Chapter 11: Muhammad’s Jews – From Prosperity to Extinction

The Children of Israel feature prominently in our surah. Ibn Ishaq and most other Islamic Traditionists tell us that these are the Jews of Medina. In this chapter we will take a side trip off our journey, to look at the history and fate of the Jews of Medina and the Hijaz region during Muhammad’s time.
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Israel’s Children

The origin of the phrase “Children of Israel” comes from the fact that they are the children of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham, the three biblical Patriarchs. Israel was a name given to Jacob by the angel of God, with whom he struggled for a whole night, “until the breaking of the day”. (Genesis 32:25-29).
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Jacob’s 12 sons begot the twelve tribes of Israel. Abraham’s other son, Ishmael, was driven away with his mother Hagar, and conventional History (and Islam) identifies him as the founder of the Arab people. Isaac’s other son Esaw, wandered east and begot the Edomite people.
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None of Jacob’s offspring founded other nations, so they are considered the Children of Israel (Jacob), or as they are known now, the Jewish people.
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Jewish Origins in Arabia

It is not unlikely that the southern Israelite tribes wandered with their herds south and east into Arabia, and that some settled in the oases of northwest Arabia, as early as the 12th century BCE. It may also be assumed with a fair degree of likeliness that Jews who were exiled by the Assyrians and Babylonians wandered south along the Persian Gulf to the south of Arabia, present day Yemen, around the 7th century BCE.
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We know that Jews populated the trading posts along the “Frankincense Road”, running between Arabia Felix (the south of the Arabian Peninsula) and the Near East, since the days of King Solomon, who is said to have established trade with the lands of Sheba – Saba, Arabia Felix and Axum-Ethiopia on the African shore.
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The north Arabian settlements of Tayma, Dedan, Faddac, Khaybar, Yathrib (Medina), and a few others, were known as well established Jewish settlements in the pre-Islamic era. Some scholars suggest that they arrived with the Babylonian advance through the region, as inscribed in the stele of Nabunaid (Nabonidus), a Babylonian king who reigned after Nebuchadnezzar (556 BCE), and had to move for a while to Hijaz.
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Nabunaid followed the policy practiced by Assyrian and Babylonian kings, to settle in newly occupied lands, exiles from other occupied lands, and that could have been the method by which the town dwelling Jews arrived in the region.
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It is certain that Judaism (including some hybrids thereof) was the dominant monotheistic religion in south Arabia and Hijaz until the appearance of Christianity, and remained dominant until the beginning of the 6th century CE.
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The Himyarite Kingdom

In the south eastern part of Arabia (present day Yemen, roughly) there was the kingdom of Himyar, also known as Saba. One of their kings, As’ad (ruled 270-275 CE), lay a siege on Yathrib (Medina) in the course of his campaign to conquer the north of Arabia and points beyond.
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During the siege he became gravely ill, and two Jewish physicians from Yathrib successfully treated him. In the process, they convinced him to lift the siege and embrace Judaism. He agrees, converts his army as well, and when he returns to his kingdom he converts his people by decree. His name is changed to Yasir Ywhan’em (pronounced Yuhan’em).
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A good indication of his being Jewish is his theophoric name, which includes consonants from the Hebrew deity’s proper name, Y, W and H. Most of his successors had Jewish theophoric names as well.
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This Jewish Kingdom existed until 525 CE, when it was destroyed by the Christian kingdom of Abyssinia (present day Ethiopia). The exploits of the last Himyarite Jewish king, Joseph Du Nawas, are well documented.
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Ibn Ishaq (Sira:19-22) attributes the first conversion to Du (Nawas) Nuwas, who after converting to Judaism changed his first name from Zur’a to Joseph.
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The ‘Aws and Khazraj Settle in Medina

After the destruction of Himyar by the Christian kingdom of Axum-Ethiopia with the help of the Byzantine Empire, political and economic conditions have deteriorated, and two Arab tribes, the Aws and the Khazraj, who lived among the Jews of the south, wandered north.
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Some historians claim that the reason was a collapse of a major dam which the Jews built and maintained, and now after the bloody campaign, where many of them were slaughtered, there was no one to rebuild it. These Arab tribes wouldn’t, so with no more Jews to fatten their bellies in the south, they wandered north, to the prosperous town of Yathrib – Medina.
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There were three Jewish tribes in Medina: The Qaynooqa’, The Nadhir and The Quraytha. Not long after their arrival, the Arab tribes came to control the city, taking advantage of the disunity between the Jewish tribes, forming alliances with different Jewish tribes, as they quarrelled with each other.
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In the last dispute between the Aws and the Khazraj before Muhammad appears on the scene, The Qaynooqa’ tribe sided with Khazraj, while the other two were on the Aws’s side. Apparently these two Arab tribes sent a delegation to Muhammad asking him to lead their town.
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There were no Jews in the delegation of 12 elders (Sira:298). They were ‘Aws and Khazraj people. So from the viewpoint of the founders of the city, Muhammad came to Medina uninvited.
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Some commentators say that the Khazraj and ‘Aus invited him after recognising familiar Jewish themes in his preaching in Mecca. At any rate, Muhammad comes to Medina and quickly seizes control over of the city.
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He forces a “constitution” on the inhabitants of Medina, including the three Jewish tribes. This treaty (detailed in Sira:341-346) was a one sided agreement “approved by Allah”, to which Muhammad is both a party and a final arbiter, and which set out the terms of unconditional acceptance of Muhammad’s rule in the city. All disputed cases are referred to Allah’s Messenger, whose decision is final.
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The Expulsion of the Qaynooqa’

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In his second year as the ruler of Medina, Muhammad conducts the successful raid of Badr during the holy month of Ramadhan (considered by Arabs one of the hostility-free months, where trade, financial transactions and other civil matters could take place between otherwise warring tribes, without fear of violence).
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This raid did not yield much plunder. The attack on the tribe Qaynooqa’ which was the weakest, richest and most isolated, however, did.
Sira:545-547 describes what happened to the Qaynooqa’ at the hand of Muhammad’s militants:
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“… ‘O Jews, beware lest Allah bring upon you the vengeance that He brought upon the Quraysh, and become Muslims. You know that I am a Prophet who had been sent. You will find me in your Scriptures and Allah’s Covenant with you.’ … They replied, ‘O Muhammad, you seem to think that we are your people. Do not deceive yourself because you encountered people with no knowledge of war and got the better of them; for by Allah if we fight you, you will find that we are real men.’”
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This of course didn’t go down well with Muhammad, and after a bloody siege, with the support of his local helpers, they surrendered. Muhammad condescended after a great deal of pleading by their ally Abdallah bin Ubayy, a Khazraj elder who was indebted to the Qaynooqa’, to take their gold and silver and the rest of their assets in exchange for their lives. They migrated north and apparently settled in what is today southern Syria.
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The Expulsion of the Nadhir

Two years later, Muhammad proceeded to deal with the second Jewish tribe of Medina, the Nadhir, who had date plantations and other business enterprises in the region. He had already realised that the Jews will not submit to Islam, so they were no longer useful to him. All that was left to do was to expel them and confiscate their property.
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And it was not to difficult, as all Muhammad had to do was allege that they had broken the treaty, and since he was the accuser as well as the judge, it is not hard to guess what the verdict was.
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This is also the rhetoric used by Islamic commentators and apologists: The Jews had it coming, because they betrayed Muhammad by breaking the treaty. The fact that the treaty itself was a treacherous expedient on the part of Muhammad is conveniently ignored.
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He burned some of their plantations, which met with strong disapproval of his local supporters, who were taught by the Jews that Judaism prohibits the destruction of fruit bearing trees. Muhammad replied that Allah, in his new religion, permits the destruction of fruit bearing trees.
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The Nadhir’s fate was similar to that of the Qaynooqa’s: they surrendered all their assets (save what their camels could carry), and left Medina. Most of them went to Khaybar, a substantial group of Jewish settlements north of Medina. Some of the Nadhir exiles settled in Jericho.
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Muhammad, who was a poor man when he arrived in Medina, became the richest man in the land. He decreed that one fifth (20%) of all plunder taken in Muslim raids will go to Allah and his Messenger (that’s Muhammad), and the rest divided among the militants, depending on their contribution to the hostilities. If surrender of Unbelievers was achieved without hostilities, then Allah and his Messenger took all.
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The Massacre of the Quraytha

The Jews of Khaybar and other settlements in the region, realising that this Muhammad is a real threat to their very existence, joined forces with the Quraysh and a few other Arab tribes, in an alliance, or confederate to attack Medina. This campaign is known as the Battle of the Confederates.
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As a defensive measure, Muhammad had trenches dug around Medina, and that gave this battle its other name: the Battle of the Trenches. Muhammad managed to end the long siege by promising the attackers half of the produce of Medina, which he previously stole from the Jews.
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Now Muhammad had an excuse to go after the last Jewish tribe of Medina, The Quraytha. The Banu (children of) Quraytha were attacked for not supporting Muhammad during the previous battle. Muhammad surrounded their quarters in a siege that lasted 25 days. Finally the Banu Quraytha surrendered unconditionally.
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Muhammad ordered that the men be handcuffed, while the women and children were isolated in confinement. The Aws tribe of Medina interceded, begging the Prophet to be lenient towards their former allies.
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Muhammad suggested that Sa‘d bin Mu’adh, one of their a former ally, be deputed to give verdict about them, and they agreed. This Sa’d had been seriously injured in the previous Battle of the Confederates, and apparently was in a vengeful mood (which would help us understand why Muhammad chose him to arbitrate). The former ally’s verdict was:
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Sira:689 “… Sa’d said, ‘Then I give judgment that the men should be killed, the property divided, and the women and children taken as captives.’ … the Apostle said to Sa’d, ‘You have given the judgment of Allah above the seven heavens.”
Muhammad was not disappointed. He wholeheartedly endorsed the verdict of Sa’d, one of his top militants. Islamic writers are very proud of this event:
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Sira:690 “… 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 bin Akhtab, and Ka’b bin Asad, their chief. There were 600 or 700 in all, though some put the figure as high as 800 or 900.”
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And finally, this chilling report. Similar conversations will be taking place 13 centuries later, between new and old arrivals at Nazi death camps:
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Sira:690 “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 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.”
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Yathrib is no More

In 627 CE, the Jewish presence in Medina, formerly Yathrib, was extinguished forever. The people who built that city and made it a flourishing, prosperous, industrious centre were exterminated, expelled, or sold off to slavery. And their property was stolen by militant terrorists, led by the town’s self-appointed, uninvited, usurping, robber chief, and tyrant.
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That tyrant had no further use for them, and discarded them as the obstacle and a nuisance that they were to him. And here again, his atrocities against the Jews received the express authority of his deity.
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Muhammad didn’t stop there. He proceeded to destroy all the major Jewish settlements of Hijaz.
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His successors all but completed the ethnic cleansing of the Arabian Peninsula, with very few Jewish clans remaining scattered in the land.
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Following Muhammad’s lead in the dispossessing and usurping of Jews, his successors proceeded to steal their ancestral homeland, their holy city, and their holiest sanctuary, all in the name of Allah.
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The Last of the Quraytha

There was one Quraytha male survivor: Zabir bin Bata, who had a claim on one of Muhammad’s Ansari militants, Thabit bin Qays, having spared his life during the pagan era. Thabit asks Muhammad to spare Zabir’s life.
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Sira:691-692 describes how Thabit asks Muhammad to also let him keep his wife and children and his property. Then Zabir asks Thabit what had happened to all his friends from the Quraytha tribe. “Killed” was the answer given after every name mentioned. So Zabir says to his old friend Thabit:
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“‘Then I ask of you, Thabit, by my claim on you, that you join me with my people, for life holds no joy now that they are dead, and I cannot bear to wait another moment to meet my loved ones.’ So Thabit went to him and struck off his head.”
And Abu Bakr, Muhammad’s best friend, cousin and father in law, and the first Caliph of the Islamic empire, added (Sira:692): “Yes, by Allah he will meet them in hell for ever and ever.”
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The Destruction of Khaybar

After the destruction of the Jewish community on Medina, the last major Jewish Centre in Hijaz was Khaybar. This was a group of pastoral settlements protected by four small fortresses.
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Muhammad attacked and destroyed it in the year 629 CE. Destroying Khaybar was not very difficult (Sira:757):
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“… We met the workers of Khaybar coming out in the morning with their spades and baskets. When they saw the apostle and the army they cried ‘Muhammad with his force’, and turned tail and fled. The apostle said ‘Allah akbar! Khaybar is destroyed. When we arrive in a people’s square it is bad morning for those who have been warned’.”
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Some of the major Islamic terror attacks in recent years, such as the World Trade Center destruction on 11 September 2001, the Madrid train bombing on 11 March 2004, the London public transport bombing on 7 July 2005, and the numerous bombings of civilian buses in Israel, all were carried out in the morning, as people were on their way to work or school.
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And I cannot say that they have not been warned. It was only a matter of time. It still is.
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Ibn Ishaq tells us that the purpose was, like in Medina, to obtain the hard earned riches of the Jews. In Sira:759-776 we are presented with the story, in great detail, of the division of the spoils, people and property, of Khaybar.
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After the Hudaybiya fiasco, where Muhammad had to capitulate, he had to find an easy prey for his militants and helpers, who had not enjoyed the reward of war booty for a while. The brutal attack on the Khaybar community was the perfect solution. (Sira:758):
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“… The apostle seized the property piece by piece and conquered the forts one by one as he came to them … The Muslims ate the meat of domestic donkeys … the apostle prohibited four things that day: having carnal intercourse with pregnant women who were captured, eating the flesh of domestic donkeys, eating any carnivorous animal, and selling booty before it had been duly allotted …”
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In the glorious battle of Khaybar, a source of inspiration to future Muslim fighters, the Holy Prophet’s holy Jihad warriors were raping pregnant Jewish women and eating their donkey and their dogs and cats.
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And in our time, one of the favourite battle cry of Islamic militants is “Khaybar, Khaybar, o you Jews, the Army of Muhammad will return!”
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After the fall of Khaybar, the Jewish community of Faddac surrendered and became Muhammad’s private property (Sira:764, 776-777). Remember Muhayyisa bin Mas’ud, our trigger-happy young new Muslim convert from The Opening? He was the intermediary between Muhammad and the Jews of Faddak.
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And if you want to know why the whole of Faddak became Muhammad’s own property, it is because there was no fighting, and so no militant was entitled to a share of the 80% of the spoils. Muhammad was getting richer by the day, at the expense of the industrious, hard-working Jews. Not much has changed since.