Concerning this expedition, Allah the Exalted revealed Sūrat al-Ḥashr.
According to a narration in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī from Ibn ʿAbbās, Ibn ʿAbbās himself used to call Sūrat al-Ḥashr the "Sūrah of Banu Nadir."
Bukhārī, through the channel of al-Zuhrī, narrated from ʿUrwah who said: The expedition of Banu Nadir occurred six months before the Battle of Uḥud and after the Battle of Badr.
According to the narration of Ḥanbal b. Isḥāq: al-Zuhrī stated that the Battle of Badr took place on the seventeenth of Ramaḍān in the second year of the Hijra.
Al-Zuhrī said: The Messenger of God (peace be upon him) undertook the expedition of Banu Nadir after the Battle of Badr. In the month of Shawwāl of the third year of the Hijra, he went to the Battle of Uḥud. After that, in the month of Shawwāl of the fourth year of the Hijra, he fought in the Battle of the Trench (al-Khandaq).
According to the narration of al-Bayhaqī, al-Zuhrī stated that the expedition of Banu Nadir occurred before Uḥud. According to others, the expedition of Banu Nadir took place after the Battle of Uḥud and after the tragedy of Biʾr Maʿūna.
I say: The expedition of Banu Nadir occurred after the tragedy of Biʾr Maʿūna and after ʿAmr b. Umayya returned and killed those two men from the tribe of Banu ʿĀmir. However, ʿAmr b. Umayya was unaware that those two men had a treaty with the Messenger of God (peace be upon him). Therefore, the Messenger of God said to him:
"You have killed two men for whom I will pay the blood money."
Ibn Isḥāq said:
The Messenger of God (peace be upon him) went to the tribe of Banu Nadir. He was seeking their help to pay the blood money for the two men from Banu ʿĀmir who had been killed by ʿAmr b. Umayya al-Ḍamrī. The Messenger of God did this because he had made a pact of protection for those two men. Likewise, there was a treaty between Banu Nadir and Banu ʿĀmir. When the Messenger of God came to them seeking help for the blood money of those two killed men, they said:
"Yes, O Abū'l-Qāsim! We will help you with whatever you ask of us."
Then, when the two tribes were alone together, they said:
"You will never find Muḥammad in such a vulnerable state again."
The Messenger of God (peace be upon him) was sitting by one of their houses, next to a wall.
They said, "Which man will climb up to the top of this house and drop a rock on him, so that we may be rid of him and find relief?" One of them, ʿAmr b. Jihāsh b. Kaʿb, responded to this call and said, "I will do it."
Thus, he climbed onto the roof to drop a rock on the Messenger of God. The Messenger of God (peace be upon him) was among a group of his Companions (ṣaḥāba), including Abū Bakr, ʿUmar, and ʿAlī—may Allah be pleased with them.
A messenger from the heavens informed the Messenger of God of the assassination plot of the disbelievers. So he rose and set out to return to Medina.
When the Companions saw that the Prophet was delayed, they set out to look for him. They met a man coming from Medina and asked him. He said, "I saw him inside Medina."
Upon this, the Companions who were present returned and joined the Prophet. He informed them of the Jews' assassination attempt and treachery.
Al-Wāqidī said: The Messenger of God (peace be upon him) sent Muḥammad b. Maslama to inform the Jews that they must leave Medina and its surroundings. Meanwhile, the hypocrites were sending encouraging messages to the Jews of Banu Nadir, urging them to stand firm and not leave Medina, promising to help them if necessary. This gave morale to Banu Nadir. Ḥuyayy b. Akhṭab became agitated and angry. As a result, they sent word to the Messenger of God that they would not leave Medina and that the treaty between them was broken. The Messenger of God then ordered the people to march against these Jews. They went and besieged the Jews for fifteen nights.
Ibn Isḥāq said: The Messenger of God (peace be upon him) ordered the Muslims to prepare for battle and to march against them.
Ibn Hishām said: When the Messenger of God set out against Banu Nadir, he appointed Ibn Umm Maktūm as his deputy in Medina. This occurred in the month of Rabīʿ al-Awwal.
Ibn Isḥāq said: The Messenger of God set out and reached the territory of Banu Nadir. He besieged them for six nights. During this time, the verse prohibiting intoxicants was revealed. The Jews took refuge in their fortresses. The Messenger of God ordered the cutting and burning of the palm groves. Upon this, they said:
"O Muḥammad! You used to forbid people from corruption and blame those who cause corruption. So what is this cutting and burning of palm trees?"
There was a group from Banu ʿAwf b. al-Khazraj, among whom were the enemy of Allah, ʿAbdullāh b. Ubayy b. Salūl, Wadīʿa, Mālik b. Abī Qawqal, Suwayd, and Dāʾis. They sent word to Banu Nadir: "Stand firm, remain in your place, and protect yourselves. We will never abandon you. If you fight, we will fight with you. If you are expelled from Medina, we will leave with you." Thus, they waited for the help of these hypocrites, but they did not fulfill their promise. Allah cast fear into their hearts. As a result, Banu Nadir asked the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) to expel them from Medina and not to harm them.
ʿAwfī said: According to Ibn ʿAbbās, every three of them were given a camel, and each was allowed to carry a camel-load of goods. Three people would ride the same camel in turns.
According to a narration through Yaʿqūb b. Muḥammad, the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) sent Muḥammad b. Maslama to Banu Nadir and ordered them to leave Medina within three days. According to al-Bayhaqī and others, the Jews of Banu Nadir had debts due at a later date. The Messenger of God (peace be upon him) said: "Forgo the term and collect it immediately."
There is doubt about the authenticity of this narration. Allah knows best.
Ibn Isḥāq said: The people of Banu Nadir loaded as much of their property as their camels could carry. Some even removed the doors of their houses from their frames and loaded them onto their camels. They left for Khaybar. Some went to Syria. The notables of those who went to Khaybar were: Sallām b. Abī'l-Ḥuqayq, Kināna b. Rabīʿ b. Abī'l-Ḥuqayq, and Ḥuyayy b. Akhṭab. When they settled in Khaybar, the people there obeyed and respected them.
ʿAbdullāh, the son of Abū Bakr, told me that he had heard: The women, children, and property of the Jews of Banu Nadir were loaded onto camels. They were accompanied by drums, flutes, and dancing women. Among them was Umm ʿAmr, who had been with ʿUrwah b. Ward al-ʿAbsī and had been purchased from him. She was from the women of Banu Ghifār and was known for her pride, unmatched among any tribe of that time.
The Jews of Banu Nadir left their property to the Messenger of God. The property remained at the discretion of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him), who disposed of it as he wished. He distributed it among the first Emigrants (Muhājirūn), not the Helpers (Anṣār), except for Sahl b. Ḥunayf and Abū Dujāna Simāk b. Ḥarash from the Anṣār, who received shares due to their poverty.
Ibn Isḥāq said: Only two people from the Jews of Banu Nadir became Muslims. One was Yamīn b. Umayr b. Kaʿb (the cousin of ʿAmr b. Jihāsh), and the other was Abū Saʿd b. Wahb. Because they became Muslims, they retained their property.
Ibn Isḥāq said: Someone from the family of Yamīn told me: The Messenger of God (peace be upon him) said to Yamīn: Do you know what your cousin (ʿAmr b. Jihāsh) intended regarding me?
Upon this, Yamīn b. Umayr gave a man some property to kill ʿAmr b. Jihāsh. According to the narration, the man killed ʿAmr b. Jihāsh. May Allah curse him.
Ibn Isḥāq said: Allah the Exalted revealed Sūrat al-Ḥashr in its entirety concerning the Jews of Banu Nadir. In this sūrah, He describes His retribution against them, how He set His Messenger upon them, and what He did to them through His Messenger.
Afterwards, Ibn Isḥāq began the tafsir (Qur'anic exegesis) of this sūrah. We have explained these details in our tafsir. Praise be to Allah.
The Exalted Allah said:
"Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth exalts Allah. And He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.
It is He who expelled the ones who disbelieved among the People of the Scripture from their homes at the first gathering. You did not think they would leave, and they thought their fortresses would protect them from Allah; but the decree of Allah came upon them from where they had not expected, and He cast terror into their hearts [so] they destroyed their houses by their [own] hands and the hands of the believers. So take warning, O people of vision.
And if Allah had not decreed for them exile, He would have punished them in this world; and for them in the Hereafter is the punishment of the Fire.
That is because they opposed Allah and His Messenger. And whoever opposes Allah – then indeed, Allah is severe in penalty.
Whatever you [believers] cut down of [their] palm trees or left standing on their trunks – it was by permission of Allah and so He would disgrace the defiantly disobedient." (al-Ḥashr 59:1–5)
The Exalted, Glorified Allah declares His transcendence from all deficiencies, informs that all His lofty and lowly creatures glorify Him, and that He is the Mighty, the Powerful. He also declares His exaltedness, that none can reach Him, that His greatness and majesty are unattainable, and that everything He creates is done with wisdom. Everything He decrees and legislates is based on wisdom. Granting victory to His Messenger and believing servants over the Jewish enemies, and arranging the necessary means for this, is also from His wisdom. The Jewish enemies had opposed Allah and His Messenger, and turned away from the Messenger and the sharia (the sacred law). This was the main reason for fighting them. Ultimately, Muḥammad (peace be upon him), supported by Allah by casting fear into the hearts of his enemies, besieged them.
The enemies of the Messenger would be seized by fear of him from a month's distance. Nevertheless, the Messenger besieged them, surrounded them with his army, and personally directed the siege. This siege lasted six nights. This fear scattered the Jews and drove them into exile outside Medina. Eventually, they submitted and made peace on the condition that their lives would be spared. They were allowed to take as much as a camel could carry from their property, but could not take weapons. They began to destroy their houses themselves or through the believers. Take heed, O people of insight!
Allah the Exalted then says: If the Jews of Banu Nadir had not been expelled and exiled from Medina and removed from the Messenger, a more severe punishment would have befallen them—namely, being killed. Nevertheless, in the Hereafter, a painful punishment is decreed for them.
Then Allah the Exalted explains the wisdom behind the burning and leaving of the palm groves, declaring all of this permissible, saying:
"Whatever you [believers] cut down of [their] palm trees or left standing on their trunks – it was by permission of Allah." (al-Ḥashr 59:5)
All of this was permitted by the sharia and by divine decree. Therefore, you bear no spiritual responsibility for doing so. Deciding to do this was a sound judgment. There is no corruption or mischief in this, as some wicked people claim. Rather, it is a display of strength and a humiliation of the rebellious disbelievers.
Bukhārī and Muslim, through the channel of Qutaybah, narrated from Ibn ʿUmar that the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) burned and cut down the palm groves of the Jews of Banu Nadir. Upon this, Allah the Exalted revealed the following verse:
"Whatever you [believers] cut down of [their] palm trees or left standing on their trunks – it was by permission of Allah." (al-Ḥashr 59:5)
Bukhārī, through the channel of Juwayriyya bint Asmāʾ, narrated from Ibn ʿUmar:
The Messenger of God (peace be upon him) burned and cut down the palm groves of the Jews of Banu Nadir. For this reason, Ḥassān b. Thābit said:
"The fire that spread in Buwaira is insignificant compared to the noble personalities of the sons of Luʾayy."
In response to this poem, Abū Sufyān b. Ḥārith said:
"May Allah perpetuate this act and kindle wild, blazing fires around it.
You will know which of us will better protect himself from this fire, and you will know whose land is the land of Nadir."
Ibn Isḥāq said: Kaʿb b. Mālik, describing the expulsion of Banu Nadir and the killing of Kaʿb b. al-Ashraf, said:
"Through the treachery of the Jewish scholars, the Jewish community became humiliated and abased.
Such is time, a stage for the descent of calamities. This is because they denied the command of the mighty Lord, the great Commander.
They came united in knowledge and understanding.
Yet a warner from Allah had come to them.
This warner is truthful, reciting illuminating, clarifying verses.
But they said: You have not come with a true command, and you are worthy of denial from us.
He said: No, I have fulfilled a right, and only a discerning, knowledgeable person will affirm me.
Whoever follows him will attain all that is right and find guidance.
Whoever denies him will be punished with the punishment seen by the disbelievers.
When they were steeped in treachery and kufr (disbelief), and hatred led them astray from the truth,
Allah showed the Prophet a true judgment. Allah decrees and does not wrong.
Thus, He strengthened him and gave him victory over them. What a fine helper He is.
Thus, among them, Kaʿb was struck down, and after his fall, Nadir was humiliated.
There, our swords, drawn from their sheaths, stood over him,
When, by the command of Muḥammad, Kaʿb's younger brother went to him by night and deceived him. He deceived him.
He was the brother of brave, trustworthy men, a praiseworthy person.
Thus, Banu Nadir are in a wretched abode.
They perished because of what they had earned.
One morning, as the Messenger of God himself came to them, seeing them in the ranks of battle, Ghaṣṣān was their protector against enemies, a helper and vizier for them. He called them to peace, but they refused. Lies and falsehood entered their affairs.
For every three of them, a camel was allotted, and they tasted the end of their affairs as punishment.
Referring to the Jews of Qaynuqāʿ, they were expelled and driven from their homes.
Their remaining palm groves and houses were seized."
Ibn Isḥāq reported that this poem was answered by Shimāl the Jew, but we have not mentioned his reply here.
Ibn Isḥāq said: Among the poems about Banu Nadir is one attributed to Ibn Luqaym al-ʿAbsī. It is also said to have been composed by Qays b. Baḥr b. Ṭarīf al-Ashjaʿī:
"May my family be sacrificed for one who was not destroyed, who settled the Jews in a foreign land, among a people not their own.
They are roasted among embers and wander from place to place.
Where the young palm trees sprout at a high place.
If my iman (faith) in Muḥammad is true, you will see his horses and cavalry between the places called Ṣalā and Yaramram.
There, ʿAmr b. Buhsa leads, for they are enemies.
There is no tribe more loyal than the criminal one.
Among them are men who stir up and incite war, whose spearheads tremble, straightened and sharpened.
Every sword with a thin double edge is an Indian sword, inherited from the times of ʿĀd and Jurhum.
Who will deliver a letter from me to Quraysh?
Is there anyone who will gain honor and superiority after them?
Know, then, that your brother Muḥammad is an ancient dew drop between Ḥajūn and Zamzam.
So obey him properly, that your affairs may prosper and you may rise to every high place in the world.
He is a prophet who has received mercy from Allah. Do not ask him about an uncertain matter of the unseen.
By Allah, O Quraysh! There are great lessons for you at Badr and its wells. One morning, as he came to the tribe of Khazraj, intending you, obedient to the noble and generous.
Assisted by the Holy Spirit (Rūḥ al-Qudus), he advanced against his enemies, coming as a messenger from the Most Merciful, at a high rank for them.
He came as a messenger, reciting His Book from the Most Merciful.
When he kindled the fire of truth, he did not hold back or delay.
I see that his cause increases everywhere, to exalt the firm decree that Allah has ordained."
Ibn Isḥāq said: ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib also said regarding this (Ibn Hishām said: A Muslim man said this; I have not found anyone who attributes it to ʿAlī):
"I have learned that whoever is determined knows, and I have truly acquired close knowledge and have not turned away.
I have not turned away from the firm words from Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
They are messages by which the believers are instructed.
Allah chose Aḥmad (the Prophet) with them.
Thus, Aḥmad became honored among us. His place and station remained honored.
O you who threaten him with coolness!
He brought neither oppression nor the opposite of compassion and mercy.
Do you not fear the nearest punishment? The one who feels secure from Allah's punishment is not like the one who greatly fears. Did you not fear being struck down under his swords?
Just as Kaʿb, the son of Ashraf, was struck down.
One morning, when Allah saw his rebellion, he turned away like a crooked camel.
Then Gabriel was sent down to kill him.
Gabriel came to the favored servant Muḥammad with a revelation.
Thus, with a swift, sharp sword, he set foot on the earth as a messenger for him.
When the news of Kaʿb's death was announced, the eyes of the women who wept aloud spent the night shedding tears for him.
And they said to Aḥmad: Leave us for a while.
For we have found no healing in weeping for the dead.
Thus, he expelled them and said:
Depart in humiliation, your noses to the ground.
He expelled Nadir to a foreign land, though they had been in a land of adornment and blessings.
He drove them, weak and wounded, on camels to Azriʿāt, a place in Syria, riding one behind another."
We have not mentioned here the reply poem by Shimāl the Jew.
Allah the Exalted then explained the ruling of fayʾ (spoils taken without battle) and decreed that the property left by Banu Nadir would become the property of the Messenger of God, who spent it as Allah directed him.
In the authentic collections of Bukhārī and Muslim, it is narrated from ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb, the trustworthy of the believers, that the property of Banu Nadir was among the fayʾ that Allah gave to His Messenger. The Muslims did not ride horses or camels to seize it. It was specifically for the Messenger of God, who set aside his family's yearly sustenance and spent the rest on weapons and equipment for jihad in the way of Allah.
Then Allah the Exalted explained the ruling of fayʾ, stating that this property belongs to the Emigrants (Muhājirūn), the Helpers (Anṣār), those who follow them in ihsan (spiritual excellence), and those who walk in their path:
"What Allah has bestowed upon His Messenger from the people of the towns is for Allah and for the Messenger and for [his] near relatives and orphans and the needy and the [stranded] traveler—so that it will not be a perpetual distribution among the rich from among you. And whatever the Messenger has given you—take; and what he has forbidden you—refrain from. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is severe in penalty." (al-Ḥashr 59:7)
Imām Aḥmad b. Ḥanbal, through the channels of Arim and ʿAffān, narrated from Anas b. Mālik that the Prophet (peace be upon him), until he defeated the tribes of Qurayẓa and Nadir, would accept from individuals a few palm trees or whatever Allah willed from their property. But after the victory over Qurayẓa and Nadir, he would refuse what was given to him.
Anas said: "My family ordered me to go to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and ask for what they had given him. The Prophet (peace be upon him) had given it to Umm Ayman. I asked the Messenger of God for it, and he gave it to me. Then Umm Ayman came, put her garment around my neck, and said:
- No, by Allah, I will not give it to you. He gave it to me! The Prophet (peace be upon him) said to her:
- I will give you such and such more. But Umm Ayman said:
- No, by Allah, I will not give it. The Messenger of God said:
- I will give you such and such more.
Umm Ayman said:
- No, by Allah, I will not give it.
I think the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) increased the offer up to ten times or more."
Then Allah the Exalted, having defeated the hypocrites who inclined towards Banu Nadir, promised them help but did not assist them and deceived them, said:
"Have you not considered those who practice hypocrisy, saying to their brothers who have disbelieved among the People of the Scripture, 'If you are expelled, we will surely leave with you, and we will not obey, in regard to you, anyone—ever; and if you are fought, we will surely aid you.' But Allah testifies that they are liars.
If they are expelled, they will not leave with them, and if they are fought, they will not aid them. And if they should aid them, they will surely turn their backs; then they will not be aided." (al-Ḥashr 59:11–12)
Allah the Exalted then rebuked them for their cowardice, lack of knowledge, and weakness of intellect, and gave them the ugly example of Satan: "[The example of] the hypocrites is like Satan when he says to man, 'Disbelieve.' But when he disbelieves, he says, 'Indeed, I am disassociated from you. Indeed, I fear Allah, Lord of the worlds.'" (al-Ḥashr 59:16)