Invasion of Banu Qurayza

The Invasion of Banu Qurayza, also known as the Massacre of Banu Qurayza, refers to an incident that took place in the Dhul Qa‘dah during February and March of 627 CE (5 AH).

The Banu Qurayza, a Jewish tribe in Medina, reportedly formed an alliance with the Muslim community led by Islamic Prophet Muhammad. This community soon faced a siege from Meccan forces who were in a state of war with the Muslims. The community survived the siege, but the Banu Qurayza where suspected of having betrayed the alliance by colluding with enemy forces.

The Banu Qurayza where subsequently besieged for 25 days until they surrendered and faced a judgement for their alleged breach. One of Muhammad's companions, Sa'd ibn Mua'dh, who was also a member of an tribe allied to the Banu Qurayza, was agreed upon to act as judge. He ruled that "the men should be killed, the property divided, and the women and children taken as captives". Some sources claim that this sentence was derived from Jewish testimony and law. Muhammad approved of the ruling, calling it fair as it was according to the Jew's own laws,   after which all male members of the tribe who had reached puberty were beheaded. According to Daniel C. Peterson and Martin Lings, this judgment was in accordance with the law of Moses as stated in Deuteronomy 20:10-14. The Muslim jurist Tabari quotes 600-900 being executed. The Sunni hadith do not give the number killed, but state that all males were killed and 1 woman (the 1 woman is according to Sunan Abu Dawud). The rest of the woman and children were sold in exchange for weapons and horses, according to Islamic sources.

According to Ibn Kathir, Quranic verses 33:26-27 and 33:9-10 are about the attack against the Banu Qurayza.

The Banu Qurayza were allied to Muhammmad and during the Battle of the Trench they lent tools to the Muslims to defend themselves in Medina, but they did not participate in any fighting. The Qurayza were deeply offended by Muhammad's recitation of revelations which strongly attacked Jews, and according to Islamic sources (such as Al-Waqidi ) they negotiated with the Meccans. Waqidi claims that Muhammad had a treaty with the tribe which was torn apart. Norman Stillman and Watt believe such a treaty was "doubtful" to have existed, though Watt believes the Qurayza had agreed not to assist Muhammad's enemies against him. Al-Waqidi has been frequently criticized by Muslim writers, who claim that he is unreliable. According to Mubrakpuri, Peters, Stillman, Guillaume, Inamdar and Ibn Kathir, on the day of the Meccans' withdrawal Muhammad led his forces against the Banu Qurayza neighborhood. According to Muslim tradition he had been ordered to do so by the angel Gabriel (Jibraaiyl).

Banu Qurayza
The Banu Qurayza (بني قريظة; بنو قريظة alternate spellings include Quraiza, Qurayzah, Quraytha, and the archaic Koreiza) were a Jewish tribe which lived in northern Arabia, at the oasis of Yathrib (presently known as Medina)

Jewish tribes reportedly arrived in Hijaz in the wake of the Jewish-Roman wars and introduced agriculture, putting them in a culturally, economically and politically dominant position.

Agreement with Muhammad
The Banu Qurayza reportedly signed a treaty with Muhammad, but it is unclear whether or not their treaty with Muhammad, obliged the Qurayza help him defend Medina or merely to remain neutral, according to Ramadan, they had signed an agreement of mutual assistance with Muhammad. This stance is supported by medieval sources Ibn Ishaq/Ibn Hisham and al-Waqidi. Both Watt and Stillman believe that no special agreement existed between Muhammad and Qurayza. Watt, however, does agree that the Qurayza had agreed not to support Muhammad's enemies against him. He also notes that the Qurayza were allied to two Muslim tribes (the Banu Aws and Banu Khazraj).

Battle of the Trench
In 627 AD, Abu Sufyan, led an attack on Medina during the Battle of the Trench. The Qurayza did not participate in the fighting - according to David Norcliffe, but they lent tools to the Muslims, to defend themselves in Medina. The Qurayza were deeply offended by Muhammad's recitation of revelations which strongly attacked Jews. According to Al-Waqidi, the Banu Qurayza helped the defense effort of Medina by supplying spades, picks, and baskets for the excavation of the defensive trench the defenders of Medina had dug in preparation. According to Watt, the Banu Qurayza "seem to have tried to remain neutral" in the battle but later changed their attitude when a Jew from Khaybar persuaded them that Muhammad was sure to be overwhelmed, making them doubt whether they should help and ally with Muhammad and though they did not commit any act overtly hostile to Muhammad, according to Watt, they entered into negotiations with the invading army to reach a settlement. Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal no. 22823 also mentions that the Qurayza helped Muhammad by turning down Abu Sufyan when he wanted there help to attack Muhammad, and that Abu Sufyan was not happy with them.

According to Shibli Nomani, Ibn Ishaq writes that during the siege, the Qurayza readmitted Huyayy ibn Akhtab, the chief of the Banu Nadir whom Muhammad had exiled (during the Invasion of Banu Nadir), At this point, some historians believe that Huyayy tore into pieces the agreement between Ka'b and Muhammad, though other historians doubt that a special agreement existed (see above). Whatever the treaty, rumours began to spread that the Qurayza had "defected". So Muhammad sent some men to confirm this. According to William Muir, the Qurayza said to the men "Who is Mohamet, and who is the Apostle of God, that we should obey him? There is no bond or compact between us and him."

Reason for attack
Muslims considered the support of Banu Qurayza for the Quraishies in the Battle of the Trench as a Treachery and Breach of Covenant and the Agreement with Muslims (Banu Qurayza believed that Quraish will win the Battle especially with 10,000 armed men against 3,000), Thus, Muslims wanted to get rid of the hidden enemies in Al-Madinah.

According to Peters and Stillman, on the day of the Meccans' withdrawal, Muhammad led his forces against the Banu Qurayza neighborhood. According to the Muslim tradition, he had been ordered to do so by the angel Gabriel.

According to The Sealed Nectar, a modern Islamic biography of Muhammad written by the Indian Muslim author Saif ur-Rahman Mubarakpuri, the Angel Gabriel visited Muhammad while he was washing clothes at Umm Salama’s house, asking that he should unsheathe his sword and to go to the Banu Qurayza and fight them. Mubarakpuri claims Gabriel said that he with a procession of angels would go ahead the fort of Banu Qurayza and cast fear in their hearts. This is also mentioned in the Sunni hadith collections in.

Ibn Kathir, mentioned the sequence of events in his Tafsir, as follows:

Muhammad, immediately summoned the prayer caller and ordered him to announce fresh hostilities against Banu Quraiza, institued Ibn Umm Maktum as a ruler of Madinah, and entrusted the banner of war to ‘Ali bin Abi Talib who marched towards the appointed target and came close enough to hear the Banu Qurayza abusing Muhammad, who on his part set out at the head of 3000 infantry men and 30 horsemen of Ansar (Helpers) and Muhajireen (Emigrants).

Siege of Banu Qurayza
When they reached the habitations of Banu Quraiza, they laid tight siege to their forts. The Banu Qurayza retreated into their stronghold and endured the siege for 25 days. As their morale waned, Ka'b ibn Asad (the chief of the tribe) suggested three alternative ways out of their predicament: embrace Islam, kill their own children and women, then rush out for a charge to either win or die; or make a surprise attack on the Sabbath. The Banu Qurayza accepted none of these alternatives. Instead they asked to confer with Abu Lubaba, one of their allies from the Aws. According to Ibn Ishaq, Abu Lubaba felt pity for the women and children of the tribe who were crying and when asked whether the Qurayza should surrender to Muhammad, advised them to do so. However he also "made a sign with his hand toward his throat, indicating that [their fate] would be slaughter". According to Mubarakpuri, Abu Lubab begged Muhammad for forgiveness (on behalf of the Qurayza), but Muhammad said it is only God who can forgive him. The next morning, the Banu Qurayza surrendered and the Muslims seized their stronghold and their stores. The men - numbering between 400 and 900 - were bound and placed under the custody of Muhammad ibn Maslamah, who had killed Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf, while the women and children - numbering about 1,000 - were placed under Abdullah ibn Sallam, a former rabbi who had converted to Islam.

According to Mubrakpuri, Muslims continued their siege for many days and were getting tired. Ali and Az-Zubair bin ‘Awwam proceeded with ‘Ali swearing that he would never stop until he had either stormed their garrisons or been martyred like Hamza.

Muhammad meanwhile asked one of his poets, Hasam bin Thabit to abuse them with his poems. This is mentioned in

Surrender and execution
After their garrisons were stormed by Ali they had no choice but to comply with Muhammad's judgement. Muhammad ordered that the men should be handcuffed, and this was done under the supervision of Muhammad bin Salamah Al-Ansari while the women and children were isolated in confinement. Thereupon Al-Aws tribe interceded begging Muhammad to be lenient towards them. He suggested that Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh a Muslim convert who was a former ally of the tribe, should decide their fate.

Muir holds that the Qurayza surrendered on the condition that "their fate was decided by their allies, the Bani Aws" but mentions that Sa'd wanted to get revenge and that he said "Suffer me not to die until my heart hadth had its revenge against them". Stillman also made the same claim, he said: "Sa`d took the hint and condemned the adult males to death and the hapless women and children to slavery." Furthermore, Stillman infers from Abu Lubaba's gesture that Muhammad had decided the fate of the Qurayza even before their surrender.

According to Mubrakpuri, Stillman, Peters and Adil and Muir, when Sa'd arrived, his fellow Aws pleaded for leniency towards the Qurayza and on his request pledged that they would abide by his decision. He then pronounced that "the men should be killed, the property divided, and the women and children taken as captives". Muhammad approved of the ruling, calling it similar to God's judgment. Mubarakpuri states that the tribe who reached puberty were beheaded. According to Daniel C. Peterson and Martin Lings, this judgment was in accordance with the law of Moses as stated in Deuteronomy 20:10-14.

Sa'd dismissed the pleas of the Aws, according to Watt because being close to death and concerned with his afterlife, he put what he considered "his duty to God and the Muslim community" before tribal allegiance. Tariq Ramadan argues that Muhammad deviated from his earlier, more lenient treatment of prisoners as this was seen as "as sign of weakness if not madness" and Peterson concurs that the Muslims wanted to deter future treachery by severe punishment.

This is also mentioned in the Sunni hadith collections, stating:

A large arsenal of the Banu Qurayza which consisted of 1500 swords, 2000 spears, 300 armours and 500 shields, were confiscated by Muhammad. Trenches were dug in the bazaar of Madinah and a number of Jews between six and seven hundred were beheaded therein.

Huyai, a chief of Bani Nadir and Safiyah’s father, had joined the ranks of Banu Quraiza when Quraish and Ghatfan defected, was admitted into the audience of Muhammad with his hands tied to his neck with a rope. In audacious defiance, he declared obstinate enmity to Muhammad. He was ordered to sit down, and was beheaded on the spot.

According to Mubrakpuri, only one woman of the Jews was killed because she had killed a Muslim warrior by flinging a grinding stone upon him. This is also mentioned in Sunni Hadith collections:

A few elements of the enemy embraced Islam and their lives, wealth and children were spared. As for the spoils of the war, Muhammad divided them. Women captives were sent to Najd to be exchanged with horses and weaponry. In the process of the siege laid to Banu Quraiza, one man of the Muslims, Khallad bin Suwaid was killed when a woman of the Jews dropped the grinding stone on him, and another, Abu Sinan bin Mihsan, the brother of ‘Ukasha, died. The siege of Banu Quraiza’s forts lasted for 25 days.

Executioners
Several accounts note Muhammad's companions as executioners, Ali and Al-Zubayr in particular, and that each clan of the Aws was also charged with killing a group of Qurayza men. Subhash Inamdar argues that this was done in order to avoid the risk of further conflicts between Muhammad and the Aws. According to Inamdar, Muhammad wanted to distance himself from the events and, had he been involved, would have risked alienating some of the Aws. the Banu Aws were allied to the Banu Qurayza and Muhammad.

Quran
The event is referenced in the Quran:

Ibn Kathir commentary of the verse in his Tafsir is as follows:

According to Ibn Kathir, Quran 33:09 and 33:10 is also related to the Banu Qurayza.

Hadith literature
According to Kister all male members of the tribe who reached puberty were beheaded, Ibn Kathir says those who did not reach adolescence were taken prisoners instead of being killed. This is also mentioned in the Sunni hadith collection Abu Dawud:

According to Mubrakpuri, Peters, Stillman, Guillaume and Inamdar, Islamic tradition says that the angel Gabriel told Muhammad to go and attack the Qurayza. This is also mentioned in the Sunni hadith collection Sahih Bukhari:

The event is also mentioned in, , , , and many others.

Biographical literature
The early Muslim jurist Tabari and Ibn Hisham also mention this event stating 600-900 were killed. Tabari's account is as follows:

Al-Waqidi has also written on these events, though his reliability has been called into question by Muslim writers.