Siege of Banu Qurayza

Siege of Banu Qurayza

Location of the tribe of Banu Qurayza during the siege.
DateJanuary, 627 CE
Location
Fortress of Banu Qurayza
Result
  • Muslim victory
  • Successful 25-day siege of Banu Qurayza tribe[1][2]
  • Massacre of all pubescent males in the tribe[3]
  • All women and children enslaved.[2]
Belligerents
Muslims Banu Qurayza
Commanders and leaders
Muḥammad
Abu Bakr
Umar
Ali ibn Abi Talib
Khalid ibn Waleed
Sa'd ibn Mu'adh		 Huyayy ibn Akhtab
Ka'b ibn Asad
Strength
3,000 infantry, 30 horsemen Unknown [1]
Casualties and losses
2 killed[1]
  • 600–900 killed (al-Tabari, Ibn Hisham)[1][2][4]

The siege of Banu Qurayza took place in Dhul Qa‘dah during January of 627 CE (5 AH) and followed on from the Battle of the Trench.[5][1]

The Banu Qurayza, a Jewish tribe that once lived in Medina, though allied with the Muslims and even lent them equipment to dig the trench during the Battle of the Trench, refused to fight in the battle as they were offended by Muhammad's attacks on Jews.[6][better source needed] Waqidi claims that Muhammad had a treaty with the tribe which was torn up. Norman Stillman and Watt believe that the existence of such a treaty was "doubtful", though Watt believes the Qurayza had agreed not to assist Muhammad's enemies.[7][8] According to Safiur Rahman Mubarakpuri, Peters, Stillman, Guillaume, Inamdar and Ibn Kathir, on the day of the Meccans' withdrawal Muhammad led his forces against Banu Qurayza. According to Muslim tradition he had been ordered to do so by God.[1][2][9][10][11][12] Ibn Kathir gives the reason as: "Banu Qurayzah broke the covenant that existed between them and the messenger of Allah".[2]

The Banu Qurayza were besieged for 25 days until they surrendered.[1] The men from Banu Aws, who were one of the two Arab tribes in Medina who had become followers of Muhammad and part of the Ansar, requested that Muhammad treat Banu Qurayza leniently, as they were their client tribe. Muhammad then proposed that one man from the Banu Aws pass the judgment, and they agreed. He then appointed Sa'd ibn Muadh, who was gravely wounded by an arrow. So Sa'd stated that his decision would be, "The men should be killed, the property divided, and the women and children taken as slaves." Muhammad approved of the ruling, calling it in accordance with God's decree pronounced above the seventh heaven.[9][10][11][13][14] After that, nearly all male members of the tribe who had reached puberty were handcuffed and beheaded in a massacre.[15][2][16] The Muslim jurist al-Tabari quotes 600–900 being killed.[17][4] The Sunni hadith do not give the number killed, but state that one woman and all pubescent males were killed.[18] According to Ibn Kathir, Quranic verses 33:26-27 and 33:9-10 are about the attack against the Banu Qurayza.[2][19][20]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Rahman al-Mubarakpuri, Safiur (2005), The Sealed Nectar, Darussalam Publications, pp. 201–205, ISBN 9798694145923[permanent dead link‍] (online)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Ibn Kathir; Saed Abdul-Rahman (2009), Tafsir Ibn Kathir Juz'21, MSA Publication Limited, p. 213, ISBN 9781861796110(online Archived 5 March 2015 at the Wayback Machine)
  3. ^ Sunan Abu Dawud 14:2665, "No woman of Banu Qurayzah was killed except one. She was with me, talking and laughing on her back and belly (extremely), while the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) was killing her people with the swords. Suddenly a man called her name: Where is so-and-so? She said: I I asked: What is the matter with you? She said: I did a new act. She said: The man took her and beheaded her. She said: I will not forget that she was laughing extremely although she knew that she would be killed. "
  4. ^ a b Al-Tabari (1997), History of the Prophets and Kings. Volume 8, Victory of Islam, translated by Michael Fishbein, State University of New York Press, pp. 35–36, ISBN 9780791431504
  5. ^ Rodgers 2012, p. 134.
  6. ^ David Norcliffe (1999), Islam: faith and practice, Sussex Academic Press, p. 21, ISBN 1898723869
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Kurayza was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Stillman, The Jews of Arab Lands: A History and Source Book, pp. 14-16.
  9. ^ a b Ibn Ishaq (1955), The Life of Muhammad (Sirat Rasul Allah), translated by A. Guillaume, Oxford University Press, pp. 461–464, ISBN 978-0-19-636033-1
  10. ^ a b Peters, Muhammad and the Origins of Islam, p. 222-224.
  11. ^ a b Stillman, The Jews of Arab Lands: A History and Source Book, p. 140.
  12. ^ Subhash C. Inamdar (2001), Muhammad and the Rise of Islam: The Creation of Group Identity, Psychosocial Press, p. 166 (footnotes), ISBN 1887841288
  13. ^ Adil, Muhammad: The Messenger of Islam, p. 395f.
  14. ^ William Muir (2003), The life of Mahomet, Kessinger Publishing, p. 329, ISBN 9780766177413[permanent dead link‍]
  15. ^ Watt, W. Montgomery (1 July 1952). "The Condemnation of the Jews of Banu Qurayzah". The Muslim World. 42 (3): 160–171. doi:10.1111/j.1478-1913.1952.tb02149.x. ISSN 1478-1913.
  16. ^ Kister (1990), Society and religion from Jāhiliyya to Islam, p. 54.
  17. ^ Rahman al-Mubarakpuri, Saifur (2005), The Sealed Nectar, Darussalam Publications, pp. 201–205, ISBN 9798694145923, They numbered 600 or 700—the largest estimate says they were between 800 and 900.[permanent dead link‍] (online)
  18. ^ Sunan Abu Dawud 14:2665, "No woman of Banu Qurayzah was killed except one. She was with me, talking and laughing on her back and belly (extremely), while the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) was killing her people with the swords. Suddenly a man called her name: Where is so-and-so? She said: I I asked: What is the matter with you? She said: I did a new act. She said: The man took her and beheaded her. She said: I will not forget that she was laughing extremely although she knew that she would be killed. "
  19. ^ Ibn Kathir; Saed Abdul-Rahman (2009), Tafsir Ibn Kathir Juz'21, MSA Publication Limited, p. 213, ISBN 9781861796110(online Archived 15 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine)
  20. ^ Haykal, Husayn (1976), The Life of Muhammad, Islamic Book Trust, p. 338, ISBN 978-983-9154-17-7