LESSON 9
TRIUMPHIf Mecca wanted to survive, it had to break Muhammad's blockade of its trade with Syria. Yet Ibn-Ishâq blames the Meccan plan to attack on a Jewish plot. In March 627 a huge force of Meccans and their many allies came for the battle of the Trench (which Muhammad had dug to defend Medina; Q 33:9-27, 60-62). The siege caused such fear that the Muslims imagined everything and the Hypocrites began to grumble. For several weeks there was only some shooting of arrows and individual fighting.
Muhammad used diplomatic trickery to subvert the Meccan alliance, but the trench, designed by a Persian, saved the day. Finally Abû-Sufyân said, "You can see the violent wind which leaves us neither cooking-pots nor fire nor tents. March off, for I am going." All in all, six Muslims and three Meccans were killed in the Battle of the Trench. The Muslims succeeded in defending Medina, but their hunger for a resounding victory was satisfied by turning on the last major clan of Jews in Medina. Ibn-Ishâq offers no hard evidence for treachery on their part, but suspicions were building up, and a revelation decided the matter:
At the time of the salât of zuhr Gabriel came... and said, "Have you put down your arms, Messenger of God?" He said, "Yes." Gabriel said, "The angels have not laid down their arms yet, and I am just coming back from pursuing the enemy. God commands you, Muhammad, to march on the Qurayza clan. I am going now to shake their forts."So Muhammad turned on the Qurayza, besieging them for twenty-five nights until they were tired and afraid. When they were sure that Muhammad would not withdraw until he had finished them, one man proposed: "Follow this man and believe in him. This way you will save your lives, property, children and women." They said, "We will never abandon the authority of the Torah or change it for another." At last the Jews decided to surrender. Muhammad appointed Sa`d ibn-Mu`âdh, who was wounded at the Battle of the Trench, to judge them. Sa`d said, "Then I judge that the men should be killed, their property be divided and their women and children be made slaves." Muhammad imprisoned them in Medina, while he went to the market and dug a trench. Then he sent for them and struck off their heads in that trench as they were brought to him in batches. This continued until he had finished with them. Only one woman was killed, for throwing a millstone on a Muslim.
Then Muhammad divided their property, women and children among the Muslims, taking a fifth for himself. He sent Sa`d ibn-Zayd with some of the captives to Najd to sell them for horses and weapons. Muhammad chose one of the women for himself, Rayhâna bint-`Amr (n.8), and she remained in his possession until he died. When she was captured she showed clung to her Judaism, but later accepted Islam.
To win the war against Mecca, Muhammad had to win the nomadic tribes. Yet a Jew, Sallâm ibn-al-Huqayq, had rallied them against Muhammad. So Muhammad sent five men to Khaybar to kill him.
They came to the compound of Sallâm, climbed the ladder to his door and asked to come in. His wife asked, "Who are you?" They said, "Some nomads looking for supplies." She said, "Your master is inside. Go in and see him." When we entered we locked the door of the room fearing any disturbance. His wife shrieked and warned him of us; so we rushed at him with our swords as he was on his bed. After we had struck him with our swords, `Abdallâh ibn-Unays shoved his sword into his belly until it went right through him, as he was saying, "It is enough. It is enough."After fighting several minor nomadic tribes, Muhammad turned on the Mustaliq in December 627. Some were killed and the Messenger of God took their children, wives and wealth as booty. Of these, Muhammad married Juwayriya (n.9), daughter of the Mustaliq king. She was a most beautiful woman who captivated everyone who saw her. `Â'isha remarked, "By God, as soon as I saw her at my door I disliked her because I knew that he would see in her what I saw." When the news of this marriage spread, people said, "Our captives are the in-laws of the Messenger of God;" so they released them, about 100 families. Then the Mustaliq all became Muslim.
While returning from this expedition, `Â'isha stopped to relieve herself. Meanwhile the camel guides put the tent on the camel, never doubting that she was in it, and went off. When she returned they had all gone. As she waited, Safwân passed by. He put her on his camel and by morning they reached camp. Right away talk began about Muhammad's wife spending the night with another man. Muhammad kept aloof from her and would not visit her when she was sick; he would only ask her mother, "How is she?" `Alî advised: "Messenger of God, women are plentiful. You can easily change one for another." Meanwhile the Hypocrites were using the occasion to embarrass Muhammad and divide the community. Muhammad settled the matter by a Qur'ânic revelation (24:11-15), declaring `Â'isha innocent. Then he gave orders for the worst slanderers to be flogged.
In February 628 Muhammad moved towards Mecca with a large force, announcing he intended to do the `umra, and not fight. Afraid, the Meccans came out to al-Hudaybiyya to negotiate. They agreed that Muhammad should withdraw this year, so that the Arabs would never say that he made a forcible entry. The next year the Meccans would vacate the city for them to enter and stay there three days. Many Muslims objected, "Why should we concede what is demeaning to our religion?" But Muhammad prevailed, free now to concentrate on winning the nomads to his side without interference from the Meccans.
He began by an attack on Khaybar, a settlement of Jews who had considerable influence on the tribes in the region. By eliminating Jewish power once and for all he could work freely on winning the Arab tribes. Khaybar had a number of forts, which Muhammad took at an over-all cost of nearly 20 men.
Afterwards, Bilâl led Safiyya bint-Huyayy and another woman to Muhammad. They past some of the Jews who were killed and when the other woman saw them she shrieked and slapped her face and poured dust on her head. Muhammad said, "Get this she-devil out of my sight." He ordered Safiyya to be put behind him and threw his mantle over her so that the Muslims would know that the Messenger of God had chosen her for himself. Muammad spent that night with Safiyya (n.10) in his tent. Unknown to Muhammad, Abû-Ayyûb spent the night guarding the tent. Asked why, he said, "I was afraid for you with this woman. You killed her father, her husband and her people and only now she gave up unbelief. So I was afraid of what she might do to you." Muhammad answered, "God protect Abû-Ayyûb as he protected me this night."
Muhammad sent word to Ethiopia to call back those who had left during the persecution in Mecca. Two boatloads of people returned, 16 men with some women and children.
Ubaydallâh ibn-Jash, with his wife Ramla Umm-Habîba and his daughter abîba, did not return. In Ethiopia he left Islam and became a Christian, dying there as a Christian. Muhammad married his wife after him (n.11). Ubaydallâh used to say to his Muslim companions: "Our eyes are opened, but yours are veiled," that is, we can see clearly, but you are only trying to see, and cannot see clearly yet. When a puppy dog wants to open its eyes to see it flutters its eyes first. He used this example to mean, "We have already opened our eyes and can see, but your eyes are not yet opened to see, but you are only trying to see."Thirty-three other men together with women remained in Ethiopia, some of them dying there and others returning later.
Around this time Muhammad sent messages to neighbouring rulers. In reply, the Christian Muqawqis of Egypt sent him four slave girls, one of whom was Mâriyâ (n.12), the mother of Ibrâhîm, who died as a child. The other slave girls Muhammad distributed to his friends.
In March 629 Muhammad went to Mecca to make the promised `umra. There he met Maymûna (n.13) coming on a camel, and she said, "The camel and what is on it belongs to God and his Messenger." Then came the Qur'ân verse (33:50): "Prophet, we have made legitimate for you... a believing woman who gives herself to the Prophet, if the Prophet wishes to marry her. This privilege is not for the other believers." Before returning to Medina, the Messenger of God had his first marital intercourse with her.
QUESTIONS
- Explain how Muhammad used arms, marriage and negotiations to gain advantage over Mecca.
- Explain the conflict between Muhammad and the Qurayza Jews.
- Explain the effect of `Â'isha's case on the faith of Muslims.
- Describe the circumstances of Muhammad's taking three Christian wives.
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