Muhammad and The Jews — Page 109
THE NATURE AND E~'TENT OF THE CONFLICT on the eastern side of the bridges. With their quarter 1 straddling the bridge they could inflict the maximum losses on the Muslims in an open combat, retreat to their fortress and open the charge again at a time of their choosing. The Muslims were out of the town and, though they were assured of their supply route, they could not insure a continuous supply for a long-drawn-out battle. The B. Qaynuqa" instead shut themselves up in their ufum. They seemed to have made no attempt to either fight or break the siege. The Apostle just went and sat down outside with his men. There was no action. He could patiently sit and wait; The B. Qaynuqac could not endure beyond fifteen days. 2 Our sources tell us that they were the bravest of the Jews 3 and were "men ofwar". 4 These were the people who protected "Abd Allah b. Ubayy from all his enemies. 5 The days of B. Qaynuqa" bravery had passed, and the decline seems to have been rapid. The B. al-Nac;lir had many i'lfi'lm and were well provided. According to al-Waqidi they had food supplies to last a year and their water resources were abundant; they had even provided themselves with stones to drop on the attacking force. Even granting al-Waqidi's tendency to exaggerate and lace his narrative with imaginative details, the B. al-Nac;lir were far more prepared for a long siege than the B. Qaynuqac. The Muslims, on the other hand, after their discomfiture at Ul:rnd and the massacre at BFr Ma"ilnah, were in no position to main- tain a long siege. The Apostle seemed to be conscious of their strength and his weakness, and therefore to break the spirit of the defenders he ordered, contrary to Arab custom, that the palm trees should be cut down and burnt. The palm trees were in any case lost-it made no difference to the B. al-Nac;lir whether they were burnt or taken over by the Muslims. If the B. al-Nac;lir won they could plant new palms; if they were defeated they would be expelled and could not make any use of these palms. But I;Iuyayy b. Akhtab was not a military leader. He was an intriguer. He could not foresee that a long siege would be to their advantage, it would not only disrupt the daily life of Yathrib but would also provide an opportunity to "Abd Allah b. Ubayy b. Saliil 1 Saleh Ahmad Al-Ali, "Studies in the Topography of Medina (During the 1st century A. H. )", Islamic Culture, Vol. XXXV, No. 2, April 1961 , p. 712. 2 Al-Waqidi, Vol. I, p. 177; Ibn Sa'd, Vol. II, p. 29. 3 Ibn Sa'd, II, p. 29. 4 Al-Waqidi, Vol. I, p. 176. 0 Ibn Hishlim, p. 546. · 109