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The conquest of Khaybar 
In Muharram of 7 A.H., the Prophet announced the march 
to Khaybar. Those who had failed to join the expedition to 
Hudaybia asked to go along, but the Prophet announced that 
only those who had already proved their resolve for Jihad were to 
go. The laggards were to be left out of the expedition and the 
spoils. And so it was that the fourteen hundred Companions who 
had taken the pledge under the tree near Hudaybia marched out. 
Leaving Madinah in the care of Saba bin Arfatah Ghafari, the 
Prophet set out along a well-known caravan route. Halfway 
down, he diverted his troops to another route that led to Khaybar 
so as to block the Jews’ escape to Syria. 
The last night of the march saw the Prophet and his 
troops camp close to Khaybar while the Jews remained oblivious 
of their presence. The Prophet led Fajr prayer in darkness, and 
then he mounted his animal to resume the journey to Khaybar. 
The Jews meanwhile, carrying spades and baskets, began setting 
out for their fields. When they saw the Muslims, they rushed back 
shouting, “By God, Muhammad has appeared with his troops.” 
The Prophet remarked to his men, “Allahu Akbar! Khaybar has 
met its doom. When we appear on the plains of a people, the 
morning turns gloomy for them.” 

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The population of Khaybar, which lay 171 km north of 
Madinah, was spread along three main settlements, Nataah, 
Katibah and Shaq. Nataah had three citadels, Hisn Na’am, Hisn 
Sa’b bin Mu’adh and Hisn Qal’a Al-Zubayr. 
The two citadels in Shaq were Hisn Abi and Hisn Nizar, 
while Kattibah had three castles, namely Hisn Qamus, Hisn 
Wateeh and Hisn Salalam. There were a number of other citadels 
and castles in Khaybar, but they were smaller and not as well-
fortified as those mentioned above. 
The Prophet pitched his tents east of the citadels of 
Nataah, out of shooting range. He then charged at Hisn Na’am. 
This stronghold of the Jews was well-protected, high and virtually 
impregnable. It was their first line of defence and the home of 
their legendary champion, Marhab, who was reputed to have the 
strength of a thousand men. A few days went by with both sides 
trading arrows. Then the Prophet gave his men news of 
victory. He announced, “Tomorrow I will give the standard to a 
man who loves Allah and His Prophet, and who is in turn loved 
by Allah and His Prophet.” 
The Muslims spent the night in anticipation, each man 
yearning to be chosen as standard bearer. At daybreak the 
Prophet inquired, “Where is Ali?” The Companions replied, 
“He has an eye infection.” Ali was brought before the Prophet 
, who applied spittle to Ali’s eyes and prayed for his recovery. 
Ali found his eyes were cured instantly and he was then given the 
standard. The Prophet instructed him to invite the enemy to 
Islam. Only if they rejected the call to faith was Ali to fight. 
In preparation for war, the Jews sent their women and 
children off to the citadel of Shaq. They had decided on open 
combat the same morning. Consequently, when Ali got there, he 
found them ready for battle. Nevertheless, in compliance with the 
Prophet’s instructions, he called on them to accept Islam. In 
response, Marhab came out brandishing his sword, bragging 

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about his strength: “All Khaybar knows I am Marhab, armed to 
the teeth, valiant and experienced when war is aflame.” 
Amir bin Akwa countered: “All Khaybar knows I am Amr, a 
gallant warrior, up in arms.” 
Following this exchange, they charged one another. Marhab’s 
scimitar was lodged in Amir’s shield, and Amir made to strike at 
Marhab’s calf. Since his sword was small it fell short, and hit his 
knee, an injury that proved to be fatal. The Prophet said in 
tribute to Amir, “He enjoys a twofold reward. He was a brave 
warrior, and very few like him will ever tread the soil of Arabia.” 
When Amir fell at the lance of Marhab, Ali sprang up to face 
Marhab with the following couplet on his lips: I am he whose 
mother named him Hayder [the lion], fierce like the lions of the 
forest. With my lance, I will repay in full measure every ounce of 
insult. 
With one blow of his sword, Ali slew Marhab. Marhab’s 
brother issued a challenge that was met by Zubayr, who swiftly 
sent his opponent to the same fate as Marhab. General combat 
ensued, and in the course of heavy fighting, several Jewish 
chieftains dismaying their men who then fled in consternation. 
The Muslim soldiers gave chase and stormed the citadel. The Jews 
then fled to an adjacent citadel called Hisn Sa’b, and set up 
fortifications. From Hian Na’am, the Muslim troops captured 
weapons, dates, and grain. 
Following the capture of Hisn Na’am, the Muslim forces 
under Hubab bin Mundhir laid a three day siege to Hisn Sa’b. On 
the third day, the Prophet prayed for victory and a substantial 
booty. He then ordered the Muslims to attack, and before sunset, 
the citadel fell. Since it had served as the Jews’ single most 
important granary, the citadel yielded the virtually starving 
Muslims enormous quantities of food and fat. To satisfy their 
hunger, they slaughtered several donkeys, but the Prophet

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forbade his men to eat the meat. At his orders, all the pots 
containing the meat were overturned. 
Now, the Jews, having lost two of their forts, took shelter in 
the third citadel at Nataah called Al-Zubayr and fortified it. The 
Muslim forces besieged that too. On the fourth day of the siege, a 
Jew constructed a number of drains to get drinking water through 
them. 
The Muslims lost no time in cutting off the water supply. 
Finding no alternative but to fight, the Jews rushed out of the 
citadel and fell upon the waiting Muslims. They fought fiercely, 
but lost the day and were driven towards Hisn Abi. 
With one settlement vanquished, the Muslims moved on to 
Shaq to besiege the fortress of Hisn Abi. Two of the Jews came 
out consecutively to engage in single combat. When the second 
one fell at the sword of Abu Dujana, the others rushed back into 
their citadel followed by the Muslim troops, who drove them out 
and captured a large amount of grain and several heads of 
livestock. The Muslim soldiers continued their march on and laid 
siege to Hisn Nizar, where the Jews had fled. High on a mountain 
peak, virtually inaccessible, it seemed the safest of all hideouts. 
The Jewish men had therefore left their women and children 
there while they kept up a shower of stones and arrows to repel 
any Muslim who attempted to scale the mountain. The Muslims 
responded with the use of catapults, and their strategy proved so 
effective that the fortress fell into their hands, and the Jews made 
for Katibah. When the Muslims entered the fallen fortress, they 
found it full of valuable copper and clay utensils, which they 
washed and subsequently used. 
Relentlessly, the Muslims marched on the Katibah, the last 
remaining Jewish stronghold. Its three citadels were their target. 
After a two to three week siege, the first one, at Qamus, fell, and 
when it seemed that the two remaining citadels at Wateeh and 
Salalam were about to be attacked by the Muslims, the Jews 

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negotiated for peace. They agreed to go into exile with their 
families if they were guaranteed safe conduct. The Prophet
acceded to their request. He also allowed them to carry whatever 
they could along with loads of gold, silver, horse, and weapons. 
However, if they hid anything, the agreement would be nullified. 
The Jews handed over two or three citadels to the Muslims, 
who also got a hundred coats of mail, four hundred swords, a 
thousand lances and five hundred Arabian bows. Moreover, they 
found some Hebrew scriptures that they returned at the request 
of the Jews. 
The surrender was not completely unanimous. Some of the 
Jewish chiefs such as Kinana bin Abul-Huqayq and his brother 
contravened the terms that had been agreed upon and attempted 
to slip past with a huge hoard of gold, silver and jewellery. They 
thus lost the guarantee of safe passage and were killed for breach 
of their promise. Among the prisoners was Kinana’s widow, 
Safiyah bint Huayy bin Akhtab, who was later to become one of 
the Mothers of the Faithful with her marriage to the Prophet .
Thus ended a long campaign. As we have seen, there was a 
series of battles for Khaybar, instead of a single event. At the 
close of hostilities, between fifteen and eighteen Muslims were 
martyred, while the number of Jews killed stood at ninety-three.