Le Massacre des Banu Qurayza

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Selon les sources islamiques traditionnelles, en 627 après J.-C., à la suite de la Bataille de la Tranchée et de la trahison des Musulmans par la tribu juive des Banu Qurayza, les Musulmans, sous le commandement militaire direct du prophète Muhammad, ont assiégé le camp des Banu Qurayza. Après un siège d'environ 2 semaines, selon les sources, les Juifs des Banu Qurayza se sont rendus et ont confié leur sort à un intermédiaire de confiance des Musulmans de la tribu des 'Aws, Sa'd ibn Mu'adh. Cependant, Sa'd ibn Mu'adh, affirmant suivre la loi de la Torah elle-même, a conseillé à Muhammad de massacrer les hommes de la tribu et de vendre les femmes et les enfants comme esclaves. Muhammad a suivi ce conseil et, par conséquent, entre 400 et 900 prisonniers de la tribu, incluant des enfants montrant des signes de puberté, ont été abattus, beaucoup devant leur famille, et le reste de la tribu a été vendu en esclavage. L'événement est bien attesté dans la tradition historique islamique et a servi de base à de multiples décisions tout au long de l'histoire concernant le traitement des non-Musulmans capturés par les forces militaires Musulmanes.

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Détail d'une peinture miniature : Le Prophète, Ali, et ses compagnons lors du massacre des prisonniers de la tribu Juive des Banu Qurayza, illustration d'un texte du XIXe siècle de Muhammad Rafi Bazil.

Contexte

Selon ibn Ishaq, les raids agressifs constants et la propension à la guerre de Muhammad avaient poussé les Mecquois, en alliance avec les tribus juives que Muhammad avait expulsées de Yathrib et la tribu arabe du nord, les Ghatafan, à mettre fin à ce prédicateur et à son mouvement une fois pour toutes. Les trois tribus juives originelles de Médine, les Banu Nadir, les Banu Qaynuqa et les Banu Qurayza, avaient vu leur nombre diminuer à une seule car Muhammad avait expulsé les Banu Nadir et les Banu Qaynuqa de Médine pour des prétextes différents. Pendant ce temps, leurs biens, y compris leurs précieux palmiers, avaient été saisis par Muhammad et les Musulmans. Avec les Mecquois et les Ghatafan, les tribus juives exilées de Médine avaient formé une alliance et rassemblé une armée dont les effectifs sont donnés dans la Sira comme étant d'environ 10 000 hommes, dont plus de 600 cavaliers montés, contre très peu de cavalerie pour les Musulmans, et 7 000 hommes plus puissants que l'armée qui avait vaincu Muhammad et les Musulmans à Uhud. A cette époque, Muhammad ne pouvait compter que sur une force d'environ 3 000 hommes. Muhammad a reçu la nouvelle de leur avance et a commencé à prendre des dispositions. Un compagnon perse du Prophète nommé Salman, apparemment un vétéran des nombreuses guerres opposant les Sassanides face aux Romains, a conseillé que lorsqu'on était confronté à un grand nombre de cavaliers ennemis comme ceux que possédaient les Juifs confédérés et les Mecquois, une bonne stratégie était de creuser une tranchée défensive. Il a été décidé de poursuivre cette stratégie [1]. Les Banu Qurayza n’ont pas fourni d'hommes pour aider, mais ont donné des outils de retranchement et la stratégie des Musulmans a reposé sur les Banu Qurayza, dont le fort se trouvait à l'arrière des défenses Musulmanes, ne rompant pas leur alliance avec Muhammad et ne se joignant pas aux confédérés. La stratégie de la tranchée a fonctionné pour remporter la bataille contre les Mecquois et leurs alliés, et les confédérés ont été repoussés sans beaucoup de pertes pour les Musulmans, mais cela n’a pas mis fin aux combats.

Le récit selon la Sira

La série d'événements menant à la destruction des Banu Qurayza a commencé lors de la Bataille de la Tranchée. Incapables de briser les défenses des Musulmans Médinois, les Mecquois ont envoyé un émissaire de leurs alliés juifs, "l'ennemi d'Allah, Huyayy ibn Akhtab An-Nadri" [2], aux Banu Qurayza dans le but de solliciter leur aide et de mettre fin à l'impasse en attaquant Muhammad et les Musulmans à l'arrière de leurs défenses. Selon Ibn Ishaq, initialement, le chef des Banu Qurayza, Ka'b ibn Asad al-Qurayzi, n’a même pas permis à Huyayy ibn Akhtab d'entrer dans le camp, mais a été incité à le faire suite à l'accusation de Huyayy selon laquelle ibn Ka'b ne voulait pas partager sa nourriture. Ibn Ishaq ne précise pas comment il sait cela, mais il affirme que la négociation a échoué en raison de l'insistance des Qurayza pour que les Mecquois offrent des otages afin de garantir qu'ils ne quitteraient pas le champ de bataille tant que Muhammad ne serait pas vaincu (bien qu'ils ont effectivement quitté le champ sans avoir vaincu Muhammad). Selon Ibn Ishaq, les Banu Qurayza, après de nombreux "plaidoyers", ont seulement accepté de ne pas aider les Musulmans ni d’entraver ou de combattre les confédérés. Ibn Ishaq présente comme preuve de la perfidie des Banu Qurayza une chaîne d'Isnad de Yahya ibn ‘Abbaad ibn ‘Abdullah ibn Az-Zubayr avec une histoire selon laquelle une femme musulmane, Safiyah bint ‘AbdulMuttalib, qui a vu un éclaireur juif des Banu Qurayza reconnaître une fortification musulmane se préparer à une attaque. Elle en a informé le commandant du fort, Hassan, et lui a demandé de tuer l'éclaireur, et lorsqu'il a refusé, elle a pris un gourdin et est allé battre l'homme à mort[3]. En dehors de cela, Ibn Ishaq ne présente aucune preuve que les Juifs des Banu Qurayza étaient de mèche avec les confédérés. Cependant, il relate qu'Allah a "semé la discorde" entre les confédérés et les Banu Qurayza, ce qui a conduit les Mecquois à battre en retraite sans avoir vaincu Muhammad ou a mené une attaque coordonnée contre les Musulmans avec les Banu Qurayza.[4]

La Bataille de la Tranchée étant remportée, Muhammad et ses hommes ont déposé leurs armes et outils de retranchement pour rentrer chez eux. Cependant, selon la Sira, Allah avait d'autres plans. L'ange Jibril est apparu à Muhammad juste après qu'il ait déposé son arme et l’a informé que la bataille n'était pas encore terminée car il fallait s’occuper du cas des Juifs des Banu Qurayza en raison de leur trahison mentionnée ci-dessus. Muhammad a informé ses hommes qu'ils ne devaient pas faire la prière de Asr avant d'atteindre le camp des Banu Qurayza, ce qui signifiait qu'il voulait qu'ils s'y rendent rapidement. Les Musulmans ont assiégé le camp pendant des périodes de durées différentes selon la source (Ibn Ishaq affirme 25 jours avant que "Allah ne jette la terreur dans leurs cœurs"). Les Banu Qurayza ont reçu l’ordre de se rendre et d'accepter l'Islam, ce qu'ils ont juré de ne jamais faire. Désespérés de leur situation, selon Ibn Ishaq, ils ont discuté de trois options : accepter l'Islam, tuer leurs femmes et leurs enfants et se lancer dans une attaque de style banzaï contre les forces musulmanes numériquement supérieures (peut-être que les commentateurs modernes l’ont ajoutée en émulation de leurs prédécesseurs religieux à Massada en Palestine), ou s’engager dans une attaque sournoise le jour du sabbat Juif. Les Juifs des Banu Qurayza ont trouvé inacceptables les options proposées.

Incapables de prendre une décision et assiégés pendant des semaines, les Banu Qurayza ont demandé à parler à Abu Lubaba, un homme de la tribu des 'Aws, leurs alliés. Abu Lubaba, interrogé sur ce que les Banu Qurayza devaient faire, leur a conseillé de se rendre au Prophète, mais en même temps il a levé la main vers son cou, indiquant qu'ils seraient massacrés [5]. Après son départ, il a estimé que son action de révéler aux Banu Qurayza leur destin était une trahison envers le Prophète, et il s’est attaché à un pilier pour demander le pardon d'Allah, un acte que Muhammad a approuvé. Malgré cet avertissement, les Banu Qurayza se sont rendus aux Musulmans le jour suivant [6].

La tribu des 'Aws, alliée des Banu Qurayza au temps de la jahiliyyah, a demandé miséricorde pour eux auprès du Prophète. Le Prophète, ne voulant pas causer de dissension dans ses rangs (les serments et les alliances de loyauté étaient très importants dans la société tribale arabe, car en l'absence de tribunaux et de gouvernements établis, la seule garantie de sécurité et de justice qui pouvait être obtenue était la promesse de protection des alliés en cas de meurtre, de querelles familiales ou de guerre), a confié le sort des Banu Qurayza à un ancien cheikh de confiance des 'Aws, Sa‘d ibn Mu‘adh, qui avait été mortellement blessé pendant la bataille et est mort peu de temps après le massacre des Banu Qurayza. Une fois que Sa'd ibn Mu'adh s’est assuré que les Banu Qurayza et le Prophète respecteraient son jugement, quel qu'il soit, il l’a donné sans hésitation : les hommes des Banu Qurayza devaient être exécutés jusqu'au dernier, tandis que les femmes et les enfants devaient être vendus comme esclaves. Sa'd ibn Mu‘adh a justifié cette décision en déclarant qu’elle provenait de la Torah des Juifs. Ibn Ishaq ne cite pas le verset et le chapitre de la Bible, mais cela est généralement pris comme une référence au livre du Deutéronome 20:12-14.

וְאִם  לֹ֤א  תַשְׁלִים֙ עִמָּ֔ךְ  וְעָשְׂתָ֥ה  עִמְּךָ֖ מִלְחָמָ֑ה  וְצַרְתָּ֖  עָלֶֽיהָ וּנְתָנָ֛הּ  יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ  בְּיָדֶ֑ךָ  וְהִכִּיתָ֥ אֶת  כָּל  זְכוּרָ֖הּ לְפִי  חָֽרֶב  רַ֣ק  הַ֠נָּשִׁים  וְהַטַּ֨ף וְהַבְּהֵמָ֜ה  וְכֹל֩  אֲשֶׁ֨ר יִהְיֶ֥ה  בָעִ֛יר  כָּל־  שְׁלָלָ֖הּ  תָּבֹ֣ז לָ֑ךְ  וְאָֽכַלְתָּ֙  אֶת  שְׁלַ֣ל  אֹיְבֶ֔יךָ אֲשֶׁ֥ר  נָתַ֛ן  יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ  לָֽךְ
Si elle n'accepte pas la paix avec toi et qu'elle veuille te faire la guerre, alors tu l'assiégeras. Et après que l'Éternel, ton Dieu, l'aura livrée entre tes mains, tu en feras passer tous les mâles au fil de l'épée. Mais tu prendras pour toi les femmes, les enfants, le bétail, tout ce qui sera dans la ville, tout son butin, et tu mangeras les dépouilles de tes ennemis que l'Éternel, ton Dieu, t'aura livrés.
Deutéronome 20:12-14

Bien que les Musulmans modernes citent ce verset pour justifier le verdict de Mu'adh, il convient de noter que ni la tradition Juive ni la tradition Chrétienne ne comprennent ce verset comme une règle générale pour la guerre, mais plutôt comme un commandement spécifique aux Juifs sous le commandement de Josué qui combattaient les peuples païens de la Terre Sainte. Il n'a généralement pas été utilisé par l'une ou l'autre religion pour justifier le genre de massacre qui a eu lieu à Médine dans d'autres contextes historiques.

Les prisonniers ainsi condamnés ont été gardés dans la maison ou le campement d'une femme musulmane d’Al-Harith de la tribu des Banu Najjar. Le matin, ils ont été conduits vers une tranchée qui avait été creusée dans le marché de la ville, et exécutés par décapitation [7] . Selon la Sira d'Ibn Ishaq, une femme était parmi eux. Les autres femmes et les enfants ont été donnés comme esclaves sexuels et de travail aux Musulmans, seuls les garçons qui n'avaient pas encore atteint la puberté ont été autorisés à vivre. Selon la Sira, le butin en armes et en pillages était substantiel, mais Muhammad a quand même envoyé des femmes et des enfants pour être vendus au Najd afin d’obtenir plus de chevaux et d'armes [8]. Comme c'était la coutume, Muhammad a reçu sa part du butin, y compris sa part des femmes, notamment une belle Juive nommée Rayhana dont le mari avait été décapité. Le reste a été distribué à tous les autres Musulmans, un Musulman à cheval recevant trois fois le butin d'un fantassin [9].

Les récits selon le tafsir

The famed mufassir ibn Kathir, drawing upon his own sources as well as many other classical commentators, in his commentary on sura 33 Al-Ahzab الأحزاب  "The Confederates" reaffirms many of the pertinent details from the sira narrative. In particular, ibn Kathir reads into the Quran's denouncement of the people of the book the perfidious Jews of the tribe of Banu Qurayzah and their betrayal of the prophet:

وَلِهَذَا قَالَ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَأَنزلَ الَّذِينَ ظَاهَرُوهُمْ﴾ أَيْ: عَاوَنُوا الْأَحْزَابَ وَسَاعَدُوهُمْ عَلَى حَرْبِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ ﴿مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ﴾ يَعْنِي: بَنِي قُرَيْظَةَ مِنَ الْيَهُودِ، مِنْ بَعْضِ أَسْبَاطِ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ، كَانَ قَدْ نَزَلَ آبَاؤُهُمُ الْحِجَازَ قَدِيمًا، طَمَعًا فِي اتِّبَاعِ النَّبِيَّ الْأُمِّيَّ الذِي يَجِدُونَهُ مَكْتُوبًا عِنْدَهُمْ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ وَالْإِنْجِيلِ، ﴿فَلَمَّا جَاءَهُمْ مَا عَرَفُوا كَفَرُوا بِه﴾ [الْبَقَرَةِ: ٨٩] ، فَعَلَيْهِمْ لَعْنَةُ اللَّهِ.

For thus the most-High said "Those how had backed them (the confederates) came down" meaning: they assisted the confederates and helped them to make war on the Apostle of God (sala allah 'aleyhi wasallam). "From the people of

the book" that is to say the Banu Qurayza of the Jews, descendants of the sons of Israel, who had come down to the Hijaz in olden times, doing so (aiding the Meccans) greedily against the followers of the illiterate prophet (Muhammad) whom they found written about in the Torah and the Gospel "when he came to them they did not know him and disbelieved in him" (surah al-baqarah 89)
Tafsir of ibn Kathir Qur'an Surah 33

He refers here to Surah 33:

And He brought those of the People of the Scripture who supported them down from their strongholds, and cast panic into their hearts. Some ye slew and ye made captive some. And He caused you to inherit their land and their houses and their wealth, and land ye have not trodden. Allah is Able to do all things

ibn Kathir confirms that it was the angels themselves who implored Muhammad not to stop fighting:

وَرَجَعَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ مُؤَيَّدًا مَنْصُورًا، وَوَضَعَ النَّاسُ السِّلَاحَ. فَبَيْنَمَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَغْتَسِلُ(٤) مِنْ وَعْثَاءِ تِلْكَ الْمُرَابَطَةِ فِي بَيْتِ أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ

إِذْ تَبَدَّى لَهُ جِبْرِيلُ مُعْتَجِرًا بِعِمَامَةٍ مِنْ إِسْتَبْرَقٍ، عَلَى بَغْلَةٍ عَلَيْهَا قَطِيفَةٌ [مِنْ](٥) دِيبَاجٍ، فَقَالَ: أوضَعت السِّلَاحَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ؟ قَالَ: "نَعَمْ". قَالَ: لَكِنَّ الْمَلَائِكَةَ لَمْ تَضَعْ أَسْلِحَتَهَا، وَهَذَا الْآنَ رُجُوعِي مِنْ طَلَبِ الْقَوْمِ. ثُمَّ قَالَ: إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُكَ أَنْ تَنْهَضَ إِلَى بَنِي قُرَيْظَةَ. وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ فَقَالَ لَهُ: عذيرَك مِنْ مُقَاتِلٍ، أَوَضَعْتُمُ السِّلَاحَ؟ قَالَ: "نَعَمْ". قَالَ: لَكِنَّا لَمْ نَضَعْ أَسْلِحَتَنَا بَعْدُ، انْهَضْ إِلَى هَؤُلَاءِ. قَالَ: "أَيْنَ؟ ". قَالَ: بَنِي قُرَيْظَةَ، فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ أَمَرَنِي أَنْ أُزَلْزِلَ عَلَيْهِمْ. فَنَهَضَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ مِنْ فَوْرِهِ، وَأَمَرَ النَّاسَ بِالْمَسِيرِ إِلَى بَنِي قُرَيْظَةَ، وَكَانَتْ عَلَى أَمْيَالٍ مِنَ الْمَدِينَةِ، وَذَلِكَ بَعْدَ صَلَاةِ الظُّهْرِ، وَقَالَ: "لَا يُصَلِّيَنَّ أَحَدٌ مِنْكُمُ الْعَصْرَ إِلَّا فِي بَنِي قُرَيْظَةَ".


the Messenger of Allah returned to Al-Madinah in triumph and the people put down their weapons. While the Messenger of Allah was washing off the dust of battle in the house of Umm Salamah, may Allah be pleased with her, Jibril, upon him be peace, came to him wearing a turban of brocade, riding on a mule on which was a cloth of silk brocade. He said, "Have you put down your weapons, O Messenger of Allah" He said, "Yes" He said, "But the angels have not put down their weapons. I have just now come back from pursuing the people." Then he said: "Allah, may He be blessed and exalted, commands you to get up and go to Banu Quraiza. According to another report, "What a fighter you are! Have you put down your weapons" He said, "Yes". He said, "But we have not put down our weapons yet, get up and go to these people." He said: "Where?" He said, "Banu Quraiza, for Allah has commanded me to shake them." So the Messenger of Allah got up immediately, and commanded the people to march towards Banu Quraiza, who were a few miles from Al-Madinah. This was after Salat Az-Zuhr. He said, No one among you should pray `Asr except at Banu Quraiza.
Tafisr of ibn Kathir on Qur'an Surah 33

Thus in the view of ibn Kathir the fate of the Banu Qurayzah was the work of their own hand, a fate approved of and commanded by heaven itself. According to ibn Kathir, there fate was exactly what ibn Ishaq had described:

فَقَالَ: إِنِّي أَحْكُمُ أَنْ تُقْتَلَ مُقَاتلتهم، وتُسبْى ذُرِّيَّتُهُمْ وَأَمْوَالُهُمْ. فَقَالَ لَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: "لَقَدْ حَكَمْتَ بِحُكْمِ اللَّهِ مِنْ فَوْقِ سَبْعَةِ أَرْقِعَةٍ"(٨) . وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ: "لَقَدْ حكمتَ بِحُكْمِ المَلك". ثُمَّ أَمْرَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ بِالْأَخَادِيدِ فَخُدّت فِي الْأَرْضِ، وَجِيءَ بِهِمْ مُكْتَفِينَ، فَضَرَبَ أَعْنَاقَهُمْ، وَكَانُوا مَا بَيْنَ السَّبْعِمِائَةِ إِلَى الثَّمَانِمِائَةِ، وَسَبَى مَنْ لَمْ يُنبت مِنْهُمْ مَعَ النِّسَاءِ وَأَمْوَالِهِمْ(٩)


Then he (Sa'ad) said: My judgement is that their fighting-age men be killed, and their families and wealth be taken as booty. The prophet (sala allah 'aleyhi wasallam) said "You have judged with the judgement of Allah above the seven heavens." In another narration: "You have judged with the judgement of the King (Allah)." Then the Messenger of Allah commanded that ditches should be dug, so they were dug in the earth, and they were brought tied by their shoulders, and were beheaded. There were between seven hundred and eight hundred of them. The children who had not yet reached adolescence and the women were taken prisoner, and their wealth was seized.
Tafsir Ibn Kathir on Surah 33

Accounts in Hadiths

The hadith of Bukhari provide witness for the incidents described by Ishaq. Bukhari confirms that it was the angels who decree that the war be carried to the Banu Qurayza:

Narrated 'Aisha: When Allah's Apostle returned on the day (of the battle) of Al-Khandaq (i.e. Trench), he put down his arms and took a bath. Then Gabriel whose head was covered with dust, came to him saying, "You have put down your arms! By Allah, I have not put down my arms yet." Allah's Apostle said, "Where (to go now)?" Gabriel said, "This way," pointing towards the tribe of Banu Qurayza. So Allah's Apostle went out towards them.

Similiarly, he confirms that it is was Sa'ad who condemned them to their fate:

Narrated Abu Said Al-Khudri: Some people (i.e. the Jews of Bani bin Quraiza) agreed to accept the verdict of Sad bin Muadh so the Prophet sent for him (i.e. Sad bin Muadh). He came riding a donkey, and when he approached the Mosque, the Prophet ﷺ said, "Get up for the best amongst you." or said, "Get up for your chief." Then the Prophet ﷺ said, "O Sad! These people have agreed to accept your verdict." Sad said, "I judge that their warriors should be killed and their children and women should be taken as captives." The Prophet ﷺ said, "You have given a judgment similar to Allah's Judgment (or the King's judgment)."

Incidentally, Bukhari mentions that even though ibn Sa'd was called upon to provide a fair judgement to the Banu Qurayzahas a former ally, in fact he went to his death, caused by wounds suffered during the battle of the trench, wishing for death to the infidels:

Sa`d was wounded on the day of Khandaq (i.e. Trench) when a man from Quraish, called Hibban bin Al-`Araqa hit him (with an arrow). The man was Hibban bin Qais from (the tribe of) Bani Mais bin 'Amir bin Lu'ai who shot an arrow at Sa`d's medial arm vein (or main artery of the arm). The Prophet (ﷺ) pitched a tent (for Sa`d) in the Mosque so that he might be near to the Prophet (ﷺ) to visit. When the Prophet returned from the (battle) of Al-Khandaq (i.e. Trench) and laid down his arms and took a bath Gabriel came to him while he (i.e. Gabriel) was shaking the dust off his head, and said, "You have laid down the arms?" By Allah, I have not laid them down. Go out to them (to attack them)." The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Where?" Gabriel pointed towards Bani Quraiza. So Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) went to them (i.e. Banu Quraiza) (i.e. besieged them). They then surrendered to the Prophet's judgment but he directed them to Sa`d to give his verdict concerning them. Sa`d said, "I give my judgment that their warriors should be killed, their women and children should be taken as captives, and their properties distributed." Narrated Hisham: My father informed me that `Aisha said, "Sa`d said, "O Allah! You know that there is nothing more beloved to me than to fight in Your Cause against those who disbelieved Your Apostle and turned him out (of Mecca). O Allah! I think you have put to an end the fight between us and them (i.e. Quraish infidels). And if there still remains any fight with the Quraish (infidels), then keep me alive till I fight against them for Your Sake. But if you have brought the war to an end, then let this wound burst and cause my death thereby.' So blood gushed from the wound. There was a tent in the Mosque belonging to Banu Ghifar who were surprised by the blood flowing towards them. They said, 'O people of the tent! What is this thing which is coming to us from your side?' Behold! Blood was flowing profusely out of Sa`d's wound. Sa`d then died because of that."

Bukhari also mentions the fate of the Banu Qurayza, carried out in accordance with Sa'd's judgement:

Narrated Abd-Allah ibn Umar: Banu Nadir and Banu Qurayza fought (against the Prophet violating their peace treaty), so the Prophet exiled Bani An-Nadir and allowed Bani Quraiza to remain at their places (in Medina) taking nothing from them till they fought against the Prophet again). He then killed their men and distributed their women, children and property among the Muslims, but some of them came to the Prophet and he granted them safety, and they embraced Islam. He exiled all the Jews from Medina. They were the Jews of Banu Qaynuqa, the tribe of Abdullah bin Salam and the Jews of Bani Haritha and all the other Jews of Medina.

Sunan Abi Dawud tells us exactly how it was determined, whether a male youth would be spared, based on whether he had had reached puberty or not:

Narrated Atiyyah al-Qurazi:


I was among the captives of Banu Qurayza. They (the Companions) examined us, and those who had begun to grow hair (pubes) were killed, and those who had not were not killed. I was among those who had not grown hair.

Modern Views and Perspectives

In the clip above Muslim scholar Yasir Qadhi, well respected for his degrees from the Islamic University of Medina as well as from Yale, makes the argument that Muhammad was dealing with treachery and he had taken the maximum punitive actions against it. Qadhi argues that the prophet was justified in every step and showed as much restraint as necessary, being motivated purely by concerns on statecraft and practicality, not by malice. As he says, it is possible to accuse the prophet of being "harsh" but not of acting with malice towards the Banu Qurayzahor the Jews in general, as this would not be "academically valid." Ibn Ishaq makes the same point:

Then Abu Sufyan said: “O Quraish, we are not in a permanent camp; the horses and camels are dying; the Banu Qurayza have broken their word to us and we have heard disquieting reports of them. You can see the violence of the wind which leaves us neither cooking-pots, or fire, nor tents to count on. Be off, for I am going”
Ibn Ishaq: 683

Yasir Qadhi states that the punishment was "harsh" and yet it is sometimes necessary to be harsh. Yaqeen institute scholar Abu Amina Elias (Justin Parrott) makes the cases that killing the "fighting men" prisoners of the Banu Qurayzahwas an "act of self-defense" on the part of the Muslim community and cites Deuteronomy 20:12-14 to justify the actions of the Muslims, agreeing with ibn Ishaq that Sa'd was judging the Jews by their own law. He also claims that the prophet only sent his men their with arms to "defend themselves" and that the women and children of the Banu Qurayzahwere taken "into captivity" for their protection since all of their men folk had bee slaughtered [10]. Karen Armstrong, in her book A Short History of Islam, likewise claims  "The struggle did not indicate any hostility towards Jews in general, but only towards the three rebel tribes. The Quran continued to revere Jewish prophets and to urge Muslims to respect the People of the Book."[11] These arguments are all echoes of the original arguments found in the material above. Ibn Ishaq claims that the Jews of Banu Qurayzahposed a threat to the Muslims via their betrayal and does portray Muhammad as hesitating to decide their fate. ibn Ishaq even recounts of how "harsh" the punishment was:

Apostle sent him (Abu Lubaba) to them (Banu Quraiza), and when they saw him they got up to meet him. The women and children went up to him weeping in his face, and he felt sorry for them. They said, ‘Oh Abu Lubaba, do you think that we should submit to Muhammad's judgement? He said ‘yes' and pointed with his hand to his throat signifying slaughter.
Ibn Ishaq; Ibn Hisham; al-Tabari, A. Guillaume, ed, Sirat Rasul Allah [The Life of Muhammad], Karachi: Oxford UP, p. 462 (paragraph: 686), ISBN 0196360331, 1955, https://archive.org/details/GuillaumeATheLifeOfMuhammad/page/n381/mode/2up 

Yet critics of these pro-Islam viewpoints have pointed out that the verse cited by modern Muslims from Deuteronomy to justify the extermination of the Banu Qurayzahyet in fact this is not how the verse has been viewed in traditional Christian or especially Jewish scholarship. According to Jewish doctrine, these verses were revealed to him before the Israelites entered the Holy Land, specifically instructing them on how to deal with the people living there [12]. Morever, the claim that there was no apparent animus towards the Jews of Banu Qurayzahon the part of Muhammad is contradicted by ibn Ishaq's account:

"When the apostle approached their forts he (Muhammad) said: "You brothers of monkeys.., has god disgraced you and brought his vengeance upon you?"


Banu Qurayza replied: "O Abul Qasim (Muhammad), you are not a barbarous person"
Ibn Ishaq: 684

In mocking them as apes, Muhammad is here echoing the Qur'an, which claims that (some) Jews were turned into apes for violating the sabbath (Qur'an 50:60). Jewish anti-jihad scholar Andrew Bostrom points out that Muhammad took one of the most beautiful Jewish women of the Banu Qurayza, Rayhanah, as his wife and that the Muslims benefited handsomely from the destruction of this tribe, so self-defense was clearly not the only concern. [13]. Abu Amina Elias's view that the Muslims took such women and children as Rayhana captive simply for their protection also cannot be true, as ibn Ishaq recounts that some of them were taken to the far-off region of the Najd to be sold for weapons and horses. Yasir Qadhi himself points out that the Banu Qurayzahwere offered freedom to live on were they to accept Islam, and according to the sira only their hard, petulant hearts which rejected Muhammad despite knowing he was a prophet of the Lord prevented them from allowing themselves to be saved by conversion to Islam. So clearly, at least in the eyes of the sirah, their Jewish religion did, in fact, have something to do with the pitilessness with which Muhammad dealt with them, going against Qadhi's point that the prophet acted without malice or religious animus according to the sources we have. Bukhari also mentions that the prophet commanded his men to abuse the Banu Qurayzahwith poetry, which was in ancient Arab times one of the premier ways of promoting enmity with an enemy (Muhammad ordered poets who did this to him to be killed):

Narrated Al-Bara: "On the day of Qurayza’s (besiege), Allah's Apostle said to Hassan bin Thabit, 'Abuse them (with your poems), and Gabriel is with you"

Problems with the Traditional Narrative

The narrative of the Banu Qurayzahis an accepted part of Islamic law, and multiple Islamic jurists have cited it, including when ruling that certain populations of Jews and other non-believers be massacred. As such there is no question amongst orthodox Muslims that it happened [14]. Yet the historiography of the subject is not without its own problems.

Within the Islamic tradition, ibn Ishaq was frequently criticized for giving too much weight to Jewish stories and being biased in general in his retellings of certain events. Malik ibn Anas accusses ibn Ishaq of being a "liar" for listening to "Jewish stories" [15].

Modern scholarship has cast much more serious doubts on the scholarship of Islamic scholars working in the 8th century (2nd Islamic century) such as ibn Ishaq. As Fred Donner points out, one of the earliest documents we have from the nascent proto-Islamic movement is the Constitution of Medina  صحيفة مدينة also known as the Ummah Document or صحيفة الأمة. This remarkable document, preserved by the Islamic historian Al-Tabari, lays out a compact for the "believers" of Medina, an "ummah" or national community that includes the Jews as "believers" on the same level as the Arab believers. Fred Donner believes this document actually points to an early, occulted history of Islam in which Arab monotheists joined with Jews into one "ummah" under the command of Muhammad. Troublingly for the historical narrative, this document makes mention of many different Jewish tribes, but the main 3 tribes of the sira, the Banu Qurayza, the Banu Qaynuqaa', and the Banu Nadir are conspicuously absent. It is in fact the absence of these tribes which convinces scholars that the document must be very old despite being preserved only in the 9th-century works of Tabari, since a younger document would presumably would have been changed to agree with the established historical narrative. Donner mentions that many early 7th century mosques do not include the qibla facing towards Mecca, and concludes that this story of the massacre of the Banu Qurayzahmay have been invented or embellished in order to explain a much later break between the Jewish and Muslim communities [16].

Patricia Cronner and Michael Cook in their groundbreaking work Hagarism likewise report on an Armenian historian writing in the 7th century known as pseudo-Sabeous. This historian imputes the Arab invasions to a confederation of Jews and Arabs led by Muhammad himself, contradicting the Islamic narrative that Muhammad died before the invasion of Palestine and the Middle East. Pseudo-Sebeos likewise imputes to the Arabs and Jews a shared monotheism and brotherhood through their ancestry to Abraham and his wife Hagar [17]. If this account is to be believed, there could not have been any great massacre of the Jews by Muhammad as we has working with them when he invaded Palestine. Stephen Shoemaker in his work The Death of a Prophet adds further evidence to thesis of Crone and Cook, marshaling evidence from a wide variety of sources, almost all of which predate the first Islamic sources, that Muhammad himself was actually the leader of the believers when they entered Palestine and he died only after its conquest. In particular he calls attention to a Jewish apocalypse from the 7th century, the Secrets of Rabbi ben Shim'on, which seems to paint Muhammad as the redeemer of the Jews from the oppression of the Romans in the Holy Land. If this is to be believed, and this source predates every Islamic source we have, the massacre of the Banu Qurayzahcould not have taken place, since Muhammad, the leader of the invasion of Palestine, was seen as a savior of the Jewish people [18]. This would seem to indicate that the break between the Muslims and the Jews took place after his death, and would indicate that stories such as the massacre of the Banu Qurayzahwere fabricated in order to "back date" the break with the Jews to the prophet's own lifetime.

See Also

External Links

References

  1. Martin Lings Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources Inner Traditions 2006, pages 222-223
  2. Ibn Hisham, Ibn Ishaq, Alfred Guillaume (traducteur), The life of Muhammad: a translation of Isḥāq's Sīrat rasūl Allāh Oxford Universite Press 2005, p.453
  3. Idem, 458
  4. Idem, 459
  5. Idem, 462
  6. Idem, 463
  7. Idem, 465
  8. Idem, 466
  9. Idem, 466
  10. "Did the Prophet commit genocide against Jews?" Faith in Allah There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger https://abuaminaelias.com/prophet-genocide-banu-qurayza/  April 8, 2013
  11. Islam:A Short History Karen Armstrong Modern Library 2002
  12. "Muhammad’s atrocity against the Qurayza Jews" James M. Arlandson Answering Islam https://www.answering-islam.org/Authors/Arlandson/qurayza_jews.htm
  13. "Muhammad, the Qurayza Massacre, and PBS" Andrew Bostom The Legacy of Jihad 10 June 2012, Archived https://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.andrewbostom.org/loj//content/view/38/27/&date=2012-06-10
  14. "Extended Interview: The legacy of Islamic Antisemetism" Andrew Bostom andrewbostom.org  13 June 2008
  15. "New Light on the Story of Banu Qurayza and the Jews of Medina", W.N Arafat 2001 p. 100-107
  16. Muhammad and the Believers: At the Orgins of Islam, Fred Donner, Harvard University Press 2010, p. 72-73
  17. Hagarism: Making of the Islamic World, Patricia Crone and Michael Cook, Cambridge University Press 1977, p. 6-8
  18. The Death of a Prophet, Stephen Shoemaker, University of Pennsylvania Press 2012, p. 27-33