The Expedition of Khaybar

Rights Of Women Restored

Islam had changed the hearts and elevated the minds of the Arabs. The custom which prevailed in the pre-Islamic days of burying female infants alive, so as to save the honor of the family, was not only given up but the daughters came to be so dearly loved that the people vied with one another to lavish their affection on them. All Muslims, men and women, were equal, none-possessing any privilege over another; only he was superior who was better in morals and piety. When the Apostle left Mecca after performing the ‘Umra, the little daughter of Hamza Umama by name, followed him calling “Uncle, Uncle.” Ali took her and bade Fatimah to look after her. Now Zayd and Ja’afar also claimed the guardianship of the child. ‘Ali laid the claim for her since she was the daughter of his uncle. Ja’afar said that she was the daughter of his uncle and her maternal aunt was his wife. Zayd, too, wanted to have the child for all the Muslims were brothers and he could very well look after the daughter of a deceased brother. The matter was brought to the attention of the prophet who decided that the maternal aunt being in the position of the mother of the girl should be given priority and thus the girl was finally entrusted to Ja’afar. To set ‘Ali at ease, the Prophet said, “You are mine and I am yours.” He reassured Ja’afar by saying; “You resemble me in your looks and conduct.” Zayd was also comforted with words, “You are my brother and client.”2

Footnotes:

1. Bukhari, Chap. Kitab-ul-Maghazi

The Missed Pilgrimage

The following year, in 7 A.H., the Apostle and his followers took the road to Mecca for performing the lesser pilgrimage missed by them earlier. The Quraish thought it best to lock their house and retire to the heights of Jabl Qa’yqa’an overlooking the valley.1 The Apostle stayed for three days in the holy city and made the circuit of the holy house. Referring to the joyous event, the Qur’an says:

“Allah hath fulfilled the vision2 for his Messenger in very truth. Ye shall indeed enter the Inviolable Place of Worship, if Allah will, secure, (having your hair) shaven and cut, not fearing. But He knoweth that which ye know not, and hath given you a near victory beforehand.” (Qur’an 48:27)

Footnotes:

1. Bukahri, Chap. ‘Umratul Qada.
2. The Prophet had a vision that he was entering the Sanctuary at Mecca in peace and safety.

Largeheartedness Of The Muhajirin

The Ansar of Medina had shared their possessions with the emigrants when they had come from Mecca. Now, well provided with the spoils of Khaybar, the Muhajirin returned the property shared earlier by their Ansar brethren. Umm Sulaym, the mother of Anas B. Malik, had presented a few date-palm trees to the Apostle, who had given out these to his freed slave-woman Umm Ayman. After the Apostle got the groves of Fadak, he returned the date-palm trees of Umm Sulaym and compensated Umm Ayman with ten trees of Fadak for every date palm given earlier to her.2

The Apostle sent forth a number of raiding parties under eminent companions against some of the contumacious desert tribes. Some of these detachments had to put up a fight against them while others returned without any contest.3

Footnotes:

1. Ibid
2. Zad al-Ma’ad, Vol. I, pp. 409-410

The Spoils Of Khaybar

Having finished with Khaybar, the Prophet directed his attention to Fadak,1 which was the principal town, fertile and populous, in the northern part of Hijaz, with strong fortifications.2 The Jews of Fadak sent an offer of peace to the Apostle, on the condition that they should be allowed to keep half of their produce. The Apostle who used to spend the income from Fadak on the welfare of the Muslims accepted the terms.3

The Apostle then moved on with the army to the Wadi’l Qura,4 a colony founded by the Jews during the pre-Islamic period. Lying midway between Khaybar and Taima, it had become a flourishing town with the settlement of a number of Arab tribes in it. The Apostle invited the Arabs of Wadi Al-Qura to accept Islam. He told them that if they acceded to Islam, their life and property would be safe and they would have a goodly return from the Lord.

The Jews decided to fight, but the heroic assault led by Zubayr B. al-‘Awwam made them surrender that very next day. A great deal of property fell into the hands of the Muslims. The Prophet distributed the spoils among his troops but left the groves of date palm to the Jews.

When the Jews of Taima5 learnt about the fall of Khaybar, Fadak and Wadil-Qura and the terms on which they had made peace with the Apostle, they hastened to send him an offer of peace. The Prophet accepted their proposal and allowed them to retain the possession of their land and property. Thereafter the Apostle returned to Medina.6

Footnotes:

1. The population of Fadak consisted of the Jews belonging to Bani Murrah and Bani S’ad b. Bakr (Nihayatul ‘Arab, Vol XVII, p. 209).
2. Ibn Hisham, Vol. II, p. 368.
3. Ibid
4. Wadi-Qura was valley with large number of village and towns, populated by Arab and Jewish tribes. It had a fertile land with numerous wells and springs.
5. Taima is further away from Wadi-Qura in the north near the confined of Syria. The noted Jewish poet, Sama’al b. ‘Adiya lived here in a castle called al-Ablaq al-Fard
6. Zad al-Ma’ad, Vol. I, p 405

Effect Of The Conquest Of Khaybar

The glorious victory won by the Muslims at Khaybar was of far-reaching importance, especially for the tribes, which still had not accepted Islam. They were aware of the wealth and prowess of the Jews of Khaybar, their impregnable strongholds and valor of the well-known warriors like Marhab and Harith Abi Zaynab. They deemed its capture to be virtually impossible but their estimate of the nascent power of Medina had proved to be futile enough. They now knew that the Muslims’ arms were irresistible.

Discussing the effect of the victory gained at Khaybar on the subsequent history of Islam, Dr. Israel Welphenson says:

“There is not the least doubt that the conquest of Khaybar occupies an important place in the history of the subsequent conquests of Islam. All the Arab tribes were anxiously watching for the outcome of the saber rattling between the Ansar and the Jews. The enemies of the Prophet spread over many cities and the desert had pinned their hopes upon this battle.”1

Footnotes:

1. Al-Yahud fi Balad il-‘Arab, p. 162

Another Jewish Conspiracy

It was during the Khaybar expedition that an attempt was made to poison the Apostle. Zaynab bint al-Harith, the wife of Salam B. Mishkam presented a roasted kid to the Apostle, having first inquired what joint he preferred. Recognizing that the Apostle relished the shoulder, she put a lot of poison in it and brought it to him. The Prophet tasted a morsel and quickly threw it out for he immediately realized that it was poisoned.

The Apostle summoned the Jews and inquired from them, “will you be truthful, if I ask something from you?” They said, “yes”. The Apostle again asked them, “Did you poison the kid?” When they again replied in the affirmative, the apostle inquired what had made them to do that. They replied, “We thought that if you were a pretender, we would get rid of you but if you were really a prophet, the poison would be ineffective.” Zaynab bint Al-Harith was then produced before the Apostle. She confessed her guilt, saying, “I wanted to kill you.” The Prophet replied, “God would not allow you to gain power over me.” Some of the companions asked permission to punish the woman for her crime, but the Apostle forbade them. Zainab was set free, but when Bishr B. Al-Bara who had taken the roasted lamb with the Apostle died a painful death, Zaynab was slain.1

Footnotes:

1. Bukhari

Arrival Of Ja’afar B. Abi Talib

Ja’afar B. Abi Talib, the cousin of the Apostle and other emigrants returned from Abyssinia while the Prophet was still in Khaybar. The Apostle was so pleased to see him that he kissed the forehead of Ja’afar and said, “By God, I don’t know which gives me the greater pleasure – the conquest of Khaybar or the arrival of Ja’afar!”1

Footnotes:

1. Zad al-Ma’ad, Vol. I, p. 397

Religious Tolerance

The booty carried off by the Muslims in the battle of Khaybar included not few copies of the Jewish scripture. The Jews requested the Prophet for their retrieval to which the prophet acceded and ordered that they should be given back to them.1

A Jewish scholar, Dr. Israel Welphenson, reviewing the conquest of Khaybar, refers to the magnanimous treatment of the Apostle towards the Jews in these words:

“The event shows what a high regard the Prophet had for their scriptures. His tolerant and considerate behavior impressed the Jews who could never forget that the Prophet did nothing which trifled with their sacred scriptures. The Jews knew how the Romans had, when they captured Jerusalem in 70 B.C., burnt their scriptures and trampled them underfoot. The fanatic Christians persecuting the Jews in Spain had likewise consigned their scriptures to fire. This is the great difference we find between these conquerors and the Prophet of Islam.”2

Footnotes:

1. Tarikh al-Khamis, Vol. II, p. 60
2. Al-Yahud fi balad il’Arab, p. 170

Devoid Of Ulterior Motives: “I Did Not Come To You For It”

A Bedouin came to the Apostle and after accepting Islam expressed his wish to accompany him in the expedition. The Apostle asked some of his companions to take care of him and settle his needs. When the Muslims captured one of the forts and won a large booty, the man had taken out a herd of cattle for grazing. The spoil was distributed among the combatants and the share of the Bedouin was also apportioned. When he was given his share, he took it to the Apostle and asked, “What is it?” The Apostle explained that it was his share of the booty of war, but he said, “I didn’t come to you for it.” Then pointing to his throat he continued, “I followed you in the hope tat I would be hit by an arrow here and would go to paradise.” The Apostle replied, “If you desire it so, God will do likewise.”

Then, in a subsequent battle at Khaybar the dead body of the Bedouin was among those killed in the encounter. The Apostle asked, “Is it the same man?” When the companions replied in the affirmative, the Apostle remarked, “He was true to God and God made his wish come true.” The Apostle shrouded his corpse with his own mantle and recited the funeral service for him. Thereafter, he said, “O Allah, thy servant had come to migrate in Thy way and was killed for Thy sake. I bear witness to it.” 1

The people of Khaybar were beleaguered in their forts, which began to fall one by one. The Jews, unable to stand the siege any longer, asked for a peace pact. The Apostle wanted to displace the Jews from Khaybar, but they requested him to be allowed to live in their homes and to cultivate the fields. They pleaded that they were better farmers and knew more about it than others. The Apostle did not want his companions to till the soil since it would have required them to settle there and lay themselves out in farming. He, therefore, allowed the Jews to retain their farmhouses on the condition that the Muslims would get half of the produce of their fields and groves. Another condition imposed was that the agreement could be abrogated unilaterally by the Apostle.2

The Apostle delegated the production sharing to ‘Abdullah B. Rawaha who used to divide the produce into two equal parts, and then ask the Jews to choose one of them. The Jews often remarked on his even-handed justice: “This is on which stand the heavens and the earth.”3

Footnotes:

1. Zad al-Ma’ad, Vol. I, p. 394
2. Zad al-Ma’ad, Vol. I, pp. 394-95. For details see Sinan Abu Dawud
3. Baladhuri: Futuh-ul-Buldan, Leiden, 1886, p. 34

An Easy Reward

The slave of Khaybar had been hired to watch over the flocks of his master. When he saw the Jews taking up arms in order to give Muslims a fight, he asked, “What for do you go?” The Jews replied that they were going to fight the man who had laid a claim to prophethood. The slave’s curiosity brought him to the prophet whom he asked. The Apostle replied, “I call you to Islam, that is, you bear witness that there is no deity save God and that I am the Apostle of God, and you serve not ought except God.”

“If I bear witness as you say,” Inquired the slave, “and have faith in God, what shall I get in return?”

The Apostle replied, “If you die with faith, you will enter paradise.”

The slave accepted Islam and then asked the Apostle. “What should I do with this flock? I hold it in trust.”

The Apostle told him to abandon the goats in the field near the fort and God would cause them to reach their owner. The man did as he had been told and the goats did found their way back to their master. The Jew also came to know that his slave has gone over to the fold of the Muslims.

Before the encounter started between the Muslims and the Jews, the Prophet urged his men to fight for the sake of God. The slave also advanced with the Muslims and was killed in the battlefield. When the Muslims brought his dead body, the Apostle cast a glance at him and turning to his companions, said, “Allah blessed this man and brought him to Khaybar. I saw two hours standing by his side although he never prostrated to God.”1

Footnotes:

1. Zad al-Ma’ad, Vol. I, p. 393

‘ali Faces The Jewish Warrior

When ‘Ali came near the fort, Marhab, the Jew came out on his horse protected by armor and shield, reciting a poem about his valor. ‘Ali dashed out Marhab and both fell upon each other swinging their scimitars. ‘Ali’s sword was first plunged into Marhab running through his helmet and head until his face was divided into two equal parts. ‘Ali was at last successful in reducing the fort.1

Muhammad B. Maslama fought bravely at Khaybar and killed a number of well-known Jewish warriors.

Footnote:

1. The encounter between ‘Ali and marhabah has been reported by different persons – some say they fought for the fort of Na’im while other relate it connection with the forth of Qamus. Bukhari has given different portions of the story but has not mentioned the name forth. Ibn Hisham relates that Marhab killed by Muhammad B. Maslama but report in the Sahi Muslim mentions ‘Ali while some verse by ‘Ali leave no doubt that he fought and killed Marhab. (Muslim, Kitab-ul-Jihad, tradition No. 1807).

The Victorious Commander

The Apostle came at the fortresses and started overpowering them one by one. Marhab, the well-known Jewish warlord, held one of these citadels. It was a fortified stronghold at which the initial drives did not meet with success while ‘Ali was suffering from ophthalmic. After a few unsuccessful charges, the Apostle said, “tomorrow I will give the flag to a man who loves Allah and His Apostle and he will conquer the fort.” Every companion waited in suspense, hoping to be given the emblem. The Apostle summoned ‘Ali, blew Ali’s eyes with his saliva and prayed for his success. The eyes of ‘Ali were cured in due time after which he was then given the insignia1 and told to fight the Jews until he prevailed over them. The Prophet said to ‘Ali, “Go ahead and encompass them. First invite them to accept Islam and explain the obligations they owe to God. I swear to God that even if only one man is guided to the right path trough you, this would be better for you than the red camels.2

Footnotes:

1. Bukhari and Muslim, Chap. Gawah Khaybar
2. Bukhari , Chap. Gawah Khaybar, Muslim, Nasa’i

The Apostle Leads The Army

After his return from Hudaybia, the Apostle stayed in Medina during Dhul-Hijja and a part of the month of Muharram. Thereafter he marched off Khaybar.

One of the companions of the Prophet by the name of ‘Amr B. al-Akhw’a, accompanied the Apostle on this expedition. He recited the verses given here while he rode with the army.

“We’d have not been guided, but for Allah, nor given alms, nor chanted Gloria, We are the people, when attacked or treated unjustly, we resist.

Send down Sakinah upon us, Against the enemy make us firm.1

The combatants who marched against Khaybar numbered 1,400 including 200 cavalry, and all those who had lagged behind on the occasion of Hudaybia were refused permission to on this expedition. Twenty women also went along with the force so as to look after the sick and the wounded as well as to prepare food for the men.

The Apostle halted at Raj’I, a wadi between Khaybar and the Ghatfan so as to cut the communications between the two allies. The Jews had other confederate tribes as well but the Prophet’s stoppage at Raj’i forced all of them to remain in their home instead of trying to reinforce the Jews. The road to Khaybar was thus left open to the Apostle.

The Apostle ordered to procure food for the army but nothing except parched corn was available.2 When the Apostle approached Khaybar, he raised his hand to invoke and pray to God for the conquest of the colony and sought the Lord’s refuge from the evil of its people. The Apostle never took the offensive during the night but delayed it till the crack of dawn and if the call for prayer was given, he first performed it. Here, too, he endured the night and ordered to march ahead before the call for prayer was given. The Muslims met the workers of Khaybar coming out with spades and basket. As soon as they saw the Apostle and the army, they turned on their heels shouting, “Muhammad and his force.” The Apostle said, “God is Great. Khaybar is destroyed. When we fall upon a people the morning is bad for those who have already been warned.”3

Footnotes:

1. Ibn Kathir, Vol. III, pp. 344-45, Muslim, Chap. Gazwah Khaybar
2. Ibn Kathir, Vol. III, pp. 344-46, Muslim, Chap. Gazwah Khaybar
3. Ibn Hisham, Vol. III, pp. 229-30

The Divine Reward

Allah had promised a great reward to all those who had, at Hudaybia, sworn allegiance to the Apostle which was known as Bey’at Rizwan or the oath of Paradise. Having submitted to the will of God and His Apostle in that hour of crisis, Allah foretold them of the coming victory as well as the booty they were to win shortly.

“Allah was well pleased with the believers when they swore allegiance unto thee beneath the tree, and He knew what was in their hearts, and He sent down peace of reassurance on them, and hath rewarded them with a near victory. And much booty that they will capture. Allah is ever Mighty, Wise.” (Qur’an 48:18-19)

The Conquest of Khaybar was to serve as a prelude to the subsequent victories that followed in its path. Khaybar was a Jewish colony1 comprising several citadels, some of which were built on the tops of hills and were virtually impregnable. It was, thus, the last but formidable Jewish stronghold in Arabia. Anxious to punish the Muslims for what had happened on their brothers in Medina, the Jews of Khaybar were willing to spend their wealth for stirring up the neighboring Arab tribes to wage war against the Prophet. At the time when the expedition to Khaybar was undertaken, the Jews of the place were in league with the tribe of Ghatfan with whom they were hatching up a plot against the Muslims.2 The Prophet had thus a reason to act against the Jews of Khaybar. He decided that the time had come to get rid of their intrigues once and for all so that he might be able to divert his attention to other pressing matters. Khaybar was situated at a distance of 112-Km northeast of Medina.

Footnotes:

1. The forts of Na’im, Qamus and Ash-Shiqq were some of the famous forts of Khaybar. Yaqubi says that Khaybar then had 25, 000 able-bodied warriors. (Vol. 2, p. 56, cited from Mujib Ullah Nadwi, Sahabah was Tabi’yin, Azamgarh).
2. With the Jews straining every nerve to bring about the destruction of Muslims, as Montgomery Watt says in his book, Muhammad – Prophet and Stateman (p. 189), the action against Khaybar could not have been posponed any longer. Montgomery writes: The Jews of Khaybar, especially the leaders of the clan of an-Nadir exiled from Madina, were still incensed at Muhammad. They made lavish, though no doubt judicious, use of their wealth to induce the neighbouring ward reason for attacking Khaybar.