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It is authentically reported in the two Ṣaḥīḥs(1) that when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ conquered Khaybar, he arranged with its Jews that half of whatever the land yielded—dates or grain—would be theirs and half the Muslims’. One wording of the ḥadīth adds: “on condition that they farm it at their own expense,” while another(2) relates that the Prophet ﷺ told them, “We shall leave you in it so long as we will.”
Al-Siyar records that he used to send ʿAbd Allāh ibn Rawāḥah to them; when the fruit ripened he would estimate the crop, assign their share, and hold them liable for it. After ʿAbd Allāh ibn Rawāḥah was martyred at Muʾtah, the Prophet ﷺ dispatched Jabbār ibn Ṣakhr in his place, as mentioned earlier. A detailed study of the various wordings and transmission chains will, if Allah wills, be found in the Book of Muzāraʿah within al-Aḥkām al-Kabīr—for Allah alone is our reliance.
Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq(3) said: I asked Ibn Shihāb, “How did the Messenger of Allah ﷺ allocate the date-palms of Khaybar to its Jews?” He told me: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ captured Khaybar by force after battle, so it became part of what Allah caused to return to him as fayʾ. He took one-fifth and distributed the remainder among the Muslims. Some of the inhabitants accepted exile after the fighting.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then summoned them and said, “If you wish, I will hand these properties over to you, on condition that you cultivate them and that the produce be shared between us. I shall keep you there as long as Allah keeps you.” They accepted and continued to farm on that basis. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ would send ʿAbd Allāh ibn Rawāḥah to divide the harvest and act with complete justice in estimating the yield.
When Allah took His Prophet ﷺ to Himself, Abū Bakr left the land in their hands on the same terms until he died. ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb likewise let them remain for the early part of his caliphate. Later ʿUmar learned that during the illness in which Allah caused him to die, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had said, “Two religions shall not coexist in the Arabian Peninsula.”(4) ʿUmar investigated the matter until reliable proof reached him. He then sent word to the Jews: “Allah has now permitted me to expel you, and I have learned that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘Two religions shall not coexist in the Arabian Peninsula.’ Whoever holds a covenant from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, let him bring it so I may ratify it; whoever has no such covenant must prepare to depart.” ʿUmar thereafter expelled all who lacked a pact from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.