ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Biography of Imam `alĪ Ibn AbĪ-tĀlib The Campaign of Khaybar After the Truce of Hudaybiyah, in the beginning of the seventh year of the Migration, the Prophet (a.s) decided to invade Khaybar. Khaybar is a word from the Hebrew lexicon. This means either a fort or a rampart. There is another saying that among `Amaliqah (the giants), there were two brothers by names of Yathrib and Khaybar. Wherever they resided, those places got named after them.

Therefore, after the name of Yathrib the city of al-Madinah was originally named. So too was named Khaybar after the brother of that name. Khaybar is located eighty miles from al-Madinah on the border of Hijaz and Syria. It was famous for its oases and greenery and was inhabited by the Jews. It was also the center of their armed forces. For defensive purposes they had built seven small and big forts. These forts were named as al-Na`am, al-Katibah, al-Shiqq, al-Natat, al-Wati, Salamlam and Qamūs.

In these forts lived ten to fourteen thousand Jews. In this number those who were exiled from al-Madinah too were there who had fought the Muslims in collaboration with the infidels and had lost the battle notwithstanding their numerical strength and better battle equipment. When they heard that the Muslims had accepted the Quraysh’s terms of truce at al-Hudaybiyah, they thought that the Muslims now have no will to fight.

Because of this misapprehension, they thought the Muslims have surrendered their spirit to fight and, therefore, the time was ripe for the Jews to start a campaign of attack and destruction against them to erase the shame of the Battle of Ahzab. Although the Jews were not lesser in numbers, even then to augment their forces, they made an agreement of cooperation with Banū-Ghatafan who were located about six miles from Khaybar.

They promised to Banū-Ghatafan that they would give half the produce of Khaybar if they helped them win against the Muslims. The Banū-Ghatafan agreed to this offer and sent four thousand troops for the campaign. When the Prophet (a.s) learned that the Jews of Khaybar were preparing to attack al-Madinah, he thought of taking punitive action at the earliest.

Therefore, after return from Hudaybiyah, they stayed in al-Madinah for twenty days and with one thousand and six hundred , of whom there were some cavaliers and the rest footmen, proceeded toward Khaybar. When the Islamic army reached the outskirts of Khaybar it was morning.