The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume II — Page 452
Seal of the Prophets - Volume II 452 and sought counsel in this regard. In this consultative meeting, a sincere Companion from Iran named Salmān ra , the Persian, was also present. His acceptance of Islām has already been alluded to above. Since Salmān ra , the Persian, was knowledgeable in non-Arab strategy of war, he proposed that a long and wide ditch be dug around that part of Madīnah, which was insecure, in order to defend themselves. The idea of a ditch was a novel concept for the Arabs, but upon learning that this method of war was generally prevalent among the non-Arab world, the Holy Prophet sa accepted this proposal. 1 The city of Madīnah was secure on three fronts to some extent. Due to the walls of a continuous succession of homes, thick trees and large rocks, these fronts were protected from a sudden attack by the army of the Quraish. It was only from the front facing towards Syria that the enemy could swarm upon Madina. For this reason, the Holy Prophet sa instructed that a ditch be dug along the unprotected side of Madīnah. 2 Under his own supervision, the Holy Prophet sa had the lines of the ditch marked out and divided the ditch into segments of fifteen feet each, after which he divided this work amongst groups of ten Companions. 3 In the division of these parties, a friendly debate arose as to which group Salmān ra , the Persian, would be counted amongst. Would he be counted amongst the Muhājirīn , or due to his having arrived in Madīnah prior to the advent of Islām, would he be considered a part of the Anṣār ? Since Salmān ra was the originator of this idea and despite being of old age, was an active and strong man, both groups desired to include him among themselves. Eventually, this disagreement was presented before the Holy Prophet sa. Upon hearing the 1 * Tārīkhur-Rusuli Wal-Mulūk (Tārīkhuṭ-Ṭabarī), By Abū Ja‘far Muḥammad bin Jarīr Aṭ-Ṭabarī, Volume 3, p. 97, Thumma Kānatis-Sanatul-Khāmisatu Minal-Hijrati / Dhikrul-Khabari ‘An Ghazwatil-Khandaqi, Dārul-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon, Second Edition (2002) * Aṭ-Ṭabaqātul-Kubrā, By Muḥammad bin Sa‘d, Volume 2, p. 282, Ghazwatu Rasūlillāhi sa Al-Khandaqa Wa Hiyal-Aḥzābu, Dāru Iḥyā’it-Turāthil-‘Arabī, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) * Ar-Rauḍul-Unufi Fī Tafsīris-Sīratin-Nabawiyyati libni Hishām, By Abul-Qāsim ‘Abdur-Raḥmān bin ‘Abdillah bin Aḥmad, Volume 3, p. 416, Ghazwatul-Khandaqi Fī Shawwālin Sanata Khamsin, Dārul- Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition 2 * Tārīkhul-Khamīs Fī Aḥwāli Anfasi Nafīs, By Ḥusain bin Muḥammad bin Ḥasan, Volume 1, p. 481, Ghazwatul-Khandaqi, Mu’assasatu Sha‘bān, Beirut * Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘Alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Allāmah Shihābuddīn Al-Qusṭalānī, Volume 3, p. 17, Ghazwatul-Khandaqi Wa Hiyal-Aḥzābu, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) 3 * Fatḥul-Bārī Sharḥu Ṣaḥīḥil-Bukhārī, By Al-Imām Aḥmad bin Ḥajar Al-‘Asqalānī, Volume 7, p. 505, Kitābul-Maghāzī, Bābu Ghazwatil-Khandaqi Wa Hiyal-Aḥzābu, Ḥadīth No. 4102, Qadīmī Kutub Khānah, Ārām Bāgh, Karachi