The Military Mission Against Banu al-Nadir: The Prophet’s Siege and Their Evacuation After the Jews of Banu al-Nadir attempted to assassinate the Messenger of Allah, and after the Prophet ordered them to leave Madinah because of their betrayal, the leader of the hypocrites, Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul, secretly sent a messenger to their chief, Huyayy ibn Akhtab, saying: “Do not leave. Stand your ground and fortify yourselves. Do not abandon your homes. I have two thousand men who will enter your fortress and die defending you. I also have allies from Ghatafan, and your brothers from Banu Qurayzah. We will all gather inside your fortress and fight Muhammad, his companions, and his religion until we are rid of them. And if you are expelled, we will leave with you.” After sending this message, Abdullah returned to the mosque and sat among the people as though he had done nothing. When Huyayy received the message while preparing to depart, he was delighted and said: “Then we will not leave.” Regarding this, Allah revealed: “Have you not considered those who practice hypocrisy, saying to their brothers among the People of the Scripture who disbelieve, ‘If you are expelled, we will surely leave with you, and we will never obey anyone against you. And if you are fought, we will surely support you.’ But Allah bears witness that they are liars.” (Surat al-Hashr 59:11) Allah informed the Prophet of what had happened, describing the hypocrites and the disbelieving Jews as allies. He also made clear that they feared the Muslims more than they feared Allah. Had they truly feared Allah, they would never have acted in this way. Encouraged by Abdullah ibn Ubayy’s promises, especially with the expected support of Banu Qurayzah and their allies from Ghatafan, Huyayy ibn Akhtab sent word to the Prophet: “We will not leave our homes. Do whatever you wish.” When the Prophet received Huyayy’s reply, while Ibn Ubayy was still sitting in the mosque, he proclaimed: “Allahu Akbar!” His Companions repeated the takbir behind him, though they did not yet know what had happened. He proclaimed “Allahu Akbar!” a second time, and they repeated it. Then a third time. After the third takbir, he declared: “Now I am at war with Banu al-Nadir.” In other words, the Prophet had not wished to fight them, but they themselves had chosen war. He then said: “Bilal, stand and call the people to jihad.” Bilal called out: “Come to jihad! Come to jihad! Come to the best of deeds!” The Companions immediately rose like lions, preparing for battle. Ibn Ubayy also left for his house, pretending to prepare himself, but secretly sent another message to Huyayy: “Do not let this frighten you. When the battle begins, you will find us beside you inside your fortress.” The Muslims marched toward Banu al-Nadir under the banner carried by Ali ibn Abi Talib. Their settlements lay about two miles (approximately 3 kilometers) from Madinah. When Banu al-Nadir saw the Muslim army approaching, fear filled their hearts. Around 1,500 of them withdrew into their fortified strongholds. Allah described their condition: “They will not fight you together except within fortified towns or from behind walls. Their might among themselves is severe. You think they are united, but their hearts are divided. That is because they are a people who do not understand.” (Surat al-Hashr 59:14) Their allies abandoned them. Ghatafan never came. Banu Qurayzah never came. And Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul, the leader of the hypocrites, abandoned them as well. Banu al-Nadir shut themselves inside their fortresses while the Muslims laid siege around them. From behind their walls they shot arrows and hurled stones at the Muslim forces. The Prophet then ordered his Companions to cut down and burn some of their date palm trees. This was intended to strike fear into their hearts and humiliate them. The Jews shouted from atop their fortresses: “Muhammad! Do you not claim to be a prophet who calls to righteousness? Is cutting down palm trees and burning them an act of righteousness?” The Prophet did not answer them. The Companions continued cutting and burning the trees. Allah then revealed: “Whatever palm trees you cut down or left standing upon their roots—it was by Allah’s permission, and so that He might disgrace the defiantly disobedient.” (Surat al-Hashr 59:5) The word linah in the verse refers to date palms. Allah made clear that the Prophet acted only according to divine guidance and not on his own initiative. The siege lasted only six nights. When Allah cast terror into their hearts, Huyayy ibn Akhtab came out onto the fortress and said: “Muhammad, we will now accept your demand and leave as you requested.” The Prophet replied: “No. Today I will not accept that.” At this, Salam ibn Mishkam, one of their rabbis, turned to Huyayy and said: “Do you now remember what I told you? I warned you that if he ordered you to leave and you refused, he would never accept it from you afterward.” Huyayy asked: “Then what do you want, Abu al-Qasim?” The Prophet answered: “You must surrender to the judgment of Allah and His Messenger.” The Jews pleaded for mercy and sent their women and children before the Prophet, weeping. Despite their hatred and repeated betrayals, the Prophet’s heart softened toward them. He offered them terms of surrender: * They must leave Madinah. * They could take only what their own camels were able to carry. * They were forbidden from taking any weapons—not even a single sword. * They could take their wives and children and depart from the city. Huyayy said: “Abu al-Qasim, we have wealth and debts owed to us by people.” The Prophet replied: “Collect what you can.” They gathered their most valuable possessions—gold, silver, fine silk, brocade, and provisions for the journey. They owned around 600 camels, and only what those camels could carry was permitted. They wanted to borrow additional camels, but the Prophet refused. He said: “You have your own camels, and whatever they can carry.” Grieved at leaving their homes, and believing the Muslims would benefit from them, they began tearing down their own houses. They removed doors, windows, wooden beams, roof supports, and anything they could salvage. When the Prophet saw this, he told his Companions: “Help them demolish their houses.” The Jews tore them down from inside while the Muslims dismantled them from the outside. They left behind 50 coats of mail, 50 helmets, and 340 swords, all of which became part of the Muslims’ spoils. Concerning this event, Allah revealed the opening of Surat al-Hashr: “Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth glorifies Allah, and He is the Almighty, the All-Wise. It is He who expelled those who disbelieved among the People of the Scripture from their homes at the first gathering…” (Surat al-Hashr 59:1–2) The chapter opens with glorification of Allah, emphasizing that this event occurred through His power and decree. Many classical scholars understood “the first gathering” (awwal al-hashr) to refer to this first expulsion of Banu al-Nadir from their homes, while later interpretations regarding subsequent gatherings differ among exegetes. Allah continued: “You did not think they would leave, and they thought their fortresses would protect them from Allah. But Allah came upon them from where they had not expected and cast terror into their hearts. They destroyed their houses with their own hands and the hands of the believers. So take heed, O people of insight.” (Surat al-Hashr 59:2) Before departing, Huyayy ibn Akhtab, his face marked with humiliation, told his people: “We must not leave as humiliated captives, lest the Muslims rejoice over us.” They asked: “What can we do?” He replied: “Bring out the drums. Let the women wear their jewelry and sing. We men will beat the drums as we pass through the markets so that people think we are leaving happily, not in sorrow or regret.” So they departed beating drums while the women sang, though grief consumed their hearts. Not one of them was allowed to carry a single sword. Muhammad ibn Maslamah, accompanied by one hundred of the Ansar, inspected every departing caravan to ensure that no weapons left with them, for Banu al-Nadir possessed one of the largest arsenals among the Jewish tribes. Most of Banu al-Nadir departed for Greater Syria (al-Sham), while others—including Huyayy ibn Akhtab—settled at Khaybar, about 160 kilometers north of Madinah, where they would later prepare for another confrontation with the Messenger of Allah.