Realising that destruction was imminent, they asked the Prophet to grant them safe passage(1) and spare their lives, and he agreed. By that time the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had already taken possession of all their property—al-Shiq, al-Naṭāh, al-Katībah and every one of their fortresses—except for those two remaining strongholds. When the people of Fadak heard what had happened, they sent to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ requesting the same: that he let them depart, spare their blood and leave their wealth to him, and he accepted. (It was Muḥayyiṣah ibn Masʿūd of the Banū Ḥārithah who mediated between the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and them in this matter.)
When the people of Khaybar submitted on these terms, they asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to let them cultivate the land on the basis of half its produce, saying, “We know it better than you and can tend it more efficiently.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ therefore concluded a treaty with them for half the yield, stipulating, “Should we wish to expel you, we will do so,” and he made the same arrangement with the people of Fadak.
Section: The Capture of Its Fortresses(2) and the Apportionment of Its Land
Al-Wāqidī(3) relates: When the Jews withdrew from the fortress of Nāʿim and the fortress of al-Ṣaʿb ibn Muʿādh to the citadel of al-Zubayr, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ besieged them for three days. Then a Jew named Ghazzāl came forward and said, “O Abū al-Qāsim, will you guarantee my safety if I show you a way to rid yourself of the people of al-Naṭāh and move on to the people of al-Shiq? The people of al-Shiq have already been destroyed by fear of you.”
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ granted him security for himself, his family, and his wealth. The man said, “Even if you were to besiege them for a month, they would not mind, for beneath the ground they have tunnels through which they emerge at night to drink, then return to their fortress.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ ordered the tunnels cut off. The defenders then sallied forth and fought with extreme ferocity; that day several Muslims were martyred, while ten Jews were killed, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ took the fortress. It was the last of the strongholds of al-Naṭāh.
He next advanced to al-Shiq, which contained many fortresses. The first he attacked was the fortress of Ubayy. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ positioned himself at a citadel called Sumwān(4), and the defenders fought from it with great intensity. A man named ‘Azūl came out and challenged to single combat. Al-Ḥubbāb ibn al-Mundhir stepped forward, severed his right hand halfway up the forearm so that his sword dropped, and the Jew turned and fled. Al-Ḥubbāb pursued and cut his Achilles tendon. Another man emerged, and a Muslim stepped up to meet him; the Jew killed the Muslim, whereupon another combatant moved against him