According to Mūsā ibn ʿUqbah, ʿAmr ibn Saʿd al-Quraẓī then spoke—and he spoke well. He reminded his people of the covenant and pledge they had given the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, the agreement they had made to support him, and he said, “If you will not aid him, then at least leave him and his enemy alone.”
Ibn Isḥāq relates that Huyayy kept working on Kaʿb, twisting him this way and that, until Kaʿb gave in—meaning he agreed to break the covenant of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and fight alongside the Confederates—once Huyayy had sworn a solemn oath by Allah: “If Quraysh and Ghaṭafān withdraw without defeating Muḥammad, I will enter your fortress with you so that whatever befalls you will befall me.” Kaʿb ibn Asad thereupon annulled his pact and disavowed all that had been between him and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Mūsā ibn ʿUqbah further reports that Kaʿb ibn Asad and the Qurayẓah told Huyayy ibn Akhṭab to obtain hostages for them from Quraysh and Ghaṭafān—so that, should those tribes return without engaging Muḥammad, the Jews would not be left exposed. “Let the hostages be ninety of their nobles,” they said. Huyayy bargained with them over this, and at that point they broke the treaty and tore up the document in which it was written, all except the clans of Banū Saʿya—Asad, Asīd, and Thaʿlabah—for they went over to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Ibn Isḥāq continues: When the news reached the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and the Muslims, he dispatched Saʿd ibn Muʿādh—chief of the Aws that day—and Saʿd ibn ʿUbādah—chief of the Khazraj—along with ʿAbd Allāh ibn Rawāḥah and Khawwāt ibn Jubayr, saying:
“Go to these people and see whether the report that has reached us is true. If it is, give me a coded hint that I will recognize, but do not weaken the resolve of the Muslims. If they are still loyal, announce it openly to the people.”
So they set out until they came to them.
Mūsā ibn ʿUqbah records that the delegation entered their fortress and invited them to reconciliation and renewal of the alliance. The Jews replied, “Now—after our wing has been broken and they have expelled them?”—meaning the Banū Naḍīr—and they spoke insolently about the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Saʿd ibn ʿUbādah began trading insults with them and grew angry; Saʿd ibn Muʿādh said to him, “By Allah, we did not come for this; what lies between us and them is graver than abuse.” Then Saʿd ibn Muʿādh called out to them: “You know full well what binds us to you, O Banū Qurayẓah, and I fear for you a day like that of Banū Naḍīr—or even worse.”
They retorted, “May you eat your father’s organ!”
He replied, “Something other than that crude speech would have been more becoming and better for you.”
Ibn Isḥāq adds: They railed against the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, saying, “Who is the Messenger of Allah? There is no covenant or pact between us and Muḥammad.” Saʿd ibn Muʿādh cursed them and they cursed him back—for he was a man of quick temper—so Saʿd ibn ʿUbādah said to him, “Leave off the insults; what lies between us and them is weightier than trading abuse.” The two Saʿds and their companions then returned to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and offered him salutations.