Following part 1 Abu Rafi’ and the Four Shoulders On another occasion, the Companions were suffering from severe hunger because of the scarcity of food, as well as intense cold. Even the Messenger of Allah had tied two stones around his stomach because of severe hunger. Rafi’ said: “I returned to my wife and said: ‘Woman, I saw the Messenger of Allah tying two stones around his stomach, and I could not bear seeing him like that. Do we have any food?’” She said: “A small goat, O Abu Rafi’.” I said: “Roast it.” Rafi’ said: “I knew that the Messenger of Allah loved the right foreleg of the animal, so I left that leg intact.” Then I went privately to the Prophet and said: “May my father and mother be sacrificed for you, O Messenger of Allah. I saw hunger on your face, and I have roasted this goat for you so that you may eat from it.” The Prophet said loudly enough for everyone to hear: “O Abu Rafi’, give me the foreleg.” He took it and distributed it among his Companions. Then he said: “O Abu Rafi’, give me the foreleg.” Abu Rafi’ said: “I looked, and there was still meat covering the leg.” So I gave it to him, and he distributed it among his Companions. Then he said: “O Abu Rafi’, give me the foreleg.” I gave him a third foreleg! He distributed it among his Companions. Then he said: “O Abu Rafi’, give me the foreleg.” I gave him a fourth foreleg. He distributed it among his Companions. I thought to myself: “Does a goat even have more than two forelegs?!” I had already given him four, and I could not contain myself any longer. I said: “May my father and mother be sacrificed for you, O Messenger of Allah! Does a goat have more than two forelegs?!” The Prophet looked at me and said: “May Allah have mercy upon you. If you had remained silent for an hour, I would have continued giving you as many forelegs as you requested.” Meaning: If you had simply kept asking, I would have continued giving them to you. He fed his Companions from four forelegs, even though a goat has only two. The Prophet was able to feed people through the unseen, and his supplications were answered. But then why did he dig the trench? Why did he tie a stone around his stomach? Why did he take practical measures? To teach us that: Reliance upon Allah without taking the necessary means is not true tawakkul; it is merely passivity and dependence. ⸻ Zayd ibn Thabit During the digging of the trench, Zayd ibn Thabit was still young. He was carrying dirt. The Prophet looked at him, smiled, and said about him: “What an excellent young man he is!” Because of his extreme exhaustion, Zayd fell asleep. Then Umarah ibn Hazm came and took Zayd’s weapon, intending to joke with him. When Zayd woke up, he became frightened and began searching for his weapon. The Messenger of Allah said to him: “You fell asleep, and your weapon disappeared.” Then the Prophet turned to his Companions and said: “Who knows where this young man’s weapon is?” Umarah said: “I do, O Messenger of Allah. It is with me.” The Prophet said: “Return it to him.” And he forbade frightening a Muslim or taking his belongings as a joke. ⸻ The Prophet Working Alongside the Companions Al-Bara’ ibn Azib said: “I could see the Messenger of Allah working alongside us. Whenever there was no basket in front of him”—because the Companions would sometimes take his tools from him so that he could rest for a little while—“he would carry the dirt in his garment and say: O Allah, there is no life except the life of the Hereafter, So have mercy upon the Ansar and the Muhajirun. ” This encouraged and motivated them to continue working. The Companions—both Muhajirun and Ansar—would respond: We are those who pledged allegiance to Muhammad To strive in jihad for as long as we live. And this would energize the people to continue working. When their enthusiasm began to weaken, they would say: O Allah, if not for You, we would not have been guided, Nor would we have given charity, nor prayed. So send down tranquility upon us, And make our feet firm when we meet them. The polytheists have transgressed against us, But if they seek to cause a trial, we will refuse, We will refuse, we will refuse. Through this encouragement and motivation, the trench was completed in six days and nights. The Prophet worked alongside them. Abu Bakr said: “He worked with us. He struck the ground with his pickaxe, used the shovel, and carried dirt in the basket. If he could not find something to carry the dirt with, he would scoop the dirt with his hands into his garment and carry it. Eventually, exhaustion overcame him, so he leaned against a rock and fell asleep.” Abu Bakr said: “O Umar, come here. Let us stand by the head of the Messenger of Allah and keep people away from him so that perhaps he can get some rest.” When the Prophet woke up, he said: “What is this?” Abu Bakr said: “You fell asleep for a little while, O Messenger of Allah.” The Prophet said: “Why didn’t you wake me? I am only one of you.” ⸻ The Hypocrites In contrast, some of the hypocrites would secretly slip away from the work and make false excuses. The Prophet was extremely shy and modest, so the following verse was revealed: “The true believers are only those who believe in Allah and His Messenger. And when they are with him for a matter of collective concern, they do not leave until they ask his permission. Indeed, those who ask your permission are the ones who believe in Allah and His Messenger.” The “matter of collective concern” here refers to the digging of the trench. And the Prophet had the authority to grant or deny permission. “So when they ask your permission for some of their affairs, give permission to whoever you wish among them, and ask Allah to forgive them. Indeed, Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” The Prophet would seek forgiveness for them for the deficiency caused by their absence, so that they would not miss the reward completely. ⸻ The Completion of the Trench When they had finished digging the trench, the Prophet said to his Companions: “Is there anything left?” They said: “There is a narrow opening containing some rocks.” He said: “Raise the rocks there and use them as a shield. And pay close attention to that opening”—meaning, strengthen your guard there—“for I can see your enemy arriving tonight.” That night, the Prophet stood praying in his tent. Whenever he sensed danger, he would come out of his tent and call loudly: “Who is there?” Sa’d would answer: “Your servant, Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas.” The Prophet would ask: “Who is with you?” He would answer: “Al-Zubayr.” The Prophet would say: “Guard that opening. I can see Quraysh moving around it.” Sa’d said: “So we went there, and we found that Quraysh had indeed reached it.” ⸻ Quraysh Sees the Trench Quraysh arrived. When they saw the trench, they were stunned. They said: “What kind of strategy is this?!” The Arabs had never known such a defensive tactic before. The Jewish leader who had brought them together, Huyayy ibn Akhtab, said: “I was told that there is a Persian man among his Companions. This must be his strategy. Perhaps he was the one who advised them to do this.” They began thinking and consulting with one another. There was no way for them to enter the city.