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The Banu Qaynuqa (also spelled Banu Kainuka, Banu Kaynuka, Banu Qainuqa, Template:Lang-ar) were one of the three main Jewish tribes living in the 7th century of Medina, now in Saudi Arabia. In 624, they were expelled by Muhammad.

Background

In the 7th century, the Banu Qaynuqa were living in two fortresses in the south-western part of the city of Yathrib, now Medina, having settled there at an unknown date. Although the Banu Qaynuqa bore mostly Arabic names, they were both ethnically and religiously Jewish. They owned no land, earned their living through commerce and craftsmanship, including goldsmithery. The Banu Qaynuqa were allied with the local Arab tribe of Khazraj and supported them in their conflicts with the rival Arab tribe of Aws.

Arrival of Muhammad

In September 622, Muhammad arrived at Medina with a group of his followers, who were given shelter by members of the indigenous community known as the Ansar. He proceeded to set about the establishment of a pact, known as the Constitution of Medina, between the Muslims, the Ansar, and the various Jewish tribes of Medina to regulate the matters of governance of the city, as well as the extent and nature of inter-community relations. The nature of this document as recorded by Ibn Ishaq and transmitted by ibn Hisham is the subject of dispute among modern historians many of whom maintain that this "treaty" is possibly a collage of agreements, oral rather than written, of different dates, and that it is not clear when they were made or with whom.

Expulsion

In March 624, Muslims led by Muhammad defeated the Meccans of the Banu Quraish tribe in the Battle of Badr. Traditional Muslim biogrpahies of Muhammad tell that after the battle Muhammad called upon the Jews of Medina to accept Islam, threatening that otherwise they might share the fate of the defeated Quraysh. The Jews refused, saying that they were prepared to fight, if necessary. Then, according to the Muslim biographers, a dispute broke out between the Muslims and Banu Qaynuqa. When a Muslim woman visited a jeweler's shop in the Qaynuqa marketplace, she was pestered to uncover her face. The goldsmith, a Jew, pinned her clothing such, that upon getting up, she was stripped naked. A Muslim man coming upon the resulting commotion killed the shopkeeper in retaliation. The Jews in turn killed the Muslim man. This escalated to a chain of revenge killings, and enmity grew between Muslims and the Banu Qaynuqa. Traditional Muslim sources view these episodes as a violation of the Constitution of Medina that justified Muhammad's subsequent attack on the Qaynuqa. Modern historians, however, view the episodes cited by the Muslim writers, like the story of the Jewish goldsmith, as backdated attempts to justify the attack on the Jewish tribe, which have no more than anecdotal value. From the critical perspective, Muhammad turned against the Jews as soon as in the wake of his victory at Badr he felt strong enough to eliminate the Jewish opposition to himself.

Muhammad then besieged the Banu Qaynuqa for fourteen or fifteen days, after which the tribe surrendered unconditionally. Abdullah ibn Ubayy, the chief of the Khazraj, pleaded before Muhammad on the behalf of the Qaynuqa: "Four hundred men without mails and three hundred mailed protected me from mine enemies; would you cut them down in one morning?" Although Muhammad was initially irritated with ibn Ubayy and tried to put him off, the Muslim leader ultimately yielded to Abdullah's insistence and agreed to expel the Qaynuqa. For that interference, Abdullah ibn Ubayy earned for himself the title of the leader of hypocrites (munafiqun) in the Muslim tradition.

Aftermath

Muhammad divided the property of the Banu Qaynuqa, including their arms and tools, among his followers, taking for himself a fifth share of the spoils for the first time. Some members of the tribe chose to stay in Medina and embraced Islam, more in order to retain their belongings than out of conviction . The only Banu Qaynuqa man who became a devout Muslim was Abdullah ibn Sailam. Although some Muslim sources claim that he converted immediately after Muhammad’s arrival to Medina, academic scholars give more credence to the other Muslim sources, which indicate that 8 years later, 630, as the year of ibn Salam’s conversion.

See also

• Banu Nadir
• Banu Qurayza
• Jihad
• Muhammad as a General
• Rules of war in Islam

Notes

1. ^ Weinsinck, R.J. "Kaynuka, banu". Encyclopaedia of Islam
2. Firestone 118. For opinions disputing the early date of the Constitution of Medina, see e.g., Peters 119.
3. Welch "Muhammad", Encyclopaedia of Islam.
4. ^ Guillaume 363, Stillman 122, ibn Kathir 2
5. Cite error: The named reference waaqidee was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
6. Guillaume 363, Stillman 123
7. Stillman 13, 123

References

• Encyclopaedia of Islam. Ed. P. Bearman et al., Leiden: Brill, 1960-2005.
• Guillaume, A. The Life of Muhammad: A Translation of Ibn Ishaq's Sirat Rasul Allah. Oxford University Press, 1955. ISBN 0-1963-6033-1
• Peters, Francis E. ‘’Muhammad and the Origins of Islam’’. State University of New York Press, 1994. ISBN 0-7914-1875-8
• Firestone, Reuven. Jihad: The Origin of Holy War in Islam. Oxford University Press, 1999. ISBN 0-19-512580-0
• Stillman, Norman. The Jews of Arab Lands: A History and Source Book. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society of America, 1979. ISBN 0-8276-0198-0
• Watt, W. Montgomery. Muhammad, Prophet and Statesman, Oxford University Press.

• Muhammad and the Jews