Muhammad and The Jews — Page 68
them annually half of the date crop of Khaybar as the price of their joining the Quraysh. 1 Later during the Battle of the Ahzab the Apostle, who obviously knew of this arrangement between the B. al-Nac;lir and the Ghatafan, matched the offer and promised them a third of the dates of Medina on condition that they would go back with their followers. 2 The offer was, however, not ratified by the An~ar. The Jews also contacted their allies among the Banu Sae. d, another sub-tribe of the Khazraj. The Banu Asad and the Bam1 Sulaym were also approached and they too accepted the invitation to fight against the Apostle. a Preparations for the joint attack started soon and tribal forces began to arrive in early February 9/627. The Ghatafan and the B. Fazarah came with 2,000 men and a thousand camels under e. uyaynah b. I:li~n b. I:Iudhayfah b. Badr. The B. Sulaym sent a contingent of 700. Ashja" and the B. Murrah sent 400 warriors each. The B. Asad's contingent, whose strength is not known, arrived under TulayJ:iah b. Khauwaylid. The Quraysh marched under the leadership of Abu Sufyan b. I:larb b. Umayyah; there were 4,000 of them with 1,500 camels and 300 horses. The total strength of the army, which Abu Sufyan led against the Muslims was 10,000. 4 The Muslims dug a trench, which ran from Shaykhayn to the Mount of Banu "Ubayd. The Apostle established his camp just ahead of the hill of Sale. The total Muslim strength was 3,000. The women and children were sent away from the main front. The B. Quray:(:ah were in the rear, which was not covered. (See map on the next page). As Watt observes, "an attack from the south on the Muslim rear by Quray:(:ah might have put an end to MuJ:iammad's career. " 5 During the siege, however, no major action took place and the B. Quray:(:ah did not get an opportunity to attack. There were no large stocks of food in Medina and the Muslims began to feel the pangs ofhunger. 6 The food also ran short in the enemy camp; Abu Sufyan had made no provisions for such a long siege either. Outnumbered and starving 1 Al-Waqidi, Vol. II, p. 443. Al-Samhiidi, Vol. I, p. 301. 2 Ibn Hisham, p. 676. s Ibn Hi sham, p. 669; Ibn Sa"'d, II, pp. 65-66. 4 Ibn Sa"'d, II, p. 66. 5 Watt, Muhammad at M~dina, p. 39. 6 Al-Bukhiiri, $abib, chapter on Al-Abztib, Vol. V, pp. 138- 39. Ibn Hisham, the story of the dates a nd the ewe, pp. 671-72, I:Iudhayfah's report on hunger, p. 683. 68