Archangel Gabriel [AWS], on the very day the
Messenger of Allâh [pbuh] came back to Madinah after the previous battle, and while he
was washing in Umm Salama’s house, visited him asking that he should unsheathe his
sword and head for the habitation of the seditious Banu Quraiza and fight them. Gabriel
noted that he with a procession of angels would go ahead to shake their forts and cast
fear in their hearts.
The Messenger of Allâh [pbuh], immediately summoned
the prayer caller and ordered him to announce fresh hostilities against Banu
Quraiza,
institued Ibn Umm Maktum as a ruler of Madinah, and entrusted the banner of war to
‘Ali bin Abi Talib who marched towards the appointed target and came close enough to
hear the Jews abusing the Messenger of Allâh [pbuh], who on his part set out at the head
of three thousand infantry men and thirty horsemen of Ansar (Helpers) and Muhajireen
(Emigrants). On their way to encounter the enemy, the afternoon prayer was due. Some
Muslims refused to observe it until they had defeated the enemy, while others offered it
in its proper time, as usual. The Prophet [pbuh] objected to neither. When they reached
the habitations of Banu Quraiza, they laid tight siege to their forts. Seeing this
terrible situation they were in, the chief of the Jews Ka‘b bin Asad offered them
three alternatives: to embrace Islam, and consequently their life, wealth, women and
children would be in full security, and reminded them that such behaviour would not be
incongruous with what they had read in their books about the veracity of Muhammad’s
Prophethood; to kill their children and women and then challenge the Prophet [pbuh] and
his followers to the sword to either exterminate the Muslims or be exterminated, or as a
third possibility to take Muhammad [pbuh] and his people by surprise on Saturday — a
day mutually understood to witness no fighting.
None of those alternatives appealed them, so their
chief, angrily and indignantly, turned to them saying: "You have never been decisive
in decision-making since you were born" The gloomy future already visible, they made
contacts with some Muslims, who had maintained good relation with them, in order to learn
about their fate in the light of the current circumstances. They requested that Abu Lubaba
be despatched to them for advice. On his arrival, the men began to implore, women and
children to cry desperately. In answer to their demand for advice he pointed to his throat
saying it was homicide awaiting them. He then immediately realized that he had betrayed
the Prophet’s trust, so he headed directly for the mosque in Madinah and tied himself
to a wooden tall pole swearing that no one would untie him save the Messenger of Allâh
[pbuh], and added that he would never enter the habitation of Banu Quraiza in recompense
for the deadly mistake he made. When the Messenger [pbuh] was informed of this incident,
he said, " I would have begged Allâh to forgive him if he had asked me, but since he
had tied himself out of his own free will, then it was Allâh Who would turn to him in
forgiveness."
The Jews of Banu Quraiza could have endured the
siege much longer because food and water were plentifully available and their strongholds
were greatly fortified, whereas the Muslims were in the wild bare land suffering a lot
from cold and hunger, let alone too much fatigue consequent on endless warfare operations
that had started even before the battle of Confederates. Nevertheless, this was a battle
of nerves, for Allâh had cast fear in the the Jews’ hearts, and their morale had
almost collapsed especially when two Muslim heroes, ‘Ali bin Abi Talib and Az-Zubair
bin ‘Awwam [R]ã proceeded with ‘Ali swearing that he would never stop until he
had either stormed their garrisons or been martyred like Hamza (a former Muslim martyr).
In the light of this reluctance, they had nothing
except to comply with the Messenger’s judgement. The Messenger of Allâh [pbuh]
ordered that the men should handcuffed, and this was done under the supervision of
Muhammad bin Salamah Al-Ansari while the women and children were isolated in confinement.
Thereupon Al-Aws tribe interceded begging the Prophet [pbuh] to be lenient towards them.
He suggested that Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh, a former ally, be deputed to give verdict
about them, and they agreed.
Sa‘d meanwhile stayed behind in Madinah due to
a serious wound he sustained in the Confederates Battle. He was summoned and brought on a
donkey. On his way to the Prophet [pbuh], the Jews used to exhort him to be lenient in his
judgement on account of former friendship. Sa‘d remained silent but when they
persisted he uttered: "It is time for Sa‘d not to be afraid of the blame of the
blamers." On hearing this decisive attitude, some of them returned to Madinah waiting
for a desperate doom.
On arrival, he alighted with the help of some men.
He was informed that the Jews had agreed to accept his verdict about them. He immediately
wondered if his judgement would pass on all the people present, the Prophet [pbuh]
included, turning his face away in honour of him. The reply was positive.
He decided that all the able-bodied male persons
belonging to the tribe should be killed, women and children taken prisoners and their
wealth divided among the Muslim fighters. The Prophet [pbuh] accepted his judgement saying
that Sa‘d had adjudged by the Command of Allâh. In fact, the Jews deserved that
severe punitive action for the ugly treachery they had harboured against Islam, and the
large arsenal they have amassed and which consisted of one thousand and five hundred
swords, two thousand spears, three hundred armours and five hundred shields, all of which
went into the hands of the Muslims. Trenches were dug in the bazaar of Madinah and a
number of Jews between six and seven hundred were beheaded therein. Hot beds of intrigue
and treachery were thus exterminated once and for all.
Huyai, a chief criminal of war, a devil of Bani
Nadir and Safiyah’s father, had joined the ranks of Banu Quraiza when Quraish and
Ghatfan defected, was admitted into the audience of the Prophet [pbuh] with his hands tied
to his neck with a rope. In audacious defiance, he declared obstinate enmity to the
Prophet [pbuh] but admitted that Allâh’s Will was to be fulfilled and added that he
was resigned to his fate. He was ordered to sit down, and was beheaded on the spot.
Only one woman of the Jews was killed because she
had killed a Muslim warrior by flinging a grinding stone upon him. A few elements of the
enemy embraced Islam and their lives, wealth and children were spared. As for the spoils
of the war, the Prophet [pbuh] divided them, after putting a fifth aside, in accordance
with Allâh’s injunctions. Three shares went to the horseman and one to the infantry
fighter. Women captives were sent to Najd to be bartered with horses and weaponry. For
himself, the Prophet [pbuh] selected Rehana bint ‘Amr bin Khanaqah, manumitted and
married her in the year 6 Hijri. She died shortly after the farewell pilgrimage and was
buried in Al-Baqi‘[Ibn Hisham
2/245; Talqeeh Fuhum Ahl Al-Athar p.12].
After the war with Banu Quraiza had been settled and
they had been defeated, Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh’s wish was gratified and he gave
his last breath. In response to his supplication ‘Aishah [R] narrated,
Sa‘d’s wounds began to bleed from the front part of his neck while he was in his
tent which the Prophet [pbuh] had pitched for him in the mosque so that he would be in
close proximity in order to inquire about and watch his well-being closely. The people
were not scared except when the blood flowed towards them, and in the Mosque along with
Sa‘d’s tent, there was the tent of Banu Ghifar. They said: O people of the tent,
what is it that is coming to us from you? Lo! it was Sa‘d’s wound that was
bleeding and he died thereon.[Sahih
Al-Bukhari 2/591]
