likened to Satan, who persuaded man to be an Infidel and said, 'I share not
thy guilt' [Sura Al-Hashr (lix.) 16]; and so Muhammad justified his exclusion of
these men from a share in the booty thus:
Hast thou not observed the disaffected (Munafiqun) saying to their
unbelieving brethren among the people of the book, 'If ye be driven forth, we
will go forth with you; and in what concerneth you, never will we obey any one;
and if ye be attacked, we will certainly come to your help.' But God is witness
that these are liars. Sura Al-Hashr (lix) 11.
In the fifth year of the Hijra the Bani Quraiza, a large Jewish tribe, was
exterminated. At the time
of the siege of Madina by the Meccans they had great inducements held out to
them to join with the opponents of Muhammad and doubtless, like all Jews at this
time, they were sullen and discontented. As a matter of fact they did not aid
the besiegers, but remained quiet. They had also refused to aid the Bani Nadir,
but it was not remembered in their favour. Had they been braver and have stood
by their brethren when attacked, these Jews could probably have made much better
terms with Muhammad.
Their presence in Madina may have been a source of political danger; but
still nothing can justify the savage treatment they received. They offered to
emigrate; they pleaded for their lives, but they pleaded in vain. They appealed
to their Arab friends and allies, the Bani Aws, to intercede for them. They did
this most earnestly. Muhammad, to conciliate this powerful Arab tribe, suggested
that a member of it should decide the case, thus adroitly shifting the
responsibility from