The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume II — Page 500
Seal of the Prophets - Volume II 500 be presented before Muḥammad [sa] , whose verdict would be contractually binding upon the related parties; however, it would be necessary for every individual or nation to be judged according to his own religion or Sharī‘at. 1 How did the Jews act upon this treaty? The answer to this has already been extensively taken up in the pages which have passed. Firstly, the Banū Qainuqā‘ committed a breach of treaty, and sparked war with the Muslims whilst severing friendly relations. They harassed Muslim women in a crude manner and arrogantly rejected the presidential position of the Holy Prophet sa which he possessed by virtue of the international treaty in Madīnah. However, when they were defeated by the Muslims, the Holy Prophet sa forgave them and sufficed on the mere precautionary measure that the Banū Qainuqā‘ should leave Madīnah and take up residence somewhere else, so that the peace of the city was not further disturbed, and the Muslims may be protected from a snake in the grass. Therefore, the people of Banū Qainuqā‘ left Madīnah along with their wealth, wives and children, with great peace and security, and settled somewhere else. However, the remaining two Jewish tribes did not learn a lesson as a result of this event. As a matter of fact, the mercy of the Holy Prophet sa fuelled them with greater audacity and much time had not elapsed when the Banū Naḍīr, which was the second tribe of the Jews, also raised its head. To begin with, Ka‘b bin Ashraf, one of their chiefs, broke the treaty and began to conspire with the Quraish and other Arab tribes in opposition to the Muslims. He incited the wild beasts of Arabia to stand up against the Holy Prophet sa and his Companions in a dangerous manner, and composed such provocative couplets against the Muslims, which created an immensely threatening state for them in the land. Moreover, this evil man referred to honourable Muslim women by name and mocked them in his couplets, after which he finally conspired to assassinate the Holy Prophet sa. When this individual reached his rightful end by the command of the Holy Prophet sa , his tribe stood up together in opposition to the Muslims. From that day on, the Banū Naḍīr completely ignored their agreement and began to conspire against the Muslims. Ultimately, the entire tribe devised a plan to assassinate the Holy Prophet sa and decided that however possible, the Holy Prophet sa should not be spared. When the Holy Prophet sa received news of their deadly intentions, he warned 1 * As-Sīratun-Nabawiyyah, By Abū Muḥammad ‘Abdul-Mālik bin Hishām, pp. 353-355, Hijratur- Rasūl sa / Kitābuhū sa Bainal-Muhājirīna Wal-Anṣāri. . . . . , Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2001)