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my name, I replied: "I await thy commands, O apostle of God!" Then he asked: "Canst thou this night watch over us, to be with us in the morn of the resurrection ?" I said: "Yes, O apostle of God, I hear and obey." In some traditions it is related that Khodayfah said: 'When the apostle of God first challenged his companions no one rose, though I was also among those addressed. But when he at last called me, and I complied, he said: "Khodayfah, what hindered thee from rising, although thou hast heard my words?" I replied: "Hunger and cold, O apostle of God." At these words his lordship smiled, and said: "Come nearer." I obeyed, and his lordship rubbed his blessed hand on my breast and between my shoulders, uttering with his wonderfully eloquent tongue the words: “O Lord God, protect him from those who are before and behind him, and from those on his right or left side. According to another tradition, he added: And from those who are above and below him.' And, by God! the fear of hunger and cold abandoned me. After that his lordship said: "Go among the people, and bring me information about them, in what state they are, and thou must do nothing until thou hast seen me." Khodayfah continues: Accordingly I took my arms and crossed the ditch, but felt so warm that I fancied I had entered a bath. When I arrived near the idolaters I concealed myself in the rear of a tree, and perceived that they had, with a thousand stratagems, kindled a fire for Abu Sofyân, as the wind and storm were raging in their camp beyond all conception. Abu Sofyân turned sometimes one, and sometimes the other, side to the fire to warm it, and I had a mind to shoot an arrow at him; but the injunction of the apostle restrained me. I also beheld A'lqamah B. A'llâmah, who shouted: "O family of A'ass, the wind and frost are killing me." After that the army of God came, projecting large stones, which, however, the idolaters warded off with their shields. Then the fires of the idolaters were extinguished by the tornado of calamity, and their hearts withered by the blasts of misery. Abu Sofyân, moved by what was taking place, exclaimed: "O

Qoraish people, our sojourn in this region was long, and our cattle have perished, the Bani Qoryttah have shown us enmity, our weapons have become useless, and this wind distresses us much; accordingly, I take my departure." Then he went to his camel, and, being in great haste, he mounted it without untying its legs. On that occasion A'kramah B. Abu Jahl exclaimed: "O Abu Sofyân, thou art the chief of the people! Where art thou going and leaving them in this calamity?" Abu Sofyan then alighted from shame and confusion, loosed the knees of his camel, took the bridle in his hand, walked through the camp, and shouted: "Make haste to march!" Accordingly all the Qoraish, the Ghattafân, the Kanánah, and the Qorârah departed in grief and disappointment, so that not one of the infidels, who had come with designs upon the property and lives of the Musalmâns, remained in that region.'

Khodayfah says: 'When the enemies were engaged in loading [their baggage on the cattle] I departed, and on my way I perceived twenty cavaliers with white turbans, and two of them said to me: "Tell thy master that God the Most High has warded off from him the wickedness of his enemies." When I arrived in camp, in my old place, I again felt cold as before. I found his lordship at prayers, and he beckoned to me with his hand to come nearer. obeyed. His lordship had a very broad and big piece of cloth, a corner whereof he put upon me, whereon I became so warm that I fell asleep. When he had finished his prayers he said: "Arise, O sleeper!" Then I awoke and narrated to him all I had seen.'

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It is related that after the flight of the opponents his holy and prophetic lordship turned to his companions and said: After this they will not come to fight you, but you will wage war against them.' Accordingly, the Qoraish obtained no other opportunity to attack the Musalmâns, so that at last the apostle of God marched with the army of Islâm to Mekkah, conquered that blessed region, and vanquished his antagonists, as will be narrated in these pages if it pleaseth Allah the Most High.

SOME EVENTS AND SEVERAL MIRACLES THAT TOOK PLACE DURING THE TIME OF THE WAR OF THE DITCH.

Among the incidents of the war of the ditch that which happened to Sa'd B. Moa'adh, is described as follows: A'ayshah-may Allah reward her!-said: 'In those days the enemies had on a certain occasion arrived opposite the apostle of God, and were engaged in fighting. At that time I was with the mother of Sa'd B. Moa'adh in the Harethah-fort, which is one of the best strongholds of Madinah, when my eye suddenly alighted on Sa'd B. Moa'adh, who was passing by dressed in a short coat of mail, which was insufficient to protect either his arms or legs, he being a man of tall stature and corpulent. I was sorry for the imperfections of this cuirass, but his mother said: "Make haste to meet the apostle of God, for thou hast been so tardy that thou art now very far from his lordship." I said: "Omm Sa'd, how would it be if thy son had armour sufficient to cover his body?" His mother replied: "God foreordaineth what He liketh." And he was predestined to attain martyrdom by an arrow-wound. Accordingly, when Sa'd had reached the bank of the ditch, Janân B. Alu'rfah shot an arrow at him, saying: Take that! I am the son of Alu'rfah!' According to another tradition, Sa'd exclaimed: 'May Allah burn thy face with fire!' That arrow had, however, struck his eye and broke off. When he saw that the wound was a dangerous one he turned to the Qiblah of prayer, uttering the words: 'O God, if Thy apostle is again to have a war with the Qoraish, then deliver me from the grasp of death, because I love nothing more than to fight a nation that accuses the apostle of falsehood, and has expelled him from the sanctuary of Mekkah; or else respite me till I behold the Bani Qoryttah in misery, according to my heart's desire.' His prayer was responded to, the blood ceased to flow from his wound, and he lived to fight against the Bani Qoryttah, whereon his wound opened again, so that he died, as will be narrated further on.

VOL. II.

30

In the Moa'jum Tturâni it is related that in the war of the ditch there was a young man present who had just married, and had in the middle of the day requested the lord of the pious and model of the righteous to [allow him to] pay a visit to his family. After obtaining permission, this young man put on his armour and departed. When he reached his house he beheld his wife standing among a number of men, and in the exuberance of his jealousy he assaulted her, whereon the poor woman said: 'Do nothing till thou seest what is in the house.' He accordingly forbore to slay his wife, and stepped into his house, where he beheld a snake coiled up on his bed, which he forthwith snatched off with his lance and went out. The serpent struggled awhile on the top of the spear and expired, but the young man likewise died, and no one knew whether he had first expired or the reptile. When this event was brought to the notice of his holy and prophetic lordship -u. w. b.-he said: 'Plead for pardon for your companion.' Then he added: In Madinah there are a number of serpents who have made profession of the Faith. If you obtain cognizance of one of them do not approach it [to kill it] for three days, but if it shows itself after that time to you, then kill it, because it is a devil.'

Let it not remain hidden to the intelligent that it is not possible to narrate all the events of the war of the ditch in this abridgment, and that therefore the musky reed will briefly record only two miracles, confirmed by two truthful witnesses, to establish the claim of his holy and prophetic lordship [to thaumaturgy]; but glory pertains to Allah, and grace comes from Him.

The first miracle is, according to the biographers of the prophet, recorded in the following tradition, which they possess, of Jâber B. A'bdullah the Anssári, who said:

In those days, when we were engaged in digging the trench, I perceived one day the signs of hunger on the blessed countenance of his lordship. I therefore went to my house, where I had kept a fat kid which might afford a slender repast. This kid I slaughtered and placed the flesh

into a pot with the intention of regaling the apostleu. w. b.-therewith. I also ground one measure of barley into flour and ordered it to be leavened. Then I departed from my house and made haste to wait on his lordship. I informed him that I had prepared some food, and expressed my hope that he would condescend to be my guest. His lordship asked: "How much food is there?" I stated the amount, and his lordship said: "Very well." Very well." He added: "Go and tell thy wife not to take away the pot from the fire, nor the bread out from the oven." This is narrated in the Raudzatu-l-ahbab, according to which Jaber also said: 'After that he invited those at the ditch, exclaiming: "Jâber has prepared some food for you. Come!" Accordingly I went home, and said to my wife: "Woe betide thee! The apostle of God is coming with a number of the people of the ditch!" She asked: "Is his lordship aware of the quantity of food we have ?" I said: "Yes." She replied: "God and His apostle know better." When the apostle of Allah arrived in our house he gave a signal, whereon the people entered in crowds. He approached in his own holy person the pot and the leaven, throwing into each of them some of the saliva of his Kawther-like mouth,318 invoking a benediction thereon from the Lord of glory. Then he ordered me to put the bread into the oven, and when it was baked he took it out, and having likewise poured into a dish the soup with the meat, he seated ten men around it, who partook of the repast and were filled. In this manner he satisfied the hunger of nearly one thousand men, and when he left the pot and the oven he ordered us to cover the apertures of both. After returning to them we found the oven again full of bread and the pot of meat, as before, and by order of his lordship we ate our fill, and sent some food also to our neighbours. When, however, the apostle had left the house with the people of the ditch, the food had likewise been consumed.' Some relate that Jâber had spoken as follows: By order of the prophet

318 This is the name of a river in Paradise, and also the title of ch, cviii. of the Qurân.

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