The forces of the Quraish and the Arab tribes arrived beating drums, and raising shouts boasting, of their strength and invincibility. When they reached Madina, and found that a ditch intervened between them and Madina. They were confused as the Arabs were not used to ditch warfare. They set up their camps at some distance from the Ditch. Thus began the siege of Madina. The enemy made several attempts to cross the ditch, but the Muslim archers kept them at bay. The enemy approached the Jews of Banu Quraiza in Madina to help them in crossing the ditch. The Banu Quraiza were heavily bribed. They threw some dead animals in that part of the ditch where the Muslim defense was not very strong. Due to the treachery of the Banu Quraiza, some warriors of the Quraish led by Amr b Abdwoud managed to cross the ditch. Brandishing his sword, Amr challenged the Muslims to a duel in single combat; Amr was a formidable man who enjoyed the reputation of being equal to a thousand men in physical strength. Ali rose to accept the challenge. The Holy Prophet bade him sit down. Amr repeated his challenge for the second time, and Ali rose up once again to accept the challenge. The Holy Prophet once again asked Ali to sit down. Amr gave the challenge for the third time and Ali stood up again to accept the challenge. This time the Holy Prophet let Ali accept the challenge. When the duel began Ali appeared to be no match for Amr. Amr confident of his physical strength said to Ali that he did not want to kill him. Ali retorted that he intended to kill him. Amr succeeded in inflicting some wounds on Ali, but each time Ali aimed a blow, Amr successfully avoided the blows of Ali. When it appeared that the end of Ali was imminent, something miraculous happened. Amr imagined that some one was going to stab him in the rear. He turned his head. It was for a moment, but Ali took full advantage of the opportunity, and with a blow of his sword cut off the feet of Amr. Amr fell down, and Ali stabbed him to death. Thereupon Usl the son of Amr fell upon Ali. Ali was now as ferocious as a lion. He killed Usl with one stroke of his sword. Thereafter Naufal attacked Ali. Ali charged with full force, and while retreating Naufal fell in to the ditch, Ali jumped after him in the ditch and killed him there. Ikrama b Abu Jahl who had crossed the ditch along with Amr did not dare face Ali. He along with all other men who had crossed the ditch withdrew, and after again crossing the ditch found refuge in their camp. Ali was the hero of the day. It came to be felt that if Ali could overthrow Amr who was believed to be equivalent to a thousand men, Ali would be a man equivalent to ten thousand men. When the sister of Amr came to know that her brother had been killed she inquired from the people as to who had killed him, and when she came to know that Ali had killed him, she said that verily Ali was the bravest man among the Quraish.
- Khalifa Ali bin Abu Talib
- Birth of Ali
- Years of childhood
- Ward of the Holy Prophet
- Conversion to Islam
- Battle Between the truth and falsehood
- Social Boycott Of Banu Hashim
- Year Of Sorrow
- Farewell to Makkah
- Early Days in Madina
- Battle of Badr
- Marriage of Ali
- The Bani Qainuqa
- The Battle of Uhud
- Banu Nadeer
- Battle of the Ditch
- Campaign Against Banu Mustaliq
- Banu Quraizah
- Operations Against Banu Sa'ad
- Treaty of Hudaibiya
- Battle of Khyber
- Conquest of Makkah
- The Battle of Hunain
- The Siege of Taif
- Campaign Against Banu Tai
- Christians Of Najran
- Banu Zabada
- Expedition To Tabuk
- The Declaration of Discharge
- Banu Ramla
- Mission to Yemen
- The Farewell Pilgrimage
- Khum Ghadir
- Death of the Holy Prophet
- The Caliphate of Abu Bakr
- Fatima Zahra
- Ali's Oration on the Death of Abu Bakr
- The Caliphate of Umar
- Ali During the Caliphate of Othman
- Election of Ali as the Caliph
- The Caliphate Issue
- Vengeance for the Blood of Othman
- Deposition of Provincial Governors
- Defiance of Muawiyah
- Defection of Talha and Zubair
- Ayesha
- Ayesha's March to Basra
- Battle for Basra
- Ayesha's Occupation of Basra
- Ali's March to Rabda
- Ali's Missions to Kufa
- Ali's March to Basra
- Peace Parleys
- The Battle of the Camel
- Ali's Occupation of Basra
- Kufa, the New Capital
- Qais Bin Saad Ansari
- Muawiyah
- Amr Bin Al-Aas
- In Quest of Peace with Muawiyah
- Letters of Ali Addressed to Muawiyah
- Ali's March to Syria
- The Battle for Water
- Months of Suspense
- The Battle of Siffin
- Arbitration Agreement
- The Kharijites
- Testament of Ali
- Testament of Ali
- The Hereafter
- Virtue and faith
- Protection of God
- The elders
- Your own way
- Tests of God
- Resignation to the Will of God
- Allah is One
- Picture of the world
- Balance between yourself and the people
- Self adulation
- The journey to the Hereafter
- Access to God
- Preparations for death
- Temptations of the world
- Counsels to follow
- Speech and silence
- Man and God
- Company
- The fate
- The times
- Sustenance
- Patience and faith
- Words of counsel
- Conclusion
- The Arbitration
- The Battle of Nahrawan
- Ali's loss Egypt
- Trouble in Basra
- Revolt of Khurrit Bin Rashid
- Raids of Muawiyah
- Martyrdom of Ali-661 C.E.
- Life of Ali, General Review
- Ali, The Man
- Distinctions of Ali
- Ali in the Holy Quran
- References to Ali in the Holy Quran
- Verse 33, Sura 33
- Verse 61, Sura 3
- Verse 23, Sura 42
- Verse 21, Sura 45
- Verse 17, Sura 11
- Verse 4, Sura 66
- Verse 18, Sura 32
- Verse 54, Sura 25
- Verse 36, Sura 24
- Verse 55, Sura 5
- Verse 12, Sura 58
- Verse 181, Sura 7
- Verse 57, Sura 43
- Verse 29, Sura 48
- Verse 43, Sura 13
- Verse 64, Sura 8
- Ali, The Father of Sufism
- Ali, The Gate of Knowledge
- Ali The Poet
- Ali, The Generous
- Administrative Instructions of Ali
- Judgements of Ali
- Ali as a Judge
- The story of loaves
- Dispute about a child
- Dispute about the custody of money
- How Ali detected the murder
- The Cow and the Ass
- Mad woman accused of adultery
- Child born in six months after marriage
- Share in the property of a deceased husband for a divorced wife
- The man who stole his coat of mail
- Ali's Conduct of Wars
- Social and Ethical Thought of Ali
- Thought of Ali
- Friends of Allah
- Momins and hypocrites
- Faqih
- Justice and mercy
- The world and the Hereafter
- Momin and an infidel
- Proximity to the ruler
- Haste
- Faith and faithlessness
- Philosophy
- Forgiveness
- Secret of success
- Kinds of patience
- Wealth and poverty
- Faith
- Momin
- Perfection
- Heresy
- Seven things of the devil
- Generosity
- Tauhid
- Justice
- Broadmindedness
- Wealth and health
- Two types of subsistence
- Truth and falsehood
- Things that are the best
- Things to which nothing is better
- Success and failure
- Person doomed to ignominy
- Three friends
- Three foes
- Two types of men
- Greetings and favor
- Humiliation
- Two hungry persons
- Miser
- Offshoots of patience
- Miserliness, patience, piety and cowardice
- The greatest and the vilest
- Companies to be avoided
- Two things to be afraid of
- The worst enemies
- Things that are worse
- Political Thought of Ali
- Ali's concept of God
- Ali on the Life of the World
- Anecdotes of Ali
- He decried flattery
- He denounced praise
- He would carry his own burden
- He did not want the people to follow in his retinue
- He prayed for patience to bear suffering
- His complaint against his people
- He rode on a mule instead of a horse
- He would never turn his back to the enemy
- He would not seek a concession
- He preferred his slave to himself
- He had no ambition for the caliphate
- He freed the slave who did not respond to his call
- He saw God with inward eyes
- He lost consciousness while praying
- He would not pay the enemy in its own coin
- He preferred his men to himself
- Two wrongs cannot make a right
- He was dispirited because he had no guest
- He wore dress of coarse cloth
- He wanted to travel light
- He would not break open the lock of the shop of God
- He was not afraid of death
- He did not care for the booty
- He would not own the treasure in the land that he had purchased
- He undertook to clear the debt of a dead Muslim
- He would not accept the allegiance from whom he had released
- He did not believe in the prognostication of the astrologer
- He would take no precaution to protect himself
- People stood in the way of his right
- Spacious house
- Renunciation, not the way of Islam
- Hosting dinner
- He could still wield the sword
- Similes of Ali
- Similes of Ali
- The world
- Falsehood
- The unbelievers
- The people who did not respond to his call
- The tree and the fruit
- The people of Basra
- People of the age of ignorance
- The people of Kufa
- Mughira b Shu'aba
- The people who run after the world
- The people who are not deceived by the world
- Ali's complaint against the Umayyads
- Falsehood of Muawiyah
- Shedding of Sins through prayer
- Cleanliness and prayers
- Crumbs after the meals
- The people who did not respond to his call
- Heart of the people
- Ignorant persons
- Ashas b Qais
- Patience and faith
- Disease and sins
- Death of the virtuous
- Days of life
- Devotion to the world
- Seekers of the world
- Virtue of silence
- Thirsty camels on a water pond
- The caliphate of Umar
- Umayyad use of the Baitul Mal
- Withholdiog the milk of the she camel from its young one
- Handle of the grinding stone
- The simile of a sinner
- Drops of rain
- The summer clouds
- Goat and the lion
- Taking the thorn out of the foot with a thorn
- Solution of the salt in water
- Bull with crooked horns
- Shaking of Plants
- Pregnant women separated from the child
- Household of the Holy Prophet
- Foaming waves of the Holy Prophet
- Sayings of Ali
- Assessment of Ali by Eminent Muslims
- Assessment of Ali by Western Scholars
Khalifa Ali bin Abu Talib - Battle of the Ditch
The battle
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