Verdict Issued After The Treachery Of The Banu Quraizah’

AfterrecitingTashahhud, Ta‘awwuzandSurah al-Fatihah, HisHoliness, HazratMirzaMasroor Ahmad(aba) said thathewould continuemen­tioningthesiegeof theBanuQuraizahafter 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. Therearevariousnarrationsregarding howlong the siege lasted; some say 10 days, others say 15, 14 or 24. AccordingtoHazratMirzaBashirAhmad(ra), thissiege lasted around 20 days.

Hazrat Sa’d bin Mua’dh (ra) Appointed As Ar­bitrator

HisHoliness(aba) saidthatHazratSa’d(ra) wasmade thejudgeinthedecisiontobemaderegarding theJewsof BanuQuraizah. WhentheJewscameoutof theirfortress, they were imprisoned while the women and children were kept to one side. The Muslims seized all that was in theirfortress, including1,500swords, 300chainmail, 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 theBanuQuraizahtowhichtheyrepliedthatthiswould 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, theHolyProphet(sa) gavethemtheopportuni­ty to choose someone themselves, and they chose Hazrat Sa’dbinMu’adh(ra) andtheHolyProphet(sa) approved.

HisHoliness(aba) saidthatuponreceivingwordof his appointmentinthismatter, peoplegatheredaroundhim 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 ma­lignsGod. HethenwenttotheHolyProphet(sa) andupon 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 decisiononthematter. ThenHazratSa’d(ra) askedthose 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 beenforced, and allthepeoplepresent, includingtheHoly 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 theAnsar (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 andon the waya few people from the Aus tribe per­sistently pleaded, “We are allies of the Quraizah. Just as theKhazrajdealtwiththeirallytribetheBanuQainuqa‘ withmercy, youalsodealwiththeQuraizahleniently. Do not give them a harsh punishment.” At first, Sa‘d (ra) lis­tened to their plea silently, but when they began to overly persist, heresponded, “ThisisthetimewhenSa‘dshallnot careforthereproachof anyonewhoraisesanobjection.” Upon hearing this response, the people took to silence.

When Sa‘d (ra) drew near, the Holy Prophet (sa) in­structed his companions:

“Standforyourchieftainandassisthimindismount­ing.”

When Sa‘d (ra) dismounted and moved towards the Holy Prophet (sa), he said,

“Sa‘d! TheBanuQuraizahhaveacceptedyouastheir arbitrator, andtheyhaveagreedtoabidebywhateverver­dictyoumaydeemfit.” Uponthis, Sa‘d (ra) lifted hissights 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 agreementhad been affirmed, Sa‘d (ra) announced his verdict: the combatant men of theBanuQuraizahwouldbeexecuted; their women and childrenwouldbetakencaptiveandtheirwealthwouldbe 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 atthecentreof affairsandforthisreason, 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, andunder the assumption thattheAus 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 alliancewerewiped outof hisheartcompletely. More­over, before announcing his verdict, Sa‘d (ra) took a firm promise from the Holy Prophet (sa) to affirm that this decisionwould beadministered infull. Allof thesethings 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).’

(TheLifeandCharacterof theSealof 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. Heinstructed thattheprisonersshould bebroughttoMa­dinah 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 shouldbeexpungedfromthefaceof theearth. TheDivine instructioninitiallygiventotheHolyProphet(sa) regard­ing this Ghazwah also establishes that this was a Divine Decree. However, God did not wish for this verdict to be issued by HisMessenger and for thisreason, kepttheHoly 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) couldnolongerinfluencethisdecision, becausehehadal­readypromisedthathewouldabidebytheverdictinfull.’

His Holiness (aba) said that this is a clear response to thosewhoraiseallegationsagainsttheHolyProphet(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,

‘Inadditiontothis, sincetheinfluenceof thisdecision 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 thisverdictbyhisownopinionirrespectiveof howheav­ily it may have leaned towards mercy and forgiveness. It wasthis verydivine powerwhich movedthe HolyProph­et (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.”

Uponsayingthesewords, theHolyProphet(sa) quietly stoodupandreturnedtothecity. Atthetime, hisheartwas grieved with the thought that a nation, which he greatly hopedwouldembraceIslam, wasbeing deprivedof 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 onlytenmen(i.e., teninfluentialmen) hadbelieved in me, I would have hoped to God that this entire nation wouldacceptmeandwouldhavebeensavedfromDivine punishment.”

WhentheHolyProphet(sa) wasleaving, heinstructed 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)

HisHoliness(aba) saidthatthenextmorning, theHoly Prophet (sa) instructed for a ditch to be dug in one of the markets. There, themenof theBanuQuraizahwouldbe summonedandinaccordancewiththeverdictof 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 closeby, sothatif guidancewas requiredwhile the verdict wasbeingadministered, theHolyProphet(sa) couldpro­videimmediateguidance. Anotherreasonwassothathe couldinstantlyprovideadecisionif anyoneappealedfor mercy. Althoughtheverdictof Sa‘dcouldnotbeappealed 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 wasbeingexecuted theothershould notbepresentnearby. Thus, every criminal was brought separately and execut­ed according to the verdict of Sa‘d.

When Huyayy bin Akhtab, chief of the Banu Nadir wasbroughtforexecution, helookedtotheHolyProphet (sa) and said, “O Muhammad [sa], I do not regret having opposedyou. However, thetruthisthathewhoabandons God is abandoned by God.” Then, he looked to the peo­ple and said, “Nothing can be done in the face of God’s command. ThisisHiscommandandHisdecree.” 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‘ahdue to theintercession of thisMuslimlady. Hence, the Holy Prophet (sa) forgave anyone for whom a plea of mercy was sought, which is evidence of the fact thattheHolyProphet(sa) wascompelledbytheverdictof Sa‘d(ra), otherwise, hisheartwasnotinclinedtoexecute 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

HisHoliness(aba) further quoted HazratMirzaBashir Ahmad (ra) who writes,

‘Varioushistorianswritethatonepersonfromamong the prisoners of Banu Quraizah, was a lady named Rai­hanah, andtheHolyProphetsakeptherasaslave-girlfor himself. Itisonthebasisof thisverynarrationthatSirWil­liamMuirhasraisedaveryhurtfulallegationagainstthe 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 hasbeenstatedthattheHolyProphet(sa) distributedthe 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 provethatRaihanahwasamongthoseprisonerswhothe 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. ‘AllamahIbniHajar, who isamong 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 thosehistorianswho haverelatedthattheHoly Prophet (sa) took her into his own guardianship, most have also explicitly elucidated that the Holy Prophet (sa) freedherandthenmarriedher. IbniSa‘dhastransmitted a narration related by Raihanah herself in which she statesthat, “TheHolyProphet(sa) freedmeandthen, after I accepted Islam, he married me. My dowry was set at twelve Auqiyyah.” In comparison to this narration, Ibni Sa‘dhasdeclaredtheothernarration, whichSirWilliam 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, firstandforemost, assubstantiatedbythenar­ration of Bukhari, and the same has been expounded in Isabah, theHolyProphet(sa) didnottakeRaihanahunder 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 thattheHolyProphet(sa) didinfacttakeher intohisown supervision, eveninthiscase, the HolyProphet (sa) freed her and then married her; he did not keep her as a slave-girl. Furthermore, itshouldalso berememberedthatwith respect to the name, genealogy, tribe, etc., of Raihanah, thereissuchdiversecontradictionwithinvariousnarra­tions, thatitwouldperhapsnotbeunreasonabletodoubt the very existence of her person all together; especially whenitistakenintoaccountthatsheissaidtobethewife of a person who is definitely the most well-documented historical figure in the world. And Allah knows best.’