The Battle of the Trench (al-Ahzab)
غزوة الأحزاب (الخندق)
c. February 627 CE · Shawwal 5 AH
In Shawwal 5 AH (February-March 627 CE), a confederate army of 10,000 Meccans and Bedouin allies besieged Medina; upon Salman al-Farisi's advice the Muslims dug a protective trench on their northern boundary; the siege endured for nearly a month amidst cold, hunger, and the treachery of Banu Qurayza, until broken by Nu'aym ibn Mas'ud's stratagem and a violent night windstorm.
At a glance
- Era
- The Prophetic Era
- Region
- Arabia
- Review
- Draft Completeness 2/5 · Help complete it
In time
In space
Map: Natural Earth, public domain · places and route from the graph
Sides
Muslim Defenders of Medina
The early Muslim community · The Muhajirun · The Ansar
Commanders: Muhammad
Opinions on the question
The question: How are the Battle of the Trench and its outcome read in the Sunni tradition and by historians?
First opinion · Sunni tradition (the museum's frame)Main reference
More opinions (1)
Academic viewSecondary opinion
Connections
- Had participant
- Abdullah ibn Umar ibn al-KhattabAbu Sufyan ibn HarbAmr ibn HazmHudhayfa ibn al-YamanKa'b ibn AsadNu'aym ibn Mas'udRufayda al-AslamiyyaSafiyya bint Abd al-MuttalibSallam ibn Abi al-Huqayq (Abu Rafi')Salman al-FarisiUbayy ibn Ka'bUqba ibn Amir ibn NabiZayd ibn ArqamZayd ibn ThabitBanu QurayzaThe early Muslim communityMuhammadAli ibn Abi TalibSa'd ibn Mu'adhHuyayy ibn Akhtab
- Occurred at
- Medina
- Part of
- The Prophetic Era
- Led to
- The Siege and Judgment of Banu QurayzaThe Treaty of Hudaybiyya
- Revealed in
- Qur'an 33:9
People and things also explored
MedinaThe Battle of UhudThe Siege and Judgment of Banu QurayzaThe AnsarThe Battle of BadrMuhammadThe early Muslim communityThe Hijra
Sources
- al-Raheeq al-Makhtum — Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri
- Sahih al-Bukhari
- Sahih Muslim
- al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham
- Zad al-Ma'ad — Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “The Battle of the Trench (al-Ahzab)”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/battle-of-the-trench/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-12.