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The Treachery of Banu Quraidha

Anonymous

category: History & Biographies

source: Seerah.net

reads: 15766

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After sometime, the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam)led an expedition against Banu Lihyan and went up to the hills of Dhu Qarad in pursuit of some raiders, but there was no fighting. In Sha’ban, 6 A.H., he was informed that Banu Al-Mustaliq were plotting for an attack on him. He went out with a group to face the enemy. A large party of the hypocrites, still skeptical and reticent, accompanied the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) with their leader ‘Abdullah b. Ubayy b. Salul. The Hypocrites had never before gone out with the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) in such large numbers in any earlier expedition. (Ibn S’ad, Kitab ut-Tabaqat al-Kabirat, Vol. II, Part I, p. 45)

The failure of the Quraysh in the battle of the Trench despite having mustered all the warriors of their confederate clans for the destruction of Islam, had made the hypocrites bitter and sour, indeed burning with hostility in their souls. The Muslims were gaining victory after victory, the star of their fortune was on the rise, and this had sent the Quraysh, the Jews and their allies in distress. They knew that they could not humble the Muslims in an open combat and hence the only way to defeat them was by sowing dissension within their ranks and pitting them against one another. They also knew that the only way they could undermine the confidence of the Muslims in Islam and its Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) as well as trigger a rift between them were debasement of the noble Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) and arousing pre-Islamic sentiments of tribal pride. With this view in mind, the hypocrites started a clandestine campaign of casting doubts upon the honor of the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam). An entirely new type of society had, however, evolved and had been in existence in Madeenah at such time, whose members loved and respected every other man bound by the common ideal. These pretenders had, therefore, arrived at the conclusion that nothing could sap the foundations of this ideological fraternity more effectively than a slanderous campaign aimed at creating misgivings against the leader of such sector and his family.

Undoubtedly, this was a well-maneuvered conspiracy of the hypocrites, which was vigorously pursued during the expedition of Banu al-Mustaliq, when, for the first time, as stated earlier, a large number of them accompanied the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam). The Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) met the enemy at a watering place of Banu al-Mustaliq, in the direction of Qudayd towards the shore, known as al-Muraysri(18), where the battle brought Banu al-Mustaliq to defeat and exodus from the area. While the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) was still at this place, a hired servant of Banu Ghifar, belonging to the Muhaajirun got into a row with another man coming from the tribe of Juhinah, which was an ally of al-Khazraj. The Juhini called out, “O ye Ansaar!” and the hired servant shouted, “O ye Muhaajirun.” ‘Abdullah b. Ubayy b. Salul at once flared up and said to his friends who happened to be present with him, “Didn’t they dare it? They set themselves against us in our own country and tried to outnumber us. By God, it is just the same as the ancient saying: Feed the dog and it will bite you. I swear by God that when we return to Madeenah those who are worthy and noble will drive out the unworthy wretches.” Then, admonishing his men, ‘Abdullah continued, “You have yourselves to blame for it. You allowed them to settle in your country and shared your property with them. By God, had you held back and not been so generous, they would have certainly gone elsewhere.”

The Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) came to know about the incident and he at once gave orders to break the camp and then set off, although he was not accustomed to travelling at an abominable hour. He wanted the people to get rid of the vain disputations and provocations of the devil. The Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) continued to move all daylong and braved the night till dawn extending up to the following day till the sun became annoying. He finally made a halt when the people had become so exhausted that they readily fell asleep as soon as they laid themselves over the ground.

‘Abdullah was the worthy son of the unworthy ‘Abdullah b. Ubayy. He rushed to Madeenah ahead of the troops and waited for his father’s arrival. When ‘Abdullah b. Ubayy came, his son brought his camel to its knees, thereby obstructing the passage of his father whom he ordered not to enter Madeenah until he had acknowledged that he was indeed an unworthy wretch while the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) was commendable and noble. In the meanwhile, the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) also showed up. He said to ‘Abdullah, “Nay, let us deal kindly with him while he is with us.” (Tabaqat Ibn S’ad, Vol. II, p. 46)

The Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) used to cast lots, whenever he intended to go on an expedition, to decide who among his wives should accompany him. In the expedition of Banu al-Mustaliq the lot had fallen on ‘Aisha (radiallahu 'anhaa) and she had accordingly accompanied the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam). At one of the stopovers in their journey back to Madeenah, the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) spent a part of the night before he ordered to break the camp. ‘Aisha (radiallahu 'anhaa) for her part had gone to answer the call of nature, and when she came back she discovered that she had dropped her necklace. She went back to hopefully recover it, but by the time she returned the army had already left. Then the camel drivers in charge of ‘Aisha’s (radiallahu 'anhaa) transport saddled her couch thinking that she would be in it as usual. However, ‘Aisha (radiallahu 'anhaa) was small and very light, so none could notice if she was in the litter or not. When ‘Aisha (radiallahu 'anhaa) came back she found no trace of the army so she wrapped herself in her smock and laid down in the hope that as soon as they would discover the real situation, someone would come to fetch her.

Safwan b. al-Mu’attal al-Salam (radiallahu 'anhu) had earlier followed behind the army for a purpose. He happened to pass by ‘Aisha (radiallahu 'anhaa) and stopped at her. He saw her. “Inna Lillah”, he called out, “The Prophet’s wife!” Then he brought his camel near her and turned back a few paces. After ‘Aisha (radiallahu 'anhaa) rode the dromedary, Safwan (radiallahu 'anhu) took hold of the camel’s halter and went ahead quickly in search of the army. Safwan (radiallahu 'anhu) overtook the army when it had again rested. Nobody noticed the incident, for such mishaps were not unusual in the caravans trekking the vast emptiness of the Arabian wilderness. To wayfaring Arabs, it was just a familiar misfortune and their code of honor, even in the days of pagan past, never tolerated the disgrace of their daughters. The Arabs, both pagans as well as after embracing Islam, were chivalrous enough to lay down their lives defending the honor of their women rather than to support any disgrace.

A poet of pre-Islamic days expresses the Arab sentiment of chastity and virtuousness in a couplet, which depicts a lovely picture of Arab womanhood.(19) “If my glance meets the looks of a neighbouring maiden, I cast my eyes low until her abode takes her in.”

The companions held the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) in the same esteem and reverence as one has for one’s father while the wives of the Prophet (radiallahu 'anhum) all served as ‘Mothers of the Faithful’ to every Muslim. In fact, never had any people loved anyone so dearly than how the companions cherished the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam). Safwan b. al-Mu’attal was, as they say, a man of sterling qualities - noble, true-souled and God-fearing who had the reputation of being least interested in women.

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