# The Origins of the Islamic State/Part 1/Chapter 2

CHAPTER II
The Possessions of the banu-an-Naḍîr
Banu-an-Naḍîr besieged. The Prophet once accompanied by abu-Bakr, ʿUmar and Usaid ibn-Ḥuḍair came to the banu-an-Naḍîr who were Jews and solicited their aid for raising the bloodwit of two men of the banu-Kilâb ibn-Rabîʿah who had made peace with him and who were killed by ʿAmr ibn-Umaiyah aḍ-Ḍamri. The Jews intended to drop a stone on him but the Prophet left them and sent them word ordering them to evacuate his city [Yathrib] because of their perfidy and violation of covenant. The Jews refused to comply, and announced hostility. Upon this the Prophet marched and besieged them for fifteen days, at the close of which they capitulated, agreeing to evacuate his town and to be entitled to whatever the camels could carry with the exception of coats of mail and armor, the Prophet taking their land, palm-trees, coats of mail and other arms. Thus did all the possessions of the banu-an-Naḍîr become the property of the Prophet. The Prophet used to sow their land planted with palm-trees and thus provided for his family and wives for one year. With what could not be consumed, he bought horses and arms.
Fiefs assigned. Of the land of banu-an-Naḍîr, the Prophet gave fiefs to abu-Bakr, ʿAbd-ar-Raḥmân ibn-ʿAuf, abu-​Dujânah Simâk ibn-Kharashah as-Sâʿidi and others. This occurred in the year 4 of the Hegira.
Mukhairîḳ. According to al-Wâḳidi, one of the banu-an-Naḍîr, ukhairîḳ, was a learned rabbi and he believed in the Prophet and offered him all that he possessed, which was seven palm-gardens surrounded with walls. This the Prophet set apart as ṣadaḳah-land. The seven gardens are: al-Mîthab, aṣ-Ṣâfiyah, ad-Dalâl, Ḥusna, Barḳah, al-Aʿwâf, Mashrabat umm-Ibrâhîm, Ibrâhîm being the son of the Prophet and his mother being Mâriyah, the Copt.
Other versions of the conquest. Al-Ḳasim ibn-Sallâm from az-Zuhri:—The attack on the banu-an-Naḍîr, the Jews, took place six months after the battle of Uḥud. The Prophet pressed the siege until they agreed to evacuate the city stipulating that they take with them whatever utensils their camels could carry with the exclusion of the coats of mail. Hence the text revealed by Allah: "All that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth praiseth Allah! And He is the mighty, the wise! He it is who caused the unbelievers among the people of the Book", etc., to "put the wicked to shame."
The next tradition was communicated to us by al-Ḥusain ibn-al-Aswad on the authority of Muḥammad ibn-Isḥaḳ regarding the above text which Allah hath revealed to his Messenger:—Those referred to are banu-an-Naḍir. By "Ye pressed not towards it with horse or camel. But Allah giveth his Messengers authority over whomsoever He willeth", Allah showed that it is wholly assigned to the ​Prophet and to no one else. The Prophet then parcelled out the land among the Emigrants. But when Sahl ibn-Ḥunaif and abu-Dujânah mentioned their poverty, he gave them a share. As for the text: "The spoil taken from the people of the villages and assigned by Allah to his Messenger, it belongeth to Allah and to the Messenger," etc., to the end of the text, it means that Allah made another division among the Moslems.
According to a tradition I received from Muḥammad ibn-Hâtim as-Samîn on the authority of ibn-ʿUmar, the Prophet burnt and cut down the palm-trees of the banu-an-Naḍîr in reference to which Ḥassân ibn-Thâbit says:
"The leading men of the banu-Luʾai would have regarded it easy, to bring about the great fire at Buwairah."
According to ibn-Juraij, it was in this connection that Allah revealed the text: "Whatever palm-trees ye have cut down or left standing on their stems was by Allah's permission and to put the wicked to shame."
A similar tradition was communicated to us by abu-ʿUbaid on the authority of ibn-ʿUmar.
Abu-ʿAmr ash-Shaibâni, among other reporters, holds that the above-quoted verse was composed by abu-Sufyân ibn-al-Ḥârith ibn-ʿAbd-al-Muṭṭalib and that its wording is as follows:
"The leading men of the banu-Luʾai would have regarded it hard, to bring about the great conflagration of Buwairah."
(According to other reports it is Buwailah [and not Buwairah]). Ḥassân ibn-Thâbit in answer to that wrote the following:
"May Allah perpetuate the conflagration and make the fire rage in its parts. They were given the Book but they lost it.
Thus with respect to the Taurât they are blind and erring."
The Prophet's special share. ʿAmr ibn-Muḥammad an-Nâḳid from Mâlik ibn-Aus ibn-al-Ḥadathân:—It was stated by 'Umar ibn-al-Khaṭṭâb that the possessions of the banu-an-Naḍîr were assigned by Allah to the Prophet, the Moslems having not "pressed toward them with horse or camel." Thus they were wholly his property. The Prophet used to spend their annual income on his family and invest what was left in horses and arms to be used in the cause of Allah.
Hishâm ibn-ʿAmmâr ad-Dimashḳi from Mâlik ibn-Aus ibn-al-Ḥadathân:—ʿUmar ibn-al-Khaṭṭâb told him [Mâlik] that the Prophet had three special shares which he appropriated for himself; namely, the possessions of the banu-an-Naḍîr, Khaibar and Fadak. The possessions of the banu-an-Naḍîr he reserved for use in case of misfortunes that might befall him. Those of Fadak were reserved for wayfarers. Those of Ḳhaibar he divided into three portions, two of which he divided among the Moslems and the third he reserved for his and his family's expenses, distributing what was left after the expenses to the needy among the Emigrants.
Al-Ḥusain ibn-al-Aswad from az-Zuhri:—The possessions of the banu-an-Naḍîr were among the things that Allah assigned to his Prophet. The Moslems "pressed not towards them with horse or camel." They were therefore wholly the property of the Prophet; and he divided them among the Emigrants, giving nothing of them to the Anṣâr with the exception of two persons who were needy, i. e., Simâk ibn-Kharashah abu-Dujânah, and Sahl ibn-Ḥunaif.
​Al-Ḥusain from al-Kalbi:—When the Prophet secured the possessions of the banu-an-Naḍîr, who were the first he made to evacuate the land, Allah said: "He it is who caused the unbelievers among the 'People of the Book' to quit their homes and join those who had evacuated previously." Thus these possessions were among the spoils towards which the Moslems "pressed not with horse or camel." The Prophet then said to the Anṣâr: "Your brethren, the Emigrants have no possessions. If ye therefore desire, I will divide these [newly acquired possessions] and what ye already possess among you and the Emigrants. But if ye desire, keep ye your possessions and I will divide these [newly acquired ones] among the Emigrants alone." To this the Anṣâr replied: " Divide these among them and give them from our possessions whatever thou wishest." Because of this the text was revealed: "They prefer them before themselves, though poverty be their own lot." Thereupon abu-Bakr said: " May Allah give you the good recompense, ye Anṣârs your case and ours is like that referred to by al-Ghanawi where he said,
'May Allah recompense in our behalf the Jaʿfar, who when our feet slipped in al-Waṭʾatain and we fell, took ungrudging care of us although our mothers would have murmured if they were in their place. The rich are many and every hungry man goes to places kept warm and sheltered.'"
The fief of az-Zubair. Al-Ḥusain from Hishâm ibn-ʿUrwah's father:—The Prophet assigned as fief to az-Zubair ibn-ʿAuwâm a piece of the banu-an-Naḍîr's land planted with palm-trees.
Al-Ḥusain from Hishâm ibn-ʿUrwah's father:—The ​Prophet gave out of the land of the banu-an-Naḍîr in fief and he gave a fief to az-Zubair.
Muḥammad ibn-Saʿd, the secretary of al-Wâḳidi, from Anas ibn-ʿIyâḍ, and ʿAbdallâh ibn-Numair from Hishâm ibn-ʿUrwah's father:—The Prophet assigned as fief to az-Zubair a piece of the banu-an-Naḍîr's land planted with palm-trees. Abu-Bakr assigned to az-Zubair as fief al-Jurf. Anas in his tradition says the land was dead. ʿAbdallâh ibn-Numair says in his tradition that ʿUmar gave az-Zubair as fief all of al-ʿAḳîḳ.
* ↑ Hishâm, p. 652; Ibn-Saʿd, vol. ii$^2$ p . 40; Al-Wâḳidi, al-Maghâzi, p. 353.
* ↑ Al-Yaʿḳûbi, Taʾrîkh, vol. ii, p. 49.
* ↑ Yaʿḳûbi, vol. ii, p. 50.
* ↑ "Al-Ḥasna" in Geschichte der Stadt Medina, p. 150.
* ↑ Wâḳidi, tr. Wellhausen, p. 166.
* ↑ Koran, 59: 1.
* ↑ Hishâm, pp. 654 and 655.
* ↑ Baiḍâwi, vol. ii, pp. 322–323.
* ↑ Al-Bakri, under Buwairah; Ibn-Hishâm, pp. 712–713.
* ↑ Yâḳût, vol. i, p. 765.
* ↑ Cf. Ḥassân ibn-Thâbit, Dîwân, p. 46.
* ↑ Koran, 59: 2.
* ↑ Kor., 59: 9.
* ↑ Ibn-Saʿd, vol. ii$^2$, p. 41.