Bismillah ir rahman ir raheem the jews of medina during the time of the Prophet by
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The Jews Attempt on the Prophet’s Life We mentioned previously that the Jews had for some time been planning how to rid themselves of the Prophet. On another occasion they had arrived at the conclusion the best way to carry out their plan would be to invite him and thirty of his Companions and meet him midway to discuss their religions with thirty of their Rabbis with the enticing statement that if the Rabbis were convinced then all of the Jews would convert. The day arrived but when the rabbis saw thirty of his Companions around him, they muttered among themselves, “How can we kill him when thirty people are willing to die for him?” So the Jews came to the conclusion the best way to achieve their aim would be if three of them armed themselves with daggers under their cloaks and ask him to come forward with just three of his Companions to discuss the matter giving the reason that it was just not practical for thirty from each party to take part. Unknown to the Rabbis a lady from their own tribe whose brother had converted and lived among the Ansar overhead their plotting and told her brother who in turn went directly to the Prophet and whispered their plot in his ear. Upon hearing the disturbing news, the Prophet returned with his Companions. From the moment the Prophet migrated to Medina he had shown extreme patience with the Jews and their devious, undermining activities, but the matter could no longer be tolerated and firm steps had to be taken. Having taken the decision, the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) sent Muhammad, Maslama's son back to the fortresses with a message. As Muhammad approached the fortresses the chieftains came out to meet him and Muhammad told them, "The Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) has sent me to you and instructed me to tell you that on account of your plot to kill him, the treaty he made with you no longer exists." Then, much to their amazement he described in detail the plan they had devised and of which they alone had been aware. Muhammad continued to deliver the rest of the message and gave them an ultimatum saying, "The Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) gives you ten days in which to leave Medina, whosoever remains behind after that will be killed." The Jews were deeply shocked to learn that their treachery had been exposed and said as a matter of bravado, "O son of Maslama, we never thought that a man from Aws would ever bring us a message such as this!" Muhammad replied, "Hearts have changed," and returned to the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam). The Tribe of An-Nadir Declare War It was now Rabi’ Al-Awwal 4H (August 625 CE). Word of the ultimatum spread through the tribe and preparations were in progress for their departure when a message was received from Abdullah, Ubayy’s son that promised his support and encouraged them to stay. Huyay was greatly heartened by the promise and convinced his people to stay. With high hopes, Huyay sent word to his cousins, the tribe of Krayzah, and asked them to lend their support, for he was confident they would not let him down, and at the same time he sent word to their allies, the tribe of Ghatfan, known for their hostility toward the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) to come to their aid. Allah says: “Have you not seen the hypocrites? They say to their brothers among the People of the Book who disbelieve, 'If they expel you, we will go with you. We will never obey anyone against you. If they fight against you we will certainly help you.' But Allah bears witness that they are, without doubt, liars.” 59:11 As soon as the messages had been sent, Huyay and his tribesmen stocked their fortresses with rocks, catapults, arrows, and whatever weaponry they could lay their hands on in readiness. Huyay was confident that his cousins and allies would arrive at any moment and sent his brother to the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) with a message that informed him they were prepared to fight. When the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) received the message, he exclaimed: "Allah is Great," and his Companions around him reiterated his exaltation -- the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) continued, "The Jews have declared war." Immediately, the Muslims rallied to the side of the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) who then handed the standard to Ali. That afternoon the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) and his army marched until the fortresses of the An-Nadir were in sight and observed that the Jews had barricaded themselves behind their walls and that the settlement was now completely deserted. After the prayer had been offered, the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) led his Companions on toward the fortresses surrounded by palm-trees. The Jews let loose a volley of arrows and they whistled through the air and thereafter the hostilities continued up until nightfall. During the night hours, the number of the Prophet's Companions increased as those who had only just learned of the Prophet's march joined them. As their numbers swelled, the Muslims were soon able to surround the fortresses and this alarmed the Jews. However, they expected their kinsmen to arrive the next day which would ease the situation. After offering the night prayer, the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) entrusted Ali with the command of the army and together with ten of his Companions he returned to Medina. Throughout the night Ali led his brethren praising and exalting Allah, the hours slipped away, and soon the sky began to lighten, it was time to offer the Fajr prayer. There was still no sign of the help the Jews so confidently relied upon. Unknown to Huyay and his tribe, their cousins from the tribe of Krayzah were not inclined to break their pact with the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam). As for Abdullah Ubayy’ son, the circumstances were such that he reneged upon his promise, and so Huyay continued to wait in vain for their arrival together with the expected support from the tribe of Ghatfan. Later on that morning the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) returned to his Companions and fighting broke out once more. The days passed and Huyay's hopes turned into fear. Ten days later, the Angel Gabriel brought the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) a new verse: "Whatever palm-tree you cut down or left standing upon its roots, it is by the permission of Allah, so that He might humiliate the impious." Koran 59:5 Thereupon he ordered the cutting down of several highly prized date palms belonging to the An-Nadir. Dates were a vital part of the An-Nadir's economy so when Huyay saw the trees being felled he was greatly dismayed. In the back of Huyay's mind he remembered the promise of the Koraysh to annihilate the Muslims one day and thought if he and his tribe were compelled to temporarily leave their homes, they could return later, reclaim their palms, and re-establish their settlement. But now the trees were being felled and he knew it would take many years to replace them, which would greatly affect their livelihood. With this harsh reality on his mind. Huyay begrudgingly sent word of surrender to the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam). The Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) accepted but told them that they were to be expelled from their land. Even in such circumstances, the mercy of the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) was manifested as he allowed them to take their possessions, with the exception of weapons and armor with them. This was indeed a generous and merciful course of action for it was in his power to seize everything they owned and expel them with nothing except the clothes on their back, but this was not his way. The Jews did not appreciate the generosity of the Prophet and were determined not to leave anything of value behind and axed the assets they were unable to take with them. Huyay was ungrateful and did not like the terms of surrender, he knew that their camels were incapable of carrying all their possessions, and then there was the matter of weapons and armor. However, his tribesmen were not in a mood to listen to him and had forced him to accept. The confrontation was over and the An-Nadir tribesmen left their fortresses and returned home to pack as much as they could onto the backs of six hundred camels. Once the packing had been completed, their women-folk adorned themselves with all their jewelry, then mounted their camels laden with rugs of the finest quality. It had always been known that the tribe was extremely rich, however it was not until that moment that the extent of their wealth was realized. With an air of insolence and in single file, the tribe of An-Nadir left Medina defiantly flaunting their wealth as they rode out, accompanied by music. Most of the tribe decided to resettle at Khaybar where they owned land; however others preferred to journey further a field to either Jericho or southern Syria. As for the date palms still left standing, the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) received a new Revelation that said: "(A share of the spoils shall also be given) to the poor emigrants who were expelled from their homes and their possessions, who seek the Favor and Pleasure of Allah, and help Allah and His Messenger. These are they that are truthful. And those before them who, had made their dwelling in the abode (Medina), and because of their belief love those who have emigrated to them; they do not find any (envy) in their chests for what they have been given and prefer them above themselves, even though they themselves have a need. Whosoever is saved from the greed of his own soul, they are the ones who win.” Koran 59:8-9 And so in compliance with the verse, the spoils were distributed among the new immigrants and Muhajirin. When the Muhajirin first arrived in Medina the Ansar had generously shared their groves with their new brothers, but now even though the Muhajirin had been given the groves of the An-Nadir, the Ansar still wished them to keep the groves they had given them. The chapter 59, Al Hashr – The Gathering, describes the banishment of the Jews. Chapter 10 Money Mongers The Debt Jabir, Abdullah’s father had been martyred during the hostilities at Uhud and had, due to circumstances, taken loans over time from his Jewish neighbors. No sooner Jabir's creditors learned of his death they unmercifully wasted no time in pressing Abdullah to settle the matter immediately. There was very little to offer, however there was the harvest of his father's date palms which Abdullah hoped would satisfy them, but all refused saying the harvest was insufficient. The Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) was concerned when he learned of Abdullah's predicament, so he went to him immediately and asked him to request his creditors to come and see him. The creditors arrived and the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) supplicated to Allah, whereupon each creditor, to their absolute amazement, received dates equal to the repayment of Jabir's debt. They were even more astonished when they observed the remaining amount of dates equaled that of Jabir's usual annual crop, yet their hearts remained hardened. Abdullah’s experience with the cold heartedness of the Jews was not uncommon. However, if a Jew happened to owe a Muslim for something they would escape from their obligation saying that because he had converted to a new religion the agreement was no longer valid. Salman of Persia Many years before the advent of Islam, Salman had been raised by his father to serve in the temples of Persia. As Salman grew, he secretly started to challenge the validity of worshiping idols and started to search for the truth. There were two sects of good living people who did not worship the Persian idols and it was they who attracted Salman however, both sects claimed to follow the teachings of Jesus, but the doctrines were distinctively different. He listened to both sects and chose not to follow the one that preached the concept of the trinity as it occurred to him that worshiping three gods instead of One was very much akin to the pagan religions of Persia. Instead, he chose to follow the Nazarenes who taught the Creator was One and that Jesus was His prophet, not a god, nor yet His son. However, Salman hid his conversion from his father. Salman had many experiences in his search for the truth, and served several bishops. The first bishop was however, corrupt. He took from the poor and used the proceeds to satisfy his lusts, so Salman abandoned him in search of one more pious. Salman found an elderly, pious Nazarene bishop to teach him and in return he served him for many years until his death. When he died Salman sought to serve another Nazarene bishop and was blessed to find one who was more knowledgeable and pious than the last. The bishop spoke to him many times about a special prophecy of Jesus. Salman was taught that it was written in the Holy Scriptures that Prophet Jesus had prophesied the coming of a new prophet who would be sent after him, and that he would appear in Arabia and went on to described the location of his appearance. As death approached the bishop, Salman asked if he knew of another bishop to guide him, but the Nazarene bishop said he knew of none. However, he advised him to go in search of the city he described in Arabia. It was shortly after the death of the bishop that Salman's father learned of his son's conversion and in a burst of rage had his son bound with rope so that he could not leave the house. Salman was a strong young man and one day as he sat bound in his room, news arrived that a caravan was about to return to Arabia. It was the opportunity he had been waiting for, so he summoned all his strength, broke loose from the ropes that bound him and went to them. When Salman met the leader of the caravan he offered him a herd of camels and all his wealth if he would take him with them. The deal was struck and so shortly thereafter he left with them. Just before the caravan reached Medina, the caravaners took not only Salman's camels and wealth but sold him into slavery to a Jew from the tribe of Krayzah. Salman was very disheartened by the turn of events until the Prophet's arrival in Medina. It was then that he was able to recognize that his circumstances had not been a misfortune as he had previously thought, but a very great blessing of Allah to him, for he had unknowingly, and certainly not through his own planning, arrived at the place the bishop described and so it was Salman converted to Islam. Salman seldom had a chance to meet his fellow Muslims as his Jewish owner made him work long hours in the fields and groves. He longed to be free and join his brethren and so one day he decided to go to his owner and ask how much he would need to buy himself out of his bondage. His owner showed no mercy and demanded a very high price for his release -- no less than forty ounces of gold as well as three hundred planted date palms, whereupon Salman became very disheartened. One day, Salman was blessed to meet the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) and told him of his predicament. The Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam), was deeply touched by Salman’s story, told Salman to write his owner an agreement, saying that he would pay the amount required in full. When the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) told his Companions about Salman and asked them to donate as many date palms as they could, the Companions responded generously. Some gave as many as thirty young palm trees, others twenty and so on until the required number was satisfied. Now that the palms had been gathered, the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) told Salman to go and prepare the land in readiness to plant the saplings and that once he had finished, he would plant the trees himself. The Companions joined Salman in the preparation of the ground and together they dug the holes. As soon as the work was finished they told the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) so he returned with them to the grove and planted all but one of the trees. All except for one sapling flourished - the one that had not been planted by the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) - whereupon a new sapling was brought and the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) planted it. Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) had been given a nugget of gold -- about the size of a hen's egg -- and without a second thought gave it to Salman telling him to buy his freedom from the Jew with it. Salman was concerned that the weight of the nugget would be insufficient and asked how much more gold would be necessary to complete the extortionate demand. The Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) supplicated to Allah, then took the nugget, put it in his mouth, rolled his tongue around it, then gave it back to Salman saying, "Take it, and pay the full price with it." When the nugget was weighed, it weighed exactly forty ounces and Salman was released from slavery. Chapter 11 The Treachery of the Jews at the Battle of the Trench Prelude As the fifth year after the migration drew to a close, the expelled Jews from the tribe of An-Nadir who had relocated to Khaybar a little over two years before became more restless than ever, every time there had been an incident or skirmish they hoped it would go against the Muslims. There had been talk for a long time that the Koraysh were bent on revenge and planned to rid themselves of Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) and his followers. With this in mind, Huyay -- who had been the chief conspirator in the failed attempt to kill the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) -- together with the other Jewish chieftains of Khaybar and the hierarchy of the An-Nadir, journeyed across the hot pebbled desert sands to Mecca to progress the matter. The Jews themselves had amassed a large arsenal of weapons and armor but were too cowardly to challenge the Prophet alone. The Jewish chieftains were taken to Abu Sufyan upon their arrival in Mecca, who welcomed them as they ingratiated themselves telling him that the Koraysh were dearer to them than anyone else on account of their intent to rid themselves of the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam). Abu Sufyan was heartened by these words and together with Safwan, and the other Koraysh chieftains they made their way to the Ka’bah, entered it, and took a solemn oath that they would not fail one another in the achievement of their mutual goal to rid themselves of the Prophet and the Muslims once and for all. During this congenial occasion, Abu Sufyan inquired of his new allies, "You are knowledgeable of the first scripture, therefore, give us your opinion. Is our religion better than that of Muhammad?" Without hesitation, and despite the undeniable fact that both Judaism and Islam preached the same message, the Oneness of the Creator and the abomination of idols, the Jews replied, "Your religion is better than his -- you are nearer to the truth!" “Have you not seen those to whom a portion of the Book was given believing in Jibt and Taghout (the two statutes of Mecca) and say to those who disbelieve, 'Those are more guided on the way than those who believe.'”4:51 In an effort to enlist the hostile or indifferent nomadic tribes of the Najd, it was agreed that the Jews should visit with their chieftains and if revenge was an insufficient enough reason to win their support, then they would offer handsome bribes. The tribe of Sulaym, was among those who inclined to Islam and so the leaders of the An-Nadir were unable to secure their full support. When the tribe of Aamir was approached they declined, remaining loyal to the alliance contracted earlier with the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam). The current strength of the Koraysh army and its previous allies was four thousand strong. However, through the effort of Huyay and his fellow chieftains, an additional two thousand, seven hundred men now swelled their ranks -- more than double their number at Uhud and so preparations for further hostilities were once again set in motion. There is no documentation whether or not Al-Abbas the uncle of the Prophet had embraced Islam at this stage. However, it is likely that as a matter of expedience he had concealed his conversion so that he might remain undetected among the enemies of Islam. On close examination his actions would lead one to suppose the possibility that he had secretly embraced Islam as his support now and in the past had been vital to the Muslims, and Allah knows best. Not everyone in Mecca supported Abu Sufyan. On several occasions Al-Abbas had already played an important role in supporting and delivering crucial information to the Prophet and now an imminent threat of a major attack against the Muslims by the Koraysh and their Jewish allies who had bribed Arab tribes to join them loomed high on the horizon. Al-Abbas, fearing for the safety of his nephew dispatched under the cloak of secrecy several horsemen to Medina with the news of an impending attack. The urgent state of affairs compelled the riders to ride in such haste that they reached Medina in just four days. Upon reaching Medina, the horsemen wasted no time and went directly to the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) to inform him of the two armies advancing on Medina on either side giving details of their numbers and weaponry. Yet again as at Uhud, because of the advance warning the Muslims had a week in which to prepare for the hostilities. Immediately, the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) shrewdly sent word to his followers in the outlying areas of Medina to return to the City, and called for a meeting to discuss the strategy that would best serve them. Once more he reminded the Companions that if they obeyed Allah and were patient, victory would be theirs. Ideas abounded from every quarter, however Salman proposed a plan that had been both used and proven effective in Persia. Salman advised the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) that when the Persians feared a cavalry attack, they would dig a large, circular trench around them as it was extremely difficult for the horses of the enemy to cross the wide divide and consequently they were better able to defend themselves. Salman's proposal met with great enthusiasm and so it was agreed that this would be the best course to adopt. The Strategic Importance of the Jewish Fortresses of the Krayzah It was unnecessary to dig a complete trench around the entire City as there was an unbroken line of fortified houses, strong enough to resist the advance of the enemy in one part. Then again, outside the City lay the fortresses of their allies from the Jewish tribe of Krayzah which also afforded them additional protection. There was yet another blessing, outside the City towards the north-west lay impenetrable hillocks of rock. One of these hillocks was called the hill of Sila, and it was there that they decided to make their camp after connecting the existing fortifications together by the trench. The site had other advantages; the ground on the near side of Sila's slope was considerably higher than in other places, not only did it afford additional protection but from it they would be able to monitor the movements of the unbelievers. There was no time to waste, so Salman instructed the Companions on the depth and width of the trench, and the digging began. Salman had until recently been the slave of the Jewish tribe of Krayzah knew his former masters owned many tools, so it was agreed that they should be asked to loan them in accordance with the pact they had signed with the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) a few years ago that also stated they would not ally themselves with the enemy of the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) and that they would assist the Muslims when the need arose. The Krayzah were quick to realize that they stood to lose their possessions and date groves if they did not help defend Medina and so every tool they possessed was made available and work began. Each section of the Muslim community was assigned a specific area to excavate and soon the continuous sound of axes hacking away at the ground and shovels removing the loosened ground filled the air, coming only to a halt at the time of prayer and when sleep finally overtook them. Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) worked tirelessly alongside his Companions, who encouraged one another to work harder. As for Salman, he was an extremely strong, fit person. During his years of slavery he had labored tirelessly in the fields digging and carrying, and his companions were amazed to see just how strong he actually was; all were of the opinion that his labor was worth the labor of ten of them put together. As the digging progressed, rocks were excavated and put to one side for use during the anticipated encounter. There were not enough baskets to go around to transport the earth so the Companions took to using their upper garments as bags. Young lads came out to lend a hand, but the work was much too arduous, so much to their sorrow, they were thanked but told to return home. |