The Battle of Khandaq (Trench)

The destruction of Islam and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was the biggest dream of Qureshite community. The defeat at Badr and half victory of Ohod had made them turbulent and violent. They bought together there tribes and asked Arab communities to join hands with them.  Within no time they were able to to mobilize four thousand fighters. . This army of about 24,000 was commanded by Abu Sufiyan and the Muslim army which numbered 3,000 was commanded by the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) himself. Upon hearing the news of the invasion of Madina the Holy Prophet gathered his companions and held up a meeting. Hazrat Salman al-Farisi(a.r.) counselled to dig a trencharound Madina to prevent the invaders from entering it. The Prophet(pbuh&hf) commanded the Muslims to implement the plan. The number of days required to dig the trench is reported to be between six and twenty days as per different historical accounts. When the invaders saw the trench they found it impractical to cross it so they besieged the city for about twenty days. The siege was a "battle of wits", in which the Muslims tactically overcame their opponents while suffering very few casualties. Imam Ali (R.A) had outstanding achievements at this battle, in confining and removing the danger, which shook the very foundation of the Islamic state.