In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.
An Abridgment of the Prophetic Biography (Seerah),
Authored by Sheikh Musa Al-Rashid Al-'Azimi,
May Allah preserve him.
The Fighting of Abu Bakr and 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with them.
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, gave
The banner to Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him,
Then he gave it to 'Umar ibn Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him,
But victory was not granted through either of them.
For Imam Ahmad narrated in his Musnad, and Al-Bayhaqi
In Dala'il Al-Nubuwwah,
With the wording belonging to Ahmad via a strong chain of transmission,
On the authority of Buraydah ibn Al-Husayb, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
"We besieged Khaybar,
And Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, took the banner,
Yet he returned without victory being granted to him.
Then the next day, 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, took it;
He advanced, but returned without victory being granted to him,
And the people suffered severe hardship and exhaustion that day."
Al-Bayhaqi added in Dala'il Al-Nubuwwah:
"And Mahmud ibn Maslamah, may Allah be pleased with him, was killed."
Ibn Ishaq said:
"The first of its fortresses to be conquered was the fortress of Na'im,
And at it Mahmud ibn Maslamah, may Allah be pleased with him, was killed;
A millstone was thrown down upon him from it, killing him."
The Conquest at the Hands of Abu Al-Hasan, may Allah be pleased with him.
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, gave his Companions glad tidings of the conquest of the fortress of Na'im
At the hands of Abu Al-Hasan, 'Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him.
For the two Shaykhs narrated in their two Sahihs,
On the authority of Sahl ibn Sa'd, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said on the day of Khaybar:
"Tomorrow I shall certainly give this banner to a man through whose hands Allah will grant victory;
He loves Allah and His Messenger, and Allah and His Messenger love him."
He said: "The people spent that night in deep suspense as to which of them would be given it.
When morning came, the people went early to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
Each of them hoping to be given it.
Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
'Where is 'Ali ibn Abi Talib?'
It was said: 'O Messenger of Allah, he is suffering from an eye ailment.'
He said: 'Send for him.'
So he was brought,
And the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, spat lightly into his eyes and supplicated for him,
Whereupon he was cured as though he had never had any pain.
Then he handed him the banner.
'Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
'O Messenger of Allah, shall I fight them until they become like us?'
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, replied:
'Proceed steadily until you descend upon their open territory,
Then invite them to Islam,
And inform them of what is obligatory upon them regarding Allah's right therein.
For by Allah, that Allah should guide a single man through you
Is better for you than possessing red camels.'"
In another narration in Sahih Muslim,
On the authority of Salamah ibn Al-Akwa', may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
"So I went to 'Ali, may Allah be pleased with him,
And brought him along, leading him while he was suffering from conjunctivitis,
Until I brought him to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
He then spat lightly into his eyes, and he was cured,
And he handed him the banner."
Marhab came out, reciting:
"Khaybar already knows that I am Marhab,
Fully armed, a seasoned hero,
Whenever wars advance, ablaze."
Thereupon, 'Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
"I am the one whose mother named him Haydarah,
Like a lion of the forests, terrifying to behold,
I repay them fully by the measure of Sandarah."
He said: "He then struck Marhab's head and killed him,
And victory was achieved through his hands."
Ibn Al-Athir said:
"What is authentic and held by the majority of the scholars of the Seerah and hadith
Is that 'Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, was the one who killed Marhab."
The Conquest of the Fortress of Al-Sa'b ibn Mu'adh.
The Jews who were in the fortress of Na'im fled,
After its conquest, to the fortress of Al-Sa'b ibn Mu'adh.
Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, besieged
The fortress of Al-Sa'b ibn Mu'adh,
And the Muslims were stricken with severe hunger,
To the point that they slaughtered domestic donkeys
And lit fires beneath cooking pots for them.
But the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, forbade them from doing so.
For the two Shaykhs narrated in their two Sahihs,
On the authority of Jabir ibn 'Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with them both, who said:
"The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, forbade on the day of Khaybar
The meat of domestic donkeys."
And the two Shaykhs narrated in their two Sahihs,
With the wording belonging to Muslim,
On the authority of Anas ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
"When the day of Khaybar arrived,
Someone came and said:
'O Messenger of Allah,
The donkeys have been eaten!'
Then another came
And said: 'O Messenger of Allah,
The donkeys have been decimated!'
So the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, commanded Abu Talhah to call out:
'Indeed, Allah and His Messenger forbid you from the meat of domestic donkeys,
For it is impure and filthy.'"
Al-Bukhari and Muslim added in another narration
On the authority of Anas, may Allah be pleased with him:
"So the pots were overturned,
Even while they were boiling with the meat."
Imam Al-Nawawi said:
"As for domestic donkeys,
It has occurred in most narrations
That the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
Forbade their meat on the day of Khaybar;
And in one narration:
'The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, prohibited
The meat of domestic donkeys.'
The scholars differed regarding this issue:
The overwhelming majority of the Companions, the Tabi'un,
And those who followed them held the prohibition of their meat
Due to these authentic and explicit hadiths.
Ibn 'Abbas said:
'It is not forbidden.'
And from Malik there are three narrations:
The most well-known is that it is strictly discouraged (makruh tanzihi),
The second is that it is forbidden (haram),
And the third is that it is permissible (mubah).
The correct view is prohibition,
As maintained by the vast majority,
Because of the explicit hadiths."
Then, indeed, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
Supplicated to his Lord, Mighty and Majestic is He,
For the conquest of the fortress of Al-Sa'b ibn Mu'adh.
Ibn Ishaq said:
"Banu Sahm of Aslam
Came to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
And said:
'By Allah, O Messenger of Allah, we are utterly exhausted,
And we possess nothing at all.'
But they found that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, did not have
Anything to give them.
So the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
'O Allah, You know their condition,
And that they have no strength,
And that I have nothing in my hand to give them;
Therefore, grant them the conquest of the fortress that will provide the greatest
Sufficiency for them,
And is richest in food and fat.'
The next morning, the people advanced,
And Allah, Mighty and Majestic is He, granted the conquest of
The fortress of Al-Sa'b ibn Mu'adh;
And there was no fortress in Khaybar
That contained more food and fat than it."
An Abridgment of the Prophetic Biography (Seerah).
Though the longing of people for one another may endure,
The yearning for you knows no bounds.
May Allah bestow blessings upon you as long as the call to prayer is raised,
And lips move with enduring remembrance.