Did the Prophet Plan Genocide Against the Jews? The True Story of Banu Qurayza
By FaithinAllah.org
The enemies of Islam frequently accuse the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم of planning “genocide” (destruction of a race) against the Jews of Medina and that he decreed eternal hostility toward Jews at large. But what is the true story?
Banu Qurayza was a Jewish tribe that lived near Medina at the time of the Prophet. They made a peace treaty with the Muslims but had engaged in secret discussions with the idolaters of Mecca in order to plot the eradication of the early Muslim community. The Noble Quran refers to this incident:
ٱلَّذِينَ عَاهَدْتَّ مِنْهُمْ ثُمَّ يَنقُضُونَ عَهْدَهُمْ فِي كُلِّ مَرَّةٍ وَهُمْ لاَ يَتَّقُونَ
The ones with whom you made a treaty but then they break their pledge every time, and they do not fear Allah.
[Surah Al-Anfal 8:56]
Concerning the interpretation of this verse, Muhammad Asad writes:
The covenants referred to are agreements between the Muslim community and non-Muslim political groups. Although this passage is addressed in the first instance to the Prophet, the “you” relates here to every follower of the Qur’an and, thus, to the Muslim community of all times… The reference to the unbelievers’ “breaking their covenants” has two implications: firstly, that the establishment of covenants (i.e. peaceful relations) with non-Muslims is not only permissible but, in fact, is desirable; and, secondly, that the Muslims may resort to war only if and when the other party is openly hostile to them.
In keeping with the teachings of the Noble Quran, the Muslims had offered peace to the Jews of Qurayza but were betrayed. Ibn Hisham records this incident:
وهم الذين حزبوا الأحزاب على رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ، خرجوا حتى قدموا على قريش مكة ، فدعوهم إلى حرب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ، وقالوا : إنا سنكون معكم عليه ، حتى نستأصله ؛ فقالت لهم قريش يا معشر يهود ، إنكم أهل الكتاب الأول والعلم بما أصحبحنا نختلف فيه نحن ومحمد ، أفديننا خير أم دينه ؟ قالوا بل دينكم خير من دينه ، وأنتم أولى بالحق منه
فدعوهم إلى حرب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ، وأخبروهم أنهم سيكونون معهم عليه ، وأن قريشا قد تابعوهم على ذلك ، فاجتمعوا معهم فيه
They (Banu Qurayza) were a party among the confederates against the Messenger of Allah. They went to stand before the Quraysh in Mecca and called them to war with the Messenger of Allah. They said, “Indeed, we will be with you until we eradicate him.” The Quraysh said to them, “O you Jews! Indeed, you are People of the First Book and have knowledge with which we disagree with Muhammad. So tell us, is our religion (of idol-worship) better than his (monotheism)?” They said, “Yes, your religion is better than his and you are the foremost with the truth of it.” …Thus, they called to war against the Messenger of Allah, informing the Quraysh they would be with them, and the Quraysh followed them and they gathered together upon this.
[Seerah Ibn Hisham]
Not only had Banu Qurayza sided with idolaters against the Muslims (their fellow monotheists and children of Abraham) but they also plotted to wipe out the Muslim community entirely. When Qurayza lost the battle, the Prophet chose a mediator, Sa’d ibn Mu’adh who was himself a former religious Jew, to pass judgment upon them according to the Torah. This is recorded in an authentic Hadith:
Abu Sa’id al-Khudri said: The people of Quraiza surrendered, accepting the decision of Sa’d ibn Mu’adh about them. The Messenger of Allah sent for Sa’d who came to him riding on a donkey. When he approached the mosque, the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم said to the Ansar, “Stand for your chief.” Then he said to Sa’d, “These people have surrendered, accepting your judgment.” Sa’d said, “Execute their combatants and take captive their women and children.” The Prophet said, “You have judged with the command of God (in the Torah).”
[Sahih Muslim, Book 19, Number 4368]
Sa’d ruled that only “their combatants” مُقَاتِلَتَهُمْ (those who participated in the war) were to be executed. This was because Banu Qurayza had proven again and again that they were an existential threat to the Muslim community and to spare their fighters would ensure the threat of annihilation would continue. Indeed, this ruling was consistent with what Banu Qurayza themselves claimed to follow in the Torah and is still read in the Bible today:
When you draw near to a city to fight against it, offer terms of peace to it. And if its answer to you is peace and it opens to you, then all the people who are found in it shall do forced labor for you and shall serve you. But if it makes no peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it; and when the LORD your God gives it into your hand you shall put all its males to the sword, but the women and the little ones, the cattle, and everything else in the city, all its spoil, you shall take as booty for yourselves; and you shall enjoy the spoil of your enemies, which the LORD your God has given you.
[Deuteronomy 20:10-14]
For this reason, Imam Muslim recorded this Hadith in a chapter entitled:
باب جَوَازِ قِتَالِ مَنْ نَقَضَ الْعَهْدَ وَجَوَازِ إِنْزَالِ أَهْلِ الْحِصْنِ عَلَى حُكْمِ حَاكِمٍ عَدْلٍ أَهْلٍ لِلْحُكْمِ
Chapter: The permission to kill those who break the peace treaty and to make the people of the fortress surrender to the judgment of a person of justice.
Obviously, the ruling to execute traitors applied only to the people who initiated a war out of treachery. It did not apply to the Jews at large. Nonetheless, not all of the males in their tribe were executed. In fact, many of them later converted to Islam:
The Islamic tradition knows a number of descendants from the Qurayẓa by name, most famous among them being the traditionist Muḥammad b. Ka’b al-Quraẓī, who was born a Muslim and died in Medina in 120/738 or some years before. Others include his father Ka’b ibn Asad b. Sulaym and his brother Isḥāq, as well as Aṭiyya al-Quraẓī, al-Zubayr ibn Abd al-Raḥmān ibn al-Zabīr, Alī ibn Rifā’a and the progeny of Abū Malik al-Quraẓī. This suggests that… several male persons of the Qurayẓa did survive the conflict in Medina, probably because of their young age at the time.
[Schöller, Marco. "Qurayẓa (Banū al-)." Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān. General Editor: Jane Dammen McAuliffe, Georgetown University, Washington DC. Brill, 2012.]
This can hardly be described as genocide (the destruction of a race). Rather, the Muslims simply implemented the Law of the Moses عليه سلم which the Jews of Qurayza had claimed to follow.
Despite this bitter conflict, the Prophet continued to have amicable business relationships with Jews up until his death. This is proven by the following authentic Hadith: Aisha رضى الله عنها reported:
تُوُفِّيَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَدِرْعُهُ مَرْهُونَةٌ عِنْدَ يَهُودِيٍّ بِثَلاَثِينَ
The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم died while his armor was mortgaged to a Jew for thirty units of barley.
[Sahih Bukhari, Volume 5, Book 59, Number 743]
This was in keeping with the teachings of the Noble Quran, which commands the Muslims to say to the Jews:
وَإِلَٰهُنَا وَإِلَٰهُكُمْ وَاحِدٌ وَنَحْنُ لَهُ مُسْلِمُونَ
Our God and your God is one, and we are Muslims (submitting) to Him.
[Surah Al-Ankabut 29:46]
Conclusion
The charge of genocide by the Prophet Muhammad has no basis in fact. It is a charge intended not to enlighten, but to put psychological pressure on lay Muslims who are ignorant of their own history. Rather, the true teachings of Islam call upon Jews, Christians, Muslims and other scriptural religions to come together upon the common good. Perhaps the enemies of Islam should consider how much better it would be to share our common values than to continue spreading hateful misinformation.
Success comes from Allah, and Allah knows best.
Category: Da'wah الدعوة
