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Battle of Muraysi' (also known as the Battle of Bani Mustaliq). After the battle, Sayyidah Jawairiya, a captive woman, was offered her freedom in exchange of badal al-kitaab and the opportunity to get into Nikah with the Beloved Prophet ﷺ. Sayyidah Juwairiya رضي الله عنها happily accepted this proposal and became one of the Beloved Prophet's ﷺ wives.
'badal al-kitaab'. It explains that "badal al-kitaab" refers to the payment that a slave gives to their owner in exchange for their freedom.
The year was 5 AH (after Hijrah) when the Battle of the Trench took place. The Final Prophet of Allah ﷺ had expelled the Banu Nadeer Jews from Madinah for violating the pacts. Some of these Jews had migrated to Khayber and joined forces with the Jews there. Together, they instigated the Arab polytheists to wage war against the Beloved Prophet ﷺ and assured them of all possible support from their end. All the disbelievers united and decided to fight against the Muslims, hence also the name ‘Ghazwa-e-Ahzab’ (Battle of the Confederates).
The enemy army numbered 10,000, so Sayyiduna Salman Farsi رضي الله عنه advised that it would be best to defend from within the city. A trench should be dug on the side from where an attack by the disbelievers was expected. Since three sides of Madinah were surrounded by narrow lanes and date palm groves, an attack from those directions was unlikely. Only one side was open, so it was decided to dig a deep trench there. Thus, on the 8th of Dhul Qada in the 5th year of Hijrah, the Final Prophet of Allah ﷺ, along with 3,000 companions رضي الله عنهم, began digging the trench. He ﷺ himself marked the boundaries with his blessed hands and assigned ten men to dig ten yards of land each. The trench was completed in approximately twenty days. It was 300 meters long, 9 meters wide, and 5 meters deep.
At that time, the use of trenches in warfare was a new experience for the Arabs, and it became one of the reasons for victory in this battle. When the disbeliever’s army advanced, they were surprised to see the trench. They besieged Madinah and laid siege for about a month. The siege was so severe that the Final Prophet of Allah ﷺ and his companions رضي الله عنهم endured several days without food completely. A few disbelievers managed to cross the trench from one place, but when their prominent warriors were killed, the rest fled. Six Muslims embraced martyrdom in this battle. Abu Sufyan, who was the commander of the disbeliever’s army, was exhausted due to the severe cold weather, the long siege, and the depletion of his army's rations.
At that time, Allah Almighty sent such a hurricane upon them that turned the disbelievers' cauldrons upside down, uprooted their tents, and they found themselves in such a situation that the disbelievers had no choice but to flee.
The Banu Mustaliq tribe, a clan of the Khazraj tribe, resided far from Madinah. In the month of Sha'ban of the fifth year of Hijrah, their chief planned to attack Madinah. The Beloved Prophet ﷺ led an army to confront them. Upon hearing of the Beloved Prophet's ﷺ approach, the chief fled in fear. The rest of the tribe tried to resist, but when the Muslims attacked together, ten of the disbelievers were killed. One Muslim was martyred. A large amount of spoils was captured. Among the captives was Sayyidatuna Juwairiya bint al-Harith, who later became one of the Holy Prophet's ﷺ wives and to celebrate this occasion, the Muslims released all the captives.
On the return journey from this battle, Sayyidatuna Aisha Siddiqa رضي الله عنها was left behind at one place for some reason. Later, she rejoined the Beloved Prophet ﷺ. The hypocrites, using this incident as a basis, falsely accused Sayyidatuna Aisha رضي الله عنها. Allah Almighty affirmed the purity of Sayyidatuna Aisha's رضي الله عنها and declared the accusations of the hypocrites to be false in the 11-20 verses of Surah Noor in the Holy Quran.
Ibn Abd al-Barr, Ibn Sa'd, Ibn Hibban, and other hadith scholars and Ulama of Seerah are of the opinion that the verse regarding tayammum (dry ablution) was revealed during the Battle of Muraysi' (Battle of Banu Mustaliq). However, in 'Rawdat al-Ahbab', it is mentioned that the verse of tayammum was revealed in a different battle. And Allah Almighty knows best.
During the Battle of the Trench, the Banu Quraydhah tribe broke the pact and sided with the disbelievers. In order to punish them for this, the Beloved Prophet ﷺ set out for Banu Quraydhah with his army immediately after the Battle of Trench. Banu Quraydhah surrendered after a siege of twenty-five days and said that whatever decision Sayyiduna Sa’d bin Mu’aaz رضي الله عنه makes about them, they would accept it. According to the decision made by Sayyiduna Sa’d رضي الله عنه, those who fought out of them were killed, their women and children were made prisoners, and their possessions were distributed among the Mujahideen.
It is important to note that the Banu Quraydhah themselves chose Sayyiduna Sa’d bin Mu’aaz رضي الله عنه as an arbitrator and then accepted his decision, which was in accordance with the religious teachings of the Banu Quraydhah.
Initially, the tribes of Anmar and Tha'labah planned to attack Madinah. Upon receiving this intelligence, the Final Messenger of Allah ﷺ, with an army of 400 companions رضي الله عنهم, set out from Madinah on the 10th of Muharram in the year 5 AH, heading towards Dhat al-Riqa'. However, upon hearing of the Beloved Prophet's ﷺ approach, the disbelievers fled and hid in the mountains, thus there was no battle. A few disbeliever women were captured by the companions رضي الله عنهم.
During this time, the Muslims were facing severe poverty and hardship. Sayyiduna Abu Musa al-Ash'ari رضي الله عنه narrated that due to a scarcity of mounts, six men had to share a single camel. They took turns riding and walked long distances on foot, leading to injuries and the loss of their toenails. Consequently, they wrapped their feet in rags. This is why the expedition was named ‘Dhat al-Riqa'' which translates to "the expedition of the wrapped ones" in reference to the rags wrapped around their injured feet.