Ali's Flag, the Siege of Qurayzah, and Failed Negotiations

Shaykh Yasir Qadhi explains:

ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, sent ahead of the main force, planted the war banner outside Banū Qurayẓah's fortress, every Yahūd tribe of Madinah, unlike most of the Aws and Khazraj, maintained substantial fortified strongholds the Muslims had no means to breach directly, making a siege the only viable approach. On seeing the banner, the tribe responded with open insults against the Prophet ﷺ, vulgar enough that Ibn Isḥāq declined to record their exact words.

As the Prophet ﷺ approached, he asked a group of Companions whether anyone had preceded him; they reported seeing only Diḥyah al-Kalbī, reputed to be among the most handsome men of Madinah, riding alone on a fine mule. The Prophet ﷺ identified this as Jibrīl, who would take Diḥyah's form when appearing among the Companions so they would sense a presence without mistaking him for anything otherworldly.

When ʿAlī met the Prophet ﷺ before the fortress, he suggested camping farther back, hoping to spare him the tribe's insults; the Prophet ﷺ recognized the intent immediately and said that once they saw him directly, they would not dare repeat such words. He then set up camp directly opposite the fortress and called out to the tribe, asking whether Allah had not now humiliated and disgraced them for their treachery. They answered by addressing him respectfully as Abū al-Qāsim and appealing to his known reputation for wisdom rather than rashness, effectively pleading for mercy, but refused his call to surrender outright, and the siege began in earnest, lasting roughly twenty-five days.

❧KAʿB'S THREE OPTIONS

As the siege wore on with no possibility of relief, Kaʿb ibn Asad, now, at the end, openly conceding to his people that they had long known Muḥammad ﷺ was the very prophet foretold in their own scripture, proposed three options. First, that they accept Islam outright, since doing so would secure their lives and property, Islam being understood to wipe away all prior wrongdoing; his people flatly refused to abandon their faith. Second, a desperate last stand: kill their own families first so there would be nothing left to lose, then charge out with drawn swords until either they or the Muslims were wiped out; this too was refused outright as unthinkable. Third, a surprise assault timed for the Sabbath itself, since the Muslims would least expect them to break their own religious law; his people refused this as well, unwilling to violate the Sabbath even to save their lives. Exasperated, Kaʿb rebuked them for their indecision throughout the entire episode.

❧FAILED NEGOTIATIONS

The tribe then sent Shās ibn Qays to negotiate directly, first requesting the same terms given to the expelled Banū Naḍīr, safe departure with their families and whatever their camels could carry. The Prophet ﷺ refused. A second offer followed, forfeiting all property in exchange for safe passage with only their families; this too was refused. The Prophet ﷺ insisted on nothing short of unconditional surrender. Dr. Qadhi highlights this insistence as significant precisely because the Prophet ﷺ knew what judgment likely awaited them, yet he never offered false terms to lure them out, since deceiving an enemy about the terms of a surrender constitutes treachery (khiyānah), which remains forbidden under all circumstances, unlike the tactical deception (khidʿah) permitted in open warfare.