Al-W¥^idÏ's Asb¥b al-Nuz‰l - The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies ...
Al-W¥^idÏ's Asb¥b al-Nuz‰l - The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies ...
Al-W¥^idÏ's Asb¥b al-Nuz‰l - The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies ...
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Asbab <strong>al</strong>-Nuzul<br />
conquered Mecca and promised his nation the kingdoms of Persia and Byzantium, the hypocrites and<br />
Jews said: ‘How far fetched! How far fetched! How on earth can Muhammad conquer the kingdoms of<br />
Persia and Byzantium <strong>The</strong>y are too mighty and strong for that. Are Mecca and Medina not enough for<br />
Muhammad that he covets the kingdoms of Persia and Byzantium’ And so <strong>Al</strong>lah, ex<strong>al</strong>ted is He, reve<strong>al</strong>ed<br />
this verse”. 4<br />
Muhammad ibn ‘Abd <strong>al</strong>-‘Aziz <strong>al</strong>-Marwazi informed in his epistle> Abu’l-Fadl Muhammad ibn <strong>al</strong>-Husayn<br />
<strong>al</strong>-Haddadi> Muhammad ibn Yahya> Ishaq ibn Ibrahim> Rawh ibn ‘Ubadah> Sa‘id> Qatadah who said:<br />
“It was mentioned to us that the Messenger of <strong>Al</strong>lah, <strong>Al</strong>lah bless him and give him peace, requested <strong>Al</strong>lah<br />
to grant his nation the kingdoms of Persia and Byzantium, and so <strong>Al</strong>lah, ex<strong>al</strong>ted is He, reve<strong>al</strong>ed (Say: O<br />
<strong>Al</strong>lah! Owner of Sovereignty!)”. 5<br />
<strong>The</strong> master Abu Ishaq <strong>al</strong>-Tha‘<strong>al</strong>ibi informed us> ‘Abd <strong>Al</strong>lah ibn Hamid <strong>al</strong>-Wazzan> Muhammad ibn<br />
Ja‘far <strong>al</strong>-Matiri> Hammad ibn <strong>al</strong>-Hasan> Muhammad ibn Kh<strong>al</strong>id ibn ‘Athmah> Kathir ibn ‘Abd <strong>Al</strong>lah<br />
ibn ‘Amr ibn ‘Awf> his father> his father who said: “On the day of the Confederates, 6 the Messenger of<br />
<strong>Al</strong>lah, <strong>Al</strong>lah bless him and give him peace, drew lines indicating where the Ditch was to be dug and he<br />
assigned ten men for every forty cubits. ‘Amd ibn ‘Awf said: ‘Myself, S<strong>al</strong>man [<strong>al</strong>-Farisi], Hudhayfah [ibn<br />
<strong>al</strong>-Yaman] <strong>al</strong>-Nu‘man ibn Muqarrin <strong>al</strong>-Muzani and six men of the Helpers were assigned to dig forty<br />
cubits. We dug until we reached beneath Dhu Nab whereupon we came upon a rock of flint which broke<br />
our steel and proved extremely hard to break. And so we told S<strong>al</strong>man to go up and inform the Messenger<br />
of <strong>Al</strong>lah, <strong>Al</strong>lah bless him and give him peace, about this rock and to consult him about either to go<br />
round it or command us something else about it, for we did not like going beyond the line he drew. So<br />
S<strong>al</strong>man went up to the Messenger of <strong>Al</strong>lah, <strong>Al</strong>lah bless him and give him peace, who had on him a Turkish<br />
collar. He said: ‘O Messenger of <strong>Al</strong>lah! We came across a white rock of flint inside the ditch which has<br />
broken our steel and proved very hard to break, for we did everything we could to break it but in vain.<br />
Please tell us what to do, for we do not like going beyond the line you drew’. <strong>The</strong> Messenger of <strong>Al</strong>lah,<br />
<strong>Al</strong>lah bless him and give him peace, went down to the ditch <strong>al</strong>ong with S<strong>al</strong>man while the remaining nine<br />
people remained at the verge of it. He took the axe from S<strong>al</strong>man and struck the rock with one mighty<br />
blow which split it into two, and a light shone from its two sides, such that it was like lighting a lamp in a<br />
dark room. <strong>The</strong> Messenger of <strong>Al</strong>lah, <strong>Al</strong>lah bless him and give him peace, pronounced the Takbir 7 which<br />
is usu<strong>al</strong>ly pronounced after a conquest and the Muslims did the same. <strong>The</strong>n he struck it again with a blow<br />
and a light shone from its two sides, such that it was like lighting a lamp in a dark room. <strong>The</strong> Messenger<br />
of <strong>Al</strong>lah, <strong>Al</strong>lah bless him and give him peace, pronounced the Takbir which is usu<strong>al</strong>ly pronounced after<br />
a conquest and the Muslims did the same. <strong>The</strong> Messenger of <strong>Al</strong>lah, <strong>Al</strong>lah bless him and give him peace,<br />
struck it a third time upon which the rock broke into pieces and a light shone, such that it was like lighting<br />
a lamp in a dark room. <strong>The</strong> Messenger of <strong>Al</strong>lah, <strong>Al</strong>lah bless him and give him peace, pronounced<br />
the Takbir which is usu<strong>al</strong>ly pronounced after a conquest and the Muslims did the same. He then held the<br />
hand of S<strong>al</strong>man and climbed up. S<strong>al</strong>man said: ‘May my mother and father be your ransom, O Messenger<br />
of <strong>Al</strong>lah, I saw something which I had never seen before’. <strong>The</strong> Messenger of <strong>Al</strong>lah, <strong>Al</strong>lah bless him and<br />
give him peace, turned to the people present and said: ‘Did you see that which S<strong>al</strong>man is t<strong>al</strong>king about’<br />
<strong>The</strong>y said: ‘Yes, O Messenger of <strong>Al</strong>lah!’ He said: ‘I struck the first time and the light which you saw shone<br />
and through it I could see the p<strong>al</strong>aces of <strong>al</strong>-Hirah and the cities of Chosroes resembling the teeth of dogs.<br />
Gabriel, peace be upon him, informed me then that my nation will conquer them. <strong>The</strong>n I struck a second<br />
time and in that light I could see the red p<strong>al</strong>aces of the land of Byzantium resembling the teeth of dogs.<br />
Gabriel, peace be upon him, informed me then that my nation will conquer them. <strong>The</strong>n I struck the rock<br />
with my third blow and the light which you saw shone and I saw the p<strong>al</strong>aces of San‘a’ resembling the teeth<br />
of dogs. Gabriel, peace be upon him, informed me then that my nation will conquer them. So receive<br />
the good news’. <strong>The</strong> Muslims were happy to hear the good news. <strong>The</strong>y said: ‘Praise be to <strong>Al</strong>lah, it is a<br />
true promise; he has promised us victory after digging the Trench’. But the hypocrites said: ‘Are you not<br />
amazed that he is raising your hope for nothing and is promising you something which is clearly untrue.<br />
He informs you that he can see from Yathrib the p<strong>al</strong>aces of <strong>al</strong>-Hira and the cities of Chosroes and that<br />
4<br />
Qurtubi, :52.<br />
5<br />
Tabari, :222; Durr, :171.<br />
6<br />
On the Battle of the Ditch (<strong>al</strong>-Khandaq), see: Ibn Hisham, Sirah, Dar <strong>al</strong>-Jil, 1987, : 128-131.<br />
7<br />
<strong>Al</strong>lahu Akbar: <strong>Al</strong>lah is the greatest.<br />
46