Sallam ibn Mishkam ibn Al-Hakam ibn Haritha ibn Al-Khazraj ibn Kaab ibn Khazraj was a member of the Nadir tribe. He was a distant cousin of the tribal chief, Huyayy ibn Akhtab, and he was also related to the Abu’l-Huqayq branch of the tribe. His house bordered on the territory of the Qurayza tribe, and Sallam, who had many friends among the local pagans as well as the Jews, was apparently on good terms with the Qurayza tavern-keeper next door.[1]:361
At some stage, Sallam married Safiyya bint Huyayy, but they were later divorced.[2]:134–135 It is possible that the whole family changed their minds about this match amicably and early, before Sallam and Safiyya actually lived together.
Debate with Muhammad
When Muhammad arrived in Medina in 622, he was eager to convince the local Jewish tribes that he was a prophet like the ones in their own Scriptures. Two Muslim converts, Muadh ibn Jabal and Bishr ibn al-Baraa, urged Sallam to become a Muslim: “When we were pagans, you used to pray for the Prophet’s help to defeat us and warn us that he was coming, and you described him to us.” Sallam, like the majority of Jews, was unimpressed by Muhammad’s claims. He replied that Muhammad “has brought us nothing we recognize and he is not the one about whom we used to tell you.”[1]:257
Sallam was among the rabbis who debated with Muhammad. On one occasion, he asked: “Is it true that [the Qur’an] is the truth from God? For our part, we cannot see that it is arranged as the Torah is.” Muhammad protested that the Qur’an could be found in the Torah and that neither man nor jinn could have forged it; and the Jews challenged him: “Bring down to us from Heaven a book that will clearly demonstrate its identity [by its similarity to the Torah], otherwise we will produce one like [the Qur’an].”[1]:269–270 When no answers to their serious questions were forthcoming, the Jews began to tease Muhammad with facetious questions such as “How did God begin?” and easy ones to which he gave a non-traditional answer, such as “How many plagues did God send on Egypt?” Sallam apparently had a great talent for asking annoying questions and creating confusion “so as to confound the truth with falsehood.”[1]:239–270
In late 623 or early 624 the Jews made a formal statement of their joint unbelief in Muhammad’s mission. Sallam and three friends asked: “Do you follow the religion of Abraham and believe in the Torah and testify that it is the truth from God?” Muhammad replied: “Certainly,” but added that the Jews had “added to the Scriptures, and broken its Covenant, and hidden what you were ordered to publish. I dissociate myself from your additions.” Sallam and his friends replied: “We hold by this Torah and we live according to its guidance and the truth. We do not believe in you and we will not follow you.”[1]:268
Muhammad distanced himself from the Jews after February 624, when the qibla (direction of prayer) changed from Jerusalem to Mecca. Sallam and four friends asked him: “How can we follow you when you have abandoned our qibla and you do not allege that Ezra is the son of God?”.[1]:269 The Quran states:
The Jews say, "Ezra is the son of Allāh"; and the Christians say, "The Messiah is the son of Allāh." That is their statement from their mouths; they imitate the saying of those who disbelieved before [them]. May Allāh destroy them; how are they deluded? -Quran 9:30
Conflict with Muhammad
Soon after the Battle of Badr and the expulsion of the Qaynuqa tribe from Medina, the chief of Mecca, Abu Sufyan, knocked on Sallam’s door. He frankly admitted that he had brought 200 cavalry to Medina to negotiate an alliance against Muhammad, but that Huyayy ibn Akhtab had been afraid to admit him to his own house. Sallam warmly invited Abu Sufyan into his home, and as the guest later reported: “Though I did not stay long because I was in a hurry, Sallam ibn Mishkam gave me good wine and refreshed me in full measure. I wasn’t a destitute beggar, but rather a hungry traveller who dropped in for the evening.” Sallam shared information about Medina’s vulnerable points, so it was probably acting on his tip-offs that Abu Sufyan’s men the next day raided north-eastern Medina in the episode known as the Invasion of Sawiq.[1]:361
In August 625 Muhammad visited the Nadir quarter to ask for money, but while the elders were considering his request, he suddenly fled home. He announced that Huyayy ibn Akhtab was plotting to kill him and that Amr ibn Jihash had volunteered to drop a rock on his head; however, Sallam ibn Mishkam had taken the honourable path of trying to dissuade them from such treachery.[1]:437[3]:130 If the plot was real, it is interesting that Sallam should have suddenly tried to protect Muhammad; and if the plot was a fabrication, it is equally interesting that the Muslim sources should wish to exonerate Sallam.
Following this assassination accusation, Muhammad demanded that the Nadir leave their ancestral homes in Medina. Sallam urged Huyayy to accept the safe-conduct out of the city because he did not believe they had a realistic hope of successfully defying Muhammad. Huyayy argued that the Nadir fortresses were prepared a twelve months’ siege and that, since neighbouring tribes had promised to relieve them, they would soon call Muhammad’s bluff. However, when the relief failed to materialise, Salla[1]:269–270 again urged his chief to reconsider. After two more weeks, Muhammad began to destroy the Nadir date-orchards. While the women wailed and tore their robes, Sallam complained: “Our palms are precious! Once planted, they will not bear fruit for thirty years more if cut down!” Huyayy realised that there was no point in remaining if their livelihood were destroyed, so after more pressing from Sallam, he accepted Muhammad’s terms of surrender. The Nadir left Medina.[3]:134
Khaybar
Many of the Nadir, including Sallam, settled in Khaybar, a Jewish farming community a hundred miles north of Medina, where the Abu’l-Huqayq clan owned more date orchards and the fortress of Al-Qamus. The existing community not only welcomed their Nadir kin, but deferred to them as leaders. Sallam was recognised as captain of the garrison, should a military defence ever be required.[1]:438
In Khaybar Sallam married Zaynab bint Al-Harith. Her family were Yemeni immigrants who had settled in Khaybar and converted to Judaism. Her father and his two brothers were warrior-poets like Sallam. This marriage was apparently happy,[1]:516 and some sources suggest that Sallam and Zaynab had a son, Kharija.[4] However, al-Waqidi names the sons of Sallam as 'Amr, born not later than spring 627,[5]:260 and al-Hakam, born by summer 628.[5]:334
The Nadir hoped to return home to Medina and therefore wanted to get rid of Muhammad. Sallam was one of those who accompanied Huyayy ibn Akhtab to Mecca to negotiate an alliance with the pagan Quraysh. When the Quraysh asked whether the Jews considered their religion or Islam to be better, the rabbis replied: “Your religion is better than Muhammad’s, and you are on a better path than he and his followers.”[1]:205 These negotiations eventually led to the Battle of the Trench, in which several tribes unsuccessfully besieged Medina; however, Sallam did not participate in the siege itself.
Huyayy, his son and his brother were executed in Medina, after which Sallam appeared to live quietly for several months; but Muhammad continued to suspect the Jews of Khaybar. He ordered the assassinations Sallam’s uncle, Sallam ibn Abu al-Huqayq,[6] and of another kinsman, Usayr ibn Zarim,[7]:120 for imprecisely defined offences. Sallam must have expected that Muhammad would eventually launch an attack against Khaybar.
The Siege of Khaybar
Early in June 628 Muslim armies entered Khaybar at dawn for a surprise attack. The workmen in the fields fled to the fortresses, screaming: “Muhammad – with his army!”[8] Sallam, who was ill at the time,[9] nevertheless exerted himself to organise the defence in a hurry. Since the Muslims were attacking from the Natat area, he directed the Jews to hide their wealth and families in the fortresses of al-Khatiba then to move their fighting men and ammunition to Natat. He urged: “Fight the foe courageously, for it is better to be killed in battle than to wail in abject captivity!” and the Jews then charged from Natat to engage the invading army.[10]:369[11]:126
In the course of the battle, the archers of Khaybar wounded fifty Muslims. Jewish casualties were not precisely tallied, but very heavy; and Sallam ibn Mishkam was one of those who died in the battle.[11]:126
Related Research Articles
Safiyya bint Huyayy was a Jewish woman from the Banu Nadir tribe. After the Battle of Khaybar in 628, she was widowed and taken captive by the early Muslims and subsequently became Muhammad's tenth wife. Like all other women who were married to Muhammad, Safiyya was known to Muslims as a "Mother of the Believers". Their marriage produced no children and ended with Muhammad's death in Medina in 632.
A total of eleven women are confirmed as having been married to Muhammad, the founder of Islam. As a sign of respect, Muslims refer to each of these wives with the title Umm al-Muʼminin, which is derived from 33:6 of the Quran.
The Battle of the Trench, also known as the Battle of Khandaq and the Battle of the Confederates, was part of the conflict between the Muslims and the Quraysh, where this time the Quraysh took the offensive and advanced on the Muslims, who defended themselves in Medina by digging a trench around their settlement at the suggestion of Salman the Persian. The battle, which took place in 627 and lasted around two weeks, was lightly fought, with the Muslims reported to have suffered five to six casualties and the Quraysh three.
The Banu Qurayza were a Jewish tribe which lived in northern Arabia, at the oasis of Yathrib. They were one of the three major Jewish tribes of the city, along with the Banu Qaynuqa and Banu Nadir. Jewish tribes reportedly arrived in Hijaz in the wake of the Jewish–Roman wars and introduced agriculture, putting them in a culturally, economically and politically dominant position. However, in the 5th century, the Banu Aws and the Banu Khazraj, two Arab tribes that had arrived from Yemen, gained dominance. When these two tribes became embroiled in conflict with each other, the Jewish tribes, now clients or allies of the Arabs, fought on different sides, the Qurayza siding with the Aws.
This is a list of the non-Muslim interactors with Muslims during Muhammad's era. In Islam, the Ṣaḥābah were the companions of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. This form is plural; the singular is Ṣaḥābi. A list of the best-known companions can be found at List of companions of Muhammad
The Battle of Khaybar was an armed confrontation between the early Muslims and the Jewish community of Khaybar in 628 CE.
Khaybar is an oasis in Medina Province, Saudi Arabia, situated some 153 kilometres (95 mi) north of the city of Medina. Prior to the arrival of Islam in the 7th century, the area had been inhabited by Arabian Jewish tribes until it fell to Muslim conquerors under Muhammad during the Battle of Khaybar in 628 CE.
The Banu Nadir were a Jewish Arab tribe that lived in northern Arabia at the oasis of Medina until the 7th century. They were expelled by Muhammad after The Battle of Uhud against the Quraysh, which took place after attacks by the Muslims on their trade caravans and to seek revenge for Badr.
Ka'b ibn Asad was the chief of the Qurayza, a Jewish tribe that lived in Medina until 627. A tribesman, Al-Zabir ibn Bata, claimed that his face "was like a Chinese mirror, in which the girls of the tribe could see themselves", presumably meaning that Kaab had a youthful and innocent appearance.
Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf was, according to Islamic texts, a pre-Islamic Arabic poet and contemporary of Muhammad in Medina. Scholars identify him as a Jewish leader.
Huyayy ibn Akhtab was a chief of the Banu Nadir, a Jewish tribe of Medina in pre-Islamic Arabia.
Abu al-Rafi ibn Abu al-Huqayq was a chieftain of the Jewish tribes of the Khaybar oasis. When Al-Huqayq approached neighbouring tribes to raise an army to attack Muslims, they assassinated him, aided by an Arab who spoke a Jewish dialect. His nephew Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf was also assassinated at Muhammad's order.
Salām bin Abī 'l-Huqayq or Abu Rafi was a Jewish poet of early 7th century Arabia who financed and assisted the Pagan tribes who were fighting Muhammad and his followers, the muslims.
The Banu Khazraj is a large Qahtanite Arab tribe. They were also in Medina during Muhammad's era, where they still exist. Banu Khazraj exists in multiple Arab countries including Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.
In traditional Islamic history, Qamus was one of the fortresses of the Jewish poet Al-Rabi ibn Abu al-Huqayq, and his Jewish tribe called Banu Nadir. The fortress was situated near Khaybar in what is now Saudi Arabia. The fortress was attacked by Muslim forces and defeated circa 629/30 CE. It was after this event that Muhammad married Safiyyah bint Huyayy. The Jewish presence in the region has been attested to the late seventh century who pioneered the cultivation in the area.
Barra bint Samaw'al was the mother of Safiyya bint Huyayy, a wife and prominent figure in the life of Muhammad, and she was a member of an Arab Jewish tribe that interacted with Muhammad.
The Invasion of Sawiq occurred after the Quraysh's defeat in the Battle of Badr. After suffering defeat at the Battle of Badr, Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, the Quraysh leader, vowed that he would not bathe until he avenged the results of that battle. Abu Sufyan gathered 200 mounted men, took the eastern road through the Nejd and secretly arrived by night, at the settlement of Banu Nadir, a Jewish tribe. However, the Jewish chief, Huwey refused him admission to the Jewish quarters. Abu Sufyan along with another leader of the Banu Nadir tribe of Jews, Sallam ibn Mishkam, conspired to attack Madinah but they were unsuccessful. Abu Sufyan took refuge with Sallam bin Mishkan. Salam gave Abu Sufyan a hospitable welcome and the intelligence regarding Medina. At night, Abu Sufyan took his men to the Urayd corn fields, a place about two or three miles to the north-east of Medina. He burnt these farms and killed two Muslims. Abu Sufyan and his men ran away. When Muhammad found out, he gathered his men in hot pursuit. Abu Sufyan and his men, however, managed to flee. The Muslims managed to capture some of the sawiq thrown away by the Quraysh men, who did so to lighten their burden and flee.
The invasion of Banu Nadir took place in May 625 CE 4. The account is related in Surah Al-Hashr which describes the banishment of the Jewish tribe Banu Nadir who were expelled from Medina after plotting to assassinate the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
The siege of Banu Qurayza took place in Dhul Qa‘dah during January of 627 CE and followed on from the Battle of the Trench.
Zaynab bint Al-Harith was a Jewish woman who attempted to assassinate Muhammad in the aftermath of the battle of Khaybar.
References
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Muhammad ibn Ishaq. Sirat Rasul Allah. Translated by Guillaume, A. (1955). The Life of Muhammad. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
↑ Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari. Tarikh al-Rusul wa'l-Muluk. Translated by Poonawala, K. I. (1990). The History of al-Ṭabarī Volume 9: Last Years of the Prophet. Albany: State University of New York Press.
1 2 Muhammad ibn Umar al-Waqidi, Al-Maghazi, cited in Stillman, N. A. (1979). The Jews of Arab Lands. The Jewish Publication Society of America.
↑ Ilan, T. (2011). Lexicon of Jewish Names in Late Antiquity: Part IV: the Eastern Diaspora, 330 BCE – 650 CE. Tübingen: Mohr-Siebeck.
1 2 Muhammad ibn Umar al-Waqidi. The Life of Muhammad. Translated by Rizwi Faizer, Amal Ismail & AbdulKader Tayob (2011). Abingdon, Oxon. & New York: Routledge.
↑ Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari. Tarikh al-Rusul wa'l-Muluk. Translated by McDonald, M. V. (1987). The History of Al-Tabari Volume 7: The Foundation of the Community. Albany: State University of New York Press.
↑ Numani, M. S. (1995). Life of the Prophet, volume 2, p. 165. Kazi Publications.
↑ Haykal, Muhammad Husayn. The Life of Muhammad Volume 2. Translated by Al-Faruqi, I. R. (2008). Selangor: Islamic Book Trust.
1 2 An-Nabhani, T., & Ut-Tahrir, H. (1998). The Islamic State. London: Al-Khilafah Publications.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
