The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume II — Page 464
Seal of the Prophets - Volume II 464 fall weak or inattentive. 1 At the opposing end, when the disbelievers noticed that due to the barrier of the ditch, it was now impossible to fight a battle in an open field or wage an all out attack on the city, they surrounded Madīnah in the form of a siege and began to search for opportunities to exploit the weaker sections of the ditch. In addition to this, another tactic which Abū Sufyān employed was that he instructed Ḥuyayy bin Akhṭab, the Jewish chief of Banū Naḍīr, to go to the fortresses of Banū Quraiẓah in the veils of the darkness of night and attempt to bring over the Banū Quraiẓah with the aid of their chief, Ka‘b bin Asad. 2 Therefore, Ḥuyayy bin Akhṭab found an opportunity and arrived at the home of Ka‘b. Initially, Ka‘b refused and said that “We have settled a covenant and agreement with Muḥammad [sa] , and he has always loyally fulfilled his covenants and agreements, therefore, I cannot act treacherously towards him. ” However, Ḥuyayy painted a picture of lush green gardens to him and gave him such confidence in the imminent destruction of Islām; and presented their own resolve with such force and emphasis that they would not return from Madīnah until they had obliterated Islām, that ultimately, he agreed. 3 In this manner, the strength of the Banū Quraiẓah also added to the weight on a scale which was already heavily weighed to one side. When the Holy Prophet sa received news of this dangerous treachery of the Banū Quraiẓah, initially, the Holy Prophet sa dispatched Zubair bin Al-‘Awwām ra to obtain intelligence in secret two or three times. 4 Then, after this, the Holy Prophet sa formally sent Sa‘d bin Mu‘ādh ra and Sa‘d bin ‘Ubādah ra , who were chieftains of the Aus and Khazraj tribes along with a few other influential Companions in the form of a delegation towards the Banū Quraiẓah; and strictly instructed that if there was troubling news, it should not be publicly disclosed when they returned, rather, secrecy should be 1 * Aṭ-Ṭabaqātul-Kubrā, By Muḥammad bin Sa‘d, Volume 2, p. 283, Ghazwatu Rasūlillāhi sa Al-Khandaqa Wa Hiyal-Aḥzābu, Dāru Iḥyā’it-Turāthil-‘Arabī, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) * Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘Alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Allāmah Shihābuddīn Al-Qusṭalānī, Volume 3, p. 35, Ghazwatul-Khandaqi Wa Hiyal-Aḥzābu, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) 2 Aṭ-Ṭabaqātul-Kubrā, By Muḥammad bin Sa‘d, Volume 2, p. 283, Ghazwatu Rasūlillāhi sa Al-Khandaqa Wa Hiyal-Aḥzābu, Dāru Iḥyā’it-Turāthil-‘Arabī, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) 3 As-Sīratun-Nabawiyyah, By Abū Muḥammad ‘Abdul-Mālik bin Hishām, p. 625, Ghazwatul-Khandaqi Fī Shawwālin Sanata Khamsin, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2001) 4 * Ṣaḥīḥul-Bukhārī, Kitābul-Maghāzī, Bābu Ghazwatil-Khandaqi Wa Hiyal-Aḥzābu, Ḥadīth No. 4113 * Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘Alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Allāmah Shihābuddīn Al-Qusṭalānī, Volume 3, pp. 37-38, Ghazwatul-Khandaqi Wa Hiyal-Aḥzābu, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996)