Khandaq and Quraizah

Siege of Medina , March, A.D. 627.

Huyeiy Ibn Akhtab the chief of the Bani Nadir, whose tribe was banished from their ancestral town and whose properties confiscates, visited the Meccans and other tribes warning them of what is awaiting them. Many of these tribes were already victims of Muhammad’s marauding army and had lost men and property to this new religion. Several clans of Ghatafan, Bani Ashja, Murra, Bani Fezara, Bani Sulaim, Bani Sa’d and Bani Asad came together, each contributing with warring men and they all joined the Quraish who also contributed four thousand soldiers, including three hundred horses, and fifteen hundred riders upon camels, into the field. In total an army of ten thousand men thus came under the general leadership of Abu Sofian. The leadership of the army was alternated among the chiefs of the confederates.

Muhammad was forewarned of this preparation and not knowing what to do, he sought the advice of Salman the Persian, who was familiar with the mode in which camps and cities were defended in other countries. It is interesting to note that Muhammad’s God who would come to his help anytime he needed to breach a social and ethical rule, e.g. to marry a new woman or to sleep with his daughter in law or a slave girl, or would always inform him that his opponents are about to beach their term of the agreement so he should raid them preemptively, was often silent when it came to matters of importance were a knowledge beyond Muhammad’s personal experience was required. Salman was a Christian slave of a Jew. This opportunist man professed his faith in Islam so he could be ransomed by the Muslims.

He suggested entrenching the town, a stratagem hitherto unknown in Arabia . For a considerable distance, the stone houses of Medina were built so compactly together that, they presented a high and nearly unbroken wall, of itself a sufficient protection. These walls were then connected with a deep ditch and a rude earthen dyke. Muhammad himself took part in these works encouraging his men by chanting to them verses that he claimed were revelations and promising them victory.

Provoking the sentiment of victimization is what Islam thrives upon. This attack on the Muslims gave an excellent opportunity for Muhammad to foster this sentiment. He completely neglected that the invaders had gathered to retaliate for all his lootings, assassinations and senseless wars.

Up to this day Muslims feel that it is perfectly justifiable to kill the non-Muslims, through terrorist activities to advance their religion and make Islam dominant but if their victims rise to retaliate they claim to be victimized for their faith.

In six days, the trench was finished, and the three thousand men of Medina , stood behind it. The enemy arrived and formed their several camps in front of the Muslim army with the trench in between them. The Meccans surprised by this new tactic and unable to cross the ditch contented themselves for sometime with a distant discharge of archery.

Huyeiy Ibn Akhtab visited the fortress of the Jews of Bani Quraizah and sought their allegiance. He reminded them of what happened to the other two Jewish tribes and warned them of their own fate if Muhammad is not defeated. The Bani Quraizah at first were reluctant to associate themselves with the Meccans for the fear that should they retreat, Muhammad would crush them mercilessly. But they finally agreed as it was obvious to them that as long as they remain faithful to their Judaic beliefs, they are not going to have peace if the new religion becomes dominant.

So they agreed to assist the Meccan army. According to a tradition Muhammad sent Hudhaifa, to spy the camp of the Meccans and he overheard of the news. Thereupon Muhammad sent Sa’d ibn Muadh and Sa’d ibn Ubada, two chiefs of the Aus and Khazraj, to ascertain the truth of the report. The Bani Quraizah received these men coldly and in a sullen mood. The two messengers reported to Muhammad that the temper of the Jews was even worse than he had feared.

Muhammad had good reasons to be apprehensive of the Bani Quraizah for he was mindful that his cruel treatment of the other Jewish tribes may drive the Bani Quraizah to side with the enemy.

Muslims often claim that the massacre of the Bani Quraizah was justifiable because they broke their treaty with Muhammad. However it is not clear in what ways the Jews broke their treaty. But we can see that Muhammad had already broken his treaty when he assassinated Asma bint Marwan, Abu Afak and Ka’b ibn Ashraf and when he besieged the Bani Qainuqa and Bani Nadir, confiscated their wealth and expelled them from the town.

The south-eastern entrance of the city, where the fortress of Bani Quraizah was built at a distance of two or three miles, was the most vulnerable part. The Jews had still many friends and adherents among the citizens and when the siege prolonged and the weakness of the Muslims became apparent, disaffection lurked everywhere and talks of desertion were being heard even among the professed followers of Muhammad. Muhammad was fearful of his own life and while the soldiers were camped along the ditches, he stayed in the mosque amidst the women and children with a strong guard to keep vigil over him.  

The enemy, notwithstanding their number was unable to cross the ditch reach and the vigilance of the Muslim outposts. Although they dismissed the trenches as an unworthy subterfuge, "a foreign artifice, to which no Arabs have ever yet descended" it were those trenches that hold them back from marching into the city.  

After a few days of frustrating wait, a cavalry of four men including Ikrima, the son of Abul Hakam, and Amr ibn Abd Wudd discovered a rocky point where the trench was not too wide. They spurred their horses from it, and succeeded in clearing the crevice!  

Cut off from their own army and in the perimeter of Medina , they boldly advanced into the Muslim camp, and challenged them to fight in a single combat. Ali with a few others rose to move out against them. Muhammad, fearful that Ali, who was now also his son in law, might be killed stopped him hoping that someone else would rise to the challenge. But no other man dared to respond to Amr’s challenge, who despite his advanced age was still considered to be a formidable warrior.  

Finally Muhammad had to let Ali meet the challenger. As for himself, Muhammad never fought in any war personally nor he ever took risks with his life. Ali and old Amr closed in and for a while they were lost in the dust. An unconfirmed tradition says that the fight lasted for a long time when Ali, who was wounded, suddenly exclaimed: “See thy brother is coming behind thee.” Amr looked round and Ali taking advantage of his distraction slew him at once. Then he stood up and shouted Allahu Akbar announcing his victory over his aging opponent. 

Upon seeing the death of Amr, the rest of the Meccan party spurred their horses over the trench and managed to leap back to the other side, excepting Nowfal, who fell and Zobeir jumped on the wounded man and dispatched him.  

The trench was guarded intensely and the Meccans were not able to cross it. To protect the trench Muslims did not say their prayers and Muhammad is reported to have cursed the pagans for that.

“They have diverted us from (offering) the middle prayer. i. e. the 'Asr prayer. May Allah fill their bellies and their graves with fire,!"  Muslim 4:1315 

In this war Muslims lost only five men and Sa’d ibn Muadh, was wounded severely by an arrow in the shoulder. The confederates had but three men killed. Despite this low rate of casualties, the army of Medina was exhausted of the continuous watch and duty. The siege seemed endless. Those who lived outside the town wanted to leave, bring the excuses to fear that their houses would be plundered, and many inside the town showed the signs of disaffection. Muhammad was wary of not only his followers who were wondering, “Where is the Divine assistance that he had promised”, but also of the Jews who he feared could attack him from the rear.  

He now appeared weak and helpless in the eyes of his people. Muhammad recalls these dreary tiring days in the Quran: - “Behold! they came on you from above you and from below you, and behold, the eyes became dim and the hearts gaped up to the throats, and ye imagined various (vain) thoughts about Allah!” Quran 33.10

Such was the state of panic that once Safiya, Muhammad’s aunt, saw a Jew prowling, or so she thought, and fearing that he is spying on the state of the Muslims and might report their disappointment and defenseless state to the enemy, she asked Hasan the Poet, who was present, to go and kill him. Hasan thought her fears are unfounded and declined to commit the murder. So Safiya herself went down and slew that Jew taking him by surprise.  Sira p. 292.

At this point Muhammad tried to break the confederates by bribing the Ghatafans. He offered them a third of the dates of Medina if they withdrew from the confederates. The Ghatafan responded that they would agree if they were given half of the proceeds. Muhammad consented but he had overestimated his authority over his followers. Sa’d ibn Muadh was consulted and he vehemently declined this humiliating treaty and the deal fell through. Sira p.291.

Failing to drive rift among his enemies through bribery, the Prophet resorted to deceit.  A man called Nueim, approached him and offered his services. Muhammad asked him whether he could break up the confederacy against him, by deceiving the Jews and the Quraish and he added “for War verily is a game of deception", He said.

Nueim went first to the Bani Quraizah, and representing himself as a concerned friend, cunningly told them that the Quraish had no intention to attack Medina and if they, (the Jews) supported them, this would make Muhammad furious of them and they would be killed once the confederates leave. He then suggested that the Quraizah should demand hostages from the Quraish as a guarantee against being deserted.

After that he went to the chiefs of the confederates and cautioned them against the Jews: - "I have heard;" he said, " that the Bani Quraizah intend to ask for hostages; beware not to be taken by their plot for they have already reneged on their agreement with you, and promised Muhammad to give up the hostages to be slain, and then to join in the battle against you."

Muhammad’s plot worked. When the Quraish asked the Quraizah to join the general attack on the following day, they brought the excuse that it is their Sabbath and refused to fight. Acting upon Nueim’s advice, they also demanded that the Quraish leave a few men as hostages in guarantee of being deserted. The Allies regarded this as a confirmation of Nueim's intelligence, and were so persuaded of the treachery of the Quraizah that they even feared an attack from them.

After fifteen days of fruitless wait, and this perceived treachery of the Jews the confederates were disheartened. Their provisions were running out, their camels and horses were dying. The weather was cold and gusty. The rain had left them soaked and dampened their spirits. The winter night was tempestuous and the wind and rain beat on the camp mercilessly, blowing apart their tents, extinguishing their fires and overthrowing their cooking vessels and other equipment. Storm rose to a hurricane. This kind of weather is common at winter in Medina . All these harsh conditions, accompanied with their inability to cross the ditch and the perceived treachery of the Jews made the allies restless.  

Abu Sofian was not always the General of the Army. The chiefs alternated the leadership in successive days. This system had also paralyzed their energies and had virtually left the army without a powerful man in command. Finally Abu Sofian who did not have the doggedness and single-mindedness of his opponent, resolved to withdraw his men and told the rest of the confederate chiefs that he is breaking up the camp. He would not stay to argue with them or change his mind. Thus the army broke apart, the tribes retired to their homes and the siege ended.  

When the morning broke, none of the army of the allies was left. Hudhaifa, who had gone in the dark to spy on the enemy brought the glad tiding to Muhammad who soon attributed this happy issue to the divine interposition, and took full credit for it claiming that it was Allah who had “sent against them a hurricane and forces that ye saw not: but Allah sees (clearly) all that ye do” [Quran. 33:9]  

Bani Quraizahh

The very day the confederates left, Muhammad decided to annihilate the Bani Quraizah. He pretended that Gabriel appeared to him and rebuked him for setting aside his arms and told him that the angels are ready to wage war against the Bani Quraizah.

Narrated 'Aisha:
”When the Prophet returned from Al-Khandaq (i.e. Trench) and laid down his arms and took a bath, Gabriel came and said (to the Prophet), You have laid down your arms? By Allah, we angels have not laid them down yet. So set out for them." The Prophet said, "Where to go?" Gabriel said, "Towards this side," pointing towards Banu Quraizah. So the Prophet went out towards them. Sahih Bukhari Volume 5, Book 59, Number 443

The benighted followers of Muhammad did not question why the angles wanted to wage war against this helpless tribe or what they had done to deserve such treatment. They did not ask if the angels really wanted to kill the Jews why would they need their help. Couldn’t the angels wage war against the Jews without the help of Muhammad’s foolhardy followers?

Upon this pretence, Muhammad immediately summoned the prayer caller and ordered him to announce the war against Banu Quraizah. Three thousand strong marched towards the fortress of Bani Quraizah at about two or three miles to the south-east of Medina . In the evening they besieged that town. Ali held the standard of the Muslims while Muhammad riding on his ass led the army.  

Upon reaching the fortress they discharged their archeries for sometimes without any effect. The Jews stood on the top of their walls and defended their town. Only one person was killed. He was trying to climb the wall of the fortress and a woman managed to drop a millstone on him that killed him.

The improvident Jews, who had seen what had befallen their coreligionists, had not calculated this attack and were not adequately prepared to withstand a long siege. In a matter of weeks they succumbed under duress and sought to capitulate. They hoped that they will be banished like the other Jews. But Muhammad had no more Jews to fear from and nothing but genocide would quench his thirst for blood. He demanded unconditional surrender and refused to negotiate.

In their desperation the Jews appealed to their close allies the Bani Aus, whom the Bani Quriaza had assisted in the past in many wars. They begged that Abu Lubaba, of that tribe to be allowed to visit and counsel them.

When Abu Lubaba entered the garrison of the Bani Quraizah, he was overcome by the heart wrenching wailing of the children and the cries of the women and unable to express his thoughts with words he symbolically drew his hand across his throat signaling the fact that massacre was what Muhammad had in mind of them.

This story is reported in Sirat: 

Then they sent to the apostle saying, 'Send us Abu Lubaba b. `Abdu'l-Mundhir, brother of B. `Amr b. `Auf (for they were allies of al-Aus), that we may consult him.' So the apostle sent him to them, and when they saw him they got up to meet him. The women and children went up to him weeping in his face, and he felt sorry for them. They said, 'Oh Abu Lubaba, do you think that we should submit to Muhammad's judgement ?' He said, 'Yes,' and pointed with his hand to his throat, signifying slaughter. [Sirat, p. 462]

But when he came back to Muhammad, this foolhardy man became guilt ridden for revealing Muhammad’s plan to the Jews. He confessed to Muhammad of his lapse in humanity and begged for his forgiveness. Muhammad became sullen and parted from him showing his displeasure and made Allah to reveal the verse 8:26 to express his annoyance of Abu Lubaba's conduct. "O believers! deceive not God and his Apostle, nor violate your faith,". This is another indication that honesty and humanity had no value for Muhammad. He was the man who thought “war is a game of deception”, and knew the fastest way to win a war was through deceiving his enemies.

The benighted Abu Lubaba tied himself to a pillar of the mosque and stayed in that position for three days until the word was brought to him that Muhammad had pardoned his sin. Up to this day that pillar is called “the pillar of repentance” or “the pillar of Abu Lubaba”.

There are many Abu Lubabas among the Muslims. These are good hearted people who are troubled to see the pain and suffering of other human beings. They are loving people. You know them and you know that they are gentle and kind. But when the time comes for them to decide between you and their faith, they inevitably side with their faith and will abandon you to your fate, a dire fate that would be decided by those who uphold the Quran and follow the examples set by Muhammad. They are good people, and they may even cry in secret for your death, but deep down inside they know that you must die. This is what Allah has ordained for you and who are they to differ with what Allah has decreed. “Allah knows best”.  They will not come to your help and if they do, they will repent and beseech Allah’s forgiveness. They will hand you to your executioners and if needed, they will behead you themselves while turning away their heads so their eyes do not meet yours. When the choice is to be made between Allah’s will and the human heartedness, Allah’s will always take presences.

After twenty five days of siege, the Bani Quraizah finally succumbed to starvation. They either had to watch the gradual death of their children through hunger, or surrender unconditionally and put themselves at the mercy of a merciless man. They offered to surrender and begged that their fate be decided by someone of the Bani Aus who were their allies and owed them many favors. They certainly hoped that their long standing friendship would oblige the Aus to deal with them mercifully. Least they knew that Islam had changed the hearts and now the friends had turned into heartless enemies.

The whole population, men women and children came out of their fortress. Men were handcuffed behind their necks. Their women and children were snatched from them. The wailing of the children and the cries of the women fell on deaf ears of the ruthless victor and his brainwashed followers. Muhammad ibn Maslama, the assassin of Ka’b ibn Ashraf, took charge of the men, and the women and children were forced to parade in front of the heartless conqueror. As soon as his eyes fell of Rayhanah, Muhammad’s stone heart was filled with lust and ordered her to be brought to him. Rayhanah was a beautiful young woman in her teens. She became the sex-slave of the Prophet and remained in that quality until his death. She was offered marriage but she preferred slavery to being a wife of a murderer. 

Tabari writes“The Prophet selected for himself from among the Jewish women of the Quraizah, Rayhanah bt. Amr. She became his concubine. When he predeceased her, she was still in his possession. When the Messenger of Allah took her as a captive, she showed herself averse to Islam and insisted on Judaism.” Tabari VIII:38

 Muhammad had killed Rayhanah’s father and brothers. He had enslaved her mother and sisters. Is it any wonder why she was averse to Islam? 

Ibn Ishaq explains: “The Apostle chose one of the Jewish women for himself. Her name was Rayhana. She remained with him until she died, in his power. The Apostle proposed to marry her and put the veil on her but she said, ‘Leave me under your power, for that will be easier. She showed a repugnance towards Islam when she was captured.” Sirat: P. 466

Sa’d ibn Muadh appointed arbiter of their fate

The Bani Aus who had a longstanding friendship with the Bani Quraizah were persistent that thet should not be dealt harshly and at most, like the other Jews; they should be expelled from Medina . Muhammad was not however willing to let their soft heartedness spoil the fun. So he tricked them. He said: 'Will you be satisfied, O Aus, if one of your own number pronounced judgment on them? The Aus were pleased, they of course wanted their friends and allies to live, even if they had to be exiled. But when they agreed, Muhammad said that Sa`d bin Mu`adh was the man. [Sirat, p. 463]

Sa’d was the chief of the Bani Aus. He was the man who had visited the Bani Quraizah soliciting their support when the confederates had besieged Medina but was received coldly. He was embittered by the Bani Quraizah’s treachery and when he was shot in the arm, he is reported to have cursed the Bani Quraizah saying:  O God! Do not let me die until I take my revenge against the children of Quraizah."

Muhammad was fully aware of this disaffection and how the old friendship was turned into bitter hate. Sa’d was also sentient of Muhammad’s wish. He recalled how the Prophet was annoyed when he was importuned by Abdallah ibn Ubay who insisted that the Bani Qainuqa be spared when he wanted to massacre them all.  

Sa’d’s wound was bad, but apparently it was sealed and he was on his way to recovery. The Bani Aus accompanied him and on the way beseeched him to have mercy on their allies who had stood with them in the moments of their need and honor their friendship. Sa’d remained silent all the way and did not respond. When they reached the camp he said that “in the affairs of God he cared not for any blame that the Blamers may cast upon him and he would judge according to God’s will”. Upon his arrival, Muhammad ordered the prisoners to stand up in his honor and then asked him to pass his judgment on them.  

Muir describes the scene of this tragic event masterfully in a pictorial language: 

“It was a scene well worthy the pencil of a painter. In the background, the army of Medina watch with deep interest this show of justice, regarding with eager eye the booty, the household stuff, the amour, the camels, the flocks, and the deserted town, as about, by the expected decree of confiscation, to become their own. On the right, with hands pinioned behind their backs, are the captive men, seven or eight hundred in number, dejection or despair at the ominous rigor of their treatment stamped on their faces. On the left, are the women and the little children, pale with terror, or frantic with grief and alarm for themselves and for the fate of their husbands and fathers, from whom they have been just now so rudely dragged. In front is Muhammad, with his chief companions by his side, and a crowd of followers thronging behind. Before him stands Sa’d, supported by his friends, weak and jaded with the journey, yet distinguished above all around by his portly and commanding figure. "Proceed with the judgment!" repeated the Prophet. Sa’d turned himself to his people, who were still urging mercy upon him, and said, - "Will ye, then, bind yourselves by the covenant of God that whatsoever I shall decide, ye will accept the same?" There was a general murmur of assent. Then he proceeded: - "This verily is my judgment, that the male captives shall be put to death, that the female captives and the children shall be sold into slavery, and the spoil be divided amongst the army." Sahih Bukhari Volume 4, Book 52, Number 280

Many a heart quailed, besides the hearts of the wretched prisoners, at this savage and bloody decree. But all questionings were forthwith stopped by Muhammad, who adopted the verdict as his own, nay, declared it to be the Solemn judgment of the Almighty ; - cold and unmoved, he said, -- "Truly thou hast decided according to the judgment of God pronounced on high from beyond the seven heavens." Sir William Muir Esq Life of Muhammad Chapter 17:275, 276

After Muhammad expressed his approval, there was no more room left for dissent and the assembly was dispersed. The booty was distributed according to the Islamic law with one fifth going to the coffers of Muhammad. The male prisoners were dragged roughly and penned up in a yard for their next day execution. 

Mass graves were dug in the marketplace of the city in the form of long ditches. The prisoners were brought in small batches and were forced to kneel at the edge of the ditch that was to be their tombs. Ali and Zobeir stood behind them and striking their necks with the sword beheaded the wretched prisoners or wounding them fatally and kicked their bodies into the ditch. Muhammad stood bye and watched over the proceedings, proudly relishing every moment of it.

Muhammad had already made his mind to massacre the Bani Quraizah and appointing Sa’d ibn Muadh to announce it was just a formality to shut the mouths of the critics. We saw how Muhammad wanted to massacre the Bani Qainuqa and Bani Nadir. In the case of Bani Qainuqa it was the persistence of Abdullah ibn Ubay that hindered his plan and in the case of Bani Nadir, although the history is fragmented and it is not clear why their lives were spared, we can learn about his intention to massacre them from Surah 59.3

“And had it not been that Allah had decreed banishment for them, He would certainly have punished them in this world: And in the Hereafter they shall (certainly) have the Punishment of the Fire.”

So it is obvious that “punishing the Jews in this world” or in other words, massacring them, was what really Muhammad wanted to do with all the Jews. 

In Sirat we read: “Now Huyayy b. Akhtab had gone with B. Quraizah into their forts when Quraish and Ghatafan had withdrawn and left them, to keep his word to Ka`b ibn. Asad; and when they felt sure that the apostle would not leave them until he had made an end of them Ka`b b. Asad said to them:” .. [Sirat, p. 461]

Ibn Ishaq goes on to narrate Ka’b’s options to the Jews, he tells them to convert to Islam to save their lives. Jews reject this option. Then he tells them to kill their wives and children and fight until they are all dead. This option did not seem logical either. Whether Ka’b had such discussion with his people or not is not important. What is important is that it is clear that the Jews knew what is going to befall them. In the words of Ibn Ishaq, they “felt sure that the apostle would not leave them until he had made an end of them”.

This fear was further ratified by Abu Lubabah when he visited their fortress. So obviously it was not just paranoia but a common sentiment shared even by the Muslims. 

Also we see how the Bani Aus were worried for the lives of their Jewish allies and how they first beseeched Muhammad and then Sa’d to be merciful with the prisoners. Their concern is proof that they knew what is in store for the Jews. The decision to massacre the Bani Quraizah was already made by Muhammad even before their surrender. Asking Sa’d to announce that decision was nothing but theatrics staged by the Prophet to wash his hands of the blood of so many innocent people.

The text of Sirat continues:

“Then they surrendered, and the apostle confined them in Medina in the quarter of d. al-Harith, a woman of B. al-Najjar. Then the apostle went out to the market of Medina (which is still its market today) and dug trenches in it. Then he sent for them and struck off their heads in those trenches as they were brought out to him in batches. Among them was the enemy of Allah Huyayy b. Akhtab and Ka`b b. Asad their chief. There were 600 or 700 in all, though some put the figure as high as 800 or 900. As they were being taken out in batches to the apostle they asked Ka`b what he thought would be done with them. He replied, 'Will you never understand? Don't you see that the summoner never stops and those who are taken away do not return? By Allah it is death!' This went on until the apostle made an end of them.

Huyayy was brought out wearing a flowered robe in which he had made holes about the size of the finger-tips in every part so that it should not be taken from him as spoil, with his hands bound to his neck by a rope. When he saw the apostle he said, 'By God, I do not blame myself for opposing you, but he who forsakes God will be forsaken.' Then he went to the men and said, 'God's command is right. A book and a decree, and massacre have been written against the Sons of Israel.' Then he sat down and his head was struck off. [Sirat, page 464]

It is important to note that the Bani Quraizah did not do anything hostile against Muhammad and the Muslims. Even if they has pledged allegiance to the confederates, they did not act upon it. They even contributed with the picks and shovels to dig the ditch that saved Medina . There was no broken treaty and interestingly there is no mentioning of a broken treaty by Muhammad either. He simply acted upon claiming to have received a vision of Gabriel ordering him to attack the Banu Quraizah. The reader will recall that this was the pretext that Muhammad gave to attack the Bani Nadir when he told his companions that Gabriel had informed him of a plot against his life.

To separate men from the boys, the youngsters were examined and if they had grown any pubic hair, they were counted as men and were beheaded along their fathers. A survivor of this horrible holocaust later on recalled:

Narrated Atiyyah al-Qurazi:
I was among the captives of Banu Quraizah. They (the Companions) examined us, and those who had begun to grow hair (pubes) were killed, and those who had not were not killed. I was among those who had not grown hair. [Sunan Abu-Dawud Book 38, Number 4390]

One woman alone was put to death. This was the woman who threw the millstone in defense of her home that killed one of Muhammad’s men.

Narrated Aisha,
No woman of Banu Quraizah was killed except one. She was with me, talking and laughing on her back and belly (extremely), while the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) was killing her people with the swords. Suddenly a man called her name: Where is so-and-so? She said: I. I asked: What is the matter with you? She said: I did a new act. She said: The man took her and beheaded her. She said: I will not forget that she was laughing extremely although she knew that she would be killed. [Bukhari Book 14, Number 2665]:

Among the prisoners there was an aged Jew by the name of Zobeir. He had saved many of the Bani Aus in one of their previous battles. In gratitude for his services, Thabit interceded and obtained a pardon, including the restoration of his family and his property. The old man asked what about the others and he named the chiefs of Bani Quraizah one by one. He was told that they have been all slain. "Then of what use is life to me any longer? Slay me also, that I may go and join those that have preceded me." When this was told to Muhammad, he said, "Yea, he shall join them, in the fire of Hell?"

Muhammad called himself “a Mercy for all creatures”. We sent thee not, but as a Mercy for all creatures. 21.107 Far from it, he was a curse, a ruthless man the like of which the Earth has seen but a few. It’s only the intensity and the magnitude of his evilness that has buffered people. It just goes off the scale. The mind of us humans is not equipped to evaluate this much evil and there comes the confusion. A billion people think this monster was a Mercy for all the creatures and the rest can’t accept the fact that the founder of one of the biggest religions could be so evil. 

Not only he killed and banished all the Jews he could lay hand on, in his dead bed he instructed his followers to continue with the ethnic cleansing that he had started.

“The Prophet on his death-bed, gave three orders one of them was to Expel the pagans from the Arabian Peninsula .” Bukhari Volume 4, Book 52, Number 288  

Prior to Islam, Jews and Arabs were good friends. Muhammad changed that. He transformed the hearts of the people. Took away the love, friendship and loyalty and sow the seeds of hatred.

The troubles of Middle East and the hatred of the Jews that the Muslims all across the world harbor in their hearts will not go away as long as Islam is respected and left alone. The seed of this hatred was sown 1400 years ago by Muhammad. That seed is not grown up to become a giant tree that has brought so much death and continues to yield terror. Mankind will not know peace until this tree is not uprooted. 

Why Muhammad chose Sa’d to judge the fate of the Jews?

Muhammad was fully aware of Sa’d’s bigotry and his lust for blood. In a story reported by Ibn Ishaq we read that at the Battle of Badr: :

“The foe was routed. God slew many of their chiefs and made captive many of their nobles. Meanwhile the apostle was in the hut and Sa`d b. Mu`adh was standing at the door of the hut girt with his sword. With him were some of the Ansar guarding the apostle for fear lest the enemy should come back at him. While the folk were laying hands on the prisoners the apostle, as I have been told, saw displeasure on the face of Sa`d at what they were doing. He said to him, "You seem to dislike what the people were doing." "Yes, by God," he replied, "it is the first defeat that God has brought on the infidel and I would rather see them slaughtered than left alive." Sirat, p. 301,

Sa`d ibn Mu`adh must have been very close to Muhammad to be his personal body guard  and Muhammad must have known him very well and must have been familiar with his ruthlessness a quality Muhammad had admired and praised. 

Elsewhere we come to see the disposition of Sa’d to brutality. In a tradition Aisha narrates how she was once accused of immorality and this had caused Muhammad to have doubts about her. Then she explains that after Muhammad questioned a few people and became assured of her chastity, he ascended the pulpit and requested that somebody support him in punishing the slanderer that happened to be Abdullah bin Ubai, the man who had pleaded with him to pardon the lives of Bani Qainuqa.

The hadith continues:
“Allah's Apostle said, “Who will support me to punish that person (Abdullah bin Ubai bin Salul) who has hurt me by slandering the reputation of my family? By Allah, I know nothing about my family but good, and they have accused a person about whom I know nothing except good, and he never entered my house except in my company.

Sad bin Mu'adh got up and said, 'O Allah's Apostle! by Allah, I will relieve you from him. If that man is from the tribe of the Aus, then we will chop his head off, and if he is from our brothers, the Khazraj, then order us, and we will fulfill your order.” [Sahih Bukhari, Volume 3, Book 48, Number 829]

In this hadith the nature of punishment is not specified, but from the past experiences we know that what he meant was assassination. It is noteworthy that the first to rise to this call was Sa`d who spells out what Muhammad had not said, by saying “we will chop his head off”. We see Sa’d as a thug who like many other companions of Muhammad was ready to “chop heads” of the enemies of his master to appease him and receive his approval. 

Sa’d’s suggestion to chop the head of Abdullah ibn Ubai meets with strong reaction from the Bni Khazraj, Abdullah’s tribe. When fight breaks Muhammad abandons that idea. However it becomes clear to him that Sa’d is a trustworthy friend that would not hesitate to shed the blood of anyone should the opportunity arise.

In another hadith Muhammad’s wish to assassin Abdullah is expressed more clearly.

Narrated 'Aisha: ...

So, on that day, Allah's Apostle got up on the pulpit and complained about 'Abdullah bin Ubai (bin Salul) before his companions, saying, 'O you Muslims! Who will relieve me from that man who has hurt me with his evil statement about my family? By Allah, I know nothing except good about my family and they have blamed a man about whom I know nothing except good and he used never to enter my home except with me.' Sad bin Mu'adh the brother of Banu 'Abd Al-Ashhal got up and said, 'O Allah's Apostle! I will relieve you from him; if he is from the tribe of Al-Aus, then I will chop his head off, and if he is from our brothers, i.e. Al-Khazraj, then order us, and we will fulfill your order.' Bukhari, Volume 5, Book 59, Number 462

 The story goes on to say that when Sa’d expressed his readiness to kill Abdullah, one of Abdullah’s kin stood up and rebuked Sa’d saying he is a hypocrite for he is now willing to kill the accused because he is from Khazraj whereas had he been from the Aus, he would not have pass such harsh judgment on him.

At this, Usaid bin Hudair, another sycophant from the Aus and the cousin of Sa’d got up and yelled at the Khazraji saying: 'By Allah! You are a liar! We will surely kill him, and you are a hypocrite arguing on the behalf of hypocrites.'

This episode tells us the level of devotion that the benighted followers of Muhammad had for him and how they were vying with each other to murder anyone including their own kit and kin to appease their master and show their devotion for him. Muhammad always encouraged this kind of blind devotion and praised the killers for their faith. A similar hadith is found in Bukhari Volume 6, Book 60, Number 274.

We come to know the character of Sa’d from another tradition passed to us by Bukhari. This happened before the Battle of Badr. Sa’d went to Mecca and started performing circumvallation around the Ka’ba. Aba Hakam, who was the chief of Medina saw him and asked him “Are you circumambulating the Ka'ba safely although you have given refuge to Muhammad and his companions?" At this Sa’d despite being a guest starts insulting Aba Hakam.

While in Mecca , Sa’d was staying at the house of his friend Umaiya bin Khalaf. Umaiya intervened and tried to clam Sa’d telling him: “Don't shout at Aba Hakam, for he is chief of the valley (of Mecca )". Sa’d then became furious and said, (to Umaiya, his friend and host), "Be away from me, for I have heard Muhammad saying that he will kill you." Bukhari Volume 4, Book 56, Number 826:

Muhammad did eventually kill Umaiya. But what is interesting to note is the fact that Sa’d was fully aware that Muhammad wanted to kill his friend and this did not perturb him.

Stories such as these show us that the mind of a Muslims is distinct, his values are different and his world is a world apart. It would be a mistake to measure the Muslims’ mind with the same yardstick that we measure the minds of other people. 

In this account we also learn that Sa’d and Muhammad were close friends. Both of them were sanguinary men and they approved of each other’s values and methods. Sa`d was close enough to Muhammad to know of his intentions about Umaiya. Isn’t it possible that the decision to massacre the Jews was also conveyed to him by Muhammad? [Nearly the same hadith can be found in Bukhari Volume 5, Book 59, Number 286.]

Sa’d’s despise of the Jews was aggravated further when he visited them in their fortress seeking their help. Ibn Ishaq describes that meeting:

“They spoke disparagingly of the apostle, saying, `Who is the apostle of God? We have no agreement or undertaking with Muhammad.' Sa`d b. Mu`adh reviled them and they reviled him. He (Sa`d) was a man of hasty temper and Sa`d b. `Ubada said to him, 'Stop insulting them, for the dispute between us is too serious for recrimination.' Then the two Sa`ds returned to the apostle ...” [Sirat, p. 453]

According to the chronographer Sa’d was a man of hasty tempers. He reviled the Jews and they reviled him. Could a man with that temper and disposition be an impartial judge? Muhammad was fully aware of what had happened between Sa’d and the Bani Quraizah and he knew what his decision would be.  

It is also noteworthy to mention a hadith narrated by Aisha, in which she said, when Sa’d was wounded, “The Prophet pitched a tent (for Sad) in the Mosque so that he might be near to the Prophet to visit.” Bukhari, Volume 5, Book 59, Number 448:

He even personally attended to Sa’d’s wounds. 

Sa'd ibn Mu'adh received a wound of the arrow in his vein. Allah's Messenger (peace_be_upon_him) cauterized it with a rod and it was swollen, so the Messenger of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) did it for the second time. Muslim, Book 25, Number 5473:

Muhammad and Sa’d had their tents next to each other in the Mosque. The two men spent a lot of time together and it is not likely that they had not discussed what to do with the Bani Quraizah after they surrender. In the same Hadith Sa’d’s devotion to Muhammad’s cause and his Allah is ratified. He is reported saying “O Allah! You know that there is nothing more beloved to me than to fight in Your Cause against those who disbelieved Your Apostle”

Sa’d is a good Muslim; the kind that Muhammad liked best; the kind that loved to fight in his cause and kill the infidels. He was a Muslim Jihadi, a thug and a terrorist.

Ibn Ishaq also reports a prayer of Sa`d in which he explicitly expressed his hatred of Bani Quraizah. This is based on a story narrated by Aisha who says she was sitting with Sa’d’s mother when he passed by with a coat of mail of short sleeves that exposed his arms. And when he was shot she cursed the archer and said: "May God make your face sweat in hell. O God, if the war with Quraish is to be prolonged spare me for it, for there is no people whom I want to fight more than those who insulted your apostle, called him a liar, and drove him out. O God, seeing that you have appointed war between us and them grant me martyrdom and do not let me die until I have seen my desire upon B. Quraizah."' [Sirat, page 459]

Apart from Sa’d’s murderous disposition and his hatred of the enemies of Islam, the question that begs an answer is was he in a physical and mental state to pass a reasoned judgment on the prisoners? He was mortally wounded, there were no pain killers at that time and he must have been in constant agony for 25 days. Can a man in such precarious state of mind and health pass sane and unbiased judgments?

In this story we come to grasp even more the deceiving and the manipulative character of Muhammad and why he became such a great leader. When the Bani Aus beseeched him to deal with the Quraizah with justice, he addressed them and said: 'Will you be satisfied, O Aus, if one of your own number pronounces judgment on them?'

The Aus must have thought this is a great offer and they agreed readily. It was only after they expressed their satisfaction that Muhammad told them who he was intending to appoint as the judge and they saw how they were tricked. Sa’d was from Aus, but he did not share their views. He was a man who hated the Jews and that was the quality that had endeared him to the Prophet of hate.

We see this kind of manipulation coming into play often. The reader may recall that when Muhammad sent his men to rob the caravan going from Mecca to Taif, headed by Abdullah ibn Jahsh he kept the nature of the mission a secret to those who had volunteered for the expedition. This sounds bizarre. But the fact is that he wanted them to raid a caravan in a sacred month. Arabs never fought during the sacred months. So instead of telling them of their task that could have made them apprehensive, he wrote their mission in a sealed letter and told them not to open it until the third day. By then, he expected, the men would be already away from home, mentally more prepared to carry out their mission and immune from being dissuaded by their friends and relatives. In that letter he cunningly told them “no one should be forced to continue with the mission”, knowing perfectly that dissenting in that kind of situation is unlikely. Despite that we saw that two of his men conveniently lost their camels and did not go forth. 

If there is any greatness to Muhammad is in the fact that he was a master manipulator, a great tactician and a deceiving politician. Muhammad cannot be regarded as a holy man by any stretch of imagination and certainly cannot be a messenger of God.

Another important question we have to ask is why among all the people Muhammad should choose Sa’d. We know that Sa`d was injured and was in bed recovering. His wound had been sealed and he was on his way to recovery. However he had not passed the danger. The fortress of Bani Quraizah was two or three miles away. Sa’d was a corpulent man and had to be helped to mount his ass with difficulty. The trip was so dangerous to his wound that it burst it open again and caused his death through renewed bleeding. So why among all the people should Muhammad choose this man? The answer becomes clear when we take the above into consideration. Muhammad and Sa’d were in cahoots. Both of them already knew what the decision would be. The whole show was a setup to dress the scam with the robe of legitimacy and absolve Muhammad of the crime. The foolish Sa’d paid with his life for playing along the manipulative game of Muhammad and for being a sycophant. He had survived his wound for 25 days and he was on his way to recovery. However, the hatred consumed him and the thirst for revenge blinded him, to the extent that he disregarded his medical condition, relacerated his injury and died thereof.   

Sirat narrates that when the Aus learned Muhammad nominated Sa’d to be the umpire in the matter of B. Quraizah, “his people came to him and mounted him on a donkey on which they had put a leather cushion, he being a corpulent man. As they brought him to the apostle they said, 'Deal kindly with your friends, for the apostle has made you umpire for that very purpose.' When they persisted he said, 'The time has come for Sa`d in the cause of God, not to care for any man's censure.' Some of his people who were there went back to the quarter of Bani `Abdu'l-Ashhal and announced to them the death of Bani Quraizah before Sa`d got to them, because of what they had heard him say. [Sirat page 463]

How would Sa’d know that the massacre of the Jews is the will of God if this was not what he had heard from Muhammad? As a devout believer Sa’d was convinced that the murder of the Jews is the will of God, just as the Islamic terrorists today come to the same conclusion after reading the Quran and hadith. Sa’d had come to that conclusion by listening to the words coming from the horse’s mouth. Muhammad was aware of that and that is why he chose him. 

Ibn Ishaq continues:

“When Sa`d reached the apostle and the Muslims the apostle told them to get up to greet their leader. The muhajirs of Quraish thought that the apostle meant the Ansar, while the latter thought that he meant everyone, so they got up and said 'O Abu `Amr, the apostle has entrusted to you the affair of your allies that you may give judgment concerning them.' Sa`d asked, 'Do you covenant by Allah that you accept the judgment I pronounce on them?' They said Yes, and he said, 'And is it incumbent on the one who is here?' (looking) in the direction of the apostle not mentioning him out of respect, and the apostle answered Yes. Sa`d said, 'Then I give judgment that the men should be killed, the property divided, and the women and children taken as captives.' [Sirat, page 464]

Upon hearing this cruel judgment Muhammad was so exuberant that immediately announced “You have given the judgment of Allah above the seven heavens”.

Here is where we see the real face Muhammad. He is not shocked by this most cruel verdict. He feels no pity or sorrow for the destruction of so many innocent lives. But rather he is ecstatic and praises Sa’d for passing such inhumane judgment.

Muhammad had no conscience whatsoever and without a shadow of doubt we can say anyone who believes in him after coming to know about him in this book is just as unworthy to be called a human as Muhammad himself. The world of a Muslim is not the world of humans and humanness. It is a world apart. It is a world of barbarity frozen in time.  

Yet Muhammad’s mockery of justice and human intelligence does not end there and he goes as far as to call himself and example for the humanity to follow:

”Ye have indeed in the Messenger of Allah a beautiful pattern (of conduct) for any one whose hope is in Allah and the Final Day, and who engages much in the Praise of Allah.” Quran 33.21

Was the massacre of the Jews really the judgment of Allah? If so why would Muhammad ask a moral to pass his judgment on what Allah had already decided? At least ostensibly, Muhammad accepts to abide by whatever Sa’d ruled. What if Sa’d decided something contrary to what God had already ordained? Did Muhammad have any right to change what God had already decreed? On the other hand if this was not God’s ruling, why would Muhammad excitedly ascribe such heinous ruling to God? Is it possible that some other verses of the Quran; or even that entire book, may not be from God? If he lied in this case, claming that the judgment of Sa’d is the judgment of God before receiving any revelation on that issue, couldn’t he have lied in all other cases?

To justify his exuberating approval of this massacre Muhammad later revealed verses in which God approved of his decisions to massacre the Jews, to enslave them or banish them.   According to the Koran,

“And those of the People of the Book who aided them - Allah did take them down from their strongholds and cast terror into their hearts. (So that) some ye slew, and some ye made prisoners.

And He made you heirs of their lands, their houses, and their goods, and of a land [Khaibar] which ye had not frequented (before). And Allah has power over all things.” Quran 33: 26.27

The contemporary Muslim historian Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri explains: 

"In fact, the Jews deserved that severe punitive action for the ugly treachery they had harbored against Islam, and the large arsenal they had amassed and which consisted of one thousand and five hundred swords, two thousand spears, three hundred amours and five hundred shields, all of which went into the hands of the Muslims."   Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum (The Sealed Nector)

Did really the Bani Quraizah waged war against the Muslims? Did they use their arsenal against them?

The Muslims historians have been quick to bring the same baseless alibis to justify their raids against their victims like; they were "mischievous", causing "sedition" or being "treacherous" and "harboring against Islam". However no specifics exists as of the nature of those sins to warrant such a sever punishment and their total genocide.

Under which law the thought of committing a crime is punishable? The Quraizah did join the Confederates. They merely entertained that thought, and for good reasons as the treatment that the two other Jewish tribes had received, and the abusive teachings of Muhammad who had told his followers to kill the Jews wherever they find them had made them suspicious of him. Muhammad had broken his treaty with the Jews, he had assassinated their leaders, and poets and banished them from their ancestral land. The Bani Quraizah was absolutely justified to distrust him and side with his enemies.

Now suppose, in the book of barbarians this is tantamount to treason. Should everyone in that tribe be punished? What was the fault of the general population? What was the crime of the women and children that were enslaved? Boys as young as twelve or thirteen were rounded up and beheaded for the mere crime of having pubic hair. Is there anything more diabolic than that?  How can any human being, deserving of such name read these horrifying stories and not denounce Muhammad? Can really the followers of this man be called humans? This is a question that only Muslims must answer. They have to decide, whether they want to follow a criminal monster, a psychopath and a liar or join the fold of humanity.

Huyai, Ibn Akhtab, was the chief of the Bani Nadir and Safiyah’s father. He was among those who were killed in that occasion. The tradition is worded such that makes one to believe that Muhammad himself beaded him. Later on in this book we shall learn about Safiyah and how Muhammad tortured and killed her husband and raped her on that very day.

The Origin of the Jews in Arabia  

Many Muslim apologists downplay the importance and the number of the Jews of Medina. Dr. A. Zahoor and Dr. Z. Haq write, “History does not record much as to when first Jewish migration from north to Yathrib ( Medina ) began as their numbers remained small throughout their stay there.” (Dr. A. Zahoor and Dr. Z. Haq 1990 This article was posted in the Internet  http://www.geocities.com/WestHollywood/Park/6443/Jews/treaty.html ) 

Maududi, in his comments on the Surah 59 of Quran  [Maududi, Commentary on Surah Al Hashr http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/maududi/mau59.html] reporting from Kitab al-Aghani, [a book of songs, an important source for information on medieval Islamic society, vol. xix, p. 94, by Abu al-Faraj Ali of Esfahan (897-967)] writes. 

Jewish settlement in Hijaz

 “The Jews of the Hejaz claimed that they had come to settle in Arabia during the last stage of the life of the Prophet Moses (peace be upon him). They said that the Prophet Moses had despatched an army to expel the Amalekites from the land of Yathrib and had commanded it not to spare even a single soul of that tribe. The Israelite army carried out the Prophet's command, but spared the life of a handsome prince of the Amalekite king and returned with him to Palestine . By that time the Prophet Moses had passed away. His successors took great exception to what the army had done, for by sparing the life of an Amalekite it had clearly disobeyed the Prophet and violated the Mosaic Law. Consequently, they excluded the army from their community, and it had to return to Yathrib [The name Medina was later given to this town after Muhammad’s took power] and settle there forever. Thus the Jews claimed that they had been living in Yathrib since about 1200 B.C. 

The second Jewish immigration, according to the Jews, took, place in 587 BC. when Nebuchadnezzer, the king of Babylon , destroyed Jerusalem and dispersed the Jews throughout the world. The Arab Jews said that several of their tribes at that time had come to settle in Wadi al-Qura, Taima, and Yathrib.(Al-Baladhuri, Futuh al-Buldan).” 

Maududi rejects both these claims and says that “these have in fact no historical basis and probably the Jews had invented this story in order to overawe the Arabs into believing that they were of noble lineage and the original inhabitants of the land.” 

However he maintains, “what is established is that when in A.D. 70 the Romans massacred the Jews in Palestine , and then in A.D. 132 expelled them from that land, many of the Jewish tribes fled to find an asylum in the Hejaz, a territory that was contiguous to Palestine in the south. There, they settled wherever they found water springs and greenery, and then by intrigue and through money lending business gradually occupied the fertile lands. Ailah, Maqna, Tabuk, Taima, Wadi al Qura, Fadak and Khaiber came under their control in that very period, and Bani Quraizahh, Bani al-Nadir, Bani Bahdal, and Bani Qainuqa also came in the same period and occupied Yathrib.” 

Since there are no compelling historical evidences for us to accept Maududi’s version of the History we may as well conclude that Muslims (perhaps Maududi himself) invented this story in order to undermine “the noble lineage of the Jews as the original inhabitants of Yathrib”. It seems that the Jews, who were well established in Yathrib and by the very admission of Maududi were “practically the owners of this green and fertile land” [Maududi, Commentary on Surah Al Hashr http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/maududi/mau59.html] had little use for making such false claim about their origin. On the other hand Muslims whose enmity of the Jews dates back to the time of Muhammad himself and even a reputed scholar like Maududi cannot contain his hatred of them when he writes about them, had more to gain in inventing false stories to justify their expulsion from their homeland and their ethnic cleansing.     

No matter what, Muslim historians admit that the Arab Jews were living in Yathrib for centuries. And Maududi confirms “In the matter of language, dress, civilization and way of life they had completely adopted Arabism, even their names had become Arabian. Of the 12 Jewish tribes that had settled in Hejaz , none except the Bani Zaura retained its Hebrew name. Except for a few scattered scholars none knew Hebrew. In fact, there is nothing in the poetry of the Jewish poets of the pre-Islamic days to distinguish it from the poetry of the Arab poets in language, ideas and themes. They even inter-married with the Arabs. In fact, nothing distinguished them from the common Arabs except religion. Because of this Arabism the western orientalists have been misled into thinking that perhaps they were not really Israelites but Arabs who had embraced Judaism, or that at least majority of them consisted of the Arab Jews.”  [Maududi, Commentary on Surah Al Hashr http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/maududi/mau59.html] 

Western orientalists may not be that far from the truth after all. Because even if originally the Jews migrated to Arabia, after centuries, or if we believe in the Jewish version of the history, close to 2000 years of intermarrying with Arabs, they must have become Arabs for all intent and purposes. 

Maududi writes, “No authentic history of the Arabian Jews exists in the world. They have not left any writing of their own in the form of a book or a tablet which might throw light on their past, nor have the Jewish historians and writers of the non-Arab world made any mention of them, the reason being that after their settlement in the Arabian peninsula they had detached themselves from the main body of the nation, and the Jews of the world did not count them as among themselves. For they had given up Hebrew culture and language, even the names, and adopted Arabism instead.” [Maududi, Commentary on Surah Al Hashr http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/maududi/mau59.html] 

Another reason that no authentic history of the Arabian Jews exists is because Muhammad exterminated all of them. Dead people are not known to write histories. 

If the Jews were so Arabianized that they were indistinguishable from the rest of the Arabs, then perhaps the Jewish version of the history is more accurate and the Jews settled in Arabia much earlier than the Muslim historians are willing to admit. But even if we had to accept the Muslim version of the history, we learn that these Jews made Arabia their home 500 years before the birth of Muhammad. This is enough to give them the ownership of the land.

Other non-Jewish Settlers of Yathrib. 

In A. D. 450 or 451, a great flood in Yaman forced different tribes of the people of Saba to migrate to other parts of Arabia . This is only 170 years prior to the coming of the immigration of Muhammad to that town. This tells us that the original founders of Medina were the Jews. According to their own history, the Jews were living in Yathrib for 2000 years and according to the biased version of Maududi who lived during the 20^th Century the Jews lived there only 500 years before the birth of Muhammad.

Among them the tribe of Aus and the tribe of Khazraj went to settle in Yathrib. These two were big tribes yet they were unskilled people. Unlike the Jews who practically were the masters of all the trades, and the owners of most of businesses, Arabs in Yathrib made their living serving the Jews in their farms and households.

Yet these two tribes could not see eye to eye and each sought the alliance of one of the Jewish tribes. This worked out well; since the Bani Qainuqa, was not on friendly terms with the other two Jewish tribes also. So Bani Qainuqa and Khazraj formed an alliance together and Bani Quraizahh, Bani al-Nadir and Aus Joined their strength together. This is proof enough that these feuds were not religiously motivated but were tribal skirmishes.

Maududi comments, ”Because of this they (the Jews) had not only to take part in the mutual wars of the Arabs but they often had to go to war in support of the Arab tribe to which their tribe was tied in alliance against another Jewish tribe which was allied to the enemy tribe.” 

If we could see through the tick fog of prejudice that has shortened the vision of Muslim scholars, we can see, these tribes living in Medina were all Arabs, practicing different religions. And just as other tribes and nations anywhere in the world they had their skirmishes, but as the structure of their alliances suggest, their conflicts were not religiously motivated. This is extremely important. Tribal skirmishes are short lived but religious hatred never dies. It transcends time and space. As we shall see later, it was Muhammad who introduced the religious hatred in Arabia . It is he who should be credited as the founder of religious intolerance in that country, a hatred that has endured for 1400 years and now is threatening the peace and stability of our world. Muhammad is often hailed as the man who united warring Arab tribes. But without him these tribes would have put aside their conflicts sooner or later, just as other feuding nations did eventually in other parts of the world. Almost everywhere, formerly hostile tribes have joined together to form stronger nations. Muhammad united the Arabs and turned them into a mighty force, which invaded other countries, devastating other civilizations and imposing their own language, culture and religion. The victory of the Arabs came at the cost of the defeat of many other nations.

By embracing Islam Arabs became a mighty marauding nation and what they looted from others became the source of wealth to them. The extermination of the Jews brought a lot of wealth to Muhammad.

Narrated Anas bin Malik:

People used to give some of their datepalms to the Prophet (as a gift), till he conquered Bani Quraizah and Bani An-Nadir, whereupon he started returning their favors. Bukhari Volume 4, Book 52, Number 176

Yet the harm of religious hatred that Muhammad inflicted upon Arabs and the entire humanity has had devastating effects. A free minded people was reduced into bigots and a cosmopolitan country is now a xenophobic country were foreign workers get beheaded and all religious activities beside Islam are prohibited. Had it not been for the oil, the Arabs would be the poorest people of the world and once the oil is gone, the effects of Islam on that land will once again will be visible and the entire country will sink in abject poverty.  

A country that was once a haven to all the people with all sorts of beliefs is now consumed with the hatred of the Jews and everyone else.

In one hadith we read:

Allah's Apostle said, "You (i.e. Muslims) will fight with the Jews till some of them will hide behind stones. The stones will (betray them) saying, 'O 'Abdullah (i.e. slave of Allah)! There is a Jew hiding behind me; so kill him.' " Bukhari Volume 4, Book 52, Number 176

He also said, "Two religions may not dwell together on the Arabian Peninsula ." (Muwatta, in Al-Zurkani's commentary IV, p. 71)

Why this much hatred? Why Muhammad ordered the expulsion of the Jews and Christians from Arabia ? The answer is that Muhammad told his followers that his advent was foretold in the scripture of Jews and Christians. The Arabs could not read the scriptures and hence could not know that he was lying. But he feared that Jews and Christians may prove to his followers that such claim is bogus and there is no mention of Muhammad or Ahmad in the Bible.

Muhammad was not afraid of physical opposition and brutal force. He had instilled so much zealotry in his followers that they were ready to kill and die for him and his cause. But he knew that his claim would not withstand the power of the truth and reason. He feared intellectuals, poets and independent thinkers much more than he feared an army of the enemy. That is why he had so little tolerance for those who criticized him or rejected him after having accepted him as a messenger of God.

The enmity with the Jews

Today we see Muslims all over the world have an inborn enmity with the Jews. Whether these Muslims are from Philippines , Malaysia , Indonesia , Bangladesh , Pakistan or Iran ; whether they are from Chechnya , Nigeria , France , Italy or the USA , they have one thing in common. They all hate Jews, some of them may have never seen a Jew in their lives; nonetheless, they feel it to be their duty to hate them.  

To understand why virtually all the Muslims hate this tiny population, we have to look, not only into the Quran, but also into the history of the early Islam and learn about Muhammad’s thoughts and treatment of the Jews.  

On his arrival at Medina , Muhammad first sought to win the support of the Jews. Most of the passages of the Quran written during this period are addressed to them. These portions of the Quran abound in Biblical stories and legends mostly taken from Jewish traditions with the avowed view of stirring up the Jews to gratitude.

“Those who believe (in the Qur'an), and those who follow the Jewish (scriptures), and the Christians and the Sabians,- any who believe in Allah and the Last Day, and work righteousness, shall have their reward with their Lord; on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.” [Quran2.62]

After this accommodating posture speaking with the authority of God he reminded them Muhammad addressed the Jews and trying to link his religion with that of Moses, he reminded them of a “covenant” that hey had made with God to accept him:

”And remember We took a covenant from the Children of Israel (to this effect): Worship none but Allah; treat with kindness your parents and kindred, and orphans and those in need; speak fair to the people; be steadfast in prayer; and practise regular charity. Then did ye turn back, except a few among you, and ye backslide (even now).” [Quran 2.083]

 Most of the verses that he wrote in those early days after his arrival at Medina were in this tenor.

“O Children of Israel ! call to mind the (special) favor which I bestowed upon you, and fulfill your covenant with Me as I fulfill My Covenant with you, and fear none but Me.

And believe in what I reveal, confirming the revelation which is with you, and be not the first to reject Faith therein, nor sell My Signs for a small price; and fear Me, and Me alone.” [Quran 2.40,41]

In subsequent verses, he reminds them how God saved them from the tyranny of Pharaoh, who “set you hard tasks and punishments, slaughtered your sons and let your women-folk live.” (The story of Pharaoh is most likely a fable but later on Muhammad exacted a worse punishment on the wretched Jews, slaughtered their men and enslaved their women and children.)

Then he goes on to say how Allah divided the sea and saved the Jews while drowning Pharaoh's people. How he sent them Manna and quails so they can eat and be grateful and how Moses stroke a rock from which water gushed and everyone drank and quenched their thirst etc. After counting all these favors he tells them how the Jews were ungrateful, disputed with the prophets, demanded miracles, and instead of Allah they worshiped a calf. So with this overture he laid his own claim and demanded the Jews to accept him as their prophet and warned them: 

“And well ye knew those amongst you who transgressed in the matter of the Sabbath: We said to them: "Be ye apes, despised and rejected." [Quran 2.65]

This story of Jews turning into apes does not exist in the Bible. But Muhammad’s knowledge of the Bible was rudimental and second hand. He had heard the Biblical stories from storytellers and most likely this fable was one of the baseless tales that someone mistakenly had told him. He makes no attempt to verify the authenticity of this tale from the Bible and rehashes it as a verse of the Quran. He was so convinced of this absurdity that at least in two other places when he talks about the Jews, he refers to them as “apes and swine” [Quran5.60 and 7.166]

Muhammad claimed to be foretold in the holy book of the Jews and to be their promised one. But Jews found no sign of Messiah in him and rejected him. So he wrote:

“And when there comes to them a Book from Allah, confirming what is with them,- although from of old they had prayed for victory against those without Faith,- when there comes to them that which they (should) have recognized, they refuse to believe in it but the curse of Allah is on those without Faith.” [Quran 2.89]

In this verse Muhammad make the preposterous claim that the Jews had recognized him as their Messiah but rejected him nonetheless because of pride. Yusufali the translator of this verse recognized the absurdity of such claim and in parenthesis interpolates the world (should). However, there is nothing in the Bible that could be even remotely interpreted as a reference to Muhammad. 

The Jews used to read the Bible to the believers and make them see there is no such prophecy about Muhammad. Muhammad’s response was that they are concealing the scriptures.

“Know they not that Allah knoweth what they conceal and what they reveal?” [Quran 2.77]

He said the Jews twist their tongues when they read the Book to hide the part that speaks of him.  

There is among them a section who distort the Book with their tongues: (As they read) you would think it is a part of the Book, but it is no part of the Book; and they say, "That is from Allah," but it is not from Allah: It is they who tell a lie against Allah, and (well) they know it! [Quran3.78]

Or he would accuse them of being “illiterate who know not the Book”. [Quran 2.78] Or they have forged the Book, or “traffic with it for miserable price” [Quran 2.079]

He blamed the Jews for bartering the Hereafter with this world.

 “These are the people who buy the life of this world at the price of the Hereafter: their penalty shall not be lightened nor shall they be helped.” [Quran2.86]

“Miserable is the price for which they have sold their souls, in that they deny (the revelation) which Allah has sent down, in insolent envy that Allah of His Grace should send it to any of His servants He pleases: Thus have they drawn on themselves Wrath upon Wrath. And humiliating is the punishment of those who reject Faith. [Quran2.90]

However, the reverse is true. The Jews stood steadfast to their faith and because of that they lost their belongings, and their lives. Had they really preferred this world to the next, they would have accepted Muhammad and would have joined his marauding campaigns like other Arabs, and would have enriched themselves by robbing others. These verses are more applicable to those few Jews who embraced Muhammad’s religion and their lives and belongings were saved. Alluding to the Jews he wrote:    

“Nay, those who seek gain in evil, and are girt round by their sins,- they are companions of the Fire: Therein shall they abide (For ever).” [Quran2.81]

In this verse Muhammad says those who seek gain in evil are companions of fire. What he meant by evil? Isn’t attacking civilians, evil? Isn’t the massacre of an entire population after they have surrendered with no fight, evil? Isn’t beheading innocent children for the sole crime of having pubic hair, evil? Isn’t enslaving women and children and selling them, evil? Isn’t raping women captured in such raids, evil? One wonders what constituted evil for Muhammad! This is not a trivial question. This is the core of our discussion. The values of Muhammad were not the same values the rest of us are familiar with. Muhammad did not see anything wrong in murder, assassination, rape, deceit, lies, massacre, theft or any other crime. Evil, according to him, was simply disagreeing with him. One can commit all sorts of crimes; as long as those crimes are in accordance to him will, they are not crimes but virtues.

It would be a mistake to assume that Muslims today think differently or that they disagree with their prophet. All crimes in Islam are prohibited unless they are done for the sake of Allah and his messenger. Muslims are not allowed to steal, to lie, to murder, to rape or to do anything unlawful unless it is done in the cause of Allah and his messenger. Then all crimes become permissible and meritorious. Understanding this make us realize the futility of discussing good and bad to Muslims. Muslims are fully aware of what is evil. However, if that evil is done in the cause of Allah and for promoting his religion, then it is no more evil. It is not up to humans to define what is good and what is evil. That is up to Allah to decide and he instructed his messenger to convey his decision to people.    

By this logic, the massacre of the Jews is not seen by the average Muslims as something horrendous and despicable. This was the will of Allah and Allah knows best. With that argument Muslims stop thinking further and never waiver in their faith. Here I am not talking about Muslims such as Osama Bin Laden but the good Muslims whom you meet everyday; the ones with whom you work; your good and friendly neighbor and the ones you trust completely. No Muslim will ever condemn the crimes perpetrated by Muhammad. They all have heard about the Bani Quraizah and the treatment of the Jews by Muhammad, but they all justify those crimes and agree with them. They blame the victims for making it inevitable their massacre but never condemn Muhammad. Because, the Muslim mind works differently; his values are distinct and his world is a world apart.  

Amazingly Muhammad accuses the Jews of the same crimes that he was going to commit. In the verse 2.85 he wrote:

“After this it is ye, the same people, who slay among yourselves, and banish a party of you from their homes”

He accused the Jews for being “puffed up with pride” for rejecting him as they rejected other prophets such as Jesus. (2.87) and he curse them for their blasphemy.(2:88)

In his twisted mind Muhammad thought the sign of those who tell the truth is to be seek death, despite the fact that he himself was very timorous for his own life, never fought in battles personally, wore not one but two coat of mail one on top of the other and always was accompanied by  body guards. Yet he called others to die as the proof of heir sincerity. 

Say: "If the last Home, with Allah, be for you specially, and not for anyone else, then seek ye for death, if ye are sincere."

But they will never seek for death, on account of the (sins) which their hands have sent on before them. and Allah is well-acquainted with the wrong-doers.

Thou wilt indeed find them, of all people, most greedy of life,-even more than the idolaters: Each one of them wishes He could be given a life of a thousand years: But the grant of such life will not save him from (due) punishment. For Allah sees well all that they do. [Quran 2.94- 96]

The Jews proved to be not greedy of life. Had this been true, they would have converted to Islam and would have saved their lives.

The Jews therefore presented the biggest threat to Muhammad’s claim. Not because they were militarily more powerful, but because they knew their scriptures and they pointed out to the lies that Muhammad concocted about their Book. As I repeatedly mentioned, Muhammad did not fear physical antagonism as much as he dreaded intellectual opposition. When Jews proved to be unwavering in their faith and unwilling to bow under his unproven claims, they became Muhammad’s number one enemy. Once it became clear to him that the people of the Book are not going to accept him as their prophet, he saw them as dangerous to his cause. He had claimed to be the culmination of Abrahamic line of prophethood. He clamed that his advent was foretold in the Bible; he accused the Jews of hiding the scriptures, of forgery and of being illiterate and not understanding their Book; all that could be proven to be false easily. In those days very few people had access to books. These were precious manuscripts. But nonetheless, it was not difficult to show someone who was capable of reading, that Muhammad was a lair. This is what he dreaded most. And that is the reason he exterminated the Jews and ordered his followers to expel all the Jews and Christians from Arabia . Muhammad feared knowledge.

Notwithstanding Muhammad’s liberal avowals of respect for other religions [2:62], and despite his reiterated assurances that he was just a “warner” [7.188; 11:2; 13:7; 29:50; 38:65; 46:9; 67:29] and his express pledge that "Let there be no compulsion in religion," [2: 256; 4: 80], he could not tolerate profession of tenets contrary to his.

For 1400 years his followers have followed the tradition of their prophet and persecuted men of knowledge. Anyone who expressed an opinion contrary to Islam was persecuted and his writings were destroyed. Islam thrived in this vacuum of knowledge. Ignorance is the fertile ground for religion and Islam without ignorance will not survive one day.  

In this day of information and Internet, the days of Islam are numbered.