The invasion of Banu Nadir took place in May AD 625 (''
Rabi' al-awwal'',
AH) 4.
The account is related in
Sura
A ''surah'' (; ar, سورة, sūrah, , ), is the equivalent of "chapter" in the Qur'an. There are 114 ''surahs'' in the Quran, each divided into '' ayats'' (verses). The chapters or ''surahs'' are of unequal length; the shortest surah ('' Al-K ...
h
Al-Hashr
Al-Hashr ( ar, الحشر, "The Exile") is the 59th chapter (sūrah) of the Qur'an and has 24 Āyahs (verses). The chapter is named ''al-hashr'' because the word ''hashr'', meaning 'exile' or 'banishment', appears in verse 2, describing the exp ...
(Chapter 59 - The Gathering) which describes the banishment of the Jewish tribe
Banu Nadir
The Banu Nadir ( ar, بَنُو ٱلنَّضِير, he, בני נצ'יר) were a Jewish Arab tribe which lived in northern Arabia at the oasis of Medina until the 7th century. The tribe refused to convert to Islam as Muhammad had ordered it to ...
who were expelled from
Medina
Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the Holiest sites in Islam, second-holiest city in Islam, ...
after plotting to assassinate the Islamic prophet
Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 Common Era, CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Muhammad in Islam, Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet Divine inspiration, di ...
.
[.]
Background
Reason for attack
![Mohammed receiving the submission of the Banu Nadir](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/Mohammed_receiving_the_submission_of_the_Banu_Nadir.jpg)
According to
The Sealed Nectar
''Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum'' ( ar, الرحيق المختوم; ), is a seerah book, or biography of the Prophet, which was written by Safiur Rahman Mubarakpuri. This book was awarded first prize by the Muslim World League in a worldwide competitio ...
, a modern Islamic biography of Muhammad written by the Indian Muslim author Safi-ur Rahman Mubarakpuri, once
Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 Common Era, CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Muhammad in Islam, Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet Divine inspiration, di ...
with some of his Companions set out to see the Banu Nadir tribe and seek their help in raising the blood-money he had to pay to the
Banu Kilab
The Banu Kilab ( ar, بنو كِلاب, Banū Kilāb) was an Arab tribe in the western Najd (central Arabia) where they controlled the horse-breeding pastures of Dariyya from the mid-6th century until at least the mid-9th century. The tribe was di ...
for the two men that ‘Amr bin Omaiyah Ad-Damari had killed by mistake in the
Expedition of Bir Maona
The Expedition of Bir Maona (also spelt Ma'una), according to Islamic tradition, took place four months after the Battle of Uhud in the year A.H. 4 of the Islamic calendar.
It is believed the Islamic prophet Muhammad sent missionaries to pre ...
. On hearing his story they said they would share in paying the blood-money and asked him and his Companions Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Ali and others to sit under a wall of their houses and wait. Mubrakpuri says that the angel
Gabriel
In Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), Gabriel (); Greek: grc, Γαβριήλ, translit=Gabriḗl, label=none; Latin: ''Gabriel''; Coptic: cop, Ⲅⲁⲃⲣⲓⲏⲗ, translit=Gabriêl, label=none; Amharic: am, ገብር ...
came down to reveal the plot by the Banu Nadir to assassinate Muhammad, so he, with his Companions, hurried off back to
Madinah
Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the Holiest sites in Islam, second-holiest city in Islam, ...
. On their way, he told his Companions of the Divine Revelation. Mubrakpuri claims that the
Banu Nadir
The Banu Nadir ( ar, بَنُو ٱلنَّضِير, he, בני נצ'יר) were a Jewish Arab tribe which lived in northern Arabia at the oasis of Medina until the 7th century. The tribe refused to convert to Islam as Muhammad had ordered it to ...
Jews held a short private meeting and they conspired to kill him.
According to
Norman Stillman
Norman Stillman, Bar-Ilan University
Norman Arthur Stillman, also Noam (נועם, in Hebrew), b. 1945, is an American academic, historian, and Orientalist, serving as the emeritus Schusterman-Josey Professor and emeritus Chair of Judaic Histo ...
, Muhammad found a ''
casus belli
A (; ) is an act or an event that either provokes or is used to justify a war. A ''casus belli'' involves direct offenses or threats against the nation declaring the war, whereas a ' involves offenses or threats against its ally—usually one b ...
'' by claiming to have received a divine revelation that the Banu Nadir were plotting to assassinate him.
[ Stillman, Norman. ''The Jews of Arab Lands: A History and Source Book''. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society of America, 1979. . p. 14.] The
Encyclopaedia of Islam
The ''Encyclopaedia of Islam'' (''EI'') is an encyclopaedia of the academic discipline of Islamic studies published by Brill. It is considered to be the standard reference work in the field of Islamic studies. The first edition was published in ...
, states that through
Muhammad ibn Maslama
Muhammad ibn Maslamah al-Ansari ( ar, محمد بن مسلمة الأنصاري, Muḥammad ibn Maslamah al-Anṣārī; 588 or 591 – 663 or 666) was a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He was known as "The Knight of Allah's Prophet ...
, Muhammad ordered them to leave Medina within ten days. The tribe at first decided to comply, but Abdullah ibn Ubayy, the chief of the Khazraj, persuaded them to resist in their fortresses, promising to send 2,000 men to their aid.
Huyayy ibn Akhtab
Huyayy ibn Akhtab ( ar, حيي بن أخطب; he, חי בן אחיטוב) was a chief of the Banu Nadir, a Jewish tribe of Medina in pre-Islamic Arabia.
Biography Family
His ancestry was Huyayy ibn Akhtab ibn Sa‘yah ibn Tha‘labah ibn ‘Ubay ...
decided to put up resistance, hoping also for help from
Banu Qurayza
The Banu Qurayza ( ar, بنو قريظة, he, בני קוריט'ה; alternate spellings include Quraiza, Qurayzah, Quraytha, and the archaic Koreiza) were a Jewish tribe which lived in northern Arabia, at the oasis of Yathrib (now known as M ...
, despite opposition within the tribe.
Mubrakpuri claims that in this regard, the
Quran
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Classical Arabic, Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation in Islam, revelation from God in Islam, ...
says:
The Banu Nadir regained their confidence and were determined to fight. Their chief Huyai bin Akhtab relied hopefully on what
Abdullah ibn Ubayy
ʿAbd Allāh ibn 'Ubayy ibn Salūl ( ar, عبد الله بن أبي بن سلول), died 631, was a chieftain of the Khazraj tribe of Medina. Upon the arrival of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, Ibn Ubayy seemingly became a Muslim, but Muslim tr ...
said. So he sent a message to Muhammad saying: "We will not leave our houses. Do whatever you like to do."
Analysis
William Montgomery Watt
William Montgomery Watt (14 March 1909 – 24 October 2006) was a Scottish Orientalist, historian, academic and Anglican priest. From 1964 to 1979, he was Professor of Arabic and Islamic studies at the University of Edinburgh.
Watt was one of ...
mentions multiple possible reasons for the expulsion of the Banu Nadir in the foreword of the translation of the seventh volume of al-Tabari's ''
History of the Prophets and Kings
The ''History of the Prophets and Kings'' ( ar, تاريخ الرسل والملوك ''Tārīkh al-Rusul wa al-Mulūk''), more commonly known as ''Tarikh al-Tabari'' () or ''Tarikh-i Tabari'' or ''The History of al-Tabari '' ( fa, تاریخ طب ...
''. First, the underlying reason for the expulsion of the Banu Nadir was the same as that of the
Banu Qaynuqa
The Banu Qaynuqa ( ar, بنو قينقاع; he, בני קינוקאע; also spelled Banu Kainuka, Banu Kaynuka, Banu Qainuqa, Banu Qaynuqa) was one of the three main Jewish tribes living in the 7th century of Medina, now in Saudi Arabia. The grea ...
, namely Jewish criticisms and hostility towards Muhammad and Islam fueling suspicion among ordinary Muslims, keeping in mind that the attack came weeks after the Muslim loss of life in
Al Raji and
Bir Maona Bir Maona also known as Bir Ma'una is a location in Saudi Arabia. The Expedition of Bir Maona took place here where 70 Muslim were killed.MubarakpuriThe sealed nectar: biography of the Noble Prophet pp. 352. It used to be a well at the time Muḥamm ...
. Second, some members of Banu Nadir wanting to kill Muhammad, but Watt suggests that it is possible that this allegations was an excuse to justify the attack, adding that even if true, this was not the fundamental reason for the attack. Third, a chief of Banu Nadir gave information to
Abu Sufyan
Sakhr ibn Harb ibn Umayya ibn Abd Shams ( ar, صخر بن حرب بن أمية بن عبد شمس, Ṣakhr ibn Ḥarb ibn Umayya ibn ʿAbd Shams; ), better known by his '' kunya'' Abu Sufyan ( ar, أبو سفيان, Abū Sufyān), was a prominent ...
during the barley-meal raid in 624.
[, page=xxxv]
Invasion of Banu Nadir
According to
The Sealed Nectar
''Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum'' ( ar, الرحيق المختوم; ), is a seerah book, or biography of the Prophet, which was written by Safiur Rahman Mubarakpuri. This book was awarded first prize by the Muslim World League in a worldwide competitio ...
, the Muslims made the decisive decisions of taking up arms whatever turn the consequences could assume. When the Muhammad received the reply of Huyai bin Akhtab he said: "God is Greatest, God is Greatest." and his Companions repeated after him. Then he set out to fight them after appointing Ibn Umm Maktum to dispose the affairs of Madinah during his absence. The standard was entrusted to ‘Ali bin Abi Talib. He laid siege to their forts for six nights — in another version, fifteen. Banu Nadeer resorted to their castles, mounted them and started shooting arrows and pelting stones at the Muslims enjoying the strategic advantage that their thick fields of palm trees provided. The Muslims were therefore ordered to burn those trees. In this respect, a Quranic Verse was revealed:
:"What you (O Muslims) cut down of the palm-trees (of the enemy), or you left them standing on their stems, it was by leave of Allâh."
Q59:5
50+ translations, islamawakened.com
This incident is also mentioned in the Sahih Bukhari
Sahih al-Bukhari ( ar, صحيح البخاري, translit=Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī), group=note is a ''hadith'' collection and a book of '' sunnah'' compiled by the Persian scholar Muḥammad ibn Ismā‘īl al-Bukhārī (810–870) around 846. Al ...
hadith collection in . Quraizah tribe remained neutral, and ‘Abd-Allah ibn Ubayy as well as Ghatafan failed to keep their promises of support to the Banu Nadir. Mubarakpuri says that Quran 59:16 is related to this. According to the Muslim jurist, Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari
( ar, أبو جعفر محمد بن جرير بن يزيد الطبري), more commonly known as al-Ṭabarī (), was a Muslim historian and scholar from Amol, Tabaristan. Among the most prominent figures of the Islamic Golden Age, al-Tabari i ...
, Abu Salmah gave an ultimatum to the Banu Nadir on the orders of Muhammad. Tabari claims that he (Abu Salmah) said: "Abu Salamah: Hearts have changed, and Islam has wiped out the old covenants" Further historiography regarding the aftermath of the expulsion of Banu Nadhir were transmitted by a witness of the event, sahabah
The Companions of the Prophet ( ar, اَلصَّحَابَةُ; ''aṣ-ṣaḥāba'' meaning "the companions", from the verb meaning "accompany", "keep company with", "associate with") were the disciples and followers of Muhammad who saw or m ...
named Malik ibn Aws ibn Al-Hadathan, who narrated that the spoil divide from Banu Nadir property which confiscated by the Muslims were at first were bestowed completely for the prophet himself, since there are no battle accident during this battle, so the cavalry and the camel riders does not acquire share. Then as the as the whole spoils acquired by Muhammad, he in turn shared all to any whom he choose. Among those chosen by Muhammad for the share were Zubayr ibn al-Awwam
Az Zubayr ( ar, الزبير) is a city in and the capital of Al-Zubair District, part of the Basra Governorate of Iraq. The city is just south of Basra. The name can also refer to the old Emirate of Zubair.
The name is also sometimes written Al ...
and Abu Salamah ibn Abd al-Asad, who both equally acquired a shared property land in al-Buwaylah area from this campaign.
See also
*Muhammad as a general
The military career of Muhammad (''c.'' 570 – 8 June 632), the Islamic prophet, encompasses several expeditions and battles throughout the Hejaz region in the western Arabian Peninsula which took place in the final ten years of his life, from ...
*Muslim–Quraysh War
The Muslim–Quraysh War was the six-year-long military and religious conflict in the Arabian Peninsula between the early Muslims led by Muhammad, and the Arab pagan Quraysh tribe. The conflict started in March 623 with the Battle of Badr, and c ...
*List of expeditions of Muhammad
__NOTOC__
The list of expeditions of Muhammad includes the expeditions undertaken by the Muslim community during the lifetime of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
Some sources use the word ''ghazwa'' and a related plural ''maghazi'' in a narrow techn ...
*Military career of Muhammad
The military career of Muhammad (''c.'' 570 – 8 June 632), the Islamic prophet, encompasses several expeditions and battles throughout the Hejaz region in the western Arabian Peninsula which took place in the final ten years of his life, from ...
Notes
{{coord missing, Saudi Arabia
Campaigns led by Muhammad
625
620s conflicts
Banu Nadir
Muhammad and Judaism