Inspirational Islamic Stories

Salmaan Al-Faarisiy (ra): The Seeker after Truth

From Persia comes our hero this time, and from Persia many came to embrace Islam in the long run, and it made some of them extraordinary, unsurpassable in faith and knowledge in religion and worldly affairs.
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The Prophet (ﷺ) had prophesied this blessed spread of his religion. Indeed, he had been so promised by his Almighty Lord. He had pointed to the time, place, and day, and he had seen in his mind's eye the banner of Islam fluttering in all comers of the earth and over the palaces of its earthly rulers.
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Salmaan Al-Faarisiy (The Persian) bore witness to this and was firmly connected with what happened. That was on the Day of Al-Khandaq (The Trench) in the year A.H. 5, when the leaders of the Jews approached Makkah to stir up the polytheists and form an alliance against the Prophet (ﷺ) and the Muslims, asking the polytheists to enter upon a treaty for decisive battle to eradicate this new religion.
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The ungodly war was planned: the Quraish army and allies would attack Al-Madinah from outside, while the Bani Quraidhah would attack from within, behind the ranks of the Muslims, who would then fall prey and be crushed. One day the Prophet (ﷺ) and the Muslims were taken unaware by a huge well-armed army marching on Al-Madinah.
The Qur'aan depicts the scene thus:
"When they came against you from above you and from below you and your eyes turned away and your hearts reached to your throats, and you imagined vain thoughts about GOD; in that place the believers were tried and shaken most severely." (33:10-11)
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Twenty-four thousand fighters under the command of Abu Sufyaan and 'Uyainah Ibn Hisn were advancing on Al-Madinah to storm it and to lay siege to it in order to get rid of Muhammad (ﷺ), his religion, and his Companions. This army did not represent the Quraish alone, for they were in alliance with all the tribes, and all had vested interests that were threatened by Islam. It was a last and decisive attempt embarked on by all the enemies of the Prophet (ﷺ), based upon individual, collective, and tribal interests.
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The Muslims found themselves in a precarious situation. The Prophet (ﷺ) assembled his Companions for consultation.

Certainly they were gathered to reach a decision on defence and battle, but how could they put up a defence? And then a long- legged man with flowing hair for whom the Prophet (ﷺ) bore great love, Salmaan Al-Faarisiy, held up his head and took a look at Al-Madinah, which was surrounded by hills, mountains, and exposed open country which could be easily broken through by the enemy.
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Salmaan (ra) had much experience, in warfare and its tactics in his native Persia. So he proposed to the Prophet (ﷺ) something which the Arabs had never seen before in warfare. It was the digging of a trench in the exposed places around Al-Madinah.
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And Allah (ﷻ) knows what could have been the position of the Muslims in that battle had they not dug the trench, which was no sooner seen by the Quraish than they were stunned by despair. When Abu Sufyan, the leader of the Makkans, saw the ditch, he said, "This stratagem has not been employed by the Arabs before." The forces of the enemy still remained in their tents for a month, unable to take Al-Madinah, until Allah (ﷻ) sent them one night a storm which devastated their tents and tore them asunder. Then Abu Sufyaan announced to his forces that they should return to where they had come from. They were despondent and frustrated.
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During the excavation of the trench, Salmaan (ra) took his place among the Muslims while they dug and removed the sand. The Prophet (ﷺ) was also taking part in digging where Salmaan (ra) was working in a group. Their pickaxes could not smash a stubborn rock, in spite of the fact that Salmaan (ra) was of strong build and hardworking. A single stroke of his would break a rock to pieces, but he stood in front of this stubborn one. He let all those around him try to break it, but in vain. Salmaan went to the Prophet (ﷺ) to ask him to divert the trench around that stubborn and challenging rock.
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The Prophet (ﷺ) returned with Salmaan (ra) to see the rock himself. When he saw it, he called for a pickaxe and asked the Companions to keep back from the splinters. He (ﷺ) said, "In the name of Allah," and then raised his blessed, firm hands gripping the pickaxe and let it fall.