The Battle of Khaybar 7 A.H. ﻬاَﻟﻠّٰ َ َ َ َّﻢ ﺖَ ﻨَﺎ ﺻَﻠَّﻴۡ وَﻻ ﻨَﺎ ﺗَﺼَﺪ
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The Battle of Khaybar 7 A.H. ۡ ۡ ۡ ٰ وعدكم اﷲ مغا ِنم ك ِثﲑ ًۃ تاخذونها فعجل ل ُك ْم ه ِذ ٖھ َ َ َ ُ ُ ُ َ َ َ َ َ َ ُ ُ َ َ َ َ َّ َ َ “Allah has promised you abundant spoils (of war) which you will attain and He has hastened for you this (booty of Khaybar).” [Surah Fatah 20] As he was returning from Hudaybiyyah, Surah Fatah was revealed upon Rasulullah . In this Surah Allah Ta’ala assured the Muslims in general and the people of the pledge in particular that they will be triumphant in a number of battles and they will capture enormous spoils of war. As an immediate reward for this pledge that they had taken, Allah Ta’ala had bestowed upon them victory over Khaybar and the conquest of Makkah, which they had not as yet acquired, but would acquire soon. In future they would surmount a number of victories, the knowledge of which only Allah Ta’ala has. In this verse ‘He has hastened for you this’ the reference is to the conquest of Khaybar. Similarly, in the previous verse, ‘And He rewarded them with a near victory.’ This near victory refers to the conquest of Khaybar. Rasulullah returned from Hudaybiyyah to Madinah where he remained for Zul- Hijjah and the beginning of Muharram. During this period, Rasulullah was commanded to launch an attack against Khaybar where the treacherous Jews resided who had betrayed the Muslims by inciting the disbelievers of Makkah against them in the battle of Khandaq (trench). Allah Ta’ala also informed Rasulullah that upon hearing of the imminent conquest of Khaybar, the hypocrites too would eagerly implore him to allow them to accompany him on this expedition. Allah Ta’ala commanded Rasulullah : “Never! These people should never accompany you on this journey.” The following verse was revealed in this regard: ْ ۡ ۡ ۡ ۡ ْ ْ ٰ ۡ ۡ ْ ْ ۡ ۡ ۡ ۡ ٰ ۡ ۡ ﺳﻴ ﻘﻮ ل الﻤﺨ َّﻠﻔﻮ ن ِا ذا ان ﻄﻠﻘﺘم ِا مغا ِنم لِﺘ ا خذو ه ا ذرو نا نﺘ ِﺒع ُكم ﻳ ﺮﻳ دو ن ا َن ﻳ ﺒ ِدلُﻮ ا كﻠ م ا ِﷲ ﻗل لَّﻦ َ َ ُ ُ ُ َ ُ َ َ َ َ ُ َ َ َ َ ُ ُ َ َ ُ َ َ َّ ُ ِ ُ َ ُّ َ ّ َ َ ُ ۡ ٰ ۡ ْ ۡ ۡ ْ ْ ۡ ْ ۡ ْ ۡ ۡ ً تﺘﺒعﻮ نا كذ لِ ُك ْم ﻗال اﷲ ِمﻦ ﻗﺒل فﺴﻴ ﻘﻮ لﻮ ن ﺑل تﺤﺴدو نﻨا ﺑل كانﻮ ا ﻻ ﻳ ﻔﻘه ﻮ ن ِا َّﻻ ﻗ ِﻠﻴ ﻼ ﴿۱۵﴾ َ َّ ِ ُ َ َ َ َ ُ َ ُ َ ُ ُ َ َ َ ُ ُ َ َ َ َ ُ َ َ َ ُ َ َ Those who lagged behind (in the expedition of Hudaybiyyah)َ َ will say when you set forth to seize“ the spoils (of Khaybar): ‘Allow us to follow you.’ They wish to alter the word (and promise) of Allah. Say: ‘You will never ever be able to follow us, Allah has decreed this beforehand.’ Then they will say: ‘Nay, you are jealous of us (and you do not wish to include us in the spoils of war, whereas such a notion is ridiculous. The hearts of the Sahaabah were absolutely devoid of jealousy and greed.)’ But these people (the critics) do not understand except very little.” [Surah Fatah verse 15] Those great personalities before whom the contents of the whole world were not even equal to the wing of a mosquito, the mere thought of them harbouring jealousy is the ultimate in stupidity and foolishness. Following a short stay in Madinah Munawwarah, Rasulullah set out for Khaybar with fourteen hundred infantry and two hundred cavalry towards the end of Muharram 7 A.H. From the pure wives, Hadhrat Umme Salamah accompanied him on this expedition. Salamah bin Akw‘a relates: “On the night we set out for Khaybar in the company of Rasulullah , the celebrated poet ‘Aamir bin Akw‘a was ahead of us reciting the following pieces of rhyming poetry: ٰ َ اَﻟﻠ ّﻬﻢ َّ ﻟَﻮۡ َﻻ اَﻧۡ َﺖ ﻣَﺎ اﻫۡﺘَ َﺪﻳۡﻨَﺎ َو َﻻ ﺗَ َﺼ َّﺪﻗۡﻨَﺎ َو َﻻ َﺻﻠّﻴۡﻨَﺎ “O Allah! If it were not for You we would not have been divinely guided, neither would we have distributed alms nor performed a single Salaah. َ ً َ ﻓﺎﻏﻔ ۡﺮ ﻓﺪاء ً ﻟﻚ ﻣﺎ اﺗﻘﻴﻨﺎ َواَﻟۡﻘِﻴَ ۡﻦ َﺳ ِﻜﻴۡﻨَﺔ ﻋَﻠﻴۡﻨَﺎ We are sacrificed upon You, O Allah! Forgive us for shunning aside Your commandments and blanket us with Your special tranquillity (so that the hearts may be consoled and comforted and all forms of distress and anguish is eliminated from the heart). َ َوﺛَﺒِّ ِﺖ اﻻَۡ ۡﻗ َﺪام َ اِنۡ َﻻ ﻗَﻴۡﻨَﺎ ا ِﻧّﺎ اذَا ِﺻﻴۡ َﺢ ﺑِﻨَﺎ اَﺗَﻴۡﻨَﺎ Grant us steadfastness when we confront the enemy. When we are summoned to war we are swift to respond to the call of Jihaad. َوﺑِﺎﻟ ِّﺼﻴ َﺎ ِح ﻋ ّﻮﻟﻮا ﻋَﻠَﻴۡﻨَﺎ And with this cry of war they are wailing in lament. َّ َّ َ َ َ ً اِن اﻟ ِﺬ ۡﻳ َﻦ ﻗ ۡﺪ ﺑَﻐَﻮۡا َﻋﻠﻴۡﻨَﺎ اِذا اَرَادُوۡا ﻓِﺘۡﻨَﺔ اَﺑَﻴۡﻨَﺎ Those who have transgressed against us, if they elect to ensnare us with the temptations of disbelief and polytheism, we will certainly not budge. َوﻧَﺤۡ ُﻦ َﻋ ۡﻦ ﻓَﻀۡﻠِ َﻚ ﻣَﺎ اﺳۡﺘَﻐۡﻨَ ۡﻴ ﻨَﺎ And we, O our Lord, are not independent of Your grace and favour.” Rasulullah asked: “Who is this reciting this rhyming poetry.” When the people informed him that it was ‘Aamir bin Akw‘a, he commented: “May Allah shower him with His special mercy.” According to the narration of Musnad Ahmad, Rasulullah said: “May Allah forgive him.” Whenever Rasulullah made an exclusive dua of forgiveness in favour of someone, that person would soon die as a martyr. This is why Hadhrat ‘Umar pleaded: “Jannah is compulsory for him. If only you allowed us to take advantage of ‘Aamir’s bravery and valour for a few more days.” En route to Khaybar, as Rasulullah reached a hillock, the Sahaabah raised their voices in saying the Takbeer (of Allahu Akbar). To this Rasulullah commented: “Have pity upon yourselves. You are not calling out to a Being Who is deaf or absent. You are addressing a Being Who is close by and omnipresent. (So you do not have to shout like this.)” Hadhrat Abu Musa Ash’ari relates: “I was close to the camel of Rasulullah when he heard me reciting Laa Hawla wa laa Quwwata Illaa Billah. He called: ‘O ‘Abdullah bin Qays!’ I promptly responded: ‘I am at your service O Rasulullah!’ Rasulullah asked: ‘Should I not reveal to you the treasures of Jannah?’ I replied: ‘May my parents be sacrificed for you, surely, why not O Rasulullah!’ Rasulullah revealed: ‘Laa Hawla wa laa Quwwata Illaa Billah.’ In other words, these words are the treasures of Jannah.” Since Rasulullah was aware that the Jews of the Ghitfaan tribe had amassed a combat-ready force to assist the Jews of Khaybar, he camped at a place called Raj‘i situated between Khaybar and Ghitfaan. He did this to instil a bit of awe within the Jews of Ghitfaan so that they do not rush to the aid of the Jews of Khaybar. Consequently, when the Jews of Ghitfaan heard that they themselves were in danger, they turned back swiftly. As they drew closer to Khaybar, Rasulullah bade the Sahaabah to hold on and he made the following dua: اﻟﻠﻬﻢ رب اﻟﺴﻤﻮت وﻣﺎ اﻇﻠﻠﻦ: ورب اﻻرﺿﻴﻦ وﻣﺎ اﻗﻠﻠﻦ، ورب اﻟﺸﻴﺎﻃﻴﻦ وﻣﺎ اﺿﻠﻠﻦ، ورب اﻟﺮﻳﺎح وﻣﺎ اذرﻳﻦ، ﻓﺎﻧﺎ ﻧﺴﺄﻟﻚ ﺧﻴﺮ ﻫﺬه اﻟﻘﺮﻳﺔ وﺧﻴﺮ اﻫﻠﻬﺎ وﺧﻴﺮ ﻣﺎ ﻓﻴﻬﺎ و ﻧﻌﻮذ ﺑﻚ ﻣﻦ ﺷﺮﻫﺎ وﺷﺮ اﻫﻠﻬﺎ و ﺷﺮ ﻣﺎ ﻓﻴﻬﺎ. اﻗﺪﻣﻮا ﺑﺴﻢ ا ّٰﶄ “O Allah, the Lord of the skies and the Lord of whatever they shelter, O Lord of the earths and Lord of whatever they bear, O Lord of the Shayaateen and Lord of whatever misguidance they had perpetrated, Lord of the winds and Lord of whatever they disperse! We beg of You for the best of this locality and the best of its inhabitants and the best of whatever is within it and we seek Your refuge from its evils, from the evils of its inhabitants and the evils within it.” Saying this dua, Rasulullah directed the Sahaabah : “Advance in the name of Allah!” It was a noble habit of Rasulullah to recite this dua on entering a locality. Hadhrat Anas narrates: “Rasulullah reached Khaybar at night. It was his gracious habit not to launch an offensive at night. He would wait until the morning. If he heard the Azaan, he would not attack otherwise he would launch an attack. In keeping with this noble Sunnah, even at Khaybar, Rasulullah waited for the Azaan of Fajr. When he failed to hear the Azaan of Fajr, he made preparations to attack. The moment dawn broke out, the Jews, clutching their picks and shovels, set out to work (on their fields). As they laid eyes on the invading army, they exclaimed in horror: “Muhammad and the Khamis. (Muhammad and his whole army is here).” Khamis is derived from the word Khams that literally means five. Since the army is made up of five divisions, the army as a unit is referred to as Khamis. The arrangement of the army is as follows: the vanguard, the right wing, the left wing, the mainstay and finally the rear guard.