of the trench opposite Quraysh and their confederates, wholly absorbed in confronting the enemy and paying no heed to the women and children.

Safiyyah bint ʿAbd al-Muttalib caught sight of a figure moving in the dimness of dawn. She strained her hearing and fixed her gaze upon it…

It turned out to be a Jew who had approached the fortress and was circling around it, probing for information and spying on those inside.

She realized that he was a scout (1) for his people, come to discover whether the stronghold contained any men who might defend its occupants, or whether it sheltered nothing but women and children.

She said to herself, “The Jews of Banū Qurayzah have broken the covenant they had with the Messenger of Allah and have sided (2) with Quraysh and their allies against the Muslims…

and there is not a single Muslim between us and them to protect us.”