The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume II — Page 288
Seal of the Prophets - Volume II 288 warfare was that one party would secure themselves within their fortresses and wait. The opposing force would besiege the fortress and whenever an opportunity presented itself, now and then, attacks would be launched against one another. This would continue until the surrounding army would either lose hope in capturing the fortress and lift the siege, and this would be considered a victory to the ones besieged; or being unable to muster the strength to fend off the onslaught, the besieged force would open the gates of their fortress and hand themselves over to the victors. On this occasion, the Banū Qainuqā‘ employed the same tactic, and closed themselves within their own fortresses. The Holy Prophet sa besieged them and this siege continued for fifteen days without fail. Finally, when all the strength and arrogance of the Banū Qainuqā‘ had been shattered, they opened the gates of their fortresses on the condition that though their wealth would belong to the Muslims, their lives and families would be spared. 1 The Holy Prophet sa accepted this condition, even though according to Mosaic law, all of these people were liable to be put to death, 2 and according to the initial agreement, the judgement of the Mosaic law should have been administered to them. However, since this was the first crime committed by this nation, as a first course of action, the merciful and forgiving disposition of the Holy Prophet sa could never be inclined towards an extreme punishment, which should only imposed as a final remedy. However, on the other hand, allowing such a treacherous and rebellious tribe to remain in Madīnah was no less than nurturing a snake in the grass, especially when a group of hypocrites from among the Aus and Khazraj were already present within Madīnah, and from the exterior as well, the opposition of the whole of Arabia had greatly distressed the Muslims. In such circumstances, the only judgement which the Holy Prophet sa could pass was for the Banū Qainuqā‘ to leave Madīnah. In comparison to their crime and taking into account the circumstances of that era, this was a very mild punishment. Furthermore, the purpose of this punishment was the security of Madīnah. Nonetheless, for the nomadic tribes of Arabia it was nothing out of the ordinary to move from one place to another, especially when a tribe did not own any properties in 1 Aṭ-Ṭabaqātul-Kubrā, By Muḥammad bin Sa‘d, Volume 2, p. 264, Ghazwatu Banī Qainuqā‘, Dāru Iḥyā’it-Turāthil-‘Arabī, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) 2 Deuteronomy (20:12-14)