In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.
The Abridgment of the Prophetic Biography (Seerah),
Authored by Sheikh Musa ibn Rashid al-'Azimi,
May Allah preserve him.
Were the fortresses of al-Katibah conquered by peaceful treaty?
The scholars of the Prophetic biography (Seerah) and military campaigns differed regarding the fortresses of al-Katibah:
Were they taken peacefully by treaty, or was there fighting over them?
Abu Dawud reported in his Sunan with an authentic chain of transmission
On the authority of Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
"The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) raided Khaybar,
And we took it by force, so the captives were gathered."
Abu Dawud also reported in his Sunan with an authentic chain to al-Zuhri, who said:
"It reached me that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
Conquered Khaybar by force after fighting,
And those of its people who surrendered did so on the condition of evacuation after the fighting."
And Abu Dawud reported in his Sunan with an authentic mursal chain
On the authority of Bashir ibn Yasar, who said:
"When Allah granted Khaybar to His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) as spoils,
He divided it into thirty-six shares,
Each share encompassing one hundred sub-shares.
He set aside half of it for his contingencies and whatever obligations befell him—
Namely al-Watihah, al-Katibah, and whatever was annexed along with them—
And he set aside the other half and divided it among the Muslims,
Namely al-Shiqq, al-Natat, and whatever was annexed along with them.
And the share of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
Was included in what was annexed along with the latter."
Imam al-Bayhaqi said:
"This is because part of Khaybar was conquered by force and part of it by peaceful treaty;
Thus, he divided what was conquered by force between the recipients of the fifth and the warriors who took the spoils,
While he reserved what was conquered by treaty for his administrative contingencies
And whatever was needed for the public welfare of the Muslims. And Allah knows best."
Imam Muslim reported in his Sahih and Abu Dawud in his Sunan,
With the wording belonging to Abu Dawud,
On the authority of 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said:
"When Khaybar was conquered,
The Jews requested the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
To allow them to remain therein on the condition that they work it for half of whatever it produced.
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
'I let you remain therein on that condition for as long as we wish.'
So they continued upon that agreement.
The dates used to be divided into portions from half of Khaybar,
And the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) would take the one-fifth share."
Imam al-Nawawi said:
"This demonstrates that Khaybar was conquered by force,
Because shares of spoils belong solely to the victorious fighters.
As for the statement, 'and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) would take the fifth,'
It means he would distribute it to its rightful recipients,
Who are the five categories mentioned in the words of the Exalted:
'And know that whatever spoils you take,
To Allah belongs one-fifth of it, and to the Messenger, and for the near relatives, the orphans, the needy, and the stranded traveler.'
Thus, he would take for his own maintenance one-fifth of that fifth,
And disperse the remaining portions of the fifth
To the other four categories."
Imam Ibn al-Qayyim said:
"The undeniably correct view is that it was taken by force.
The ruler has the discretion regarding land seized by force
Between distributing it and retaining it as an endowment,
Or distributing part of it and endowing the rest.
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) indeed implemented all three forms:
He divided the lands of Qurayzah and al-Nadir,
He did not divide Mecca,
And he divided half of Khaybar
While leaving its other half."
Abu Dawud and Ibn Hibban reported with an authentic chain,
The wording being that of Ibn Hibban,
On the authority of Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said:
"The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
Fought the people of Khaybar
Until he forced them into their fortress,
Gaining control over the land, crops, and date palms.
They then made a treaty with him on the condition that they evacuate it,
Keeping only what their mounts could carry,
While to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) belonged
The gold and silver,
And that they would depart from it.
He stipulated that they must not conceal
Nor hide anything away;
If they did so, they would forfeit all protection and immunity.
But they hid a leather bag containing wealth and jewelry
Belonging to Huyayy ibn Akhtab,
Which he had carried with him to Khaybar
When Banu al-Nadir were expelled.
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) asked
Huyayy's paternal uncle:
'What happened to the leather bag of Huyayy
That he brought from al-Nadir?'
He replied:
'Living expenses and wars have consumed it.'
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
'The time was too recent,
And the wealth was far greater than that.'
So the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) handed him over
To al-Zubayr ibn al-'Awwam (may Allah be pleased with him),
Who subjected him to interrogation through punishment.
Prior to that, Huyayy had been seen entering a ruined site,
So someone said:
'I saw Huyayy circumambulating in a ruin over here.'
They went and searched around,
And found the leather bag in a ruin.
Consequently, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) executed
The two sons of Abi al-Huqayq,
One of whom was the husband of Safiyyah
Daughter of Huyayy ibn Akhtab.
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) took captives,
Divided their women and offspring,
And distributed their wealth
Due to the breach of treaty they committed.
He intended to expel them from it,
But they said: 'O Muhammad,
Leave us in this land to cultivate it and care for it.'
Neither the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
Nor his Companions possessed laborers to tend to it,
Nor did they have the spare time to look after it themselves.
So he granted Khaybar to them on the condition that they receive half of all crops, date palms, and produce,
For as long as the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) saw fit."
Ibn Sayyid al-Nas said:
"This shows that it was originally taken by treaty,
But the treaty was subsequently breached,
So it became a conquest by force;
Then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) took its fifth
And distributed it."
The Abridgment
Of the Prophetic Biography (Seerah).
Though the world’s yearning for one another may endure,
The yearning for you exceeds all bounds.
May Allah send blessings upon you as long as the call to prayer is raised
And lips move in lasting remembrance.