10.3.3 Victory Through Unity

Unity as the Secret of Victory

The Battle of the Trench stands as one of the clearest proofs that the strength of the Muslim community did not lie merely in numbers or weapons, but in unity upon faith and obedience. When the coalition of tribes gathered to wipe out Islam from Madinah, Allah granted victory at a time when all material calculations pointed toward defeat. The Qur’an described that moment of extreme fear and pressure, then showed how steadfastness and unity transformed it into triumph.

Allah says about this battle in Surah Al Ahzab:

إِذْ جَاءُوكُم مِّن فَوْقِكُمْ وَمِنْ أَسْفَلَ مِنكُمْ وَإِذْ زَاغَتِ الْأَبْصَارُ وَبَلَغَتِ الْقُلُوبُ الْحَنَاجِرَ وَتَظُنُّونَ بِاللَّهِ الظُّنُونَا
هُنَالِكَ ابْتُلِيَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَزُلْزِلُوا زِلْزَالًا شَدِيدًا

"When they came at you from above you and from below you, and when eyes grew wild and hearts reached the throats and you entertained doubts about Allah. There it was that the believers were tested and shaken with a severe shaking."
(Quran 33:10-11)

Out of this shaking came an unshakable lesson: when hearts are united upon faith, Allah grants help from ways beyond human power.

The Unified Leadership of the Prophet ﷺ

Central to this unity was the leadership of the Prophet ﷺ. He was not only the Messenger who received revelation, but also the commander who organized people into one coordinated body. During the digging of the trench, he ﷺ did not remain separate from the people. He worked with them, carried the soil with them, and chanted with them, so that no group felt distant from his care.

Al Bukhari and Muslim narrate from Al Bara’ ibn Azib رضي الله عنه that:

كَانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ يَنْقُلُ مَعَنَا التُّرَابَ يَوْمَ الْخَنْدَقِ

"The Prophet ﷺ used to carry the soil with us on the day of the trench."

In another narration he ﷺ was seen reciting:

اللَّهُمَّ لَوْلَا أَنْتَ مَا اهْتَدَيْنَا
وَلَا تَصَدَّقْنَا وَلَا صَلَّيْنَا
فَأَنْزِلَنْ سَكِينَةً عَلَيْنَا
وَثَبِّتِ الْأَقْدَامَ إِنْ لَاقَيْنَا
إِنَّ الْأُلَى قَدْ بَغَوْا عَلَيْنَا
إِذَا أَرَادُوا فِتْنَةً أَبَيْنَا

"O Allah, if not for You, we would not have been guided,
nor would we have given charity, nor prayed.
So send down tranquility upon us,
and make firm our feet when we meet (the enemy).
Indeed the others have transgressed against us,
so if they want trial, we will refuse it."

The Companions would respond by chanting with him. This shared work and shared remembrance created one heart and one direction within the community. Under a single prophetic leadership, tribal divisions, personal rivalries, and worldly interests became secondary to the mission of pleasing Allah.

This unity of command was also clear in how the Prophet ﷺ accepted the suggestion of Salman al Farisi رضي الله عنه to dig a trench, even though this was not known among the Arabs. By listening, consulting, and then deciding, he ﷺ kept everyone together under one strategy. Once the decision was made, the community followed with obedience and trust. This is the essence of unity in action.

Brotherhood Across Backgrounds

The confederate armies were united by tribal hatred and shared fear of losing influence. The Muslims were united by something much stronger, the bond of faith. The trench was dug by Muhajirun from Quraysh, Ansar from Aws and Khazraj, Arabs and non Arabs, freed slaves and nobles, all side by side. This unity was not superficial. It came from brotherhood that Allah had already placed in their hearts.

Allah describes this brotherhood in general:

وَاذْكُرُوا نِعْمَتَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذْ كُنتُمْ أَعْدَاءً فَأَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِكُمْ فَأَصْبَحْتُم بِنِعْمَتِهِ إِخْوَانًا

"And remember Allah’s favor upon you, when you were enemies and He joined your hearts together, so that by His favor you became brothers."
(Quran 3:103)

At Khandaq, this was not theory. People who once fought wars between Aws and Khazraj now put their lives in each other’s hands. A Persian like Salman, and an Abyssinian like Bilal, and an Arab of Quraysh, were all equal in the work and the reward. Their unity was based on:

1. Shared belief in Allah and His Messenger ﷺ.
2. Shared responsibility for the defense of Madinah.
3. Shared hope for Allah’s reward in the Hereafter.

This broke the old Arab pattern in which every tribe thought only of itself. The Prophet ﷺ said in a general hadith:

الْمُؤْمِنُ لِلْمُؤْمِنِ كَالْبُنْيَانِ يَشُدُّ بَعْضُهُ بَعْضًا

"The believer to another believer is like a building, each part strengthens the other."
(Bukhari, Muslim)

The trench was a visible building of earth, but the real building was this living structure of hearts that supported one another.

Joint Effort and Shared Hardship

Unity during Khandaq was not only emotional or verbal. It took the form of shared physical effort and equal exposure to danger. The Companions worked in severe cold and hunger. Stones were tied to their stomachs. Yet no one was allowed to sit and rest while others struggled.

Jabir ibn Abdullah رضي الله عنه narrates that during the digging of the trench, the Prophet ﷺ tied a stone to his own stomach due to hunger. When Jabir quietly invited him alone to a small meal at his house, the Prophet ﷺ instead called the workers and brought them all, and Allah blessed the food for the entire group. This is reported in Sahih Al Bukhari and Sahih Muslim in varying wordings.

This shows several layers of unity. The Prophet ﷺ shared their hunger instead of living in comfort. He shared any available food with them instead of favoring himself. Their hardship was one, their hunger was one, and their relief was one.

In this joint hardship, personal complaints were few, hope was high, and work continued. When the Companions found a huge rock in the trench and could not break it, they called the Prophet ﷺ. He struck it and, with each strike, foretold victories that would come to the Muslims. This made them feel that their current difficulty was part of a much larger promise and future.

Unity in times of trial means every person knows that he is part of something greater than his own comfort. That feeling kept the ranks of the Muslims firm even when they faced a coalition army about three times their number.

Contrast with Division and Hypocrisy

The Qur’an uses the events of Khandaq to draw a sharp contrast between the united believers and the divided hypocrites. The hypocrites tried to weaken unity with doubts, fear, and discouraging words. Allah says:

وَإِذْ يَقُولُ الْمُنَافِقُونَ وَالَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَضٌ مَّا وَعَدَنَا اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ إِلَّا غُرُورًا

"And when the hypocrites and those in whose hearts is a disease said, 'Allah and His Messenger did not promise us except delusion.'"
(Quran 33:12)

Others openly tried to abandon their posts:

وَيَسْتَأْذِنُ فَرِيقٌ مِّنْهُمُ النَّبِيَّ يَقُولُونَ إِنَّ بُيُوتَنَا عَوْرَةٌ وَمَا هِيَ بِعَوْرَةٍ إِن يُرِيدُونَ إِلَّا فِرَارًا

"And a group of them asked the Prophet to excuse them, saying, 'Indeed, our houses are exposed.' And they were not exposed. They did not intend except to flee."
(Quran 33:13)

Their behavior threatened the unity of the lines. Yet the true believers refused to be influenced. When they saw the confederate armies, their faith and unity increased instead of decreasing:

وَلَمَّا رَأَى الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الْأَحْزَابَ قَالُوا هَذَا مَا وَعَدَنَا اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ وَصَدَقَ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ وَمَا زَادَهُمْ إِلَّا إِيمَانًا وَتَسْلِيمًا

"And when the believers saw the confederates, they said, 'This is what Allah and His Messenger promised us, and Allah and His Messenger spoke the truth.' And it increased them only in faith and submission."
(Quran 33:22)

The hypocrites saw danger and used it to divide. The believers saw the same danger and used it to deepen their trust and togetherness. This is a central lesson of Khandaq: external pressure either breaks a community whose hearts are scattered or strengthens a community whose hearts are joined.

Unity of Strategy and Patience

The Muslims at Khandaq did not depend on faith alone without planning. They combined trust in Allah with a united strategy. The digging of the trench was a decision that everyone had to support. It meant changing from the usual Arab method of open battle to a defensive, patient style of war. This required discipline and unity in following the plan.

In earlier times, some tribes might rush out for personal glory or tribal honor. Here, the believers had to resist that impulse. They had to stay behind the trench, guard their assigned areas, and wait. This patience was part of their unity. If one group had broken formation to seek a direct fight, it could have created a gap for the enemy to enter.

This joint discipline was tested when powerful warriors from Quraysh tried to cross the trench. Only selected companions met them. The rest held their positions. The community did not dissolve into an uncoordinated rush. They trusted leadership, kept to the plan, and accepted their specific roles.

From this we learn that unity is not only emotional closeness. It includes agreeing on a lawful strategy, respecting roles, and controlling the self for the sake of the whole community.

Divine Help for a United Community

Despite their planning and unity, the Muslims could not have overcome the coalition by their own power. The numbers and weapons of the enemy were far greater. The turning point came when Allah sent forces that no human eye could see. The Qur’an describes this:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اذْكُرُوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذْ جَاءَتْكُمْ جُنُودٌ فَأَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ رِيحًا وَجُنُودًا لَّمْ تَرَوْهَا

"O you who have believed, remember the favor of Allah upon you when armies came against you and We sent upon them a wind and armies you did not see."
(Quran 33:9)

The strong wind uprooted their tents, scattered their fires, and broke their morale. Fear entered their hearts. The coalition that seemed solid began to crack from inside. Each tribe started to think of its own safety. Finally, the confederates withdrew, and the siege ended without the Muslims needing to fight a large open battle.

This shows that divine help is tied to unity and obedience. When the believers did what they could with one heart and one line, Allah completed their effort with unseen help.

The Prophet ﷺ famously said in a general principle:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الْجَمَاعَةِ

"Indeed, Allah is with the group (the united body)."
(Tirmidhi)

And he ﷺ said:

يَدُ اللَّهِ مَعَ الْجَمَاعَةِ

"The Hand of Allah is with the group."
(Tirmidhi)

At Khandaq, this general teaching became a lived reality. The "group" that Allah is with is the one that unites upon truth, not one that unites upon injustice. The unity of the believers at Khandaq was on the side of justice and defense, so Allah supported them.

The End of Aggression Through Unity

The Qur’an captures the outcome of this battle in a short but powerful statement:

وَرَدَّ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِغَيْظِهِمْ لَمْ يَنَالُوا خَيْرًا وَكَفَى اللَّهُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ الْقِتَالَ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ قَوِيًّا عَزِيزًا

"And Allah repelled those who disbelieved, in their rage, they gained no good. And Allah sufficed the believers in fighting. And Allah is Ever All Powerful, All Mighty."
(Quran 33:25)

The unity of the believers meant that the confederates "gained no good." They could not divide Madinah from inside, nor break its outer defenses from outside. Their plan to root out Islam failed completely. The siege ended with only minor casualties among the Muslims and no major breach of the city.

From that day, the direction of events changed. The Arabs saw that all the tribes together could not destroy the Muslims when they were united. This broke the fear that others had of Quraysh and their allies, and it raised the confidence of the believers. The Prophet ﷺ is reported to have said after the confederates withdrew:

"الآنَ نَغْزُوهُمْ وَلَا يَغْزُونَنَا، نَحْنُ نَسِيرُ إِلَيْهِمْ"

"Now we will attack them and they will not attack us. We will go forth to them."
(Bukhari)

The outward meaning is about military direction, but behind it is a deeper meaning. A united community that has passed through the fire of trial and remained firm can now move from merely surviving to spreading its message. The victory through unity at Khandaq opened the way to later events in which Islam would move outward with confidence.

Lasting Lessons of Victory Through Unity

From the Battle of the Trench, several lasting lessons about unity and victory can be drawn for all times:

First, unity is an act of worship. It is not only a social idea. Allah commands:

وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا

"And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided."
(Quran 3:103)

The Companions, by holding firmly to revelation and to the leadership of the Prophet ﷺ, obeyed this command in the most difficult of conditions.

Second, unity requires sacrifice of ego and preference. At Khandaq, no one insisted on personal comfort, individual credit, or tribal pride. Everyone accepted hard work, hunger, and danger as the common price of preserving faith.

Third, unity multiplies limited resources. The Muslims in Madinah had little food, few weapons, and were surrounded by enemies. But because they were joined in heart and command, their small means achieved a result far beyond their material size.

Fourth, unity must be preserved especially when others are trying to break it. The hypocrites and enemies tried to exploit fear to tear the Muslims apart. The believers answered fear with trust, blame with patience, and doubt with certainty.

Finally, unity brings Allah’s special help. The formula can be summarized simply as:

$$
\text{United Faith} + \text{Right Action} = \text{Allah’s Support}
$$

This is not a mathematical equation in the strict sense, but a spiritual rule that Khandaq makes very clear. Where there is division, envy, and disobedience, people are left to their own weakness. Where there is unity upon guidance, Allah opens doors that no human expected.

In the story of the trench, the earth was cut to block an army, but the hearts of the believers were joined to open the way for victory. Their unity was not the decoration of the battle, it was the very path through which Allah sent His support and turned a day of fear into a lasting sign of His promise.