Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq — Page 67
20 The Battle of the DitCH I n the fifth year after Hijrah the Makkans joined with other tribes of Arabia, including the Ban u Gha t af a n, Ban u Asad, and Ban u Sulaim. Together they assembled a huge army consisting of approximately thirteen thousand soldiers. This army was made up of well-equipped and trained soldiers from all over Arabia and it was the largest force ever assembled in Arabia. In comparison to this force, the Muslims were very few in number. The total number of males in Mad i nah (including the old, young and children) was approximately three thousand. When news of this army reached Mad i nah the Muslims were very frightened. How could they defend their small city of