The Origins of the Islamic State/Part 1/Chapter 4

by Aḥmad ibn Yaḥyá al-Balādhurī

CHAPTER IV

Khaibar

The capitulation of Khaibar. The Prophet invaded Khaibar^[1] in the year 7. Its people contended with him, delayed him and resisted the Moslems. So the Prophet besieged them for about one month.^[2] They then capitulated on the terms that their blood would not be shed, and their children be spared, provided that they evacuate the land, which he permitted the Moslems to take together with the gold and silver and arms—except what was on the person of the banu-Khaibar, and that they keep nothing secret from the Prophet. They then told the Prophet, "We have special experience in cultivation and planting palm-trees," and asked to be allowed to remain in the land. The Prophet granted them their request and allowed them one-half of the fruits and grains produced saying: "I shall keep you settled so long as Allah keeps you."

ʿUmar expels the people of Khaibar. During the caliphate of ʿUmar ibn-al-Khaṭṭâb, a pestilence spread among them and they mistreated the Moslems. ʿUmar, thereupon, made them evacuate the land, dividing what they had among those of the Moslems who already had a share in it.

The terms made. Al-Ḥusain ibn-al-Aswad from Muḥammad ibn-Isḥaḳ who said:—"I once asked ibn-Shihâb about Khaibar and he told me that he was informed that the Prophet captured it by force after a fight, and that it was included among the spoils which Allah assigned to his Prophet. The Prophet took its fifth and divided the land among the Moslems. Those of its people who surrendered did^[3] so on condition that they leave the land; but the Prophet asked them to enter into a treaty, which they did."

Ḥuyai hides a bag full of money. ʿAbd-al-Aʿla ibn-Ḥammâd an-Narsi from ibn-ʿUmar:—The Prophet came to the people of Khaibar and fought them until he drove them to their castle and captured their land and palm-trees. They then capitulated on the terms that their blood be not shed, that they evacuate the land and be entitled to all that their camels could carry, and that the Prophet be entitled to the gold and silver and arms.^[4] The Prophet made it a condition for them that they hold nothing secret or hidden from him, otherwise they are no more within his protection or covenant. They, however, hid a leather bag in which were kept money and jewels belonging to Ḥuyai ibn-Akhṭab. This bag Ḥuyai had brought to Khaibar on the occasion of the expulsion of the banu-an-Naḍîr. The Prophet asked Saʿyah ibn-ʿAmr saying, "What has become of the bag which Ḥuyai brought from the banu-an-Naḍîr?" To this Saʿyah answered, "Wars and expenses have emptied it." But the Prophet remarked, "It was a short time and a big sum of money. Moreover, Ḥuyai was killed before that." The Prophet then turned Saʿyah over to az-Zubair and the latter put him to the torture. At last Saʿyah said: "I saw Ḥuyai roaming about in a deserted place yonder." Search was made in the deserted place and the bag was found. The Prophet, thereupon, put the two sons of abu-l-Ḥuḳaiḳ to death, one of whom was the husband of Ṣafîyah,^[5] the daughter of Ḥuyai ibn-Akhṭab. Moreover, he captivated their children and women and divided their possessions because of their breach of faith.

ʿAbdallâh ibn-Rawâḥah estimates the produce. The Prophet also wanted to expel the banu-Khaibar from the land but they said, "Let us stay in the land to repair it and manage it." The Prophet and his companions having no slaves to manage it, and they having no time to do it themselves, he gave them Khaibar on condition that they have one-half of every palm-tree or plant …^[6] as it occurred to the Prophet. ʿAbdallâh ibn-Rawâḥah used to come every year and estimate by conjecture the quantity of dates upon the palm-trees and rent them one-half. Banu-Khaibar accused him to the Prophet charging him with partiality in estimation and offered to bribe him. To this he [ʿAbdallâh] replied saying, "Do ye enemies of Allah mean to give me unlawful money?^[7] By Allah, I have been sent to you by one whom of all men I love best. As for you, I hate you more than monkeys and pigs. My hatred to you and love to him, however, shall never stand in the way of my being just to you." They then said, "Through this [justice] have heavens and earth been established!"

The green spot in the eye of Ṣafîyah, the Prophet's wife. Once the Prophet, noticing a green spot in the eye of Ṣafîyah, daughter of Ḥuyai, asked her about it, and she said, "As my head lay in the lap of ibn-abi-l-Ḥuḳaiḳ, I saw in my sleep as if a moon fell in my lap. When I told him of what I saw he gave me a blow saying, 'Art thou wishing to have the king of Yathrib?'"^[8] Ṣafîyah added, "Of all men the Prophet was the one I disliked most, for he had killed my husband, father and brother. But he kept on saying, 'Thy father excited the Arabs to unite against me and he did this and that,' until all hatred was gone away from me."

The Prophet used to give annually each of his wives 80 camel-loads of dates and 80 loads of barley from Khaibar.

ʿUmar divides Khaibar. It was stated by Nâfiʿ that during the caliphate of ʿUmar ibn-al-Khaṭṭâb, the people of Khaibar mistreated the Moslems and deceived them and broke the hands of the son of ʿUmar^[9] by hurling him from the roof of a house. Consequently, ʿUmar divided the land among those of the people of Ḥudaibiyah who had taken part in the battle of Khaibar.

The forts of Khaibar. Al-Ḥusain ibn-al-Aswad from ʿAbdallâh ibn-abi-Bakr ibn-Muḥammad ibn-ʿAmr ibn-Ḥazm:—The Prophet besieged the people of Khaibar in their two fortresses—al-Waṭîḥ and Sulâlim. When they felt that their destruction was sure, they requested the Prophet to let them off and spare their lives. This he did. The Prophet had already taken possession of all their property^[10] including ash-Shiḳḳ, an-Natât and al-Katîbah together with all their forts except what was in the above-mentioned two.

".Speedy victory." The following tradition regarding the text:^[11] "And rewarded them with a speedy victory" was transmitted by al-Ḥusain ibn-al-Aswad on the authority of ʿAbd-ar-Raḥmân ibn-abi-Laila:—Khaibar and another are meant who could not be subdued by the Persians and Greeks.

The division of Khaibar. ʿAmr an-Naḳîd from Bushair ibn-Yasâr:—The Prophet divided Khaibar into thirty-six shares and each share into a hundred lots. One-half of the shares he reserved for himself to be used in case of accident or what might befall him, and the other half he distributed among the Moslems. According to this, the Prophet's share included ash-Shiḳḳ with an-Naṭât and whatever was included within them. Among the lands turned into waḳf^[12] were al-Katîbah and Sulâlim. When the Prophet laid his hands on these possessions, he found that he had not enough ʿâmils^[13] for the land. He therefore turned it over to the Jews on condition that they use the land and keep only one-half of its produce. This arrangement lasted throughout the life of the Prophet and abu-Bakr. But when ʿUmar was made caliph, and as the money became abundant in the lands of the Moslems, and the Moslems became numerous enough to cultivate the land, ʿUmar expelled the Jews to Syria and divided the property among the Moslems.

Bakr ibn-al-Haitham from az-Zuhri:—When the Prophet conquered Khaibar the fifth share of it [reserved for himself] was al-Katîbah; as for ash-Shiḳḳ, an-Naṭât, Sulâlim and al-Waṭîḥ they were given to the Moslems. The Prophet left the land in the hands of the Jews on condition that they give him one-half of the produce. Thus the part of the produce assigned by Allah to the Moslems was divided among the Moslems until the time of ʿUmar who divided the land itself among them according to their shares.

Abu-ʿUbaid from Maimûn ibn-Mihrân:—The Prophet besieged the inhabitants of Khaibar between twenty and thirty days.

Al-Ḥusain ibn-al-Aswad from Bushair ibn-Yasâr:—The Prophet divided Khaibar into thirty-six shares—eighteen for the Prophet to meet the expenses of accidents, visitors, and delegates, and the remaining eighteen shares to be divided each among one hundred men.^[14]

Al-Ḥusain from Bushair ibn-Yasâr:—Khaibar was divided into thirty-six shares, each one of which was subdivided into one hundred lots. Eighteen of these shares were divided among the Moslems including the Prophet, who had in addition eighteen shares to meet the expenses of visitors and delegates and accidents that might befall him.

ʿAbdallâh ibn-Rawâḥah estimates the produce. ʿAmr an-Naḳid and al-Ḥusain ibn-al-Aswad from ibn-ʿUmar:—The Prophet sent ibn-Rawâḥah to Khaibar who made a conjectural estimation of the palm-trees and gave the people their choice to accept or refuse, to which they replied: " This is justice; and upon justice have heaven and earth been established."

The sons of abu-l-Ḥuḳaiḳ put to death. Isḥâḳ ibn-abi-Isrâʾîl from an inhabitant of al-Madînah:—The Prophet made terms with the sons of abu-l-Hukaik stipulating that they conceal no treasure. But they did conceal; and the Prophet considered it lawful to shed their blood.

Abu-ʿUbaid from Maimûn ibn-Mihrân:—The people of Khaibar were promised security on their lives and children on condition that the Prophet get all that was in the fort. In that fort were the members of a family strongly opposed to the Prophet. To them the Prophet said: "I am aware of your enmity to Allah and to his Prophet, but this is not to hold me from granting you what I granted your companions. Ye, however, have promised me that if ye conceal a thing your blood will become lawful to me. What has become of your utensils?" "They were all"—they replied, "used up during the fight." The Prophet then gave word to his Companions to go to the place where the utensils were. The vessels were disinterred and the Prophet struck off their heads.

ʿAbdallâh ibn-Rawâḥah. ʿAmr an-Nâḳid and Muḥammad ibn-aṣ-Ṣabbâḥ from ibn-ʿAbbâs:—The Prophet turned Khaibar over with its soil and palm-trees to its inhabitants allowing them half of the produce.

Muḥammad ibn-aṣ-Ṣabbâḥ from ash-Shaʿbi:—The Prophet turned Khaibar over to its inhabitants for one-half of the produce and sent ʿAbdallâh ibn-Rawâḥah to estimate the dates (or perhaps he said the palm-trees). This he estimated and divided into two halves and asked them to choose whichever one they wanted. Upon this they said, "It is by this that heavens and earth have been established."

A certain friend of abu-Yâsuf from Anas:—ʿAbdallâh ibn-Rawâḥah said to the people of Khaibar, "If ye wish, I will estimate and let you choose; otherwise, ye estimate and let me choose." Upon this they said, "It is by this that heavens and earth have been established."

The division of Khaibar. Al-Ḳâsim ibn-Sallâm from az-Zuhri:—The Prophet took Khaibar by force as a result of a fight; and after taking away one-fifth, he divided the remaining four-fifths among the Moslems.

The Jews of Khaibar expelled. ʿAbd-al-Aʿla ibn-Ḥammâd an-Narsi from ibn-Shihâb:—The Prophet said: "There can be no two religions at the same time in the Arabian peninsula."^[15] ʿUmar ibn-al-Khaṭṭâb investigated until he found it certain and assured that the Prophet had said, "There can be no two religions at the same time in the Arabian peninsula." Accordingly, he expelled the Jews of Khaibar.

The Prophet gives his share. Al-Walîd ibn-Ṣâliḥ from al-Waḳidi's sheikhs:—The Prophet assigned his share in Khaibar as a means of subsistence, bestowing on each one of his wives 80 camel-loads of dates and 20 loads of barley; on his uncle al-ʿAbbas ibn-ʿAbd-al-Muṭṭalib 200 loads; and on abu-Bakr, ʿUmar, al-Ḥassân, al-Ḥusain and others including the banu-al-Muṭṭalib ibn-ʿAbd-Manâf a certain number of loads. To this end, he drew up for them a document.

Al-Walîd from Aflaḥ ibn-Ḥumaid's father who said:—"I was made by ʿUmar ibn-ʿAbd-al-ʿAzîz governor of al-Karibah; and we used to give the heirs of the recipients of the Prophet's bestowals their due, those heirs being numbered and recorded by us.

ʿUmar divides Khaibar. Muḥammad ibn-Ḥâtim as-Samîn from Nâfiʿ:—The Prophet turned Khaibar over to the hands of its people on condition that they give him one-half of the produce. Thus they held it during the life of the Prophet, abu-Bakr and the early part of the caliphate of ʿUmar. Then ʿAbdallâh ibn-ʿUmar visited them for some purpose and they attacked him in the night. He [ʿUmar], therefore, turned them out of Khaibar and divided it among those of the Moslems who were present [in its battle] giving a share to the Prophet's wives. To the latter he said, "Whichever of you likes to have the fruit can have it, and whichever likes the estate can have it, and whatever ye choose will be yours and your heirs' after you."

Al-Ḥusain ibn-al-Aswad from ibn-ʿAbbâs:—Khaibar was divided into 1580 shares. The Moslems were 1580 men, of whom 1540 had taken part in the battle of al-Ḥudaibiyah and forty were with Jaʿfar ibn-abi-Ṭâlib in Abyssinia.

The fief of az-Zubair. Al-Ḥusain ibn-al-Aswad from ibn-ʿUrwah's father:—The Prophet gave as fief to az-Zubair lands in Khaibar planted with palm- and other trees.

Footnotes

1. Yâḳût, vol. ii, p. 503.
2. Diyârbakri, Taʿrlkh al-Khamîs, vol. ii, p. 47.
3. Hishâm, p. 779.
4. Ibn-Saʿd, vol. ii², pp. 79–80.
5. who became one of the wives of Muḥammad, see an-Nawâwi, Tahdḥîb al-Asmâʾ, pp. 846–847.
6. Text not clear.
7. Kor., 5: 67 and 68.
8. Ṭabari, vol. i, p. 1582.
9. Hishâm, p. 780.
10. Six fortresses mentioned by Yaʿḳûbi, vol. ii, p. 56.
11. Kor., 48: 18.
12. Unalienable legacy to the Moslem general community.
13. Governors whose chief function it was to collect taxes and conquer more lands.
14. Cf. Wâḳidi, tr. Wellhausen, p. 285; Ṭabari, vol. i, p. 1588; Athîr, vol. ii, p. 171.
15. Gottheil, "Dhimmis and Moslems in Egypt" in O. T. and Semitic Studies, vol. ii, p. 351.