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Introduction to Surah 59. Al Hashr (by Syed Abul Ala Maududi)
Name
The Surah derives its name from the mention of the word al-hashr in verse thereby implying that
it is the Surah in which the word al-hashr has occurred.
Period of Revelation
Bukhari and Muslim contain a tradition from Hadrat Sa'id bin Jubair to the effect "When I asked
Hadrat Abdullah bin Abbas about Surah Al-Hashr, he replied that it was sent down concerning
the battle against the Bani an-Nadir just as Surah Al-Anfal was sent down concerning the Battle
of Badr. In another tradition from Hadrat Sa'id bin Jubair, the words cited from Ibn Abbas (may
Allah be pleased with him) are: Qul: Surah an-Nadir: Say, it is Surah an-Nadir." The same thing
has been related also from Mujahid, Qatadah, Zuhri, Ibn Zaid, Yazid bin Ruman, Muhammad bin
Ishaq and others. They are unanimous that the followers of the Book whose banishment has
been mentioned in it, imply the Bani an-Nadir. Yazid bin Ruman, Mujahid and Muhammad bin
Ishaq have stated that this whole Surah, from beginning to end, came down concerning this very
battle.
As for the question as to when this battle took place, Imam Zuhri has stated on the authority of
Urwah bin Zubair that it took place six months after the Battle of Badr. However, Ibn Sa'd, Ibn
Hisham and Baladhuri regard it as an event of Rabi' al-Awwal, A. H. 4, and the same is correct.
For all traditions agree that this battle took place after the incident of Bi'r Ma'unah, and
historically also it is well known that the incident of Bir Ma'unah occurred after the Battle of Uhud
and not before it.
Historical Background
In order to understand the subject matter of this Surah well, it is necessary to have a look at the
history of the Madinah and Hejaz Jews, for without it one cannot know precisely the real causes
of the Holy Prophet's dealing with their different tribes the way he did.
No authentic history of the Arabian Jews exists in the world. They have not left any writing of their
own in the form of a book or a tablet which might throw light on their past, nor have the Jewish
historians and writers of the non-Arab world made any mention of them, the reason being that
after their settlement in the Arabian peninsula they had detached themselves from the main body
of the nation, and the Jews of the world did not count them as among themselves. For they had
given up Hebrew culture and language, even the names, and adopted Arabism instead. In the
tablets that have been unearthed in the archaeological research in the Hejaz no trace of the
Jews is found before the first century of the Christian era, except for a few Jewish names.
Therefore, the history of the Arabian Jews is based mostly on the verbal traditions prevalent
among the Arabs most of which bad been spread by the Jews themselves.
The Jews of the Hejaz claimed that they had come to settle in Arabia during the last stage of the
life of the Prophet Moses (peace be upon him). They said that the Prophet Moses had
despatched an army to expel the Amalekites from the land of Yathrib and had commanded it not
to spare even a single soul of that tribe. The Israelite army carried out the Prophet's command,
but spared the life of a handsome prince of the Amalekite king and returned with him to
Palestine. By that time the Prophet Moses had passed sway. His successors took great exception
to what the army had done, for by sparing the life of an Amalekite it had clearly disobeyed the
Prophet and violated the Mosaic law. Consequently, they excluded the army from their
community, and it had to return to Yathrib and settle there for ever.(Kitab al-Aghani, vol. xix, p.
94). Thus the Jews claimed that they had been living in Yathrib since about 1200 B.C. But, this
had in fact no historical basis and probably the Jews had invented this story in order to overawe
the Arabs into believing that they were of noble lineage and the original inhabitants of the land.
The second Jewish immigration, according to the Jews, took, place in 587 BC. when
Nebuchadnezzer, the king of Babylon, destroyed Jerusalem and dispersed the Jews throughout
the world. The Arab Jews said that several of their tribes at that time had come to settle in Wadi
al-Qura, Taima, and Yathrib.(Al-Baladhuri, Futuh al-Buldan). But this too has no historical basis.
By this also they might have wanted to prove that they were the original settlers of the area.
As a matter of fact, what is established is that when in A. D. 70 the Romans massacred the Jews
in Palestine, and then in A. D. 132 expelled them from that land, many of the Jewish tribes fled to
find an asylum in the Hejaz, a territory that was contiguous to Palestine in the south. There, they
settled wherever they found water springs and greenery, and then by intrigue and through
money lending business gradually occupied the fertile lands. Ailah, Maqna, Tabuk, Taima, Wadi
al Qura, Fadak and Khaiber came under their control in that very period, and Bani Quraizah,
Bani al-Nadir, Bani Bahdal, and Bani Qainuqa also came in the same period and occupied
Yathrib.
Among the tribes that settled in Yathrib the Bani al Nadir and the Bani Quraizah were more
prominent for they belonged to the Cohen or priest class. They were looked upon as of noble
descent and enjoyed religious leadership among their co- religionists. When they came to settle
in Madinah there were some other tribes living there before, whom they subdued and became
practically the owners of this green and fertile land. About three centuries later, in A. D. 450 or
451, the great flood of Yaman occurred which has been mentioned in vv. 16-17 of Surah Saba
above. As a result of this different tribes of the people of Saba were compelled to leave Yaman
and disperse in different parts of Arabia. Thus, the Bani Ghassan went to settle in Syria, Bani
Lakhm in Hirah (Iraq), Bani Khuzaah between Jeddah and Makkah and the Aus and the Khazraj
went to settle in Yathrib. As Yathrib was under Jewish domination, they at first did not allow the
Aus and the Khazraj to gain a footing and the two Arab tribes had to settle on lands that had not
yet been brought under cultivation, where they could hardly produce just enough to enable them
to survive. At last, one of their chiefs went to Syria to ask for the assistance of their Ghassanide
brothers; he brought an army from there and broke the power of the Jews. Thus, the Aus and the
Khazraj were able to gain complete dominance over Yathrib, with the result that two of the major
Jewish tribes, Bani an-Nadir and Bani Quraizaha were forced to take quarters outside the city.
Since the third tribe, Bani Qainuqa, was not on friendly terms with the other two tribes, it stayed
inside the city as usual, but had to seek protection of the Khazraj tribe. As a counter measure to
this Bani an- -Nadir and Bani Quraizah took protection of the Aus tribe so that they could live in
peace in the suburbs of Yathrib.
Before the Holy Prophet's arrival at Madinah until his emigration the following were the main
features of the Jews position in Hejaz in general and in Yathrib in particular:
1. In the matter of language, dress, civilization and way of life they had completely adopted
Arabism, even their names had become Arabian. Of the 12 Jewish tribes that had settled in
Hejaz, none except the Bani Zaura retained its Hebrew name. Except for a few scattered scholars
none knew Hebrew. In fact, there is nothing in the poetry of the Jewish poets of the pre-Islamic
days to distinguish it from the poetry of the Arab poets in language, ideas and themes. They
even inter-married with the Arabs. In fact, nothing distinguished them from the common Arabs
except religion. Notwithstanding this, they had not lost their identity among the Arabs and had
kept their Jewish prejudice alive most ardently and jealously. They had adopted superficial
Arabism because they could not survive in Arabia without it.
2. Because of this Arabism the western orientalists have been misled into thinking that perhaps
they were not really Israelites but Arabs who had embraced Judaism, or that at least majority of
them consisted of the Arab Jews. But there is no historical proof to show that the Jews ever
engaged in any proselytizing activities in Hejaz, or their rabbis invited the Arabs to embrace
Judaism like the Christian priests and missionaries. On the contrary, we see that they prided
themselves upon their Israelite descent and racial prejudices. They called the Arabs the Gentiles,
which did not mean illiterate or uneducated but savage and uncivilized people. They believed
that the Gentiles did not possess any human rights; these were only reserved for the Israelites,
and therefore, it was lawful and right for the Israelites to defraud them of their properties by every
fair and foul means. Apart from the Arab chiefs, they did not consider the common Arabs fit
enough to have equal status with them even if they entered Judaism. No historical proof is
available, nor is there any evidence in the Arabian traditions, that some Arab tribe or prominent
clan might have accepted Judaism. However, mention has been made of some individuals, who
had become Jews. The Jews, however, were more interested in their trade and business than in
the preaching of their religion. That is why Judaism did not spread as a religion and creed in
Hejaz but remained only as a mark of pride and distinction of a few Israelite tribes. The Jewish
rabbis, however, had a flourishing business in granting amulets and charms, fortune telling and
sorcery, because of which they were held in great awe by the Arabs for their "knowledge" and
practical wisdom.
3. Economically they were much stronger than the Arabs. Since they bad emigrated from more
civilized and culturally advanced countries of Palestine and Syria, they knew many such arts as
were unknown to the Arabs; they also enjoyed trade relations with the outside world. Hence, they
had captured the business of importing grain in Yathrib and the upper Hejaz and exporting dried
dates to other countries. Poultry farming and fishing also were mostly under their controls They
were good at cloth weaving too. They had also set up wine shops here and there, where they
sold wine which they imported from Syria. The Bani Qainuqa generally practised crafts such as
that of the goldsmith, blacksmith and vessel maker. In all these occupations, trade and business
these Jews earned exorbitant profits, but their chief occupation was trading in money lending in
which they had ensnared the Arabs of the surrounding areas. More particularly the chiefs and
elders of the Arab tribes who were given to a life of pomp, bragging and boasting on the strength
of borrowed money were deeply indebted to them. They lent money on high rates of interest and
then would charge compound interest, which one could hardly clear off once one was involved in
it. Thus, they had rendered the Arabs economically hollow, but it had naturally induced a deep
rooted hatred among the common Arabs against the Jews.
4. The demand of their trade and economic interests was that they should neither estrange one
Arab tribe by befriending another, nor take part in their mutual wars. But, on the other hand, it
was also in their interests, that they should not allow the Arabs to be united and should keep
them fighting and entrenched against each other, for they knew that whenever the Arab tribes
united, they would not allow them to remain in possession of their 1large properties, gardens and
fertile lands, which they had come to own through their profiteering and money lending business.
Furthermore, each of their tribes also had to enter into alliance with one or another powerful
Arab tribe for the sake of its own protection so that no other powerful tribe should overawe it by
its might. Because of this they had not only to take part in the mutual wars of the Arabs but they
often had to go to war in support of the Arab tribe to which their tribe was tied in alliance against
another Jewish tribe which was allied to the enemy tribe. In Yathrib the Bani Quraizah and the
Bani an-Nadir were the allies of the Aus while the Bani Qainuqa of the Khazraj. A little before the
Holy Prophet's emigration, these Jewish tribes had confronted each other in support of their
respective allies in the bloody war that took place between the Aus and the Khazraj at Buath.
Such were the conditions when Islam came to Madinah, and ultimately an Islamic State came into
existence after the Holy Prophet's (upon whom be Allah's peace) arrival there. One of the first
things that he accomplished soon after establishing this state was unification of the Aus and the
Khazraj and the Emigrants into a brotherhood, and the second was that he concluded a treaty
between the Muslims and the Jews on definite conditions, in which it was pledged that neither
party would encroach on the rights of the other, and both would unite in a joint defense against
the external enemies. Some important clauses of this treaty are as follows, which clearly show
what the Jews and the Muslims had pledged to adhere to in their mutual relationship:
"The Jews must bear their expenses and the Muslims their expenses. Each must help the other
against anyone who attacks the people of this document. They must seek mutual advice and
consultation, and loyalty is a protection against treachery. They shall sincerely wish one another
well. Their relations will be governed by piety and recognition of the rights of others, and not by
sin and wrongdoing. The wronged must be helped. The Jews must pay with the believers so long
as the war lasts. Yathrib shall be a sanctuary for the people of this document. If any dispute or
controversy likely to cause trouble should arise, it must be referred to God and to Muhammad
the Apostle of God; Quraish and their helpers shall not be given protection. The contracting
parties are bound to help one another against any attack on Yathrib; Every one shall be
responsible for the defence of the portion to which he belongs" (lbn Hisham, vol. ii, pp. 147 to
150).
This was on absolute and definitive covenant to the conditions of which the Jews themselves had
agreed. But not very long after this they began to show hostility towards the Holy Prophet of Allah
(upon whom be Allah's peace) and Islam and the Muslims, and their hostility and perverseness
went on increasing day by day. Its main causes were three:
First, they envisaged the Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's peace) merely as a chief of his
people, who should be content to have concluded a political agreement with them and should
only concern himself with the worldly , interests of his group. But they found that he was
extending an invitation to belief in Allah and the Apostleship and the Book (which also included
belief in their own Prophets and scriptures), and was urging the people to give up disobedience
of Allah and adopt obedience to the Divine Commands and abide by the moral laws of their own
prophets. This they could not put up with. They feared that if this universal ideological movement
gained momentum it would destroy their rigid religiosity and wipe out their racial nationhood.
Second, when they saw that the Aus and the Khazraj and the Emigrants were uniting into a
brotherhood and the people from the Arab tribes of the surrounding areas, who entered Islam,
were also joining this Islamic Brotherhood of Madinah and forming a religious community, they
feared that the selfish policy that they had been following of sowing discord between the Arab
tribes for the promotion of their own well being and interests for centuries, would not work in the
new system, but they would face a united front of the Arabs against which their intrigues and
machinations would not succeed.
Third, the work that the Holy Messenger of Allah (upon whom be Allah's 'peace) was carrying out
of reforming the society and civilization included putting an end to all unlawful methods" in
business and mutual dealings. More than that; he had declared taking and giving of interest also
as impure and unlawful earning. This caused them the fear that if his rule became established in
Arabia, he would declare interest legally forbidden, and in this they saw their own economic
disaster and death.
For these reasons they made resistance and opposition to the Holy Prophet their national ideal.
They would never hesitate to employ any trick and machination, any device and cunning, to harm
him. They spread every kind of falsehood so as to cause distrust against him in the people's
minds. They created every kind of doubt, suspicion and misgiving in the hearts of the new
converts so as to turn them back from Islam. They would make false profession of Islam and then
would turn apostate so that it may engender more and more misunderstandings among the
people against Islam and the Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's peace). They would conspire
with the hypocrites to create mischief and would cooperate with every group and tribe hostile to
Islam. They would create rifts between the Muslims and would do whatever they could to stir them
up to mutual feuds and fighting. The people of the Aus and the Khazraj tribes were their special
target, with whom they had been allied for centuries. Making mention of the war of Buath before
them they would remind them of their previous enmities so that they might again resort to the
sword against each other and shatter their bond of fraternity into which Islam had bound them.
They would resort to every kind of deceit and fraud in order to harm the Muslims economically.
Whenever one of those with whom that had business dealings, would accept Islam, they would do
whatever they could to cause him financial loss. If he owed them something they would worry and
harass him by making repeated demands, and if they owed him something, they would withhold
the payment and would publicly say that at the time the bargain was made he professed a
different religion, and since he had changed his religion, they were no longer under any
obligation towards him. Several instances of this nature have been cited in the explanation of
verse 75 of Surah Al Imran given in the commentaries by Tabari, Nisaburi, Tabrisi and in Ruh al
Ma'ani.
They had adopted this hostile attitude against the covenant even before the Battle of Badr. But
when the Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's peace) and the Muslims won a decisive victory
over the Quraish at Badr, they were filled with grief and anguish, malice and anger. They were in
fact anticipating that in that war the powerful Quraish would deal a death blow to the Muslims.
That is why even before the news of the Islamic victory reached Madinah they had begun to
spread the rumor that the Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's peace) had fallen a martyr and
the Muslims had been routed, and the Quraish army under Abu Jahl was advancing on Madinah.
But when the battle was decided against their hopes and wishes, they burst with anger and grief.
Ka'b bin Ashraf, the chief of the Bani an-Nadir, cried out:"By God, if Muhammad has actually
killed these nobles of Arabia, the earth's belly would be better for us than its back." Then he went
to Makkah and incited the people to vengeance by writing and reciting provocative elegies for the
Quraish chiefs killed at Badr. Then he returned to Madinah and composed lyrical verses of an
insulting nature about the Muslim women. At last, enraged with his mischief, the Holy Prophet
(upon whom be Allah's peace) sent Muhammad bin Maslamah Ansari in Rabi al-Awwal, A. H. 3,
and had him slain. (Ibn Sad, Ibn Hisham, Tabari).
The first Jewish tribe which, after the Battle of Badr, openly and collectively broke their covenant
were the Bani Qainuqa. They lived in a locality inside the city of Madinah. As they practised the
crafts of the goldsmith, blacksmith and vessel maker, the people of Madinah had to visit their
shops fairly frequently. They were proud of their bravery and valor. Being blacksmiths by
profession even their children were well armed, and they could instantly muster 700 fighting men
from among themselves. They were also arrogantly aware that they enjoyed relations of
confederacy with the Khazraj and Abdullah bin Ubbay, the chief of the, Khazraj, was their chief
supporter. At the victory of Badr, they became so provoked that they began to trouble and
harass the Muslims and their women in particular, who visited their shops. By and by things came
to such a pass that one day a Muslim woman was stripped naked publicly in their bazaar. This led
to a brawl in which a Muslim and a Jew were killed. Thereupon the Holy Prophet (upon whom be
Allah's peace) himself visited their locality, got them together and counseled them on decent
conduct. But the reply that they gave was; "O Muhammad, you perhaps think we are like the
Quraish; they did not know fighting; therefore, you overpowered them. But when you come in
contact with us, you will see how men fight."This was in clear words a declaration of war.
Consequently, the Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's peace) laid siege to their quarters
towards the end of Shawwal (and according to some others, of Dhi Qa'dah) A. H. 2. The siege
had hardly lasted for a fortnight when they surrendered and all their fighting men were tied and
taken prisoners. Now Abdullah bin Ubayy came up in support of them and insisted that they
should be pardoned. The Holy Prophet conceded his request and decided that the Bani Qainuqa
would be exiled from Madinah leaving their properties, armour and tools of trade behind. (Ibn
Sa'd, Ibn Hisham, Tarikh Tabari).
For some time after these punitive measures (i. e. the banishment of the Qainuqa and killing of
Ka'b bin Ashraf the Jews remained so terror stricken that they did not dare commit any further
mischief. But later when in Shawwal, A. H. 3, the Quraish in order to avenge themselves for the
defeat at Badr, marched against Madinah with great preparations, and the Jews saw that only a
thousand men had marched out with the Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's peace) as against
three thousand men of the Quraish, and even they were deserted by 300 hypocrites who
returned to Madinah, they committed the first and open breach of the treaty by refusing to join
the Holy Prophet in the defense of the city although they were bound to it. Then, when in the
Battle of Uhud the Muslims suffered reverses, they were further emboldened. So much so that
the Bani an-Nadir made a secret plan to kill the Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's peace)
though the plan failed before it could be executed. According to the details, after the incident of
Bi'r Maunah (Safar, A. H. 4) Amr bin Umayyah Damri slew by mistake two men of the Bani Amir in
retaliation, who actually belonged to a tribe which was allied to the Muslims, but Amr had
mistaken them for the men of the enemy. Because of this mistake their blood money became
obligatory on the Muslims. Since the Bani an-Nadir were also a party in the alliance with the Bani
Amir, the Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's peace) went to their clan along with some of his
Companions to ask for their help in paying the blood money. Outwardly they agreed to
contribute, as he wished, but secretly they plotted that a person should go up to the top of the
house by whose wall the Holy Prophet was sitting and drop a rock on him to kill him. But before
they could execute their plan, Allah informed him in time and be immediately got up and returned
to Madinah.
Now there was no question of showing them any further concession. The Holy Prophet at once
sent to them the ultimatum that the treachery they had meditated against him had come to his
knowledge; therefore, they were to leave Madinah within ten days; if anyone of them was found
staying behind in their quarters, he would be put to the sword. Meanwhile Abdullah bin Ubayy
sent them the message that he would help them with two thousand men and that the Bani
Quraizah and Bani Ghatafan also would come to their aid; therefore, they should stand firm and
should not go. On this false assurance they responded to the Holy Prophet's ultimatum saying
that they would not leave Madinah and he could do whatever was in his power. Consequently, in
Rabi' al-Awwal, A. H. 4, the Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's peace) laid siege to them, and
after a few days of the siege (which according to some traditions were 6 and according to others
15 days) they agreed to leave Madinah on the condition that they could retain all their property
which they could carry on thee camels, except the armor. Thus, Madinah was rid of this second
mischievous tribe of Jews. Only two of the Bani an-Nadir became Muslims and stayed behind.
Others went to Syria and Khaiber.
This is the event that has been discussed in this Surah.
Theme and Subject Matter
The theme of the Surah as stated above, is an appraisal of the battle against the Bani an Nadir.
In this, on the whole, four things have been discussed.
1. In the first four verses the world has been, admonished to take heed of the fate that had just
befallen the Bani an-Nadir. A major tribe which was as strong in numbers as the Muslims, whose
people boasted of far more wealth and possession who were by no means ill equipped militarily
and whose forts were well fortified could not stand siege even for a few Days, and expressed
their readiness to accept banishment from their centuries old, well established settlement even
though not a single man from among them was slain. Allah says that this happened not because
of any power possessed by the Muslims but because the Jews had tried to resist and fight Allah
and His Messenger, and those who dare to resist the power of Allah, always meet with the same
fate.
2. In verse 5, the rule of the law of war that has been enunciated is: the destruction caused in the
enemy territory for military purposes does not come under "spreading mischief in the earth."
3. In vv 6-10 it has been stated how the lands and properties which come under the control of the
Islamic State as a result of war or peace terms, are to be managed. As it was the first ever
occasion that the Muslims took control of a conquered territory, the law concerning it was laid
down for their guidance.
4. In vv. 11-17 the attitude that the hypocrites had adopted on the occasion of the battle against
the Bani an-Nadir has been reviewed and the causes underlying it have been pointed out.
5. The whole of the last section (vv. 18-24) is an admonition for all those people who had
professed to have affirmed the faith and joined the Muslim community, but were devoid of the
true spirit of the faith. In it they have been told what is the real demand of the Faith, what is the
real difference between piety and wickedness, what is the place and importance of the Quran
which they professed to believe in, and what are the attributes of God in Whom they claimed to
have believed.
Name
The Surah derives its name from the mention of the word al-hashr in verse thereby implying that
it is the Surah in which the word al-hashr has occurred.
Period of Revelation
Bukhari and Muslim contain a tradition from Hadrat Sa'id bin Jubair to the effect "When I asked
Hadrat Abdullah bin Abbas about Surah Al-Hashr, he replied that it was sent down concerning
the battle against the Bani an-Nadir just as Surah Al-Anfal was sent down concerning the Battle
of Badr. In another tradition from Hadrat Sa'id bin Jubair, the words cited from Ibn Abbas (may
Allah be pleased with him) are: Qul: Surah an-Nadir: Say, it is Surah an-Nadir." The same thing
has been related also from Mujahid, Qatadah, Zuhri, Ibn Zaid, Yazid bin Ruman, Muhammad bin
Ishaq and others. They are unanimous that the followers of the Book whose banishment has
been mentioned in it, imply the Bani an-Nadir. Yazid bin Ruman, Mujahid and Muhammad bin
Ishaq have stated that this whole Surah, from beginning to end, came down concerning this very
battle.
As for the question as to when this battle took place, Imam Zuhri has stated on the authority of
Urwah bin Zubair that it took place six months after the Battle of Badr. However, Ibn Sa'd, Ibn
Hisham and Baladhuri regard it as an event of Rabi' al-Awwal, A. H. 4, and the same is correct.
For all traditions agree that this battle took place after the incident of Bi'r Ma'unah, and
historically also it is well known that the incident of Bir Ma'unah occurred after the Battle of Uhud
and not before it.
Historical Background
In order to understand the subject matter of this Surah well, it is necessary to have a look at the
history of the Madinah and Hejaz Jews, for without it one cannot know precisely the real causes
of the Holy Prophet's dealing with their different tribes the way he did.
No authentic history of the Arabian Jews exists in the world. They have not left any writing of their
own in the form of a book or a tablet which might throw light on their past, nor have the Jewish
historians and writers of the non-Arab world made any mention of them, the reason being that
after their settlement in the Arabian peninsula they had detached themselves from the main body
of the nation, and the Jews of the world did not count them as among themselves. For they had
given up Hebrew culture and language, even the names, and adopted Arabism instead. In the
tablets that have been unearthed in the archaeological research in the Hejaz no trace of the
Jews is found before the first century of the Christian era, except for a few Jewish names.
Therefore, the history of the Arabian Jews is based mostly on the verbal traditions prevalent
among the Arabs most of which bad been spread by the Jews themselves.
The Jews of the Hejaz claimed that they had come to settle in Arabia during the last stage of the
life of the Prophet Moses (peace be upon him). They said that the Prophet Moses had
despatched an army to expel the Amalekites from the land of Yathrib and had commanded it not
to spare even a single soul of that tribe. The Israelite army carried out the Prophet's command,
but spared the life of a handsome prince of the Amalekite king and returned with him to
Palestine. By that time the Prophet Moses had passed sway. His successors took great exception
to what the army had done, for by sparing the life of an Amalekite it had clearly disobeyed the
Prophet and violated the Mosaic law. Consequently, they excluded the army from their
community, and it had to return to Yathrib and settle there for ever.(Kitab al-Aghani, vol. xix, p.
94). Thus the Jews claimed that they had been living in Yathrib since about 1200 B.C. But, this
had in fact no historical basis and probably the Jews had invented this story in order to overawe
the Arabs into believing that they were of noble lineage and the original inhabitants of the land.
The second Jewish immigration, according to the Jews, took, place in 587 BC. when
Nebuchadnezzer, the king of Babylon, destroyed Jerusalem and dispersed the Jews throughout
the world. The Arab Jews said that several of their tribes at that time had come to settle in Wadi
al-Qura, Taima, and Yathrib.(Al-Baladhuri, Futuh al-Buldan). But this too has no historical basis.
By this also they might have wanted to prove that they were the original settlers of the area.
As a matter of fact, what is established is that when in A. D. 70 the Romans massacred the Jews
in Palestine, and then in A. D. 132 expelled them from that land, many of the Jewish tribes fled to
find an asylum in the Hejaz, a territory that was contiguous to Palestine in the south. There, they
settled wherever they found water springs and greenery, and then by intrigue and through
money lending business gradually occupied the fertile lands. Ailah, Maqna, Tabuk, Taima, Wadi
al Qura, Fadak and Khaiber came under their control in that very period, and Bani Quraizah,
Bani al-Nadir, Bani Bahdal, and Bani Qainuqa also came in the same period and occupied
Yathrib.
Among the tribes that settled in Yathrib the Bani al Nadir and the Bani Quraizah were more
prominent for they belonged to the Cohen or priest class. They were looked upon as of noble
descent and enjoyed religious leadership among their co- religionists. When they came to settle
in Madinah there were some other tribes living there before, whom they subdued and became
practically the owners of this green and fertile land. About three centuries later, in A. D. 450 or
451, the great flood of Yaman occurred which has been mentioned in vv. 16-17 of Surah Saba
above. As a result of this different tribes of the people of Saba were compelled to leave Yaman
and disperse in different parts of Arabia. Thus, the Bani Ghassan went to settle in Syria, Bani
Lakhm in Hirah (Iraq), Bani Khuzaah between Jeddah and Makkah and the Aus and the Khazraj
went to settle in Yathrib. As Yathrib was under Jewish domination, they at first did not allow the
Aus and the Khazraj to gain a footing and the two Arab tribes had to settle on lands that had not
yet been brought under cultivation, where they could hardly produce just enough to enable them
to survive. At last, one of their chiefs went to Syria to ask for the assistance of their Ghassanide
brothers; he brought an army from there and broke the power of the Jews. Thus, the Aus and the
Khazraj were able to gain complete dominance over Yathrib, with the result that two of the major
Jewish tribes, Bani an-Nadir and Bani Quraizaha were forced to take quarters outside the city.
Since the third tribe, Bani Qainuqa, was not on friendly terms with the other two tribes, it stayed
inside the city as usual, but had to seek protection of the Khazraj tribe. As a counter measure to
this Bani an- -Nadir and Bani Quraizah took protection of the Aus tribe so that they could live in
peace in the suburbs of Yathrib.
Before the Holy Prophet's arrival at Madinah until his emigration the following were the main
features of the Jews position in Hejaz in general and in Yathrib in particular:
1. In the matter of language, dress, civilization and way of life they had completely adopted
Arabism, even their names had become Arabian. Of the 12 Jewish tribes that had settled in
Hejaz, none except the Bani Zaura retained its Hebrew name. Except for a few scattered scholars
none knew Hebrew. In fact, there is nothing in the poetry of the Jewish poets of the pre-Islamic
days to distinguish it from the poetry of the Arab poets in language, ideas and themes. They
even inter-married with the Arabs. In fact, nothing distinguished them from the common Arabs
except religion. Notwithstanding this, they had not lost their identity among the Arabs and had
kept their Jewish prejudice alive most ardently and jealously. They had adopted superficial
Arabism because they could not survive in Arabia without it.
2. Because of this Arabism the western orientalists have been misled into thinking that perhaps
they were not really Israelites but Arabs who had embraced Judaism, or that at least majority of
them consisted of the Arab Jews. But there is no historical proof to show that the Jews ever
engaged in any proselytizing activities in Hejaz, or their rabbis invited the Arabs to embrace
Judaism like the Christian priests and missionaries. On the contrary, we see that they prided
themselves upon their Israelite descent and racial prejudices. They called the Arabs the Gentiles,
which did not mean illiterate or uneducated but savage and uncivilized people. They believed
that the Gentiles did not possess any human rights; these were only reserved for the Israelites,
and therefore, it was lawful and right for the Israelites to defraud them of their properties by every
fair and foul means. Apart from the Arab chiefs, they did not consider the common Arabs fit
enough to have equal status with them even if they entered Judaism. No historical proof is
available, nor is there any evidence in the Arabian traditions, that some Arab tribe or prominent
clan might have accepted Judaism. However, mention has been made of some individuals, who
had become Jews. The Jews, however, were more interested in their trade and business than in
the preaching of their religion. That is why Judaism did not spread as a religion and creed in
Hejaz but remained only as a mark of pride and distinction of a few Israelite tribes. The Jewish
rabbis, however, had a flourishing business in granting amulets and charms, fortune telling and
sorcery, because of which they were held in great awe by the Arabs for their "knowledge" and
practical wisdom.
3. Economically they were much stronger than the Arabs. Since they bad emigrated from more
civilized and culturally advanced countries of Palestine and Syria, they knew many such arts as
were unknown to the Arabs; they also enjoyed trade relations with the outside world. Hence, they
had captured the business of importing grain in Yathrib and the upper Hejaz and exporting dried
dates to other countries. Poultry farming and fishing also were mostly under their controls They
were good at cloth weaving too. They had also set up wine shops here and there, where they
sold wine which they imported from Syria. The Bani Qainuqa generally practised crafts such as
that of the goldsmith, blacksmith and vessel maker. In all these occupations, trade and business
these Jews earned exorbitant profits, but their chief occupation was trading in money lending in
which they had ensnared the Arabs of the surrounding areas. More particularly the chiefs and
elders of the Arab tribes who were given to a life of pomp, bragging and boasting on the strength
of borrowed money were deeply indebted to them. They lent money on high rates of interest and
then would charge compound interest, which one could hardly clear off once one was involved in
it. Thus, they had rendered the Arabs economically hollow, but it had naturally induced a deep
rooted hatred among the common Arabs against the Jews.
4. The demand of their trade and economic interests was that they should neither estrange one
Arab tribe by befriending another, nor take part in their mutual wars. But, on the other hand, it
was also in their interests, that they should not allow the Arabs to be united and should keep
them fighting and entrenched against each other, for they knew that whenever the Arab tribes
united, they would not allow them to remain in possession of their 1large properties, gardens and
fertile lands, which they had come to own through their profiteering and money lending business.
Furthermore, each of their tribes also had to enter into alliance with one or another powerful
Arab tribe for the sake of its own protection so that no other powerful tribe should overawe it by
its might. Because of this they had not only to take part in the mutual wars of the Arabs but they
often had to go to war in support of the Arab tribe to which their tribe was tied in alliance against
another Jewish tribe which was allied to the enemy tribe. In Yathrib the Bani Quraizah and the
Bani an-Nadir were the allies of the Aus while the Bani Qainuqa of the Khazraj. A little before the
Holy Prophet's emigration, these Jewish tribes had confronted each other in support of their
respective allies in the bloody war that took place between the Aus and the Khazraj at Buath.
Such were the conditions when Islam came to Madinah, and ultimately an Islamic State came into
existence after the Holy Prophet's (upon whom be Allah's peace) arrival there. One of the first
things that he accomplished soon after establishing this state was unification of the Aus and the
Khazraj and the Emigrants into a brotherhood, and the second was that he concluded a treaty
between the Muslims and the Jews on definite conditions, in which it was pledged that neither
party would encroach on the rights of the other, and both would unite in a joint defense against
the external enemies. Some important clauses of this treaty are as follows, which clearly show
what the Jews and the Muslims had pledged to adhere to in their mutual relationship:
"The Jews must bear their expenses and the Muslims their expenses. Each must help the other
against anyone who attacks the people of this document. They must seek mutual advice and
consultation, and loyalty is a protection against treachery. They shall sincerely wish one another
well. Their relations will be governed by piety and recognition of the rights of others, and not by
sin and wrongdoing. The wronged must be helped. The Jews must pay with the believers so long
as the war lasts. Yathrib shall be a sanctuary for the people of this document. If any dispute or
controversy likely to cause trouble should arise, it must be referred to God and to Muhammad
the Apostle of God; Quraish and their helpers shall not be given protection. The contracting
parties are bound to help one another against any attack on Yathrib; Every one shall be
responsible for the defence of the portion to which he belongs" (lbn Hisham, vol. ii, pp. 147 to
150).
This was on absolute and definitive covenant to the conditions of which the Jews themselves had
agreed. But not very long after this they began to show hostility towards the Holy Prophet of Allah
(upon whom be Allah's peace) and Islam and the Muslims, and their hostility and perverseness
went on increasing day by day. Its main causes were three:
First, they envisaged the Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's peace) merely as a chief of his
people, who should be content to have concluded a political agreement with them and should
only concern himself with the worldly , interests of his group. But they found that he was
extending an invitation to belief in Allah and the Apostleship and the Book (which also included
belief in their own Prophets and scriptures), and was urging the people to give up disobedience
of Allah and adopt obedience to the Divine Commands and abide by the moral laws of their own
prophets. This they could not put up with. They feared that if this universal ideological movement
gained momentum it would destroy their rigid religiosity and wipe out their racial nationhood.
Second, when they saw that the Aus and the Khazraj and the Emigrants were uniting into a
brotherhood and the people from the Arab tribes of the surrounding areas, who entered Islam,
were also joining this Islamic Brotherhood of Madinah and forming a religious community, they
feared that the selfish policy that they had been following of sowing discord between the Arab
tribes for the promotion of their own well being and interests for centuries, would not work in the
new system, but they would face a united front of the Arabs against which their intrigues and
machinations would not succeed.
Third, the work that the Holy Messenger of Allah (upon whom be Allah's 'peace) was carrying out
of reforming the society and civilization included putting an end to all unlawful methods" in
business and mutual dealings. More than that; he had declared taking and giving of interest also
as impure and unlawful earning. This caused them the fear that if his rule became established in
Arabia, he would declare interest legally forbidden, and in this they saw their own economic
disaster and death.
For these reasons they made resistance and opposition to the Holy Prophet their national ideal.
They would never hesitate to employ any trick and machination, any device and cunning, to harm
him. They spread every kind of falsehood so as to cause distrust against him in the people's
minds. They created every kind of doubt, suspicion and misgiving in the hearts of the new
converts so as to turn them back from Islam. They would make false profession of Islam and then
would turn apostate so that it may engender more and more misunderstandings among the
people against Islam and the Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's peace). They would conspire
with the hypocrites to create mischief and would cooperate with every group and tribe hostile to
Islam. They would create rifts between the Muslims and would do whatever they could to stir them
up to mutual feuds and fighting. The people of the Aus and the Khazraj tribes were their special
target, with whom they had been allied for centuries. Making mention of the war of Buath before
them they would remind them of their previous enmities so that they might again resort to the
sword against each other and shatter their bond of fraternity into which Islam had bound them.
They would resort to every kind of deceit and fraud in order to harm the Muslims economically.
Whenever one of those with whom that had business dealings, would accept Islam, they would do
whatever they could to cause him financial loss. If he owed them something they would worry and
harass him by making repeated demands, and if they owed him something, they would withhold
the payment and would publicly say that at the time the bargain was made he professed a
different religion, and since he had changed his religion, they were no longer under any
obligation towards him. Several instances of this nature have been cited in the explanation of
verse 75 of Surah Al Imran given in the commentaries by Tabari, Nisaburi, Tabrisi and in Ruh al
Ma'ani.
They had adopted this hostile attitude against the covenant even before the Battle of Badr. But
when the Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's peace) and the Muslims won a decisive victory
over the Quraish at Badr, they were filled with grief and anguish, malice and anger. They were in
fact anticipating that in that war the powerful Quraish would deal a death blow to the Muslims.
That is why even before the news of the Islamic victory reached Madinah they had begun to
spread the rumor that the Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's peace) had fallen a martyr and
the Muslims had been routed, and the Quraish army under Abu Jahl was advancing on Madinah.
But when the battle was decided against their hopes and wishes, they burst with anger and grief.
Ka'b bin Ashraf, the chief of the Bani an-Nadir, cried out:"By God, if Muhammad has actually
killed these nobles of Arabia, the earth's belly would be better for us than its back." Then he went
to Makkah and incited the people to vengeance by writing and reciting provocative elegies for the
Quraish chiefs killed at Badr. Then he returned to Madinah and composed lyrical verses of an
insulting nature about the Muslim women. At last, enraged with his mischief, the Holy Prophet
(upon whom be Allah's peace) sent Muhammad bin Maslamah Ansari in Rabi al-Awwal, A. H. 3,
and had him slain. (Ibn Sad, Ibn Hisham, Tabari).
The first Jewish tribe which, after the Battle of Badr, openly and collectively broke their covenant
were the Bani Qainuqa. They lived in a locality inside the city of Madinah. As they practised the
crafts of the goldsmith, blacksmith and vessel maker, the people of Madinah had to visit their
shops fairly frequently. They were proud of their bravery and valor. Being blacksmiths by
profession even their children were well armed, and they could instantly muster 700 fighting men
from among themselves. They were also arrogantly aware that they enjoyed relations of
confederacy with the Khazraj and Abdullah bin Ubbay, the chief of the, Khazraj, was their chief
supporter. At the victory of Badr, they became so provoked that they began to trouble and
harass the Muslims and their women in particular, who visited their shops. By and by things came
to such a pass that one day a Muslim woman was stripped naked publicly in their bazaar. This led
to a brawl in which a Muslim and a Jew were killed. Thereupon the Holy Prophet (upon whom be
Allah's peace) himself visited their locality, got them together and counseled them on decent
conduct. But the reply that they gave was; "O Muhammad, you perhaps think we are like the
Quraish; they did not know fighting; therefore, you overpowered them. But when you come in
contact with us, you will see how men fight."This was in clear words a declaration of war.
Consequently, the Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's peace) laid siege to their quarters
towards the end of Shawwal (and according to some others, of Dhi Qa'dah) A. H. 2. The siege
had hardly lasted for a fortnight when they surrendered and all their fighting men were tied and
taken prisoners. Now Abdullah bin Ubayy came up in support of them and insisted that they
should be pardoned. The Holy Prophet conceded his request and decided that the Bani Qainuqa
would be exiled from Madinah leaving their properties, armour and tools of trade behind. (Ibn
Sa'd, Ibn Hisham, Tarikh Tabari).
For some time after these punitive measures (i. e. the banishment of the Qainuqa and killing of
Ka'b bin Ashraf the Jews remained so terror stricken that they did not dare commit any further
mischief. But later when in Shawwal, A. H. 3, the Quraish in order to avenge themselves for the
defeat at Badr, marched against Madinah with great preparations, and the Jews saw that only a
thousand men had marched out with the Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's peace) as against
three thousand men of the Quraish, and even they were deserted by 300 hypocrites who
returned to Madinah, they committed the first and open breach of the treaty by refusing to join
the Holy Prophet in the defense of the city although they were bound to it. Then, when in the
Battle of Uhud the Muslims suffered reverses, they were further emboldened. So much so that
the Bani an-Nadir made a secret plan to kill the Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's peace)
though the plan failed before it could be executed. According to the details, after the incident of
Bi'r Maunah (Safar, A. H. 4) Amr bin Umayyah Damri slew by mistake two men of the Bani Amir in
retaliation, who actually belonged to a tribe which was allied to the Muslims, but Amr had
mistaken them for the men of the enemy. Because of this mistake their blood money became
obligatory on the Muslims. Since the Bani an-Nadir were also a party in the alliance with the Bani
Amir, the Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's peace) went to their clan along with some of his
Companions to ask for their help in paying the blood money. Outwardly they agreed to
contribute, as he wished, but secretly they plotted that a person should go up to the top of the
house by whose wall the Holy Prophet was sitting and drop a rock on him to kill him. But before
they could execute their plan, Allah informed him in time and be immediately got up and returned
to Madinah.
Now there was no question of showing them any further concession. The Holy Prophet at once
sent to them the ultimatum that the treachery they had meditated against him had come to his
knowledge; therefore, they were to leave Madinah within ten days; if anyone of them was found
staying behind in their quarters, he would be put to the sword. Meanwhile Abdullah bin Ubayy
sent them the message that he would help them with two thousand men and that the Bani
Quraizah and Bani Ghatafan also would come to their aid; therefore, they should stand firm and
should not go. On this false assurance they responded to the Holy Prophet's ultimatum saying
that they would not leave Madinah and he could do whatever was in his power. Consequently, in
Rabi' al-Awwal, A. H. 4, the Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's peace) laid siege to them, and
after a few days of the siege (which according to some traditions were 6 and according to others
15 days) they agreed to leave Madinah on the condition that they could retain all their property
which they could carry on thee camels, except the armor. Thus, Madinah was rid of this second
mischievous tribe of Jews. Only two of the Bani an-Nadir became Muslims and stayed behind.
Others went to Syria and Khaiber.
This is the event that has been discussed in this Surah.
Theme and Subject Matter
The theme of the Surah as stated above, is an appraisal of the battle against the Bani an Nadir.
In this, on the whole, four things have been discussed.
1. In the first four verses the world has been, admonished to take heed of the fate that had just
befallen the Bani an-Nadir. A major tribe which was as strong in numbers as the Muslims, whose
people boasted of far more wealth and possession who were by no means ill equipped militarily
and whose forts were well fortified could not stand siege even for a few Days, and expressed
their readiness to accept banishment from their centuries old, well established settlement even
though not a single man from among them was slain. Allah says that this happened not because
of any power possessed by the Muslims but because the Jews had tried to resist and fight Allah
and His Messenger, and those who dare to resist the power of Allah, always meet with the same
fate.
2. In verse 5, the rule of the law of war that has been enunciated is: the destruction caused in the
enemy territory for military purposes does not come under "spreading mischief in the earth."
3. In vv 6-10 it has been stated how the lands and properties which come under the control of the
Islamic State as a result of war or peace terms, are to be managed. As it was the first ever
occasion that the Muslims took control of a conquered territory, the law concerning it was laid
down for their guidance.
4. In vv. 11-17 the attitude that the hypocrites had adopted on the occasion of the battle against
the Bani an-Nadir has been reviewed and the causes underlying it have been pointed out.
5. The whole of the last section (vv. 18-24) is an admonition for all those people who had
professed to have affirmed the faith and joined the Muslim community, but were devoid of the
true spirit of the faith. In it they have been told what is the real demand of the Faith, what is the
real difference between piety and wickedness, what is the place and importance of the Quran
which they professed to believe in, and what are the attributes of God in Whom they claimed to
have believed.