The Battle of the Confederates / During the Battle The Muslims had found themselves in an extremely difficult position—surrounded behind the trench, with all the tribes gathered together to attack them. The only passage they had secured was the one that remained protected until it was breached after the Jews of Banu Qurayza broke their treaty and joined the other tribes against the Muslims. Suddenly, one of the young men died. The Prophet sent twenty of his companions to bury him. They carried his body and made their way through the Valley of al-’Aqiq. At that time, Abu Sufyan had complained to Huyayy ibn Akhtab that the provisions of the Quraysh army were running low. He said: “O Huyayy, our fodder has run out and our provisions are running low. Do the Banu Qurayza have any fodder and food?” He replied: “Yes.” Huyayy then went and spoke to Ka’b, the leader of Banu Qurayza. Ka’b told him: “The wealth is yours.” So Abu Sufyan sent twenty camels to carry food and fodder from Banu Qurayza. They took the provisions and set off, heading toward the trench from the outside. They had no choice but to pass through the Valley of al-’Aqiq. At that same time, the twenty companions were carrying the body of the young man who had died, and it was daytime. The two groups suddenly encountered one another. The Muslims fought them, defeated them, and seized the entire caravan with everything it was carrying. The people of Medina were suffering from severe hunger and hardship. After burying the young man, the companions returned to the Prophet—and with them were twenty camels loaded with food. The Prophet asked: “What is this?!” They replied: “We captured it from some men of Quraysh. Banu Qurayza had sent it to Quraysh.” When the news reached Abu Sufyan, he said: “Indeed, Huyayy is an ill-fated man.” Meaning: Nothing good ever comes from him. The Muslims were delighted with this spoils of war, and it relieved some of their hardship. But the companions were still deeply troubled. They were tense and frightened, because they did not know when Banu Qurayza would open the gates of their fortresses to the Confederates. ⸻ The Prophet Seeks to Break the Alliance On Wednesday morning, the Prophet was thinking about what could be done to confront this extremely difficult situation. He wanted to break apart this alliance. He considered offering some wealth to the tribes of Ghatafan in exchange for their withdrawal and their abandoning the siege of Medina. The wealth he considered offering Ghatafan was one-third of the produce of Medina. The Prophet was confident that if Ghatafan were offered this proposal, they would accept it. There had not been intense hostility between Ghatafan and the Muslims, and the Prophet had previously been in a treaty with them. But they had broken that treaty because their leader, ’Uyaynah, was foolish and had followed the words of the polytheists without thinking. What had encouraged them to go out to fight the Muslims was that the Jews of Khaybar had agreed to give them half of the produce of Khaybar for two years. So, if the Prophet offered them a share of the produce of Medina without having to fight, surely they would agree and withdraw. If they withdrew, the army of the Confederates would be reduced to four thousand, in addition to the Jews of Banu Qurayza. The Muslims could defeat such a force, just as they had done at the Battle of Badr and during the first part of the Battle of Uhud. The Prophet sent for the leader of Ghatafan, ’Uyaynah ibn Hisn. He came with some of his men. The Prophet brought him into his tent and presented the proposal to him. ’Uyaynah agreed. The Prophet then said: “Remain where you are until we consult the two Sa’ds.” For the produce of Medina belonged to the Ansar, and the two leaders of the Ansar were: 1. Sa’d ibn Mu’adh, the leader of the Aws. 2. Sa’d ibn ’Ubadah, the leader of the Khazraj. The Prophet sent for them. When they arrived, ’Uyaynah was sitting there, convinced that he had already won—that he had secured one-third of the produce of Medina and that the Prophet was asking him for peace. He was sitting in the Prophet’s gathering with his legs stretched out. Then Sa’d ibn Mu’adh entered, his sword hanging around him. When ’Uyaynah saw him sitting like that before the Prophet, he looked at him and shouted: “O fox of al-Hijras! How dare you stretch your legs out in front of the Prophet! By God, had you not been in his gathering, in his tent, I would have done this and that to you!” Then Sa’d shouted at him: “Pull your legs in!” ’Uyaynah immediately pulled his legs in. Sa’d ibn Mu’adh then lowered his head and turned toward the Messenger of God with complete respect and calmness. He said: “We hear and obey, O Messenger of God. You sent for us.” The Prophet told them what he had negotiated with ’Uyaynah. Then he asked: “What do you think?” Sa’d ibn Mu’adh replied respectfully: “O Messenger of God! If this is something that has come from Heaven, and God has commanded you to do it, then we have no say in the matter. Proceed, with God’s blessing. But if this is something you love and approve of, and you believe there is good in it, then we are at your command. But if this is something you are doing for our sake, then we have an opinion about it.” The Prophet said: “Rather, it is something I am doing for your sake. By God, I would not do this except because I have seen that the Arabs have united against you as one. They have gathered against you from every direction, and I wanted to break some of their strength against you.” Sa’d ibn Mu’adh said: “O Messenger of God! We and these people were once upon polytheism and the worship of idols. We did not worship God, nor did we know Him. And they could not hope to eat even a single fruit from this city”—meaning Medina—“except as guests or by buying it from us. So now that God has honored us with Islam, guided us through it, and honored us through you and through it, should we give them our wealth? No! By the One who sent you with the truth, we will give them nothing except the edge of the sword. Let them do everything they possibly can against us.” In other words: Let them unite all the people they can. Let the whole world come against us. Do not worry about us, O Messenger of God. We have no need for this. The Prophet’s face lit up as though it were the moon. He was delighted by Sa’d’s words and approved of them. He knew then that the Ansar were still the Ansar. None of these events had shaken them. ’Uyaynah then left disappointed, having gained nothing. The Place of Consultation in Islam Once again, the Prophet accepted an opinion that differed from his own. This shows the importance of Shura—consultation—in Islam. There is no doubt that reaching an agreement with Ghatafan would have solved the immediate problem. Ghatafan would withdraw, the alliance would begin to fall apart, and Quraysh and the Jews would be defeated. But at the same time, it could have had extremely serious negative consequences in the future. It would mean that Ghatafan had achieved a victory over the Muslims, which could damage the image of the Muslims throughout the entire Arabian Peninsula. It could also open the door to continual extortion of Medina. Whenever they wanted wealth, they could simply come and besiege Medina—especially since some of the tribes of Ghatafan were known for raiding caravans, attacking tribes, and living off the roads. The Prophet’s Supplication At noon on Wednesday, the Prophet led the companions in the noon prayer. He gathered them, prayed with them, and reassured them. He said: “O people, do not wish to meet the enemy. Ask God for safety and well-being. But if you meet the enemy, then remain steadfast. And know that Paradise lies beneath the shade of swords.” He was encouraging them to strive and fight in the cause of God. Then he raised his hands toward the heavens and supplicated: “O God, Revealer of the Book, Swift in reckoning, defeat the Confederates. O God, defeat them and grant us victory over them.” Some of his companions said: “O Messenger of God, our hearts have risen to our throats from fear. Is there anything we can say to reassure our hearts?” The Prophet said: “Yes. Say: ‘O God, conceal our vulnerabilities and grant us security from our fears.’” ⸻ The Unexpected Conversion of Nu’aym ibn Mas’ud That evening, at sunset, during this extremely critical situation—one of the most difficult moments the Islamic state had ever faced—something completely unexpected happened. A man named Nu’aym ibn Mas’ud embraced Islam. Nu’aym ibn Mas’ud was from Ghatafan, from the same tribal group as ‘Uyaynah—the man whom Sa’d ibn Mu’adh had sent away that morning from the Prophet’s tent. Ghatafan was one of the tribes besieging Medina. So how did Nu’aym suddenly become a Muslim? How did he move from being one of the besiegers to joining the besieged army? God Almighty says: “Who responds to the desperate one when he calls upon Him, removes the affliction, and makes you successors upon the earth? Is there a deity with Allah? Little do you remember.” Nu’aym’s conversion at that particular moment would play a decisive role. Had he embraced Islam earlier, he would not have been able to play this pivotal role. Nu’aym ibn Mas’ud came to the Messenger of God and asked permission to enter. The companions thought he was a messenger sent by ’Uyaynah. Messengers were known among the Arabs to be protected and were not killed. When he entered, the Prophet seated him inside his tent and asked: “What news do you bring, O Nu’aym?” Nu’aym replied: “O Messenger of God!” That phrase—“O Messenger of God!”—was something only a believer would say. A disbeliever would say, “O Muhammad” or “O Abu al-Qasim.” He continued: “O Messenger of God, I have embraced Islam, but my people, Ghatafan, do not know that I have become Muslim.” Who was it that placed faith in his heart on that day? It was Allah. The Prophet said to him: “You are only one man.” Meaning: Your joining the army will not make a major difference, because you are only one person. Then he said: “But do whatever you can to weaken them on our behalf, for war is deception.” In other words: Create division and discord among them. The Messenger of God knew that Nu’aym ibn Mas’ud possessed this particular ability. Abu Sufyan ibn Harb had previously tried to use him to frighten the Muslims during the later encounter at Badr, but he had failed because of the strength of the Muslims’ faith. Nu’aym’s Extraordinary Plan Nu’aym ibn Mas’ud immediately carried out a remarkable deception—something none of the companions had imagined. He left the Prophet and went toward the Jews of Banu Qurayza, who were known for their hesitation. Nu’aym was an old and close friend of Ka’b, the leader of Banu Qurayza. He was also a close friend of Huyayy ibn Akhtab. He entered and they welcomed him. He said: “O Ka’b and O Huyayy, you know how much affection I have for you, especially the friendship between us.” They replied: “Yes. You are right. You are a man we have no reason to doubt.” Nu’aym said: “I am giving you sincere advice. Quraysh have grown tired of staying here”—meaning they were becoming weary and no longer wanted to continue fighting. “And Abu Sufyan has become deeply concerned after Muhammad’s companions seized the caravan. This man”—meaning the Prophet—“is not someone whose actions can be trusted. Have you forgotten what he did to your brothers from Banu al-Nadir and Banu Qaynuqa? And Quraysh are not like you. This is your land. Your wealth, your women, and your children are here. You cannot simply move from here to another land. If the coalition is defeated, Quraysh will simply return to their own land. They have nothing to fear. But you will face a much greater problem, because your land and your wealth are here in Medina.” They said: “By God, you have opened our eyes! What should we do, O Nu’aym?!” He replied: “Do not fight alongside them until they give you hostages.” They asked: “How?” He said: “Take seventy of the leaders and nobles of Quraysh and Ghatafan. Have them enter your fortress with you. That way, the people will not be able to return to their homeland while their leaders and nobles are inside your fortress. So beware of fighting Muhammad unless the nobles of Quraysh are in your fortress with you.” They said: “You have given excellent advice.” Nu’aym said: “But keep what I have told you secret.” They replied: “We will.” Nu’aym Goes to the Confederates That same night, Nu’aym went to the army of the Confederates and met with the leaders of Quraysh. He said: “O Abu Sufyan, you know my affection for you and my sincere advice to you. Shall I tell you something and ask you to keep it secret?” They said: “Yes. Speak. We have no reason to doubt you. What have you learned, O Nu’aym?” He said: “I was with Banu Qurayza.” Then he continued: “I heard something from them that did not please me. I did not want to spend even a single night without bringing it to you, because you are the leader of the people, O Abu Sufyan. They have regretted what they did when they broke their treaty with Muhammad and his companions. They have sent word to him that they will take hostages from you and hand them over to him, and then they will join him against you. So if they ask you for hostages, do not give them any.” They replied: “Indeed, you have given us sound advice.” Nu’aym then went to Ghatafan and told them exactly what he had told Quraysh. And so Quraysh became suspicious. Ghatafan became suspicious as well. They sent a message to the Jews, saying: “Our camels and horses are dying of hunger. Come with us so that we can confront Muhammad.” Meaning: Open the fortresses and let us go out and fight. Banu Qurayza sent back their response: “We will not fight alongside you until you send us hostages.” Quraysh and Ghatafan said: “By God, Nu’aym told us the truth.” So they sent a message to the Jews: “We will not send you anyone. Come out with us so that we may confront Muhammad.” The Jews replied: “By God, Nu’aym told us the truth.” And division spread between the two sides. Thus, Nu’aym ibn Mas’ud succeeded in destroying the dangerous alliance that had formed between the Confederates and the Jews of Banu Qurayza.