Life of Muhammad — Page 84
sa 84 palm-groves and, at some distance, the fortresses of the Jewish tribe, Ban u Qurai z a. The Ban u Qurai z a had signed a pact of peace with the Muslims. Therefore this side was also considered safe from enemy attack. The fourth side was an open plain and it was from this side that the enemy attack was most likely and most feared. The Prophet sa , therefore, decided to dig a ditch on this open side so as to prevent the enemy from attacking unawares. The task was shared among Muslims — ten men were to dig ten yards of the ditch. Altogether a mile long ditch, of sufficient width and depth, had to be dug. When the digging was going on, they came upon a rock which Muslim sappers found hard to tackle. A report was sent to the Prophet sa who made for the spot at once. Taking a pickaxe he struck the rock hard. Sparks came out and the Prophet sa cried aloud " All a hu Akbar ". He struck again. Again a light came out and again the Prophet sa cried out, " All a hu Akbar ". He struck a third time. Light came out again, the Prophet sa said, " All a hu Akbar " and the rock was in fragments. The Companions asked the Prophet sa about all this. Why did he say, " All a hu 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 Mad a ’ 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" ( Zurq a n i , Vol. 2). With their limited man-power, 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