A REFLECTION ON THE NARRATIVE OF THE KILLING OF THE JEWS OF BANU QURAYZA IN THE SPURCES OF HISTORY AND EXEGESIS

Banu Qurayza tribe was one of the Jewish tribes living around Medina who conspired many times and together with the polytheists in the battles of the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) fought the Muslims, and eventually, some of them were destroyed and others were forced to migrate from that land. The Qur'an tells the story of this group in Sura al-Ahzab in a short and transient manner and passes by it in a simple way, while a lot on this subject has been discussed among the orientalists and some contemporary writers who consider this incident as an example of the Prophet's warlike nature and rigorousness. This story has exaggeratedly found its way in historical narrations and in the interpretation of the Qur'an and such things have been said which are neither rational nor supported by historical evidences nor compatible with the holy Prophet’s character and requires serious investigation. In this article, by focusing on the report of the Qur'an, we make an attempt to examine a few points: Firstly, to determine how this incident occurred, secondly, how the interpreters have described this story, and thirdly, what justifications they have expressed for their slaughter and killings and how they have interpreted the corresponding verse. Naturally, one of the most important issues in this story is the number of people killed, and explaining the verse can help enlighten the incident. Also, the conflict between hadiths and other hassles of historical narration bespeaks that this incident was not as it became famous, and instead of surrendering, it was a massacre on the battlefield.