Usayr ibn Zarim (C. 587 – 631) was the war chief of 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 ...

, who succeeded

Abu al-Rafi ibn Abu al-Huqayq Abu al-Rafi ibn Abu al-Huqayq was a chieftain of the Jewish tribes of the Khaybar oasis. When Al-Huqayq approached neighbouring tribes to raise an army to attack Muslims, they assassinated him, aided by an Arab who spoke a Jewish dialect. His neph ...

upon his death. It has been recorded by one source that Usayr also approached the

Ghatafan The Ghaṭafān ( ar, غطفان) were an Arab tribal confederation originally based northeast of Medina. The main branches of the Ghatafan were the tribes of Banu Abs, Banu Dhubyan and Ashja'. They were one of the Arab tribes that interacted wi ...

and rumors spread that he intended to attack the "capital of

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mo ...

". The latter sent Abdullah bin Rawaha with a number of his companions, among whom were Abdullah bin Unays, an ally of Banu Salima, a clan hostile to the

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

. When they came to him they spoke to him and treated him saying that if he would come to Muhammad he would give him an appointment and negotiate. They kept on at him until he went with them with a number of Jews. Abdullah bin Unays mounted him on his beast until when he was in al-Qarqara, about six miles from

Khaybar KhaybarOther standardized Arabic transliterations: / . Anglicized pronunciation: , . ( ar, خَيْبَر, ) is an oasis situated some north of the city of Medina in the Medina Province of Saudi Arabia. Prior to the rise of Islam in the 7th ...

, Usayr changed his mind about going with them. Abdullah perceived his intention as he was preparing to draw his sword so he rushed at him and struck him with his sword cutting off his leg. Usayr hit him with a stick of shauhat wood which he had in his hand and wounded his head. All Muhammad's emissaries fell upon the thirty Jewish companions and killed them except one man who escaped on his feet. Abdullah bin Unays is the assassin who volunteered and got permission to kill Banu Nadir's

Sallam ibn Abu al-Huqayq Salām bin Abī 'l-Huqayq or Abu Rafi () was a Jewish poet of early 7th century Arabia who financed and assisted the Pagan tribes who were fighting Muhammad and his followers, the muslims. He was killed in the Expedition of 'Abdullah ibn 'Atik. H ...

at a previous night mission in Khaybar. Muhammad was said to have stated that "There will be no peace until they are chastened, for they are always plotting against the cause of Islam. There is no way to reach an agreement with them by way of compromise or friendly accord, since they do not keep their word. They will continue to pose a danger to Islam, and defensive strategy will not serve as a deterrent in this case."

References

Assassinated military personnel Assassinated Jews Banu Nadir 7th-century Arabian Jews Year of birth uncertain 631 deaths Opponents of Muhammad {{Judaism-bio-stub