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The Battle of Khaybar was an Islamic battle.

In Dhu 'l-Hijjah of 8, 630, the Battle of Khaybar took place. One day, a Muslim man was grazing the camels received as Zakat near Khaybar. The Jews attacked him, killed him and stole the camels. In Khaybar, the Jews were preparing for war against Muhammad. They equipped themselves very well and stocked up on food supplies and arms. They also recruited Ghatafan and Fazarah which were two Jewish tribes living near Khaybar. In Madinah, Muhammad did not want war. He sent a group of Muslims to Khaybar to negotiate a peace agreement. The Muslims asked the chiefs of Khaybar to accompany them to Madinah in order to meet with Muhammad to finalize the peace agreement. The Jews accepted, However, while they were on their way to Madinah, the Jews attacked the Muslims. The two parties fought, but the Muslims managed to win the battle and returned to Madinah. They informed Muhammad of what had happened. That left Muhammad without any choice but to fight the Jews of Khaybar. Na'em was the first fortress to be opened, Al-Wateeh and As-Salalem (the stairs) were the last given after a dozen days of siege and Fadak gave up peacefully.

Muhammad only allowed 1,400 Muslims who attended Bai'atul Ridwan to join the army, no one else was allowed. First, the Muslims had to break the alliance between Khaybar and the tribes of Ghatafan and Fazarah. Muhammad played a clever trick to do so. He first directed the army towards the villages of Ghatafan and Fazarah. The people of Ghatafan and Fazarah who had already left their villages to join the army in Khaybar heard that the Muslim army was in its way to their villages. Therefore, they abandon their plans of joining the army in Khaybar and instead went back to defend their villages. When Muhammad was sure that Ghataffan and Fazarah's men had returned to their villages, he redirected the army towards Khaybar.

The Muslim army camped surrounding the forts for a long period of time waiting for the Jews to surrender. Soon, the forts of Khaybar fell in the hands of the Muslim army except for one which was very strong. Muhammad sent Ali ibn Abi Talib on a mission to conquer it and he succeeded. After the fall of Khaybar to the hands of Muslims, Muhammad made an agreement with the Jews. In the agreement, the Jews were allowed to live in Khaybar as long as they did not harm the Muslims or helped non-Muslims against Muslims.

Muslim army leaders

After some Muslims were killed during their siege of the fortresses, the Muslims attacked. First Abu Bakr took the banner of the Immigrants to lead them in battle, but he soon returned defeated. The next day Umar ibn al-Khattab carried it, but he too suffered defeat. Thus he began to accuse men of cowardice, as well as being himself similarly charged. This angered Muhammad. At last Muhammad said: "I shall give the banner tomorrow to one who attacks (karrar), and does not retreat. He is one who loves Allah and His Messenger, and whom Allah and His Messenger love. He shall not return until Allah opens (Khaybar) at his hands." The people of Quraysh wondered who such a man could be. "As for Imam Ali", they said to one another, "you need not think of him, because he is sore-eyed, unable to see even the ground under his feet." But when Imam Ali heard what the Muhammad said, he exclaimed: "O Allah, there is no one who can give what you withhold, nor is there anyone who can withhold what you give! Hazrat Ali was known after this by Haydar-el-Karrar, and was given the Islamic flag. Hazrat Ali is said to have taken the heavy door of the an-Na'em fortress in one hand and used it as a shield. In this battle, Hazrat Ali (AS) killed Marhab of Khaybar, the well-known hero of the Jews, and dispersed the Jewish army. Afterwards, he rushed to the Fort of Khaybar, unhinged its door, and entered the fort along with the army of Islam. He then hoisted the banner of victory on its top. With these very battles which ended in the fifth year of Hijrah, the problem of the Jews of Hijaz came to an end.

See also

• Ali ibn Abi Talib

• Battles of Muhammad