Surah Al-Ahzaab (33) — Ayah 26

(Ayah 26) ➊ { وَ اَنْزَلَ الَّذِيْنَ ظَاهَرُوْهُمْ مِّنْ اَهْلِ الْكِتٰبِ مِنْ صَيَاصِيْهِمْ: ’’صَيَاصِيْ‘‘ ’’ صِيْصِيَةٌ ‘‘} is the plural. The tool used by a weaver to straighten the threads of the warp and weft, the spur of a rooster which protrudes from one side of its leg, the horn of a cow or deer, a fortress, and anything with which a person defends and protects himself. (Qamoos) With the return of the Quraysh, Banu Ghatafan, and those who came with them, the Battle of Ahzab ended, but the conflict with Banu Qurayzah did not end, as they broke the treaty they had made with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and the Muslims at that time. In that treaty, it was agreed that in the event of an attack by outsiders, the Muslims and the Jews would help each other, but the Jews broke this agreement and agreed with the Quraysh and the allied armies that they would attack Madinah from behind the Muslims. When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) learned of this, he sent Sa'd bin Mu'adh, Sa'd bin 'Ubadah, and another Ansari companion (may Allah be pleased with them) to investigate and said: "If they are still upholding the treaty, declare it openly before everyone, but if the matter is otherwise, then indicate it by a sign." They went to them and saw that they had badly broken the treaty. They also spoke disrespectfully about the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "Who is Muhammad? There is no treaty or pact between us and Muhammad." Sa'd bin Mu'adh and Sa'd bin 'Ubadah (may Allah be pleased with them) returned and indicated the reality of the situation to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) by a sign. The intentions of Banu Qurayzah were extremely dangerous, but Allah Almighty thwarted and disappointed them. Distrust arose between them and the Quraysh, and the situation did not reach the point where they fought alongside the Quraysh against the Muslims. Eventually, they locked themselves in their fortresses and prepared for confrontation.

➋ { وَ قَذَفَ فِيْ قُلُوْبِهِمُ الرُّعْبَ :} When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) returned to Madinah after finishing with the trench, he had just taken off his weapons and was bathing when Jibreel (peace be upon him) came and said: "You have put down your weapons, but we angels have not yet put down our weapons. Let us go to Banu Qurayzah." So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ لَا يُصَلِّيَنَّ أَحَدٌ الْعَصْرَ إِلاَّ فِيْ بَنِيْ قُرَيْظَةَ ] [ بخاري، المغازي، باب مرجع النبي صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم من الأحزاب… : ۴۱۱۹، ۴۱۱۷ ] "Let no one pray 'Asr except at Banu Qurayzah." So he went and laid siege to Banu Qurayzah. This siege lasted for about a month, until they became helpless to resist, and Allah Almighty cast terror into their hearts. In the end, they agreed to surrender themselves to the Muslims on the condition that whatever decision Sa'd bin Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) made about them, they would accept it. Sa'd bin Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) had been struck by an arrow in the vein of his arm during the trench, as a result of which he was eventually martyred. He also considered that if Banu Qurayzah had succeeded according to the plan made with the Quraysh, they would have wiped out the Muslims completely; it was only by the special grace of Allah Almighty that He kept the Muslims safe.

➌ { فَرِيْقًا تَقْتُلُوْنَ وَ تَاْسِرُوْنَ فَرِيْقًا :} Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the people of Qurayzah agreed to the decision of Sa'd bin Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him), so the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sent a message to Sa'd. He came riding on a donkey, and when he approached the mosque, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to the Ansar: [ قُوْمُوْا إِلٰی سَيِّدِكُمْ أَوْ خَيْرِكُمْ ] "Stand up for your leader or (he said) your best man." Then he said: [ هٰؤُلَاءِ نَزَلُوْا عَلٰی حُكْمِكَ ] "These people have submitted to your decision." Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) said: [ تُقْتَلُ مُقَاتِلَتُهُمْ وَ تُسْبٰی ذَرَارِيُّهُمْ ] "Their men capable of fighting should be killed, and their women and children should be taken as slaves." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ قَضَيْتَ بِحُكْمِ اللّٰهِ وَرُبَّمَا قَالَ بِحُكْمِ الْمَلِكِ ] "You have judged according to Allah's decision," or he said: "You have judged according to the decision of the King." [ بخاري، المغازي، باب مرجع النبي صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم من الأحزاب… : ۴۱۲۱ ] 'Atiyyah al-Qurazi (may Allah be pleased with him) of Banu Qurayzah narrates: "I was among the captives of Banu Qurayzah. The Muslims would look, and whoever had grown pubic hair was killed, and whoever had not was not killed. Thus, I was among those who had not grown hair." [ أبوداوٗد، الحدود، باب في الغلام یصیب الحد : ۴۴۰۴ ]