Muhammad and The Jews — Page 102
camels, food and palm groves. " 1 His report represents the correct pos1t10n. Yal). ya b. Adam reports from Nafi"" that the Apostle gave Khaybar to its inhabitants against payment of half of the produce, and the palm trees. 2 Jbn Isl). aq's account of the division of the spoil concurs in principle with other reports,3 but as Abii Hurayrah has pointed out there was no hidden treasure of gold or silver. 4 WhenKhaybar had been "conquered", Ibn Isl). aq reports without isniid, al-I:{ajjaj b. ""Ilat al-Sulami went to Mecca to collect his money, which was scattered among the Meccan merchants. He took the Apostle's specific "permission" to tell lies to collect the money. On his arrival in Mecca the people collected around him and asked how the Apostle fared in Khaybar. Al-I;Iajjaj told them, "He has suffered a defeat such as you have never heard of and his com- panions have been slaughtered; you have never heard the like, and Muhammad has been captured. " The Meccans, pleased with the news, helped al-I;Iajjaj to collect his money. To a distraught ""Abbas , whqm he took aside, Al-I;Iajjaj said, 'I left your brother's son married to the daughter of their king, ~afiyah, and Khaybar has been conquered and all that is in it removed and become the property of Muhammad and his companions. . . When three nights have passed let it be known if you so wish. On the third day ~Abbas put on his robe, scented himself, took his stick and went to the Ka"-bah and performed the fawiif. When the people saw him they said, 'O Abu al-Fac;ll, this is indeed steadfastness in a great misfortune!'"- Abbas answered, certainly not, by Allah by whom you swear, Muhammad has conquered Khaybar and was married to the daughter of their king. He has seized all that they possess and it is now his property and property of his companions'. 5 Neither of the two stories of al-I;Iajjaj, are true. 1 Al-Bukhari, $abii1 Book of Maghiizi, "Ghazwat Khaybar'', Vol. V, p. 176. 2 Yal)ya b. Adam, Kitab al-Kharaj, pp. 23-25. 3 Ibn Hisham, pp. 774-776. 4 Ibid. , p. 763. " Ibn Hishiim, pp. 771-772, italics are mine. 102'·