Visit ArabiaCEMETERY OF THE MARTYRS OF KHANDAQ
The resting place of the defenders of Medina.
Six graves to honor
Next to the Al-Fath Mosque, on the slopes of Jabal Sal', there is a small cemetery. Six graves, according to local tradition. No more.
According to local tradition, these are martyrs of the Battle of Khandaq, companions who fell during the siege in the year 5 of the Hijrah, defending the city of the Prophet ﷺ against the 10,000 men of the enemy coalition.
The names of the martyrs
The sources of the Sîrah have preserved their names for us. Six Muslims died as martyrs during the siege:
1. Sa'd ibn Mu'adh (رضي الله عنه) — (but actually buried in Al-Baqi)
2. Anas ibn Aws of the Banu 'Abd al-Ash'hal
3. Abdullah ibn Sahl of the Banu 'Abd al-Ash'hal
4. At-Tufayl ibn Nu'man of the Banu Salima
5. Tha'labah ibn Ghanamah of the Banu Salima
6. Ka'b ibn Zayd of the Banu Dinar — struck by a stray arrow
The death of Sa'd ibn Mu'adh
The most famous of the martyrs of Khandaq is Sa'd ibn Mu'adh (رضي الله عنه), chief of the Aws. During the siege, a man of Quraysh named Hibban ibn al-'Ariqa struck him with an arrow in the vein of the arm (al-akhal).
The Prophet ﷺ, seeing the grave injury, had a tent erected in the Prophet's Mosque ﷺ to treat Sa'd as close to him as possible. Sa'd survived the battle but died a few weeks later, after pronouncing the judgment against the Banu Qurayza.
Upon his death, the Prophet ﷺ said: "The Throne of the Most Merciful trembled for the death of Sa'd ibn Mu'adh." (Sahih al-Bukhari no. 3803)
The Quranic verse about the martyrs
"And do not think of those who have been killed in the way of Allah as dead. Rather, they are alive with their Lord, receiving provision. And they are rejoicing in what Allah has bestowed upon them." (Surah Al-Imran, 169-170)