Battle of Khaybar was one of the Prophet Muhammad's (PBUH) Ghazawat which was conducted against Jews. Imam Ali Ibn Abi Taleb commanded the army of Islam and finally conquered the Jewish stronghold. The battle was kicked off in Muharram month of 7th AH year and ended in Safar month of the same year, with victory of Muslims.
The formation of this war was due to the fact that Khaybar Jews offered shelter to the expelled Jews from Medina and
provoked some Arab tribes to fight against Muslims. The Muslims won the war and, according to the peace plan, it was stated that the Jewish fighters have to leave Khaybar with their women and children. But upon request of the Jews again, the Prophet allowed them to stay in Khaybar and also were allowed to farming and harvest half of the crop.
Backgrounds of the war
In the fourth year, after the Prophet Muhammad PBUH expelled the Bani Nazir for treason from Medina, some of them, including Hayy ibn Akhtab, Salam bin Abi al-Haqiq, and Kannane bin Rabi ibn Abi Al-Haqiq, went to Khaybar. In The following year they went to Mecca and and tried to conspire with Kuffar of Quraysh to begin a war with the Prophet (PBUH). Thus, Khaybar became the center of danger and conspiracy against the Islamic Ummah. In Sha'ban month, in the sixth AH year, the Prophet also found out that the Bani Sa'd Bin Bakr tribe, from the
Arab neighbors of
Khaybar,
gathered to help the Jews of Khaybar, so sent his representative Ali (AS) to them with a group of soldiers. With the attack of the Prophet (PBUH), the enemy fled and plenty of valuable war trophies fell on the hands of the Muslims. Also in Ramadan month of the same year, in a Ghazwah led by Abdullah bin Atik, Salam bin Abi al-Haqiq was killed for provoking parties against the Prophet and Muslims. At the same time, Abdullah ibn Sahaha, on a mission to Khaybar, was ordered by the Prophet to investigate the situation of the Jews in Khaybar.
Subsequently, the
Jews of Khaybar chose Usayr ibn Zarem to be the ruler of the emirate, and then he tried to provoke the
Arab tribes as the marchers to fight the Prophet and, with the help of them, intended to attack Medina. Hence, in the Shawal month of 6th AH year, the Prophet sent Abd Allah ibn Rawahah with a group of soldiers to Khaybar which yielded in killing Usayr ibn Zarem and a group of Jews who were accompanying him.
In addition, after the expulsion of the Bani Qarizah jews from the Medina and the restoration of peace and the conclusion of a treaty between the other Jews of Medina and the Prophet, Khaybaran Jews, who lived among them, sought to take revenge from the Prophet, and spent their property for provocation of
Arab tribes against Muslims. The neighboring Arabs, including the powerful tribal elite. This was enough for the Prophet to attack Khaybar right after Hodaybiyyah peace treaty.
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) chose his cousin Ali Ibn Abi Taleb (AS) to lead the army of Islam. The number of Muslim soldiers are mentioned to be 1400/1500/1524 in different sources. On the other hand, the number of Jewish soldiers in Khaybar are mentioned to be between 10000 to 20000 in different sources.
They, Khaybarean Jews, did not expect that the Prophet would go to war with them and relied on their lofty fortresses located on the summit of the mountains, as well as possession of weapons and large population and plenty of permanent water resources, that could have resisted for several years. Some Medina Jews were frightening Muslims saying that Muslims were unable to confront Khaybarean Jews and their strong fortresses. They even sent someone to Khaybar to Ibn Abi Haqiq to tell him that Muslims have a handful of soldiers and a few weapons. Quraysh Kuffar also hoped that in the event of a war, the Khaybareans would win the war and even bet on it.
The entrance of the Islamic Corps to Khaybar
Allah hid the time when the Prophet's army was moving on the inhabitants of Khaybar, until the prophet arrived at Khaybar at night, passing through the Shaq and Natat fortresses. He first prayed and asked Muslims to pray. The Prophet continued to move and on his way prayed and made the place a mosque, after which the mosque became Khaybar mosque (by name). Since the morning, the Khaybar Jews were surprised at the entrance of the Prophet to this area and fled to their castles. The Prophet forbade his supporters from killing women and children. And he fought that day by night with Natat fortress soldiers. Then Prophet transferred his army camp from the place that was wet and also under enemy range, and told them to go to a place called Raji'. He also asked them to cut off some Khyber palms (possibly military necessities).
Beginning of the battle
On the first day of the battle, fifty Muslims were wounded. The Prophet arranged camps for seven days, and each day, accompanied by groups of Muslims, each group with a flag band, they fought with the Jews. On the night of the sixth day, a Jewish man from Natat, called Samak, came to the the Prophet, and asked for shelter. He guided the Muslims to that castle. He announced that there was a turmoil in which the stock of food and all kinds of weapons of the Jews was in, and that its inhabitants were leaving the castle out of fear. The next day, the Muslims conquered the Natat, and that Jew later became Muslim.
Conquest of Naem Castle
It was said that Khaybar's first castle, which the Prophet conquered, was naem. This castle consisted of several castles, and the Prophet arranged his army to fight them. The Jews shot the Muslims with arrows but Muslim soldiers shielded their prophet against the raining arrows. On that day, the Prophet gave his white flag (flag of war) to two of the settlers and then a man from Ansar, but they returned one after the other without having any advances. The Prophet said: "Tomorrow i will give my flag to someone whom God and His messenger love, and God will grant the victory to Muslims through his hands, and he will not be indolent." The next morning, the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) chose his cousin Ali (AS), who suffered from pain in his eyes, that later was Healed with prophet's pray and then the flag was given up to him.
Harith the brother of Marhab was killed
As Harith, the brother of the Marhab (head of the castle), came to war with a group, Muslim soldiers dispersed, but Ali (AS) resisted against hundreds of enemy soldiers and finally killed Harith, and then soldiers of Harith fled to the fort and closed the gates. After killing of Harith, Marhab his brother came out of the castle while bragging of war.
Killing of Marhab
Plenty of Ahli Sunnah sources have announced that Imam Ali (AS) after being permitted by prophet himself, went to fight Marhab. Marhab was killed and the castle was conquered afterwards.
Conquest of Qamus castle
According to another narration, the largest, most intense and strongest castle in Khaybar was قموص (Qamus), and the Prophet gave the flag to Imam Ali and he conquered the castle with the death of Marhab.
According to Abu Rafe', a man struck Ali (AS) alongside the castle. The shield fell from imam's hands and he inevitably placed the shield with the door near the castle and fought with it continuously, until the Lord opened the castle to him and sent the massage of victory to prophet Muhammad (PBUH). According to a narration, the Jewish man who struck Imam near the door of castle was the same Marhab. It has been said that after that, forty or seventy people were able to take the door away (pointing at the weight of door which was the main gate of the castle). Fateful conquest of Khaybar by Ali (as) is considered to be one of the virtues of imam, which the narrators are all in agreement upon that. After the murder of these Jewish brave men and a number of others who were all in the castle, the complete conquest of Khaybar was made easy.
Casualties of Muslims : 18 martyrs
Casualties of Jews : 93 dead
@Falcon29
@Awan68
Looks like Arab tribes and Kuffar of Quraysh were not that good with prophet of Islam. Israel looks like the new stronghold, place of conspiring with ISIS/Nusra/Qaeda/TTP against Islamic resistance in the region.
