BEFORE writing something on the Battle of Ditch I think ft would not perhaps be irrelevant to have an idea about the genesis of the Battle which hasT a great bearing on the very survival and existence of Islam. The Battle of Ditch which was fought between the Meccan Quraish under the leadership of Abu Sufian and the Muslims of Medina under the able leadership and guidance of our holy Prophet in the year 627 AD is directly finked with the aftermath of the Battle of Uhud fought between the same two sides some two years ago. that is. in the year 625 AD. It may be stated here that though the Meccan Quraish were victorious in the said Battle of Uhud the results of the battle were not upto their expectation. They could not bring the city of Medina under their direct control nor could they ensure security of trade route vitally connected with Mecca's trade and commerce with neighbouring countries.

The defeat of the Muslims in the Battle of Uhud was not the real defeat for them. They were not serious to win the battle for they remained engaged in matters other than matters not actually connected with warfare. The defeat taught the Muslims a good lesson and It made them wiser. They were able to consolidate their position and such consolidation made them more powerful for they were able to identify their past mistakes. The Muslim position alarmed the Meccan Quraish and It was a matter of great concern for them. They did not want to lose their prestigious position as the custodians of the country's greatest central shrine — the Ka ba located in Mecca and also their enviable position In the field of trade and commerce. In the meantime, the Bedouins of the Gatfan tribe who lived in the outskirts of Medina and

were punished by the Prophet for their misdeeds and the people of the Jewish tribe of Banu Nadir who were expelled from Medina for their treachery added fuel to the fire and joined hands with the Quraish. The Pagan Quraish of Mecca ultimately decided to invade Medina and sent an expedition in the year 627 AD under the leadership of Abu Sufian who had 10.000 armed soldiers with him with a view to annihilating the Muslim community in Medina.

The holy Prophet, while sitting in Medina collected all the necessary information regarding the aforesaid plan of Meccan Quraish through his Intelligence branch, immediately ^ called a meeting of his close companions for consultation in order to Chalk out a plan for defence of Medina. In this very meeting a Muslim Sahaba. companion Salman from Persia put forward a suggestion to the Prophet that with a view to checking the onward march of the Quraish army deep ditches could be dug at the vulnerable points of the city and the suggestion was readily accepted by the holy Prophet and he issued necessary orders for digging such ditches without delay. Not only the Prophet issued orders, he himself took part in this ditch digging work. Against Abu Sufian's 10,000 armed soldiers, our Prophet could mobilize only 3.000 soldiers for defence of Medina. The women and children were transferred to comparatively safer areas and the people living near the ditches were also transferred to safer zones. This time the Muslims thought it proper to build a strong resistance against the Quraish for defending Medina from inside. The deep ditches proved a great success and it certainly shows the holy Prophet's farsightedness as a great military strategist. History records that ditches were

also helpful during the last World War.

Immediately after the trench-digging works were over the Quraish army according to their plan reached in the vicinity of the city of Medina. Seeing the deep ditches at various strategic points of the city they were simply dumbfounded. They were bewildered in the quagmire of disappointment for they could not cross the said deep ditches to reach right inside the city. Since the Quraish failed to penetrate into the city they decided to lay siege to it for a few days and started hurling stones to the Muslims from outside. This time the Muslims were more disciplined and well-organised under the able leadership of our holy Prophet. The siege of Medina and hurling of stones to the Muslims from outside did not work. In the meantime the Quraish were short of food and the inclement weather put them in an awkward position also for their tents were blown off the ground. Besides, the two of the rio or the confederates (the Jews of Banu Nadir tribe and the Gatfan Bedouins) did not cooperate with the Quraish at the last moment. The result was. after a few days Abu Sufian and his army of 10,000 soldiers had to retreat and finally went back to Mecca wherefrom they came thoroughly disheartened and disappointed.

The aforesaid retreat of the Quraish from the outskirts of Medina clearly demonstrated their weakness as a military power. The Battle of Ditch was undoubtedly the turning point in the history of Islam. So long Meccan Quraish always played the abominable role of an aggressor. But from now on. that is. since after the Battle of Ditch they abandoned the Idea of invading Medina for good. The outcome of this battle at the same time enhanced the pres-

tige and honour of our holy Prophet and the Muslim community in the neighbouring countries. Allah is Omnipotent and Omnipresent. He sees everything and he knows everything. He saw all the misdeeds of tiie ungrateful Quraish people of Mecca.

Now let us see who were the Meccan Quraish? What was their position before they settled in Mecca? Just a few generations before the advent of our holy Prophet, the Quraish had lived a harsh nomadic life like other Bedouin tribes in the Arabian steppes. They had. however, become extremely successful in trade and commerce, during the last years of the sixth centuries, and they were ■ "rich beyond their wildest dreams". But these were bounties conferred on them by Benign Allah. In this connection we may refer to Sura Quraish of the Holy Quran. Through this Sura Almighty Allah reminds the Pagan Quraish of Mecca that if they were fond of Mecca and proud of it. if they profited by its central position and its guaranteed security, from their caravans of trade and commerce. then it was their duty, to be grateful and adore the One True God and accept His Message of truth and unity. But they (the pagan Quraish) were for complete annihilation of the Muslim community of Medina headed by our holy Prophet. The Battle of Ditch taught the Quraish a lesson, and they failed to do so and they abandoned the idea of doing so. The Battle of Ditch, however, enhanced the honour and prestige of our dear holy Prophet and that of Muslims of Medina in the neighbouring countries. Let us salute him and pray to Benign Allah for showering His blessing on him according to His desire in this holy month of Rabiul Awal.