The Reason behind the Battle of Bani An-Nadir

After the seventy Companions whom the Prophet sent to teach the Qur'an were killed at the area of Bi'r Ma`unah, excluding `Amr bin Umayyah Ad-Damri, who killed two men from the tribe of Bani `Amir on his way back to Al-Madinah. He did not know that these two men had a promise of safe passage from Allah's Messenger . When he went back to Al-Madinah, he told the Prophet what happened and the Prophet said,

«لَقَدْ قَتَلْتَ رَجُلَيْنِ لَأَدِيَنَّهُمَا»

(You have killed two men, I shall pay the blood money for them.) Bani An-Nadir and Bani `Amir were allies and had treaties. The Prophet asked Bani An-Nadir to help pay the blood money for the two dead men. The area of Bani An-Nadir was in a suburb of Al-Madinah, a few miles to the east. In his book of Sirah, Muhammad bin Ishaq bin Yasar said; "Then the Messenger of Allah went to Bani An-Nadir to ask them for financial help to pay the blood money of the two men from Bani `Amir, who were killed by `Amr bin Umayyah Ad-Damri. They had a promise of safe passage from the Prophet according to the (subnarrator) Yazid bin Ruman. Bani An-Nadir and Bani `Amir had a treaty and were allies. When Allah's Messenger went to Bani An-Nadir asking them for help to pay the blood money for the two men, they said, `Yes, O Abu Al-Qasim! We will help you, since you asked us for help.' Yet, when they met each other in secret, they said, `You will not find a better chance with this man than this,' while the Messenger of Allah was sitting next to a wall of one of their houses. They said, `Who will ascend this wall and drop a stone on this man and rid us of his trouble' `Amr bin Jihash bin Ka`b volunteered and ascended the wall of the house to drop a stone on the Messenger . The Messenger of Allah was sitting with several of his Companions, such as Abu Bakr, `Umar and `Ali. The news of this plot was conveyed to the Prophet from heaven, and he stood up and went back to Al-Madinah. When the Companions thought that the Messenger was absent for a long time, they went to see where he was and saw a man coming from Al-Madinah. They asked him, and he said that he saw the Prophet enter Al-Madinah. The Messenger's Companions went to him, and he told them the news of the betraying plot that the Jews planned against him. He ordered them to prepare for war and to march forth to Bani An-Nadir. The Prophet gathered his forces and marched to the area of Bani An-Nadir, who had taken refuge in their fortified forts. The Messenger ordered their date trees be cut down and burned. The Jews heralded at the Prophet, `O Muhammad! You used to forbid mischief in the earth and blame those who did it. Why is it that you had the date trees cut down and burned' Meanwhile, `Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Salul, Wadi`ah, Malik bin Abi Qawqal, Suwayd, Da`is and several other men who all belonged to the tribe of Al-Khazraj bin Bani `Awf, sent a message to Bani An-Nadir saying, `Be firm and strong. We will never abandon you. If you are fought against, we will fight along with you and if you are forced to leave Al-Madinah, we will accompany you.' The Jews waited for this claim of support, but the hypocrites did not deliver. Allah cast terror in the hearts of the Jews. They asked the Messenger to allow them safe passage out of Al-Madinah and to spare their lives. In return, they would only take what their camels could carry, except for weapons. The Prophet agreed. The Jews collected all the wealth their camels could transport. One of the Jews would demolish his own house around its door, so that he could carry the door on the back of his camel. Bani An-Nadir moved to Khaybar, and some of them went to Ash-Sham. They left all that remained behind for the Messenger of Allah , who had control over how it was to be divided. The Prophet divided it between the emigrants and none of Al-Ansar got a share, except for Sahl bin Hunayf and Abu Dujanah Simak bin Kharashah. They said that they were poor and the Messenger of Allah gave them their share. Only two men from Bani An-Nadir embraced Islam, Yamin bin Umayr bin Ka`b bin `Amr bin Jihash and Abu Sa`d bin Wahb and they saved their wealth due to their acceptance of Islam.'' Ibn Ishaq continued, "Some of the offspring of Yamin narrated to me that the Messenger of Allah said to Yamin,

«أَلَمْ تَرَ مَا لَقِيتُ مِنَ ابْنِ عَمِّكَ وَمَا هَمَّ بِهِ مِنْ شَأْنِي؟»

(Have you not heard what your cousin plotted to do against me) Yamin bin `Umayr promised someone a reward if he killed his cousin `Amr bin Jihash, and someone killed him, according to their claim'' Ibn Ishaq then said, "All of Surat Al-Hashr was revealed about Bani An-Nadir. '' A similar story was recorded by Yunus bin Bukayr from Ibn Ishaq. Allah's statement,

﴿هُوَ الَّذِى أَخْرَجَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَـبِ﴾

(He it is Who drove out the disbelievers among the People of the Scripture) refers to Bani An-Nadir,

﴿مِن دِيَـرِهِمْ لاًّوَّلِ الْحَشْرِ﴾

(from their homes at the first gathering.) Allah said,

﴿مَا ظَنَنتُمْ أَن يَخْرُجُواْ﴾

(You did not think that they would get out.) i.e., within the few days you laid siege against them. The Companions had surrounded their forts for only six days, and their forts were fortified and formidable. This is why Allah the Exalted said,

﴿وَظَنُّواْ أَنَّهُمْ مَّانِعَتُهُمْ حُصُونُهُم مِّنَ اللَّهِ فَأَتَـهُمُ اللَّهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَمْ يَحْتَسِبُواْ﴾

(And they thought that their fortresses would defend them from Allah! But Allah reached them from a place where they expected it not.) meaning, there came to them from Allah what they did not expect or anticipate. Allah said in another Ayah,

﴿قَدْ مَكَرَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ فَأَتَى اللَّهُ بُنْيَـنَهُمْ مِّنَ الْقَوَاعِدِ فَخَرَّ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّقْفُ مِن فَوْقِهِمْ وَأَتَـهُمُ الْعَذَابُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لاَ يَشْعُرُونَ ﴾

(Those before them indeed plotted, but Allah struck at the foundation of their building, and then the roof fell down upon them, from above them, and the torment overtook them from directions they did not perceive.)(16:26) Allah said,

﴿وَقَذَفَ فِى قُلُوبِهِمُ الرُّعْبَ﴾

(and He cast terror into their hearts) means, Allah cast fear, terror and fright in their hearts, and why would that not happen to them He who was given victory, by Allah frightening his enemies the distance of a month, laid siege to them. May Allah's peace and blessings be on the Prophet. As in Ibn Ishaq's explanation -- which preceded;

﴿يُخْرِبُونَ بُيُوتَهُمْ بِأَيْدِيهِمْ وَأَيْدِى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ﴾

(that they demolished their own dwellings with their own hands and the hands of the believers.) the Jews brought down what they wanted to transport from their roofs and doors, so that they could carry them on camels. Similar was said by `Urwah bin Az-Zubayr, `Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam and several others. Allah's statement,

﴿وَلَوْلاَ أَن كَتَبَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْجَلاَءَ لَعَذَّبَهُمْ فِى الدُّنْيَا﴾

(And had it not been that Allah had decreed exile for them, He would certainly have punished them in this world;) meaning, if it was not for the fact that Allah had already decreed that they would evacuate Al-Madinah, leaving behind their homes and wealth, He would have sent another type of punishment upon them, such as being killed and captured. This was said by Az-Zuhri. `Urwah, As-Suddi and Ibn Zayd said that Allah decreed that the Jews would be punished in the life of this world and face the torment of the fire of Hell He prepared for them in the Hereafter. Allah said,

﴿وَلَهُمْ فِى الاٌّخِرَةِ عَذَابُ النَّارِ﴾

(and in the Hereafter theirs shall be the torment of the Fire.) meaning, it is a matter ordained that they will surely face,

﴿ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ شَآقُّواْ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ﴾

(That is because they opposed Allah and His Messenger.) means, Allah prepared this specific punishment and sent His Messenger and his Companions against them, because they defied Allah and His Messenger and denied the good news that Allah sent forth in the Books of previous Messengers regarding the coming of Muhammad . The Jews knew these facts about Muhammad just as they knew their own children. Allah said,

﴿وَمَن يُشَآقِّ اللَّهَ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ﴾

(And whosoever opposes Allah, then verily, Allah is Severe in punishment.)