Tafsir of Al-Ahzab 33:9

(O you who have believed, remember the favor of Allah upon you) This is the commencement of recounting the story of the Confederates (al-Ahzab), which is the Battle of the Trench (al-Khandaq). According to Ibn Ishaq, it took place in Shawwal of the fifth year [of the Hijra], while Malik said it was the fourth year.

"Favor" (ni’mah), if considered an infinitive meaning "bestowing favor," then the prepositional phrase "upon you" (‘alaykum) is connected to it, and the word "being" (ka’inah) is implied as a state of being (hal), meaning "existing upon you." As for His saying: (When the armies came to you), it is either an adverbial expression for the "favor" itself or for its manifestation upon them. It is also said that it is in the accusative case, governed by "remember," functioning as a substitution of inclusion (badal al-ishtimal) for "favor."

The "armies" (al-junud) refers to the Confederates: Quraysh, led by Abu Sufyan; Banu Asad, led by Tulayha; Ghatafan, led by ‘Uyaynah; Banu ‘Amir, led by ‘Amir ibn al-Tufayl; Banu Sulaym, led by Abu al-A‘war al-Sulami; and the Banu al-Nadir, whose leaders were Huyayy ibn Akhtab and the sons of Abu al-Huqayq. Then there were the Banu Qurayzah, whose master was Ka‘b ibn Asad, with whom the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) had a covenant, which they violated at the instigation of Huyayy. Their total number was ten thousand according to one account, fifteen thousand in another, and it is said to have been around twelve thousand.

When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) heard of their approach, he dug a trench near Medina, surrounding it, following the suggestion of Salman al-Farsi, assigning forty cubits for every ten men. Then, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) went out with three thousand Muslims and set up his camp, with the trench between him and the people. He commanded that the women and children be placed in the fortresses. Fear intensified, and the believers were tested by a trial, and the hypocrisy manifested as Allah the Almighty has narrated. Nearly a month passed between the two parties with no fighting other than the exchange of arrows and stones from behind the trench.

However, a group of cavalrymen from Quraysh—among them ‘Amr ibn ‘Abd Wudd (who was considered the equivalent of a thousand horsemen), ‘Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahl, Dirar ibn al-Khattab, Hubayrah ibn Abi Wahb, and Nawfal ibn ‘Abdullah—rode their horses and headed for a narrow place in the trench, whipped their horses, and leaped across. They circled in the salt marsh between the trench and [Mount] Sal‘. ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah honor his countenance) went out with a group of the Muslims (may Allah be pleased with them) until they blocked the gap through which they had broken in. The horsemen turned to face them, and ‘Ali (may Allah honor his countenance) killed ‘Amr in a famous story. His cavalry fled, leaping back across the trench in retreat. With ‘Amr, Munabbih ibn ‘Uthman ibn ‘Abd al-Dar and Nawfal ibn ‘Abd al-‘Uzza were also killed. It is said that Nawfal was found inside the trench, and the Muslims began pelting him with stones. He said to them, "A more beautiful killing than this! Let one of you come down and I shall fight him," and he was killed by al-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwam.

Ibn Ishaq mentioned that ‘Ali (may Allah honor his countenance) stabbed him in the collarbone until the spear tip exited from his lower abdomen, and he died in the trench. The polytheists sent to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) to buy his corpse for ten thousand, but the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "It is yours; we do not consume the price of the dead." Then Allah the Almighty sent down victory; that is His saying: (So We sent upon them a wind), a conjunction to "came to you," presented to explain the favor in general. The remainder of the story will follow, Allah willing, at the end of the chapter.

(And armies you did not see), which were the angels (peace be upon them); they were, as it is said, a thousand. It is narrated that Allah the Almighty sent against them a cold, wintry wind on a cold night, which numbed them and blew dust into their faces. He commanded the angels (peace be upon them), so they uprooted the tent pegs, tore down the ropes, extinguished the fires, overturned the cooking pots, and the horses collided with one another. Terror was cast into their hearts, and the angels shouted "Allahu Akbar" from the sides of their camp. Tulayha ibn Khuwaylid al-Asadi said, "As for Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), he has started you off with magic, so flee! Flee!" and they were defeated.

Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) said, having gone to bring the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) news of the people: "I went out until, when I neared the camp of the people, I looked into the light of a fire they had kindled. I saw a large, swarthy man gesturing with his hand over the fire, rubbing his side, and saying, 'Depart! Depart! There is no stay for you here.' And the man was in their camp, not moving a span away from it. By Allah, I could hear the sound of the stones in their baggage and on their bedding, and the wind striking them. Then I headed toward the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and when I was halfway, or thereabouts, I met about twenty horsemen wearing turbans who said: 'Tell your companion that Allah the Almighty has sufficed him against the people.'"

Al-Hasan read "armies" (junudan) with the jim opened [as janadan]. Abu ‘Amr, in one narration, and Abu Bakr, in one narration, read "you did not see" (lam yarawha) in the third person [i.e., "they did not see it"]. (And Allah is of what you do), regarding the digging of the trench and the organizing of the preparations for war to elevate the word of Allah, (all-seeing). It is also said: regarding your resorting to Him and your hope in His bounty, Mighty and Majestic is He.

Abu ‘Amr read "they do" (ya‘malun) in the third person, meaning what the disbelievers do in terms of preparing, fighting, and inciting one another out of a desire to invalidate your truth. It is also said: [concerning] their disbelief and disobedience, (all-seeing). Because of this, He did what He did regarding your victory over them. The sentence is an interpolation, confirming what preceded it.