The Battle of Khaybar Pt 1

Allah had promised a great reward to all those who had, at Hudaybiyah, sworn allegiance to the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) which was known as Bai’atur-Rizwan or the oath of Paradise. Having submitted to the will of God and His Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) in that hour of crisis, Allah foretold them of the coming victory as well as the booty they were to win shortly.
“Allah was well pleased with the believers when they swore allegiance unto thee beneath the tree, and He knew what was in their hearts, and He sent down peace of reassurance on them, and hath rewarded them with a near victory. And much booty that they will capture, Allah is ever Mighty, Wise.” [Qur'an 48:18-19]
The Conquest of Khaybar was to serve as a prelude to the subsequent victories that followed in its path. Khaybar was a Jewish colony(20) comprising several citadels, some of which were built on hill tops and were virtually impregnable. It was, thus, the last but formidable Jewish stronghold in Arabia. Anxious to confront the Muslims for the plight of their brothers in Madeenah, the Jews of Khaybar were willing to spend their wealth in pursuit ofstirring agitation from the neighbouring Arab tribes to wage war against the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam). At the time when the expedition to Khaybar was undertaken, the Jews of the place were in league with the tribe of Ghatfan with whom they were hatching up an agreed plot against the Muslims.(21) The Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) thus found a good reason to actagainst the Jews of Khaybar. He decided that the time had come to get rid of their intrigues once and for all so that he might be able to divert his attention toother pressing matters. Khaybar was situated at a distance of 112-Km northeast of Madeenah.
THE PROPHET (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) LEADS THE ARMY
After his return from Hudaybiyah, the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) stayed in Madeenah during Dhul-Hijjah and a part of the month of Muharram. Thereafter he marched towards Khaybar.
One of the companions of the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) by the name of ‘Amr b. al-Akhw’a (radiallahu 'anhu), accompanied the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) on this expedition. He recited the following verses given here while he rode with the army.
“We’d have not been guided, but for Allah, nor given alms, nor chanted Glory, We are the people, when attacked or treated unjustly, we resist. Send down Sakinah upon us, Against the enemy make us firm.(22)
The combatants who marched against Khaybar numbered 1,400 including 200 cavalries, and all those who had lagged behind on the occasion of Hudaybiyah were refused permission to go on this expedition. Twenty women also went along with the force so as to look after the sick and the wounded as well as to prepare food for the men.
In order to cut the communications between the two allies, the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) halted at Raj’i, a wadi between Khaybar and the Ghatfan. The Jews had other confederate tribes as well but the Prophet's (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) stay at Raj’i forced all of them to remain in their homes instead of trying to reinforce the Jews. The road to Khaybar was thus left open to the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) .
The Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) ordered to procure food for the army but nothing except parched corn was available.(23) When the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) approached Khaybar, he raised his hand to invoke and pray to God for the conquest of the colony and sought the Lord’s refuge from the evil of its people. The Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) never took the offensive during the night but rather delayed it till the crack of dawn and if the call for prayer was given, he first performed it. Here, too, he endured the night and ordered to march ahead before the call for prayer was given. The Muslims met the workers of Khaybar coming out with spades and basket. As soon as they saw the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) and the army, they turned on their heels shouting, “Muhammad and his force.” The Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said, “God is Great. Khaybar is destroyed. When we fall upon a people the morning is cruel enough for those who have already been warned.” (Ibn Hisham, Vol. III, pp. 229-30)

THE VICTORIOUS COMMANDER

The Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) came at the fortresses and started overpowering them one by one. Marhab, the well-known Jewish warlord, held one of these citadels. It was a fortified stronghold at which the initial delegation was denied success for 'Ali (radiallahu 'anhu) was suffering from ophthalmia. After a few unsuccessful charges, the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said, “Tomorrow I will give the flag to the man who loves Allah and His Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) and he will conquer the fort.” Every companion waited in suspense, hoping to be given the emblem. The Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) summoned ‘'Ali (radiallahu 'anhu), blew into his eyes with his saliva and prayed for his success. The eyes of ‘'Ali (radiallahu 'anhu) were cured in due time afterwhich he was then given the insignia(24) and ordered to fight the Jews until he prevailed over them. The Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said to ‘Ali (radiallahu 'anhu), “Go ahead and encompass them. First invite them to accept Islam and explain the obligations they owe to God. I swear to God that even if only one man is guided to the rightpath trough you, this would be better for you than the red camels.(25)'

ALI (radiallahu 'anhu) FACES THE JEWISH WARRIOR

When ‘Ali (radiallahu 'anhu) came near the fort, Marhab, the Jew appeared on his horse protected by armor and shield, reciting a poem about his valor. ‘Ali (radiallahu 'anhu) imposed himself upon Marhab and both fell upon each other swinging their scimitars. ‘Ali's (radiallahu 'anhu) sword plunged first into Marhab slicing through his helmet and head until his face was divided into two equal parts. ‘Ali (radiallahu 'anhu) had succeeded in reducing the fort.(26)Muhammad b. Maslama (radiallahu 'anhu) also fought bravely at Khaybar and killed a number of well-known Jewish warriors.

AN EASY REWARD

The slave of Khaybar had been hired to watch over the flocks of his master. When he saw the Jews taking up arms in order to give Muslims a fight, he asked, “Why do you really have to go?” The Jews replied that they were going to fight the man who had laid a claim to Prophethood. The slave’s curiosity brought him to the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) whom he asked. The Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) replied, “I call you to Islam, that is, you bear witness that there is no deity save God and that I am the Prophet of God, and you serve not no one except God.”

"If I bear witness as you say,” inquired the slave, “and have faith in God, what shall I get in return?”
The Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) replied, “If you die with faith, you will enter paradise.”
The slave accepted Islam and then asked the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam). “What should I do with this flock? I hold it in trust.”
The Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) told him to abandon the goats in the field near the fort and God would cause them to reach their owner. The man did as he had been told and true enough, the goats found their way back to their master. The Jew also came to know that his slave has gone over to the fold of the Muslims.
Before the encounter started between the Muslims and the Jews, the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) urged his men to fight for the sake of God. The slave also advanced with the Muslims and was killed in the battlefield. When the Muslims brought his dead body, the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) tried to look at him and turning to his companions, he said, “Allah blessed this man and brought him to Khaybar. I saw him for two hours doing that as I was standing by his side although he never prostrated to God.” (Zad al-Ma’ad, Vol. I, p. 393.)

DEVOID OF ULTERIOR MOTIVES

A bedouin came to the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) and after accepting Islam expressed his wish to accompany him in the expedition. The Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) asked some of his companions to take care of him and settle his needs. When the Muslims captured one of the forts and won a large booty, the man had taken out a herd of cattle for grazing. The spoils were distributed among the combatants apportioning the Bedouin also of his share. When he was given his part, he took it to the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) and asked, “What is this?” The Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) explained that it was his share of the booty of war, but he said, “I didn’t come to you for it.” Then pointing to his throat he continued, “I followed you hoping that I would be hit by an arrow, entitling me of Paradise.” The Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) replied, “If you desire it so, God will do likewise.”
Then, in a subsequent battle at Khaybar the Bedouin was among those killed in the encounter. The Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) asked, “Is it the same man?” When the companions replied in the affirmative, the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) remarked, “He was true to God and God made his wish come true.” The Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) shrouded his corpse with his own mantle and recited the funeral service for him. Thereafter, he said, “O Allah, thy servant had come to migrate in Thy way and was killed for Thy sake. I bear witness to it.” (Zad al-Ma’ad, Vol. I, p. 394)
The people of Khaybar were beleaguered in their forts which began to fall one by one. The Jews, unable to stand the siege any longer, asked for a peace pact.The Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) wanted to displace the Jews from Khaybar, but they bargained if they could be allowed to live in their homes and to cultivate the fields. They pleaded that they were better farmers and knew more about it than others. The Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) did not want his companions to till the soil since it would have required them to settle there and lay themselves out in farming. Therefore, he allowed the Jews to retain their farmhouses on the condition that the Muslims would get half of theproduce of their fields and groves. Another condition imposed was that the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) could unilaterally abolish the agreement. (Zad al-Ma’ad, Vol. pp. 394-95. For details see Sinan Abu Dawud)
The Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) delegated the production sharing to ‘Abdallah b. Rawaha who used to divide the produce into two equal parts, and then ask the Jews to choose one of them. The Jews often remarked on his even-handed justice: “This is on which stand the heavens and the earth.” (Balahuri: Futuh-ul-Buldan, Leiden, 1886, p. 34)

RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE

The booty collected by the Muslims in the battle of Khaybar included not a few copies of the Jewish scripture. The Jews requested the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) for their retrieval to which the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) acceded and ordered that they should be given back to them. (Tarikh al-Khamis, Vol. II, p. 60)
A Jewish scholar, Dr. Israel Welphenson, reviewing the conquest of Khaybar, refers to the magnanimous treatment of the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) towards the Jews in these words:
  “The event shows what a high regard the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) had for their scriptures. His tolerant and considerate behavior impressed the Jews who could never forget that the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) didnothing to degrade their sacred scriptures. The Jews knew how the Romans had, when they captured Jerusalem in 70 B.C., burnt their scriptures and trampled them underfoot. The fanatic Christians persecuting the Jews in Spainhad likewise consigned their scriptures to fire. This is the great difference we find between these conquerors and the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) of Islam.”(Al-Yahud fi Balad il’-‘Arab, p. 170)

ARRIVAL OF J’AFAR IBN ABI TALIB (radiallahu 'anhu)

J’afar b. Abi Talib, the cousin of the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) and other emigrants returned from Abyssinia while the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) was still in Khaybar. The Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) wasso pleased to see him that he kissed the forehead of J’afar and said, “By God, I don’t know which gives me the greater pleasure – the conquest of Khaybar or the arrival of J’afar!” (Zad al-Ma’ad, Vol. p. 397)

ANOTHER JEWISH CONSPIRACY

It was during the Khaybar expedition that an attempt was made to poison the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam). Zaynab bint al-Harith, the wife of Salam b. Mishkam presented a roasted kid to the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam), having first inquired what part he preferred. Recognizing that the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) relished the shoulder, she put a lot of poison in it and offered it to him. The Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) tasted a morsel of it but quickly threw it out realizing that it was poisoned.
The Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) summoned the Jews and inquired from them, “Will you be truthful, if I ask something from you?” They said, “Yes”. The Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) again asked them, “Did you poison the kid?” When they again replied in the affirmative, the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) queried what had made them to do that. They replied, “We thought that if you were a pretender, we would get rid of you but if you were really a Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam), the poison would be ineffective.”Zaynab bint Al-Harith was then produced before the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam). She confessed her guilt, saying, “I wanted to kill you.” The Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) replied, “God would not allow you to gain power over me.” Some of the companions asked permission to punish the woman for her crime, but the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) forbade them.
Zainab was set free, but when Bishr b. Al-Bara who had taken the roasted lamb with the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) died a painful death owing to such cause, Zaynab was slain. (Al-Bukhaari)