The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume II — Page 471
X - Siege of Madīnah and Delicate State of the Muslims, Failure of the Disbelievers and Reality of Miracles 471 battle on the whole. These days were ones of grave pain, apprehension and danger. As the siege grew longer and longer, the Muslims naturally began to lose their strength to fight and although they were full of faith and sincerity, their bodies, which of course functioned according to the material law of nature, began to fall weak. When the Holy Prophet sa witnessed this state of affairs, he called upon the two chieftains of the Anṣār , Sa‘d bin Mu‘ādh ra and Sa‘d bin ‘Ubādah ra and recalling to them all of the circumstances at hand sought their counsel. The Holy Prophet sa even proposed, “If you are in agreement, it is also possible that we may give the Ghaṭafān tribe a portion of our wealth, so that this war may be averted. ” Sa‘d bin Mu‘ādh ra and Sa‘d bin ‘Ubādah ra resonated the same words, and submitted, “O Messenger of Allāh! If you have received divine revelation in this respect, then we bow before you in obedience. In this case, most definitely, let us act upon this proposition gladly. ” The Holy Prophet sa said, “Nay, nay, I have not received any revelation in this matter. I only present this suggestion out of my consideration for the hardship you are being made to bear. ” The two Sa‘ds responded, “Then our suggestion is that if we have never given anything to an enemy while we were idolators, why then should we do so as Muslims? By God! We shall give them nothing but the strikes of our swords. ” 1 The Holy Prophet sa was worried on account of the Anṣār , who were the native residents of Madīnah. Furthermore, in seeking this counsel, the only intent of the Holy Prophet sa was to perhaps gather insight into the mental state of the Anṣār , as to whether they were worried about these hardships or not, and if they were, then to console them. Thus, when this proposal was put forth, the Holy Prophet sa happily accepted and war continued. During the course of war, due to constant engagement and distress, many a time, the Holy Prophet sa and his Companions were made to face starvation. One day, the Companions came to the Holy Prophet sa and submitted to him the pains they were suffering due to starvation saying, “We have been walking about with stones tied to our stomachs for many days. ” At this, the Holy Prophet sa lifted the cloth upon his own blessed stomach, which had two stones 1 * As-Sīratun-Nabawiyyah, By Abū Muḥammad ‘Abdul-Mālik bin Hishām, pp. 626-627, Ghazwatul- Khandaqi Fī Shawwālin Sanata Khamsin, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2001) * Aṭ-Ṭabaqātul-Kubrā, By Muḥammad bin Sa‘d, Volume 2, p. 286, Ghazwatu Rasūlillāhi sa Al-Khandaqa Wa Hiyal-Aḥzābu, Dāru Iḥyā’it-Turāthil-‘Arabī, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) * Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘Alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Allāmah Shihābuddīn Al-Qusṭalānī, Volume 3, p. 40, Ghazwatul-Khandaqi Wa Hiyal-Aḥzābu, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996)