In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.
An Abridged Guide to the Prophetic biography (Seerah),
Authored by Sheikh Musa ibn Rashid Al-Azimi,
May Allah preserve him.
The Conquest of the Fortress of Qal'at Az-Zubayr.
The Jews who had fled from the fortress of As-Sa'b ibn Mu'adh moved
To the fortress of Qal'at Az-Zubayr.
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, besieged it for three days.
Then a Jewish man named Ghazal came forward
And said to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him:
"O Abu al-Qasim,
Will you grant me safety if I show you how to be relieved of the people of An-Natah,
So that you may move on to the people of Ash-Shiqq?
For the people of Ash-Shiqq are already overwhelmed with terror of you."
So the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, granted him safety for his family and his wealth.
The Jewish man then said:
"Even if you were to remain here for a month, they would not care,
For they have subterranean water channels
Through which they come out by night to drink,
And then return to their fortress, remaining fortified against you.
But if you cut off their water supply, they will be forced out into the open to fight you."
So the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, went to their underground springs and cut them off.
When he cut off their water supplies,
They came out and fought most fiercely.
A small group of Muslims were martyred on that day,
While ten of the Jews were struck down.
And the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, conquered it.
This was the last of the fortresses of An-Natah.
Should it be said that so-and-so is a martyr?
Imam Muslim recorded in his Sahih
On the authority of 'Umar ibn Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
"On the day of Khaybar,
A group of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, came forward
And began saying, 'So-and-so is a martyr; so-and-so is a martyr,'
Until they passed by a man and said, 'So-and-so is a martyr.'
Whereupon the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
'By no means! Indeed, I saw him in the Fire
For a cloak—or a garment—that he purloined from the spoils of war.'
Then the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
'O Ibn Al-Khattab!
Go and proclaim among the people
That none shall enter Paradise except the believers.'
'Umar said: So I went out and proclaimed:
'Behold! None shall enter Paradise except the believers.'"
And Imam Al-Bukhari recorded in his Sahih
On the authority of 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr ibn Al-'As, may Allah be pleased with them both, who said:
"There was a man in charge of the baggage of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
Who was called Karkarah.
When he died,
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
'He is in the Fire.'
The people went to look at him
And found a cloak that he had illegally stolen from the spoils of war."
Lessons derived from the hadith:
Imam An-Nawawi said:
"Among the lessons of the hadith
Is the severe prohibition of purloining spoils of war (ghulul).
Another is that there is no difference whether the purloined item is little or much,
Even if it were a shoe strap.
Another is that purloining spoils prevents the designation of martyrdom from being applied to the one who embezzled, even if he was killed.
Another is that no one who dies upon disbelief will enter Paradise,
And this is by the consensus of the Muslims."
The Conquest of the Fortress of Ubayy,
One of the two fortresses of Ash-Shiqq.
When the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, finished with the fortresses of An-Natah,
The Jews withdrew to the fortresses of Ash-Shiqq.
In this sector there were two fortresses:
The fortress of Ubayy and the fortress of An-Nizar.
So the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, headed toward the fortress of Ubayy and besieged it.
Its occupants fought intensely
Until the Muslims defeated them
And conquered the fortress of Ubayy.
There they found furnishings and provisions,
While the Jews who had been inside fled to the fortress of An-Nizar,
Which was the last of the fortresses in An-Natah and Ash-Shiqq.
The Conquest of the Fortress of An-Nizar.
This fortress was the most impregnable fortress of An-Natah and Ash-Shiqq,
And the Jews fortified themselves within it most stubbornly.
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and his Companions marched against them.
Arrows were exchanged back and forth until their arrows reached the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
The siege grew severe upon the Jews inside the fortress of An-Nizar.
Then the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, ordered that a catapult be mounted—
It seems they had found it in some of the fortresses they had previously conquered.
They breached the walls of the fortress of An-Nizar,
After which the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, stormed through the breach.
Fierce combat took place between them and the Jews inside the fortress,
Until the Jews suffered a crushing defeat.
Those who could flee fled, leaving behind their women and children.
Following the conquest of the fortress of An-Nizar—
Which was the final fortress of the first sector of Khaybar,
Namely the district of An-Natah and Ash-Shiqq—
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, moved
To the second sector of the fortresses of Khaybar,
Which was the fortresses of Al-Katibah, comprising three strongholds:
Al-Qamus, Al-Watih, and As-Salalim.
An Abridged Guide to the Prophetic biography (Seerah).
If people's longing for one another may endure,
The longing for you is boundless and beyond measure.
May Allah send blessings upon you as long as the call to prayer is raised,
And as long as lips move with the remainder of devotion.