Today we will discuss another contravesrial topic.

The expulsion of the Banu Nad

heer. Its a direct precursor to the battle of Ahzab. The main people who instiga
ted this battle was the Banu Nadheer.
Ok so when did this take place? After the incidents of Ar Rij and Ma'una which h
appened in Safar in the 4th year of the Hijrah. If we recall Amr ibn Ummayah was
the only sahabi who didn't die in that massacare, and on the way back met two p
eople from the very tribe who did the massacare and killed them. He of course di
d not know the whole story; he only assumed the whole tribe was guilty of the cr
ime. Therefore these were two innocent lives that died and the prophet PBUH hims
elf said he will pay the blood money. The blood money for one person was 100 cam
els, so for two it would be 200 camels which was a vast sum.
Islamic law stipulates that in cases of accidental manslaughter, the blood money
is paid by the entire tribe. This is one of those issues in modern fiqh we have
no idea who to do. 100 camels is simply too much for one person to afford: the
tribe would have a general fund (the treasury of the tribe). So if accidental ma
nslaughter happens, Islamic fiqh stipulates you have to pay blood money and fast
two months. The books of fiqh and the hadith state the tribe will help out. No
doubt the one who did the crime pays a big percentage, but the tribe will see th
e situation. If the criminal is poor, then the tribe will pay the bulk of it.
So back to the story: by rights of the constitution of Madinah, the prophet PBUH
wanted help in paying the blood money from the Banu Nadheer for something that
is common in the entire city in Madinah. There were previous troubles with the B
anu Nadheer. Some of them conspired to murder the people of the Suffa i.e. the u
luma. And Allah willed that one of them shared the plot with someone who told th
e muslims. So Allah exposed their plot and no harm was done - they weren't punis
hed as a group, just the individual people. We also learn from Musa ibn Uqbah, a
n early authority, that the Banu Nadheer helped the Quraysh during Uhud that the
y talk. Yet another problem was the killing of Ka'af ibn Ashraf. Recall he was b
oth Arab and a Jew. His mother was from the Banu Nadheer, and his father was fro
m the Quraysh. He was one of the richest businessman (he had a private fortress.
And as such the Banu Nadheer considered him one of their cheiftons, one of the
elite. So there was tension asking the Banu Nadheer for the blood money but the
prophet PBUH, Umar RA, Abu Bukr RA etc all decided to go meet them.
The Banu Nadheer had massive lands of date palm trees and in the middle of the f
ields they would build their fortresses. This was something unique about the jew
s. When they saw the prophet PBUH and the sahabah, the leaders among them were h
appy and welcomed the prophet PBUH. And one of the leaders said "it's about time
you've come to us for help". So they put the prophet PBUH outside the fortress
and they go inside to discuss what to do. One of them said "this is the best opp
ortunity: he is sitting right outside our fortress, we can throw a rock on him a
nd thats it our problems are finished". Eventually the plan was enacted that yes
"let us go up to the top and launch a rock on the prophet PBUH". Immediately th
e prophet PBUH just stook up and walked away and returned to Madinah. Why? Becau
se Jibreel AS said "Stand up RIGHT NOW and leave". And thus the prophet PBUH lef
t immediately. The jews themselves were waiting for him to return but he didn't
of course. According to one report they said "great you are here, we will prepar
e a big feast and the fortress, just sit and wait here". There was nothing fishy
about this - it makes complete sense for them to ask the prophet PBUH to wait.
But of course they used this to try to assassinate the prophet PBUH. In Surah Ma
idhah Allah references them in verse 11 "Remember the blessings of Allah on you
- when a group among you desired to reach you to kill you. Allah stopped their h
ands from reaching you". Surah Maidhah is all about the treachery of the group a
nd what they've done. This surah came down 4 years after this incident, but Alla
h is reminding them.
So the prophet PBUH returned back to Madinah, he told the sahabah what had happe

ned, and then send a messenger through Muhammad ibn Maslama and he exposed the w
hole plot: "this is what you said, this is what you planned... and I give you th
e only option which is to leave in 10 days. And if we say any of you in 10 days,
we will give a death penalty". They knew they were at fault and they tried to a
rgue with Muhammad ibn Muslama but he said "Islam has changed everything - the l
oyalties are only in relation to Allah and His messenger". They were literally c
aught red handed so they agreed to leave. When news spread, Abdullah ibn Ubay ib
n Salool could not believe this was happening and that they would be expelled. S
o he sent them a message: that no matter what happens, he will take care of them
and he will guarantee their protection. And he will not listen to anyone who tr
ies to expel them, and if need be he will fight with them against any (meaning t
he prophet PBUH) and worst case scenario if they are expelled he will expel hims
elf. He himself is telling the Banu Nadheer so many oaths that he will defend, f
ight for them etc. And he also says "I've called my allies from the Gatafaan, th
ey will come 2000 strong and we will together defend you". Indeed when you have
this noble cheifton giving his self imposed exile, they of course were persuaded
. But indeed in the Quran Allah testifies he is a liar even as he says this. Non
etheless Abdullah ibn Ubay assured them. And that "we will not obey anyone again
st you" - this is the Quran. Meaning he will not obey the prophet PBUH. And Alla
h says "Allah is testifying this person is a liar".
Huyay ibn Akhtab was one of the main cheiftons of Banu Nadheer, his daughter is
Saffiyah who will eventually be a wife of the prophet PBUH. Saffiyah herself tel
ls us what happened: "when the prophet PBUH first came to Madinah, my father and
uncle were excited that maybe this is 'the one'." Indeed the jews were expectin
g someone to come. They would threaten the arabs "when we get this person we wil
l overcome you". But at the same time they didn't expect them to be from other t
han them. Saffiyah narrates when her father and uncle came back from Madinah the
uncle asked "is he the one?" And her father said "by Allah he is the one". So h
er uncle said "what will you do?" And he said "to be his enemy as long as I live
" - that is, he simply could not accept anyone not a jew.
So when this news came Huyay ibn Akhtab decided to take a stand. "You think they
are one group, but amongst them they have so many different groups". Huyay want
ed to fight but many other jews did not want to. They had a verbal disagreement
but eventually Huyay wins over. So they decide they will fight. Initally they ag
reed to leave but when Abdullah ibn Ubay convinces them they will stay. So they
sent a messenger to the prophet PBUH and said "we will stay so do whatever you w
ant". As soon as the prophet PBUH heard this he exclaimed "Allah-u-akbar!" Why?
Because they realised it will turn out positive. Immediately the same day, withi
n a day he reached their fotress and laid seige to them. Even the jews were shoc
ked how quickly they were there.
So now the Banu Nadheer were waiting for Abdullah ibn Ubays promise. And after a
ll of his promises no help came - he did not lift a finger. And so as the days p
assed it was clear he would not do anything. Note during the seige there was no
fighting. The Banu Nadheer were just waiting for external help to come. And to d
emonstrate how confident the muslims and the prophet PBUH were, the prophet PBUH
left the Banu Nadheer still in seige with a group outside of the fortress, and
he along with a majority of the sahabah went to the Banu Quraydha. Why? To renew
the constitution of Madinah and make them give oaths again. Note the Banu Quray
dha is the execution of all the males. Its perhaps the biggest smear that is don
e against the prophet PBUH. But the issue is alot of people view Banu Quraydha i
n isolation. But look at how fair the prophet PBUH was. Once again the prophet P
BUH went to the Banu Quraydha for the third time with solemn oaths to renew the
promise of the constitution. So when Khandak happens, and they betray the muslim
s with the worst betrayal possible, walahi what the prophet PBUH was the most ju
st action ever. 10,000 people surrounded the city of Madinah, and WITHIN the cit
y the Banu Quraydha betrayed the prophet PBUH. Thus it was a serious problem. Wh
y? Because the muslims had to choose between protecting the city or their famili

es. They can't be in two place at once. Allah says "Your hearts were in your CHE
STS". Even the sahabah their imaan was tested! What happened to the Banu Quraydh
a happened not because of their religion, or ethnicity but because they broke so
lemn oaths multiple times. Here again the prophet PBUH is asking the Banu Qurayd
ha and they agreed.
So one more issue happened that really demoralised the Banu Nadheer. They prided
themselves in their acres of lands full of date palms. And indeed it is not eas
y to grow and maintain such gardens. They had it all planted etc. Most important
ly the trees were perfectly ripe - it takes 5-8 years of effort to get to this s
tage. And so the prophet PBUH burnt down groups of the date palms. And they are
watching from the fortress. This isn't just money; it's their effort. And they b
egin crying that "you are calling for peace, but what kind of peace is this?" An
d this actually caused some people to question what the prophet PBUH is doing. A
llah revealed in the Quran regarding this. In any case very frankly the prophet
PBUH was very generous with the Banu Nadheer. After the chieftons tried to assas
sinate him through official shura, he forgives them, their lives, their properti
es and allows them to leave with as much as their camels can carry. It was a ver
y generous offer. And the prophet PBUH said "take whatever you can". So the Banu
Nadheer packed their belongings and out of sheer spite they took axes at their
own houses. And they hacked down their own beautiful structures. Kaybar had the
most massive fortresses in the entire Arabian Penesullia. And they took an axe t
o everything they built with their own hands. And indeed this was a punishment f
or them from Allah. Ibn Ishaaq mentions the amount of wealth they had hidden in
these fortresses, the treasures, fabric, jewels etc. The sahabah were just amaze
d. And indeed they took everything they could. And the whole tribe was walking,
while all the camels are loaded to the absolute top. Many of them even took thei
r own doors - they put the door on top of the camel! The few who converted to Is
lam were allowed to keep their houses.
As for all the land and date palms and booty left behind. Allah revealed "this i
s not ganeema - it is fay" and this is another issue of fiqh. 'Fay' is that whic
h is obtained with no fighting or war. The rules of fay are very different to th
ose of ganeema. Note all these rules of ganeema, fay etc applied to only the arm
ies of early Islam. Why? Because the armies were made up of volunteers only - th
ey used their own horse, own weapons etc. There was no paid army. They are simpl
y not applicable in our times or any time where the army is paid a salary. And s
o the prophet PBUH distributed everything left over to the muhajiroon. All the a
cres of land were given to them. WHy? They had no land and so it was a beautiful
and deserved reward that will help the economy of the Ansar and the muhajir. Be
cause up until this time the Ansar were helping the muhajir. Now the muhajir and
Ansar are more equal.
And Allah revealed the entire surah al Hashr because of the Banu Nadheer. Ibn Ab
bas refused to call it surah al Hashr, he said its surah Banu Nadheer! Hashr is
'the gathering' and usually when Allah uses Hashr He refers to kiyaama. This is
why ibn Abbas wanted to call it suah Banu Nadheer. And so reading this surah in
light of what happened to the Banu Nadheer every ayat becomes very clear.
1) Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth exalts Allah , and He
is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.
2) It is He who expelled the ones who disbelieved among the People of the Script
ure from their homes at the first gathering. You did not think they would leave,
and they thought that their fortresses would protect them from Allah ; but [the
decree of] Allah came upon them from where they had not expected, and He cast t
error into their hearts [so] they destroyed their houses by their [own] hands an
d the hands of the believers. So take warning, O people of vision.
So Allah is saying he dispelled the Banu Nadheer from their houses for the VERY

FIRST Hashr. What does this mean? There will be OTHER hashrs. And indeed there w
ere. There was the Hashr of the Banu Quraydha, and the Hashr of Khaybar. Where d
id the Banu Nadheer go? The majority when to Khaybar. So Allah is hinting "don't
worry we will deal with you again". And of course the ULTIMATE Hashr is being a
pplied too i.e. day of judgement. Then Allah says "you didn't think they would l
eave" - some say Allah is speaking to the sahabah, but the stronger position is
Allah is speaking to the Banu Nadheer directly. And they assumed their fortresse
s would protect them from Allah - how foolish can they be. But of course they ne
ver accepted the muslims gathered so quickly, all their allies are cut off etc.
They were scared and with their own hands destroyed their own houses. Then Allah
finishes by saying "take heed" to everyone else.
3) And if not that Allah had decreed for them evacuation, He would have punished
them in [this] world, and for them in the Hereafter is the punishment of the Fi
re.
4) That is because they opposed Allah and His Messenger. And whoever opposes All
ah - then indeed, Allah is severe in penalty.
Allah is saying here they are getting off easy - that they only will be exiled.
And the prophet PBUH let them take everything they could, as much as the camels
could hold. But of course they have the ultimate punishment waiting for them.
5) Whatever you have cut down of [their] palm trees or left standing on their tr
unks - it was by permission of Allah and so He would disgrace the defiantly diso
bedient.
Allah is approving and allowing the legitimacy of the destruction of the trees.
At the time the muslims felt "why are we destroying the trees WE will benefit fr
om?" They realised they will get it but Allah revealed in the Quran it was a tac
tic to make them humiliated.
6) And what Allah restored [of property] to His Messenger from them - you did no
t spur for it [in an expedition] any horses or camels, but Allah gives His messe
ngers power over whom He wills, and Allah is over all things competent.
Allah is saying here that you didn't fight for the 'fay' - He is mentioning it w
as Allahs gift that Allah gave the sahabah all these lands. There was never any
fear from the muslim side and Allah gifted everything.
7) And what Allah restored to His Messenger from the people of the towns - it is
for Allah and for the Messenger and for [his] near relatives and orphans and th
e [stranded] traveler - so that it will not be a perpetual distribution among th
e rich from among you. And whatever the Messenger has given you - take; and what
he has forbidden you - refrain from. And fear Allah ; indeed, Allah is severe i
n penalty.
Then Allah gives the rulings of the 'fay' i.e. who gets what. Why? So that it do
sen't go around amongst the elite of you. Walahi these four words are of the mos
t powerful verses of Islamic economics. And it destroyed many versions of modern
capatalism. The 1% owns 40% of the world. Its ALMOST half of the world. And its
increasing more and more. SubhanAllah. Allah says one of the primary wisdoms of
the shariah is that money should NOT go around amongst the elite. It should fil
ter down. Its related to the Banu Nadheer but we base our Islamic economics on t
his. Wealth should trickle down to society. The next verse we extrapolate that w
hatever the prophet PBUH says we take - whatever he dosent say we leave.
8) For the poor emigrants who were expelled from their homes and their propertie
s, seeking bounty from Allah and [His] approval and supporting Allah and His Mes
senger, [there is also a share]. Those are the truthful.

As for those who gave up everything in Mecca, and indeed they had to abandon eve
rything, Allah rewarded them much more from the Banu Nadheer.
9) And [also for] those who were settled in al-Madinah and [adopted] the faith b
efore them. They love those who emigrated to them and find not any want in their
breasts of what the emigrants were given but give [them] preference over themse
lves, even though they are in privation. And whoever is protected from the sting
iness of his soul - it is those who will be the successful.
Then Allah praises the Ansar - such a praise that this ayat became the most belo
ved ayat to the Ansar. That "theres another group who PREPARED the city and land
, and loved those who did the hijrah, and didn't feel anything in their hearts w
hen they gave". SubhanAllah Allah praises the Ansar that when they gave they gav
e selflessly. Allah tells the Ansar they are the successful.
10) And [there is a share for] those who came after them, saying, "Our Lord, for
give us and our brothers who preceded us in faith and put not in our hearts [any
] resentment toward those who have believed. Our Lord, indeed You are Kind and M
erciful."
And then WE are next. "As for those who come AFTER them" which is us. So we don'
t get the blessings of those two groups, but we make dua for those who have come
before and thus anyone who has any hatred of the sahabah should read this verse
.
11) Have you not considered those who practice hypocrisy, saying to their brothe
rs who have disbelieved among the People of the Scripture, "If you are expelled,
we will surely leave with you, and we will not obey, in regard to you, anyone ever; and if you are fought, we will surely aid you." But Allah testifies that
they are liars.
Allah discusses Abdullah ibn Ubay very elegantly and beautifully here. Of course
what he said to the Banu Nadheer was in complete secrecy but Allah exposes him
word for word. Allah testifies he is a liar.
12) If they are expelled, they will not leave with them, and if they are fought,
they will not aid them. And [even] if they should aid them, they will surely tu
rn their backs; then [thereafter] they will not be aided.
And Allah says even if they did help, they would be such cowards they would turn
around and run away.
13) You [believers] are more fearful within their breasts than Allah . That is b
ecause they are a people who do not understand.
Allah is saying the believers that they fear THEM more than Allah Himself. Allah
is saying this himself - that they are scared of humans more than Allah swt.
14) They will not fight you all except within fortified cities or from behind wa
lls. Their violence among themselves is severe. You think they are together, but
their hearts are diverse. That is because they are a people who do not reason.
Then Allah exposes their cowardice. They would never fight in battle and Allah e
xposes the disputes they had in between themselves. Allah gives two examples nex
t: first for Banu Nadheer, second for munafiqoon.
15) [Theirs is] like the example of those shortly before them: they tasted the b
ad consequence of their affair, and they will have a painful punishment.

Allah is saying "didn't they see the example of the Banu Qaynuqa?" Didn't they l
earn their lesson? In other words if you won't learn from the Quran learn from h
istory!
16) [The hypocrites are] like the example of Satan when he says to man, "Disbeli
eve." But when he disbelieves, he says, "Indeed, I am disassociated from you. In
deed, I fear Allah , Lord of the worlds."
17) So the outcome for both of them is that they will be in the Fire, abiding et
ernally therein. And that is the recompense of the wrong-doers.
And the example of the munafiqs is like Shaitan: when insaan rejects Allah shait
an says "I didn't tell you!" Meaning Abdullah ibn Ubay promises a million promis
es, but when it comes to fulfilling the promises he is nowhere. So Allah is lite
rally comparing Abdullah ibn Ubay to Shaitan. And then Allah says the 'both of t
hem are in the fire' meaning both the jews and munafiqs. The rest of the surah i
s Allahs names and attributes.
Now we understand Banu Nadheer walahi Surah Hashr is painting the story in front
of us. Without understanding the incident we could never understand it. Now we
understand Banu Nadheer Surah Hashr is as if every incident is being painted in
front of us.
One final point: when did this take place? There is a contraversy in the classic
al books. Some of the biggest names in the first generations of Islam say this t
ook place after Badr. This is the opinion of Uruwa ibn Zubair (94AH) and Ibn Shi
hab al-Zuhri (124AH) - both of them are the most famous scholars of the tabioon.
However later scholars said its a genuine mistake or they are confusing with th
e Banu Qaynuqa. Scholars of the next generation including Ibn Ishaaq (150AH), al
Waaqidi (207AH), ibn Sa'ad (230AH). Note Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri was Ibn Ishaaqs te
acher so one generation before. This shows us how much was left for later schola
rs to filter through all the narrations. They said it cant have been after Badr
because the 'blood money' of Bir Mu'ana clearly only took place after Uhud in Sa
far in the 4H. Thus the strongest opinion is it took place in Shawwal in the 4th
year of Hijrah.