The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume II — Page 467
X - Siege of Madīnah and Delicate State of the Muslims, Failure of the Disbelievers and Reality of Miracles 467 posts. As a result, this harsh duty of day and night utterly exhausted the Muslims. On the other hand, due to the treachery of the Banū Quraiẓah, it was necessary to strengthen security in the streets and alleys of the city as well, so that the women and children could be protected. The disbelieving warriors exhausted every possible avenue in an attempt to agonise the Muslims. At times, they would gather at a weaker point and launch an attack and the Muslims would be forced to regroup there in denfese. At this, the disbelievers would immediately redirect their strength and press another point and the poor Muslims would make haste in that direction. On other occasions, they would wage an attack at two or three points simultaneously and the Muslim force would be dispersed into smaller fragments. At times, the course of events would take on an extremely delicate state and the disbelieving army almost penetrated the weaker points to enter the city. These full-fledged attacks were generally warded off by the Muslims with arrows. However, at times, a strategy employed by the disbelieving warriors was that one contingent would shower the Muslims with arrows to hold them back, while another contingent would storm a weaker point of the ditch and wage a general attack, in an attempt to cross over. 1 This method of warfare would continue from dawn till dusk, and sometimes it would even carry on during parts of the night. An account spanning two days of this battle has been put to writing by Sir William Muir in the following words: “The enemy, notwithstanding their numbers, were paralysed by the vigilance of the Moslem outposts. . . . . . The confederate army resolved if possible to storm it, and, having discovered a certain narrow and weakly-guarded part, a general attack was made upon it. The cavalry spurred their horses forward, and a few of them, led by Ikrima son of Abū Jahl cleared the ditch, and galloped vauntingly in front of the enemy. No sooner was this perceived than Ali with a body of picked men moved out against them. These, by a rapid manoeuvre, gained the rear of Ikrima, and, occupying the narrow point which he had crossed, cut off his retreat. At this moment Amr son of 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) * Tārīkhul-Khamīs Fī Aḥwāli Anfasi Nafīs, By Ḥusain bin Muḥammad bin Ḥasan, Volume 1, pp. 484- 485, Ghazwatul-Khandaqi, Mu’assasatu Sha‘bān, Beirut * 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)