Is it true that innocent boys were slaughtered in Sons of Qurayza?

- How can we respond to the claims that innocent non-combatant boys were gathered in Sons of Qurayza, that their genitals were checked and that if they had pubic hair, they were directly killed, if not, they were enslaved?
- Is it true, as the opponents of Islam claim, that boys who had reached the age of puberty (which they allegedly decided based on whether they had pubic hair or not) were killed even if they did not fight?
- They also say that this tribe provided logistical assistance to the Muslims in the Battle of Khandaq; is it true?

Dear Brother / Sister,

First of all, we should state that only warriors were sentenced to death. When the warriors were being beheaded, those who were suspected were checked and those who had pubic hair were beheaded while those who had no pubic hair were not touched. The pubic area of Atiyyatul-Khuzai, who was a child at that time, was checked and he was saved from being killed because he had not yet had any pubic hair.

Upon the request of the Jews of Qurayza, Sa’d b. Muadh was appointed as an arbitrator. Sa’d announced his decision after getting the promise out of both the people of Aws and Sons of Qurayza and the Prophet (pbuh) that they would accept his decision:

Men who were old enough to fight were to be killed; women and children were to be treated as captives, and the property was to be divided among the Muslims.

This decision, which was approved by the Prophet (pbuh),

- was in accordance with the Torah (see Deuteronomy, XX/10-15),
- and the Quran also includes such a decree among the penalties to be given to those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger and commit mischief on earth. (see al-Maida 5/33-34)

Upon the order of the Prophet (pbuh), all warriors sentenced to death were given food and drink before the execution and were allowed to read the Torah. Four warriors who converted to Islam during the siege escaped execution. Some of the women and children, who were thought to number around 1,000, were released, and the remaining khums (one-fifth of the war booty) other than that distributed to the Companions, was sold to provide horses and weapons for jihad.

In the meantime, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) demanded that the children who had not yet reached the age of puberty should not be separated from their mothers and orphans should be sold only to Muslims, and he himself chose Rayhana bint Zayd, who was among the captives, as his share.

After this brief information, here are the details:

Battle of Qurayza

What happened during the Battle of Qurayza, what was the course of the battle, what happened to the captives of Sons of Qurayza, their men, women and children, whose castles were besieged and who were defeated? Why were the adult men beheaded? Were the women and children enslaved? How was their property divided as booty? The answers to all those questions will be known if one knows about the Battle of Qurayza.

In the fifth year of the Hijrah (627 AD), the army of Ahzab, which besieged Madinah during the Battle of Khandaq and could not capture it, were scattered when Allah’s help arrived. The Muslims returned to Madinah the next day, Saturday morning, and went to their homes.

They were very tired and exhausted, but they were also very happy: They rejoiced in victory and patience in the face of hardships. On the one hand, they achieved victory with Allah’s help, and on the other hand, the hardships, difficulties and, hunger added a lot to their books of reward. In addition, being a soldier in the army of the Last Prophet and the first head of state of Islam and being praised by Allah in the verses of the Quran were important reasons to rejoice. They did not lose many men in the defense and were able to return home as the “Warriors of Khandaqs”.

The Messenger of Allah was also exhausted during the siege, which lasted for several weeks. After six days of feverish, hungry and thirsty trench digging, the clashes began immediately; hunger on the one hand, cold on the other hand; the enemy’s numbers and strength on the one hand, and the betrayal of Qurayza on the other...

Makkah laid siege to the capital city of Madinah with the largest army it had ever prepared. If they had been victorious in that war, all adult Muslim men would have been killed and women and children would have been captured and enslaved. On the other hand, there was a month of hardship and worry,

All this tired and shook the believers but they believed that they had succeeded in the test.

When the Messenger of Allah returned from the defense of Khandaq, he went to Aisha’s room. He was dirty with dust. He washed and dressed well. He wanted to smell good. He loved fragrance, so he had the censer brought and lit. [1] As he sat down, someone caught his eye at the door of Masjid an-Nabawi. It was Gabriel (Jibril), who appeared in the form of the Companion Dihya. He appeared to him in human form, with the tip of his white turban between his two shoulders, riding on a mule with an atlas saddle and wearing battle armor. So, he also had returned from the battle of Khandaq. Perhaps he had just returned from the pursuit of the retreating enemy.

The angels are mentioned as follows at the beginning of the chapter of as- Saaffat

“By those who range themselves in ranks, And so are strong in repelling (evil), And thus proclaim the Message (of Allah.! Verily, verily, your Allah is one! …”[2]

In the verses, “Saaffat, Zajirat and Taliyat are mentioned: Who are those who range themselves in ranks, are strong in repelling and proclaim the message?” The angels. A vow is made with the angels in the verses above. [3]

Indeed, there are also performers of prayer in congregation, soldiers and armies that range themselves in ranks. According to an interpretation, the angels of help also go to the battlefields in ranks. The verses also contain some conditions for the angels to help the believing armies: Soldiers must trust in Allah, grit their teeth, endure hardships and avoid sins. In short, the conditions are trust, patience and taqwa. In addition, the angels of remembrance and the angels of pursuit, called muaqqibat, protect people from danger. [4] Angels can take different forms.

Gabriel, who looked like Dihya, had just returned from the battle. As he shook the dust from his head, he asked in amazement:

“O Messenger of Allah, have you taken off your weapon?”

“Yes.”

Gabriel informed him:

“By Allah, the angels have not taken off their weapons. Nor did they turn back without following that group. O Muhammad! Allah, the Exalted and Glorified, commands you to march on Sons of Qurayza! In the meantime, I am going to them and I will shake them (their castles).”

Gabriel and the other angels were still dressed as soldiers. According to a narration, upon receiving the order to march on the polytheists, the Messenger of Allah asked:

“Where am I going and on whom?”

Gabriel gestured with his hand:

“There.”

He pointed to southeast of Madinah, the land of Qurayza. So, the expedition was to be to the castle of Qurayza, which was two hours away from Madinah. Gabriel added:

“I was going against them with the angels with me; I will ride my horse over their castle and I will destroy them.”

This was good news. As soon as Gabriel left, the Messenger of Allah jumped up, put on his armor and put his helmet on his head. He took his weapons and gave Bilal this order:

“Whoever submits and obeys the command of Allah must perform the asr (afternoon) prayer in no other place than the land of Qurayza!” [5]

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) left Ibn Ummu Maktum (ra) as his deputy in Madinah. Bilal (ra) rushed through the streets of Madinah and loudly conveyed his order to everyone. It was an order from Allah. Those who obeyed Him were to perform the afternoon prayer in the land of Qurayza. It was necessary for them to set out for the expedition immediately. Madinah became very active all of a sudden.

Setting out and difference of opinion

The Prophet (pbuh) put his shield on his back, handed the standard to Ali (ra) and set off. Those who heard the news were getting ready and setting off. It was as if the people of Madinah were flowing to the Qurayza castle. The number of participants in the expedition was about three thousand. There were thirty-six cavalrymen in the army, as in the defense of Khandaq. Soon a group of cavalrymen set out by surrounding and guarding the Messenger of Allah.

Some of those who set out did not perform the afternoon prayer “even at the cost of missing it” because, according to the command of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), everyone who obeyed Allah was supposed to perform it in the land of Qurayza. Some were of the opinion that the purpose of Bilal’s call in Madinah was “to participate in the war”. It was not disobedience to Allah to perform the afternoon prayer on the way. Those who thought so performed it on the way. [6] Those who set out early performed the afternoon prayer in the land of Qurayza.

When Ali (ra) reached the land of Qurayza, he planted the banner (flag) just beyond the castle. When the Jews saw the soldiers, they began to curse them. Ali (ra) handed the standard to Abu Qatada and went back to meet the Messenger of Allah. When Ali (ra) met him, he asked him:

“O Messenger of Allah! Is it not better for you not to approach those evil men?”

The Messenger of Allah asked,

“Why?”

Ali (ra) kept silent because he felt ashamed to report the curses he had heard from Jews. The Messenger of Allah said to Ali (ra)

“You probably heard some words that would depress me from them.”

“Yes, O Messenger of Allah!”

“The Prophet Moses heard worse words and felt very depressed. Go! If those enemies of Allah see me, they will not be able to utter any of those bad words.”

Ali (ra) returned to the banner. Indeed, when the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) arrived and spoke to the Jews, they denied that they had cursed. Then, the Messenger of Allah commanded and they were showered with arrows. Some of the Jews fled inland. The shooting of arrows continued until the evening.

Those who disagreed about the afternoon prayers came to the battlefield late. Those who did not perform the afternoon prayer on the way made up for it after the night (isha) prayer. The Prophet did not take sides in these disputes and ijtihads and did not condemn anyone. It was necessary not to harden disagreements and differences of opinion and to settle them gracefully. It was also necessary for unity and solidarity. The Companions sometimes disagreed on some issues and had different opinions and ijtihads. In another way, it was the richness of Islam. Thus, some issues were resolved. In this incident, we see and learn about the practice of making up prayers. [7] Another example of it was seen in the Battle of Khandaq.

Peace Offers

The siege continued the next day. The hypocrites of Madinah sent the following message to Sons of Qurayza:

“Keep fighting, do not surrender; we will help you.”

The Jews were getting stuck as the siege continued and expected help from Madinah. When no help came, they had to ask for peace. Nabbash b. Qays came down from the castle and presented his offer to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh):

“O Muhammad! Do not shed our blood like Sons of Nadr when they surrendered. Take our goods and weapons. Let us leave your country with our wives and children. Let each family take as many goods as a camel can carry with them except weapons.”

Sons of Qurayza, were ready for exile like Sons of Nadr. Before the exile, Sons of Nadr lived in their castle on the way to Makkah, two hours away from Madinah. As it is well known, they had been expelled in the fourth year of the Migration (Hijrah), in the month of Rabi’ul-Awwal. The Messenger of Allah said,

“No. I cannot accept this offer.”

Sons of Qurayza had broken the treaty, abandoned the believers “in the thick of the battle”, attacked Madinah and aided and abetted helped the enemy who had come to annihilate them. If they had been victorious, they would not have left a single believer alive. What were the victors supposed to do? Were they thinking of destroying those who wanted to destroy them? Nabbash made his second offer:

“Then, do not shed our blood. Let us take our wives and children, and go. We will leave all of our goods to you?”

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:

“No! You have nothing to do but to surrender without any conditions.”

Nabbash lost hope. The Last Prophet did not seem to forgive Sons of Qurayza, who had broken the treaty without any reason, decided to destroy the Muslims, and insulted the delegation sent to them to compromise. Nabbash returned and told the Jews about what had happened. [8]

One Friday evening, their chief/leader, Kab b. Asad, offered Sons of Qurayza to convert to Islam, and if they did not accept it, to kill their women and children and fight the Muslims, or to attack them suddenly this Saturday night. None of his offers was accepted. That evening the women and children were crying continuously. What would become of them?

Abu Lubaba: “Unless Allah accepts my repentance”

While the battles and siege were going on, the Jews asked their former ally Abu Lubaba of Aws to come to their castle to talk to him and discuss the situation. When the Messenger of Allah said to Abu Lubaba, “Go to your allies”, he went there. When Abu Lubaba arrived at the castle, they began to beg and plead with him, reminding him of the old days. Anyone who saw them in that state might have pitied them if he did not know and think about their treachery and what they had done during the war. Abu Lubaba gave them the following advice:

“I ask you to submit to the judgment of Muhammad (pbuh).”

As he said these words, he was moved by the pitiful sight he saw and he pointed to his throat with his hand, which meant, “If you submit to him, you will end up dead.” Then he suddenly regretted it. Was his message and gesture to them a betrayal of the Prophet (pbuh) and his cause? Was he doing a favor to the enemy and a disservice to the Muslims with this gesture?

He regretted making the sign of death, but could not forgive himself or his mistake. Abu Lubaba began to consider himself a traitor. As he descended from the castle, he was weeping with sorrow. He had told the enemy a secret. He signaled them not to submit to the Prophet’s (pbuh) judgment. He could not dare to rejoin the army. How could he look at the believers and the Prophet in the face? What if a revelation came to the Prophet (pbuh) informing him of his situation, or if Gabriel informed the Prophet (pbuh) of what he had done? Due to his sorrow, he went to Madinah alone. He tied himself with ropes to one of the pillars of the Masjid an-Nabawi and made this promise to himself:

“I will not leave my place until Allah accepts my repentance for the sin I have committed.”

Soon his mistake was mentioned in the verses as a betrayal:

“O ye that believe! Betray not the trust of Allah and the Messenger, nor misappropriate knowingly things entrusted to you? [9]

Abu Lubaba was not the man to do it. He was one of the seventy or so Companions who took part in the Second Aqaba Pledge, and he had the honor of riding the same camel with the Prophet (pbuh) in turns on the road to Badr. On the way, the Prophet sent him back to Madinah and entrusted the women and children to him because there was a fear that the women and children would be attacked by Jews and hypocrites. He was such a trustworthy person in the eye of the Messenger of Allah. When the Jews asked, “Shall we submit to Muhammad’s judgment?”, could such a person have told them to submit with his tongue, while he gave them another message with a gesture? What he did was a great crime in in his opinion.

Abu Lubaba thought: “I will never approach Sons of Qurayza again, nor will I ever want to see a town in which I betrayed Allah and His Messenger.”

When the Messenger of Allah was informed of his situation, he said,

“If he had come to me directly, I would have asked forgiveness for him from Allah.”

On the other hand, every human being, every believer, every Companion could make mistakes. Even the Prophet Yusuf (Joseph) said in the verse: “Nor do I absolve my own self (of blame): the (human) soul is certainly prone to evil.”

What matters is to accept the mistake as a mistake and to show the virtue of returning back from the mistake. He who does not see and accept his mistake will not regret, not try to correct himself and not repent. In this respect, the devil and the soul work together to prevent people from admitting their mistakes, and hence block the path of repentance and the return to goodness. Such people are not open to development, change and maturation. They are as if they have been molded into an unchangeable mold.

Abu Lubaba was sincere in his regret. Regret is repentance in the spiritual sense.

The verse says, “Betray not the trust of Allah and the Messenger!” What should be understood as betrayal here? Tafsir scholars interpret the following as betrayal: Betrayal of belief, divine decrees and the way of the Messenger, deviation from loyalty, disregarding and disobeying the religious commands, not wearing one’s heart on one’s sleeve, stealing from the booty (violation of others’ rights and state property), tell secrets to the enemy and spying for them.

In fact, betrayal of Allah and His Messenger is, according to the verse, betrayal of oneself. They are things such as wealth, position and children, about which the following verse warns the believers:

“And know ye that your possessions and your progeny are but a trial.”

They can lead people to sin, trouble and betrayal. However, this should be considered: All those things do not stay with us for a long time; and even if they do, they are temporary, mortal and ephemeral. The one that is with us the longest can stay with us up to the gate of the grave. “Wa annallaha indahu ajrun azim = and that it is Allah with whom lies your highest reward.” The eternal should be considered rather than the mortal, the great rather than the small, the permanent rather than the perishable and Allah’s reward rather than humans’ reward; and the door to betrayal should not be opened.

Abu Lubaba was always in the mosque. At prayer times, his wife used to come and untie him; and after the prayer, she used to tie him to the pole again. Abu Lubaba was sad when he was tied there. He lost his appetite due to sadness.

During the siege, two Jewish brothers, Salaba and Asid, revealed a truth to Sons of Qurayza:

They declared that Muhammad’s qualities were in the Torah and that he was the Last Prophet. The Jews were not convinced. The two brothers took their uncle’s son, Asad b. Ubayd, with them, and they descended from the castle and became Muslims.

Sa’d b. Muadh’s Decree on Starting the Battle with Sons of Qurayza

The siege began on the twenty-third of the month of Dhul-Qadah in the fifth year of the Hijrah (April 15, 627 AD) and lasted fifteen [10] or twenty-five days. Sons of Qurayza accepted the judgment of Sa’d, the chief of Abdulashhal from Aws and surrendered. Sa’d was a man who had spent the last six years of his life as a Muslim and had earned the honor of being “the most beloved among Ansar” to the Messenger of Allah. He became a Muslim in Madinah when Musab b. Umayr told him about Islam. He did a great good deed and was conducive to the conversion of his close relatives, Abdulashhals. He was known for his speech emphasizing the idea of “fighting” before the Battle of Badr.

He was very useful in Uhud, and he led the delegation sent to Sons of Qurayza in the Battle of Khandaq. When he saw the treachery of the Jews, he took a stand and said, “May Allah not take my life before I fight you!” Sa’d, who was at the head of the delegation because of his good relations with Sons of Qurayza before Islam, was desired by the Jews to become an arbitrator.

Sa’d was wounded in the Battle of the Khandaq, and the Messenger of Allah ordered a tent to be set up for him in Masjid an-Nabawi. He got up from his bed despite being severely wounded and went to the battlefield. Sa’d’s decision about Sons of Qurayza was as follows:

“I decided that the males who reached the age of puberty would be killed, that their goods would be distributed among Muslims and their women and children would be held as captives.” [11]

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) appreciated him:

“You made the same judgment about them as Allah and His Messenger would have made.”

So, Sa’d made the same judgment as Allah and His Messenger would have made, and he was right.

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) gave an order to Muhammad b. Maslama after the judgment. Upon his order, he tied the hands of the adult men of Qurayza around their necks and put them to one side. Thus, the hands of the captive men who were to be killed were tied and they were put to one side. The women and children were separated from them.

After the enemy was completely defeated, the captives could be left alive. [12] The Prophet (pbuh) had had a few captives beheaded after returning from the Battle of Badr since he deemed it necessary, and the others were forgiven. However, Sons of Qurayza captives were not like other captives.

Abdullah b. Salam from Madinah was put in charge of the captives. As it is well known, he had seen the Messenger of Allah as he entered Madinah during Hijrah; and a few days later, he became a Muslim, saying, “This face cannot be the face of a liar.” The female captives were taken to Madinah to the house of Ramla bint Harith. The men stayed overnight in Usama’s house. Their number was six hundred. Usama was born to Umm Ayman, the first wife of Zayd b. Haritha.

The next morning, a long pit was dug in Madinah and the Jews whose hands were tied were brought there in groups. Every male who had reached the age of puberty was there. Those who came there were beheaded by Ali (ra) and Zubayr b. Awwam. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh), who supervised the executions, watched the execution of Huyay and a few others, and then left the supervision to Sa’d b. Muadh. The execution continued until nightfall and the pit was covered. Thus, Allah eliminated an important ally of the army of Ahzab.

During the defense of Khandaq, Sons of Qurayza had set up a market for food and drink for Qurayshis, supplied them with weapons, and decided to take their side [13] and not to leave a single Muslim on the earth.

During the defense of Khandaq, twenty camel loads of food were seized near Quba; and when it became clear that they were on their way to help Quraysh, the Muslims seized them in a raid. The camels and their loads were brought to the defense line. The camels were loaded with wheat, barley, dates and straw. [14]

Wheat and dates were for Quraysh soldiers. At that time, people could make bread from barley flour too if necessary. However, barley was necessary especially for the horses. It was indispensable for their nourishment and maintenance.  

The food sent by Sons of Qurayza also showed what Quraysh needed. They could not find barley for the horses, which were like motorized troops and even airplanes of today, and had difficulty in feeding the soldiers. What was obtained in that raid gave the Muslims a respite, albeit temporary.

What was done to the captives, children and property taken during the war?

1. One-fifth of the spoils of the battle of Qurayza was set aside for Baytul-Mal, the state treasury. In the battle, various weapons, fabrics, clothes and other commodities that were in Qurayza strongholds were taken as booty: 1500 swords, 300 armored battle shirts, 2000 spears, 1500 shields were found in the castle. Many household items, utensils, foodstuffs, goods, sheep, cattle and camels were also taken as booty; and the alcoholic drink in jars and vessels was poured. Those who were prisoners of war were sent to Madinah with their hands tied around their necks.

2. The Messenger of Allah took Reyhana bint Zayd as the right commander-in-chief (safiy). Rayhana’s husband, Hakam, was among those who were killed. Rayhana accepted it voluntarily. Thereupon, the Prophet rewarded her: he freed her and married her. [15]

3. In the Western understanding of slavery, it was not possible for a free man to marry a female prisoner of war or a freed slave. In that case, the free man would be considered enslaved. Islam, on the other hand, opened the way to freedom for slaves and encouraged them to attain freedom in various ways. One of those ways is the method we saw in the case of Rayhana. Developments in favor of freedom in the relationship between the free and the slave were supported. [16]

4. The number of adult males taken captive in the Battle of Qurayza was 600-700. On the second day of the victory, a long pit was dug between the house of Abu Jahm al-Adawi and the region called Ahjar az-Zit upon the order of the Messenger of Allah for the adult and male prisoners of war to be beheaded. The Messenger of Allah watched the beheading of adult males from a high place with his prominent Companions. The captives were brought there in groups and they were beheaded.

On that day, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), as the head of the Islamic state and the Prophet, “ordered the male children of the Sons of Qurayza who had not reached the age of puberty not to be touched; and his order was fulfilled.” [17]

5. After the spoils were divided among the warriors, it was time to divide the captive women among the warriors. The Prophet (pbuh) wanted the captured children not to be separated from their mothers during the division. When he was asked about the measure of being regarded as children, he said:

“It is menstruation for girls, and ejaculation for boys.”

When the captives were being beheaded, those who were suspected were checked and those who had pubic hair were beheaded while those who had no pubic hair were not touched. The pubic area of Atiyyatul-Khuzai, who was a child at that time, was checked and he was spared from being killed because he had not yet had any pubic hair. The execution of the captives lasted until the night; and in the end, the bodies thrown into the ditch were covered. [18]

Question: What was the offense of Sons of Qurayza after the Battle of Qurayza that caused them to be severely punished?

Answer: If the Qurayshi army, which Sons of Qurayza helped by breaking the treaty of Madinah, had been victorious in the siege of Khandaq, the adult Muslims would have been beheaded because if the Qurayshi army had been victorious, they would not have left any of the Muslim warriors alive, and would have captured their women and children and enslaved them.

When the sources are searched, it will be seen that Sons of Qurayza had decided to cooperate with the enemy and betray the Islamic state even before the siege of Khandaq began and while the Qurayshi army was marching toward Madinah. They made a deal with the Qurayshi army about it.

According to that deal, Sons of Qurayza

 - were to join the Qurayshi army and fight against the Muslims for ten nights until the end of the Battle of Khandaq.

- They were to supply weapons for the polytheists (mushriks)

- They were to move their shopping market to the place where the mushrik army was located

- During the Battle of Khandaq, the Jews of Qurayza wrote a letter to Abu Sufyan, the commander-in-chief of the mushrik army, saying: “Be patient and persevere; we will shoot the Muslims from behind in their cities.”

- Umar was the first to know that the Sons of Qurayza had broken the Madinah agreement and immediately informed the Messenger of Allah about it. The issue was investigated and the news turned out to be true. Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah sent Khawwat b. Jubayr to them to convince them to give up this betrayal. When Khawwat failed to convince them, a delegation consisting of Sa’d b. Muadh, Abdullah b. Rawaha and Khawwat b. Jubayr was sent to them. After the leader of Sons of Qurayza, Kab b. Asad, met them, he said that he would never return to the Madinah agreement and to peace and unity with the Muslims again, and he was very determined. Then, he insulted the Muslims and the Messenger of Allah (pbuh)

- When the envoys informed the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) about it, he demanded that this news be kept secret from the warriors.

- During the siege of Khandaq, Sons of Qurayza also asked for 1000 men from the Quraysh army to strike the Muslims from behind. They wanted to capture Muslim women and children from the forts and fortresses. The Prophet (pbuh) sent Salama b. Aslam and Zayd b. Haritha to Madinah with 500 men. [19] During the siege, Sons of Qurayza tried to do other things as well.

- Their armed rebellion against the Islamic state, their unilateral breaking of the Madinah agreement as they wished, their siding with the enemy and collaborating with the enemy, their open confession to the envoys and delegations sent to them by the Islamic head of state that they sided with the enemy, and their declaration that they would never be friends with the Muslims again, made them guilty of high treason. Therefore, the adult men were beheaded by the just decision of the Islamic head of state, the Messenger of Allah. Their women and children were taken captive and all their property and possessions were confiscated. All these actions and punishments were in accordance with Islamic law.

6. After the war, women and children were put up for sale by their Muslim owners and sold as slaves; Muslim merchants bought them for trade; Jewish and polytheist Arab merchants also bought them. The number of captive women and children was about 1000. [20]

Before the captives were distributed, one-fifth of them had been set aside as the share of the state. The Prophet (pbuh) freed some of them, gave some of them as gifts to some Muslims, and some as slaves to some Muslims. The rest of the female captives and children were sold into slavery and the money was used to buy horses and weapons for war, which were very effective weapons of war for the Islamic army at that time. Young children without mothers were sold as slaves only to Muslim families to prevent them from growing up as non-Muslims.  

7. Four-fifths of the animals and date palms were divided among the warriors in accordance with Islamic law. One fifth was reserved for the state. Muslim women who participated in the war were also given a share of the booty. The state’s share of the spoils, women and child slaves were sent to Damascus with Sa’d b. Ubada. Some of them were sent to Najid and sold. The money obtained from them was used to buy horses and weapons for the Islamic army. [21]

Abu Lubaba’s Repentance

When the Muslims returned from the Battle of Qurayza, Abu Lubaba was still tied to a pole in the mosque. On the sixth or seventh day of his being tied, it was dawn. The morning prayer was about to be performed. That day, when the Messenger of Allah was in the house of Umm Salama, one of his wives, divine revelation came. The Messenger of Allah smiled after the revelation. When his wife asked why he was smiling, he gave the following good news:

“Abu Lubaba’s repentance was accepted.”

It was a great honor for Abu Lubaba. It showed his sincerity, that he was one of the good believers. The Sultan of the Universe announced that he had been forgiven. The Divine message in verse 102 of the chapter of at-Tawbah was as follows:

 “Others (there are who) have acknowledged their wrong-doings: they have mixed an act that was good with another that was evil. Perhaps Allah will turn unto them (in Mercy)...”

Umm Salama gave Abu Lubaba the good news from the door of her room:

“Good news Abu Lubaba! Your repentance has been accepted.”

The people in the mosque wanted to untie him, but Abu Lubaba wanted the Prophet to untie him:

 “No. I will not leave this pillar unless the Messenger of Allah unties me with his own hands.”

When the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) came to the mosque for prayer, he untied Abu Lubaba himself. The rope had notched and cut his arms. Abu Lubaba had those wounds on his body for a while.

Abu Lubaba had promised that he would leave his homeland and serve the Messenger of Allah if his repentance were accepted and that he would spend his property in the way of Allah and His Messenger. He entered into the presence of the Prophet and addressed him as follows:

“I am going to migrate from the homeland of my nation, where I committed a sin. I am going give away all of my wealth in the way of Allah and His Messenger.”

He was going to give himself and his wealth to Allah. Thereupon, the Prophet (pbuh) said: “One third is enough as charity.” Therefore, he did so. Then, he left the land of his people as he had promised. [22]

Click here for additional information:

Is it permissible to kill children in war according to the example of Atiyya Qurazi?

Footnotes:

[1] For detailed information about incense, see Hitti, I, 138.

[2] as-Saaffat, 37/1-4.

[3] Yazır, VI, 4046 ff. Sarıcık, Cahiliye, p. 156.

[4] Aal-i Imran, 3/123-126; ar-Ra’d, 13/11; al-Infitar, 82/10; Sarıcık, Cahiliye, p. 161, 167.

[5] Ibn Hisham, III, 252.

[6] Ibn Hisham, III, 253.

[7] Ibn Hisham, III, 254.

[8] Waqidi, II, 501.

[9] Anfal, 8/27; Yazır, IV, 2391.

[10] Waqidi, II, 496; Avcı, “Kurayza”, DİA, XXVI, 431-432.

[11] Waqidi, II, 512.

[12] Yazır, IV, 2432.

[13] For their help to Quraysh, see al-Ahzab, 33/26; Köksal, V, 226, 252; Darwaza, III, 187-189.

[14] Diyarbekri, I, 553-554; Köksal, 270;

[15] Waqidi, II, 520; Ibn Hisham, III, 264; Köksal, V, 364.

[16] While Christianity considers sexual intercourse with a concubine to be fornication and grounds for excommunication, Islam - in the light of the relevant verses - considers it a form of marriage. If the concubine gives birth to a child from her master, she becomes ummul-walad (mother of the child), which means that the path to freedom is opened for her: In that case, she is freed by her master or automatically becomes free when he dies. See Adam Mez, p. 194 ff.

[17] See Köksal, İslam Tarihi, V, 360 – 361; (from Ibn Hisham, III, 255; Waqidi, II,517).

[18] See Köksal, İslam Tarihi, V,361. See hadith books, which are the sources of the issue.

[19] For detailed information and the sources of the issue, see Köksal, İslam Tarihi, V, 226- 235.

[20] See Köksal, İslam Tarihi, V, 365.

[21] Waqidi, II, 521-524; Ibn Hisham, III, 264; Köksal, V, 365-366; Muhammad Riza, p. 299.

[22] Waqidi, II, 509-510; Ibn Hisham, III, 256; Köksal, V, 342.

Questions on Islam