Banu Qaynuqa

The Banu Qaynuqa (also spelled Banu Kainuka, Banu Kaynuka, Banu Qainuqa, _ar. بنو قينقاع) were one of the three main Jewish tribes living in the 7th century of Medina, now in Saudi Arabia. In 624, they were expelled by Muhammad.

Background

In the 7th century, the Banu Qaynuqa were living in two fortresses in the south-western part of the city of Yathrib, now Medina, having settled there at an unknown date. Although the Banu Qaynuqa bore mostly Arabic names, they were both ethnically and religiously Jewish. They owned no land, earned their living through commerce and craftsmanship, including goldsmithery.Wensinck, A.J. "Kaynuka, banu". Encyclopaedia of Islam] The marketplace of Yathrib was located in the area of the town where the Qaynuqa lived. [Peters 182] The Banu Qaynuqa were allied with the local Arab tribe of Khazraj and supported them in their conflicts with the rival Arab tribe of Aws.Wensinck, A.J. "Kaynuka, banu". Encyclopaedia of Islam]

Arrival of Muhammad

In September 622, Muhammad arrived at Medina with a group of his followers, who were given shelter by members of the indigenous community known as the Ansar. He proceeded to set about the establishment of a pact, known as the Constitution of Medina, between the Muslims, the Ansar, and the various Jewish tribes of Medina to regulate the matters of governance of the city, as well as the extent and nature of inter-community relations. Conditions of the pact, according to traditional Muslim sources, included boycotting the Quraysh, abstinence from "extending any support to them", assistance of one another if attacked by a third party, as well as "defending Medina, in case of a foreign attack". [al-Mubarakpuri (1996), pg. 197-8] [Ibn Hisham, as-Seerat an-Nabaweeyat, Vol. II, pp. 147-150] [Ibn Ishaq, pp. 231-235]

The nature of this document as recorded by Ibn Ishaq and transmitted by Ibn Hisham is the subject of dispute among modern historians many of whom maintain that this "treaty" is possibly a collage of agreements, oral rather than written, of different dates, and that it is not clear when they were made or with whom. [Firestone 118; Welch "Muhammad", "Encyclopaedia of Islam".. For opinions disputing the early date of the Constitution of Medina, see e.g., Peters 119.]

Expulsion

In March 624, Muslims led by Muhammad defeated the Meccans of the Banu Quraish tribe in the Battle of Badr. Ibn Ishaq writes that a dispute broke out between the Muslims and the Banu Qaynuqa (the allies of the Khazraj tribe) soon afterwards. When a Muslim woman visited a jeweler's shop in the Qaynuqa marketplace, she was pestered to uncover her face. The goldsmith, a Jew, pinned her clothing such, that upon getting up, she was stripped naked. A Muslim man coming upon the resulting commotion killed the shopkeeper in retaliation. The Jews in turn killed the Muslim man. This escalated to a chain of revenge killings, and enmity grew between Muslims and the Banu Qaynuqa.Guillaume 363, Stillman 122, ibn Kathir 2]

Traditional Muslim sources view these episodes as a violation of the Constitution of Medina. Muhammad himself regarded this as "casus belli". [Watt (1956), p. 209.] Western historians, however, do not find in these events the underlying reason for Muhammad's attack on the Qaynuqa. According to F.E. Peters, the precise circumstances of the alleged violation of the Constitution of Medina are not specified in the sources. [Peters 218] According to Fred Donner, available sources do not elucidate the reasons for the expulsion of the Qaynuqa. Donner argues that Muhammad turned against the Qaynuqa because as artisans and traders, the latter were in close contact with Meccan merchants. [Donner 231–232] Weinsinck views the episodes cited by the Muslim historians, like the story of the Jewish goldsmith, as having no more than anecdotal value. He writes that the Jews had assumed a contentious attitude towards Muhammad, and as a group possessing substantial independent power, they posed a great danger. Wensinck thus concludes that Muhammad, strengthened by the victory at Badr, soon resolved to eliminate the Jewish opposition to himself. Norman Stillman also believes that Muhammad decided to move against the Jews of Medina after being strengthened in the wake of the Battle of Badr. [Stillman 13]

Muhammad then approached the Banu Qaynuqa, gathering them in the market place and addressing them as follows,

cquote
"O Jews, beware lest God bring on you the like of the retribution which he brought on Quraysh. Accept Islam, for you know that I am a prophet sent by God. You will find this in your scriptures and in God's covenant with you."Guillaume 363]

To which the tribe replied,

cquote
"Muhammad, do you think that we are like your people? Do not be deluded by the fact that you met a people with no knowledge of war and that you made good use of your oppurtunity. By God, if you fight us you will know that we are real men!"

Shibli Nomani and Safi al-Mubarakpuri view this response as a declaration of war. [Nomani 90-91, al-Mubarakpuri 239 ] According to the Muslim tradition, the verses 3:10-13 of the Qur'an were revealed to Muhammad following the exchange. Muhammad then besieged the Banu Qaynuqa for fourteen or fifteen days, according to ibn Hisham, [Stillman 123] after which the tribe surrendered unconditionally.Guillaume 363, Stillman 123] It was certain, according to Watt, that there were some sort of negotiations. At the time of the siege, the Qaynuqa had a fighting force of 700 men, 400 of whom were armoured. Watt concludes, that Muhammad could not have besieged such a large force so successfully if the Qaynuqa's allies did not whole-heartedly support Muhammad. [Watt (1956), pg. 209-10 ]

After the surrender of Banu Qaynuqa, Abdullah ibn Ubayy, the chief of a section of the clan of Khazraj̲, pleaded for them. [ William Montgomery Watt. "Abd Allah b. Ubayy b. Salul." "Encyclopaedia of Islam" ] According to Ibn Ishaq: [ M. V. (Michael V.) McDonald, William Montgomery Watt, "The history of al-Tabari", p.86 ]

Abd Allah b. Ubbay b. Salul rose up when God had put them in his power, and said, "Muhammad, treat my mawali well"; for they were the confederates of al-Khazraj. The Prophet delayed his answer, so 'Abd Allah repeated, "Muhammad, treat my mawali well." The Prophet turned away from him, and he put his hand into (The Messenger's) collar. The Messenger of God said, "Let me go!" - he was so angry that they could see shadows in his face (that is, his face coloured). The he said, "Damn you, let me go!" He replied, "No, by God, I will not let you go until you treat my mawali well. Four hundred man without armour and three hundred with coats of mail, who defended me from the Arab and non-Arab alike, and you would mow them in a single morning? By God, I do not feel safe and am afraid of what the future may have in store." So the Messenger of God said, "They are yours."

According to Michael Cook, Muhammad initially wanted to kill the members of Banu Qaynuqa but ultimately yielded to Abdullah's insistence and agreed to expel the Qaynuqa. [ Michael Cook, "Muhammad", p.21 ] According to William Montgomery Watt, Abd-Allah ibn Ubayy was attempting to stop the expulsion, and Muhammad's insistence was that the Qaynuqa must leave the city, but was prepared to be lenient about other conditions; Ibn Ubayy argument was that presence of Qaynuqa with 700 fighting men can be helpful in the view of the expected Meccan onslaught. [ *Watt, Muhammad the prophet and statesman, p.131
*William Montgomery Watt. "Abd Allah b. Ubayy b. Salul." "Encyclopaedia of Islam"] Rodinson states that Muhammad wanted to put all the men to death, but was convinced not to do so by Abdullah ibn Ubayy, who was an old ally of the Qaynuqa. [Rodinson, "Muhammad," page 173.] Because of this interference and other episodes of his discord with Muhammad, Abdullah ibn Ubayy earned for himself the title of the leader of hypocrites ("munafiqun") in the Muslim tradition. [William Montgomery Watt. "Abd Allah b. Ubayy b. Salul." "Encyclopaedia of Islam", see also Stillman 13, 123]

Aftermath

The Banu Qaynuqa left first for the Jewish colonies in the Wadi al-Kura, north of Medina, and from there to Der'a in Syria, west of Salkhad. In the course of time, they assimilated with the Jewish communities, pre-existing in that area, strengthening them numerically. [Ben-Zvi 147]

Muhammad divided the property of the Banu Qaynuqa, including their arms and tools, among his followers, taking for himself a fifth share of the spoils for the first time. Some members of the tribe chose to stay in Medina and convert to Islam, possibly more out of opportunism than conviction. One man from the Banu Qaynuqa, Abdullah ibn Sailam, became a devout Muslim. Although some Muslim sources claim that he converted immediately after Muhammad’s arrival to Medina, modern scholars give more credence to the other Muslim sources, which indicate that 8 years later, 630, as the year of ibn Salam’s conversion.

ee also

*Banu Nadir
*Banu Qurayza
*Jihad
*Muhammad as a general
*Rules of war in Islam

Notes

References

*"Encyclopaedia of Islam". Ed. P. Bearman et al., Leiden: Brill, 1960-2005.
*Guillaume, A. "The Life of Muhammad: A Translation of Ibn Ishaq's Sirat Rasul Allah". Oxford University Press, 1955. ISBN 0-1963-6033-1
*Donner, Fred M.. "Muhammad's Political Consolidation in Arabia up to the Conquest of Mecca". "Muslim World" 69: 229-247, 1979.
*Firestone, Reuven. "Jihad: The Origin of Holy War in Islam". Oxford University Press, 1999. ISBN 0-19-512580-0
*Ben-Zvi, Yitzhak. "The Exiled and the Redeemed". Jewish Publication Society, 1957
*Peters, Francis E. "Muhammad and the Origins of Islam". State University of New York Press, 1994. ISBN 0-7914-1875-8
*Stillman, Norman. "The Jews of Arab Lands: A History and Source Book". Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society of America, 1979. ISBN 0-8276-0198-0
*Watt, W. Montgomery. "Muhammad, Prophet and Statesman", Oxford University Press.
*cite book
last=Mubarakpuri
first=Safi ur-Rahman
title=Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum
publisher=Maktaba Dar-us-Salam
date=1996
location=Riyadh