they said to him, “Sit down, Abū al-Qāsim, have something to eat; then you can leave with what you came for while we rise and consult among ourselves.” He therefore sat down with a group of his Companions. Once they were alone—Satan being in their midst—they conspired to kill the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, saying, “You will never find him closer than he is now; rid yourselves of him and you will be safe.” One of them declared, “If you wish, I shall climb to the roof above him and drop a stone on him, killing him.”
Allah revealed their plot to the Prophet, informed him of what they were planning, and protected him; so he rose as though answering the call of nature. The enemies of Allah waited for him, but he tarried. A man from Medina passed by; they questioned him about the Prophet, and he said, “I met him—he has already entered the alleys of Medina.” They then said to the Prophet’s Companions, “Abū al-Qāsim left in haste before we could carry out our plan while he was away.” The Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ got up and returned, and the verse was revealed: “O you who believe, remember Allah’s favor upon you when a people were about to stretch out their hands against you, but He restrained their hands from you…” (Qur’an 5:11).
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ thereupon ordered that they be expelled and allowed to travel wherever they wished. By that time hypocrisy had become widespread in Medina. The Jews said, “Where will you drive us?” He answered, “I will drive you to al-Hashr.” When the hypocrites heard what was intended for their allies, they sent word: “We are with you in life and in death. If you are fought, our help is yours; if you are expelled, we will not abandon you.” Their leader was Abū Ṣafiyyah Ḥuyayy ibn Akhṭab. Trusting the pledges of the hypocrites, their self-delusion swelled, and Satan tempted them with hopes of victory. They called out to the Prophet ﷺ and his Companions: “By Allah, we will not leave, and if you fight us, we will fight you!”
The Prophet ﷺ proceeded to carry out Allah’s command regarding them. He told his Companions to take up arms and advanced against them, while the Jews barricaded themselves in their houses and fortresses. When he reached their narrow lanes and strongholds, he disliked the idea of letting them fight from within their dwellings. Allah safeguarded him and guided him to sound judgment: he ordered that the nearest houses be demolished one after another, and that the date-palms be burned and cut down. Allah held back their hands and the hands of the hypocrites so that they gave them no help, and He cast terror into the hearts of both groups. Then, whenever the Messenger of Allah ﷺ finished demolishing what lay closest to their town, Allah would cast