Muhammad and The Jews — Page 84
The same people who cowardly refused to fight on a Sabbath and in spite of being safe in their castles had lost their morale, died as heroes. None of the 900 wavered or accepted Islam even in the face of death. It has all the common features of a religious massacre, even though the account has been provided by the partisans of the perpetrators of the slaughter. I. The victims were outnumbered by their opponents; (Najran and Masada); 2. They lost because of treachery ; 3. There are always some who stand out as heroes (l;Iuyayy b. Akhtab, Zllbir b. Bata") ; 4. There are no waverers and no forced converts ; 5. Few are left to give the details of the horror. And like most massacres it is not true to life. The first part of lbn lsi)aq's story gives us a picture of demoralized people trying to avoid fighting at any cost; the second part paints for us a picture of heroes ready to die for their faith. Walking in a flowered robe in which he bad made holes so that no one might take it as spoil, I;Iuyayy b. Akhtab addressed the Apostle : By God, I do not blame myself for opposing you, but he who forsakes God will be forsaken. The discrepancies in Ibn lsJ:iaq's account do uot end here. The B. Quray:('. ah lived at a six to seven hours' walking distance from Medina. 1 On surrender they were brought to Medina and kept in a house. The next morning trenches were dug in the market place to bury the executed people. It is surprising that a general of the Apostle's astute knowledge of strategy and logistics would have brought nearly five thousand captives-nine hundred of them to be slain-all the way to Medina and bury them right in the middle of the town. It would have been far better, safer and more efficient to make short shrift of them outside their forts, and then to take only the women and children to Medina. ' The problem of the security of prisoners, and of sanitation in Medina, would have been solved. If they had to be marched to Medina then there was a ready-made trench which was dug outside Medina only a month back. It was not far. 1 According to Ibn Isl)aq, the Muslims left Medina at noontime and reached the B. Quray~ah after the last evening prayers. Ibn. Hisham, p. 685. 84·