Introduction to the Study of The Holy Quran — Page 163
163 "But why?" said the Prophet. "Moses was of their kith and kin. Yet they inflicted more suffering on him than they have on me. " The Prophet continued to advance. The Jews put up their defences and started fighting. Their women also joined them. Some Muslims were sitting at the foot of a wall. A Jewish woman, seeing this, dropped a stone on them, killing one named Khallad. The siege went on for some days. At the end of this period, the Jews felt they would not be able to hold out for long. Then their chiefs sent word to the Prophet requesting him to send Abu Lubabah, an Ansari chief of the Aws, a tribe friendly to the Jews. They wanted to consult him about a possible settlement. The Prophet sent Abu Lubabah to the Jews, who asked him if they should lay down their arms and accept the award of the Prophet. Abu Lubabah said they should. But at the same time he passed a finger over his neck, making the sign of death. The Prophet had said nothing on this subject to anybody. But Abu Lubabah, fearing that the crime of the Jews merited nothing but death, unwittingly made this sign, which proved fateful for the Jews. The latter declined Abu Lubabah’s advice and refused to accept the Prophet’s award. Had they accepted it, the utmost punishment they would have had was expulsion from Medina. But as ill-luck would have it, they refused to accept the Prophet’s award. Instead of the Prophet’s, they said, they would accept the award of Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh, chief of their allies, the Aus. They would agree to any punishment proposed by him. A dispute also arose among the Jews. Some of them began to say that their people had really gone back on their agreement with the Muslims. The behaviour of the Muslims, on the other hand, showed that they were true and honest and that their religion also was true. Those who thought in this way joined Islam. ‘Amr bin Sa‘di, one of the Jewish chiefs, reproved his people and said, "You have committed a breach of faith and gone back on your plighted word. The only course now open to you is either to join Islam or give jizyah. " They said, "We will neither join Islam nor give jizyah , for dying is better than giving jizyah. " ‘Amr replied that in that case he stood absolved, and saying this left the fort. He was sighted by Muhammad bin Maslamah, commander of a Muslim column, who asked him who he was. On learning of his identity he told him to depart in peace and himself prayed loudly: "God, give me ever the power to screen the mistakes of the decent. " What he meant was that this Jew had shown remorse and regret over the conduct of his people. It was the moral duty of Muslims, therefore, to forgive men like him. In letting him go he had done a good thing, and he prayed that God should give him the chance to do such good deeds again and again. When the Prophet got to know of what Muhammad bin Maslamah had done, he did not reprove him for letting go this Jewish leader. Rather, he approved of what had been done. The disposition to make peace and to accept the award of the Prophet had been expressed only by individual Jews. As a people, they remained adamant and refused to accept the award of the Prophet and asked, instead, for the award of Sa‘d bin