Detailed Account

Immediately after the Battle of the Trench, while Muslims were still exhausted from the siege, Angel Jibreel came to the Prophet ﷺ instructing him to confront Banu Qurayza, a Jewish tribe in Madinah who had violated their treaty by conspiring with the confederate forces against Muslims. During the siege, they had negotiated with enemy forces to attack Muslims from within Madinah, creating an existential threat to the Islamic community. The Prophet ﷺ immediately mobilized forces to besiege Banu Qurayza's fortresses, which lasted for 25 days. When they finally surrendered, they requested to be judged according to the ruling of Sa'd ibn Mu'adh, leader of their former allies Aws. The Prophet ﷺ agreed to this arbitration. Sa'd, who had been seriously wounded in the Battle of the Trench and was near death, pronounced judgment based on Jewish law (Torah): combatant men would be executed, women and children taken as captives, and property divided as spoils. Approximately 600-700 men who had participated in the treason were executed, while women and children were spared. This severe judgment reflected both the Mosaic law that the tribe recognized and the gravity of their treason during Madinah's most vulnerable moment. Had the confederate attack succeeded with their internal support, it could have resulted in the annihilation of the entire Muslim community, including women and children. The Prophet ﷺ implemented this ruling as consistent with the treaty violations and the arbitration process that both parties had accepted. The Quran discusses this incident in Surah Al-Ahzab, emphasizing the severity of their betrayal and the justice of the outcome. This event ended the significant military threat from Jewish tribes within Madinah who had repeatedly violated peace treaties.