In the early history of Islam there was an incident known as the Battle of Trench. The Prophet was informed that an army of 12,000 was coming from Makkah to attack Madinah. The Prophet did not want to enter into a confrontation. At the time, Madinah was surrounded on three sides by dense jungles and mountains and was exposed to attack only from the front. Thus the Prophet decided to dig a trench to prevent the army from gaining access to Madinah. The army laid a siege on Madinah for a few weeks. During this period travel and communication were barred. This was a time of great hardship and distress. Many Muslims even complained to the Prophet. In this situation, the Prophet said: 'O God, there is no enjoyment and happiness, except that of the Hereafter.' There are two kinds of ideologies: one based on this world and the other oriented to the world Hereafter. The man-made world cannot give one real happiness. Only the ideology based on the Hereafter can give one true peace and happiness.
