Banu Qurayza: Difference between revisions

'''Banū Qurayẓa''' (Arabic: {{ia|بنو قريظة}}) was a Jewish tribe inhabiting [[Medina]] in the first years after the [[migration]] of the [[Prophet (s)]]. The Prophet's war with Banu Qurayza in 5/626 was his last war with the [[Jew]]s of Medina, which came to be called the [[Battle of Banu Qurayza]].  

After the [[Battle of Ahzab]], the Prophet (s) and his army went to Banu Qurayza, and after fifteen days of siege they proposed a compromise and agreed on [[Sa'd b. Mu'adh]] as the arbiter. Contrary to what his tribe preferred, Sa'd ruled that male warriors of Banu Quraza be killed and their property be divided up among [[Muslim]] warriors. However, [[Sayyid Ja'far Shahidi]], a contemporary scholar and historiographer, has cast doubts on the accuracy of this account, because of inconsistences in historical sources as well as certain external evidence. The reason for the Battle of Banu Qurayza was their cooperation with [[polytheists]] in the Battle of Ahzab.

According to some authors, the only independent account of Banu Qurayza in Islamic sources is the one concerning Muslims' war with them in 5/626. Other accounts of their history and events appear as part of the history of Aws and Khazraj.

The Battle of Banu Qurayza allegedly occurred in late [[Dhu l-Qa'da]] and early [[Dhu l-Hajja]] in 5/April 626, and was the last conflict between Muslims and the Jews of Medina. According to Islamic sources, immediately after the [[Battle of Ahzab]] and the retreat of the enemies, the [[Prophet (s)]] raged a war against Banu Qurayza. Muslims besieged the forts and homes of Banu Qurayza for fifteen days, and then the Jews proposed a compromise and agreed on [[Sa'd b. Mu'adh]] as their arbiter.

According to historical sources, despite his injuries and sickness, Sa'd b. Mu'adh left his tent and went to Banu Qurayza, and contrary to what his tribe, as an ally with Banu Qurayza, expected, he ruled that male warriors of Banu Qurayza must be killed, their property must be divided up, and their children must be captivated. According to sources, the Prophet (s) characterized Sa'd's ruling as the ruling of God. The war with Banu Qurayza occurred because they had violated their pact with Muslims and cooperated with polytheists in the Battle of Ahzab against Muslims.

[[Sayyid Ja'far Shahidi]], a contemporary scholar and historiographer, cites remarkable inconsistencies in historical sources as well as external facts such as the population of Medina and the Prophet's kind character, and thereby, casts doubts over the accuracy of the account, and in particular, the massacre of six hundred to nine hundred people from Banu Qurayza. He characterizes the event as a myth fabricated by people of [[Khazraj]] in order to downgrade the status of [[Aws]] in the eyes of the Prophet (s).

In his ''al-Maghazi al-nabawiyya'', Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri (51/671-124/742) refers to Sa'd b. Mu'adh's ruling and the Prophet's endorsement of the ruling. However, he only confirms the killing of Huyayy b. Akhtab, the senior figure of Banu Nadir who encouraged Banu Qurayza to hostility towards the Prophet (s).