The Expulsion of Banu al-Nadir
إجلاء بني النضير
Summary
Banu al-Nadir, the second major Jewish tribe of Madinah, plotted to assassinate the Prophet by dropping a boulder on him while he sat beside the wall of one of their houses. Allah informed the Prophet of their treachery through revelation. After a siege of approximately fifteen days, they surrendered and were expelled. Surah al-Hashr was revealed concerning this event.
Details
The Prophet went to the settlement of Banu al-Nadir to seek their contribution toward blood money as stipulated by the treaty of mutual obligation. While he sat against the wall of one of their dwellings, they conspired to have a man climb to the roof and drop a large boulder upon him. Jibril informed the Prophet of the plot, and he quietly rose and departed before the plan could be carried out. The Prophet then sent Muhammad ibn Maslamah to deliver an ultimatum: they were to leave Madinah within ten days, and whoever remained after that would be executed. Banu al-Nadir initially prepared to comply, but Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul sent them a message promising support from his followers and from Banu Qurayzah, urging them to resist. Emboldened by this false promise, they fortified themselves in their strongholds and refused to leave. The Prophet laid siege to them, and during the siege, the Muslims cut down some of their palm trees to apply pressure — an action which Allah sanctioned in Surah al-Hashr (59:5). No support from the hypocrites or Banu Qurayzah materialised. After approximately fifteen days, Banu al-Nadir surrendered on the condition that each family could take what their camels could carry, except for weapons and armour. They departed, some to Khaybar and others to al-Sham. Their leader Huyayy ibn Akhtab went to Khaybar, where he later instigated the coalition of confederate tribes that marched on Madinah in the Battle of al-Khandaq. Surah al-Hashr was revealed in its entirety regarding this event, detailing the expulsion, the judgement upon the hypocrites who failed to aid them, and the distribution of their property as fay' (wealth taken without battle), which was allocated by the Prophet primarily among the Muhajirun.