Zeynab bint Al-Harith

Zeynab bint Al-Harith (Arabic: زينب بنت الحارث‎‎; died 628) was a Jewish woman who lived in Khaybar, Arabia, in the early seventh century.

Family

Her family were of Yemenite origin. They emigrated to the Hejaz, settled in Khaybar and converted to Judaism. Her father, Al-Harith ibn Al-Harith, and his two brothers, Marhab and Yasir, were famous warrior-poets.^[1][2] Zeynab appears to have been a firstborn child, as her father bore the kunya “Abu Zeynab”. However, she also had a brother, Al-Harith ibn Al-Harith.^[3]

In summer 625 members of the Nadir tribe arrived in Khaybar, having been exiled from Medina by Muhammad.^[4] Among them was Sallam ibn Mishkam al-Nadiri, a warrior-poet whom Zeynab in due course married.^[5][6] Some sources suggest that Sallam and Zeynab had a son, Kharija.^[7]

The Siege of Khaybar

Muhammad besieged Khaybar in June 628. Zeynab, along with the other women and children, was barricaded in the fortresses of al-Khatiba, while her husband Sallam commanded the resistance from the Natat area. He was killed in battle on the first day, and Zeynab’s brother Al-Harith took over the defence of Khaybar.^[8]

Nine days later, Ali managed to penetrate the fortress of Na’im. Zeynab’s father challenged the Muslims to single combat and killed several of them before Ali killed Al-Harith. Marhab ibn Al-Harith then stepped forward to avenge his brother, but after a bloody battle, Ali also killed him. (An alternative version states that Muhammad ibn Maslama was the one who killed Marhab.) Marhab’s brother Yasir then ran out to avenge him, and Zubayr ibn al-Awam killed him.^[9] After this, a general battle broke out; the Jews were defeated when the Muslims killed Zeynab’s brother Al-Harith.^[10][11]

Over the next ten days, Zeynab witnessed civilians, weapons and treasures being brought into the safety of the al-Khatiba fortresses while the Muslims captured the forts in the Natat and Al-Shiqq areas. Civilians were moved around by night as the weaker forts were conquered. Finally the invaders spent a month attacking the three fortresses of al-Khatiba. There was no actual fighting, but the defenders could not withstand the siege indefinitely because Muhammad cut off their water supplies; and so they surrendered.^[12][13]

The Poisoned Lamb

As the Jewish leaders went to Muhammad to negotiate the terms of surrender, Muslim soldiers ran into the castles to collect weapons, treasures and captives. It was presumably from these warriors that Zeynab was able to enquire about Muhammad’s favourite food. On hearing it was shoulder of lamb, she killed a lamb (some versions say a goat) from her flock, seasoned the shoulder with a deadly poison and roasted it. When the treaty negotiations were finished, Zeynab pushed her way into Muhammad’s presence and offered him the meal as a gift.^[14][15]

The apostle of Allah took the shoulder, a piece of which he put into his mouth. Bishr [ibn al-Bara] took another bone and put it into his mouth. When the apostle of Allah ate one morsel of it, Bishr ate his, and other people also ate from it. Then the apostle of Allah said, “Hold back your hands! because this shoulder ... is poisoned.” Thereupon Bishr said, “By Him who has made you great! I realised it from the bite I took. The only reason I didn’t spit it out was that I didn’t like to spoil your appetite. When you had eaten what was in your mouth, I did not like to save my life after yours, and I also thought you would not have eaten it if there was something wrong.”^[16]

Muhammad’s companions dragged Zeynab back into his presence demanding an explanation. She replied: “I was determined to kill you because of what you did to my people. You killed my father, my uncle and my husband. I thought that if you were a [real] prophet, the poison would not harm you; but if you were only a[n ordinary] king, I would relieve everyone of you.”^[17]

The Muslims asked if they should kill Zeynab, but Muhammed replied, “No.”^[18][19][20] Zeynab must have been taken prisoner, however, because she was still in the power of the Muslims a day or two later, when Bishr ibn al-Bara died. Zeynab was then handed over to Bishr’s relatives, who exacted their right of blood-vengeance and killed her.^[21][22]

Aisha^[23] and Anas ibn Malik^[24] believed that the poison caused Muhammad excruciating pain for the rest of his life and played a part in his eventual death four years later.^[25]

References

1. ↑ Ibn Saad, Volume 2, p. 251
2. ↑ Guillaume, A. (1955). Translation of Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasoolallah, pp. 512-513. Oxford University Press.
3. ↑ Al-Faruqi, I. R. A. (2005). Translation of M. H. Haykal’s Life of Muhammad, p. 404. Islamic Book Trust.
4. ↑ Guillaume, A. (1955). Translation of Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasoolallah, pp. 437-438. Oxford University Press.
5. ↑ Guillaume, A. (1955). Translation of Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasoolallah, p. 516. Oxford University Press.
6. ↑ Tabari 8, pp. 123-124
7. ↑ Ilan, T. (2011). Lexicon of Jewish Names in Late Antiquity: Part IV: the Eastern Diaspora, 330 BCE – 650 CE. Tübingen: Mohr-Siebeck.
8. ↑ Al-Faruqi, I. R. A. (2005). Translation of M. H. Haykal’s Life of Muhammad, p. 404. Islamic Book Trust.
9. ↑ Guillaume, A. (1955). Translation of Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasoolallah, pp. 512-514. Oxford University Press.
10. ↑ Al-Faruqi, I. R. A. (2005). Translation of M. H. Haykal’s Life of Muhammad, pp. 404-405. Islamic Book Trust.
11. ↑ Dinet, E., & Ibrahim, S. Ibn. (1916). The Life of Mohammad the Prophet of Allah. Paris: The Paris Book Club.
12. ↑ Al-Faruqi, I. R. A. (2005). Translation of M. H. Haykal’s Life of Muhammad, p. 406. Islamic Book Trust.
13. ↑ Al-Mubarakpuri, S. R. (2002). The Sealed Nectar. London: Dar-us-Salam Publishers & Distributors.
14. ↑ Ibn Saad, Volume 2, pp. 249-252.
15. ↑ Tabari 8, pp. 123-124
16. ↑ Ibn Saad, Volume 2, pp. 249-252.
17. ↑ Ibn Saad, Volume 2, pp. 249-252.
18. ↑ Bukhari 3:786
19. ↑ Bukhari 2:617
20. ↑ Tabari 8, pp. 123-124
21. ↑ Ibn Saad, p. 249.
22. ↑ Abu Dawood 34:4498
23. ↑ Bukhari 5:713
24. ↑ Bukhari 3:786
25. ↑ Tabari 8, p. 124