Short answer
They were judged for treason in war, not killed for being Jews. Banu Qurayza, a Jewish tribe of Medina, were in treaty with the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ), and broke it while an army was besieging the city (Bukhari 4028). After the siege they surrendered and agreed to the judgement of Sa'd ibn Mu'adh, chief of the Aws, their own allies (Bukhari 4121). He judged that their fighting men be put to death and the women and children taken captive. That is the Torah's own law for a city that refuses peace and makes war (Deuteronomy 20:12-14). Sa'd's ruling was narrower: boys who had not reached puberty were let go (Tirmidhi 1584). Those who came over to the Prophet (ﷺ) were granted safety (Bukhari 4028). Treason is still punishable by death in the United States today (18 U.S. Code 2381), and in many countries around the world. India can punish waging war against the state with death, and Japan's law sets death for plotting with a foreign power that then attacks the country. Even Brazil, which ended the death penalty in peacetime, keeps it for treason in a declared war.
Full explanation
A treaty, then a siege
Banu Qurayza were one of the Jewish tribes of Medina, and they were in treaty with the Prophet (ﷺ). Chiefs of another Jewish tribe, the Banu al-Nadir, had been exiled from Medina after fighting him (Bukhari 4028). They went to the Quraysh at Mecca and to the tribes of Ghatafan, and urged them to attack Medina together (Ibn Ishaq). In 627 these Confederates came and besieged the city. The Muslims held them off with a trench. The Qur'an remembers that siege: "they came on you from above you and from below you, and behold, the eyes became dim and the hearts gaped up to the throats" (33:10).
Ibn Umar reports that Banu al-Nadir and Banu Qurayza fought against the Prophet (ﷺ). He exiled Banu al-Nadir and let Banu Qurayza stay, until they fought him again. Then their men were killed and their women, children and property divided among the Muslims, except some who came to the Prophet (ﷺ): he granted them safety, and they became Muslims.
Reports that chiefs of the exiled Banu al-Nadir, among them Huyayy ibn Akhtab, went to Khaybar; that they later went to the Quraysh at Mecca and to Ghatafan and urged them to attack the Prophet (ﷺ) together, which brought the Confederate armies to Medina; and that during the siege Huyayy pressed Ka'b ibn Asad, chief of Banu Qurayza, who had first refused, saying he was in treaty with Muhammad (ﷺ) and had always found him loyal and faithful, until Ka'b broke his promise and cut the bond between them. The Prophet (ﷺ) sent the chiefs of the Aws and the Khazraj to find out, and they found it worse than reported.
“O ye who believe! Remember the Grace of Allah, (bestowed) on you, when there came down on you hosts (to overwhelm you): But We sent against them a hurricane and forces that ye saw not: but Allah sees (clearly) all that ye do. Behold! they came on you from above you and from below you, and behold, the eyes became dim and the hearts gaped up to the throats, and ye imagined various (vain) thoughts about Allah!”
The treaty broken during the siege
Huyayy ibn Akhtab, a chief of the exiled Banu al-Nadir, came to Ka'b ibn Asad, chief of Qurayza. Ka'b at first shut his door on him. He said he was in treaty with Muhammad (ﷺ) and had always found him loyal and faithful. Huyayy pressed him until he gave way, and Ka'b broke his promise and cut the bond between them. The Prophet (ﷺ) sent the chiefs of the Aws and the Khazraj to find out if it was true, and they found it worse than reported (Ibn Ishaq). Ibn Umar sums it up: Banu al-Nadir and Banu Qurayza fought against the Prophet (ﷺ) (Bukhari 4028). The Qur'an refers to them as "those of the People of the Book who aided them", the besiegers (33:26). To go over to the army besieging a city while in treaty with it is treason in war.
Reports that chiefs of the exiled Banu al-Nadir, among them Huyayy ibn Akhtab, went to Khaybar; that they later went to the Quraysh at Mecca and to Ghatafan and urged them to attack the Prophet (ﷺ) together, which brought the Confederate armies to Medina; and that during the siege Huyayy pressed Ka'b ibn Asad, chief of Banu Qurayza, who had first refused, saying he was in treaty with Muhammad (ﷺ) and had always found him loyal and faithful, until Ka'b broke his promise and cut the bond between them. The Prophet (ﷺ) sent the chiefs of the Aws and the Khazraj to find out, and they found it worse than reported.
Ibn Umar reports that Banu al-Nadir and Banu Qurayza fought against the Prophet (ﷺ). He exiled Banu al-Nadir and let Banu Qurayza stay, until they fought him again. Then their men were killed and their women, children and property divided among the Muslims, except some who came to the Prophet (ﷺ): he granted them safety, and they became Muslims.
“And those of the People of the Book who aided them - Allah did take them down from their strongholds and cast terror into their hearts. (So that) some ye slew, and some ye made prisoners.”
Surrender, and a judge they accepted
When the Confederates gave up and left, the Prophet (ﷺ) besieged the forts of Qurayza for twenty-five nights. Their own chief, Ka'b ibn Asad, put three choices to them. The first was to follow the Prophet (ﷺ), whom, he said, they knew from their own scripture, and so save their lives, their property and their families. They refused (Ibn Ishaq). Then they surrendered. The Aws, their allies, asked the Prophet (ﷺ) for them, and he offered that one of the Aws should judge them. The Aws agreed, and he named their chief, Sa'd ibn Mu'adh (Ibn Ishaq). Qurayza agreed to accept Sa'd's verdict (Bukhari 4121; Tirmidhi 1582). Sa'd was a Muslim, and he had been wounded by an arrow in the siege. His people begged him to be lenient with their allies, and he answered that he would not heed any man's blame in the cause of Allah (Ibn Ishaq).
Reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) besieged Banu Qurayza for twenty-five nights; that their chief Ka'b ibn Asad put three choices to them, the first being to follow the Prophet (ﷺ), whom he said they knew from their scripture, and they refused; that the Aws, their allies, asked for them and agreed that one of their own should judge, and the Prophet (ﷺ) named Sa'd ibn Mu'adh, chief of the Aws; that Sa'd's people urged him to be lenient and he said he would not heed any man's blame in the cause of Allah; that Sa'd had his people pledge by Allah to accept his judgement, and the Prophet (ﷺ) agreed; that Amr ibn Su'da of Qurayza, who had refused to join the treachery, was let go, and the Prophet (ﷺ) said Allah had delivered him for his faithfulness; and that the men put to death were 600 or 700, though some put the figure as high as 800 or 900.
Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reports that Banu Qurayza agreed to accept the verdict of Sa'd ibn Mu'adh. The Prophet (ﷺ) sent for Sa'd and told the Ansar to stand for their chief. Sa'd judged that their fighting men be killed and their offspring taken captive, and the Prophet (ﷺ) said he had judged with Allah's judgement.
Jabir reports that Sa'd ibn Mu'adh was struck by an arrow on the day of the Confederates and prayed not to die before Banu Qurayza's fate was settled. They surrendered to Sa'd's arbitration, and he judged that their men be killed and their women taken captive. The Prophet (ﷺ) said he had judged according to Allah's judgement. They numbered four hundred.
- Before 627
In treaty
Banu Qurayza are bound by treaty to the Prophet (ﷺ).
- 627
The Confederates at Medina
The Quraysh, Ghatafan and their allies besiege the city; the Muslims hold a trench.
- During the siege
The treaty broken
Their chief Ka'b ibn Asad gives way to Huyayy ibn Akhtab and breaks his promise.
- After the siege
Twenty-five nights
The Muslims besiege their forts until they surrender.
- The judgement
Sa'd ibn Mu'adh
Chief of their allies the Aws, accepted by them, he judges the fighting men to death and the women and children captive.
Sa'd's judgement and the Torah's law of war
Sa'd judged that their fighting men be killed and their women and children taken captive, and the Prophet (ﷺ) said he had judged with the judgement of Allah (Bukhari 4121). The Torah gives the same law. An army that comes to a city is first to offer it peace (Deuteronomy 20:10). If the city accepts, its people serve as tributaries (20:11). "And if it will make no peace with thee, but will make war against thee, then thou shalt besiege it" (20:12). When it falls, "thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword: But the women, and the little ones" are taken (20:13-14). Qurayza had made war while under treaty, and Sa'd gave the Torah's ruling for a city that makes war. His ruling was narrower than the Torah's: the Torah spares no male, and Sa'd's judgement spared the boys.
Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reports that Banu Qurayza agreed to accept the verdict of Sa'd ibn Mu'adh. The Prophet (ﷺ) sent for Sa'd and told the Ansar to stand for their chief. Sa'd judged that their fighting men be killed and their offspring taken captive, and the Prophet (ﷺ) said he had judged with Allah's judgement.
“When thou comest nigh unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it.”
“And it shall be, if it make thee answer of peace, and open unto thee, then it shall be, that all the people that is found therein shall be tributaries unto thee, and they shall serve thee.”
“And if it will make no peace with thee, but will make war against thee, then thou shalt besiege it:”
“And when the Lord thy God hath delivered it into thine hands, thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword: But the women, and the little ones, and the cattle, and all that is in the city, even all the spoil thereof, shalt thou take unto thyself; and thou shalt eat the spoil of thine enemies, which the Lord thy God hath given thee.”
| Point | Deuteronomy 20 | Sa'd's judgement |
|---|---|---|
| A city that makes war | Besiege it | Their forts were besieged |
| The men | Every male put to the sword | The men; boys before puberty let go |
| The women and children | Taken | Taken captive |
| Those who came over | Not mentioned | Granted safety |
Who was put to death, and who was spared
The judgement fell on the men. Boys who had not reached puberty were let go: Atiyya al-Qurazi said he was one of them, and he lived to tell it (Tirmidhi 1584). The women and children were taken captive (Bukhari 4121; Tirmidhi 1582). Some of Qurayza came over to the Prophet (ﷺ), and he granted them safety, and they became Muslims (Bukhari 4028). Amr ibn Su'da of Qurayza, who had refused to join the treachery, was let go, and the Prophet (ﷺ) said Allah (﷾) had delivered him for his faithfulness (Ibn Ishaq). Those who had kept faith were not punished for the faith they kept.
Atiyya al-Qurazi says that on the day of Qurayza they were brought before the Prophet (ﷺ): those who had reached puberty were killed, and those who had not were let go. He had not, and was let go. Al-Tirmidhi notes that scholars took this as a sign of the age of responsibility when a boy's age is not known.
Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reports that Banu Qurayza agreed to accept the verdict of Sa'd ibn Mu'adh. The Prophet (ﷺ) sent for Sa'd and told the Ansar to stand for their chief. Sa'd judged that their fighting men be killed and their offspring taken captive, and the Prophet (ﷺ) said he had judged with Allah's judgement.
Jabir reports that Sa'd ibn Mu'adh was struck by an arrow on the day of the Confederates and prayed not to die before Banu Qurayza's fate was settled. They surrendered to Sa'd's arbitration, and he judged that their men be killed and their women taken captive. The Prophet (ﷺ) said he had judged according to Allah's judgement. They numbered four hundred.
Ibn Umar reports that Banu al-Nadir and Banu Qurayza fought against the Prophet (ﷺ). He exiled Banu al-Nadir and let Banu Qurayza stay, until they fought him again. Then their men were killed and their women, children and property divided among the Muslims, except some who came to the Prophet (ﷺ): he granted them safety, and they became Muslims.
Reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) besieged Banu Qurayza for twenty-five nights; that their chief Ka'b ibn Asad put three choices to them, the first being to follow the Prophet (ﷺ), whom he said they knew from their scripture, and they refused; that the Aws, their allies, asked for them and agreed that one of their own should judge, and the Prophet (ﷺ) named Sa'd ibn Mu'adh, chief of the Aws; that Sa'd's people urged him to be lenient and he said he would not heed any man's blame in the cause of Allah; that Sa'd had his people pledge by Allah to accept his judgement, and the Prophet (ﷺ) agreed; that Amr ibn Su'da of Qurayza, who had refused to join the treachery, was let go, and the Prophet (ﷺ) said Allah had delivered him for his faithfulness; and that the men put to death were 600 or 700, though some put the figure as high as 800 or 900.
How many
The number is reported differently. A sahih hadith gives four hundred (Tirmidhi 1582). Ibn Ishaq, who died about 140 years after the event, gives six or seven hundred, and adds that some put it as high as eight or nine hundred. The Qur'an gives no number: "some ye slew, and some ye made prisoners" (33:26). The higher figures come from the later biography, not from the hadith collections.
Jabir reports that Sa'd ibn Mu'adh was struck by an arrow on the day of the Confederates and prayed not to die before Banu Qurayza's fate was settled. They surrendered to Sa'd's arbitration, and he judged that their men be killed and their women taken captive. The Prophet (ﷺ) said he had judged according to Allah's judgement. They numbered four hundred.
Reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) besieged Banu Qurayza for twenty-five nights; that their chief Ka'b ibn Asad put three choices to them, the first being to follow the Prophet (ﷺ), whom he said they knew from their scripture, and they refused; that the Aws, their allies, asked for them and agreed that one of their own should judge, and the Prophet (ﷺ) named Sa'd ibn Mu'adh, chief of the Aws; that Sa'd's people urged him to be lenient and he said he would not heed any man's blame in the cause of Allah; that Sa'd had his people pledge by Allah to accept his judgement, and the Prophet (ﷺ) agreed; that Amr ibn Su'da of Qurayza, who had refused to join the treachery, was let go, and the Prophet (ﷺ) said Allah had delivered him for his faithfulness; and that the men put to death were 600 or 700, though some put the figure as high as 800 or 900.
“And those of the People of the Book who aided them - Allah did take them down from their strongholds and cast terror into their hearts. (So that) some ye slew, and some ye made prisoners.”
| Source | Number |
|---|---|
| Tirmidhi 1582, a sahih hadith | 400 |
| Ibn Ishaq | 600 or 700 |
| Others, as Ibn Ishaq reports | As many as 800 or 900 |
| The Qur'an | No number given |
Treason in war, then and now
Every nation treats going over to the enemy in wartime as one of the gravest crimes. And treaties bound the Muslims too. The Prophet (ﷺ) warned that whoever kills a person under a treaty with the Muslims will not smell the fragrance of Paradise (Bukhari 3166). Today, under United States law, a person who owes allegiance to the United States and levies war against it is guilty of treason. So is one who adheres to its enemies, giving them aid and comfort. The penalty can be death (18 U.S. Code 2381). Many other countries say the same. India's law can punish waging war against the state with death. Japan's Penal Code sets death for anyone who conspires with a foreign state and so causes it to use armed force against Japan. Brazil ended the death penalty in peacetime, but keeps it for a declared war, and its military law allows it for treason in war.
Abdullah ibn Amr reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said that whoever kills a person who has a treaty with the Muslims will not smell the fragrance of Paradise, though its fragrance reaches a distance of forty years.
Whoever owes allegiance to the United States and levies war against it, or adheres to its enemies, giving them aid and comfort, is guilty of treason, and shall suffer death, or be imprisoned for not less than five years and fined.
Whoever wages war against the Government of India, or attempts to wage such war, or abets the waging of such war, shall be punished with death, or imprisonment for life and shall also be liable to fine.
Article 81 punishes with death a person who conspires with a foreign state and thereby causes it to use armed force against Japan. It is the only crime in Japanese law for which death is the one penalty the court can give.
The Constitution forbids the death penalty except in case of declared war (Article 5, XLVII). The Military Penal Code, in its book on military crimes in time of war, punishes treason, a Brazilian taking up arms against Brazil, with death at the most severe degree (Article 355).
The claims, answered
Sahih al-Bukhari 4121 — Kitab al-Maghazi (Military Expeditions), hadith 4121
Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reports that Banu Qurayza agreed to accept the verdict of Sa'd ibn Mu'adh. The Prophet (ﷺ) sent for Sa'd and told the Ansar to stand for their chief. Sa'd judged that their fighting men be killed and their offspring taken captive, and the Prophet (ﷺ) said he had judged with Allah's judgement.
Cited for
The Prophet (ﷺ) massacred the Jews of Banu Qurayza for no reason.
The response
The reason is in the sources. Qurayza were in treaty with him and broke it while the Confederates were besieging Medina (Bukhari 4028; Ibn Ishaq). After they surrendered they accepted the judgement of the chief of their own allies (Bukhari 4121).
Where it lands — The charge was treason in war, and they accepted the judge.
Ibn Ishaq, Sirat Rasul Allah — Banu al-Nadir at Khaybar, the Confederates, and Qurayza's treaty broken
Reports that chiefs of the exiled Banu al-Nadir, among them Huyayy ibn Akhtab, went to Khaybar; that they later went to the Quraysh at Mecca and to Ghatafan and urged them to attack the Prophet (ﷺ) together, which brought the Confederate armies to Medina; and that during the siege Huyayy pressed Ka'b ibn Asad, chief of Banu Qurayza, who had first refused, saying he was in treaty with Muhammad (ﷺ) and had always found him loyal and faithful, until Ka'b broke his promise and cut the bond between them. The Prophet (ﷺ) sent the chiefs of the Aws and the Khazraj to find out, and they found it worse than reported.
Cited for
Qurayza never actually fought.
The response
Ibn Umar says Banu al-Nadir and Banu Qurayza fought against the Prophet (ﷺ) (Bukhari 4028), and the Qur'an refers to them as those who "aided" the besiegers (33:26). Ka'b ibn Asad broke the treaty in the middle of the siege (Ibn Ishaq). A sworn ally who goes over to an army besieging the city is guilty of treason, whether or not he strikes a blow: United States law today counts adhering to the enemy, giving aid and comfort, as treason (18 U.S. Code 2381).
Where it lands — Going over to the enemy during a siege is treason in war.
Jami al-Tirmidhi 1584 — Kitab al-Siyar (Military Expeditions), hadith 1584
Atiyya al-Qurazi says that on the day of Qurayza they were brought before the Prophet (ﷺ): those who had reached puberty were killed, and those who had not were let go. He had not, and was let go. Al-Tirmidhi notes that scholars took this as a sign of the age of responsibility when a boy's age is not known.
Cited for
Boys were killed with the men.
The response
Those who had not reached puberty were let go. Atiyya al-Qurazi was one of them and told it himself (Tirmidhi 1584). The Torah's law for a city that makes war has no such exception: "thou shalt smite every male thereof" (Deuteronomy 20:13).
Where it lands — The judgement stopped at puberty, short of the Torah's law.
Ibn Ishaq, Sirat Rasul Allah — the siege of Banu Qurayza and Sa'd's judgement
Reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) besieged Banu Qurayza for twenty-five nights; that their chief Ka'b ibn Asad put three choices to them, the first being to follow the Prophet (ﷺ), whom he said they knew from their scripture, and they refused; that the Aws, their allies, asked for them and agreed that one of their own should judge, and the Prophet (ﷺ) named Sa'd ibn Mu'adh, chief of the Aws; that Sa'd's people urged him to be lenient and he said he would not heed any man's blame in the cause of Allah; that Sa'd had his people pledge by Allah to accept his judgement, and the Prophet (ﷺ) agreed; that Amr ibn Su'da of Qurayza, who had refused to join the treachery, was let go, and the Prophet (ﷺ) said Allah had delivered him for his faithfulness; and that the men put to death were 600 or 700, though some put the figure as high as 800 or 900.
Cited for
Nine hundred men were killed.
The response
The sahih hadith gives four hundred (Tirmidhi 1582). Nine hundred is the highest figure Ibn Ishaq reports others giving; his own figure is six or seven hundred. Whatever the number, they were the men of a tribe that had gone over to an army besieging Medina.
Where it lands — The sahih number is four hundred; the higher figures are later.
Perspectives
A massacre of Jews
The Prophet (ﷺ) besieged a Jewish tribe, had hundreds of its men put to death in a single day, and enslaved the women and children. That was a massacre.
They were killed for being Jews.
Rebuttal
They were judged for breaking their treaty in the middle of a siege (Bukhari 4028; Ibn Ishaq). A man of Qurayza who refused the treachery was let go. And those who came over to the Prophet (ﷺ) were granted safety (Bukhari 4028; Ibn Ishaq).
The judge was not neutral.
Rebuttal
Sa'd was a Muslim. He was also the chief of the Aws, Qurayza's own allies, who had asked for leniency for them, and Qurayza agreed to accept his verdict (Bukhari 4121; Ibn Ishaq). His ruling was the Torah's law for a city that makes war, and narrower than it (Deuteronomy 20:12-14).
Boys were killed too.
Rebuttal
The line was drawn at puberty, the age at which a boy is counted a man. Atiyya al-Qurazi says those who had not reached it were let go, and he was one of them (Tirmidhi 1584). The Torah's law of war spares no male (Deuteronomy 20:13).
The Islamic perspective
Banu Qurayza broke their treaty while Medina was under siege. They accepted a judge from their own allies, and his ruling was the Torah's own law of war, applied more narrowly. Those who came over, the man who refused the treachery, and the boys were spared.
Qurayza broke their treaty with the Prophet (ﷺ) during the siege of the Trench.
They accepted the judgement of Sa'd ibn Mu'adh, chief of their allies the Aws.
Sa'd's judgement matched the Torah's law for a city that makes war, and spared the boys.
Treason in war is still punishable by death in the United States and in many other countries.