Section Ten
‘LET (Lashkar-e-Toiba) volunteers neither shave nor cut their hair and they are taught to kill ritualistically, by beheading or slitting of throat’---A LET member
After Muhammad left the battlefield of the trench in the morning he returned to Medina, and while he was washing his head in the house of Umm Salamah, one of his wives, Gabriel visited him at noon and informed him that the battle was not over yet, and that Allah commanded him (Muhammad) to besiege the B. Qurayzah. He claimed that Gabriel came in the form of Dhiyah b. Khalifah al-Kalbi, a handsome and a rich merchant of Medina. Gabriel also declared his unflinching support for Muhammad in this operation. It is claimed that Gabriel arrived riding a horse and wearing a cloth of gold turban.
After listening to the instruction of Gabriel, Muhammad abandoned the noon (Asr) prayer and commanded his Jihadists to march straight to the territory of B. Qurayzah, Ali being sent ahead of the rest. Muhammad informed his followers that during war, prayer can be omitted, as fighting during this time was more incumbent than praying On his way, Ali heard people talking foul about Muhammad and hurling insult at him. A disturbed Ali hastened back to Muhammad and informed him of what he had heard what people were saying about Muhammad. Muhammad consoled Ali by saying that the people dared not utter any derogatory remark about him should he (i.e., Muhammad) be personally present amongst them. This pleased Ali and he went back to his mission. In the evening, the Muslim soldiers marched toward the fortress of Bani Qurayza that lay two or three miles to the south-east of Medina. Muhammad rode an ass, while an army of three thousand Muslims, with thirty-six horses followed him. A tent in the compound of the mosque in Medina was also pitched where Sa’d b. Muadh took shelter to recuperate from his painful wound (see Terror 32).
When Muhammad was near the fortress of the B. Qurayzah Jews, he called them by yelling, ‘you brothers of apes.’ This is elucidated in the Qur’an in verses 2:65, 5:60 and 7:166, where Allah says that He turned the Jews in to apes. Thus, as far as Islam goes, the Jews are still considered as apes, no exaggeration; it is a decree by Allah, and Muhammad had confirmed this in the operation for B. Qurayzah. Ibn Sa’d writes: Muhammad said, “O brothers of monkeys and pigs! Fear me, fear me.”
Not being satisfied with his vocabulary of simple ‘swearing’ language, Muhammad asked his poet friend Hassan b. Thabit to make verbal abuse of the Jews through poems. Here is a Hadith from Sahih Bukhari to describe the mindset of the messenger of Allah:
Volume 5, Book 59, Number 449: Narrated Al-Bara:
The Prophet said to Hassan, "Abuse them (with your poems), and Gabriel is with you (i.e, supports you)." (Through another group of sub narrators) Al-Bara bin Azib said, "On the day of Quraiza's (besiege), Allah's Apostle said to Hassan bin Thabit, 'Abuse them (with your poems), and Gabriel is with you (i.e. supports you).' "
Despite extreme provocation by Muhammad B. Qurayzah Jews were patient and courteous with Muhammad, and addressed him as Abu al-Qasim (father of Qasim, Muhammad’s dead son). This is the conversation that took place between Muhammad and the B. Qurayzah Jews as written by Tabari:
‘When the Messenger of God had approached their fortresses, he said: “You brothers of apes! Has God shamed you and sent down his retribution on you?” they said, “Abu al-Qasim, you have never been one to act impetuously.”’
The Muslims then attacked the Jews with archery but to no avail. One Muslim approached the fortress carelessly and was killed by a Jewess by casting down a millstone on him. Muhammad kept the siege on causing a great distress among the besieged Jews. Nonetheless, Muhammad was bent on a bloody revenge and refused to negotiate with the Jews.
After twenty-five days of siege, the Jews grew desperate, exhausted and terrified at their future. They were on the verge of starvation. It is claimed that Allah, through Muhammad’s terrorism, cast terror into their hearts. Among the Jews was Huyayy b. Akhtab (see Terror 32) who, as a fulfillment of his pledge to be with B. Qurayzah through thick and thin, did not escape with the Quraysh and the Ghatafan, but stayed with the B. Qurayzah Jews. Unable to bear the desperate situation of the Jewish women and children, the B. Qurayzah leader, Ka’b b.Asad proposed that the Jews should accept Islam to save their lives. Almost all the Jews declined to forsake the religion of their forefathers. A distraught Ka’b proposed that they should kill their women and children, then, all the men could go out and fight Muhammad without any impediment. But the Jews did not want to kill their dearest ones with their own hands. It was impossible for them to commit such act, as they feared that it was meaningless to live without their wives and children. Ka’b then proposed an attack on Muhammad the next day which was a Jewish Sabbath day (ie Saturday). The Jews flatly declined to engage in any warfare during the Sabbath.
When the Jews could not decide on their fate themselves, they sent a message to Muhammad, asking that Abu Lubabah b. Abd al-Mundhir, their confidante from B. Aws, be sent to them for a discussion and advice. As soon as Lubabah arrived in the Jewish quarter, the weeping women and children of the Jews rushed out and grabbed him hoping that he could plead for mercy for them. Abu Lubabah was filled with pity and compassion for them. When asked what Muhammad would do with them should they decide to surrender, Abu Lubabah indicated through sign language that Muhammad had slaughter in mind and that he (Abu Lubabah) could do nothing about it.
Tabari writes:
‘When they saw him (i.e Abu Lubabah), the men rose to meet him, and the women and children rushed to grab hold of him, weeping before him, so that he felt pity for them. They said to him, “Abu Lubabah, do you think that we should submit to Muhammad’s judgment”? “Yes”, he said, but he pointed with his hand to his throat, that it would be slaughter.”’
Haykal writes that the Jews thought that the former allies from al-Aws tribe would give them some protection and if they were to remove themselves, to Adhriat in al Sham, Muhammad would have no objection to letting them go. So, the Banu Qurayzah sent the proposal to evacuate their territory and to remove themselves to Adhriat. Muhammad flatly rejected their proposal and insisted on their abiding by his judgment.
Having indicated by sign language what Muhammad had in mind for the Jews, Abu Lubabah felt guilty that he had broken his promise of secrecy with Muhammad. To atone for his ‘misdeed’ he went straight to the mosque and bound himself with ropes to one of the pillars. This pillar is known as the ‘pillar of repentance’ or the ‘pillars of Abu Lubabah’. Allah expressed His displeasure with Abu Lubabah’s conduct through verse 8:27.
When Muhammad heard of what Abu Lubabah had done, he waited for Allah to forgive him (Abu Lubabah).
Abu Lubabah remained tied with the pillar for six nights. His wife used to untie him for prayers. Allah promptly forgave Abu Lubaba in verse 9:104. So, Muhammad went to him during a morning prayer and set him free.
Finding no choice, in the morning, the crestfallen B. Qurayzah Jews surrendered to Muhammad for his judgment. The male Jews were chained and kept in the fortress till a decision was made about their fate. The B. Aws people were on good terms with the B. Qurayzah Jews. They pleaded with Muhammad for mercy and a fair judgment for their Jewish allies. On this, Muhammad proposed that the judgment be passed by Sa’d b Muadh who was the B. Aws leader, recuperating from his wound in a tent nearby Medina. B. Aws and the B. Qurayzah both agreed on this proposal of Muhammad, hoping to have some mercy from Sa’d b. Muadh. Muhammad dispatched some B. Aws men to bring Sa’d to deliver his judgment. Riding a donkey Sa’d arrived at the site where all the seven or eight hundred Jewish men and many B. Aws people were standing to listen to his judgment. Their women and children, stricken with terror waited for the pronouncement of Sad’s verdict. Many B. Aws people requested Sa’d to deal with the Jews with leniency and mercy.
Sa’d then asked his people if they would accept whatever judgment he pronounced. The crowd agreed.
Then Muhammad asked Sa’d b. Muadh to pass his judgment. Sa’d replied, “I pass judgment on them that the men shall be killed, the property divided, and the children and women made captives.” Everyone was shocked at this bloody decree except Muhammad. He praised Sa’d for proclaiming a solemn judgment of the Almighty. He was cold and unmoved and termed Sa’d’s judgment as fair and said, “You have passed judgment on them with the judgment of God and the judgment of His Messenger.” This statement by Muhammad clearly shows that he wanted to murder these Jews in cold blood without any compunction or mercy. Sahih Bukhari records this incidence thus:
Volume 5, Book 58, Number 148: 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 said, "Get up for the best amongst you." or said, "Get up for your chief." Then the Prophet 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 said, "You have given a judgment similar to Allah's Judgment (or the King's judgment)."
[Please note: This Hadith cannot be found in the sanitized, summarized version of Sahih Al-Bukhari; however, it can be read in the Internet version of Original Sahih Al-Bukhari]
The women and children were then separated from their husbands, others were put under the care of Abdullah, a renegade Jew. All the goods and possessions of the B. Qurayzah Jews, their camels and flocks were all brought as spoils of war to be distributed amongst the Muslims. The wine and fermented liquors were thrown away.
After Sa’d b. Muadh passed the judgment of slaughter, the B. Qurayzah Jews were brought down from their dwellings; the men were handcuffed behind their backs their women and children having already been separated. They were placed under the charge of Mohammad ibn Maslama, the assassin of Ka’b ibn Ashraf, to be despatched to Medina to the compound of the daughter of another Muslim fanatic, al-Harith before their execution in batches. A long trench was dug in the marketplace of Medina. The Prisoners were then taken there, made to kneel down and beheaded in a group of five or six. Muhammad was personally present to witness this slaughter. Ali and Zubayr cut off the heads of the Jews in front of Muhammad. Sourcing from Al-Waqidi, Tabari writes:
“…the messenger of God commanded that furrows should be dug in the ground for the B. Qurayzah. Then he sat down, and Ali and al-Zubayr began cutting off their heads in his presence.” Ibn Ishaq writes that they were taken in groups to Muhammad for beheading in front of him.
Tabari further writes:
‘The messenger of God went out into the marketplace of Medina and had trenches dug in it; then he sent for them and had them beheaded in those trenches. They were brought out to him in groups. Among them were the enemy of God, Huyayy b. Akhtab, and Ka’b b. Asad, the head of the tribe. They numbered 600 or 700—the largest estimate says they were between 800 and 900. As they were being taken in groups to the Messenger of God, they said to Ka’b b. Asad, “Ka’b, what do you understand. Do you not see that the summoner does not discharge [anyone] and that those of you who are taken away do not come back? By God, it is death!” the affair continued until the Messenger of God had finished with them.’
Sir William Muir describes this extremely grotesque scene thus:
‘The men were penned up in a closed yard, while graves or trenches were being dug for them in the chief marketplace of the city. When these were ready, Mahomet, himself a spectator of the tragedy, gave command that the captives should be brought forth in companies of five or six at a time. Each company was made to sit down by the brink of the trench destined for its grave, and there beheaded. Party by party they were thus led out, and butchered in cold blood, till the whole were slain. One woman alone was put to death; it was she who threw the millstone from the battlements.’
A most pathetic and heart-wrenching incidence took place when Huyayy b. Akhtab, the banished B. Nadir Jewish leader was taken to the execution field. Tabari describes his execution this way:
‘Huyayy b. Akhtab, the enemy of God, was brought. He was wearing a rose-colored suit of clothes that had torn all over with fingertip-sized holes so that it would not be taken as booty from him, and his hands were bound to his neck with a rope. When he looked at the Messenger of God, he said, “By God, I do not blame myself for being hostile to you, but whomever God forsakes is forsaken.” Then he turned to the people and said: “People, there is no injury in God’s command. It is the book of God, His decree, and a battlefield of great slaughter ordained against the Children of Israel. Then he sat down and was beheaded.’
Only one woman of the B. Qurayzah was killed. She was the wife Hasan al-Qurazi and was friendly with Aisha. Aisha narrated her story of beheading thus:
‘Only one of their women was killed. By God, she was by me, talking with me and laughing unrestraintedly while the Messenger of God was killing their men in the marketplace, when suddenly a mysterious voice called out her name, saying, “Where is so and so?” She said, “I shall be killed.” “Why?” I asked. She said, A misdeed that I committed.” She was taken away and beheaded. (Aisha used to say: I shall never forget my wonder at her cheerfulness and much laughter, even when she knew that she would be killed.).’
This incident is also recorded in a Sahi (authentic) Hadith of Abu Dawud:
Book 14, Number 2665: Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin:
No woman of Banu Qurayzah was killed except one. She was with me, talking and laughing on her back and belly (extremely), while the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) was killing her people with the swords. Suddenly a man called her name: Where is so-and-so? She said: I I asked: What is the matter with you? She said: I did a new act. She said: The man took her and beheaded her. She said: I will not forget that she was laughing extremely although she knew that she would be killed.
As told before, this unlucky Jewish woman killed one Muslim soldier by casting a millstone on his head while the Messenger of Allah besieged the B. Qurayzah fortress.
There is another poignant story of a very old Jewish man named Az-Zabir. Az-Zabir saved the life of a Muslim convert, Thabit b. Qays in the Bu’ath war. Now, when Az-Zabir was about to be beheaded Thabit requested Muhammad to save the life of this old man and his family as a return to his favor. Muhammad reluctantly agreed to spare this Jewish man and his family members. Az-Zabir then asked Thabit b. Qays about the fate of the Jewish leaders such as Ka’b b. Asad and Huayy b. Akhtab, as he preferred to die rather than to live without them. Az-Zabir said, “Then I ask you for the sake of the favor I once did for you to join me to my kinsmen, for by God there is no good in living after them. I will not wait patiently for God, not even [the time needed] to take the bucket of a watering trough, until I meet my dear ones.”
So Thabit brought him forward, and he was beheaded. When Abu Bakr heard what that old man said just before his execution, he said, “He will meet them, by God, in the Gehenna, there to dwell forever and forever.”
Muhammad commanded that all those Jewish men with puberty hair were to be killed. One Jewish boy took refuge with a Muslim woman, Salma bt. Qays. She requested Muhammad that mercy be shown to this Jewish boy. It is said that Muhammad spared his life. Here is a Hadith from Sunaan Abu Dawud on this:
Book 38, Number 4390: Narrated Atiyyah al-Qurazi:
I was among the captives of Banu Qurayzah. 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.
Please note that the narrator of this Hadith, Atiyyah al-Qurazi, was probably the very young brother of Hasan al-Qurazi, the executed Jew.
Having beheaded all the adult males of the B. Qurayzah Jews, the Prophet of mercy now busied himself with the distribution of the Jewish booty. He divided the wealth, the wives and the children of the B. Qrayzah Jews among his followers. Needless to say he did not miss his Khums (one-fifth of booty) that was reserved for him.
The booty rules were changed slightly. A horseman received three shares: two shares for the horse and one share for the rider. A foot Jihadist, who had no horse, received one share. It was the first booty in which shares were allotted and from which the Khums was deducted. This simplified rule on booty (fai) was followed in the later plunders.
There were thirty-six cavalry in this raid. If a man had more than two horses he could claim shares only for two horses.
[Please note: Fai is a booty taken from a country which submits to Islam without resistance.
After executing all the adult male Jews, Muhammad sent Sa’d b. Zayd al-Ansari with some captives (women and children) from the B. Qurayzah to Najd to sell them in the slave market. While we do not have an accurate price of a female slave during that time, Ibn Sa’d writes that Khadijah, Muhammad’s first wife, bought her slave, Zayd b. Haritha, (who would later become Muuhammad’s adopted son), for four hundred (400) Dirhams at the slave market of Ukaz, Mecca. In Sunaan Abu Dawud we read that the price of young slave (male or female) varied from five hundred dirhams to eight hundred (800) dirhams i.e, US$ 2,5000 to US$ 4000 (see Sunaan Abu Dawud hadis numbers, 3946 and 4563). So a reasonable price of a slave as US$ 2,500 in to-day’ money will be quite a realistic assumption. Multiply this with an approximate number of women and children, say about one thousand (1,000), and we get a sum of US$ 2,500,000 (yes, a cool two and a half million US Dollars). This was a huge wind fall for the terrorists of those days. With the money raised through this slave-trading Muhammad bought more horses and arms. Among the captive women, he found a very pretty, youthful lass by the name Rayhanh bt. ‘Amr b. Khunafah and took her as his concubine. It is said that when Muhammad offered to make her his wife by embracing Islam, she declined. She preferred to remain a sex slave to becoming a Muslim.
She said, “Messenger of God, rather leave me in your possession [as a concubine], for it is easier for me and for you.” Muhammad was quite grieved when she rejected Islam but preferred to remain a Jew. Some biographers write that Rayhana eventually accepted Islam.
A telling description of Muhammad’s cruelty and lust for young women is provided by Sir Willima Muir thus:
‘Having sated his revenge, and drenched the market-place with the blood of eight hundred victims, and having given command for the earth to be smoothed over their remains, Mahomet returned from the horrid spectacle to solace himself with the charms of Rihana, whose husband and all whose male relatives had just perished in the massacre. He invited her to be his wife, but she declined; and chose to remain (as indeed, having refused marriage, she had no alternative) his slave or concubine. She also declined the summons to conversion, and continued in the Jewish faith, at which the Prophet was much concerned. It is said, however, that she afterwards embraced Islam. She lived with Mahomet till his death.’
After the delivery of his judgment, Sa’d was taken back on his donkey to his tent.. His wound now became fatal. He was now lying in his deathbed. Muhammad quickly went to visit him. He prayed to Allah to save Sa’d’s life. However, Allah did not answer his prayer this time. Soon, Sa’d died. His corpse was carried to his home and after the forenoon prayer he was buried. His bier was very light to carry. Muhammad claimed that angels carried Sa’d’s bier.
Gabriel told Muhammad that Sad B. Muadh was already in heaven; claiming further that Allah’s throne shook when Sad b. Muadh died. We read in Sahih Bukhari:
Volume 5, Book 58, Number 147: Narrated Jabir:
I heard the Prophet saying, "The Throne (of Allah) shook at the death of Sad bin Muadh." Through another group of narrators, Jabir added, "I heard the Prophet : saying, 'The Throne of the Beneficent shook because of the death of Sad bin Muadh."
What did Muhammad do with the appropriated lands of the Jews of B.Quaynuqa, B. Nadir and B. Qurayzah? He used the plundered of lands of B. Qurayzah and B. Nadir to return the gifts (debt) he received from the Ansars of Medina; he gave his share of the booty to Umm Ayman, the slave woman who nursed him in his infancy. Here is a Hadith on this from Sahih Muslim:
Book 019, Number 4376:
It has been narrated by Anas that (after his migration to Medina) a person placed at the Prophet's (may peace be upon him) disposal some date-palms growing on his land until the lands of Quraiza and Nadir were conquered. Then he began to return to him whatever he had received. (In this connection) my people told me to approach the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) and ask from him what his people had given him or a portion thereof, but the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) had bestowed those trees upon Umm Aiman. So I came to the Prophet (may peace be upon him) and he gave them (back) to me. Umm Aiman (also) came (at this time). She put the cloth round my neck and said: No, by Allah, we will not give to, you what he has granted to me. The Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him) said: Umm Aiman, let him have them and for you are such and such trees instead. But she said: By Allah, there is no god besides Him. No, never! The Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him) continued saying: (You will get) such and such. until he had granted her ten times or nearly ten times more (than the original gift).
Muhammad now became militarily strong and a much feared warlord in the Arabian Peninsula. Needless to say, all this was the fruits of his terror tactics.
Click here to learn the Islamic version of the massacre of B. Qurayzah Jews:
[ http://forum.bismikaallahuma.org/viewtopic.php?t=956 ]
Section Eleven
‘You live here, but I live among the infidels. Please let me wash off some of my sin’---Ziad al-Jarrah
Terror Thirty-four
Raid Against al-Qurata at Dariyaah by Muhammad ibn Maslama--July, 627CE
Readers might remember the name of Muhammad ibn Maslama. He was the hired killer of Ka’b b. al-Ashraf, the Jewish poet (see Terror 17, CH. 5). Hitherto, Muhammad b. Maslama was a very special person to Muhammad, the messenger of Allah. Whenever. Muhammad needed to do covert assassination; he (Muhammad ibn Maslama) was the trusted person to accomplish such an act of murder. Having been satisfied with his impeccable service for Islam (via terror), Muhammad, the messenger of Allah, decided to assign him with a much more challenging and rewarding job, i.e., committing plunder or Ghanimah.
So he dispatched Muhammad ibn Maslama, the professional killer, at the head of thirty Jihadists to surround and to plunder al-Qarata, a branch of Kilab tribe that inhabited a place called Dariyyah, about fifty or sixty miles from Medina. Muhammad b. Maslama marched by night, concealing during day, and when he arrived at Dariyyah, he attacked the al-Qurata tribe suddenly, creating panic and terror amongst the people there. During this raid the Muslims killed ten people while others fled offering no resistance. The booty was enormous: one hundred and fifty camels (around US$ 52,000) and three thousand goats (around US$ 105,000) plus the household goods (unspecified sum, probably around US$ 50,000). Muhammad ibn Maslamah continued this looting for nineteen days; then he returned to Medina with the booty. Muhammad, the messenger of Allah took his share (Khums, one-fifth) and distributed the rest to his ardent companions. A camel was made equivalent to ten goats. The Muslims also brought a prisoner who was a disciple of Musaylamah, another claimant of messenger of Allah and Muhammad’s bitter competitor. Muhammad, the messenger of Allah accused this prisoner of plotting to kill him in collaboration with Musaylamah. It is stated that the prisoner later accepted Islam.
Terror Thirty-five
First Raid Against B. Thalabah towards Dhu al-Qassah by Muhammad ibn Maslama—July, 627CE
After a few successful raids, Muhammad’s herd of camels greatly increased by the plunder. He sent this large herd of camels out to graze in the vicinity of Hayfa, a place seven miles from Medina which was lush with green pastures. Due to the continuous drought prevailing in the adjoining areas during this time, B. Thalabah, a section of the Ghatafan tribe, was greatly tempted to steal from Muhammad’s herd. He suspected mischievousness from these people and sent his trusted lieutenant, Muhammad b. Maslama with ten followers to plunder the vicinity of Dhu al-Qassah of B. Thalabah. It was a night’s journey from Medina. B. Thalabah people were already aware of the impending attack; so they lay in wait for the Muslims, and when Muhammad b. Maslama arrived at the site, B. Thalabah, with one hundred men attacked them while the Muslims were making preparation to sleep; and after a brief resistance killed all of Muhammad b. Maslama’s men. Muhammad b. Maslama himself was severely wounded in his ankle; he could not move. He was left in the field for dead. A Muslim who happened to pass that way found him and assisted him to return to Medina.
Terror Thirty-six
Second Raid against B. Thalabah at Dhu al-Qassah by Ubayda b. al-Jarrah—August, 627CE
When Muhammad, the messenger of Allah learned of this incident (Terror 35), he immediately dispatched an army of forty well-mounted soldiers under the leadership of Abu Ubayda b. al-Jarrah to punish the offenders. This plundering team arrived there (Dhu al-Qassah) just before dawn. Immediately upon their arrival, they raided the inhabitants who quickly fled to the mountains. The Muslims took their cattle, clothes and captured one man. They brought the booty to Muhammad. After taking his due share, he distributed the booty to his men. The captured man embraced (or forced to) Islam and Muhammad released him.
Raid Against B. Asad at al-Ghamr by Ukkash b. Mihsan—August, 627CE
During this period, Muhammad sent out forty Jihadists under the leadership of Ukkash b. Mihsan to plunder the neighborhood of al-Ghamr (towards Syrian frontier), a watering place belonging to B. Asad b. Khuzaymah. When Ukkash arrived at the site of pillage he found that the enemy had already fled. The Jihadists captured their cattle, including two hundred camels (worth around US$ 70,000) and brought them to Medina. They also captured a spy whom they set free.
Second Attack on Banu Lihyan at Ghiran by Muhammad —September, 627CE
Six months after the massacre of B. Qurayza, Muhammad went out to take revenge on the B. Lihyan people for the killing of his men, namely, Khubayb b. Adi and his companion, Zayd b. al-Dathinnah (see Terror 25, CH. 7) at al-Rajii. After the stalemate at the battle of the Trench and after the ethnic cleansing of B. Qurayzah, Muhammad felt he was militarily strong enough to exact retribution to this tribe. He selected two hundred men on camels and twenty horses.To trick and to to make a sudden and surprise attack on the enemy, he pretended to be heading north, towards Syria. After proceeding north for a short distance and when he felt secure that neither the Quraysh nor their neighbours were aware of his intentions, he made a sudden turn to the left and followed the direct route to Mecca leading him to the town of Ghiran, the abode of B. Lihyan. The B. Lihyan people were already on alert, and when they saw the Muslim army, they took up secure positions on mountain tops, taking their cattle with them, in order to confront Muhammad’s army. Muhammad sent some people to search for the tribe of Lihyan, but they could not find their trace.
Having failed to attack the B. Lihyan by shock and terror, Muhammad felt frustrated. In order not to waste this trip, he thought of scaring the Meccans by approaching Mecca and showing his newly found military might. So he marched out with two hundred of his men and halted at Usfan. At Usfan, he dispatched two horsemen towards Mecca. They went up to Kuraul Ghamin and then returned back at Usfan. Then he tripped back to Medina. Ibn Sa’d writes that Muhammad sent Abu Bakr with ten horsemen towards Mecca to terrorize them (the Meccans).
Raid on Muhammad’s Milch Camels at al-Ghabah by Uyana b. Hisn—September, 627CE
A few days after Muhammad returned Medina from the unsuccessful raid on B. Lihyan, a band of armed men of Ghatafan led by Uyanah b. Hisn raided the outskirts of the city; seized twenty milch camels of Muhammad that were grazing in the area of al-Ghabah. They also killed the shepherd and took his wife as a captive. A Muslim, called Amr ibn al Akwa, saw this plunder and the carrying away of booty. He shot arrows at them and called for help. Muhammad soon heard his call and alerted the people of Medina.
The Second Raid on Ghatafan at Dhu Qarad by Sa’d b. Zayd/Muhammad—September, 627CE
When Muhammad heard of the raid on his camel herd at al-Gabah by Uyanah b. Hisn, he immediately sent a battery of five hundred cavalrymen under the leadership of Sa’d b. Zayd to search and finish off the perpetrators. He told them that he would meet them later. The Muslim soldiers were more in number than the bandits. They marched out and found the bandits resting in a valley at Dhu Qarad. After a day or two, Muhammad went out with further men and halted at the mountain of Dhu Qarad where the rest of the Muslims joined him. The Muslims then attacked the armed B. Ghatafan and slew several of the marauders and recovered half of the plundered camels. In the battle that ensued, Uyanah’s son, Abd al-Rahman was killed. The Muslims lost only one man.He was the son of Abu Dhar Ghifari, one of the most trusted lieutenants of Muhammad. Muhammad’s army chased the attackers as far as towards Khaybar and rescued the camels and the woman. They also took as booty, the weapons from the bandits.
Later, Muhammad stayed at Dhu Qarad for a day and a night, and then the Muslims returned to Medina with the looted camels.
Terror Forty-one
Plunder of B. Sulaym at Nakhl by Zayd ibn Haritha—September, 627CE
Zayd ibn Haritha was the freed slave and the adopted son of Muhammad. Muhammad later married Zayd’s wife Zaynab. It was time to reward this adopted son with booty. So Muhammad entrusted Zayd b Haritha to lead a plundering team at Jamum, near Nakhl. He captured a woman who led him to the site of B. Sulaym. Zayd’s team then raided this place and captured cattle, sheep, camels and took many B. Sulaym as captives. Among the captives was the husband of the woman who led the Muslims to the plundering site. Zayd brought his booty to Muhammad. When Muhammad heard the entire story he granted the woman her freedom and released her husband, presumably for assisting the Muslims in the pillage.
Terror Forty-two
Plunder of the Quraysh at al-Is by Zayd ibn Haritha—September, 627CE
After the successful plunder of B. Sulaym by Muhammad’s adopted son, Zayd ibn Haritha, Muhammad thought of entrusting him with a far richer looting operation. Muhammad had already received information that a highly rich caravan of the Quraysh was on its return journey from Syria, and he did not want to waste time to plunder it. So, in the autumn of 627 Muhammad dispatched Zayd with an army of one hundred and seventy horsemen towards al-Is, an important trading center to intercept this Quraysh caravan. The journey was four nights march from Medina. The Muslim plunderers seized the caravan and looted it entirely. Needless to say, it was a highly successful raid and the Muslim army returned with a large amount of booty including plenty of silver belonging to Safwan b Umayyah as well as plenty of captives.
Among the prisoners was Abu al-As, the son-in-law of Muhammad, the husband of Zaynab, Muhammad’s eldest daughter. Abu al-As was the nephew of Khadija (Muhammad’s first wife) and a prosperous trader in Mecca. When Muhammad received the prophet hood, Abu al-As declined to embrace Islam. But he also refused to divorce Zaynab at the insistence of the Quraysh, for, his love for Zaynab was great. The love was mutual and Muhammad was quite happy about it. When Muhammad migrated to Medina, Zaynab, with her husband, Abu al-As remained at Mecca. In the battle of Badr II Abu al-As was taken as a prisoner. Zaynab sent a necklace of Khadijah to Muhammad as a ransom for the release of her husband. His story has already been told (see Terror 9, CH. 3).
It was after three or four years that Abu al-As was caught again as a prisoner at al-Is. When the party of prisoners arrived at Medina, Abu al-As was given the permission to meet, at night, with his ex-wife Zaynab for her protection. Then he rejoined the other prisoners. In the morning when the Muslims gathered at the mosque for prayer, Zaynab called out loudly that she had given protection to Abu al-As. Muhammad agreed that she could treat Abu al-As as an honored guest but not as her husband. He appealed to the captors to release Abu al-As along with his property, if they wished. If not, then they could keep Abu al-As as their booty. Abu al-As’ captors immediately agreed to release him from their captivity. Abu al-As was greatly moved by this generosity; returned to Mecca, completed his affairs there, then returned to Medina and accepted Islam. He then rejoined his wife Zaynab. However, Zaynab died within a year after rejoining her former husband---purportedly due to the illness suffered as a result of her miscarriage.
Muhammad was greatly angered by the acts of the two Quraysh, especially Habbar who manhandled his daughter (Zaynab) during her attempt to escape from Mecca. He gave the order that both of them be burned alive. Later, at night he changed his mind and decided that they should be put to death in the ordinary way, i.e., by beheading. Ali put one of the attackers, Huweirith, to death when the Muslims captured Mecca.
Terror Forty-three
Third Raid on B. Thalabah at al-Taraf By Zayd b. Haritha—October, 627CE
With two successful looting operations by Zayd b. Haritha, Muhammad must have been very pleased with his adopted son. So, he sent Zayd with fifteen men to Al-Taraf, thirty-six miles from Medina to punish and to plunder B. Thalabah once again (see Terror 35, 36 above). When this raid took place, the Bedouin tribe of B. Thalabah fled. Zayd’s booty was twenty camels. He spent four nights conducting this raid then returned to Medina with the booty.
Terror Forty-four
Raid Against B. Judham at Hisma By Zayd b Haritha—October, 627CE
In the Sirah (biography) of Muhammad we read that after his signing of Hudaibiya peace treaty with the Quraysh in Mecca, Muhammad took himself as the true messenger of Allah. To prove his clout, he sent several emissaries in a few neighboring countries, inviting them to Islam. He sent Dhiyah b. Khalifah al-Kalbi, one of his devoted followers on a mission to the governor of Syria regarding some concession on the commerce with the Roman province. In his epistle to Heraclius, the Byzantine emperor, Muhammad wrote: “In the name of God, the Merciful and compassionate. From Muhammad, the Messenger of God, to Heraclius, the ruler of the Romans. Peace to whoever follows right guidance!
To proceed: submit yourself, and you shall be safe. Submit yourself, and God shall give you your reward twice over. But, if you turn away, the sin of the Husbandmen shall be upon you.”
Despite Muhammad’s threat and insulting remarks, Dhiya was graciously received and was presented with a dress of honor. When, after finishing his trip to Syria, Dhiya was returning to Medina with those expensive gifts from the emperor; a group of bandit belonging to B. Judham robbed him of everything when he reached Hisma, a place on way to Syria and on the west of Tabuk.
Dihya approached the neighbouring tribe (with whom he was in good terms) for help. They attacked Bani Judham, recovered the spoils and returned them to Dhiya. When the news of this robbery by B. Judham reached Muhammad, he immediately dispatched Zayd ibn Haritha with five hundred men to punish them. The Muslim army fought with B. Judham, killed several of them, including their chief, Al-Hunayd ibn Arid and his son. Zayd also killed another three men from another clan of B.Judham. The Muslims captured their women and children and plundered a great collection of herds and flocks. Another leader of B. Judham who had recently converted to Islam appealed to Muhammad to release the living captives. Muhammad sent Ali to release those captives there.
Terror Forty-five
First raid at Wadi al-Qura by Zayd b. Haritha—November, 627CE
After so many successful terror operations by Zayd b. Haritha, Muhammad rewarded him by appointing him the Amir (ruler) of the area surrounding Wadi al-Qura. This was an important oasis, about seven miles from Medina, lying in the valley of Qura and on the route to Dumat al-Jandal (Duma) and thence to Syria. It was absolutely important that Muhammad established his full military control on this region to secure his position. Zayd set out with twelve men to survey this area and to monitor the movements of enemies of Muhammad, i.e., the unbelieving tribes inhabiting this region.
However, the inhabitants in this area were unfriendly to Zayd and Islam. They attacked the Muslims, killing nine of them; the rest, including Zayd, managed to escape and returned to Medina.
Section Twelve
‘Guns will make us powerful; butter will only make us fat’---Hermann Goering (1893-1946)
The Raid on Bani al-Mustaliq by Muhammad—December, 627CE
Bani al-Mustaliq was a branch of the Khozaa (Jewish) tribe. Two months after Muhammad returned from Dhu Qarad campaign (see Terror 40, CH. 11), Allah suddenly told him that B. al-Mustaliq, under the leadership of Haritha b. Abi Dirar was mobilizing forces against him. Hitherto, B. al-Mustaliq people were friendly to Muhammad. But, out of the blue, Muhammad spread the rumour that B. al-Mustaliq were now joining with the Quraysh to launch an attack against the Muslims. The Muslims even killed a man from B. al-Mustaliq on suspicion of spying for them. With this pretext Muhammad rallied all the fighting men around him to assail the B. al- Mustaliq. It is not clear why Allah had suddenly changed His mind on B. al-Mustaliq. However, the real reason was that B. al-Mustaliq were a prosperous Jewish clan who had immense wealth and property and Muhammad was eyeing to appropriate their resources through plunder. So far, he was not absolutely certain whether his terror campaign to this peace-loving Jewish clan would be a success or not. But when his ethnic cleaning of the Jews in Medina was a great accomplishment, the Jews all around Medina became fearful of his further attack on them. So B. al-Mustaliq Jews took all precautionary measures to prevent such an invasion on them. Naturally, they sought help from other clans as well. Now, a militarily strong Muhammad was poised to plunder this Jewish community to further enrich his horde of followers. We can infer this conclusion from the fact that Muhammad gave no opportunity to this clan to embrace Islam before facing ethnic cleansing—Islamic style. On previous occasions, he abided by the rule that the infidels be given a three days reprieve to decide whether to accept Islam or face liquidation. In fact, Muhammad was not at all keen on this prosperous clan to take up Islam, as that meant no booty to his ardent Jihadists. It was far better that B. al-Mustaliq did not embrace Islam so that the Muslims could pillage everything that they had through a pre-emptive attack. Here is a passage from Sahih Muslim on this raid:
Book 019, Number 4292:
Ibn 'Aun reported: I wrote to Nafi' inquiring from him whether it was necessary to extend (to the disbelievers) an invitation to accept (Islam) before m". ing them in fight. He wrote (in reply) to me that it was necessary in the early days of Islam. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) made a raid upon Banu Mustaliq while they were unaware and their cattle were having a drink at the water. He killed those who fought and imprisoned others. On that very day, he captured Juwairiya bint al-Harith. Nafi' said that this tradition was related to him by Abdullah b. Umar who (himself) was among the raiding troops.
Further confirmation of this sudden pillage is referred in Sahih Bukhari:
Volume 3, Book 46, Number 717: Narrated Ibn Aun:
I wrote a letter to Nafi and Nafi wrote in reply to my letter that the Prophet had suddenly attacked Bani Mustaliq without warning while they were heedless and their cattle were being watered at the places of water. Their fighting men were killed and their women and children were taken as captives; the Prophet got Juwairiya on that day. Nafi said that Ibn 'Umar had told him the above narration and that Ibn 'Umar was in that army.
Therefore, with clear plunder in mind, Muhammad rallied all the fighting men around him to attack the B.al- Mustaliq. Many Jihadists joined him to have a share in the loot. Muhammad gave Abu Bakr the flag for this attack. Curiously, Abdullah ibn Ubay, Muhammad’s nemesis (and a hypocrite, as per Muhammad) was also made one of the leaders of this strike team. The Muslim forces then started marching with thirty horses. After eight days of marching they encamped at the wells of Muraysi near the seashore, close to Mecca. Muhammad pitched tents for himself, Aisha and Umm Salma, two of his wives who accompanied him. When the B. al-Mustaliq people heard the arrival of Muhammad’s soldiers, they were dismayed, but fought gallantly. After exchanging arrows for a brief period, the Muslim forces advanced and quickly surrounded the B. al-Mustaliq, and soon B. al-Mustaliq’s ranks fell in disarray and they were vanquished, having lost some of their men. Ali b. Talib killed a few wounded B. al-Mustaliq people; among them were Malik and his son. Muhammad seized their cattle herd, took many as captives and divided them among the Jihadists. Two hundred families were taken as captives, two thousand camels (US$700,000) and five thousand sheep and goats (US$ 175,000), as well as a huge quantity of household goods (say US$ 100,000) were taken as booty. Juwayriah, the young, beautiful and vivacious daughter of B. al-Mutaliq chief was one of those captives. The household goods were sold in an auction to the highest bidders. During the battle a Muslim was mortally wounded by another Muslim by accident. The Muslim soldiers were hungry for sex and Muhammad allowed them to rape the B. Mustaliq women captives. Here is a Hadith from Sahih Bukhari:
Volume 5, Book 59, Number 459: Narrated Ibn Muhairiz:
I entered the Mosque and saw Abu Said Al-Khudri and sat beside him and asked him about Al-Azl (i.e. coitus interruptus). Abu Said said, "We went out with Allah's Apostle for the Ghazwa of Banu Al-Mustaliq and we received captives from among the Arab captives and we desired women and celibacy became hard on us and we loved to do coitus interruptus. So when we intended to do coitus interrupt us, we said, 'How can we do coitus interruptus before asking Allah's Apostle who is present among us?" We asked (him) about it and he said, 'It is better for you not to do so, for if any soul (till the Day of Resurrection) is predestined to exist, it will exist."
After having sex (rape) with his captive-girl, Said al-Khudri took this young girl to the nearest slave market for a quick sale. Here is the continuation of the above story,as told by al-Waqidi (vol.i, p.413) and excerpted by Rodinson:
“A Jew said to me: ‘Abu Said, no doubt you want to sell her as she has in her belly a baby by you.’ I said: ‘No; I used the ‘azl.’ To which he replied [sarcastically]: ‘Then it was lesser child-murder!’ When I repeated this story to the Prophet he said: ‘The Jews lie. The Jews lie.’”
In this connection it is worthwhile to mention the Sharia Law (Islamic Law) on captive women and children:
Law o9.13
Where a child or a woman is taken captive, they become slaves by the fact that of capture, and the woman’s previous marriage is immediately annulled.
Muhammad’s marriage to Juwayriah, his seventh wife
The captives of the B. al-Mustaliq were carried to Medina. Among the captives were two hundred women. Men from B. al-Mustaliq soon arrived to make terms for their release. At first, unknown to Muhammad, the pretty Juwayriah fell in the hands of Jihadist, Thabit b. Qays, an Ansar and one of his cousins. Juwayrah was a young woman, the daughter of B. al-Mustaliq chief and married to Musab b. Safwan. As soon as she became a captive, her marriage was immediately cancelled—as per Islamic rule (see above) and she was handed over to those two Jihadists to do with her whatever they liked. It is rather curious to note why a young, beautiful woman captive be allotted to two Jihadists at the same time. I have not found any other reference of a woman captive being shared by two Muslim soldiers. However, a note in Ibn Sa’d’s book says: “When a slave girl was allotted to more than one person, none of them could cohabit with her.” Clearly, this is a later invention by Muslim biographers to assert that Muhammad married a Juwayriah who had not been ‘contaminated’ by another Jihadist. Anyway, because of Juwayriah’s rank, her captor/s put a ransom of nine ounces of gold (in today’s estimate, around US$ 3,600). She could not raise that large sum of gold. So, she approached Muhammad while he was resting in Aisha’s apartment and pleaded for some remission for the heavy price demanded for her release. As soon as Aisha saw Juwayriah she was filled with jealousy. Muhammad gently replied that he would pay her ransom and marry her. Juwayriah agreed on this suggestion. The ransom was paid and Muhammad immediately married her and built a seventh quarter to house her in his ever expanding harem. As soon as the news of marriage of Juwayriah reached to the people, they took it as a relationship between them and the B. al-Mustaliq and as such all the prisoners were let loose free. Previously her name was Barra (Pious). After Muhammad married her, he gave her the Islamic name, Juwayriah. She was only twenty (20) and Muhammad fifty-eight (58) when he married her. Aisha was only thirteen (13) at that time! Here is a Hadith from Sunaan Abu Dawud that describes how Muhammad married Juwayriah:
Book 29, Number 3920: Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin:
Juwayriyyah, daughter of al-Harith ibn al-Mustaliq, fell to the lot of Thabit ibn Qays ibn Shammas, or to her cousin. She entered into an agreement to purchase her freedom. She was a very beautiful woman, most attractive to the eye.
Aisha said: She then came to the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) asking him for the purchase of her freedom. When she was standing at the door, I looked at her with disapproval. I realised that the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) would look at her in the same way that I had looked.
She said: Apostle of Allah, I am Juwayriyyah, daughter of al-Harith, and something has happened to me, which is not hidden from you. I have fallen to the lot of Thabit ibn Qays ibn Shammas, and I have entered into an agreement to purchase of my freedom. I have come to you to seek assistance for the purchase of my freedom.
The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) said: Are you inclined to that which is better? She asked: What is that, Apostle of Allah? He replied: I shall pay the price of your freedom on your behalf, and I shall marry you.
She said: I shall do this. She (Aisha) said: The people then heard that the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) had married Juwayriyyah. They released the captives in their possession and set them free, and said: They are the relatives of the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) by marriage. We did not see any woman greater than Juwayriyyah who brought blessings to her people. One hundred families of Banu al-Mustaliq were set free on account of her.
There is another version of this story that goes like this:
Harith ibn Abu Dirar, the father of and the chief of B. al-Mustaliq came to Muhammad to ransom his daughter, and after talking to Muhammad, he became a Muslim. It is said that he was astonished at Muhammad’s incredible power of fore-knowledge of His (Harith b. Abu Dirar) secret of hidden camels. Then Juwayriyah followed her father and converted to Islam as well. As soon as she became a Muslimah, Muhammad married her and offered her a dowry of four hundred Dirhams.
Still another version runs like this:
Her (Juwayriah) father was not agreeable to her marriage to Muhammad and that a relative of her intervened and gave her to the prophet against the will of her father.
For more details on Muhammad’s marriage to his captive woman (Juwayriyah) you may refer to: http://www.faithfreedom.org/Articles/sina/Juwairiyah.htm
You may also wish to read the Islamic version on the raid on B. al-Mustaliq at: www.trueteachings,com
From this raid we also learn about the internal feud between the Muhajirs and the Ansars. Islamic history often talks of the existence of exceptionally amicable relationship between the migrant Quraysh (Muhajir) and the indigenous residents of Medina (Ansars). This is not really true when we read some details as written by several Muslim historians. Here is brief account of the acrimonious relationship that erupted in the open during the plunder of B. al-Mustaliq.
From Tabri’s book, we learn:
An altercation took place between the Ansars and the Mohajirs and swords were drawn while they were drawing water from a well. There was widespread dislike for the Muhajirs in Medina. Abd Allah ibn Ubayy (a local resident of Medina) was greatly disturbed that the newly arrived Muslim migrants had outnumbered them and were poised to take over the complete authority of Medina. When the verbal fight took place between an Ansar and a Muhajir, and Abd Allah ibn Ubay was further agitated at the new found audacity of the Muhajirs he said, “Have they really done it? They have tried to outrank us and outnumber us in our own lands. By God, the proverb, ‘Fatten your dog and he will eat you up!’ fits us and [the wearers of] the jilbab (the flowing cloak) of Quraysh to a tree. By God if we go back to Medina, those who are stronger will drive out the weaker from it.”’ Then he turned to his tribesmen who were with him and said: “This is what you have done to yourselves! You allowed them to settle in your lands and divided your wealth with them. Had you kept from them what you had, by God they would have moved to lands other than yours”
Very soon, these utterances of Abd Allah ibn Ubayy reached Muhammad who was then sitting with Umar b. Khattab. Umar was furious and sought Muhammad’s permission to kill Abd Allah ibn Ubayy forthwith. But Muhammad refused to permit him to do so, saying that slaying of Abd Allah ibn Ubay would simply aggravate the situation further by angering the Ansars. To placate the situation, and to avoid bloodshed, Muhammad then ordered his entourage to proceed towards Medina without delaying further.
In this episode we also learn about the mindset of an Islamic fundamentalist. Abd Allah ibn Ubayy’s son. Abd Allah ibn Abd Allah ibn Ubayy was such a fundamentalist. Ibn Sa’d writes: ‘Abd Allah ibn Abd Allah ibn Ubayy went forward and waited for his father on the way. When he saw him, he made him sit down and said: “I shall not let you go unless you realize that you have been humbled and Muhammad is honorable.” That meant, for a true Jihadist, nothing, even his father, can be dearer than Muhammad.
When Abd Allah ibn Ubayy came to learn that Muhammad is already aware of his seditious statements, he went straight to him and denied all allegations against him. Muhammad now became accommodative to Abd Allah ibn Ubayy when people told him that he (Muhammad) had dashed the hope of Abd Allah ibn Ubayy who was destined to be the king of Medina.
The Muslims traveled continuously for a day and a night until dawn. Then they halted at a place, and soon they fell asleep. Muhammad did this ruse on purpose to trick the Muslims on a long and exhaustive journey, so that the talk about Abd Allah ibn Ubayy died down. In the evening, when the Muslim army rose fresh from their sleep they marched through the Hijaj and halted at a watering place called Naqa. In the afternoon, while Muhammad was at Naqa a very strong wind blew, hurting the Muslim. They became afraid and assumed that to be a curse from Allah. But Muhammad cleverly told his followers that the strong wind came to Muhammad to announce the death of one of the great men among the unbelievers. When the Jihadists arrived at Medina they heard that Rifaah b. Zayd, a prominent man among the B. Qaynuqa Jews and a great refuge for the polytheists had died. [Note: this story is completely implausible, as Muhammad had already expelled from Medina all the Jews of B. Qaynuqa]. During this journey through the desert, the Muslims did not have water to perform ablution; so Allah revealed the verse (4:43) on Tayammum (ablution using dirt).On this occasion, a complete Sura (Sura 63) was released by Allah on Abd Allah ibn Ubayy and the hypocrites like him.
When Abd Allah ibn Ubay’s son, Abd Allah b. Abd Allah b. Ubayy heard of what had happened he approached Muhammad and volunteered to kill his father. He said to Muhammad: “Messenger of God, I have been told that you want to kill ‘Abd Allah b. Ubayy because of what has been reported to you concerning him. If you are going to do it, command me to do it and I will bring you his head. By God, al-Khazraj know that there has never been among them a man more dutiful to his father than I. I am afraid that you may order someone else to do it and he may kill him; and then my soul will not allow me to look on the slayer of Abd Allah b. Ubayy walking among the people: I would kill him, killing a believer to avenge an unbeliever, and thereby enter the Fire [of hell].” Mubarakpuri calls this type of fanatic Jihadist a ‘righteous’ Muslim.
However, Muhammad diplomatically advised Abd Allah (son of ibn Ubayy) not to commit such an act but to be gentle with his father so long as he (Abd Allah ibn Ubayy) remained a Muslim, albeit a nominal one.
After Muhammad arrived at Medina, a polytheist from Mecca, Miqyas b. Subbah came at Medina and became a Muslim. He came to seek the blood money for his newly convert Muslim brother (Hisham b. Subbah) who was killed by mistake during the raid at B. al-Mustaliq. Muhammad paid his blood money to Miqyas.
After receiving the blood money for his brother, Miqyas stayed at Medina for a short while. Then he killed the slayer of his brother, apostatized and left for Mecca. We need to remember the name of Miqyas, as we shall see very soon that he was one of the persons whom Muhammad targeted for killing during his occupation of Mecca. Miqyas was earmarked for murder not because of his killing of his brother’s killer, but because he (Miqyas) apostatized.
During this raid the affair regarding the adulterous relation of Aisha, Muhammad’s youngest and the most favorite wife, with an errant Bedouin youth took place. However, since this is not a case of plunder and terror, it will not be discussed here.
Second Raid at Dumat al-Jandal by Abd al-Rahman b. Awf—December, 627CE
Abd al-Rahman b. Awf was one of the closest companions of Muhammad. Muhammad appointed him to make the second raid on Dumat al-Jandal (Duma). He told Abd al-Rahman, ‘Fight everyone in the way of God and kill those who disbelieve in God. Do not be deceitful with spoils, do not be treacherous, nor mutilate, do not kill children. This is God’s ordinance and practice of his prophet among you. ‘
Abd al-Rahman b. Awf then set out at the behest of seven hundred men on the expedition to Dumat al-Jandal (Duma), that lay on the route to Khaybar, Fadak and then branching out to Syria and Iraq. Duma was a great trading center; the inhabitants were mainly Christians and were ruled by a Christian king. Following the Islamic rule, on reaching Duma, Abd al-Rahman b. Awf summoned the resident tribes to embrace Islam within three days or face execution. People had no choice but to comply with his dreadful ultimatum. During this ultimatum period, Al-Asbagh, a Christian chief of Bani Kalb complied and many of his followers also followed suit. Other tribes also paid tribute (Jizya) to Abd al-Rahman. On agreement to pay Jizya tax regularly, they were allowed to keep their Christianity. When this good news was communicated to Muhammad, he (Muhammad) instructed Abd al-Rahman to marry Tamadhir, the daughter of the Christian chief, Al-Asbagh. In an epistle to Abd al-Rahman, Muhammad wrote, “If they obey you, marry the daughter of their king.” So Abd al-Rahman married Tumadhir bt.al-Asbagh, the daughter of their Christian king and brought this lady with him to Medina. She became one of his many wives, as many as sixteen, besides many concubines.
Raid at Fadak against B. Sad by Ali ibn Talib—December, 627CE
Muhammad received intelligence information that B. Sa’d b. Bakr, the tribe inhabiting Fadak was planning to help the Khaybar Jews. So he sent Ali b. Abi Talib to punish them. Having traveled by night and concealing by day, Ali arrived at the site and lay in wait for them during the day. The Muslims caught a spy who informed them that B. Sa’d b. Bakr had agreed to aid the Khaybar Jews in exchange for some harvest of Khaybar crop. Ali then returned Medina with the captive.
Raid against Umm Qirfa of B. Fazarah by Zayd b. Haritha/Abu Bakr—January, 628CE
Readers may recall Zayd b. Haritha’s first raid at Wadi al-Qura (see Terror 45, CH. 11). When this raid ended in a failure, Zayd conducted several warlike raids of inferior importance. In one of these operations, he set out for a mercantile trip to Syria to do some border trading there. When he arrived at Wadi al-Qura, he again raided the inhabitants there. However, his caravan was waylaid and was attacked by B. Fazarah tribe. During the fighting B. Fazarah killed a number of Muslims including Ward b. Amr, one of Zayd’s dear comrade-in-arms. Zayd himself was wounded.
After Zayd returned to Medina with his wound he vowed to avenge the death of his comrade by raiding B. Fazarah again. After his recovery from the injury Muhammad sent Zayd with an army against the B. Fazarah. He attacked them at Wadi al-Qura and inflicted heavy casualties on them. He took Umm Qirfa (her real name was Fatimah bt. Rabiah b. Badr), the wife of Malik b. Hudhayfah, the chief of B. Fazarah, as a prisoner. Umm Qirfa was a very old woman having a young and extremely beautiful daughter. She (Umm Qirfa) was the aunt of Uyeina and was married to her cousin, Malik, the uncle of Uyeina. They formed a branch of Fazarah, Fazarah tribe being a branch of the Ghatafan tribe. Zayd took her daughter as a captive and ordered a Jihadist, Qays b. Mohsin to kill Umm Qirfa. Her old age and sex did not deter her from receiving a barbaric Islamic punishment from the Muslim army (Please note here the hypocrisy of Islamic rule on killing a woman). Qays tied each of her legs with a rope and attached the ropes to two camels. Then he drove the camels in opposite directions thus renting her in two. Rodinson writes that Umm Qirfa was torn from limb to limb by four camels. Two brothers from the same family were also brutally executed. When told, Muhammad fully approved this ferocious punishment meted out to a grand old lady. When Zayd brought Umm Qirfa’s daughter to Muhammad, he allocated her to Salamah b. Amr al-Akwa, a Jihadist who captured her. She belonged to a very distinguished Arab family. Then Muhammad found that one of his maternal uncles, Hazn b. Abi Wahb was eyeing on Umm Qirfa’s beautiful daughter. So he asked her owner, Salamah b. Amr b. al-Akwa, if he would give her to his (Muhammad’s) uncle. Salamah readily agreed to Muhammad’s request. This distinguished lady was then passed on to Muhammad’s uncle for his private use.
Another version of this story says that the leader of this raid was Abu Bakr b. Abi Quhafah (told by Salamah) and runs like this:
Muhammad appointed Abu Bakr as the leader of this raiding party. When Abu Bakr arrived at Wadi al-Qura, he ordered his troop to rest there; then they prayed. After prayer, Abu Bakr made a raid on B. Fazarah. The Muslims killed a number of B. Fazarah people and captured a number of their women and children. Among them was Umm Qirfa, a very old lady, wearing a worn-out piece of leather coat. With her was her young daughter, the fairest of the Arabs. Abu Bakr gave Umm Qirfa’s pretty, young and vivacious daughter to, the Jihadist, who had captured her as a booty. After Salamah b. al-Akwa returned to Medina and met Muhammad at the market place, he (Muhammad) asked Salamah to give this pretty young lass to him. Salamah told Muhammad that he liked her but had not had sex with her yet. Then he offered her to Muhammad.
Quoting Salamah, Tabari (Tabari, vol. viii, p.97) writes:
‘When I returned to Medina, the messenger of God met me in the market and said, “Salamah—how excellent the father who begot you!—give me the woman.” I said, “Messenger of God, I like her, by God, and I have not uncovered her garment.” He said nothing to me until the next day, when he met me in the market and said, “Salamah—how excellent a father begot you!—give me the woman.” I said: “Messenger of God, I have not touched her garment. She is yours, Messenger of God.” The Messenger of God sent her to Mecca, and with her he ransomed some Muslim captives who were in the hands of the polytheists.’
There is a similar Hadith from Sahih Muslim (Refer to: Sahih Muslim: Book 19, Hadith number 4345)
Barbarous Execution of Uraynah Robbers By Muhammad—February, 628CE
Eight members B. Uraynah , a Bedouin tribe, came to Muhammad and embraced Islam. The climate of Medina did not suit them. They complained about a stomach problem they were suffering from an epidemic. Muhammad gave them some camels to take with them; instructed them to drink the camel’s milk and urine as medicines. They took the camels in the plain south of Quba for grazing. Following Muhammad’s prescription, they soon recovered from their stomach problem. Then they escaped with the camels by killing the camel herdsman by cutting off his hands and legs and poking thorny spikes into his tongue and eyes. When this news reached Muhammad, he dispatched twenty horsemen in hot pursuit of the robbers. They caught the robbers and recovered all the camels except one. The eight captives were then brought to Muhammad. On Muhammad’s order their arms and legs were cut off and their eyes were put off. The trunks of these wretched victims were then laid side by side in the hot sun in the plain of al-Ghaba until they died. On this occasion the verses on the punishment of waging war against Allah and for theft were released (5:39, 33).
This story is mentioned in Sahih Bukhari:
Volume 8, Book 82, Number 796: Narrated Anas:
A group of people from 'Ukl (tribe) came to the Prophet and they were living with the people of As-Suffa, but they became ill as the climate of Medina did not suit them, so they said, "O Allah's Apostle! Provide us with milk." The Prophet said, I see no other way for you than to use the camels of Allah's Apostle." So they went and drank the milk and urine of the camels, (as medicine) and became healthy and fat. Then they killed the shepherd and took the camels away. When a help-seeker came to Allah's Apostle, he sent some men in their pursuit, and they were captured and brought before mid day. The Prophet ordered for some iron pieces to be made red hot, and their eyes were branded with them and their hands and feet were cut off and were not cauterized. Then they were put at a place called Al-Harra, and when they asked for water to drink they were not given till they died. (Abu Qilaba said, "Those people committed theft and murder and fought against Allah and His Apostle.")
Assassination of Al-Yusayr b. Rizam and a party of Khaybar Jews at al-Qarqara—February, 628CE
Even with the assassination of Abu Rafi (also known as Sallam ibn Abul-Huqayq), the chief of Khaybar Jews in December, 624 (see Terror 20, CH. 5) Muhammad did not feel safe from the Jews of Khaybar. The new chief of the Khaybar Jews was Al-Yusayr b. Rizam. He maintained the good relation with the B. Ghatafan, the tribe that Muhammad feared a lot. Muhammad heard that Al-Yusayr b. Rizam was planning a fresh attack against him. So he quickly dispatched Abdallah ibn Rawaha, a leader of the B. Khazraj to Khaybar to gather intelligence to eliminate Al-Yusayr clandestinely. But Abd Allah ibn Rawaha found the Jews to be extremely alert for this type of covert political murder to be a success.
When he returned to Medina with this bad news, Muhammad again sent him openly with thirty men (or thirty selected killers) mounted on camels to persuade al-Yusayr b. Rizam to visit Medina. When the Muslims arrived at Khaybar the Jews treated them well. Abd Allah ibn Rawaha pretended to be friendly with the Jews and invited al-Yusayr b. Rizam to visit Medina with them.He assured al-Yusayr b. Rizam that Muhammad would make him the ruler of Khaybar, giving al-Yusayr b. Rizam a solemn guarantee of his safety. At first, al-Yusayr declined. But due to the persistence of the Muslim delegation he finally relented and went with them with a number of Jews. One of the Muslim delegates, Abd Allah b. Unays mounted al-Yusayr on his beast and rode behind him. When they arrived at al-Qarqarat, about six miles from Khaybar, al-Yusayr suspected the ill-motive of the Muslims and changed his mind about going to meet Muhammad. He dismounted from the beast he was riding with Abd Allah Unays. Abd Allah b. Unays claimed that he perceived al-Yusayr was drawing his sword. So he rushed at him and cut off his leg. Al-Yusayr hit Abd Allah b. Unays with a piece of wood and wounded his head. Ibn Ishak claims that later, God killed al-Yusayr. The Muslims killed all other Jews except one who escaped on his feet. When Abd Allah b. Unays came to Muhammad, Muhammad sp