DITCH, Battle of the. Arabic Ghazwatu ‘l-Khandaq غزوة الخندق. The defence of al-Madinah against the Banu Quraizah, A.H. 5, when a trench was dug by the advice of Salman, and the army of al-Madinah was posted within it. After a month’s seige, the enemy retired, and the almost bloodless victory is ascribed by Muhammad in the Qur’an to the interposition of Providence. Surah xxxiii 9: “Remember God’s favors to you when hosts came to you and we sent against them a wind and hosts (of angels), that ye could not see, but God know what ye were doing.” (Muir’s Life of Mahomet, vol iii p 258.)

Based on Hughes, Dictionary of Islam