The conquest of Khaybar (2)

With one settlement vanquished, the Muslims moved on to Shaq to besiege the fortress of Hisn Abi. Two of the Jews came out consecutively to engage in single combat. When the second one fell at the sword of Abu Dujana, the others rushed back into their citadel followed by the Muslim troops, who drove them out and captured a large amount of grain and several heads of livestock. The Muslim soldiers continued their march on and laid siege to Hisn Nizar, where the Jews had fled. High on a mountain peak, virtually inaccessible, it seemed the safest of all hideouts.

The Jewish men had therefore left their women and children there while they kept up a shower of stones and arrows to repel any Muslim who attempted to scale the mountain. The Muslims responded with the use of catapults, and their strategy proved so effective that the fortress fell into their hands, and the Jews made for Katibah. When the Muslims entered the fallen fortress, they found it full of valuable copper and clay utensils, which they washed and subsequently used.

Relentlessly, the Muslims marched on the Katibah, the last remaining Jewish stronghold. Its three citadels were their target. After a two to three week siege, the first one, at Qamus, fell, and when it seemed that the two remaining citadels at Wateeh and Salalam were about to be attacked by the Muslims, the Jews negotiated for peace. They agreed to go into exile with their families if they were guaranteed safe conduct. The Prophet acceded to their request. He also allowed them to carry whatever they could along with loads of gold, silver, horse, and weapons. However, if they hid anything, the agreement would be nullified. The Jews handed over two or three citadels to the Muslims, who also got a hundred coats of mail, four hundred swords, a thousand lances and five hundred Arabian bows. Moreover, they found some Hebrew scriptures that they returned at the request of the Jews.

The surrender was not completely unanimous. Some of the Jewish chiefs such as Kinana bin Abul-Huqayq and his brother contravened the terms that had been agreed upon and attempted to slip past with a huge hoard of gold, silver and jewellery. They thus lost the guarantee of safe passage and were killed for breach of their promise. Among the prisoners was Kinana’s widow, Safiyah bint Huayy bin Akhtab, who was later to become one of the Mothers of the Faithful with her marriage to the Prophet .

Thus ended a long campaign. As we have seen, there was a series of battles for Khaybar, instead of a single event. At the close of hostilities, between fifteen and eighteen Muslims were martyred, while the number of Jews killed stood at ninety-three.