Chapter 48 : Banishment of Banu Nadir Flashcards
Amr Ibn Umayyah Kills 2 Men From Banu Amir
- After The Battle of Uhud, The Prophet marries Zaynab Bint Khuzaymah [ The Widow of Ubaydah Ibn Al Harith ]
- Zaynab is from The Hawazin Clan of Amir and after her marriage to The Prophet The Chief of Zaynab’s Clan [ Banu Amir ], Abu Bara Ibn Malik invites The Prophet to send teachers to his people
- 40 men answer the call but 38 are slaughtered at Ma’unah by a Lower Ranking Chieftain of one of The Local Tribes of The Region by the name of A’mir Ibn Tufyal
- Amr Ibn Umayyah was the only companion who did not die in the massacre
- Upon his release, he is misled to believe that the attack was instigated by Banu Amir and on the way back he tries to avenge the deaths of his companions by killing 2 men from their tribe
- When The Prophet hears the news, he insists that blood money be paid to the innocent victim’s families
Tensions Between The Muslims and Banu Nadir
- Allah has revealed in The Quran the following :-
” You will surely find the most intense of the people in animosity toward The Believers [ To Be] The Jews and those who associate others with Allah and you will find the nearest of them in affection to The Believers those who say ‘ We are Christians “. That is because among them are priests and monks and because they are not arrogant “
Al Quran [ 5 : 82 ]
- The reason there was so much tension between The Muslims and Banu Nadir is as follows :-
1) Banu Nadir could not accept a Gentile as The Final Messenger of God [ It was degrading to them to be subservient to a Non Jew ]
2) Banu Nadir conspired to kill some of The Muslims of Ashab Al Suffa [ Many of whom were learned scholars ]
3) Banu Nadir provided logistical support to Quraysh during The Battle of Uhud
4) The assassination of Ka’b Ibn Al Ashraf [ One of their Chieftains ] fueled their rage
Banu Nadir Attempts To Assassinate The Prophet
- Because Banu Nadir had a preexisting alliance with Banu Amir, The Prophet requests their assistance in paying blood money for the 2 men killed by Amr Ibn Umayyah
- They ostensibly [ Supposedly ] agree to the request and invite him and his companions to dinner at their fortress
- Shortly before entering, The Prophet receives inspiration that his hosts are planning to kill him by dropping a stone on his head
- The Prophet immediately leaves the gathering
- Some narrations indicate that the following verse is a reference to God saving The Prophet from Banu Nadir’s assassination attempt :-
” O you who believe ! Remember the favor of God upon you when a people determined to extend their hand [ In Aggression ] against you but He withheld their hands from you and fear God And upon God let The Believers rely. “
Al Quran [ 5 : 11 ]
The Prophet Sends Muhammad Ibn Maslamah To Banu Nadir
- By assassinating The Prophet, Banu Nadir hoped that this would scatter his companions, send The Muhajireen back to Makkah and help them reestablish alliances with The Aws and The Khazraj from before Islam
- The Prophet sends Muhammad Ibn Maslamah [ He was from The Aws Tribe and therefore a former ally of Banu Nadir ] to tell them that they are banished from Madinah :-
” Muhammad The Messenger of God has sent me to you with the following message. You [ Banu Nadir ] have breached the treaty that I have enacted to you by plotting to assassinate me. The Prophet Muhammad has ordered you to leave the city of Madinah within 10 days. If any of you remain after the expiration of 10 days then you will be executed. “
Abdullah Ibn Ubayy Writes To Huyayy Ibn Akhtab
- After receiving this threat from The Prophet, Banu Nadir began exploring their options
- Abdullah Ibn Ubayy writes to Huyayy Ibn Akhtab encouraging them to stay and fight and promising that he would support them :-
” Do not leave your Fortress. Do not leave behind all your wealth. Stay inside of your Fortress. I have 2,00 Soldiers who can support you. They can enter into your Fortress and act as a Reserve Army for you. And my Soldiers would rather die than have anyone breach you. You have no reason to leave or surrender to Muhammad. You have the support of Banu Qurayza and other Jewish Tribes as well. They will never fail you and will always assist you. Even some of your allies among the Arab Tribes will also support you. “
- The Quran mentions the empty promises of Abdullah Ibn Ubayy :-
” Have you O Prophet not seen The Hypocrites who say to their fellow disbelievers from the People of the Book ‘ If you are expelled, we will certainly leave with you and we will never obey anyone against you. And if you are fought against, we will surely help you ‘ ? But Allah bears witness that they are truly liars “
Al Quran [ 59 : 11 ]
Disunity Among Banu Nadir
- Many Jewish Leaders favoured surrendering and accepting banishment but Huyayy Ibn Akhtab was taken in by Abdullah Ibn Ubayy’s promises
- The Quran mentions the Disunity among the leaders of Banu Nadir :-
” Even united, they would not dare fight against you except from within Fortified Strongholds or from behind walls. Their malice for each other is intense, you think they are united yet their hearts are divided. That is because they are a people with no real understanding. “
Al Quran [ 59 : 14 ]
Huyayy Ibn Akhtab Resists The Prophet
- Huyayy Ibn Akhtab sends his brother to deliver the following message to The Prophet :-
” We will not evacuate our homes nor will we leave behind our wealth so do as you wish. “
The Invasion of Banu Nadir
- When The Prophet received the reply of Huyayy Ibn Akhtab, he set out with The Muslim Army to lay siege to their Fortress
- The Muslim Forces encircled their Fortress and began a 15 day Blockade and Military Attacks
- The Standard was entrusted to Imam Ali
- An arrow shot by a Jew named Azuk hit The Prophet’s Tent, on noticing this, Imam Ali lay in wait for Azuk and ambushed him and brought his head to The Prophet
- The Prophet orders some of the best Date Palm Trees of Banu Nadir to be chopped down
- After days of laying siege to the Fortress of Banu Nadir, they finally surrendered and agree to leave Madinah as The Prophet ordered
- However, now The Prophet makes his terms more severe as now they may not take any weapons with them and each person may only take one Camel Load of their belongings
- The expulsion of Banu Nadir increased the security of Madinah as The Quraysh were counting on them to be their eyes and ears
- Some of The Banu Nadir Leaders who went to Khaybar later became instrumental in instigating The Jews against Madinah in The Battle of Ahzab / Trench / Khandaq /
The Spoils of War
- The Banu Nadir emigrate to Khaybar
- Many of The Aws felt their hearts go out to Banu Nadir for their banishment
- Banu Nadir left behind some weapons but mainly rich Land and Date Orchards
- Since this was acquired without fighting, it is ‘ Fay [ All Properties acquired by Muslims by any means other than war ] ‘ for The Prophet and not Booty hence it was not subjected to Khums
- The Prophet kept some for himself and his family but gave a large part of it to The Muhajireen to reduce their burden on The Ansar
The Quran Regarding The Banishment of Banu Nadir
- The Al Quran mentions the banishment of Banu Nadir :-
” It was He who drove those of The People of The Book who broke faith out from their homes at the first gathering of forces. You [ Believers ] never thought they would go and they themselves thought their fortifications would protect them against God. God came up on them from where they least expected and put panic into their hearts. Their homes were destroyed by their own hands and the hands of The Believers. Learn from this all of you with insight ! Had Allah not decreed exile for them, He would have certainly punished them in this world. And in the Hereafter they will suffer the punishment of the Fire. This is because they defied Allah and His Messenger. And whoever defies Allah then Allah is truly severe in punishment. Whatever palm trees you Believers cut down or left standing intact, it was all by Allah’s Will so that He might disgrace the rebellious. As for the gains Allah has turned over to His Messenger from them, you did not even spur on any horse or camel for such gains. But Allah gives authority to His Messengers over whoever He wills. For Allah is Most Capable of everything. As for gains granted by Allah to His Messenger from the people of other lands, they are for Allah and The Messenger, his close relatives, orphans, the poor, and needy travellers so that wealth may not merely circulate among your rich. Whatever The Messenger gives you, take it. And whatever he forbids you from, leave it. And fear Allah. Surely Allah is severe in punishment. Some of the gains will be for poor emigrants who were driven out of their homes and wealth seeking Allah’s bounty and pleasure and standing up for Allah and His Messenger. They are the ones true in faith. As for those who had settled in the city and embraced the faith before the arrival of The Emigrants, they love whoever immigrates to them never having a desire in their hearts for whatever of the gains is given to The Emigrants. They give The Emigrants preference over themselves even though they may be in need. And whoever is saved from the selfishness of their own souls, it is they who are truly successful. And those who come after them will pray ‘ Our Lord ! Forgive us and our fellow believers who preceded us in faith and do not allow bitterness into our hearts towards those who believe. Our Lord ! Indeed, You are Ever Gracious, Most Merciful ‘. Have you O Prophet not seen The Hypocrites who say to their fellow disbelievers from The People of The Book ‘ If you are expelled, we will certainly leave with you and we will never obey anyone against you. And if you are fought against, we will surely help you ‘ ? But Allah bears witness that they are truly liars. Indeed if they are expelled, The Hypocrites will never leave with them. And if they are fought against, The Hypocrites will never help them. And even if The Hypocrites did so, they would certainly flee then the disbelievers would be left with no help. Indeed, there is more fear in their hearts for you believers than for Allah. That is because they are a people who do not comprehend. Even united, they would not dare fight against you except from within fortified strongholds or from behind walls. Their malice for each other is intense. You think they are united yet their hearts are divided. That is because they are a people with no real understanding. They are both just like those who recently went down before them. They tasted the evil consequences of their doings And they will suffer a painful punishment. They are like Satan when he lures someone to disbelieve. Then after they have done so, he will say [ On Judgment Day ] ‘ I have absolutely nothing to do with you. I truly fear Allah, The Lord of All Worlds ‘. “
Al Quran [ 59 : 2 - 16 ]
