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Conquest of Khaybar: Difference between revisions
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After the [[Treaty of Hudaybiyah]] brought the war between the Meccans and the Muslims to a ceasefire, many Muslims were still hungry for the booty that the wars against the pagans and the Jews had so far delivered them. Waqidi claims that Muhammad rebuked his followers for thinking of only earthly gains, while ibn S'ad claims that the expidition was motivated in large part by avarice. In any event, the spoils of war would soon come into the Muslims' hands. | After the [[Treaty of Hudaybiyah]] brought the war between the Meccans and the Muslims to a ceasefire, many Muslims were still hungry for the booty that the wars against the pagans and the Jews had so far delivered them. Waqidi claims that Muhammad rebuked his followers for thinking of only earthly gains, while ibn S'ad claims that the expidition was motivated in large part by avarice. In any event, the spoils of war would soon come into the Muslims' hands. | ||
==Narrative from the Sira== | ==Narrative from the Sira== | ||
According to ibn Ishaq as he is perserved in both Tabari and ibn Hisham, Muhammad gathered a force of around 1400 men and 200 horses and set out for Khaybar. It was commonly thought that Khaybar was too impregnable to be assaulted, especially by a force of this size, so the prophet was relying on the element of suprise. When he set out for Khaybar, a Muslim named ibn Al-Ikwa' began singing a diddy he had learned during the battle of the Trench, and Muhammad responded "May Allah take mercy on you" which was apparently a sign that he would die in battle, as he ultimately did. | |||
Upon reaching the oasis the Muslims faced the Jews in a series of fortified strong points. One by one, the Muslims set out destroy them. Ali's eyes were inflammed by an unknown malady; the prophet put his spit on them, healing Ali, who then took up the banner of Islam and led the Muslims to victory, dropping a large stone on a prominen Jew. The fiercest mubariz or prominent warrior of the Jews was "the lion" Marhab (and also his brother Yasir), who came out reciting poetry to taunt the Muslims. Yasir was slain and Ali himself slew Marhab in single combat. After slaying Marhab, the Muslims took the strongest fortress of the Jews, Qamus. During the initial battles the prophet came into possession of the wife of the Jewish prince Kinanah, [[Safiyah]]. After having slain her father at [[Banu Qurayzah]] and leading her past the bodies of her dead compatriots, Muhammad took her as his concubine and, once her menses had passed, made her his wife. | |||
During the battle, Muhammad forbade his men from sexually taking the pregnant women of their enemies, and decreed that the Muslims must await an [[Iddah]] before sexually enjoying captured women in [[Jihad]]. He also forbade the eating of horse and donkey meat during this battle. | |||
After the conclusion of the battle Kinanah agreed to terms, that the Jews would leave Khaybar but also leave all of their wealth to the Muslims. A Jewish traitor informed Muhammad that Kinanah had hidden some treasures around an old ruin. Muhammad asked Kinanah about his treasure, which he denied having. The Muslims excavated the ruin and found his treasure. When they confronted him and demanded to know where the rest of it was, Kinanah refused. Muhammad ordered that a fire be kindled on his chest to torture him into revealing the location of the hidden treasure. After he was tortured for this information, he was beheaded, and Muhammad took [[Safiyah]], his bride, as his own wife. | |||
Muhammad divided the spoils of Khaybar amongst his followers, taking a larger share and the Jewish princess Safiyyah for himself. The Jews were eventually allowed to stay in Khaybar and til the land in exchange for paying the [[Jizyah]] and accepting Muslim rule, making them the first [[Dhimmi]]<nowiki/>s. The Jews would stay in Khaybar after the death of Muhammad, until they were expelled by 'Umar, who justified his actions with the saying of the prophet that no religion should exist in Arabia save for Islam. | |||
==Tafsir Accounts== | ==Tafsir Accounts== | ||