Surah Al-Ahzaab (33) — Ayah 60

60. If the hypocrites, and those in whose hearts is a disease [100], and those who spread rumors in Madinah do not desist, We will surely incite you against them [101], and then they will not remain your neighbors there except for a little while.

[100]
The Alliance of the Hypocrites and Jews in Light of Events:

That is, firstly, they are afflicted with the disease of evil gazes and lustfulness. Secondly, with hypocrisy, for they count themselves among the Muslims, but in every matter, they are ill-wishers, harassers, and bent on defaming them. Their companions are the Jews of Madinah, and both are confidants of each other and equal enemies of the Muslims. They fabricate and spread various sensational rumors to demoralize the Muslims. For example, that at such-and-such place the Muslims suffered a great defeat and humiliation, or that at such-and-such place a huge army is gathering against the Muslims and soon the Muslims will be wiped out from Madinah, and so on. The story of the joint conspiracies and alliances of the hypocrites and Jews of Madinah against the Muslims is very long. Here, I will suffice with a few indications. When Allah granted the Muslims a great victory at Badr, the Prophet ﷺ sent two Companions, Zayd bin Harithah and Abdullah bin Rawahah, ahead to Madinah to deliver the good news. Meanwhile, the hypocrites had already spread the rumor that the Muslims had suffered a crushing defeat and that Muhammad ﷺ had been killed. This rumor greatly frightened the Muslims of Madinah, when suddenly Zayd bin Harithah was seen approaching from afar, riding a she-camel. A hypocrite said, "Look, Zayd bin Harithah's downcast face clearly shows that the Muslims have been defeated." But when the real situation became known, Madinah resounded with cries of takbir and tahlil, and these very cries were piercing the hearts and livers of the Jews and hypocrites. The tribe of Banu Qaynuqa was the wealthiest and most mischievous of the Jews in Madinah. They began their mischief soon after the Battle of Badr, so the Messenger of Allah ﷺ besieged them, and this treacherous nation soon agreed to surrender. The Prophet ﷺ intended to have them killed, but due to the strong intercession of Abdullah bin Ubayy and his own gentle nature, he spared the Jews and sufficed with their exile. At the time of the Battle of Uhud, Abdullah bin Ubayy the hypocrite deserted the Muslims at the critical moment, as has already been detailed. Even then, the hypocrites exerted every effort to demoralize the Muslims and bring about their defeat. When the other Jewish tribe, Banu Nadir, plotted to kill the Prophet ﷺ by dropping a millstone on him, and Allah saved him, the Prophet ﷺ gave Banu Nadir an ultimatum to vacate Madinah within ten days and take whatever they could with them. After ten days, anyone found in Madinah would be killed. (This incident will be detailed in Surah Hashr.) When the Jews began preparing to leave, Abdullah bin Ubayy sent them a message saying there was no need to worry, as he had two thousand armed men who would give their lives to protect them. Therefore, they should remain firm in their place and stand their ground. At this message, the eyes of the tribe's chief, Huyayy bin Akhtab, lit up, and he sent a message to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying, "We will not leave here; do whatever you can." Upon this challenge, when the Muslims besieged the Jews, neither the chief of the hypocrites nor his warriors came to their aid. He turned out to be as much a coward as the Jews. Eventually, Banu Nadir were exiled. The treachery of the Jews and the role of the hypocrites in the Battle of Ahzab has already been discussed in this Surah. To punish this treachery, immediately after the Battle of Ahzab, Banu Qurayzah were besieged and eliminated. Now, all the remaining Jews were gathering in Khaybar. In the Battle of Banu Mustaliq, the hypocrites caused the Muslims severe harm in two ways. Firstly, Abdullah bin Ubayy incited tribalism to create division among the Muslims, and secondly, by slandering Lady Aisha ؓ, he dealt a severe blow to the Muslims' moral front and caused them many kinds of distress. (The first incident will be mentioned in Surah Munafiqun, and the second has already been discussed in Surah Nur.)

[101] By this is meant the Battle of Banu Qurayzah, after which Madinah was completely cleansed of Jews, and those Jews who had been exiled at the time of Banu Qaynuqa and Banu Nadir had all gone to Khaybar.