad until you give us some of your men as mortgage, which shall be an assurance for us till we fight and uproot Muhammad. We fear that if you begin the war and there is a negative turn of events, you will then run back to your land and abandon us to face the man all alone; something we will be unable to bear.”
When the emissaries returned with the message of Banu Quraizah, the Quraish said: “By Allah, what Nu‘aim Ibn Mas‘ood said is true.” So they sent back words, saying: “We shall not release to you a single person from us, if you really wish to fight, then come out and fight.” When this latest message reached them, they said: “What Nu‘aim had informed you of is true. They merely wish to fight if they find an opportunity but if the situation goes bad, they will return to their own land and abandon you to confront the man in your own land all alone.” So they sent back a message to the Quraish and the Ghatafan: “We shall not fight along with you till you give us a pawn.” They were refused and Allah drove a wedge between them. Thereafter, He sent against them tornadoes on a wintry and extremely cold night which kept overturning their cooking pots and sending their chattels in disarray.
It has been narrated by Ibrahim At-Taimi on the authority of his father who said: We were sitting in the company of Hudhayfah. A man said, if I were in the time of the Messenger of Allah, I would have fought by his side and would have striven hard for his cause. Hudhaifah said: You might have done that, (but you should not make a flourish of your enthusiasm). I was with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, on the night of the Battle of Ahzab and we were gripped by a violent wind and severe cold. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: “Hearken! The man who (goes reconnoitering and) brings me news of the enemy shall be ranked with me on the Day of Judgment by Allah (the Glorious and Exalted).” We all kept quiet and none of us responded to him. (Again) he said: “Hearken! The man who (goes reconnoitering and) brings me news of the enemy shall be ranked with me on the Day of Judgment by Allah (the Glorious and Exalted).” Again, we kept quiet and none of us responded to him. He again said: “Hearken! The man who (goes reconnoitering and) brings me news of the enemy shall be ranked with me on the Day of Judgment by Allah (the Glorious and Exalted).” Then he said: “Get up Hudhayfah, bring me news of the enemy.” When he called me by name I had no alternative but to get up. He said: “Go and bring me information about the enemy, and do nothing that may provoke them against me.” When I left him, I felt warm as if I were walking in a heated bath until I reached them. I saw Abu Sufyan warming his back against fire. I put an arrow in the middle of the bow intending to shoot at him, when I recalled the words of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, “Do not provoke them against me.” Had I shot at him, I would have hit him. But I returned and (felt warm as if) I was walking in a heated bath (hammam). Presenting myself before him, I gave him information about the enemy. When I did so, I began to feel cold, so the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, wrapped me in a blanket that he had in excess to his own requirement and with which he used to cover himself while saying his prayers. So I continued to sleep until it was morning. When it was morning he said: “Get up, O heavy sleeper.”
Al-Hakim and Al-Hafiz Al-Baihaqi related in Aad-Dala’il from ‘AbdulAzeez, the nephew of Hudhayfah, who said: Hudhaifah related some of the battles they witnessed with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and his audience said: “By Allah, had we witnessed that, we would have done such-and-such (feats of battle).” Hudhaifah said: “do not wish for that. On the night of the Ahzab, we sat still while Abu Sufyan and his army among the confederates were above us and the Jews of Banu Quraizah were below us and we were scared of them for our progenies. We never witnessed a night worse than that due to its darkness, violent winds whose sound was dumbfounding. The darkness was so pitch that each one of them could not even see his finger. The hypocrites were advancing excuses to the Prophet, saying: “Our houses are exposed,” even though it was not so and there was no one who sought the permission of Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, except that he permitted him. Some of them sought permission while some merely snacked away. We were about three hundred men and we were in that condition when Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, approached us one after the other till he came upon me while there was nothing shielding me, neither from the enemy nor from the extreme cold, except a woolen outfit whose length did not go beyond my knees. The Prophet got to my position while I was kneeling on my knees. “Who is there?” The Prophet asked. “Hudhayfah,” I replied, recoiling further to the ground. “O Messenger of Allah, I hate to stand up.” He ordered me to stand up and I obeyed and then he said: “Sneak into the enemy camp and bring me information.” I was most frightful and chilly. Nevertheless, I set out and the Messenger supplicated: “O Allah, protect him from his front behind, right side, his left, from above him and below him.” Every feeling of fright and chilliness dissipated from me. When I turned to go, he gave me a terse instruction: ‘O Hudhaifah, do not do anything in the enemy ranks till you come back to me’.
“I went out till I got near the enemy camp. I beheld the glow of the enemy campfires. I saw a bulky fellow saying while his hands were upon the fire and rubbing it against his flank. He was saying: “The Departure! The Departure!!” Then I returned to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessing of Allah be upon him, while he was covered in his mantle praying. By Allah, the moment I came back to Allah’s Messenger, I began to shiver from the cold and the Prophet beckoned to me with his hand while he was praying. I drew close to him and he covered me with his mantle. Whenever a matter becomes aggravated, the Prophet would take recourse in prayer. I informed him that I left the enemies while they were ready to depart. Then Allah revealed: O you who believe! Remember Allah’s Favor to you, when there came against you hosts, and We sent against them a wind and forces that you saw not [i.e. troops of angels during the Battle of Al-Ahzab (the Confederates)]. And Allah is Ever AllSeer of what you do (Surah Al-Ahzab 33:9) i.e. all of the Verse up to the statement of Allah:
And Allah drove back those who disbelieved in their rage, they gained no advantage (booty, etc.). Allah sufficed for the believers in the fighting (by sending against the disbelievers a severe wind and troops of angels). And Allah is Ever All-Strong, Almighty (Surah Al-Ahzab 33:25) meaning that Allah turned away their enemy from them with a violent wind, which He sent upon them and forces from the angels and others. “Allah sufficed for the Believers in the fighting.” i.e. they had no need to clash directly with the enemies, rather, Allah, the Ever All-Strong, Almighty turned them away by His Wisdom and Power.
Thus, it is recorded in the Saheehain from Abu Hurairah that Allah’s Messenger, peace be upon him, used to say: “None has the right to be worshipped except Allah, Alone, (Who) honored His warriors and made His slave victorious, and He, Alone, defeated the confederates; so there is nothing after Him.”
Allah (SWT) says: Allah sufficed for the believers in the fighting. Indicating that fighting actually took place and the Quraish never returned to fight against the Muslims again thereafter.
Sulaiman Ibn Surad, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: “Right now we have defeated them; they will never defeat us again.”
By: Ibn Katheer
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