29. YAHOODI KA AKHRI QILA “KHAYBAR”[THE CONQUEST OF KHAYBAR]

The conquest of Khaybar

In Muharram of 7 A.H., the Prophet (ﷺ) announced the march to Khaybar. Those who had failed to join the expedition to Hudaybia asked to go along, but the Prophet (ﷺ) announced that only those who had already proved their resolve for Jihad were to go. The laggards were to be left out of the expedition and the spoils. And so it was that the fourteen hundred Companions who had taken the pledge under the tree near Hudaybia marched out.

Leaving Madinah in the care of Saba bin Arfatah Ghafari, the Prophet (ﷺ) set out along a well-known caravan route. Halfway down, he diverted his troops to another route that led to Khaybar so as to block the Jews’ escape to Syria.

The last night of the march saw the Prophet (ﷺ) and his troops camp close to Khaybar while the Jews remained oblivious of their presence. The Prophet(ﷺ)  led Fajr prayer in darkness, and then he mounted his animal to resume the journey to Khaybar. The Jews meanwhile, carrying spades and baskets, began setting out for their fields. When they saw the Muslims, they rushed back shouting, “By God, Muhammad has appeared with his troops.” The Prophet (ﷺ) remarked to his men, “Allahu Akbar! Khaybar has met its doom. When we appear on the plains of a people, the morning turns gloomy for them.”

The population of Khaybar, which lay 171 km north of Madinah, was spread along three main settlements, Nataah, Katibah and Shaq. Nataah had three citadels, Hisn Na’am, Hisn Sa’b bin Mu’adh and Hisn Qal’a Al-Zubayr.

The two citadels in Shaq were Hisn Abi and Hisn Nizar, while Kattibah had three castles, namely Hisn Qamus, Hisn Wateeh and Hisn Salalam. There were a number of other citadels and castles in Khaybar, but they were smaller and not as wellfortified as those mentioned above.

The Prophet (ﷺ) pitched his tents east of the citadels of Nataah, out of shooting range. He then charged at Hisn Na’am. This stronghold of the Jews was well-protected, high and virtually impregnable. It was their first line of defence and the home of their legendary champion, Marhab, who was reputed to have the strength of a thousand men. A few days went by with both sides trading arrows. Then the Prophet (ﷺ) gave his men news of victory. He announced, “Tomorrow I will give the standard to a man who loves Allah and His Prophet(ﷺ), and who is in turn loved by Allah and His Prophet(ﷺ).”

The Muslims spent the night in anticipation, each man yearning to be chosen as standard bearer. At daybreak the Prophet (ﷺ) inquired, “Where is Ali?” The Companions replied, “He has an eye infection.” Ali (رضی اللہ عنہ ) was brought before the Prophet(ﷺ)  , who applied spittle to Ali’s (رضی اللہ عنہ ) eyes and prayed for his recovery. Ali (رضی اللہ عنہ ) found his eyes were cured instantly and he was then given the standard. The Prophet (ﷺ) instructed him to invite the enemy to Islam. Only if they rejected the call to faith was Ali (رضی اللہ عنہ) to fight.

In preparation for war, the Jews sent their women and children off to the citadel of Shaq. They had decided on open combat the same morning. Consequently, when Ali (رضی اللہ عنہ )got there, he found them ready for battle. Nevertheless, in compliance with the Prophet’s (ﷺ) instructions, he called on them to accept Islam. In response, Marhab came out brandishing his sword, bragging about his strength: “All Khaybar knows I am Marhab, armed to the teeth, valiant and experienced when war is aflame.”

Amir bin Akwa countered: “All Khaybar knows I am Amr, a gallant warrior, up in arms.”

Following this exchange, they charged one another. Marhab’s scimitar was lodged in Amir’s shield, and Amir made to strike at Marhab’s calf. Since his sword was small it fell short, and hit his knee, an injury that proved to be fatal. The Prophet (ﷺ) said in tribute to Amir, “He enjoys a twofold reward. He was a brave warrior, and very few like him will ever tread the soil of Arabia.”

When Amir fell at the lance of Marhab, Ali sprang up to face Marhab with the following couplet on his lips: I am he whose mother named him Hayder [the lion], fierce like the lions of the forest. With my lance, I will repay in full measure every ounce of insult.

With one blow of his sword, Ali slew Marhab. Marhab’s brother issued a challenge that was met by Zubayr, who swiftly sent his opponent to the same fate as Marhab. General combat ensued, and in the course of heavy fighting, several Jewish chieftains dismaying their men who then fled in consternation. The Muslim soldiers gave chase and stormed the citadel. The Jews then fled to an adjacent citadel called Hisn Sa’b, and set up fortifications. From Hian Na’am, the Muslim troops captured weapons, dates, and grain.

Following the capture of Hisn Na’am, the Muslim forces under Hubab bin Mundhir laid a three day siege to Hisn Sa’b. On the third day, the Prophet (ﷺ) prayed for victory and a substantial booty. He then ordered the Muslims to attack, and before sunset, the citadel fell. Since it had served as the Jews’ single most important granary, the citadel yielded the virtually starving Muslims enormous quantities of food and fat. To satisfy their hunger, they slaughtered several donkeys, but the Prophet(ﷺ) forbade his men to eat the meat. At his orders, all the pots containing the meat were overturned.

Now, the Jews, having lost two of their forts, took shelter in the third citadel at Nataah called Al-Zubayr and fortified it. The Muslim forces besieged that too. On the fourth day of the siege, a Jew constructed a number of drains to get drinking water through them.

The Muslims lost no time in cutting off the water supply. Finding no alternative but to fight, the Jews rushed out of the citadel and fell upon the waiting Muslims. They fought fiercely, but lost the day and were driven towards Hisn Abi.

With one settlement vanquished, the Muslims moved on to Shaq to besiege the fortress of Hisn Abi. Two of the Jews came out consecutively to engage in single combat. When the second one fell at the sword of Abu Dujana, the others rushed back into their citadel followed by the Muslim troops, who drove them out and captured a large amount of grain and several heads of livestock. The Muslim soldiers continued their march on and laid siege to Hisn Nizar, where the Jews had fled. High on a mountain peak, virtually inaccessible, it seemed the safest of all hideouts. The Jewish men had therefore left their women and children there while they kept up a shower of stones and arrows to repel any Muslim who attempted to scale the mountain. The Muslims responded with the use of catapults, and their strategy proved so effective that the fortress fell into their hands, and the Jews made for Katibah. When the Muslims entered the fallen fortress, they found it full of valuable copper and clay utensils, which they washed and subsequently used.

Relentlessly, the Muslims marched on the Katibah, the last remaining Jewish stronghold. Its three citadels were their target. After a two to three week siege, the first one, at Qamus, fell, and when it seemed that the two remaining citadels at Wateeh and Salalam were about to be attacked by the Muslims, the Jews negotiated for peace. They agreed to go into exile with their families if they were guaranteed safe conduct. The Prophet(ﷺ) acceded to their request. He also allowed them to carry whatever they could along with loads of gold, silver, horse, and weapons. However, if they hid anything, the agreement would be nullified.

The Jews handed over two or three citadels to the Muslims, who also got a hundred coats of mail, four hundred swords, a thousand lances and five hundred Arabian bows. Moreover, they found some Hebrew scriptures that they returned at the request of the Jews.

The surrender was not completely unanimous. Some of the Jewish chiefs such as Kinana bin Abul-Huqayq and his brother contravened the terms that had been agreed upon and attempted to slip past with a huge hoard of gold, silver and jewellery. They thus lost the guarantee of safe passage and were killed for breach of their promise. Among the prisoners was Kinana’s widow, Safiyah bint Huayy bin Akhtab, who was later to become one of the Mothers of the Faithful with her marriage to the Prophet (ﷺ).

Thus ended a long campaign. As we have seen, there was a series of battles for Khaybar, instead of a single event. At the close of hostilities, between fifteen and eighteen Muslims were martyred, while the number of Jews killed stood at ninety-three.

Division of Khaybar

Although the terms of the surrender called for exile, which had been conceded in place of death, many of the Jews were reluctant to leave Khaybar. After obtaining immunity, they submitted a new proposal before the Prophet (ﷺ). The implored, “O Muhammad, let us stay to till this land, for we know more about it than you do. We will farm the land for payment of half its fruits and grain.” The Prophet (ﷺ) granted their request, and subsequently the Jews lived in peace and security as wards of the Muslim state. However, during the caliphate of Umar , they resumed their subversive acts and were eventually exiled.

As for the territory of Khaybar, the Prophet (ﷺ) divided it into thirty-six parts, each part consisting of a hundred shares. Half of it was allocated to meet the needs of the entire community, and the other half, comprising of eighteen parts, was divided among the troops so that every foot soldier received one share for every three a cavalry soldier got. The 200 cavalry men, thus shared its six parts, while the 1200 foot soldiers divided twelve parts among themselves.

Khybar was a fertile area, replete with dates and grain, and its conquest brought prosperity for the Muslims. ‘Aishah (رضی اللہ عنہا) relates that when Khaybar was conquered she rejoiced; “Now we shall get dates to the fill.” Upon returning from Khaybar, the poor Muhajireen, who had finally attained economic self-sufficiency, returned the date trees given to them by the Ansar.

REFERENCE:

BOOK: WHEN THE MOON SPLIT FINAL.

Compiled by Safiur Rahman Mubarakpuri

Edited and Translated by Tabassum Siraj – Michael Richardson Badr Azimabadi