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Nuaym ibn
Masud
Nuaym ibn Masud was from Najd in the
northern highlands of Arabia. He belonged to the powerful
Ghatafan tribe. As a young man, he was clever and alert.
He was full of enterprise and travelled widely. He was
resourceful, every ready to take up a challenge and not
prepared to allow any problem to get the better of him.
This son of the desert was endowed with
extraordinary presence of mind and unusual subtlety. He
was however someone who liked to enjoy himself and gave
himself over to the pursuit of youthful passions. He loved
music and took delight in the company of songstresses.
Often when he felt the urge to listen to the strings of a
musical instrument or to enjoy the company of a singer, he
would leave the hearths of his people in the Najd and make
his way to Yathrib and in particular to the Jewish
community which was widely known for its song and music.
While in Yathrib, Nuaym was known to
spend generously and he in turn would be lavishly
entertained. In this way Nuaym came to develop strong
links among the Jews of the city and in particular with
the Banu Qurayzah.
At the time when God favored mankind by
sending His Prophet with the religion of guidance and
truth and the valleys of Makkah glowed with the light of
Islam, Nuaym ibn Masud was still given over to the pursuit
of sensual satisfaction. He stopped firmly opposed to the
religion partly out of fear that he would be obliged to
change and give up his pursuit of pleasure. And it was not
long before he found himself being drawn into joining the
fierce opposition to Islam and waging war against the
Prophet and his companions.
The moment of truth for Nuaym came
during the great siege of Madinah which took place in the
fifth year of the Prophet's stay in the city. We need to
go back a little to pick up the threads of the story.
Two years before the siege, the Prophet
was compelled to banish a group of Jews belonging to the
tribe of Banu an-Nadir from Madinah because of their
collaboration with the Quraysh enemy. The Banu Nadir
migrated to the north and settled in Khaybar and other
oases along the trade route to Syria. They at once began
to incite the tribes both near and far against the
Muslims. Caravans going to Madinah were harassed partly to
put economic pressure on the city.
But this was not enough. Leaders of the
Banu an-Nadir got together and decided to form a mighty
alliance or confederacy of as many tribes as possible to
wage war on the Prophet, and to put an end once and for
all to his mission. The Nadirites went to the Quraysh in
Makkah and urged them to continue the fight against the
Muslims. They made a pact with the Quraysh to attack
Madinah at a specified time.
After Makkah, the Nadirite leaders set
out northwards on a journey of some one thousand
kilometers to meet the Ghatafan. They promised the
Ghatafan the entire annual date harvest of Khaybar for
waging war against Islam and its Prophet. They informed
the Ghatafan of the pact they had concluded with the
Quraysh and persuaded them to make a similar agreement.
Other tribes were also persuaded to join
the mighty alliance. From the north came the Banu Asad and
the Fazar. From the south the Ahabish, allies of the
Quraysh, the Banu Sulaym and others. At the appointed
time, the Quraysh set out from Makkah in large numbers on
cavalry and on foot under the Leadership of Abu Sufyan ibn
Harb. The Ghatafan too set out from Najd in large numbers
under the leadership of Ubaynah ibn Hisn. In the vanguard
of the Ghatafan army was Nuaym ibn Masud.
News of the impending attack on Madinah
reached the Prophet while he was half-way on a long
expedition to Dumat al-Jandal on the Syrian border some
fifteen days journey from Madinah. The tribe at Dumat
al-Jandal was molesting caravans bound for Madinah and
their action was probably prompted by the Banu an-Nadir to
entice the Prophet away from Madinah. With the Prophet
away, they reasoned, it would be easier for the combined
tribal forces from the north and the south to attack
Madinah and deal a mortal blow to the Muslim community
with the help of disaffected persons from within the city
itself.
The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him,
hurried back to Madinah and conferred with the Muslims.
The forces of the Ahzab or the confederate enemy tribes
amounted to over ten thousand men while the Muslims
fighting were just three thousand men. It was unanimously
decided to defend the city from within and to prepare for
a siege rather than fight in the open. The Muslims were in
dire straits.
"When they came upon you from above
and from below you, and when eyes grew wild and hearts
reached to the throats, and you were imagining vain
thoughts concerning God. Then were the believers sorely
tried and shaken with a mighty shock." (The Quran,
Surah al-Ahzab, 33:1O)
To protect the city, the Muslims decided
to dig a ditch or khandaq. It is said that the ditch was
about three and a half miles long and some ten yards wide
and five yards deep. The three thousand Muslims were
divided into groups of ten and each group was given a
fixed number of cubits to dig. The digging of the ditch
took several weeks to complete.
The ditch was just completed when the
mighty enemy forces from the north and the south converged
on Madinah. While they were within a short distance from
the city the Nadirire conspirators approached their fellow
Jews of the Banu Qur~yzah who lived in Madinah and tried
to persuade them to join the war against the Prophet by
helping the two armies approaching from Makkah and the
north. The response of the Qurayzah Jews to the Nadirite
leaders was: "You have indeed called us to
participate in something which we like and desire to have
accomplished. But you know there is a treaty between us
and Muhammad binding us to keep the peace with him so long
as we live secure and content in Madinah. You do realize
that our pact with him is still valid. We are afraid that
if Muhammad is victorious in this war he would then punish
us severely and that he would expel us from Madinah as a
result of our treachery towards him."
The Nadirire leaders however continued
to pressurize the Banu Qurayzah to renege on their treaty.
Treachery to Muhammad, they affirmed, was a good and
necessary act. They assured the Banu Qurayzah that there
was no doubt this time that the Muslims would be
completely routed and Muhammad would be finished once and
for all.
The approach of the two mighty armies
strengthened the resolve of the Banu Qurayzah to disavow
their treaty with Muhammad. They tore up the pact and
declared their support for the confederates. The news fell
on the Muslims ears with the force of a thunderbolt.
The confederate armies were now pressing
against Madinah. They effectively cut off the city and
prevented food and provisions and any form of outside help
or reinforcement from reaching the inhabitants of the
city. After the terrible exhaustions of the past months
the Prophet now felt as if they had fallen between the
jaws of the enemy. The Quraysh and [he Ghatafan were
besieging the city from without. The Banu Qurayzah were
laying in wait behind the Muslims, ready to pounce from
within the city. Added to this, the hypocrites of Madinah,
those who had openly professed Islam but remained secretly
opposed to the Prophet and his mission, began to come out
openly and cast doubt and ridicule on the Prophet.
"Muhammad promised us." they
said, "that we would gain possession of the treasures
of Chosroes and Caesar and here we are today with not d
single one of us being able to guarantee that he could go
to the toilet safely to relieve himself!"
Thereafter, group after group of the
inhabitants of Madinah began to disassociate themselves
from the Prophet expressing fear for their women and
children and for their homes should the Banu Qurayzah
attack once the fighting began. The enemy forces though
vastly superior in numbers were confounded by the enormous
ditch. They had never seen or heard of such a military
stratagem among the Arabs. Nonetheless they tightened
their siege of the city. At the same time they attempted
to breach the ditch at some narrow points but were
repulsed by the vigilant Muslims. So hard-pressed were the
Muslims that the Prophet Muhammad and his companions once
did not even have time for Salat and the Zuhr, Asr,
Maghrib and Isha prayers had to be performed during the
night.
As the siege wore on and the situation
became more critical for the Muslims. Muhammad turned
fervently to his Lord for succour and support.
"O Allah," he prayed, "I
beseech you to grant Your promise of victory. O Allah I
beseech You to grant your promise of victory."
On that night, as the Prophet prayed,
Nuaym lay tossing in his bivouac. He could not sleep. He
kept gazing at the stars in the vast firmament above. He
thought hard and long and suddenly he found himself
exclaiming and asking: "Woe to you, Nuaym! What is it
really that has brought you from those far off places in
Najd to fight this man and those with him? Certainly you
are not fighting him for the triumph of right or for the
protection of some honor violated. Really you have only
come here to fight for some unknown reason. Is it
reasonable that someone with a mind such as yours should
fight and kill or be killed for no cause whatsoever? Woe
to you, Nuaym. What is it that has caused you to draw your
sword against this righteous man who exhorts his followers
to justice, good deeds and helping relatives? And what is
it that has driven you to sink your spear into the bodies
of his followers who follow the message of guidance and
truth that he brought?"
Nuaym thus struggled with his conscience
and debated with himself. Then he came to a decision.
Suddenly he stood upright, determined. The doubts were
gone. Under the cover of darkness, he slipped away from
the camp of his tribe and made his way to the Prophet of
God, peace and blessings of Allah be on him.
When the Prophet beheld him, standing
erect in his presence, he exclaimed, "Nuaym ibn
Masud?"
"Yes, O Messenger of God,"
declared Nuaym. "What has brought you here at this
hour?"
"I came", said Nuaym, "to
declare that there is no god but Allah and that you are
the servant of God and His Messenger and that the message
you have brought is
He went on: "I have declared my
submission to God, O Messenger of God, but my people do
not know of my submission. Command me therefore to do
whatever you desire."
"You are only one person among
us," observed the Prophet. "So go to your people
and act as if you have nothing to do with us for indeed
war is treachery."
"Yes, O Messenger of God,"
replied Nuaym. And if God wills, you shall witness what
pleases you." Without losing any time, Nuaym went to
the Banu Qurayzah. He was, as was mentioned earlier, a
close friend of the tribe. "O Bani Qurayzah," he
said. "You have known my love for you and my
sincerity in advising you."
"Yes ," they agreed, "but
what are you suspicious of so
far as we are concerned?" Nuaym
continued: "The Quraysh and the Ghatafan have their
own interests in this war which are different from your
interests." "How so?" they queried.
"This is your city," Nuaym
asserted. "You have your wealth, your children and
your womenfolk here and it is not in your power to flee
and take refuge in another city. On the other hand, the
Quraysh and the Ghatafan have their land, their wealth,
their children and their womenfolk away from this city.
They came to fight Muhammad. They urged you to break the
treaty you had with him and to help them against him. So
you responded positively to them. If they were to be
victorious in their encounter with him, they would reap
the booty. But if they fail to subdue him, they would
return to their country safe and sound and they would
leave you to him and he would be in a position to exact
the most bitter revenge on you. You know very well that
you would have no power to confront him."
"You are right," they said.
"But what suggestion do you have?" "My
opinion," Nuaym suggested, "is that you should
not join forces with them until you take a group of their
prominent men as hostages. In that way you could carry on
the fight against Muhammad either till victory or till the
last of your men or theirs perish. (They would not be able
to leave you in the lurch)." "You have advised
well," they responded and agreed to take up his
suggestion.
Nuaym then left and went to Abu Sufyan
ibn Harb, the Quraysh leader and spoke to him and other
Quraysh leaders. "O Quraysh," said Nuaym,
"You know my affection for you and my enmity towards
Muhammad. I have heard some news and I thought it my duty
to disclose it to you but you should keep it confidential
and do not attribute it to me"
"You must inform us of this
matter," insisted the Quraysh.
Nuaym continued: "The Banu Qurayzah
now regret that they have agreed to participate in the
hostilities against Muhammad. They fear that you would
turn back and abandon them to him. So they have sent a
message to Muhammad saying: 'We are sorry for what we have
done and we are determined to return to the treaty and a
state of peace with you. Would it please you then if we
take several Quraysh and Ghatafan nobles and surrender
them to you? We will then join you in fighting them - the
Quraysh and the Ghatafan - until you finish them off.' The
Prophet has sent back a reply to them saying he agrees. If
therefore the Jews send a delegation to you demanding
hostages from among your men do not hand over a single
person to them. And do not mention a word of what I said
to you."
"What a good ally you are. May you
be rewarded well ," said Abu Sufyan gratefully.
Nuaym then went to his own people the
Ghatafan, and spoke to them in a similar vein. He gave
them the same warning against expected treachery from the
Banu Qurayzah.
Abu Sufyan wanted to test the Banu
Qurayzah so he sent his son to them. "My father sends
greetings of peace to you," began Abu Sufyan's son.
"He says that our siege of Muhammad and his
companions has been a protracted affair and we have become
weary...We are now determined to fight Muhammad and finish
him off. My father has sent me to you to ask you to join
battle with Muhammad tomorrow."
"But tomorrow is Saturday,"
said the Jews of Banu Qurayzah, "and we do not work
at all on Saturdays. Moreover, we would not fight with you
until you hand over to us seventy of your nobles and
nobles from the Ghatafan as hostages. We fear that if the
fighting becomes too intense for you would hasten back
home and leave us alone to Muhammad. You know that we have
no power to resist him..."
When Abu Sufyan's son returned to his
people and told them what he had heard from the Banu
Qurayzah, they shouted in unison!
"Damned be the sons of monkeys and
swine! By God, if they were to demand from us a single
sheep as a hostage, we would not give them".
And so it was that Nuaym was successful
in causing disharmony among the confederates and splitting
their ranks.
While the mighty alliance was in this
state of disarray, God sent down on the Quraysh and their
allies a fierce and bitterly cold wind which swept their
tents and their vessels away, extinguished their fires,
buffeted their faces and cast sand in their eves. In this
terrible state of confusion the allies fled under cover of
darkness.
That very night the Prophet had sent one
his companions, Hudayfah ibn al-Yaman, to get information
on the enemy's morale and intentions. He brought back the
news that on the advice and initiative of Abu Sufyan, the
enemy had turned on their heels and fled... The news
quickly spread through the Muslims ranks and they shouted
in joy and relief!
La ilaha ilia Allahu wahdah
Sadaqa wadah
Wa nasara abdah
Wa a azza jundah
Wa hazama-l ahzaba wahdah.
There is no god but Allah alone
To His promise He has been true
His servant He has helped
His forces He has strengthened
And Alone the confederates He has
destroyed.
The Prophet, peace be upon him, praised
and gave thanks to his Lord for His deliverance from the
threat posed by the mighty alliance. Nuaym, as a result of
his subtle but major role in the blasting of the alliance,
gained the confidence of the Prophet who entrusted him
thereafter with many a difficult task. He became the
standard-bearer of the Prophet on several occasions.
Three years after the Battle of the
Ditch, on the day the Muslims marched victoriously into
Makkah, Abu Sufyan ibn Harb stood surveying the Muslim
armies. He beheld
a man carrying the Ghatafan flag and
asked: "Who is this?" "Nuaym ibn
Masud," came the reply.
"He did a terrible thing to us at
al-Khandaq," Abu Sufyan confessed. "By God, he
was certainly one of the fiercest enemies of Muhammad and
here he is now carrying his people's flag in the ranks of
Muhammad and coming to wage war on us under his
leadership."
Through the grace of God and the
magnanimity of the noble Prophet, Abu Sufyan himself was
soon to join the same ranks.
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