After reciting the tashahhud, ta‘awwuz, and Surah al-Fatihah, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V^(aba) stated:

Previously, accounts related to the conspiracy of the Banu Nadir - a Jewish tribe - to assassinate the Holy Prophet^(sa) were being discussed. In the previous sermon, I said that I would mention further details as to how Allah the Almighty frustrated their ploy to assassinate the Holy Prophet^(sa). In relation to this, the following has been recorded:

The Holy Prophet^(sa) was made aware of their scheme by way of revelation. Further details are that when ‘Amr bin Jahhash had reached the roof in order to throw the rock on the Holy Prophet^(sa), he was made aware of this conspiracy of the Jews by way of revelation. The Holy Prophet^(sa) quickly moved from his place, but he left his Companions sitting there. He left as if he had something to do and quickly returned to Medina. His Companions thought he had left for some important work. However, when some time had passed, the Companions became concerned for the Holy Prophet^(sa) and went out to look for him. On their way, they encountered someone coming from Medina. The Companions asked him about the Holy Prophet^(sa), and he told them that he had seen the Holy Prophet^(sa) enter Medina. The Companions immediately went to the Holy Prophet^(sa) in Medina and at that moment, the Holy Prophet^(sa) informed them of the conspiracy of the Banu Nadir. (‘Ali bin Burhan al-Din al-Halabi,  Al Sirat al-Halabiyyah, Vol. 2, [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar Al-Kotob Al-Ilmiyah, 2008], p. 357)

On the other hand, the Jews were consulting one another when a Jew came to them from Medina. When he heard his friends consult one another about the Holy Prophet^(sa), he asked, “What do you intend to do?” They replied, “We intend to assassinate Muhammad^(sa) and to capture his Companions.” He inquired, “Where is Muhammad^(sa)?” They replied: “This is Muhammad^(sa), who is sitting in a nearby place.” This friend said to them, “I saw Muhammad^(sa) entering Medina.” Upon this, they became surprised. (Mustafa ‘Abd al-Wahid, Subul al-Huda wa al-Rashad fi Sirat Khair al-‘Ibad, Vol. 4 (Beirut, Lebanon: Dar Al-Kotob Al-Ilmiyah, 1993), p. 318)

Another biographer has written in relation to this that when a lot of time had passed and the Holy Prophet^(sa) failed to return, Hazrat Abu Bakr^(ra) said, “There is no point in us waiting here. The Holy Prophet^(sa) has certainly received an order from Allah the Almighty.” Hence, they all set off from there. Upon this, the leader of the Jews, Huyayy bin Akhtab, said, “Abul Qasim has made a hasty decision. We were preparing food and discussing the blood money.” They wanted to provide him with a meal and see to his request [for blood money]. When the Companions were returning to Medina, they encountered a man and asked him, “Have you seen the Holy Prophet^(sa)?” He replied: “I have just met him as he was entering Medina.”

The Companions arrived there and found the Holy Prophet^(sa) seated. Hazrat Abu Bakr^(ra) submitted, “O Messenger^(sa) of Allah! You left from there, but we did not know.” [The Holy Prophet^(sa) replied]:

هَمَّتِ الْيَهُودُ بِالْغَدْرِ بِيْ

“The Jews intended to commit treason against me.”

The Holy Prophet^(sa) left from there swiftly owing to divine revelation. The Holy Prophet^(sa) did not say anything to his Companions because they were not in any danger. The real target of the Jews was the Holy Prophet^(sa), and so he was content that his Companions would remain out of harm’s way and, in fact, they would quickly leave from there in order to search for him. (Sirat Encyclopaedia, Vol. 7, Maktabah Darussalam, Riyad, pp. 40-41)

At the time, the following verse was revealed:

یٰۤاَیُّہَا الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوا اذۡکُرُوۡا نِعۡمَتَ اللّٰہِ عَلَیۡکُمۡ اِذۡ ہَمَّ قَوۡمٌ اَنۡ یَّبۡسُطُوۡۤا اِلَیۡکُمۡ اَیۡدِیَہُمۡ فَکَفَّ اَیۡدِیَہُمۡ عَنۡکُمۡ ۚ وَاتَّقُوا اللّٰہَ ؕ وَعَلَی اللّٰہِ فَلۡیَتَوَکَّلِ الۡمُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ

“O ye who believe! remember Allah’s favour upon you when a people intended to stretch out their hands against you, but He withheld their hands from you; and fear Allah. And on Allah should the believers rely.” [5:12] (Mustafa ‘Abd al-Wahid, Subul al-Huda wa al-Rashad fi Sirat Khair al-‘Ibad, Vol. 4 (Beirut, Lebanon: Dar Al-Kotob Al-Ilmiyah, 1993), p. 319)

Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad^(ra) has written:

“Apparently, it seemed as if they (i.e., the Jews) were joyous upon the arrival of the Holy Prophet^(sa), and asked him to sit while they went and arranged for the money at once. As such, the Holy Prophet^(sa) took a seat in the shade of a wall along with his Companions, and the Banu Nadir retired to one side in order to deliberate. They apparently made it seem as if they were arranging for the money, but instead of this, they actually schemed that this was a perfect opportunity. They thought that as Muhammad^(sa) was sitting in the shade of a house up against its wall; if someone were to climb to the top of the house from the opposite side and throw a large stone upon the Holy Prophet^(sa), he could be finished once and for all. From among the Jews, an individual by the name of Salam bin Mashkam opposed this idea and argued that this was an act of treachery, and violated the terms of their agreement with the Holy Prophet^(sa), but the others did not pay heed. Finally, a Jew by the name of ‘Amr bin Jahhash climbed to the top of the house with a very large stone and was about to roll it off from above, but it is narrated that God the Exalted informed the Holy Prophet^(sa) about this sinister plan of the Jews by way of revelation. The Holy Prophet^(sa) stood up immediately, and this was so unexpected that his Companions as well as the Jews thought that the Holy Prophet^(sa) had stood up to attend to an immediate matter. Hence, they continued to calmly sit and wait for the Holy Prophet^(sa). However, the Holy Prophet^(sa) made way to Medina at once. The Companions waited for the Holy Prophet^(sa) for some time, but when he did not return, they stood up in concern, and during the course of their search for the Holy Prophet^(sa), ultimately saw their way to Medina as well. It was then that the Holy Prophet^(sa) informed the Companions of the dangerous conspiracy of the Jews.” (Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad Sahib, The Life & Character of the Seal of the Prophet’s, Vol. 2 [Tilford, UK: Islam International Publication Ltd., 2013], pp. 378-379)

According to the details, with regards to the attitude of the Jews after the Holy Prophet^(sa) left, it is written that the Jews were remorseful over their actions. A Jewish man by the name Kinanah bin Suwairah or Suriyyah said, “Do you know the reasons why Muhammad^(sa) has left from here?” They replied, “By God! We do not know, if you know, please tell us.” He said, “I swear by the Torah, I know that Muhammad^(sa) has been informed about your intended treachery. Therefore, do not deceive yourself anymore. I swear by Allah that he is certainly the messenger of Allah, and the reason he stood up is that he was informed through revelation that you wanted to engage in deceit. Indeed, he is the last prophet. You wanted the last prophet to come from the descendants of Aaron[as], but Allah willed for him to be sent from here. Undoubtedly, the books we read in the Torah have not been altered. It is written in them that this prophet will be born in Mecca and will migrate to Yathrib, (meaning Medina). The qualities described in our book, the Torah, match only him perfectly. I can see that you will gain nothing but bloodshed. You will leave behind your wealth, properties, and children, who will weep and wail while they mourn you. If you accept my advice, your honour and dignity will remain intact. Accept my two pieces of advice, otherwise, there is no good in the third.”

They asked, what are those two pieces of advice? He said, “The first thing is that you accept Islam and thereby become the Companions of Muhammad^(sa); then your wealth and children will be safe, and you will be among his esteemed Companions and will not be expelled from your homes.”

The Jews responded to Kinanah bin Suriyyah’s words by saying, “We will not abandon the Torah and the covenant of Moses[as].” Kinanah said, “The second thing is that you wait. Soon, he will command you to leave the city. At that point, you should say yes. Then he will not make your blood [i.e., war with you] and your wealth permissible for himself, and he will leave your wealth and properties for you. You may sell them if you wish or keep them.”

They said, “Yes, we are ready for this.” Salam bin Mishkam said, “I was compelled to join you. He (as in Muhammad^(sa)) is now going to send us a message to leave this area. O Huyayy, do not hesitate in front of his words. (He said these words to the chieftain.) And accept the exile happily and leave his city.” Huyayy said, “I will do exactly that and leave this place.” (Mustafa ‘Abd al-Wahid, Subul al-Huda wa al-Rashad fi Sirat Khair al-‘Ibad, Vol. 4 [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar Al-Kotob Al-Ilmiyah, 1993], p. 319; Sirat Encyclopaedia, Vol. 7, Maktabah Darussalam, Riyad, pp. 42-43)

Upon reaching Medina, what measures did the Holy Prophet^(sa) take regarding these plots and conspiracies? It is written that the Holy Prophet^(sa) ordered the exile of the Jews, but they refused to go. Although [in the accounts related to this incident], this was their stance initially, however their intention changed later and they prepared for battle. The additional details are as follows:

After reaching Medina, the Holy Prophet^(sa) sent for Hazrat Muhammad bin Maslamah^(ra). When he arrived, the Holy Prophet^(sa) instructed him to go to the Jews of Banu Nadir and convey this message: “The Messenger^(sa) of Allah has sent me to tell you to leave his city.” (Sirat Encyclopaedia, Vol. 7, Maktabah Darussalam, Riyad, pp. 42-43)

Muhammad bin Maslamah^(sa) went to the Banu Nadir and said, “The Messenger^(sa) of Allah has sent me to convey a message to you, but before I do, I want to remind you of something you all know.” They asked, “What is it?” Muhammad bin Maslamah^(ra) said, “I ask you by the Torah, which Allah revealed to Mosesas. Do you remember that before Islam, one day I brought the Torah and presented it to you? You said, ‘If you want to eat, we will feed you; if you want to become a Jew, we will make you a Jew.’ I replied, ‘If you offer food, I will eat, but becoming a Jew is impossible.’ Then you presented a dish of food and asked, ‘Why do you not want to accept Judaism? Are you in search of the Abrahamic faith? Is Abu Amir, the monk, who is devoted to the religion, not a follower of the Abrahamic faith? A prophet is going to appear from this religion, who has the following characteristics. He will have a cheerful disposition, he will completely destroy the enemies of the truth, there will be a hint of redness in his eyes, he will appear from the direction of Yemen, mounted on a camel, he will be wearing a turban, a few pieces of dried bread would suffice him, a sword will be hanging around his neck and he will speak words of wisdom and sagacity.’ Upon this, the Jews stated, ‘You have correctly recounted all the signs. Indeed, we said all of these things, but these are not to be found in him (i.e. the Holy Prophet^(sa)).’ Muhammad bin Maslamah^(ra) stated, ‘What I wanted to remind you of was exactly this. Now, listen to the message of the Holy Prophet^(sa). The Holy Prophet^(sa) has sent me to you for you have deceptively broken the pact that was made with you. Amr bin Jahhash climbed the roof with the intention of throwing a large stone on him and Allah the Almighty informed His Prophet through divine revelation of this. You have violated your oath.’” Upon hearing this, they fell silent. Whilst delivering the message of the Holy Prophet^(sa), Muhammad bin Maslamah^(ra) also mentioned that the Holy Prophet^(sa) stated:

اُخْرُجُوا مِنْ بَلَدِىْ فَقَدْ أَجَّلْتُكُمْ عَشْرًا فَمَنْ رُّئِيَ بَعْدَ ذَالِكَ ضَرَبْتُ عُنُقَهٗ

“You must leave the city within a period of ten days. If anyone is seen after this period, I shall smite his neck.” The Jews responded, “We cannot even imagine that we would hear such words being spoken by an individual from the Aus tribe. You were our confederate.” Upon this, Muhammad bin Maslamah^(ra) stated, “The condition of the hearts have changed. The Aus and Khazraj had love in their hearts for the Jews, but after the advent of Islam, this has been replaced with the love for Allah and His Messenger^(sa).”

After hearing the message of the Holy Prophet^(sa), the Jews began to make preparations to leave the city. The Banu Nadir were given a few days and so they began to make their preparation to leave. Their mounts were located in a grazing field in Dhi Jadar. Dhi Jadar was a grazing field located close to Quba approximately 6-8 miles from Medina. They went to collect their mounts and they also asked to loan some camels from the Banu Ashja’a tribe. (Dairah Ma’arif Sirat Muhammad Rasul Allah, Vol. 7, Bazm Iqbal Lahore, 2022, pp. 179-180) Sayyid Fadl al-Rahman, Farhang-i-Sirat (Karachi, Pakistan: Zawwar Academy Publications, 2003), p. 85)

While the Jews were making preparations to leave, Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Sulul, the Chief of the Hypocrites, thought of a ploy, and as a result, they changed their intentions to leave. With regards to the details of this incident, it is mentioned in the books of history that the Jews were busy preparing to leave when they received a message from Abdullah bin Ubayy. This message was delivered by Suwaid and Da’is that Abdullah bin Ubayy says, “Do not leave your homes nor your possessions, and remain in your fortresses. I have 2,000 men from among my people and from other Arab tribes and they will enter the fortresses with you. They will not let the Muslims get to you even if the very last of them dies. The Banu Quraizah will also come to your aid; we shall not allow you to be destroyed. Your allies among the Banu Ghatafan will also help you. If you are left with no choice but to leave from here, then we shall also accompany you.”

Allah the Almighty has also mentioned this conspiracy and ploy of the hypocrites in the Holy Qur’an as follows:

اَلَمۡ تَرَ اِلَی الَّذِیۡنَ نَافَقُوۡا یَقُوۡلُوۡنَ لِاِخۡوَانِہِمُ الَّذِیۡنَ کَفَرُوۡا مِنۡ اَہۡلِ الۡکِتٰبِ لَئِنۡ اُخۡرِجۡتُمۡ لَنَخۡرُجَنَّ مَعَکُمۡ وَلَا نُطِیۡعُ فِیۡکُمۡ اَحَدًا اَبَدًا ۙ وَّاِنۡ قُوۡتِلۡتُمۡ لَنَنۡصُرَنَّکُمۡ

‘Hast thou not seen those who are hypocrites? They say to their brethren who disbelieve among the People of the Book, “If you are turned out, we will surely go out with you, and we will never obey anyone against you: and if you are fought against, we will certainly help you.”’” [59:12] (Dairah Ma’arif Sirat Muhammad Rasul Allah, Vol. 7, Bazm Iqbal Lahore, 2022; Al-Iktifa, Vol. 2, p.110, Alam Al Kotob, Beirut, p. 180)

Abdullah bin Ubayy sent a message to Ka’b bin Asadi Qurazi of the Banu Quraizah which stated that he should assist his Companions. He replied that not a single one of them was prepared to breach the covenant they had made; he declined. Abdullah bin Ubayy gave up on the Banu Quraizah. Therefore, he sought to create tension and apprehension between the Holy Prophet^(sa) and the Banu Nadir. He continuously sent messages to Huyayy. Huyayy said that he would send a message to the Holy Prophet^(sa) stating that they would not leave their homes, nor forfeit their wealth, and [the Muslims] can do as they please.

Huyayy was deceived by Abdullah bin Ubayy. Salam bin Mishkam said to Huyayy, “You are deceiving yourself. If there was no danger in considering your opinion to be absurd, I would leave you along with my Jewish Companions, who are sincere toward me. Do not take this course of action, Huyayy. By God, you and I both know that he is a true prophet of Allah the Almighty. His qualities and attributes are before us. If we are disobedient to him, it is only out of jealousy that prophethood has ceased among the progeny of Aaronas. Let us agree to the terms of peace put forth by him. We should leave his city. You are well aware that you have gone against me by deceiving them. We will leave from here. Once our orchards are ripe, we will come to them, or one of us will come to them and either sell them or do with them as he wishes. Thereafter, he will return to us and it will be as though we never left our city because our wealth and assets will still be in our possessions. Our honour amongst our people is owing to our wealth and deeds. If we lose our wealth, we will face disgrace like the other Jewish people. However, if Muhammad^(sa) comes and lays siege to our fort for even one day, then they will not accept the terms that they have sent and will reject them.” Huyayy bin Akhtab replied, “Muhammad^(sa) will only lay siege upon us if he gets an opportunity, otherwise he will leave. Have you not seen that Abdullah bin Ubayy has made a vow with me?” Salam bin Mishkam said, “Abdullah bin Ubayy’s words hold no weight. He wishes to cast you into a pit of destruction by causing you to wage war with Muhammad^(sa). He will sit in his home and leave you, deserted. Abdullah bin Ubayy sought help from Ka’b, however, Ka’b turned him away saying, ‘No one amongst the Banu Quraizah will break this covenant as long as I live.’ Abdullah bin Ubayy had made a similar vow with his confederates, the Banu Qainuqa’. They, too, tried to wage war; they broke their covenant. They were besieged because of their own doing. They waited for Abdullah bin Ubayy’s help while he sat in his home. Muhammad^(sa) advanced toward them and besieged them until they had no choice but to accept his terms. Ibn Ubayy did not help his confederates, while we have aided the Aus tribe with our swords and have fought alongside them in all their battles. Now, with the coming of Muhammad^(sa), a barrier has been raised and those wars have ceased. Ibn Ubayy is neither Jewish nor Muslim. He does not adhere to the religion of his nation either. How can we accept his words?” Huyayy replied, “I will always harbour animosity toward Muhammad^(sa), and I will continue to wage war against him.” Salam then said, “If so, we will be exiled from our homeland; our wealth and honour will disappear; our children will become captives; our fighters will be killed.” Huyayy still refused to listen and was adamant on fighting against the Holy Prophet^(sa). (Mustafa ‘Abd al-Wahid, Subul al-Huda wa al-Rashad fi Sirat Khair al-‘Ibad, Vol. 4 [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar Al-Kotob Al-Ilmiyah, 1993], p. 320)

Even Saruq bin Abi Huqaiq, an elderly Jewish man who was known to be feebleminded, said, “O Huyayy, you are a disgraceful man who will bring ruin upon the Banu Nadir.” Huyayy became enraged. He said, “A man from the Banu Nadir is speaking, and this feebleminded, foolish person dares to smear blame on me.” Saruq’s brothers struck him and addressed Huyayy saying, “We will follow your command and we will never oppose you.” (Dairah Ma’arif Sirat Muhammad Rasul Allah, Vol. 7, Bazm Iqbal Lahore, 2022, p. 181; Sirat Encyclopaedia, Vol. 7, Maktabah Darussalam, Riyad, p. 45)

Then, Huyayy sent his brother, Jud’i bin Akhtab as a messenger to inform the leader of the Muslims that they will not be leaving, come what may. Jud’i arrived in Medina and delivered the message. At the time, the Holy Prophet^(sa) was sitting amongst his Companions. Upon hearing the message, the Holy Prophet^(sa) said out loud “Allah is the Greatest,” and the Muslims also raised the slogan of takbir. The Holy Prophet^(sa) then said:

حَارَبَتِ الْيَهُوْدُ

In other words, “The Jewish people have declared war.” In response to their misgivings and declaration of war, the Holy Prophet^(sa) also declared war against the Banu Nadir. Immediately, the Companions began to make preparations.

The same Jewish messenger, Jud’i bin Akhtab immediately went to the home of Abdullah bin Ubayy and informed him about the conversation he had with the Holy Prophet^(sa). At the time, Abdullah bin Ubayy was sitting at home having casual conversations with his friends. He said, “Go, I will send word to my allies and they will join you in your fortresses.” The messenger observed that Ibn Ubayy’s son, Hazrat Abdullah^(ra) was donning his armour and holding his sword, racing to join the Muslim army. Seeing this, Jud’i became sceptical of receiving any support. He immediately went to Huyayy and recounted to him everything that had happened, saying, “Upon hearing what you said, Muhammad^(sa) said that the Jews have declared war. He then raised a slogan glorifying God and announced for preparations to be made.” Huyayy was still in denial and said, “This was merely a tactical ploy in warfare on their part.” Huyayy enquired about what Abdullah bin Ubayy said and so he recounted his conversation with him, saying, “He said that he would send word to his allies and that they would join us at our fortresses.” Jud’i said, “I do not believe he will send help.” On the other hand, the Holy Prophet^(sa) had instructed the Companions to besiege the fortresses of Banu Nadir. (Dairah Ma’arif Sirat Muhammad Rasul Allah, Vol. 7, Bazm-i-Iqbal, Lahore, 2022, pp. 181-182)

In this regard, Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad Sahib^(ra) writes:

“The Holy Prophet^(sa) called upon Muhammad bin Maslamah^(ra), a chief of the Aus tribe and said:

“‘Go to the Banu Nadir and speak to them about this issue. Tell them that since they have gone too far in their acts of mischief and their treachery has reached its extreme limit, it is no longer appropriate for them to remain in Medina. It is better that they leave Medina and take up residence somewhere else.’

“The Holy Prophet^(sa) gave them a time limit of ten days.

“When Muhammad bin Maslamah^(ra) went to them, they behaved most arrogantly and said, ‘Tell Muhammad^(sa) that we are not prepared to leave Medina, do what you may.’ When the Holy Prophet^(sa) received this response from the Jews, he spontaneously said, ‘God is the Greatest, it appears as if the Jews are prepared for war.’ The Holy Prophet^(sa) instructed the Muslims to prepare and stepped into the field of battle against the Banu Nadir with a group of his Companions.” (The Life & Character of the Seal of the Prophets, Vol. 2 [Tilford, UK: Islam International Publication Ltd., 2013], pp. 379-380)

In order to suppress these deviant rebels of the state who had hatched the horrible plot of killing the head of state – who at the time was the Holy Prophet^(sa) – and rather than expressing regret had taken up arms and declared war, it became necessary to stop these rebels in order to defend Medina against bloodshed. Hence, when all the Muslims had gathered, the Holy Prophet^(sa) set out with them. On this occasion, the Holy Prophet^(sa) appointed Hazrat Ibn Umm Maktum[ra] as his deputy in Medina. Hazrat Sa’d bin Ubadah^(ra) was entrusted with the task of taking the tent and erecting it in front of the fortresses. This was a special tent made of wood, or according to some it was made of leather. The battle-flag was carried by Hazrat Ali bin Abi Talib^(ra). The Holy Prophet^(sa) went forth along with the Muslim army until reaching the dwelling of Banu Nadir close to the evening where they set up camp. It was there, in an open field, that they offered Asr [the late afternoon prayer]. The Jews who had fortified themselves inside their fortresses went atop them and starting showering arrows and stones.

As the time for the late evening prayer drew, the Holy Prophet^(sa) led the prayer, after which he returned to his home in Medina along with ten Companions. At the time, the Holy Prophet^(sa) was donning his armour and was riding his horse. He appointed Hazrat Ali^(ra) as commander of the army while there is another narration stating that he appointed Hazrat Abu Bakr^(ra). In any case, the Muslims lay siege to the Jews through the night and they would constantly raise slogans glorifying God until dawn was about to break, when Hazrat Bilal^(ra) made the call for the morning prayer.

The Holy Prophet^(sa) returned to the army base along with the same ten Companions, who had accompanied him, and he led Fajr prayer. A Jewish man named Azwaq, or, according to others, named Ghazul, was an expert archer who had the ability to launch an arrow very far. He aimed at the Holy Prophet’s^(sa) tent and shot an arrow which struck the tent. The Holy Prophet^(sa) instructed for the tent to be moved outside of the archers’ range. ‘Ali bin Burhan al-Din al-Halabi,  Al Sirat al-Halabiyyah, Vol. 2, [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar Al-Kotob Al-Ilmiyah, 2008], p. 359; Al-Waqidi, Kitab al-Tarikh wa al-Maghazi, Vol. 1 [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar Al-Kotob Al-Ilmiyah, 2003], p. 314)

Then night fell, yet Abdullah bin Ubayy had not come to the Banu Nadir, nor had any of his allies shown up while he remained in his home. The Banu Nadir lost hope in his help.

Salam bin Mishkam and Kinanah bin Suwairah said to Huyayy, “Where is Ibn Ubayy’s help which you were expecting?” Huyayy said, “What can I do now? We have been destined for ruin.” (Mustafa ‘Abd al-Wahid, Subul al-Huda wa al-Rashad fi Sirat Khair al-‘Ibad, Vol. 4 [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar Al-Kotob Al-Ilmiyah, 1993], p. 322)

During this time, one night close to the time for the late evening prayer, Hazrat Ali^(ra) was missing from the army, and so people said to the Holy Prophet^(sa), “O Messenger^(sa) of Allah, Ali is nowhere to be seen.” The Holy Prophet^(sa) said, “Do not worry about him, because he has gone to do something for your sake.” A short while later, Hazrat Ali^(ra) returned with the severed head of the man named Azwaq, who had shot an arrow at the Holy Prophet’s^(sa) tent. Hazrat Ali^(ra) had his sights set on him the moment he had set out to attack a prominent Muslim leader. He was also accompanied by a contingent. Hazrat Ali^(ra) attacked and killed him while those who were with Azwaq fled.

Then, the Holy Prophet^(sa) deployed a contingent of ten men with Hazrat Ali^(ra), including Hazrat Abu Dujanah^(ra) and Hazrat Sahl bin Hunaif^(ra); Hazrat Ali^(ra) went and captured that group of Azwaq’s friends who had fled upon seeing him and this contingent of Companions killed all of them. Some scholars have written that this contingent comprised ten people. After killing them, the Companions brought back their heads, which were then put into various wells. (Ali bin Burhan al-Din al-Halabi,  Al Sirat al-Halabiyyah, Vol. 2, [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar Al-Kotob Al-Ilmiyah, 2008], p. 359)

According to one narration, the Holy Prophet^(sa) instructed them to be thrown into the well of Banu Khatmah. (Al-Waqidi, Kitab al-Tarikh wa al-Maghazi, Vol. 1, [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar Al-Kotob Al-Ilmiyah, 2003], p. 315)

The remaining details will be mentioned in the future, insha-Allah.

After reciting the Khutba Thania, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V^(aba) said:

I have been informed that when you stand in rows for prayer you do not stand shoulder to shoulder. The Covid era is now over; when you stand in rows for prayer you should stand shoulder to shoulder.