NUAYM IBN MA'SUD
Nuaym Ibn Ma'sud 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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