Battle of Khayber-7AH

Battle of Khaybar
7AH/ 628 AD
Ten weeks after signing the treaty of Hudaibiya, the Prophet Muhammad PBUH
decided to deal with the danger coming from north. As the peace treaty with
makkans relieved Prophet Muhammad PBUH and let him focus on the protection
of Madinah from the other hostile region. Khaybar was densely populated with
wealthy jews and Najdi tribes, who had been hatching a plan against Muslims.
After the expulsion of Banu Nadir from Madinah, they had declared Khayber as
their center and headquarter. Also, Labid (black; magician) who had cast magic
spells on the Holy Prophet Muhammad PBUH had been paid by them (jews). After
the killing of Huyayy bin Akhtab in the battle of trench, so Abu Rafi' Sallam bin
Abi al-Huqaiq designated as their new chief. Another Jews’ ally Banu Ghatafan
were also inhabiting near Khayber. All of them joined their hands together in order
to destroy Madinah.
Abu Rafi' Sallam was murdered while sleeping in his fort by Hazrat Abdullah bin
Attiq RA in 6AH on the orders of the Holy Prophet PBUH. Usair bin Rizam was
appointed as a next chief and continued the mission against the Muslims. Allah
SWT Gave Prophet Muhammad PBUH the glad tidings of his victory in Khaybar
by revealing this verse,
"God has promised you abundant spoils that you will capture,
and He has hastened you for this." (48:20, al-Fat'h)
For this expedition, the Prophet Muhammad PBUH raised an army of those who
had been with Him PBUH on the pilgrimage as He PBUH got the information
about their expected attack well-before time. After a three-day march, they reached
khaybar at night time which was fully fortified with oasis and several forts. The
next morning, the people of khaybar got surprised by seeing Muslim army quiet
but face to face. The area was divided into 2 parts, on one side there were 5 major
forts and on the other, there were other 3 forts. The most important and major fort
was al-Qamus.
ISLAMIYAT NOTES by AAISHA ALI
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The fight started and in the first round muslims captured the five forts including
the fort Na'im. The Prophet Muhammad PBUH sent Hazrat Abubakr RA and then
Hazrat Umar RA to capture the fort of al-Qamus but both of them stayed
unsuccessful. Then the Prophet PBUH said,
"Tomorrow I will give the banner to a man who loves God and
His Messenger, and God and His Messenger love him."
The next morning, He PBUH prayed for Hazrat Ali and gave him the standard
whose eyes got afflicted. The Prophet PBUH applied his saliva on his eyes and
they healed miraculously and then said,
"Proceed upon your way until you enter their midst, then invite
them to Islam and brief them on their duties towards God. I
swear by God that if only one should be guided by you, that
would surely outweigh the best camels."
Hazrat Ali RA showed his marvelous fighting skills and killed several Jews in
single combats. About 93 Jews were killed against only 19 Muslims. He RA broke
open the door of the fort all alone and made it a bridge for his army to enter the
fort. The fierce Jewish wrestler and commander Marhab was killed by Hazrat Ali
RA. The Prophet PBUH gave Hazrat Ali RA the title of "Asadullah" (Lion of God)
in recognition of his boldness.
Other forts also laid in the hands of muslims after some resistance. Kinana, the
chief of the fort, negotiated a deal with the Holy Prophet PBUH for their lives, in
place of all their wealth and belongings but because of the concealment of their
wealth, Kinana and his cousin were sentence to death and their families were made
captives.
The second part of Khaybar was a siege as Jews decided not to fight. As siege
prolonged, Jews sent Ibn Abul-Huqaiq for arbitration. Finally, the Treaty of
Khaybar was signed under which jews agreed to pay Jiziya equal to half of their
agricultural produce to Madinah. Muslims got huge spoils of war. The spoils were
so huge that according to Hazrat Abdullah bin Umar RA,
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"We never ate our fill until we conquered Khaybar."
After this, all other Jewish territories, were also conquered and the Jewish strength
was broken and threat was stamped out. The Quran refers to this victory as,
"And He made you heirs of their (Jews) lands, their houses
and their goods." (33:27, al-Ahzab)
Possible Questions:
Q. (a) Write about the main events of the battle of Khayber. [10]
(b) Explain why it was important for Muslims to fight this battle? [4]
OR
(b) What lessons may be learned by Muslims from the battle of Khaybar? [4]

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ISLAMIYAT NOTES by AAISHA ALI

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