Seerah of Prophet Muhammad 70 - The Battle of Khaybar Part 2 - Dr. Yasir Qadhi | 30th Oct 2013
Seerah of Prophet Muhammad 70 - The Battle of Khaybar Part 2 - Dr. Yasir Qadhi | 30th Oct 2013
We resume the Battle of Khaybar, and we already mentioned the Muhajirun from Abyssinia arrived into Madinah and met the Prophet PBUH the very day he conquered Khaybar. And the Prophet PBUH said to Ja'far that, ""I am not sure if I am happier to see you or the conquest of Khaybar."
Marriage to Ummi Habiba RA
Now with this group came one of the wives of the Prophet PBUH, Ramla bint Abi Sufyan known as Ummi Habiba. Her husband Ubaydillah ibn Jahsh was one of the very few people who was a sahabi but then became a murtad. Perhaps he's the only one is the entire seerah - but he is the most famous. So he was the husband of Ramla and the father of Habiba. And he was a Christian before converting, and in fact he was one of the four people that became hunafa. So he is pretty old in age. When the Prophet PBUH began preaching he converted to Islam, then he emigrated to Abyssinia, but when he saw the land of Christianity he went back to being a Christian. So when he became murtad, Ummi Habiba left him. And she is all alone with no one to take care of her, so the Prophet PBUH sent a proposal to her new wali, Najashi the emperor himself. The leader becomes the wali for the one who doesn't have a wali. So Najashi took on becoming her wali and he was overjoyed and excited that the Prophet PBUH sent a proposal to her. And he was the one who gifted the mahr, and he held a large feast and walima. And he gave Ummi Habiba a lot of lavish gifts on behalf of the Prophet PBUH.
And it's obvious why the Prophet PBUH proposed to her. It is enough that she is the daughter of Abu Sufyan, the leader of the Quraysh. There is no better thing to be done than the Prophet PBUH marries Ramla bint Abi Sufyan.
______________
The Wives of the Prophet PBUH
We discussed Zaynab last week, and we talked about Ummi Habiba briefly. Let us quickly run through the wives of the Prophet PBUH again:
1. Khadija
2. Sawda
3. Aisha
4. Hafsa
5. Zaynab bint Khuzayma
6. Ummi Salama
7. Juwayriyya
8. Zaynab bint Jahsh
9. Ummi Habiba (Ramla bint Abu Sufyan)
10. Safiyyah bint Huyayy ibn Akhtab
Today we'll discuss number 10. And note two of the wives (Khadija and Zaynab bint Khuzayma) have passed away.
But before we get there, there is one somewhat controversial incident happened, dealing with post-Khaybar.
______________
Interrogating Sa'ya
And that is with regards to one of the Jews named Sa'ya, and he was the uncle (or in one report the brother) of Huyayy ibn Akhtab the leader of the Jews of Banu Nadir. Recall they were exiled, they went to Khaybar, instigated Ahzab and did a lot of damage so Huyayy is one of the leaders of Banu Nadir. And he was killed right at the beginning of the Battle of Khaybar. So the Prophet PBUH asked Sa'ya that, "Where is the gold of Huyayy?" He left Madinah with a lot of gold. Recall the Banu Nadir were allowed to leave with whatever they could carry, and in their greed they even took their doors. So he said, "Where is the gold?" Of the conditions of Khaybar was that the tribes would hand over all the golds, silver, weapons and armor to the Muslims in return for letting them remain in their lands. And they had to also give 50% of the produce to the Muslims. So the Prophet PBUH asks Sa'ya, "Where is this gold of Huyayy?" He was the leader so he had treasure chests of gold. And Sa'ya said, "It's all been finished." And the Prophet PBUH said, "It's only been a recent time since he left Madinah, and the money is too much to have been spent in such a short period of time." But Sa'ya insisted and insisted.
The books of seerah mention when Sa'ya insisted, "I have no idea," the Prophet PBUH handed him over to Zubayr and said, "Extract the information from him." So Zubayr did whatever means necessary to get the information i.e. beating and roughing him up. Obviously this is as used against Islam by those who oppose Islam. This is the controversial incident post Khaybar. Now, the fact of the matter is Sa'ya was lying, they knew he was lying and guess what? Within a while he gave up the information. He said, "I think I saw him go to such a valley, he might have gone there." He didn't want to admit he lied. So they went to that valley and found all the gold. So the Prophet PBUH realized he was lying and got this information from him. Firstly, note this was the complete norm of the time. That was what people did and all civilizations did it. You can't look at the seerah in line with Geneva Conventions etc. - the fact is, it was completely the norm and it was understood. In the end Sa'ya was living and he lived his life. Nothing happened to him - and no doubt he was lying and he knew the consequences.
______________
Marriage to Safiyyah bint Huyayy RA
The next issue that happened post Khaybar is the marriage of the Prophet PBUH with Safiyyah bint Huyayy ibn Akhtab. She tells us her own story in many hadith. She tells us, "When the Prophet PBUH first came to Madinah, I was a young girl, I was favored by my father and my uncle Yasir would play with me and walk with me. One day they came back and they were very depressed." This was the day the Prophet PBUH had arrived and they went to see him. And she says she went up to them running but they completely ignored her, and their shoulders were dragging and they were completely depressed. And her uncle asked my father, "Is he the one?" And her father said, "By Allah he is the one." They saw all of the signs in the Prophet PBUH. So her uncle said, "What will you do?" And he said, "To be his enemy as long as I live" - that is, he simply could not accept anyone as a prophet that wasn't a Jew.
So when the Banu Nadir are exiled Safiyyah is also exiled and she marries someone in Khaybar. In the Battle of Khaybar, the Banu Nadir were at the forefront of the attack, so more of them died than those at Khaybar originally. Therefore, Huyayy was killed, her brother was killed, and her husband was killed as well. All were killed in these 20 days. So she is left an orphan and a widow. On top of this, when Khaybar ended, the Banu Nadir were taken as captives and ghanima. And therefore Safiyyah was distributed and she fell with Dihyah a sahabi. But a number of sahaba said to the Prophet PBUH he should take her and not leave her for Dihyah. So the Prophet PBUH paid the right price which was a large amount, and then took Safiyyah. When he took her people did not know, "Is he taking her as a slave or wife?" By purchasing her from Dihyah she effectively becomes a slave. So when it became time to leave Khaybar, he lowered the camel, knelt down on one foot, bent his knee and made his thigh a stepping ladder for Safiyyah. So the thigh is a stepping stone for Safiyyah to get onto the camel. Notice Safiyyah's intelligence: She did not want to put her shoe or foot onto the Prophet's PBUH thigh. So she put her knee on the Prophet's PBUH thigh and then jumped on the camel. He then put her on the camel and covered her with the cloak. When the sahaba saw this they realized she is a wife because this type of hijab is only for the wives of the Prophet PBUH.
Now she doesn't realize what this signifies - and the first stop that happened, the Prophet PBUH wanted to spend the night with her but she refuses. They keep on travelling until they are one night before Madinah and she agrees. So the Prophet PBUH told the mother of Anas ibn Malik to get her ready. And the women had whatever they could get to get her ready. And they didn't have anything: perfume, jewelry, etc. so the women were agitated they didn't have much to beautify her. But when they were finished she said, "We smelt a perfume more beautiful than any other." Safiyyah herself narrates some events, that when the Prophet PBUH entered he said to her, "Your father Huyayy was the most open of the Jews in their animosity against me until Allah caused his death." Indeed it's a harsh thing to say but the wisdom is to see her reaction: Her Iman or kufr, her loyalty or disloyalty. Here the Prophet PBUH is thinking, "Shall I take her as a wife?" and he cannot do so if she has hatred. And subhan'Allah she replied, "O Messenger of Allah, doesn't Allah say in the Quran 'no soul shall take the burden of the other....'" When the Prophet PBUH saw this, he said to her, "You have a choice. If you accept Islam, I shall keep you for me; if you remain in your faith, then perhaps I will free you and you can return to your people."
The choice seems to be bitter: You remain a slave with me if you remain Muslim. Again, it's clearly a test. The sahaba understand she is already a wife but she has no idea - she thinks she is a slave. The Prophet PBUH said, "If you accept Islam you shall remain with me," but she thought this meant as a slave, not a wife. This is another test - if she is not a real Muslim, she won't want to remain with the Prophet PBUH. But she replied, "Ya Rasulullah, I was already inclined to Islam. And I have already believed in you, and I have no desire to remain in my faith. Also I have no family. My father and brother are no more." Notice in her wisdom she doesn't mention 'husband' because it's awkward. "And you have asked me to choose between kufr and Islam. Yet Allah and His Messenger are more beloved to me than going back to my people."
So she passes the test, and think how amazing this Iman is. And wallahi never in history has a conqueror come, conquered a group, and a woman's father, brother, uncle and husband have all been killed by the conqueror - and she willingly chooses to stay with him as a slave rather than a free lady with her own people. What does this show? Safiyyah had a pure heart and Islam is a true religion and that is why when she saw the truth, through being a prisoner, and talking to the Prophet PBUH, riding on the camel, etc. For sure there is good talk going on, the Prophet PBUH has shown her good gestures, etc. So she converts so much she completely ignores and forgets her brothers and fathers deaths. And she becomes a loyal Muslimah - so because of this the Prophet PBUH freed her then and there and married her.
______________
The Dream of Safiyyah RA
And when the Prophet PBUH saw her for the first time, he saw a big bruise on her face. The Prophet PBUH asked, "What is this?" She said, "My husband Kinana gave this to me. I saw a dream (last week) the moon had risen up from Yathrib, gone high up and then fell into my lap. So I told my husband about this and he smacked me right across the face and said, 'Do you expect the king of the Arabs will marry you?'" Note he correctly interpreted the Prophet PBUH will marry her. So she clearly had a premonition from Allah and this also made it easier for her to accept Islam.
______________
Freeing Her As Her Mahr
And it's narrated the Prophet PBUH asked Safiyyah why she refused the first night to spend with him. And she said, "When we were close by I was scared of the Jews retaliating. I wanted to get farther away," and this increased the love the Prophet PBUH had for her. And the Prophet PBUH freed her and made her mahr her freedom.
______________
Cautiousness of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari
And it's narrated Abu Ayyub al-Ansari waited outside the Prophet's PBUH tent all night with his sword out of fear she would do something bad to the Prophet PBUH. When the Prophet PBUH found out about this, he PBUH laughed and made du'a for Abu Ayyub.
______________
The Walima
And the Prophet PBUH said, "Whoever has food let him bring it," for this will be the walima. So they mixed up dates, butter, barley, etc., and that was the walima of the Prophet PBUH with Safiyyah.
______________
Falling From the Camel
Another small incident occurred and that is, when the Prophet PBUH came back with Safiyyah and she is on a camel. When the sahaba saw the walls of Madinah, it was the custom to speed up. So they began beating their camels extra and the Prophet PBUH joined them in this. Somehow, the camel of the Prophet PBUH fell over and tripped. So both he and Safiyyah were flung from his camel. Now this is very dangerous. How many deaths have occurred by people falling from their camels - even in the seerah we find this. So both the Prophet PBUH and Safiyyah are hurled forward and when the sahaba saw this, all of them completely turned away. All of them - none of them is daring to look and say anything. And it's said Abu Talha is the only who cried out, "Are you alright?!" - the rest are just too shy. Like, "What on earth do we do?!" And the Prophet PBUH replied, "I am okay, I am not hurt." And he stood up immediately, took off his cloth and covered up Safiyyah. This incident is so significant simply because if Allah had willed the camel would not had tripped. But it is the will of Allah to show us the Prophet PBUH is human. Yes he is Rasulullah but he eats, drinks, his camel trips like everyone, and so there is nothing divine about him.
______________
Safiyyah in the Competition Amongst the Wives of the Prophet PBUH
A few things about Safiyyah. The Prophet PBUH had an immense love for her, and the other wives were somewhat jealous of her and she didn't have much support. Otherwise the wives of the Prophet PBUH were divided into two camps: Zaynab and Aisha. But Safiyyah was in neither camp, because she didn't have any family so the Prophet PBUH really felt this more and love her a special love. It's said when she came to Madinah, all of the wives rushed to go see her and Zaynab remarked to Juwayriyya, "I think this one will cause trouble." Subhan'Allah. They are feeling jealousy. This shows us Safiyyah had clear beauty and Juwayriyya tried to minimize this and said, "Don't worry she is from a group that doesn't get along with their husbands." So she is consoling Zaynab, but in fact that didn't happen. Rather the Prophet PBUH had a special love and care for them. And no doubt they were jealous with one another, but each wife is thinking, "I am special," and each one have their stories that indicate their special relationship with the Prophet PBUH. So once the Prophet PBUH visited Safiyyah and she was crying. So he said, "What is the matter?" And she said, "Hafsa said that I am bint al-Yahudi" i.e. it was an insult. So the Prophet PBUH said, "Why didn't you defend yourself?" She said, "How?" The Prophet PBUH said to Safiyyah that she should have said her father was a prophet (Harun), her uncle was a prophet (Musa), and she is married to a prophet! What do they have over you?" Subhan'Allah. And again to show the love the Prophet PBUH had for Safiyyah, on the last Hajj her camel felt ill. And Zaynab bint Jahsh was wealthier and she had extra camels. So the Prophet PBUH said to Zaynab, "Lend her one of your camels" and Zaynab scorned at this because of jealousy.
And again it shows it happened to the best of the best - even Abu Bakr and Umar got into small arguments. So Zaynab said, "What?! Me?! My camel to the Yahudia?!" Again it was a smear, and the Prophet PBUH got so irritated and angry with Zaynab as a punishment he boycotted her for a period of time. When the Prophet PBUH was on his deathbed in the house of Aisha RA, all the wives come to him and they don't know he is about to die. And he is suffering a severe pain and Safiyyah begins to cry, "Ya Rasulullah how I wish I could take your illness on." And she was the first wife to say this, so the other wives feel jealous and they said something not nice. We don't know exactly what was said but it was a sarcastic mock, so the Prophet PBUH in his fever he said to the other wives, "Go do wudu and madmada. Because you have mocked Safiyyah, and wallahi she has spoken the truth and you've lied against her." Again look at the love Safiyyah has for the Prophet PBUH, the one whose army has basically killed her father, brother and ex-husband. Now at the time of the death of the Prophet PBUH she is crying for him. Where does this love come from? This is Iman and Rasulullah. It's unbelievable. You expect her to want to kill the Prophet PBUH yet it's a complete 180 degree turn. And she lived a long life until 52 H in the time of Muawiyah.
_______________
The Immigration of Abu Hurairah RA
Post Khaybar another important event was the arrival of Abu Hurairah. No one comes close to him in terms of the number of hadith narrated. He is the number one narrator hands down. Even though he joined the Prophet PBUH in 7 H. He only accompanied the Prophet PBUH for 3 years and a month, and yet his number of hadith outshines every single sahabi. This is when he arrived. He had come from Yemen, his name is Abd al-Rahman ibn Sakhr from the tribe of al-Daws. And he made Hijrah to Madinah, and he hears the Prophet PBUH is in Khaybar, so he diverts and goes there. Therefore both the Abyssinian Muslims and the Dawsi Muslims (there was a small group) both arrived in Khaybar after it was conquered. As for the Abyssinians Muslims, the Prophet PBUH gave them a share of the booty. As for the people of the Daws, he asked permission from the sahaba and they agreed. So Abu Hurairah got the honor of getting a fortune from Khaybar without fighting.
______________
The Story of an Unnamed Girl
Another interesting narration which took place some time in between not related to the battle, is that some women from the Ansar participated in the battle. Before they left, they offered to help the wounded, treat the sick etc. So the Prophet PBUH allowed them to come and so a number of them came. And the youngest girl amongst them was around 7 or 8 and she did not have a ride. So the Prophet PBUH on the way to Khaybar told the young girl to come and ride with him. So she sits on the luggage behind the Prophet PBUH. This young girl we don't know her name, she just narrates this story. And she says, "When the camel stopped and the Prophet PBUH told me to get off, I saw that I had blood. And this was my first cycle. And I became terrified and I stayed on the camel and didn't move." She didn't know what to do. She is embarrassed and ashamed, and what a place and what a location for it to happen. Imagine her situation! Where, at what time and behind whom. So she is terrified and the Prophet PBUH says, "Comes down" but she didn't. When she didn't, the Prophet PBUH looked and could see the traces of blood. So he said, "Perhaps you are having your cycle?" She nodded and he said, "Okay don't worry clean yourself up, wash any blood with water and salt and get back where you were sitting." Subhan'Allah the Prophet PBUH calmed her down in such a gentle way. No anger, no irritation, no nothing. And she said the Prophet PBUH gifted the woman some gifts, and in particular she got a necklace from the Prophet PBUH directly. She said, "I will never part with this as long as I live and when I die it will be buried with me." And this is what happened. This shows us that subhan'Allah this girl is 8 years old, but it's not a problem for her to sit behind the Prophet PBUH. What we really see how the Prophet PBUH handled a very awkward situation.
______________
Fiqh Lessons From the Battle of Khaybar
Khaybar also saw a number of fiqh points:
1. Bukhari narrates the prohibition of eating donkey meat.
2. Prohibition that when you have a concubine, you are not allowed to be with her until she goes through her cycle.
3. For the first time zawaj mut'ah was made haram. This is zawaj (marriage) where a time clause is put. Prohibited in the Battle of Khaybar. All 4 madhahib of the Sunni school of thought agree that it is impermissible.
4. Riba al-fadl (the interest of commodity) was also made forbidden. There are two types of interest; the first is where you purchase time for money i.e. "I'll give you $1,000 for a month if you give me back $1,100." This is riba al-nasiya. The second is riba al-fadl, in a nutshell: specific commodities, such as wheat, grain and dates, are not allowed to be bartered except in the same amounts. A person brought a big bag of the most luscious dates. And the Prophet PBUH said, "Are all of the dates like this?" He said, "No, this dates are the highest quality; we exchanged 1 kg of these for 3x the amount normal dates." So the Prophet PBUH said, "Do not do this, rather sell the larger quantity dates and get the money and use that to buy the higher quality dates." So for example you cannot exchange $10 as $20 as a transaction. It must be the same amount. You can't exchange more for less. We are discussing exchanging money for money or dates for dates. If you exchange it has to be the same quantity.
5. The treaty of Khaybar allowed one more business transaction: al-muzara'ah (partnership). It means as the Prophet PBUH did with the people of Khaybar, he said, "You take charge of all the lands and labor, and you give us 50%." This is a business partnership where the partners don't have to do the same things. The people in Madinah would all plough the land together. But this concept of for example you have 10 acres of land but you don't have the time to farm yourself - so you go to a farmer and say, "These are 10 acres. If you farm them and plant the seeds and take charge of the manual labor, we will split it 50/50." This is called 'muzara'ah' and this is allowed in Islam. It's a business partnership - Islam forbids interest and bank loans etc. Rather Islam encourages business with someone who is willing to share the the risk of profit/loss. Indeed the one who gave you the check won't profit unless you profit. There is risk involved. In Islam you cannot have this type of guaranteed profit that interest brings. Because in interest, the rich benefit from the poor regardless of how poor the poor are, regardless of any misfortune, the rich benefit merely because they have idle money lying around in the bank. And the shariah does not allow this. The risk of profit and loss has to be shared. It's said the richest 400 people in America earn and control as much as 65% of the rest of the population. Islamic system would simply not allow for this. Because you would have to risk you money every time you are going to invest in somebody.