Since the Prophet Muhammad came to power in Medina, he had been trying to build up internal defenses. He took four steps in the new year. The outline of the Islamic state was to build a defense system, one of which was. Which we discussed earlier. The Battle of Badr took place in the second year of the Hijra. In this battle, the Muslims, with the help of Allah, defeated the Quraysh in a disastrous manner. And the Battle of Uhud took place the very next year. In this battle, the Muslims were defeated by the Quraysh. And at that opportunity, some Arab groups began to organize or conspire against the Muslims. We discussed them in the last episode. Today our topic of discussion is the campaign against the Jewish tribe of Banu Nazir inside Medina. Then we will discuss and understand more.
There were three Jewish tribes in Medina. When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) came to power, they accepted him as their ruler. The Prophet (peace be upon him) thought that since they had the Book and their religious beliefs were somewhat similar to Islam, they would be more friendly than the polytheists. But each of their tribes began to be hostile towards the Muslims and engaged in conspiracies. That is why none of these three tribes could settle in Medina. One day they tried to kill the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the people of Banu Nazir did this.
Let’s find out where the incident originated. Bon-Nazir did not suddenly become hostile to Muslims. Rather, as soon as the Muslims arrived in Medina, the Jews were engaged in various conspiracies. However, the incident that triggered the Muslims’ conflict with the Banu Nazir was after the Battle of Uhud.
Muslims and Jews were legally obligated to help each other. After killing two men from the tribe of Banu Amr, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) went with his companions to the tribe of Najir. The people of Banu Nazir tribe were the first to welcome the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) sat by a wall and said that two men from the tribe of Banu Ammur had been killed. I ask for your help in paying their blood money. Okay, you sit down, we’ll look into the matter. They went inside to get the money and once inside they started plotting how to kill the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). One person said that he was sitting next to the wall today and this was the best chance to kill him by throwing a stone from above. Such is the character of the Jews, they say one thing in their minds, another in their hearts.
But Gabriel informed the Prophet (peace be upon him) of their plot, and the Prophet (peace be upon him) immediately returned to Medina without telling anyone. The companions waited for him for a long time and then they too left. Allah Almighty mentioned this incident in the Quran.
O you who have believed, remember the favor of Allah upon you when a people determined to extend their hands [in aggression] against you, but He withheld their hands from you; and fear Allah. And upon Allah let the believers rely.
(Quran 5:11)
Despite their plot, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not expel them from Medina even though their actions were clearly in violation of the law.
But this time the conspiracy goes beyond limits. Shamim, who is directly fighting against Muslims, is trying to kill Rasool Salam. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) gave the Jews a 10-day ultimatum. The Jewish people were cowards and wanted to leave, but then their spiritual leader, the hypocrite or traitor Abdullah bin Ubayd, stood by them.
With Abdullah ibn Ubayd on their side, the Jews decided to resist. Their leader, Huwaib bin Akhtar, sent a message to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that we would not leave Medina.
Immediately afterwards, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) led his Mujaaad army and besieged the fort of the Banu Najir tribe. The Prophet (peace be upon him) surrounded the fort, while the people of Banya Nazir remained inside the fort with the doors closed. The Banu Nazir tribe had many gardens around the fort. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) took a trick and set fire to the date palm garden. The Jews were terrified by this sight, but their leader, Ubayd, said nothing.
Seeing no other option, they began spreading false propaganda in the name of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). They started saying that this Mohammed was oppressing us and cutting down the date palm trees in our garden.
This strategy of the Prophet (peace be upon him) worked and the tribe of Banu Najr was forced to surrender to the Prophet (peace be upon him). They thought that the Muslim army would besiege the fort for a long time and eventually retreat in despair. They agreed to leave Medina and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) gave them some conditions for leaving the city.
The first condition was that no weapons could be taken with them. The second condition is that you must carry only as much cargo as a camel can carry. The third condition is that there will be one camel allocated for every three people. He loaded 600 camels with whatever he could. The people of the Khyber region welcomed them.
Now, what lessons can we learn from this campaign of Banu NazirAllah Almighty has described the incident of Banu Nazir in detail in Surah Al-Hashr.
The first lesson is that Allah weakens the infidels by instilling fear in them about Muslims.
It is He who expelled the ones who disbelieved among the People of the Scripture from their homes at the first gathering. You did not think they would leave, and they thought that their fortresses would protect them from Allah; but [the decree of] Allah came upon them from where they had not expected, and He cast terror into their hearts [so] they destroyed their houses by their [own] hands and the hands of the believers. So take warning, O people of vision.
(Quran 59:2)
The main reason for the Jews leaving was that Allah had struck fear into their hearts. They had neither the courage nor the will to mount a resistance. Allah Almighty says in the Quran that this punishment was inflicted on them because they were involved in a conspiracy to kill the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). The Jews were not given the opportunity to use the laws given to Muslims against themselves.
The policy for distributing the wealth gained from the Battle of Banu Nazir was not the same as the policy for distributing the wealth gained from the Battle of Badr, but a new policy was issued. In this regard, Allah Almighty says in the Quran:
And what Allah restored [of property] to His Messenger from them – you did not spur for it [in an expedition] any horses or camels, but Allah gives His messengers power over whom He wills, and Allah is over all things competent.
(Quran 59:6)
All the wealth obtained in war is called booty and all the wealth obtained without war is called fine. The distribution of the wealth received from the Banu Nazir tribe was left to the Prophet (peace be upon him). The Prophet (peace be upon him) kept the wealth he received from Banu Nazir for himself for a year and used some of it to buy military equipment.
But it turned out that within a year, he had used that money to help the poor and helpless. Allah Almighty has formulated a policy for distributing the wealth received from the polytheists. In this regard, Allah Almighty says in the Quran:
And what Allah restored to His Messenger from the people of the towns – it is for Allah and for the Messenger and for [his] near relatives and orphans and the [stranded] traveler – so that it will not be a perpetual distribution among the rich from among you. And whatever the Messenger has given you – take; and what he has forbidden you – refrain from. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is severe in penalty.
(Quran 59:7)
Following the Prophet’s instructions, the Muhajirin began cultivating the fields abandoned by the Banu Nazir tribe and living in their abandoned houses.
The fourth lesson is that Allah Almighty says in the Quran about friendship between hypocrites or traitors and Jews:
Have you not considered those who practice hypocrisy, saying to their brothers who have disbelieved among the People of the Scripture, “If you are expelled, we will surely leave with you, and we will not obey, in regard to you, anyone – ever; and if you are fought, we will surely aid you.” But Allah testifies that they are liars.
(Quran 59:11)
In the Quran, Allah Almighty has mentioned that hypocrites and Jews are brothers. Allah Almighty says about the hypocrites that they are liars. In the following verses, Allah describes the cowardice of the Jews.
You [believers] are more fearful within their breasts than Allah. That is because they are a people who do not understand. They will not fight you all except within fortified cities or from behind walls. Their violence among themselves is severe. You think they are together, but their hearts are diverse. That is because they are a people who do not reason.
(Quran 59:13-14)
Cowardice is a characteristic of the Jews. They do not want to fight unless they are safe. The character aspect has been revealed in various ways. Allah has compared the Jews and the hypocrites’ promises to the devil. Allah Almighty says in this regard:
[Theirs is] like the example of those shortly before them: they tasted the bad consequence of their affair, and they will have a painful punishment. [The hypocrites are] like the example of Satan when he says to man, “Disbelieve.” But when he disbelieves, he says, “Indeed, I am disassociated from you. Indeed, I fear Allah, Lord of the worlds.” So the outcome for both of them is that they will be in the Fire, abiding eternally therein. And that is the recompense of the wrong-doers.
(Quran 59:15-17)
The fifth lesson is to remember the Hereafter. Allah Almighty was reminding Muslims of the Hereafter by mentioning the wealth of booty. The Muslims had taken much of the wealth of the Jews, which improved the financial situation of Medina, but that wealth would be of no use if they forgot Allah.
Lesson number 6 is that no one can be forced to convert to Islam. There is no exaggeration in religion in Islam because the path of truth and the path of falsehood are two different things. There is no exaggeration in religion in Islam because the path of truth and the path of falsehood are two different things.
Then another campaign was conducted called Dhat al-Riqa. The need of the hour was to neutralize the hostile tribes of Arabia and to bring them to the throne. This Dhat al-Riqa is carried out for that purpose.
Although the Muslims defeated the enemies in this campaign, they were afraid that they would return and attack them suddenly. Therefore, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) offered prayers in a new way. Allah mentions this in the Quran:
And when you are among them and lead them in prayer, let a group of them stand [in prayer] with you and let them carry their arms. And when they have prostrated, let them be [in position] behind you and have the other group come forward which has not [yet] prayed and let them pray with you, taking precaution and carrying their arms. Those who disbelieve wish that you would neglect your weapons and your baggage so they could come down upon you in one [single] attack. But there is no blame upon you, if you are troubled by rain or are ill, for putting down your arms, but take precaution. Indeed, Allah has prepared for the disbelievers a humiliating punishment.
(Quran 4:102)
The rule of this prayer is that first half of the soldiers will pray behind the imam. And the rest of the army will guard. Then the Imam will stand in the second rak’ah and the soldiers standing behind him will pray. Then the guard chariot soldiers will come and pray the rest of the prayer with the Imam.
The current situation is the opposite. In the present time, Muslims are in danger and make peace agreements, and what happens after the peace agreement is humiliation. However, the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to make peace treaties to show that Muslims were not weak, but rather to warn the other side.
