Detailed Account

Following the Battle of Badr, the Jewish tribe of Banu Qaynuqa developed increasingly hostile attitudes toward Muslims despite their constitutional agreement requiring mutual defense. As goldsmiths and craftsmen controlling Madinah's primary market, they possessed significant economic influence. When the Prophet ﷺ visited their neighborhood to invite them to Islam after Badr, warning them of the fate that befell Quraysh, they arrogantly responded: 'Do not be deluded by your victory over inexperienced men. If you fight us, you will know we are the true warriors.' The breaking point came when they humiliated a Muslim woman in their marketplace—a goldsmith pinned her dress causing it to tear and expose her, and when she cried for help, a Muslim killed the offender, after which the Banu Qaynuqa killed the Muslim in retaliation. This chain of violence violated the constitution, which required dispute resolution through the Prophet ﷺ. Consequently, he besieged their fortress for 15 days until they surrendered unconditionally. Though initially intending to execute the combatants following Sa'd ibn Mu'adh's judgment, the Prophet ﷺ acquiesced to the intense intercession of Abdullah ibn Ubayy (their ally and leader of the hypocrites) and instead exiled them to Adhri'at in Syria. They were allowed to take movable property except weapons. This incident established important precedents in early Islamic statecraft: consequences for violating constitutional agreements, proportional response to aggression, mercy even in applying justice, and willingness to adjust penalties based on intercession. As the first of three Jewish tribes eventually expelled for treaty violations, their exile signaled that the constitutional arrangement required active adherence rather than merely formal acknowledgment.