The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume II — Page 468
Seal of the Prophets - Volume II 468 Abd Wudd, an aged chief in the train of Ikrima, challenged his adversaries to single combat. Ali forthwith accepted the challenge, and the two stood alone in an open plain. Amr, dismounting, maimed his horse, in token of his resolve to conquer or to die. They closed, and for a short time were hidden in a cloud of dust. But it was not long before the well-known Takbîr, ‘Great is the Lord!’ from the lips of Ali, made known that he was the victor. The rest, taking advantage of the diversion again spurred their horses, and all gained the opposite side of the trench, excepting Nowfal, who, failing in the leap, was despatched by Zobeir. The Coreish, it is said, offered a great sum for the body; 1 but Mahomet returned the ‘worthless carcass’ (as he termed it) free. Nothing further was attempted that day. But great preparations were made during the night; and next morning, Mahomet found the whole force of the Allies drawn out against him. It required the utmost activity and an unceasing vigilance on his side to frustrate the manoeuvres of the enemy. Now they would threaten a general assault; then breaking up into divisions they would attack various posts in rapid and distracting succession; and at last, watching their opportunity, they would mass their troops on the least protected point, and, under cover of a sustained and galling discharge of arrows, attempt to force the trench. Over and again a gallant dash was made at the city, and at the tent of Mahomet, by such leaders of renown as Khâlid and Amru; and these were only repelled by constant counter-marches and unremitting archery. This continued throughout the day; and, as the army of Mahomet was but just sufficient to guard the long line, there could be no relief. Even at night Khâlid, with a strong party of horse, kept up the alarm, and, still threatening the line of denfese, rendered outposts at frequent intervals necessary. But all the endeavours of the enemy were without effect. The trench was not crossed; and during the whole affair Mahomet lost only five men. Sád ibn Muâdz, chief of the Bani Aus, was wounded severely by an arrow in the shoulder. The archer, as he shot it, cried aloud: ‘There, take that from the son of Arca’. . . . . . . The Confederates had but three men killed. No prayers had been said that day: the duty at the trench was too heavy 1 This narration is incorrect, rather, the stated incident relates to the body of Naufal bin ‘Abdullāh, who advanced to murder the Holy Prophet sa , but fell dead to the ground himself at the hand of Zubair bin Al-‘Awwām ra. The disbelievers offered to pay the Muslims a sum of 10,000 dirhams in exchange for the body, but the Holy Prophet sa refused to accept their money and returned the body for free. Refer to Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘Alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Allāmah Shihābuddīn Al-Qusṭalānī, Volume 3, pp. 42-43, Ghazwatul-Khandaqi Wa Hiyal-Aḥzābu, Dārul- Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996)