# The Origins of the Islamic State/Part 1/Chapter 6

CHAPTER VI
Wâdi-l-Ḳura and Taimâʾ
Wâdi-l-Ḳura taken by assault. When the Prophet departed from Khaibar, he came to Wâdi-l-Ḳura and invited its people to Islam. They refused and started hostilities. The Prophet reduced the place by force; and Allah gave him as booty the possessions of its inhabitants. To the lot of the Moslems fell pieces of furniture and other commodities of which the Prophet took away one-fifth. The Prophet left the land with its palm-trees in the hands of certain Jews on the same rent terms which he had made with the people of Khaibar. Some say that ʿUmar expelled its Jews and divided it among those who fought for its conquest. Others, however, say that ʿUmar did not expel them, for it is not included in al-Ḥijâz. Today it is annexed to the administrative district of al-Madînah and is included among its suburbs.
Midʿam condemned to fire. I was informed by certain scholars that the Prophet had a slave, named Midʿam, whom Rifâʿah ibn-Zaid al-Judhâmi had presented to him. During the invasion of Wâdi-l-Ḳura, Midʿam was shot by an arrow from an unknown quarter as he was putting down the saddle of the Prophet's camel. When someone remarked, "Blessed, O prophet of Allah, is thy slave, for he was shot by an arrow and suffered martyrdom," the ​Prophet replied, "Nay, the mantle he took from the spoils on the day of Khaibar shall verily burn on him like fire."
Shaibân ibn-Farrûkh from al-Ḥasan:—Someone remarked to the Prophet, "Thy lad, so and so, has suffered martyrdom," to which the Prophet replied, "Rather he is dragged to fire in a mantle he unlawfully took from the spoils."
ʿAbd-al-Wâḥid ibn-Ghiyâth from al-Ḥasan:—Some one remarked to the Prophet, "Happy art thou, for thy lad, so and so, has suffered martyrdom!" to which he replied, "Rather he is dragged to fire in a mantle he unlawfully took from the spoils."
Taimâʾ capitulates. When the people of Taimâʾ heard how the Prophet had subjugated the people of Wâdi-l-Ḳura, they made terms with him, agreeing to pay poll-tax, and they settled in their homes with their lands in their possession. The Prophet assigned ʿAmr ibn-Saʿid ibn-al-ʿÂṣi ibn-Umaiyah as governor to Wâdi-l-Ḳura, and assigned Yazîd ibn-abi-Sufyân after its conquest, the latter having become Moslem on the day of the conquest of Taimâʾ.
ʿUmar expels the inhabitants. ʿAbd-al-Aʿla ibn-Ḥammâd an-Narsi from ʿUmar ibn-ʿAbd-al-ʿAzîz:—ʿUmar ibn-al-Khaṭṭâb expelled the people of Fadak, Taimâʾ and Khaibar. The fight between the Prophet and the people of Wâdi-l-Ḳura took place in Jumâda II, year 7.
The fief of Ḥamzah ibn-an-Nuʿmân. Al-ʿAbbâs ibn-Hishâm al-Kalbi from his grandfather:—The Prophet gave as fief to Ḥamzah ibn-an-Nuʿmân ibn-Haudhah-l-ʿUdhri his whip's throw in Wâdi-l-Ḳura. This Ḥamzah was the ​chief of the banu-ʿUdhrah and the first of the people of al-Ḥijâz to offer the Prophet the ṣadaḳah of banu-ʿUdhrah.
The fief of ʿAbd-al-Malik ibn-Marwân. ʿAli ibn-Muḥammad from al-ʿAbbâs ibn-ʿÂmir's uncle:—ʿAbd-al-Malik ibn-Marwân called on Yazîd ibn-Muʿâwiyah and said, "O commander of the believers, Muʿâwiyah in his caliphate bought from certain Jews a piece of land in Wâdi-l-Ḳura and made many improvements in it. Thou hast let that land fall into negligence. It is therefore lost, and its income has decreased. Give it therefore as fief to me, and I shall take care of it." To this Yazîd replied: "We are not stingy in big things, nor can a trifling escape our eye." ʿAbd-al-Malik then said, "Its income is so much …" "Thou canst have it," said Yazîd. When ʿAbd-al-Malik departed Yazîd remarked, "It is said that this is the man that will rule after us. If that is right, we would have done him favor and expect to receive something in repay; if it is false, we have granted him a gift."
* ↑ Yâḳût, vol. iv, p. 678.
* ↑ Wâḳidi, tr. Wellhausen, p. 292.
* ↑ Hishâm, p. 765.
* ↑ Bukhâri, vol. iii, pp. 129–130.
* ↑ Diyârbakri, vol. ii, p. 65.
* ↑ Mawardi, p. 330.
* ↑ L. Caetani, Annali dell Islâm, vol. ii, p. 50, note 7.