Battle of the Trench (627): The Siege of Medina Repelled

The Battle of the Trench, or Battle of al-Khandaq, was a siege of Medina in 627 by a coalition of the Quraysh of Mecca and their Arab allies, numbering around 10,000 men. Instead of meeting them in the open field, Muhammad’s followers dug a trench across the exposed northern approach to the town. The attackers could not cross it, their alliance fell apart, and after several weeks they withdrew, a failure that marked the end of Mecca’s attempts to destroy the Muslim community by force.

Background

After their victory at the Battle of Uhud in 625, the Quraysh had failed to capture Medina or kill Muhammad. In the following two years the Muslims recovered and extended their influence among the tribes of the region.

Leaders of the Jewish tribe of Banu Nadir, who had been expelled from Medina in 625 and settled at the oasis of Khaybar, worked to build a broad alliance against Muhammad. Among them was Huyayy ibn Akhtab. They brought together the Quraysh under Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, the large Ghatafan tribal confederation of north-central Arabia, and other groups. Muslim sources call this coalition al-Ahzab, “the Confederates”.

The trench

When news of the advancing army reached Medina, the Muslims, numbering perhaps 3,000, held a council. According to tradition, Salman the Persian, a convert from Persia, proposed digging a trench, a defensive method he knew from his homeland but which was unfamiliar in Arabia.

Medina was partly protected on several sides by lava fields, rocky ground, palm groves and fortified houses. The trench was dug across the open northern approach, where cavalry could attack. Muhammad divided the work among groups of about ten men and joined in the digging himself. The sources disagree on how long it took, with estimates ranging from about six days to several weeks. Its exact length and depth are not reliably known.

The siege

The confederates arrived in Shawwal of the fifth year of the Hijra, corresponding to about March 627. They were surprised by the trench, which their horses could not jump. For weeks the two sides exchanged arrows across it.

A few horsemen found a narrow place and crossed. One of them, Amr ibn Abd Wudd, a famous warrior, challenged the Muslims to single combat and was killed by Ali ibn Abi Talib; the others retreated. Sa’d ibn Mu’adh, leader of the Aws tribe of Medina, was wounded by an arrow and later died.

During the siege the confederates negotiated with the Banu Qurayza, the last major Jewish tribe living in Medina, whose strongholds lay on the town’s southern side. The sources say the Qurayza were persuaded to break their agreement with Muhammad, which put the Muslims in serious danger.

The coalition collapses

According to the sources, a Ghatafan leader named Nu’aym ibn Mas’ud, who had secretly become a Muslim, spread mistrust between the Qurayza and the confederates, so that neither side was willing to act first. Meanwhile the besiegers’ supplies and fodder ran short in the cold season.

Finally a storm of cold wind and rain blew down tents and put out fires. Abu Sufyan ordered the Quraysh to return to Mecca, and the Ghatafan also withdrew. The siege had lasted between about two weeks and a month, depending on the account. Casualties were very low: the sources usually name six Muslims and three confederates killed.

Aftermath

Immediately after the siege, Muhammad’s forces besieged the Banu Qurayza in their strongholds for about 25 days, until they surrendered. Their fate was decided by Sa’d ibn Mu’adh, then dying of his wound. According to the Muslim sources, the men of the tribe, usually given as between 400 and 900, were executed, and the women and children were enslaved. Some modern historians accept these accounts, while others question the numbers or details; the episode remains one of the most debated in the history of early Islam.

The failure of the siege was a decisive blow to Meccan power. The Quraysh had assembled the largest army they could and achieved nothing. The 33rd chapter of the Quran, al-Ahzab, is traditionally linked to the siege. In the following year Muhammad felt strong enough to approach Mecca as a pilgrim, leading to the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah.

Timeline

• 625: Muslim defeat at Uhud; the Banu Nadir are expelled from Medina.
• 626-627: exiled Banu Nadir leaders help to form a coalition against Medina.
• 627, about March: the Muslims dig the trench across the northern approach to Medina.
• 627, about March-April: the confederates besiege Medina for some two to four weeks.
• 627, shortly after: the coalition withdraws; siege of the Banu Qurayza.
• 628, March: Treaty of Hudaybiyyah with the Quraysh.

Why it matters

The Battle of the Trench was won with a shovel rather than a sword. By refusing open battle and adopting an unfamiliar defensive technique, the Muslims neutralised a much larger army. The failed siege showed the tribes of Arabia that Muhammad could not be defeated, and from then on the initiative passed to Medina.