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After Uhud the Quraish
had accepted the loss of trade with Syria as inevitable. Since the
Muslims remained in power at Madinah, the coastal route to Syria
could not be used by the Makkans. So the Makkans increased their
trade with Iraq, Bahrain and the Yemen, and thus more or less made
up for the loss which they had suffered in the stoppage of their
trade with Syria. As a result of the conference with the Jewish
delegation, however, Abu Sufyan became more conscious of the danger
to the Meccan trade by the further spread of Islam. If the Muslims
reached Yamamah, the Quraish trade would have to be confined to
the Yemen, for the routes to Iraq and Bahrain would then be in Muslim
hands. And this further curtailment of their trade would be an economic
blow which the Quraish could never survive. Abu Sufyan had also
been needled a great deal by Safwan bin Umayyah for his lack of
spirit in the last expedition. Both these factors combined to make
Abu Sufyan determined and zealous to take out another expedition
to Madinah.
Preparations for the expedition were begun.
Tribal contingents began to concentrate in early February 627. The
Quraish provided the largest force, consisting of 4,000 men, 300
horses and 1,500 camels. Next came the Ghatfan with 2,000 men under
Uyaina bin Hisn, while the Bani Sulaim sent 700 warriors. The Bani
Asad contributed a contingent, whose strength is not known, under
Tulaiha bin Khuwailid. While the Quraish and some lesser tribes
assembled at Makkah, the Ghatfan, Bani Asad and Bani Sulaim concentrated
in their tribal settlements north, north?east and east of Madinah
respectively, whence they would march direct to Madinah. The total
strength of the force, including smaller tribes which have not been
mentioned, was 10,000, and Abu Sufyan assumed over?all command of
the expedition. This became known as the collection of tribes.
For want of a better name, we shall call them the Allies.
On Monday, February 24, 627 (the 1st of
Shawal, 5 Hijri), the Allies, converging from their separate tribal
regions, arrived near Madinah and established their camps. The Quraish
camped in the area of the stream junction south of the wood, west
of Mount Uhud, where they had camped for the Battle of Uhud. The
Ghatfan and other tribes camped at Zanab Naqnia, about 2 miles east
of Mount Uhud. Having established their camps, the Allies advanced
on Madinah.
Hardly had the concentration of the Allies
begun when agents brought word of it to Madinah. As more and more
tribal contingents gathered, the reports became increasingly alarming.
Finally the Prophet received the information that 10,000 warriors
bent on destroying the Muslims were marching on Madinah. There was
alarm and despondency among the Muslims as this unpleasant intelligence
was received. The Muslims had, of course, always been numerically
inferior to their enemies. The ratio of relative strengths at Badr
and Uhud had been one to three and one to four respectively, and
although the number of Muslims at Madinah had now increased to 3,000
able?bodied men, many hundreds among them were Hypocrites on whom
no reliance could be placed. And 10,000 seemed a terribly large
figure. Never before in the history of the Hijaz had such a vast
army assembled for battle.
Then came light in the form of a suggestion
by Salman the Persian. He explained that when the Persian army had
to fight a defensive battle against superior odds, it would dig
a ditch, too wide and too deep to cross, in the way of the enemy.
To the Arabs this was an unfamiliar method of warfare, but they
saw its virtue and the proposal was accepted.
The Prophet ordered the digging of the ditch.
Many of the Arabs who could not comprehend such tactics seemed unwilling
to get down to the arduous labour of digging, and the Hypocrites
as usual went about dissuading the people from taking all this trouble.
But the Prophet got down to digging with his own hands, and after
this no self?respecting Muslim could keep away from the task. The
ditch was sited and its entire length divided among the Muslims
at the scale of 40 cubits per group of 10 men. As the Muslims sweated
at this backbreaking task, Hassaan bin Thabit walked about reciting
his poetry and infusing fresh spirit into the Muslims. Hassaan was
a poet, and perhaps the greatest poet of his day. He could extemporise
verses on any subject and on any occasion, and do it so beautifully
that his listeners could hardly believe that the composition was
extemporaneous. He could move people to a frenzy of emotion. But
if Hassaan was one of the greatest poets of his age, that is where
his talents ended. To such manly pursuits as fighting, Hassaan was
in no way inclined, as we shall see later.
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