Nawfal's Death, and the Others Who Crossed the Trench

Shaykh Yasir Qadhi explains:

Alongside ʿAmr ibn ʿAbd Wudd, a small number of other Confederate riders managed to cross the undefended stretch of the trench. Nawfal ibn ʿAbdullāh was struck by al-Zubayr ibn al-ʿAwwām with such force that his body split apart from the blow. When someone remarked on the evident quality of al-Zubayr's sword, he replied that it was not the sword but the arm behind it that had done this. Nawfal's body lay in the open for a time before Quraysh sent word offering payment to retrieve it for burial; the Prophet ﷺ refused any money, declaring the corpse and its price both filthy (najas), and told them simply to come and take it without charge, consistent with the dignity of burial the Prophet ﷺ extended to enemy dead throughout the Sīrah, from Badr onward.

Khālid ibn al-Walīd and ʿIkrimah ibn Abī Jahl were also among the few who managed to cross, each engaging briefly in combat before retreating back across without causing or suffering fatal losses. Of the whole Confederate side, only three or four men were killed in these skirmishes over the course of the entire siege, a striking contrast to the scale of the army arrayed against Madinah.