Muhammad and The Jews — Page 57
THE JEWISH SUPPORT TO MEDINAN OPPOSITION got the better of them; for by God if we fight you, you will find we are real men'. 1 No peaceful settlement was possible after this reply. The B. Qaynuqa"" took the initiative at the most appropriate moment. It was barely two years after the Apostle had settled in Medina. Some of the influential An~iir like ""Abd Allah b. Ubayy2 were still sitting on the fence; the Aws and the Khazraj were still susceptible to pre- lslamic rivalries; and the Jewish position in Medina had not yet been significantly affected by the arrival of the Apostle and the Emigrants. As we have noted earlier the Jewish population of Medina at that time was between 36,000 and 42,000, forming a majority of the city's inhabitants. 3 The Battle ofBadr gave a good idea of the strength of the Muslims at that time; they could muster only two horses, seventy camels and three hundred and fourteen men4 to fight against nine hundred and fifty Meccans who in addition to a large number of camels had two hundred horses. The B. Qaynuqii. "" or for that matter any other observer would have formed a very poor opinion of the Meccans' strategy, logistics and command. At the same time the Muslim weakness, both in men and equipment, was exposed. Even if other Jews and their Medinan allies would not help, the B. Qaynuqa'- could manage to settle with the Apostle and his helpers alone. They were seven hundred strong, three hundred of them with armour5, in comparison to some three hundred Muslims without armour. They also had the advantage of their well-provided strongholds. The B. Qaynuqii. "" after all were the bravest of the Jews6 and they called themselves the "men of war" 7 , so they decided to take the initiative I Jbn Hisham, p. 545. 2 Our sources have not preserved the names of other prominent muniifiqiin, but the frequent reference to them in the Qur~an indicates that their numberwas not inconsiderable. 3 Sec Supra p. 43. 4 There seems to be no reason to suspect these figures. The Muhiijiriin and the An$iir who participated in the Battle of Badr have been given a place of honour by Muslims; their names have been recorded by lbn lsbaq and lbn Sa""d and their descendants got preference over the descendants of oth er companions of the Apostle. 5 Ibn Hisham, p. 546; Al-Waqidi, Vol. I, p. 177. 6 Ibn Sac. d, Vol. II, p. 29. 7 Al-Waqidi, Vol. I, p. 176. ~7