Page 63 - Age of Peace Goodword.indd

An Institutionalized Buffer



uring the period when the Prophet Muhammad was
Din Makkah (610 to 632 AD), there was a war in 627 AD
called the Battle of the Trench (Ghazwa al-Khandaq) in which
the opponents of the Prophet Muhammad set out to attack
Madinah. But due to the Prophet’s wise management of the
situation, no actual military confrontation took place.
The Prophet Muhammad’s system of intelligence being
highly organized, he received information that a formidable
army of about 10,000 men was heading towards Madinah from
Makkah, which was about 450 km away. The intention was to
attack the city.

In conformance with his general policy, the Prophet judged
it best to avoid any fighting. Therefore, after consulting his
companions, he decided that the best course was to dig a trench
outside Madinah. This was a very practical plan, because it
had to be carried out only on the side of the city which was
exposed to attack. The other three sides were impenetrable
due to mountain ranges and densely planted date orchards.
The Prophet and his companions then worked day and night
for ten days to dig the trench, which was approximately 5,544
meters long, 4.6 meters wide and 3.2 meters deep.
When the Prophet’s opponents had almost reached Madinah,
they found this trench completely blocking their entry to the
city. They were reduced to camping outside Madinah and
then, after two weeks of indecision and frustration they were
forced to retreat.

62