The Jew is Not My Enemy (20 page)

Ibn Ishaq writes that on learning about the impending attack, Muhammad, on the advice of his Persian companion Salman, had a ditch dug outside the northern approaches to Medina. From the
Sira
we learn that some Muslims made excuses to avoid the task of digging the trench. According to Ibn Ishaq, this is when God sent a revelation to Muhammad, warning Muhammad’s followers of serious consequences if they did not report for duty. He writes, “Allah, the most high and glorious, revealed the verse:

“When Believers [Muslims] are engaged with the apostle in public business, they do not depart without asking his permission. For those who ask permission are those who believe in Allah and in His apostle.… But Allah knoweth those who steal away privately; let those who resist His command take heed, lest some calamity befall them, or grievous punishment.”

It is obvious from this Quranic verse that God was keenly involved in the micromanagement of the war effort, sending revelations to the
Prophet through the Archangel Gabriel to stem a loss of morale and maintain discipline among the troops. However, I wonder why, if the Jews of Banu Qurayza were plotting secretly against Muhammad, did Allah not send a revelation to his apostle warning him of the danger lurking behind the Jewish fortress? Had such a revelation come to Muhammad through Gabriel, it would have been part of the Quran – but it is not.

It is also during the lead-up to the Medina siege and the digging of the trench that some of the miracles attributed to Prophet Muhammad are said to have happened. The terrain was rugged, and without the right tools, the Muslims were finding it difficult to dig through stones and rocks. This is when Ibn Ishaq talks about the miracle performed by Muhammad.

“While the ditch was being excavated, Allah caused certain things to happen to display the truth of His apostle and confirm his prophetic dignity. The hard soil which they met with in some parts of the trench distressed the Muslims, and they complained to the apostle, who asked for a vessel of water. He spat into it, prayed for a while according to the will of Allah, and then poured the water on the hard soil. Those who were present said, ‘the soil softened till it became like a sand heap, and resisted neither pickaxe nor hoe.’ ”

The Prophet’s miracle may have turned hard rock into soft soil, but it was the pickaxes and hoes that played a crucial role in ensuring the trench was completed before the pagan armies arrived. And the very text that Muslims cite to portray the Jews of Medina as untrustworthy treaty breakers also reveals that those very pickaxes were donated by none other than the Banu Qurayza Jews. Few scholars are willing to address this fact. Had the Jews wanted to betray the Muslims, why would they donate the pickaxes and help dig the trench? I can hear the cynic argue that the Jews were simply hedging their bets in case the Muslims came out as winners.

At other places in the
Sira
there is clear indication the author is rewriting history to defend myths created later. Parts of the tale are crafted in a way that would make the reader believe historical events had been prophesied much earlier than they actually were. For example, here is a passage suggesting that the Prophet foretold future Muslim victories over Spain in the west, Yemen in the south, and India and Persia to the east.

At the time Ibn Ishaq was writing these words, Muslim armies had already conquered Spain in the west and Yemen in the south and had reached India in the east after routing the Persians. It seems the
Sira
permitted each conquering caliph to sanction his accomplishment as the actualization of Muhammad’s prophecy, thus adding to the caliphs’ claim of having divine authority to rule and allowing them to position themselves as instruments of Allah’s will.

Soon after the trench was completed, the army of the Quraysh tribe arrived and set up camp at the confluence of two dried-up torrents. Finding the Muslim army in a defensive position behind the
trench, the Meccan pagans attempted to encircle Muhammad. The only way this was possible was to entice the Jewish tribe of Banu Qurayza, who were bound by treaty with the Muslims, to switch sides and attack the unsuspecting Muslims from their exposed positions on the city’s southern access.

According to the
Sira
, the leader of the pagans, Abu Sufyan, sent one of his Jewish allies, Huyayy Ibn Akhtab, to the fort of the Banu Qurayza asking them to betray the Prophet. Ibn Ishaq reports that the Jews of Banu Qurayza were unwilling to break their treaty with Muhammad: “When Ka’b [the head of the Banu Qurayza tribe] heard of Huyayy’s coming he shut the door of his fort in his face, and when he asked permission to enter, he refused to see him. Saying he [Huyayy] was a man of ill omen. And that he himself [Ka’b] was in treaty with Muhammad and did not intend to go back on his word because he had always found him [Muhammad] loyal and faithful.”

The
Sira
then records an argument between the two Jews, with the emissary of the pagans taunting Muhammad’s ally for being inhospitable and “not letting him eat his corn.” After a while, the pagan emissary is allowed to enter the fort, where he makes the case for betrayal. The very
Sira
that subsequently accused Ka’b the Jew of betraying the Muslims records the man rejecting all overtures to change sides. The chief of the Banu Qurayza Jews says angrily: “By God, you [the pagan emissary] have brought me immortal shame and empty cloud which has shed its water while it thunders and lightens with nothing in it. Woe to you Huyayy leave me as I am, for I have always found him [Muhammad] loyal and faithful.”

According to the
Sira
, the emissary kept on “wheedling Ka’b” until the tribal chief “gave way in giving him a solemn promise that if the Quraish returned without having killed Muhammad, he [Huyayy] would enter his fort with him and await his fate.” It is unclear in the
Sira
what is meant by this promise, but it is enough for Ibn Ishaq to
pass judgment: “Thus Ka’b broke his promise and cut loose from the bond that was between him and the apostle.” This despite the fact that, by his own account, Ka’b clearly intended to honour his treaty with the Prophet.

By this time, rumours had reached the Muslim camp that their enemies had managed to persuade the Banu Qurayza Jews to break their treaty with Muhammad. This led some Muslims to start questioning the wisdom of Muhammad. Ibn Ishaq writes, “The Hypocrisy of some became manifest, and one man even declared, ‘Muhammad used to promise us that he would swallow the treasures of Croesus and of Caesar; but at this moment, no one of us can even feel safe when he goes to relieve himself.’ ”

The siege continued, without any hostilities taking place save for the shooting of arrows and one brief skirmish. Tired after almost three weeks in the cold and with supplies running out, Abu Sufyan addressed his army: “ ‘This is not our home. Our cattle and camels have perished, the Banu Quraiza have abandoned us and their attitude is disquieting. We suffer from this violent gale; not a cooking-pot is safe, nor a fire burning, nor a tent standing! Go, as I am going!’’ Then he went to his camel and mounted, and whipped it upright.”

The next morning, the Muslims woke to find the Meccan army had vanished along with their Ghatafan allies. It was now time to go home. A great threat had receded, and the Jews of Banu Qurayza, despite rumours, had not attacked the Muslims from the rear. If the Jews had broken their word in any way, it was to their supposed alliance with the pagans, not the Muslims. The
Sira
records that “the apostle of Allah and his army left the Ditch and returned to Medina and put away their arms.”

There is no mention of any bitterness or anger among the Muslim army against the Banu Qurayza at this stage. If the lifting of the siege was noticed at the break of dawn, it would not have taken long for the
Muslims to make the one-mile trek back to the city and “put away their arms.” The Muslims must have already been back in the city for a few hours upon the arrival of Archangel Gabriel, as reported in the
Sira
.

Apparently, Gabriel appeared to the apostle of Allah dressed in a turban of silk embroidered with gold that covered his face. He rode a mule with a velvet brocade saddle and asked Muhammad: “Have you already put aside your arms, O Apostle of Allah?” When the Prophet answered that yes, he had, Gabriel taunted him that the angels had not yet put aside theirs, and that he had just returned after pursuing the enemy. He is then said to have instructed the Prophet: “God commands you, O Muhammad, to march against the Banu Qurayza. Indeed, I am on my way to them to shake their strongholds.”

On reaching the Banu Qurayza fort, the
Sira
quotes Muhammad as saying: “You brothers of monkeys, has God disgraced you and brought his vengeance upon you?” Surprisingly, the response from the fortress was rather complimentary: “O Abul-Qasim,” the Jews called back, “you have never been a barbarian.”

According to the
Sira
, “The Apostle of Allah – may Allah bless him and grant him peace – besieged them twenty-five days until his siege exhausted them and Allah cast terror into their hearts.” The siege by the Muslims left the Jews and their chief, Ka’b bin Asad, trapped inside the fort, along with Huyayy, the Jewish emissary of the pagans.

With no end in sight, the Jews asked the Prophet to send one Abu Lubaba, a Muslim whom they trust. When he arrived at the fort, they asked him whether they should surrender to Muhammad’s judgment. Abu Lubaba said they should, but then made a sign with his hand towards his throat indicating that if they surrendered, they would all be killed.

Abu Lubaba immediately realized he had made a mistake in revealing to the Jews that their fate had already been determined. He said, “I realized I had betrayed Allah and His Apostle.” It is said that Abu
Lubaba was so remorseful that he tied himself to one of the pillars in the mosque, saying, “I shall not leave this place until Allah pardons me for what I have done.” Then he promised Allah, “I shall not come to the Banu Qurayza ever again, nor shall I ever again be seen in a city in which I betrayed Allah and His Apostle.” The next morning, the Prophet ordered Abu Lubaba set free and forgave him his indiscretion.

The
Sira
has a detailed account of the discussions among the Jews trapped inside the fort as they examined their options. Conversion to Islam, mass suicide, and all-out battle were discussed, but they were all ruled out. There was talk of a new Masada. It is likely that Ibn Ishaq obtained details of the discussions from the recollections of the young Jewish boys who were spared death and who later converted to Islam. There is no other way the biographer could have obtained these details. It is also possible that the children and grandchildren of the Jewish converts introduced some of the anti-Jewish twists in the
Sira
.

The closest Muslim allies of the Jews in Medina were the tribe of the Aws, who pleaded their case with the Prophet, asking him to show mercy and, instead of killing them, expel them from the city. According to the
Sira
, Muhammad asked the Aws, “Would you be satisfied, O People of Aws, if one of your own men were to pass judgement on them?” “Certainly,” they replied.

The Prophet appointed one Saad bin Mu’adh arbiter of the fate of the Banu Qurayza and asked that he be taken to the Jews before passing judgment. However, if Abu Lubaba is to be believed, the decision had already been made, and only a show trial awaited the Jews.

The
Sira
claims that Saad obtained agreement from both the Aws tribe representing the Jews and the Prophet that his decision would be binding on both parties. No one bothered to ask the Jews for their opinion.

The Sira says that, on getting the nod of approval, Saad passed judgment without any hesitation, questions, or investigation, proclaiming,
“My judgement is that the men be executed, their property divided, and the women and children made captives.”

The Jews were let out from their fort and marched to Medina, where they were locked in the house of a woman named Bint al-Harith. According to Ibn Ishaq, the apostle went to the market of Medina and had trenches dug. After that, he sent for the Jews in small groups and had them decapitated and thrown into those trenches.

As the slaughter continued, the
Sira
records an interesting exchange between the chief of the Jewish tribe and his fellow prisoners. As the nine hundred were slowly led out, those who were waiting asked the chief: “O Ka’b, what do you think he [Muhammad] will do with us?” To which the chief replied: “Will you never understand? Can’t you see that the summoner does not cease, and those who are led away from you do not return? By God, it is death!”

The
Sira
concludes rather coldly: “These proceedings continued until the Apostle of Allah – may Allah bless him and grant him peace – had finished them off.”

After the mass slaughter ends, the biographer of the Prophet paints a picture of Muhammad as a conqueror, not the Messenger of God.