‘Verdict Issued After the Treachery of the Banu Quraizah’
After reciting Tashahhud, Ta’awwuz and Surah al-Fatihah, His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad(aba) said that he would continue mentioning the siege of the Banu Quraizah after the Battle of the Confederates, due to their treachery.
His Holiness(aba) said that when the siege reached its pinnacle, the Banu Quraizah decided to agree with the Holy Prophet(sa) and they came down from their fortress. There are various narrations regarding how long the siege lasted; some say 10 days, others say 15, 14 or 24. According to Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad(ra), this siege lasted around 20 days. Hazrat Sa’d bin Mua’dh(ra) Appointed As Arbitrator
His Holiness(aba) said that Hazrat Sa’d(ra) was made the judge in the decision to be made regarding the Jews of Banu Quraizah. When the Jews came out of their fortress, they were imprisoned while the women and children were kept to one side. The Muslims seized all that was in their fortress, including 1,500 swords, 300 chainmail, 2,000 spears, 1,500 leather shields, and much more.
There were also many camels and other animals that the Muslims took into their custody.
His Holiness(aba) said that the elders of the Aus tribe submitted to the Holy Prophet(sa) that since the Banu Quraizah were their allies, they requested for them to be forgiven. The Holy Prophet(sa) remained silent while they continued to increase their pleas. The Holy Prophet(sa) asked whether they would be pleased if one of their own people were to make the final decision regarding the Banu Quraizah to which they replied that this would indeed please them. As such, the Holy Prophet(sa) appointed Hazrat Sa’d bin Mu’adh(ra) to be the judge in the matter of the Banu Quraizah. According to another narration, the Holy Prophet(sa) gave them the opportunity to choose someone themselves, and they chose Hazrat Sa’d bin Mu’adh(ra) and the Holy Prophet(sa) approved.
His Holiness(aba) said that upon receiving word of his appointment in this matter, people gathered around him and pleaded that he should have mercy upon the Banu Quraizah; however, Hazrat Sa’d(ra) remained silent. As their pleas increased, Hazrat Sa’d(ra) said that the time had come that he should not care for anyone who maligns God. He then went to the Holy Prophet(sa) and upon seeing him, the Holy Prophet(sa) instructed those there to stand up out of respect for Hazrat Sa’d(ra). The Holy Prophet(sa) then instructed Hazrat Sa’d(ra) to make a decision on the matter. Then Hazrat Sa’d(ra) asked those around who were making pleas on behalf of the Banu Quraizah if they would be content with whatever decision he made, to which they replied that they would indeed be happy with whatever decision he made. Hazrat Sa’d(ra) said that he would do his best, and then asked once again to ensure that whatever decision he made would be enforced, and all the people present, including the Holy Prophet(sa) agreed. Hazrat Sa’d(ra) then decided that the men of Banu Quraizah should be sentenced to death while their women and children should be held captive. Their wealth should be distributed and their homes should be given to the Muhajirin (migrants to Madinah) so that they would not remain dependent on the the Ansar (natives of Madinah).’
His Holiness(aba) said that upon this decision, the Holy Prophet(sa) said that he had been informed about this decision earlier that very day by an angel. His Holiness(aba) quoted Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad(ra) who writes, ‘After a siege of more or less twenty days, these ill-fated Jews agreed to descend from their fortresses to be judged by the verdict of such a man, who despite being their confederate, found no mercy in his heart due to their evil schemes; and despite being an epitome of justice and equity, he did not possess the same compassion and tenderness at heart as was present in the man who was a ‘Mercy for All Mankind.’ The details are that the Aus tribe were old allies of the Banu Quraizah, and at the time, Sa’d bin Mu’adh(ra) was the chieftain of this tribe. He had been wounded in the Ghazwah of the Ditch and was now under medical treatment in the veranda of the Mosque in Madinah…Sa’d(ra) arrived mounted on an animal and on the way a few people from the Aus tribe persistently pleaded, “We are allies of the Quraizah. Just as the Khazraj dealt with their ally tribe the Banu Qainuqa’ with mercy, you also deal with the Quraizah leniently. Do not give them a harsh punishment.” At first, Sa’d(ra) listened to their plea silently, but when they began to overly persist, he responded, “This is the time when Sa’d shall not care for the reproach of anyone who raises an objection.” Upon hearing this response, the people took to silence.
When Sa’d(ra) drew near, the Holy Prophet(sa) instructed his companions:
“Stand for your chieftain and assist him in dismounting.”
When Sa’d(ra) dismounted and moved towards the Holy Prophet(sa), he said, “Sa’d! The Banu Quraizah have accepted you as their arbitrator, and they have agreed to abide by whatever verdict you may deem fit.” Upon this, Sa’d(ra) lifted his sights towards the people of his own tribe, the Aus, and said:
“Do you take God as your witness and make a firm promise that you shall be bound to act upon the verdict I issue with regards to the Banu Quraizah?” “Yes, we promise,” said the people. Then, he made a gesture in the direction where the Holy Prophet(sa) was seated and said:
“Does the honourable man who is seated here also promise that he shall be bound to act upon my verdict?”
The Holy Prophet(sa) responded, “Yes, I promise.”
After this covenant and agreement had been affirmed, Sa’d(ra) announced his verdict: the combatant men of the Banu Quraizah would be executed; their women and children would be taken captive and their wealth would be distributed amongst the Muslims. When the Holy Prophet(sa) heard this verdict, he spontaneously said:
“Your verdict is a Divine Decree.”
In other words, this was a decree that could not be over-ruled. The meaning of these words was that the verdict relevant to the Banu Quraizah took place in such circumstances, that divine power could be seen clearly working at the centre of affairs and for this reason, feelings of mercy held by the Holy Prophet(sa) could not prevent this outcome. This was true indeed, because the Banu Quraizah requested that Abu Lubabah(ra) be sent to them, and then such words slipped his tongue that were completely without foundation. Consequently, the Banu Quraizah refused to accept the Holy Prophet(sa) as their judge, and under the assumption that the Aus tribe would deal leniently with them as they were allies, appointed Sa’d bin Mu’adh(ra), the chief of the Aus tribe as their arbitrator. Furthermore, Sa’d(ra) became so resolute in the matter of justice and equity that feelings of relation and alliance were wiped out of his heart completely. Moreover, before announcing his verdict, Sa’d(ra) took a firm promise from the Holy Prophet(sa) to affirm that this decision would be administered in full. All of these things could not have been a coincidence. Verily, at the base of these events was a Divine Decree, and this verdict was that of God, not Sa’d(ra).’
(The Life and Character of the Seal of Prophet(sa), Vol. 2, pp. 488-491)
A Divine Decree
His Holiness(aba) said that after Sa’d(ra) had made his decision, the Holy Prophet(sa) returned to Madinah. He instructed that the prisoners should be brought to Madinah and the Holy Prophet(sa) also instructed for dates to be brought for the Jews who were kept at the home of Hazrat Ramlah(ra). His Holiness(aba) quoted Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad(ra) who writes, ‘It seems that due to the treachery, treason, rebellion, sedition, disorder, murder and bloodshed of the Banu Quraizah, the verdict had already been issued by the heavenly court of justice that their combatant members should be expunged from the face of the earth. The Divine instruction initially given to the Holy Prophet(sa) regarding this Ghazwah also establishes that this was a Divine Decree. However, God did not wish for this verdict to be issued by His Messenger and for this reason, kept the Holy Prophet(sa) completely separate through immensely intricate manifestations of His power, and had this verdict announced by Sa’d(ra). Moreover, this announcement was made in such a manner that the Holy Prophet(sa) could no longer influence this decision, because he had already promised that he would abide by the verdict in full.’
His Holiness(aba) said that this is a clear response to those who raise allegations against the Holy Prophet(sa) and even some of our youth who raise questions. This decision was not made by the Holy Prophet(sa), rather this decision was made by one of the companions, and at that, a companion who was in fact an ally of the Banu Quraizah.
His Holiness(aba) continued quoting Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad(ra) who writes, ‘In addition to this, since the influence of this decision was not limited to the person of the Holy Prophet(sa) alone, rather, affected all of the Muslims collectively, the Holy Prophet(sa) did not consider it his right to change this verdict by his own opinion irrespective of how heavily it may have leaned towards mercy and forgiveness. It was this very divine power which moved the Holy Prophet(sa) to spontaneously utter the words:
“O Sa’d! Your verdict seems to be a Divine Decree, which no one has the power to alter.”
Upon saying these words, the Holy Prophet(sa) quietly stood up and returned to the city. At the time, his heart was grieved with the thought that a nation, which he greatly hoped would embrace Islam, was being deprived of faith and being sentenced to divine wrath and chastisement due to their evil deeds. It was perhaps on this occasion that the Holy Prophet(sa) uttered the following words with intense regret:
“If only ten men (i.e., ten influential men) had believed in me, I would have hoped to God that this entire nation would accept me and would have been saved from Divine punishment.”
When the Holy Prophet(sa) was leaving, he instructed that the men be separated from the women and children of the Banu Quraizah. Hence, both these groups were brought into Madinah separately and were gathered at two separate locations. In line with the instruction of the Holy Prophet(sa), the companions (many of whom perhaps remained hungry themselves) arranged for a large quantity of fruit to be brought to the Banu Quraizah for their consumption. It is written that the Jewish people spent the entire night eating fruit.’
(The Life and Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa), Vol. 2, pp. 491-492)
His Holiness(aba) said that the next morning, the Holy Prophet(sa) instructed for a ditch to be dug in one of the markets. There, the men of the Banu Quraizah would be summoned and in accordance with the verdict of Hazrat Sa’d(ra), they would be executed.
Implementation of the Verdict & Mercy of the Holy Prophet(sa) His Holiness(aba) quoted Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad(ra) who writes,
‘The following day, in the morning, the verdict of Sa’d(ra) was to be put into effect. The Holy Prophet(sa) appointed a few able men to perform this task and stood close by, so that if guidance was required while the verdict was being administered, the Holy Prophet(sa) could provide immediate guidance. Another reason was so that he could instantly provide a decision if anyone appealed for mercy. Although the verdict of Sa’d could not be appealed against in general, but in his capacity as a King or Chief Executive of a democracy, the Holy Prophet(sa) definitely had the right to hear an appeal with respect to a specific person on individual grounds. As an act of compassion, the Holy Prophet(sa) also ordered that criminals should be executed separately from one another, i.e., when one was being executed the other should not be present nearby. Thus, every criminal was brought separately and executed according to the verdict of Sa’d.
When Huyayy bin Akhtab, chief of the Banu Nadir was brought for execution, he looked to the Holy Prophet(sa) and said, “O Muhammad [sa], I do not regret having opposed you. However, the truth is that he who abandons God is abandoned by God.” Then, he looked to the people and said, “Nothing can be done in the face of God’s command. This is His command and His decree.” When Ka’b bin Asad, the chief of Quraizah was brought to be executed, the Holy Prophet(sa) urged him impliedly to embrace Islam. He responded, “O Abul-Qasim! I would have accepted, but people will say that I have become afraid of death. Let me die upon the Jewish religion.”
(The Life and Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa), Vol. 2, pp. 492-493)
His Holiness(aba) continued quoting Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad(ra) who writes, ‘Another Jew by the name of Rifa’ah, humbly implored a soft-hearted Muslim lady to intercede on his behalf so that he may be spared. The Holy Prophet(sa) forgave Rifa’ah due to the intercession of this Muslim lady. Hence, the Holy Prophet(sa) forgave anyone for whom a plea of mercy was sought, which is evidence of the fact that the Holy Prophet(sa) was compelled by the verdict of Sa’d(ra), otherwise, his heart was not inclined to execute the Jews.’
(The Life and Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa), Vol. 2, p. 494)
His Holiness(aba) said that this clearly refutes any sort of allegation saying that the Holy Prophet(sa) acted in a cruel manner.
False Incident of Raihanah
His Holiness(aba) further quoted Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad(ra) who writes, ‘Various historians write that one person from among the prisoners of Banu Quraizah, was a lady named Raihanah, and the Holy Prophetsa kept her as a slave-girl for himself. It is on the basis of this very narration that Sir William Muir has raised a very hurtful allegation against the Holy Prophet(sa).
However, in actual fact, this narration is absolutely false and baseless. Firstly, the narration of Sahih Bukhari which has been quoted above in which it has been stated that the Holy Prophet(sa) distributed the prisoners of Banu Quraizah amongst the companions disproves this narration. If the Holy Prophet(sa) had selected a female prisoner for himself, naturally, this would have been mentioned in the narration of Bukhari at this occasion. However, even the slightest indication has not been made to this affect in Bukhari.
In addition to this, other authentic narrations clearly prove that Raihanah was among those prisoners who the Holy Prophet(sa) released as an act of benevolence, and after this, Raihanah left Madinah and went to the home of her parents (the Banu Nadir) and continued to reside there. ‘Allamah Ibni Hajar, who is among the most illustrious of research scholars, states that this latter narration is correct. However, even if it is accepted that the Holy Prophet(sa) took Raihanah into his own guardianship, she definitely lived there as his wife, not a slave-girl. However, as for those historians who have related that the Holy Prophet(sa) took her into his own guardianship, most have also explicitly elucidated that the Holy Prophet(sa) freed her and then married her. Ibni Sa’d has transmitted a narration related by Rai??nah herself in which she states that, “The Holy Prophet(sa) freed me and then, after I accepted Islam, he married me. My dowry was set at twelve Auqiyyah.” In comparison to this narration, Ibni Sa’d has declared the other narration, which Sir William Muir has based his conclusion on, as being categorically false and contrary to the truth; and has further written that this is the opinion of those who possess knowledge.
Hence, first and foremost, as substantiated by the narration of Bukhari, and the same has been expounded in Isabah, the Holy Prophet(sa) did not take Raihanah under his guardianship in the first place; rather, he set her free, after which she returned to her family and began to live with them. Secondly, even if the narration is accepted that the Holy Prophet(sa) did in fact take her into his own supervision, even in this case, the Holy Prophet(sa) freed her and then married her; he did not keep her as a slave-girl. Furthermore, it should also be remembered that with respect to the name, genealogy, tribe, etc., of Raihanah, there is such diverse contradiction within various narrations, that it would perhaps not be unreasonable to doubt the very existence of her person all together; especially when it is taken into account that she is said to be the wife of a person who is definitely the most well-documented historical figure in the world. And Allah knows best.’
(The Life and Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa), Vol. 2, pp. 486-498)
His Holiness(aba) said that after taking out the Khums from the spoils (a fifth of the spoils reserved for Allah and His Messenger (sa)), the Holy Prophet(sa) fairly distributed the spoils of war.
Treatment of the Captives
His Holiness(aba) quoted Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad(ra) who writes, ‘In line with the verdict of Sa’d(ra), the women and children had been taken captive. It is ascertained from various narrations that the Holy Prophet(sa) sent them towards Najd. Some of the tribes that were situated here paid their ransom and obtained their release. The Muslims utilised this money to purchase horses and arms for their own defence. If this was indeed the case, it should come as no surprise, because the tribes of Najd and the Banu Quraizah were allies. Prior to the Ghazwah of Quraizah, they had fought together in the Ghazwah of the Confederates. As a matter of fact, it was due to the incitement of the people of Najd that the Banu Quraizah raised up the flag of rebellion against the Holy Prophet(sa) in the first place. Thus, if the Najadis obtained the release of the prisoners of Banu Quraizah from the Muslims, this is nothing out of the ordinary. However, authentic narrations disclose that these prisoners remained in Madinah, and according to custom, the Holy Prophet(sa) distributed them into the guardianship of various Companions. Afterwards, some from among them paid the value of their ransom and obtained freedom. Others were released by the Holy Prophet(sa) as an act of benevolence. In time, these people gradually became
Muslim at their own will. History records the names of ‘Atiyyah Quradhi, ‘Abdur-Rahman bin Zubair bin Batiya, Ka’b bin Sulaim and in particular Muhammad bin Ka’b, who later became a Muslim of great standing.’
(The Life and Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa), Vol. 2, pp. 495-496)
His Holiness(aba) said that the Holy Prophet(sa) delivered a verdict on this occasion which shows the vastness of his mercy and the fact that he was a champion for women. The Holy Prophet(sa) said that any woman who was distributed or obtained at a ransom, if they had a small child then the child must not be separated from the mother. Similarly, two young sisters must not be separated until they reached the age of maturity. This was the conduct of the ‘Mercy for All Peoples’ towards women and even prisoners and opponents.
His Holiness(aba) said that today, we observe the conduct of Muslims being that they drive other Muslims out of their homes, which then diminishes the honour of Muslims in the sights of others. His Holiness(aba) prayed that may Allah grant sense to the Muslims.
