KHYBER EXPEDITION

The battle of Khyber was a very important event in the history of Islam that occurred in
628 A.D (7 Hijri).The conflict was between the Muslims of Madinah, who were under
Prophet Muhammad (‫)صلى هللا عليه وسلم‬, and the Jews who had settled in Khyber after they
were expelled from Madinah.

The Holy Prophet (‫ )صلى هللا عليه وسلم‬signed a treaty with the Jews of Madinah in the first
year of the migration in order to ensure peace and harmony in Madinah. This pact was
known as the “Charter of Madinah” (Meethaq-e-Madinah).Under this pact,
the Muslims and Jews were one Ummah (community) and they were to help each other
against their enemies. However, this was not the thing with the Jews.

The Jewish tribes violated the treaty and several instances such as:

 Banu Qaynuqa supported the Quraish against the Muslims in the battle of Badr.

Therefore, after the battle, the Prophet Muhammad (‫ )صلى هللا عليه وسلم‬expelled them from
Madinah according to the treaty.

 Banu Nazir supported the Quraish of Makkah against the Muslims in the battle of
Uhud (in 3 Hijri). Soon after the battle, they plotted to kill Hazrat Muhammad (‫صلى‬
‫)هللا عليه وسلم‬.

When the Muslims came across this development, they asked Banu Nazir to move out
of Madinah. However, the negotiations failed and the Banu Nazir shut themselves in
their forts.

The Jews surrendered after some days when there was a shortage of food and other
necessities. With this, they were also expelled from Madinah.

 Banu Quraiza was also constantly planning against the Muslims even though
they were in a treaty with the Muslims.

Reasons for the Jewish opposition to the Muslims:

 The Jews enjoyed their monopoly over trade and politics in Madinah before the
arrival of the Muslims.

These monopolies came to an end when the Muslims arrived in Madinah.

 The Jews exploited the historical rivalry between Banu Aws and Banu Khazraj
tribe for their own advantage.
The Prophet Muhammad (‫ )صلى هللا عليه وسلم‬resolved their dispute with his wisdom and
justice. This inculcated a sense of frustration among the Jews who then were
determined to oppose Islam.

Islam was emerging as a power in the Arabian peninsula as the supporters of the
ProphetMuhammad (‫ )صلى هللا عليه وسلم‬were increasing rapidly.

This rise of Islam was not only seen as a threat by the Jews but also by the Quraish of
Makkah and the other prominent communities of Arabia. Therefore, they were
constantly attempting to weaker this power.

 Since the Jews were expelled from Madinah, they were constantly planning to
destroy Islam.
 When Hazrat Muhammad (‫ )صلى هللا عليه وسلم‬came across this development, he
considered it vital to move towards Khyber and punish the Jews of their activities.
 According to the sources, the Muslims numbered around 1400 and the Jews
were around 10,000. The Jews had shut themselves in their forts. The arrival of
the Muslims was a shock to the Jews who were not expecting any move like this.
 Therefore, the Muslims captured the forts of the Jews one after the other.
However, the al-Qamus fort was heavily fortified and thus the Muslims could not
capture it even after 15 to 19 days.
 One night the Prophet Muhammad (‫ )صلى هللا عليه وسلم‬said that:

Tomorrow I will give the flag to somebody who will be given victory (by Allah) and
Everyone was keen to find out who this personality was. In the morning, the Prophet
Muhammad (‫ )صلى هللا عليه وسلم‬called upon Hazrat Ali ibn Abi Talib (R.A) and gave the
banner to him.

This was the time when the Prophet Muhammad (‫ )صلى هللا عليه وسلم‬cured the eye of
Hazrat Ali bin Abu Talib (R.A) with his saliva who was suffering from an eye disease.
Hazrat Ali ibn Abi Talib (R.A) marched towards al-Qamus where he killed the famous
general Marhab with ease.

Thus, this fort was also captured by the Muslims with the help of Hazrat Ali ibn Abi Talib
(R.A).With this, the Jews were defeated and the Muslims were victorious at the battle of
Khyber.

Importance:

When the Jews surrendered, they entered a treaty with the Muslims. The Jews
evacuated the area and surrendered their wealth. Under the treaty, the Muslims were
not to attack the Jews.
  The importance of this battle is that it provided financial and military stability to
the Muslims.

The significance of this event can be recognised from the fact that 18 months later, the
Muslims conquered Makkah.

 Moreover, the faith of the Muslims enhanced with this victory against the Jews.

The constant planning of the Jews against the Muslims came to an end and their
support to the tribes against Islam ended.

 In the same way, there was a shortage of food and other necessities during this
battle.

However, the Muslims remained steadfast and as a result, Allah bestowed them with a
victory.

The Muslims came across the fact that they can consume forbidden items if they are driven by
necessity such as the Muslims at Khyber had nothing to eat so they consumed several
forbidden animals.

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