5- The Battle of Ahzab, in the fifth year of Hijra
After the battle of Uhud, the Arab tribes became stronger and fiercer than before. They made a convention among them to collaborate in all the affairs and not to break their allegiance to each other, in order to defeat and kill all the Muslims of Medina, and most of all kill the Prophet (a.s.) and annihilate all the children of Abu Talib forever.
With this wicked decision, they set the fire of anger and grudge. They thought that their plan would bear fruit and they could kill all the residents of Medina. These miscreants had a great trust in their war plan.
Once again, Gabriel came down to tell the Prophet (a.s.) about the plot. The Prophet (a.s.) along with the Muhajireen (immigrants) and the Ansar (supporters) started to dig a trench around the city of Medina.
When Quraysh and the allies arrived at Medina, they did not know anything about the Muslims’ ingenuity. When they came before the great trench around the city, they were not able to make a decision as to what they should do for that strange and complicated problem. They thought that they were much more powerful than Muslims were. Therefore, they were very angry about our astuteness.
On the other hand, the Messenger of Allah (a.s.) invited them to embrace Islam and asked them gently to consider about their souls…, but it did not affect their cruel and heartless decision. It made them, in fact, even angrier. They insisted on their position against the believers.
On that day, their greatest warrior was a man named Amr ibn Abd Widd. He was one of the greatest and most famous swordsmen among the Arab tribes. When he came in the battlefield, he cried out loudly challenging the Muslims to combat with him. He was turning his spear around his head and for some moments, he was also turning his sword upon his head. However, nobody had enough courage to advance and fight with him except me. Every time the Messenger of Allah (a.s.) asked Muslims, if one of them wanted to go to him, no one responded except me. On that critical moment, the Prophet (a.s.) permitted me to go to the battlefield and fight with that great hero. Before I went into the battle field the Messenger of Allah (a.s.) put his turban on my head and gave me his sword as benediction.
I advanced to fight with Amr, and the women of Medina began to cry for me, because they were certain that I would die. Allah the Almighty assisted me, and I could kill one of the most famous heroes of Arabia...! Before his death, he gave a very hard blow on my head. After that, Allah the Almighty gave us victory and added another defeat to the polytheists’ defeats. Is it not true?”
Everybody said, “Yes, it is true, O, the Commander of the Believers!”
The wise Jewish man found the fifth sign irrefutable. The color of his face changed to white. He was looking at Imam Ali’s face, but after this last sign, he began gazing at the floor.
