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The Surah derives its name from the mention of the word al-hashr
in verse thereby implying that it is the Surah in which the
word al-hashr has occurred.
Period of Revelation
Bukhari and Muslim contain a tradition from Hadrat Sa'id bin
Jubair to the effect "When I asked Hadrat Abdullah bin Abbas
about Surah Al-Hashr, he replied that it was sent down concerning
the battle against the Bani an-Nadir just as Surah Al-Anfal
was sent down concerning the Battle of Badr.
In another tradition from Hadrat Sa'id bin Jubair, the words
cited from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) are: Qul:
Surah an-Nadir: Say, it is Surah an-Nadir." The same thing
has been related also from Mujahid, Qatadah, Zuhri, Ibn Zaid,
Yazid bin Ruman, Muhammad bin Ishaq and others. They are unanimous
that the followers of the Book whose banishment has been mentioned
in it, imply the Bani an-Nadir. Yazid bin Ruman, Mujahid and
Muhammad bin Ishaq have stated that this whole Surah, from
beginning to end, came down concerning this very battle.
As for the question as to when this battle took place, Imam
Zuhri has stated on the authority of Urwah bin Zubair that
it took place six months after the Battle of Badr. However,
Ibn Sa'd, Ibn Hisham and Baladhuri regard it as an event of
Rabi' al-Awwal, A. H. 4, and the same is correct. For all traditions
agree that this battle took place after the incident of Bi'r
Ma'unah, and historically also it is well known that the incident
of Bir Ma'unah occurred after the Battle of Uhud and not before
it.
Historical Background
In order to understand the subject matter of this Surah well,
it is necessary to have a look at the history of the Madinah
and Hejaz Jews, for without it one cannot know precisely the
real causes of the Holy Prophet's dealing with their different
tribes the way he did.
No authentic history of the Arabian Jews exists in the world.
They have not left any writing of their own in the form of
a book or a tablet which might throw light on their past, nor
have the Jewish historians and writers of the non-Arab world
made any mention of them, the reason being that after their
settlement in the Arabian peninsula they had detached themselves
from the main body of the nation, and the Jews of the world
did not count them as among themselves.
For they had given up Hebrew culture and language, even the
names, and adopted Arabism instead. In the tablets that have
been unearthed in the archaeological research in the Hejaz
no trace of the Jews is found before the first century of the
Christian era, except for a few Jewish names. Therefore, the
history of the Arabian Jews is based mostly on the verbal traditions
prevalent among the Arabs most of which bad been spread by
the Jews themselves.
The Jews of the Hejaz claimed that they had come to settle
in Arabia during the last stage of the life of the Prophet
Moses (peace be upon him). They said that the Prophet Moses
had despatched an army to expel the Amalekites from the land
of Yathrib and had commanded it not to spare even a single
soul of that tribe. The Israelite army carried out the Prophet's
command, but spared the life of a handsome prince of the Amalekite
king and returned with him to Palestine.
By that time the Prophet Moses had passed sway. His successors
took great exception to what the army had done, for by sparing
the life of an Amalekite it had clearly disobeyed the Prophet
and violated the Mosaic law. Consequently, they excluded the
army from their community, and it had to return to Yathrib
and settle there for ever.(Kitab al-Aghani, vol. xix, p. 94).
Thus the Jews claimed that they had been living in Yathrib
since about 1200 B.C. But, this had in fact no historical basis
and probably the Jews had invented this story in order to overawe
the Arabs into believing that they were of noble lineage and
the original inhabitants of the land.
The second Jewish immigration, according to the Jews, took,
place in 587 BC. when Nebuchadnezzer, the king of Babylon,
destroyed Jerusalem and dispersed the Jews throughout the world.
The Arab Jews said that several of their tribes at that time
had come to settle in Wadi al-Qura, Taima, and Yathrib.(Al-Baladhuri,
Futuh al-Buldan). But this too has no historical basis. By
this also they might have wanted to prove that they were the
original settlers of the area.
As a matter of fact, what is established is that when in A.
D. 70 the Romans massacred the Jews in Palestine, and then
in A. D. 132 expelled them from that land, many of the Jewish
tribes fled to find an asylum in the Hejaz, a territory that
was contiguous to Palestine in the south. There, they settled
wherever they found water springs and greenery, and then by
intrigue and through money lending business gradually occupied
the fertile lands. Ailah, Maqna, Tabuk, Taima, Wadi al Qura,
Fadak and Khaiber came under their control in that very period,
and Bani Quraizah, Bani al-Nadir, Bani Bahdal, and Bani Qainuqa
also came in the same period and occupied Yathrib.
Among the tribes that settled in Yathrib the Bani al Nadir
and the Bani Quraizah were more prominent for they belonged
to the Cohen or priest class. They were looked upon as of noble
descent and enjoyed religious leadership among their co- religionists.
When they came to settle in Madinah there were some other tribes
living there before, whom they subdued and became practically
the owners of this green and fertile land.
About three centuries later, in A. D. 450 or 451, the great
flood of Yaman occurred which has been mentioned in vv. 16-17
of Surah Saba above. As a result of this different tribes of
the people of Saba were compelled to leave Yaman and disperse
in different parts of Arabia. Thus, the Bani Ghassan went to
settle in Syria, Bani Lakhm in Hirah (Iraq), Bani Khuzaah between
Jeddah and Makkah and the Aus and the Khazraj went to settle
in Yathrib.
As Yathrib was under Jewish domination, they at first did not
allow the Aus and the Khazraj to gain a footing and the two
Arab tribes had to settle on lands that had not yet been brought
under cultivation, where they could hardly produce just enough
to enable them to survive. At last, one of their chiefs went
to Syria to ask for the assistance of their Ghassanide brothers;
he brought an army from there and broke the power of the Jews.
Thus, the Aus and the Khazraj were able to gain complete dominance
over Yathrib, with the result that two of the major Jewish
tribes, Bani an-Nadir and Bani Quraizaha were forced to take
quarters outside the city. Since the third tribe, Bani Qainuqa,
was not on friendly terms with the other two tribes, it stayed
inside the city as usual, but had to seek protection of the
Khazraj tribe. As a counter measure to this Bani an- -Nadir
and Bani Quraizah took protection of the Aus tribe so that
they could live in peace in the suburbs of Yathrib.
Before the Holy Prophet's arrival at Madinah until his emigration
the following were the main features of the Jews position in
Hejaz in general and in Yathrib in particular:
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In the matter of language, dress, civilization and way
of life they had completely adopted Arabism, even their
names had become Arabian. Of the 12 Jewish tribes that
had settled in Hejaz, none except the Bani Zaura retained
its Hebrew name. Except for a few scattered scholars none
knew Hebrew. In fact, there is nothing in the poetry of
the Jewish poets of the pre-Islamic days to distinguish
it from the poetry of the Arab poets in language, ideas
and themes.
They even inter-married with the Arabs. In fact, nothing
distinguished them from the common Arabs except religion.
Notwithstanding this, they had not lost their identity
among the Arabs and had kept their Jewish prejudice alive
most ardently and jealously. They had adopted superficial
Arabism because they could not survive in Arabia without
it.
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Because of this Arabism the western orientalists have
been misled into thinking that perhaps they were not really
Israelites but Arabs who had embraced Judaism, or that
at least majority of them consisted of the Arab Jews. But
there is no historical proof to show that the Jews ever
engaged in any proselytizing activities in Hejaz, or their
rabbis invited the Arabs to embrace Judaism like the Christian
priests and missionaries.
On the contrary, we see that they prided themselves upon
their Israelite descent and racial prejudices. They called
the Arabs the Gentiles, which did not mean illiterate or
uneducated but savage and uncivilized people. They believed
that the Gentiles did not possess any human rights; these
were only reserved for the Israelites, and therefore, it
was lawful and right for the Israelites to defraud them
of their properties by every fair and foul means.
Apart from the Arab chiefs, they did not consider the common
Arabs fit enough to have equal status with them even if
they entered Judaism. No historical proof is available,
nor is there any evidence in the Arabian traditions, that
some Arab tribe or prominent clan might have accepted Judaism.
However, mention has been made of some individuals, who
had become Jews. The Jews, however, were more interested
in their trade and business than in the preaching of their
religion.
That is why Judaism did not spread as a religion and
creed in Hejaz but remained only as a mark of pride and
distinction of a few Israelite tribes. The Jewish rabbis,
however, had a flourishing business in granting amulets
and charms, fortune telling and sorcery, because of which
they were held in great awe by the Arabs for their "knowledge" and
practical wisdom.
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Economically they were much stronger than the Arabs.
Since they bad emigrated from more civilized and culturally
advanced countries of Palestine and Syria, they knew many
such arts as were unknown to the Arabs; they also enjoyed
trade relations with the outside world. Hence, they had
captured the business of importing grain in Yathrib and
the upper Hejaz and exporting dried dates to other countries.
Poultry farming and fishing also were mostly under their
controls They were good at cloth weaving too. They had
also set up wine shops here and there, where they sold
wine which they imported from Syria. The Bani Qainuqa generally
practised crafts such as that of the goldsmith, blacksmith
and vessel maker. In all these occupations, trade and business
these Jews earned exorbitant profits, but their chief occupation
was trading in money lending in which they had ensnared
the Arabs of the surrounding areas.
More particularly the chiefs and elders of the Arab tribes
who were given to a life of pomp, bragging and boasting
on the strength of borrowed money were deeply indebted
to them. They lent money on high rates of interest and
then would charge compound interest, which one could hardly
clear off once one was involved in it. Thus, they had rendered
the Arabs economically hollow, but it had naturally induced
a deep rooted hatred among the common Arabs against the
Jews.
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The demand of their trade and economic interests was
that they should neither estrange one Arab tribe by befriending
another, nor take part in their mutual wars. But, on the
other hand, it was also in their interests, that they should
not allow the Arabs to be united and should keep them fighting
and entrenched against each other, for they knew that whenever
the Arab tribes united, they would not allow them to remain
in possession of their 1large properties, gardens and fertile
lands, which they had come to own through their profiteering
and money lending business.
Furthermore, each of their tribes also had to enter into
alliance with one or another powerful Arab tribe for the
sake of its own protection so that no other powerful tribe
should overawe it by its might. Because of this they had
not only to take part in the mutual wars of the Arabs but
they often had to go to war in support of the Arab tribe
to which their tribe was tied in alliance against another
Jewish tribe which was allied to the enemy tribe. In Yathrib
the Bani Quraizah and the Bani an-Nadir were the allies
of the Aus while the Bani Qainuqa of the Khazraj. A little
before the Holy Prophet's emigration, these Jewish tribes
had confronted each other in support of their respective
allies in the bloody war that took place between the Aus
and the Khazraj at Buath.
Such were the conditions when Islam came to Madinah, and ultimately
an Islamic State came into existence after the Holy Prophet's
(upon whom be Allah's peace) arrival there. One of the first
things that he accomplished soon after establishing this state
was unification of the Aus and the Khazraj and the Emigrants
into a brotherhood, and the second was that he concluded a
treaty between the Muslims and the Jews on definite conditions,
in which it was pledged that neither party would encroach on
the rights of the other, and both would unite in a joint defense
against the external enemies. Some important clauses of this
treaty are as follows, which clearly show what the Jews and
the Muslims had pledged to adhere to in their mutual relationship:
"The Jews must bear their expenses and the Muslims their expenses.
Each must help the other against anyone who attacks the people
of this document. They must seek mutual advice and consultation,
and loyalty is a protection against treachery. They shall
sincerely wish one another well. Their relations will be governed by
piety and recognition of the rights of others, and not by
sin and wrongdoing.
The wronged must be helped. The Jews must pay with the believers
so long as the war lasts. Yathrib shall be a sanctuary for
the people of this document. If any dispute or controversy
likely to cause trouble should arise, it must be referred
to God and to Muhammad the Apostle of God; Quraish and their
helpers shall not be given protection. The contracting parties
are bound to help one another against any attack on Yathrib;
Every one shall be responsible for the defence of the portion
to which he belongs" (lbn Hisham, vol. ii, pp. 147 to 150).
This was on absolute and definitive covenant to the conditions
of which the Jews themselves had agreed. But not very long
after this they began to show hostility towards the Holy Prophet
of Allah (upon whom be Allah's peace) and Islam and the Muslims,
and their hostility and perverseness went on increasing day
by day. Its main causes were three:
First, they envisaged the Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's
peace) merely as a chief of his people, who should be content
to have concluded a political agreement with them and should
only concern himself with the worldly , interests of his group.
But they found that he was extending an invitation to belief
in Allah and the Apostleship and the Book (which also included
belief in their own Prophets and scriptures), and was urging
the people to give up disobedience of Allah and adopt obedience
to the Divine Commands and abide by the moral laws of their
own prophets. This they could not put up with. They feared
that if this universal ideological movement gained momentum
it would destroy their rigid religiosity and wipe out their
racial nationhood.
Second, when they saw that the Aus and the Khazraj and the
Emigrants were uniting into a brotherhood and the people from
the Arab tribes of the surrounding areas, who entered Islam,
were also joining this Islamic Brotherhood of Madinah and forming
a religious community, they feared that the selfish policy
that they had been following of sowing discord between the
Arab tribes for the promotion of their own well being and interests
for centuries, would not work in the new system, but they would
face a united front of the Arabs against which their intrigues
and machinations would not succeed.
Third, the work that the Holy Messenger of Allah (upon whom
be Allah's 'peace) was carrying out of reforming the society
and civilization included putting an end to all unlawful
methods" in
business and mutual dealings. More than that; he had declared
taking and giving of interest also as impure and unlawful
earning. This caused them the fear that if his rule became
established in Arabia, he would declare interest legally
forbidden, and in this they saw their own economic disaster
and death.
For these reasons they made resistance and opposition to the
Holy Prophet their national ideal. They would never hesitate
to employ any trick and machination, any device and cunning,
to harm him. They spread every kind of falsehood so as to cause
distrust against him in the people's minds. They created every
kind of doubt, suspicion and misgiving in the hearts of the
new converts so as to turn them back from Islam.
They would make false profession of Islam and then would turn
apostate so that it may engender more and more misunderstandings
among the people against Islam and the Holy Prophet (upon whom
be Allah's peace). They would conspire with the hypocrites
to create mischief and would cooperate with every group and
tribe hostile to Islam. They would create rifts between the
Muslims and would do whatever they could to stir them up to
mutual feuds and fighting.
The people of the Aus and the Khazraj tribes were their special
target, with whom they had been allied for centuries. Making
mention of the war of Buath before them they would remind them
of their previous enmities so that they might again resort
to the sword against each other and shatter their bond of fraternity
into which Islam had bound them. They would resort to every
kind of deceit and fraud in order to harm the Muslims economically.
Whenever one of those with whom that had business dealings,
would accept Islam, they would do whatever they could to cause
him financial loss. If he owed them something they would worry
and harass him by making repeated demands, and if they owed
him something, they would withhold the payment and would publicly
say that at the time the bargain was made he professed a different
religion, and since he had changed his religion, they were
no longer under any obligation towards him. Several instances
of this nature have been cited in the explanation of verse
75 of Surah Al Imran given in the commentaries by Tabari, Nisaburi,
Tabrisi and in Ruh al Ma'ani.
They had adopted this hostile attitude against the covenant
even before the Battle of Badr. But when the Holy Prophet (upon
whom be Allah's peace) and the Muslims won a decisive victory
over the Quraish at Badr, they were filled with grief and anguish,
malice and anger.
They were in fact anticipating that in that war the powerful
Quraish would deal a death blow to the Muslims. That is why
even before the news of the Islamic victory reached Madinah
they had begun to spread the rumor that the Holy Prophet (upon
whom be Allah's peace) had fallen a martyr and the Muslims
had been routed, and the Quraish army under Abu Jahl was advancing
on Madinah.
But when the battle was decided against their hopes and wishes,
they burst with anger and grief. Ka'b bin Ashraf, the chief
of the Bani an-Nadir, cried out:"By God, if Muhammad has actually
killed these nobles of Arabia, the earth's belly would be better
for us than its back." Then he went to Makkah and incited
the people to vengeance by writing and reciting provocative
elegies for the Quraish chiefs killed at Badr. Then he returned
to Madinah and composed lyrical verses of an insulting nature
about the Muslim women. At last, enraged with his mischief,
the Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's peace) sent Muhammad
bin Maslamah Ansari in Rabi al-Awwal, A. H. 3, and had him
slain. (Ibn Sad, Ibn Hisham, Tabari).
The first Jewish tribe which, after the Battle of Badr, openly
and collectively broke their covenant were the Bani Qainuqa.
They lived in a locality inside the city of Madinah. As they
practised the crafts of the goldsmith, blacksmith and vessel
maker, the people of Madinah had to visit their shops fairly
frequently. They were proud of their bravery and valor. Being
blacksmiths by profession even their children were well armed,
and they could instantly muster 700 fighting men from among
themselves.
They were also arrogantly aware that they enjoyed relations
of confederacy with the Khazraj and Abdullah bin Ubbay, the
chief of the, Khazraj, was their chief supporter. At the victory
of Badr, they became so provoked that they began to trouble
and harass the Muslims and their women in particular, who visited
their shops. By and by things came to such a pass that one
day a Muslim woman was stripped naked publicly in their bazaar.
This led to a brawl in which a Muslim and a Jew were killed.
Thereupon the Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's peace) himself
visited their locality, got them together and counseled them
on decent conduct. But the reply that they gave was; "O Muhammad,
you perhaps think we are like the Quraish; they did not know
fighting; therefore, you overpowered them. But when you come
in contact with us, you will see how men fight."This was
in clear words a declaration of war.
Consequently, the Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's peace)
laid siege to their quarters towards the end of Shawwal (and
according to some others, of Dhi Qa'dah) A. H. 2. The siege
had hardly lasted for a fortnight when they surrendered and
all their fighting men were tied and taken prisoners. Now Abdullah
bin Ubayy came up in support of them and insisted that they
should be pardoned. The Holy Prophet conceded his request and
decided that the Bani Qainuqa would be exiled from Madinah
leaving their properties, armour and tools of trade behind.
(Ibn Sa'd, Ibn Hisham, Tarikh Tabari).
For some time after these punitive measures (i. e. the banishment
of the Qainuqa and killing of Ka'b bin Ashraf the Jews remained
so terror stricken that they did not dare commit any further
mischief. But later when in Shawwal, A. H. 3, the Quraish in
order to avenge themselves for the defeat at Badr, marched
against Madinah with great preparations, and the Jews saw that
only a thousand men had marched out with the Holy Prophet (upon
whom be Allah's peace) as against three thousand men of the
Quraish, and even they were deserted by 300 hypocrites who
returned to Madinah, they committed the first and open breach
of the treaty by refusing to join the Holy Prophet in the defense
of the city although they were bound to it.
Then, when in the Battle of Uhud the Muslims suffered reverses,
they were further emboldened. So much so that the Bani an-Nadir
made a secret plan to kill the Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's
peace) though the plan failed before it could be executed.
According to the details, after the incident of Bi'r Maunah
(Safar, A. H. 4) Amr bin Umayyah Damri slew by mistake two
men of the Bani Amir in retaliation, who actually belonged
to a tribe which was allied to the Muslims, but Amr had mistaken
them for the men of the enemy.
Because of this mistake their blood money became obligatory
on the Muslims. Since the Bani an-Nadir were also a party in
the alliance with the Bani Amir, the Holy Prophet (upon whom
be Allah's peace) went to their clan along with some of his
Companions to ask for their help in paying the blood money.
Outwardly they agreed to contribute, as he wished, but secretly
they plotted that a person should go up to the top of the house
by whose wall the Holy Prophet was sitting and drop a rock
on him to kill him. But before they could execute their plan,
Allah informed him in time and be immediately got up and returned
to Madinah.
Now there was no question of showing them any further concession.
The Holy Prophet at once sent to them the ultimatum that the
treachery they had meditated against him had come to his knowledge;
therefore, they were to leave Madinah within ten days; if anyone
of them was found staying behind in their quarters, he would
be put to the sword.
Meanwhile Abdullah bin Ubayy sent them the message that he
would help them with two thousand men and that the Bani Quraizah
and Bani Ghatafan also would come to their aid; therefore,
they should stand firm and should not go. On this false assurance
they responded to the Holy Prophet's ultimatum saying that
they would not leave Madinah and he could do whatever was in
his power.
Consequently, in Rabi' al-Awwal, A. H. 4, the Holy Prophet
(upon whom be Allah's peace) laid siege to them, and after
a few days of the siege (which according to some traditions
were 6 and according to others 15 days) they agreed to leave
Madinah on the condition that they could retain all their property
which they could carry on thee camels, except the armor. Thus,
Madinah was rid of this second mischievous tribe of Jews. Only
two of the Bani an-Nadir became Muslims and stayed behind.
Others went to Syria and Khaiber.
This is the event that has been discussed in this Surah.
Theme and Subject Matter
The theme of the Surah as stated above, is an appraisal of
the battle against the Bani an Nadir. In this, on the whole,
four things have been discussed.
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In the first four verses the world has been, admonished
to take heed of the fate that had just befallen the Bani
an-Nadir. A major tribe which was as strong in numbers
as the Muslims, whose people boasted of far more wealth
and possession who were by no means ill equipped militarily
and whose forts were well fortified could not stand siege
even for a few Days, and expressed their readiness to accept
banishment from their centuries old, well established settlement
even though not a single man from among them was slain.
Allah says that this happened not because of any power
possessed by the Muslims but because the Jews had tried
to resist and fight Allah and His Messenger, and those
who dare to resist the power of Allah, always meet with
the same fate.
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In verse 5, the rule of the law of
war that has been enunciated is: the destruction caused
in the enemy territory for military purposes does not
come under "spreading mischief
in the earth."
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In vv 6-10 it has been stated how the lands and properties
which come under the control of the Islamic State as a
result of war or peace terms, are to be managed. As it
was the first ever occasion that the Muslims took control
of a conquered territory, the law concerning it was laid
down for their guidance.
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In vv. 11-17 the attitude that the hypocrites had adopted
on the occasion of the battle against the Bani an-Nadir
has been reviewed and the causes underlying it have been
pointed out.
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The whole of the last section (vv. 18-24) is an admonition
for all those people who had professed to have affirmed
the faith and joined the Muslim community, but were devoid
of the true spirit of the faith. In it they have been told
what is the real demand of the Faith, what is the real
difference between piety and wickedness, what is the place
and importance of the Quran which they professed to believe
in, and what are the attributes of God in Whom they claimed
to have believed.
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