1. Digging the Trench — Shawwal 5 AH
When the Prophet ﷺ heard of the Confederates' advance, he consulted the Companions. Salman al-Farisi ﭬ proposed a trench north of Madinah — unknown to the Arabs. The Companions dug for six days in cold and hunger, the Prophet ﷺ working alongside them. When a rock defeated them, he struck it three times, each blow flashed, and he said: "I have been given the keys of al-Sham, Persia, and Yemen."
««بِسْمِ اللَّهِ، اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، أُعْطِيتُ مَفَاتِيحَ الشَّامِ»»
Musnad Ahmad 18694, Sunan al-Nasaʾi 3174 (hasan)