they came—ʿAmr ibn Saʿd (1) walked around their dwellings, saw their houses in ruins, and began to ponder. He then returned to Banū Qurayẓah, found them gathered in the synagogue, blew their horn, and they assembled. Al-Zubayr ibn Bāṭā said, “Abū Saʿīd, where have you been all day? We have not seen you.” (He seldom left the synagogue and was known for his devoutness within Judaism.) ʿAmr replied, “Today I have witnessed lessons that should give us pause. I saw our brethren driven out after all the might, endurance, distinguished honor, and brilliant intellect they once enjoyed. They have abandoned their wealth, which others now control, and have left in humiliation. By the Torah, never has such power been handed over to anyone against a people whom Allah still wishes to preserve.

“Before that He struck down Ibn al-Ashraf—in the very security of his lofty fortress—(2); He struck down Ibn Sunayna, their chief; and He struck down Banū Qaynuqāʿ and expelled them (3). They were the greater part of the Jews, a people of numbers, arms, and valor. Yet the Prophet ﷺ besieged them so completely that not one of them dared raise his head until he had taken them captive. Intercession was made on their behalf, so he spared them on condition that he banish them from Yathrib.

“O my people, you have seen what you have seen. Obey me and come; let us follow Muhammad. By Allah, you know full well that he is a Prophet. Ibn al-Hayyabān and Abū ʿAmr ibn Ḥawwās—both of them the most learned of the Jews—foretold his coming and his mission. They came from Jerusalem anxiously awaiting his arrival, ordered us to follow him, and instructed us to convey their greetings to him. They then died upon their faith, and we buried them in our lava field.” The people fell silent (4); not one of them spoke. He repeated these words and others like them, warning them of war, captivity, and exile.

Al-Zubayr ibn Bāṭā then said, “By the Torah, I have indeed read his description in the Book of the Torah …”