Tarikh (al-Tabari) 1223
The Expedition of al-Khandaq (the Confederates)
ذِكْرُ كِتَابِ أَبِي سُفْيَانَ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ رَوَى مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عُمَرَ عَنْ أَبِي وَجْزَةَ السَّعْدِيِّ- بِفَتْحِ الْوَاوِ وَسُكُونِ الْجِيمِ وَفَتْحِ الزَّايِ- وَاسْمُهُ يَزِيدُ بْنُ عُبَيْدٍ، قَالَ: لَمَّا مَلَّتْ قُرَيْشٌ الْمُقَامَ، وَأَجْدَبَ الْجَنَابُ وَضَاقُوا بِالْخَنْدَقِ، وَكَانَ أَبُو سُفْيَانَ عَلَى طَمَعٍ أَنْ يُغِيرُوا عَلَى بَيْضَةِ الْمَدِينَةِ كَتَبَ كِتَابًا إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فِيهِ: بِاسْمِكَ اللَّهُمَّ فَإِنِّي أَحْلِفُ بِاللَّاتِ وَالْعُزَّى: لَقَدْ سِرْتُ إِلَيْكَ فِي جَمْعٍ، وَأَنَا أُرِيدُ أَلَّا أَعُودَ إِلَيْكَ أَبَدًا حَتَّى أَسْتَأْصِلَكُمْ. فَرَأَيْتُكَ قَدْ كَرِهْتَ لِقَاءَنَا، وَاعْتَصَمْتَ بِالْخَنْدَقِ، وَلَكَ مِنِّي يَوْمٌ كَيَوْمِ أُحُدٍ، تُبْقَرُ فِيهِ النِّسَاءُ. وَبَعَثَ بِالْكِتَابِ مَعَ أَبِي أُسَامَةَ الْجُشَمِيِّ، فَقَرَأَهُ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ أُبَيُّ بْنُ كَعْبٍ، وَكَتَبَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: «أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَقَدْ أَتَانِي كِتَابُكَ، وَقَدِيمًا غَرَّكَ بِاللَّهِ الْغُرُورُ، وَأَمَّا مَا ذَكَرْتَ مِنْ أَنَّكَ سِرْتَ إِلَيْنَا [فِي جَمْعِكُمْ]، وَأَنَّكَ لَا تُرِيدُ أَنْ تَعُودَ حَتَّى تَسْتَأْصِلَنَا، فَذَلِكَ أَمْرٌ يَحُولُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَهُ، وَيَجْعَلُ لَنَا الْعَاقِبَةَ، وَلَيَأْتِيَنَّ عَلَيْكَ يَوْمٌ أَكْسِرُ فِيهِ اللَّاتَ وَالْعُزَّى وَإِسَافَ وَنَائِلَةَ وَهُبَلَ، حَتَّى أُذَكِّرَكَ ذَلِكَ يَا سَفِيهَ بَنِي غَالِبٍ !»
Translation
✧ Mention of the letter of Abū Sufyān to the Messenger of God ﷺ Muḥammad b. ʿUmar narrated from Abū Wajzah al-Saʿdī — with fatḥah on the wāw, sukūn on the jīm, and fatḥah on the zāy — whose name is Yazīd b. ʿUbayd, who said: When Quraysh grew weary of staying, the surrounding pasturage became barren, and they were hard pressed by the trench, and Abū Sufyān hoped that they might raid the heart of Madinah, he wrote a letter to the Messenger of God ﷺ in which he said: In Your name, O God. I swear by al-Lāt and al-ʿUzzā: I have marched against you with a host, and I intend never to return to you until I exterminate you. I saw that you disliked meeting us and took refuge in the trench. From me you will have a day like the day of Uḥud, on which women will be ripped open. He sent the letter with Abū Usāmah al-Jushamī. Ubayy b. Kaʿb read it to the Prophet ﷺ, and the Messenger of God ﷺ wrote: "Now then, your letter has reached me. Long has delusion beguiled you concerning God. As for what you mentioned, that you marched against us with your host and that you do not intend to return until you exterminate us, that is a matter between which and you God, may He be exalted, will intervene, and He will grant us the final outcome. A day will surely come upon you on which I will shatter al-Lāt, al-ʿUzzā, Isāf, Nāʾilah, and Hubal, until I remind you of that, O fool of Banū Ghālib!"
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