Battle of the Trench

Battle of the Trench (Muslims vs Quraish)
Part of the Muslim–Quraysh Wars
Combat between Ali ibn Abi Talib (left) and Amr ibn Abd al-Wud (right) during the Battle of the Trench
Date Shawwal – Dhu al-Qi'dah, 5 AH (in the ancient (intercalated) Arabic calendar) (January – February 627). Location Surrounding perimeter of Medina Result Failure of siege; Decisive Muslim victory
Belligerents
Muslims Including the Ansar of Khazraj and Aws The Muhajirun of various origins including significant portions of Quraysh Immigrants and Banu Qais	Confederates including the Quraysh of Mecca the Jewish/Arab tribes of Banu Qaynuqa,and Banu Nadir Other Arab tribes such as Banu Murra, Khaybar, Huyyay ibn Auf Murri, Banu Ghatafan, Bani Assad, Banu Shuja, and more (see Confederates)
Commanders and leaders
Muhammad Abu-Bakr Umar ibn Al-Khattab Uthman Ibn Affan Ali Ibn Abi Talib Salman the Persian	Abu Sufyan
Strength
3,000	10,000
Casualties and losses
Light	Extremely heavy

Muslims Including

Confederates including

The Battle of the Trench (Arabic: غزوة الخندق‎, translit. Ghazwah al-Khandaq‎) also known as the Battle of the Confederates (Arabic: غزوة الاحزاب‎, translit. Ghazwah al-Ahzab‎), was a 27-day-long siege of Yathrib (now Medina) by Arab and Jewish tribes. The strength of the confederate armies is estimated around 10,000 men with six hundred horses and some camels, while the Medinan defenders numbered 3,000. The battle coincided with harsh winter weather of January/February AD 627.

The largely outnumbered defenders of Medina, mainly Muslims led by Islamic prophet Muhammad, dug a trench on the suggestion of Salman Farsi, which together with Medina's natural fortifications, rendered the confederate cavalry (consisting of horses and camels) useless, locking the two sides in a stalemate. Hoping to make several attacks at once, the confederates persuaded the Muslim-allied Medinan Jews, Banu Qurayza, to attack the city from the south. However, Muhammad's diplomacy derailed the negotiations, and broke up the confederacy against him. The well-organised defenders, the sinking of confederate morale, and poor weather conditions caused the siege to end in a fiasco.

The siege was a "battle of wits", in which the Muslims tactically overcame their opponents while suffering very few casualties. Efforts to defeat the Muslims failed, and Islam became influential in the region. As a consequence, the Muslim army besieged the area of the Banu Qurayza tribe, leading to their surrender.

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