Muhammad and The Jews — Page 73
THE FAILURE OF THE CONFEDERACY al-Zuhri told me. "1 But the story deals with (i)2 Gabriel's appearance before the Apostle and (ii) the Apostle's instructions that none should perform the afternoon prayer ("A~r) until after he reached B. Quray:?ah. Some of them "prayed the afternoon prayer there after the last evening prayer. God did not blame them for that in His Book, nor did the Apostle reproach them. My father Isl;aq b. Yasiir told me this Tradition from Macbad b. Malik An~iiri". 3 To accept the view that Macbad b. Malik An~ari's report does not conclude al-Zuhri's report and the rest of the account given by Ibn Isl;iiq is also on the authority of al-Zuhri is to accept that al-Zuhri not only reported Kacb b. Asad's imaginary speech but also incidents which are mutually exclusive. In view of al-Zuhri's reputation for reliability4, it is difficult to concur with this view. A more reasonable explanation would be to consider that while some of Ibn Isl;iiq's information was derived from al-Zuhri, he added details which were not sufficiently supported; on such occa- sions his sources are "not always particularly clear". 5 After this introduction the subsequent account up to the delivery of Sacd b. Mucadh's judgment is of doubtful authority. 6 Ibn Is!Jiiq tells us that (iii) the Apostle besieged the B. Quray?:ah for twenty-five nights. 7 But Ibn Sacd says that they were besieged for fifteen days. 8 (iv) When the Jews felt sure that the Apostle would not leave them until he made an end of them, Kacb b. Asad addressed them in the following words : 'O Jews, you can see what has happened to you. I offer you three alternatives. Accept what you wish. (i) We will follow this man and accept him as true, for by God it has become plain to you that he is the prophet who has been sent and that it is he whom you find mentioned in your scripture; if you do so your lives, your property, your women and children will be saved. ' They said, 'We will never abandon the laws of the Torah and never change it for another'. He said, 'Then if you won't accept this suggestion (ii) let us kill our wives and children and send men with drawn 1 Ibn Hishiim, p. 684. ~ All incidents in the account of the B. Quray4ah have been given consecutive Roman numbers. 3 Ibn Hishiim, p. 685. 4 See A. A. Duri's exhaustivearticle"Al-Zuhri" in BSOAS , Vol. IX, 1957, pp. 1-12. 5 Supra, Introduction, p. 16. 6 The incident of AbU Lubiibah's forgiveness is an exception for which Ibn IsJ:iiiq has given an isniitJ; it has been reported on the authority of Yazid b. "'Abd Allah b. Qusay(. 7 Ibn Hishiim, p. 685. 8 Jbn Sa. . d, Vol. II, p. 74. 73