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Ali bin Ibrahim, Shaykh Mufeed and Shaykh Tabarsi have narrated that the expedition entitled Ahzab or Khandaq was undertaken in the month of Ramadan, in the fifth year of Hijrat, and was occasioned in the following manner: When the Bani Nuzayr1 were expelled from Medina, some of them went to Khyber and their chief, Huyy bin Akhtab, went to Mecca, and induced Abu Sufyan to organize an expedition against the Prophet; supporting his cause by the mention that Muslims have driven them out of Medina and confiscated their property; he also added that 700 men of Bani Quraiza who remained behind in Medina have a treaty with the Prophet but they are brave fighters, I will persuade them to violate the treaty so that they may help us against Muhammad. You attack from one side of Medina and they will attack from the other side and together you can finish off Muhammad and his men. The Bani Quraiza locality was two miles from Medina and it was known as Ber-e-Abdul Muttalib. Ibn Akhtab in the similar manner met the other Arab chiefs along with the infidels of Mecca till he had mobilized 2000 men from Quraish, Kanana, Aqra bin Habis, Abbas bin Mardas with Bani Sulaym. According to the report of Shaykh Mufeed and Shaykh Tabarsi, Salam bin Abil Haqiq, Huyy bin Akhtab, Kanana bin Rabi, Hawda bin Qays, Abu Ammara with a group of Bani Nuzayr and Bani Walia gathered in Mecca and started the dialogue with Abu Sufyan, because his enmity with the Prophet and his precedence in fighting him was known to all, therefore they were seeking his co-operation in this regard. Abu Sufyan assured them of his assistance and told them to persuade the Quraish. So they came to Quraish chiefs and said: “All of us are with you and agree with you that we should get rid of Muhammad.” Quraish said, “You are former People of the Book and you are aware of our religion and the religion of Muhammad. Tell us which religion is better and who is more rightful?” At that juncture, the following verse was revealed:
