The Siege of the Parties and the Drive of Gaza
In Sūrat al-Aḥzāb, Allah describes in vivid detail the events of the Battle of the Trench, also known as the Siege of the Parties. This took place in the fifth year after Hijrah, when the Prophet ﷺ and the believers faced one of the most severe trials in the early history of Islam. A confederation of Quraysh, Ghatafān, and several other tribes, numbering around 10,000 fighters, marched towards Madinah with the intention of annihilating the Muslims and eradicating Islam. The believers numbered around 3,000 and were vastly outmatched in both numbers and resources. Yet, Allah’s plan prevailed. Allah says:
يَـٰۤأَیُّهَا ٱلَّذِینَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱذۡكُرُوا۟ نِعۡمَةَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَیۡكُمۡ إِذۡ جَاۤءَتۡكُمۡ جُنُودࣱ فَأَرۡسَلۡنَا عَلَیۡهِمۡ رِیحࣰا وَجُنُودࣰا لَّمۡ تَرَوۡهَاۚ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ بَصِیرًا
“O you who have attained faith, remember Allah’s blessings upon you when troops advanced towards you, and We sent against them a wind and troops that you did not see. And Allah has always been All-Seeing of what you do.” (Al-Aḥzāb, 9)
This verse reminds the believers that ultimate deliverance came not from human might, but from divine intervention. In this instance it was extremely unexpected: unseen forces, the angels, and a wind that blew that so fiercely, it uprooted the tents of the confederate armies, overturned their cooking pots, scattered their provisions, and extinguished their fires. The wind struck fear into the hearts of the enemy, dismantling their siege.
Today, we see parallels in the plight of our brothers and sisters in Gaza. Just as the Prophet ﷺ and the believers were surrounded from all sides, so too is Gaza besieged by an overwhelming military force – a combination of air power, ground troops, naval blockades, surveillance satellites, fighter jets, tanks, drones, submarines, and intelligence operations. The aim in both cases is to crush them completely, yet the Quran shows us that Allah uses such moments to test the believers, expose the hypocrites, and clarify truth from falsehood.
Allah describes the state of the believers during the siege:
إِذۡ جَاۤءُوكُم مِّن فَوۡقِكُمۡ وَمِنۡ أَسۡفَلَ مِنكُمۡ وَإِذۡ زَاغَتِ ٱلۡأَبۡصَـٰرُ وَبَلَغَتِ ٱلۡقُلُوبُ ٱلۡحَنَاجِرَ وَتَظُنُّونَ بِٱللَّهِ ٱلظُّنُونَا۠
“When they came upon you from above you and from beneath you, and when sight swerved and hearts reached the throats, and you assumed about Allah various assumptions.” (Al-Aḥzāb, 10)
هُنَالِكَ ٱبۡتُلِیَ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَ وَزُلۡزِلُوا۟ زِلۡزَالࣰا شَدِیدࣰا
“There and then the believers were tested and were shaken with a severe shaking.” (Al-Aḥzāb, 11)
وَإِذۡ یَقُولُ ٱلۡمُنَـٰفِقُونَ وَٱلَّذِینَ فِی قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَضࣱ مَّا وَعَدَنَا ٱللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُۥۤ إِلَّا غُرُورࣰا
“As the hypocrites and those in whose hearts is disease said, ‘Allah and His Messenger promised us nothing but delusion.’” (Al-Aḥzāb, 12)
These verses capture three states of people: 1. the firm believers, whose trust in Allah was unshaken despite the odds. 2. the hypocrites, who doubted Allah’s promise and spread despair. 3. those with diseased hearts, whose faith was weak, swayed by fear and propaganda.
The Qur’an then directs us to the role model in such situations:
لَّقَدۡ كَانَ لَكُمۡ فِی رَسُولِ ٱللَّهِ أُسۡوَةٌ حَسَنَةࣱ لِّمَن كَانَ یَرۡجُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَٱلۡیَوۡمَ ٱلۡـَٔاخِرَ وَذَكَرَ ٱللَّهَ كَثِیرࣰا
“Indeed, in the Messenger of Allah you have an excellent example for whoever hopes for Allah and the Last Day, and remembers Allah often.” (Al-Aḥzāb, 21)
Scholarly reflections
Al-Qurṭubī explains: “You have a model to follow in the Prophet ﷺ, in how he sacrificed himself for the victory of Allah’s religion when he went out to the Battle of the Trench.” The Prophet is the best role model to have ever lived, his actions and words were always exemplary. On the battlefield he was always in the centre of the action at the front of any battle. He was fearless and did not seclude himself. Imām Ibn Kathīr notes: “This noble verse is a major foundation for emulating the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, in his words, actions, and states, especially his patience, perseverance, steadfastness, struggle, and waiting for relief from his Lord.”
Ibn ʿĀshūr adds that this verse, while praising the believers’ steadfastness, also contains an implicit rebuke for those who failed to emulate the Prophet ﷺ. The “excellent example” (al-uswah al-ḥasanah) should be followed in both action and state – in battle, in adversity, and in private trials.
Anas ibn Mālik narrates from Abū Ṭalḥah: “We complained to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about hunger, and we lifted our garments from our bellies, and there was a stone tied to each of us, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ lifted his garment, and behold, he had two stones tied.” (Tirmidhī) This was how he shared the hardship of his people, never distancing himself from their struggles.
Parallels for today
The lesson is clear: the people of Gaza, like the believers in Madinah, face a coalition of forces against them. Victory will not come from human endeavours alone, but from Allah, through means that cannot be predicted. The believers are those who are very confident and well-connected to Him. They are not heedless; they remember Allah with every breath they take. Any time or any place this group will be granted victory. It is Allah’s promise. So, no matter what propaganda is being spread, have trust in Allah, He will bring about His promise without a shadow of doubt.
May Allah grant victory to the oppressed in Gaza and all over the world and instill confidence and trust in us.
Based on the khutbah of Shaykh Haytham Tamim on 8th August 2025