Muhammad and The Jews — Page 65
THE JEWISH S,UPPORT TO MEDINAN OPPOSITION B. al-Nac,lir shut themselves up inside their forts and waited for the help. The story of the B. Qaynuqa" was repeated. The Apostle went with his Companions and sat down till they surrendered. No one moved to help the B. al-Na<;iir. Surat al-lf ashr, which was revealed on this occasion, deals with the incident. 1 Referring to the promised help the Qur. ,an says: Knowest thou not the hypocrites who say to their disbelieving companions among the people of the Book: if you are turned out of Medina, we will surely go out with you, and we will never obey anyone at all against you, and if you are fought against we will certainly help you. 2 The siege lasted for a fortnight and then the B. al-Na<;iir surrendered. They were deported, but allowed to take what they could carry on their camels, except for their weapons. They went with six hundred camels loaded with their possessions, even dismantling their houses and carrying away the lintels of the doors. Wood was expensive and they would need it for their new houses. Some went to Khaybar and others went to Syria. Sallam b. Abu al-l:luqayq, Kinanah b. al-Rabi" b. Abu al-l:Iuqayq and I:Iuyayy b. Akhtab were among those who went to Khaybar. Ibn lsl)aq reports that the defeated clan wound its way "with such pomp and splendour as had never been seen in any tribe in their days". 3 Al-Waqidi, not to be outdone by Ibn Isl)aq, added that the women of the B. al-Na<;iir wore their finest dresses and decked themselves in their jewels. No one had ever seen women so beautiful who vied with shining pearls and the full moon. 4 Ibn Sa"d with his usual restraint dropped this qG$$ embellishment from his account. A great many factors seemed to have conspired in the second year of the Hijrah to produce conditions which made the B. Qaynuqa", probably, an unsuspecting victim of the munafiqiin's machination. This benefit of doubt could not be given to the B. al-Na<;iir. The B. Qaynuqa" seemed to have invited conflict at a time when the Muslims could respond from a position of strength and consequently afford 1 Ibn Hisham, p. 654. Al-Tabari, Jami al-Bayon (Cairo, 1954) Vol. XXVIII, pp. 27-40; Al-Zamakhshari, Al-Kashshtif, Vol. IV, pp. 79-82; Al-Baygawi, Vol. II, pp. 332-33. 2 The Qur 0 an, Al-l:[ashr, 11. 3 Ibn Hisham, pp. 653-54. 4 Al-Waqidi, Vol. I, p. 376. 65