Introduction to the Study of The Holy Quran — Page 154
154 said, " Allahu Akbar " and the rock was in fragments. The Companions asked the Prophet about all this. Why did he say, " Allahu Akbar " again and again? "I struck this rock three times with this pickaxe, and three times did I see scenes of the future glory of Islam revealed to me. In the first sparks I saw the Syrian palaces of the Roman Empire. I had the keys of those palaces given to me. The second time I saw the illumined palaces of Persia at Mada’in, and had the keys of the Persian Empire given to me. The third time, I saw the gates of San‘a and I had the keys of the Kingdom of Yemen given to me. These are the promises of God and I trust you will put reliance in them. The enemy can do you no harm. " 173 With their limited manpower, the ditch which the Muslims were able to dig could not be a perfect one from the point of view of military strategy, but it at least seemed to ensure against the sudden entry of the enemy into the town. That it was not impassable, subsequent events in the battle amply proved. No other side suited the enemy from which to attack the town. From the side of the ditch, therefore, the huge army of Arabian tribesmen began to approach Medina. As soon as the Prophet got to know of this, he came out to defend it with twelve hundred men, having posted other men to defend other parts of the town. Historians estimate differently the number which defended the ditch. Some put it at three thousand, others at twelve to thirteen hundred, still others at seven hundred. These estimates are very different and apparently difficult to reconcile. But, after weighing the evidence, we have come to the conclusion that all the three estimates of the Muslim numbers engaged in defending the ditch are correct. They relate to different stages of the battle. Fight against Heavy Odds We have already agreed that, after the withdrawal of the hypocrites at Uhud, the number of Muslims left in the field was seven hundred. The Battle of the Ditch took place only two years after the Battle of Uhud. During these two years, no large accessions to Islam are recorded in history. An increase during this time in the number of combatant Muslims from seven hundred to three thousand is not to be expected. At the same time, it does not stand to reason that between Uhud and the Ditch there was no rise in the number of combatant Muslims. Islam continued to add to its numbers and we should expect some increase between the Battle of Uhud and the Battle of the Ditch. From these two considerations, it seems to follow that the estimate which puts the number of Muslim combatants in the Battle of the Ditch at one thousand two hundred is correct. The only question to be answered is, why some authorities put the number at three thousand and some at seven hundred. Our answer to this question is that the two figures relate to two different stages of the battle. The