Safiyya bint Huyayy: An Untold Story of War, Power, and Silence

August 28, 2026 আসিফ মহিউদ্দীন 118 min read

Summary

The tragedy of the Jewish girl Safiyya bint Huyayy is one of the most controversial and sensitive chapters in Islamic history. In the context of the Battle of Khaybar, her noble life was shattered in an instant when Muhammad’s forces killed her father, uncle, and husband. The scene in which she was brought as a captive past the mutilated bodies of her relatives on the battlefield, distributed as part of the spoils of war, and then taken for sexual intercourse before she had even recovered from her grief raises profound questions from the standpoint of morality and human rights. Safiyya’s story is, at its core, a tragic document of how women’s personal freedom was stripped away under the cover of military victory, and how they were treated as spoils of war. Below is a concise and chronological timeline of these events:

The History of Muhammad’s Khaybar Aggression and Safiyya’s Captivity

Family nobility and hostility: Safiyya was the daughter of Huyayy ibn Akhtab, the Jewish leader of Khaybar. Recognizing Muhammad’s aggressive attitude, her father decided from the very beginning to become his staunch enemy. His accusation was that Muhammad was no prophet at all, but merely a fraudulent man driven by greed for women and food.

The brutal killing of her father and uncle: After the fall of Banu Qurayza, Safiyya’s father Huyayy was slaughtered on Muhammad’s order, with his hands and feet bound. Muhammad personally supervised the beheading of hundreds of people while remaining present at the scene. Mass graves were dug in the market of Medina, and all the bodies were thrown into them.

The attack on Khaybar and demonic torture: In 628 CE, Muhammad launched a sudden attack on the prosperous settlement of Khaybar. Out of greed for hidden treasure, Safiyya’s husband Kinana was burned on the chest with heated stones on Muhammad’s order until he was half-dead, and was then slaughtered.

Choosing women as sex slaves: Some companions were allowed to choose freely from among the women obtained as spoils of war. Dihyah initially took possession of Safiyya, but as soon as Muhammad heard of her beauty, he sought to take her for himself. Seizing the opportunity, Dihyah also handed her over in exchange for a total of seven slave women. Through the division of captive women like possessions, absolute domination over them was established.

A bridal night over a mountain of corpses: Within only a few hours of the slaughter of her entire tribe and husband, and after being led past their bloodied corpses, the sixteen-year-old Safiyya was taken to Muhammad’s bed. At a place called Sadd-us-Sahba, Muhammad had intercourse with her, or celebrated the so-called “bridal night.”

A guard out of fear of the killer: Fearing that Safiyya might take revenge on the killer of her husband and relatives, the companion Abu Ayyub al-Ansari stood guard outside the tent all night with a sword in his hand. Muhammad, pleased with this frightened guard, prayed for him.

Filthy abuse and humiliation: In Medina, Safiyya was mocked for her Jewish identity. Muhammad even used extremely vulgar insults against her, calling her “barren” and “shaven-headed,” when he could not have sexual intercourse with her because of her menstrual period.

Silent loyalty to her roots: Until the final stage of her life, Safiyya retained sympathy for her Jewish relatives and left a portion of her property in her will for a Jewish relative.

Introduction

Throughout history, religious wars, killings in the name of religion, and many unethical acts carried out under the banner of one religion’s victory over another have taken place, costing countless human lives. Among those events, one of the most notable is the captivity of Safiyya bint Huyayy at the hands of the Prophet Muhammad after the attack on Khaybar, and the subsequent marriage that was presented as her release from captivity. Through this incident, it becomes clear how war became not only a tool for seizing land or wealth, but also an inhuman instrument for establishing domination over women. That the consumption of women’s bodies was one of the driving forces of war becomes very clear from this event.

Khaybar was a prosperous Jewish settlement, where Muhammad and his followers carried out an offensive jihad in 628 CE. A massacre took place in the name of war, and women among the defeated were taken captive as spoils of war. Safiyya bint Huyayy was a noblewoman of the Banu Nadir tribe, whose husband and most of whose family members were killed in this war. In a single moment, she was transformed from a noble woman into a war captive of a defeated people. In this situation, one of Muhammad’s followers received Safiyya as his share, but ultimately, after hearing of her beauty, Muhammad himself took and married her. How willingly a war captive, bereaved, devastated woman—who had just lost her husband and family members—could have consented to such a marriage is easy enough to infer. The reality is that this was a form of slavery wrapped in the covering of religious legitimacy, where conquered women had no independent will or right to choose.

Muhammad’s conduct did not merely violate a woman’s personal autonomy; it gave that violation religious approval. This culture of taking female captives after war continued in later periods as the Islamic empire expanded. Although Islam speaks of women’s independent personhood and dignity, this event makes clear what women’s status in Islam actually was. The Khaybar incident is a brutal example of violence, slavery, and cruel treatment of women in the name of religious victory. It is not merely a chapter of history, but clear evidence of how women’s fundamental rights were attacked in the name of war and religious ideals.

In this article, we will discuss these matters and bring forward Safiyya’s story from Islamic history. While reading the information presented here, it must be kept in mind that all of it comes from sources written by the victorious Islamist side; it is not possible to obtain Safiyya’s own testimony from any neutral source. The main surviving sources come from the Muslim conquering side. Therefore, while reading, we must remember this, and we must also remember that presenting the Prophet Muhammad as the supreme ideal man is extremely necessary for the propagation of Muslim religious belief. They would certainly not record anything in their books that would make the Prophet appear to be a barbaric warlord and a man greedy for women. These narrations were instead written to display the Prophet’s valor and heroism, yet from those very narrations we can form an understanding of the Prophet’s actions. In history, women’s roles are usually interpreted from a patriarchal point of view. Among the female figures of early Islam, the name of Safiyya, the Prophet’s wife, has been mentioned often, but the complexities of her personal life have remained equally concealed. In this article, we will try to understand not merely the life of a Prophet’s wife, but the life story of a woman from a defeated people who was forcibly brought into the house of a conqueror.

It should be noted that in this article, all modern “sugar-coated” or apologetic ad hoc explanations have been set aside entirely, and the discussion is based only on the life of the Prophet Muhammad, the companions and the successors, and the established classical jurisprudential principles of the four madhhabs as the core foundation of Islam. According to Islam’s established classical ideal, if any modern interpretation does not correspond with the life of Muhammad, the companions, the successors of the successors, the early scholars, and the descriptions found in classical fiqh, then the classical interpretation has been given priority and adopted as the basis of this discussion. Its foundation is the Prophet Muhammad’s famous statement— “The best of people are my generation, then those who come after them, then those who come after them” ^[1] ^[2]. The practice and interpretation of those purest generations of Islam have been taken here as the standard of discussion. Any reader with a modern mindset may certainly reject the information presented in this article; however, even if they reject it, they must acknowledge that the information has been collected from Islamic documents themselves. Therefore, readers are requested at least to verify the truth of the information first, and only then reach a conclusion.

Safiyya’s Family Background

Safiyya’s father was Huyayy ibn Akhtab, the famous Jewish leader of Khaybar. He was an influential figure of the Banu Nadir tribe. Safiyya’s mother belonged to the Banu Qurayza tribe. In other words, she was the child of a respected and politically important family in the Jewish society of Arabia. Her husband Kinana ibn Rabi‘ was a Jewish leader who was brutally killed as a result of the attack on Khaybar. From all these identities, it becomes clear that Safiyya’s life began as that of a woman from an independent, dignified, and ethnically proud Jewish family. Not only that, she was also an independent-minded young woman who loved her tribe. We will gradually prove these points in this article. Readers are requested to read the entire article attentively.

Safiyya, Deeply Beloved by Her Father and Uncle

At the time of the Battle of Khaybar, Safiyya was a very young adolescent girl or young woman. As far as is known, at that time the Prophet Muhammad was an elderly man of around fifty-seven, while she was a young woman just past sixteen. As mentioned earlier, her father’s name was Huyayy ibn Akhtab, and her uncle’s name was Abu Yasir ibn Akhtab. Safiyya had been married at a very young age to Kinana ibn Rabi‘. It should be noted that at the time of the Battle of Khaybar, she was newly married. Let us begin by learning that Safiyya had been a child deeply loved by her father and uncle ^[3]

Safiyya’s Testimony
… told me that Safiyya bint Huyayy ibn Akhtab said, “I was beloved to my father and uncle. When I was near them, they would not even raise their eyes toward any other children. The Messenger (peace be upon him) was then staying in Quba with Banu Amr ibn Awf. Before sunrise, the two of them went to see him. They returned very late at night, exhausted, weary, drained, and weakened. As usual, with childish excitement, I ran toward them. I heard my uncle say to my father, “Is he the one? You recognized him, did you not? Are you certain?” “Yes!” “Then what do you intend to do now?” “By God, as long as there is life in my body, I will be the mortal enemy of his life.”

The same account is also narrated in Ibn Hisham’s Sirah ^[4]

Sirat-un-Nabi (peace be upon him), p. 196
Narration of Hazrat Safiyya (RA)
Ibn Ishaq says: Abdullah ibn Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Amr ibn Hazm (RA) narrated to me. He said: It has reached me from Safiyya bint Huyayy ibn Akhtab that she said: I was the most beloved child among the children of my father and my uncle Abu Yasir. Whenever I met them, they would leave their other children and take me into their arms. Then, when the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) entered Medina and stayed in the settlement of Banu Amr ibn Awf at Quba, my father Huyayy ibn Akhtab and my uncle Abu Yasir ibn Akhtab went to him early in the morning. She said: But they did not return until sunset.
She said: Then when they came back, they were so exhausted that they seemed as if they would collapse while walking. As usual, I went toward them with a happy face, but by Allah, neither of them even turned toward me. They were sorrowful and worried. She said: I heard my uncle Abu Yasir say to my father Huyayy ibn Akhtab: Is this the man? He replied: Yes, by Allah, he is the one. Then my uncle said: Have you truly recognized him and become certain about this? My father said: Yes. Then my uncle said: What have you decided about him now? My father said: I will remain hostile to him for the rest of my life.

The Reason for the Hostility with Huyayy ibn Akhtab

Since, fundamentally, Islam is a blind faith without reason or evidence, it is easy to infer that the founder of this religion would be opposed to questions and reason. Let us listen to a sermon and examine what kind of hateful statements Bangladesh’s well-known scholars Ahmadullah and Abbasi are making about the Jews. At the same time, Ahmadullah and others will also admit that the reason for this hatred toward the Jews is their questioning and inquiry—that is, critical thinking.

The main hostility between the Prophet Muhammad and Huyayy ibn Akhtab was over religion. Huyayy ibn Akhtab used to ask various kinds of questions about religion, most of which Muhammad could not answer. It is quite clear that the poor Prophet was in a rather miserable state after hearing Huyayy ibn Akhtab’s various arguments and questions! That is why the Prophet would often become angry ^[5]

The Hostility of the Jews
Ibn Ishaq says: Since Allah the Exalted distinguished the Arabs by sending a prophet from among them, the Jewish scholars, out of envy and hostility, adopted enmity toward the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) as their mission. With them were some people from the Aws and Khazraj tribes who had remained upon Jahiliyyah. They were hypocrites; the religion of their forefathers was based on shirk, and they disbelieved in resurrection. But because of the influence of Islam and because members of their own people had accepted Islam, they too were compelled outwardly to accept Islam, and they took it as a shield in an attempt to save their lives. Secretly, however, they were engaged in hypocrisy. Their desires and aspirations matched those of the Jews. For they too rejected the Prophet (peace be upon him) and opposed Islam. The condition of the Jewish scholars was such that, by asking various embarrassing questions, they would annoy and exhaust the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and would try to cover truth with falsehood by spreading various nets of doubt. Verses of the Noble Qur’an would be revealed in response to their questions. Apart from a few questions asked by the Muslims regarding lawful and unlawful matters, all questions came from them.
The names and identities of the Jewish scholars by tribe were as follows:
From Banu Nadir: Huyayy ibn Akhtab and Abu Yasir ibn Akhtab and his two brothers, one of them named Huyayy ibn Akhtab, Salam ibn Mishkam, Kinana ibn Rabi‘ ibn Abu al-Huqayq, Salam ibn Abu al-Huqayq, Abu Rafi‘ al-A‘war—he is the one whom the companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) killed in the Battle of Khaybar. Rabi‘ ibn Abu al-Huqayq, Amr ibn Jahash, Ka‘b ibn al-Ashraf—this man belonged to Banu Nabhan, a branch of the Tayy tribe. His mother was from Banu Nadir. Hajjaj ibn Amr—this man was an ally of Ka‘b ibn al-Ashraf. Kurdam ibn Qays—this man was also an ally of Ka‘b ibn al-Ashraf. All of them were from Banu Nadir.

Huyayy Was a Severe Critic of the Prophet

Many people at that time had spoken openly and criticized the actions of the Prophet Muhammad and his greed for women. But their Prophet would regularly have such people killed by sending assassins. Among these critics, one of the most notable was Safiyya’s father, Huyayy ibn Akhtab. Let us see what criticisms he made of the Prophet Muhammad, and whether those criticisms were actually logical ^[6]

Now let us see whether Huyayy ibn Akhtab’s criticisms were actually true, or whether they were slander born of hatred. You surely know that the Prophet had eleven sexual partners at the same time. On the same night, he would have continuous sexual intercourse with eleven women. This matter has been discussed in detail elsewhere; for now, let us hear it from the mouth of a scholar,

Now let us move to the second point. Many Muslims today are heard saying that the Prophet supposedly ate very little and advised people to eat little. Some even claim that eating little is the Prophet’s Sunnah. Yet authentic hadith says something different. From the hadith, it appears that the Prophet was terribly greedy about food. Let us read the hadiths, where we see that even after eating two forelegs of a sheep or goat, the Prophet still asked for more foreleg meat. Just think: how many kilograms of meat does the foreleg of a medium-sized sheep or goat contain? How can a person ask for more foreleg meat even after eating two forelegs? ^[7] ^[8] –

Reference : Ash-Shama’il Al-Muhammadiyah 168
In-book reference : Book 25, Hadith 19
English translation : Sunnah.com
Abu ‘Ubaid said:
“I cooked a dish for the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), and he used to take great pleasure in the foreleg [of the cooked sheep],so I passed him the foreleg. Then he said: ‘Pass me the foreleg,’ so I passed it to him. Then he said: ‘Pass me the foreleg,’ so I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, how many forelegs does a sheep have?’ He said: ‘By the One in whose Hand is my soul, if you kept silent, you would surely pass me the foreleg whenever I asked for it!’”
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ، قَالَ‏:‏ حَدَّثَنَا مُسْلِمُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، قَالَ‏:‏ حَدَّثَنَا أَبَانُ بْنُ يَزِيدَ، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، عَنْ شَهْرِ بْنِ حَوْشَبٍ، عَنْ أَبِي عُبَيْدَةَ، قَالَ‏:‏ طَبَخْتُ لِلنَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم، قِدْرًا، وَقَدْ كَانَ يُعْجِبُهُ الذِّرَاعُ، فَنَاوَلْتُهُ الذِّرَاعَ، ثُمَّ قَالَ‏:‏ نَاوِلْنِي الذِّرَاعَ، فَنَاوَلْتُهُ، ثُمَّ قَالَ‏:‏ نَاوِلْنِي الذِّرَاعَ، فَقُلْتُ‏:‏ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ، وَكَمْ لِلشَّاةِ مِنْ ذِرَاعٍ، فَقَالَ‏:‏ وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَوْ سَكَتَّ لَنَاوَلْتَنِي الذِّرَاعَ مَا دَعَوْتُ‏.‏
Grade: Sanad Da’if wal-Hadīth Hasan (Zubair `Aliza’i)

Reference : Ash-Shama’il Al-Muhammadiyah 168
In-book reference : Book 25, Hadith 19
English translation : Sunnah.com
Original Bengali source also cited Sunan ad-Darimi (HadithBD), Hadith 45; the same narration is available on Sunnah.com under Ash-Shama’il Al-Muhammadiyah 168.
Abu ‘Ubaid said:
“I cooked a dish for the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), and he used to take great pleasure in the foreleg [of the cooked sheep],so I passed him the foreleg. Then he said: ‘Pass me the foreleg,’ so I passed it to him. Then he said: ‘Pass me the foreleg,’ so I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, how many forelegs does a sheep have?’ He said: ‘By the One in whose Hand is my soul, if you kept silent, you would surely pass me the foreleg whenever I asked for it!’”
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ، قَالَ‏:‏ حَدَّثَنَا مُسْلِمُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، قَالَ‏:‏ حَدَّثَنَا أَبَانُ بْنُ يَزِيدَ، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، عَنْ شَهْرِ بْنِ حَوْشَبٍ، عَنْ أَبِي عُبَيْدَةَ، قَالَ‏:‏ طَبَخْتُ لِلنَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم، قِدْرًا، وَقَدْ كَانَ يُعْجِبُهُ الذِّرَاعُ، فَنَاوَلْتُهُ الذِّرَاعَ، ثُمَّ قَالَ‏:‏ نَاوِلْنِي الذِّرَاعَ، فَنَاوَلْتُهُ، ثُمَّ قَالَ‏:‏ نَاوِلْنِي الذِّرَاعَ، فَقُلْتُ‏:‏ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ، وَكَمْ لِلشَّاةِ مِنْ ذِرَاعٍ، فَقَالَ‏:‏ وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَوْ سَكَتَّ لَنَاوَلْتَنِي الذِّرَاعَ مَا دَعَوْتُ‏.‏
Grade: Sanad Da’if wal-Hadīth Hasan (Zubair `Aliza’i)

The Conflict with Abu Bakr

Alongside the Prophet, the Jews also had various kinds of theological debates with Abu Bakr. Unfortunately, in most of those debates, it was usually the Muslims who ended up attacking the Jews. The culture of answering argument with argument, debate with debate, and words with words was absent among Muslims from the very beginning. That is why we see Abu Bakr throwing a punch when someone asked a question ^[9]

Abu Bakr’s Entry into a Jewish School
One day Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (RA) entered a Jewish school. There he saw a large number of people gathered around one man. That man was known as Fanhas. He was one of their scholars and religious leaders. Another of their religious scholars, named Ashya, was also present with him at the time.
Abu Bakr (RA) addressed Fanhas and said,
Woe to you, O Fanhas! Fear Allah and accept Islam.
By Allah! You surely know that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah. He has appeared to you as a messenger from Allah. You have found clear information about him in the Torah and the Gospel preserved with you.”
Then Fanhas replied to Abu Bakr (RA), saying,
“By Allah, O Abu Bakr! We have no need of Allah. Rather, He needs us. We do not plead and beg before Him; rather, He does so before us. We are not poor before Him; rather, He depends on us. If He were not dependent on us, He would not have asked for a loan from our wealth—as your Prophet claims. He forbids us from interest, yet He takes it from us.”
Abu Bakr’s Angry Reaction
Hearing this, Abu Bakr (RA) became angry and struck Fanhas hard on the cheek. He said,
“By the Great Being in whose hand is my life, if there had not been a treaty between us and you, I would have crushed your head, O enemy of Allah!”
The narrator says that afterward Fanhas went to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and complained,
“O Muhammad! Your companion has behaved badly toward me. Please take note of it.”
Then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) asked Abu Bakr (RA),
“Why did you treat him in this way?”
Abu Bakr (RA) said,
“O Messenger of Allah! This enemy of Allah has certainly made an obscene statement about Allah. He said that Allah is poor, while they are rich. I became displeased at his statement and struck him on the cheek for the sake of Allah’s pleasure.”
But Fanhas immediately denied his statement.

Let us also learn why the Jews raised this matter. It appears that this question from the Jews was highly logical. In Islam, Allah is presented as omnipotent, self-sufficient, and the creator—one who has power over all creation and depends on no one. This position of Allah creates a concept in which He is completely independent, perfect, and free from every kind of need. However, in some verses of the Qur’an, statements appear that directly conflict with this position and with Islam’s fundamental belief. For example, in Surah Muhammad, verse 7; Surah al-Baqarah, verse 245; Surah al-Hadid, verses 11 and 18; and Surah at-Taghabun, verse 17, it appears that Allah asks human beings for a loan. If Allah is truly the creator and owner of everything, why would He need to ask ordinary human beings for a “loan” for anything at all? The one who merely says “Be” and everything comes into being is, in a pleading tone, borrowing from human beings—the matter is extremely ridiculous. Such statements create a logical contradiction with the claim of a self-sufficient being and give rise to a serious philosophical question: does asking human beings for a loan on the part of an omnipotent being not reveal a limitation in His nature? Let us read the verses—verses that can naturally raise these questions in the mind of any rational person:

Surah Muhammad, verse 7
Quran reference : Surah Muhammad, 47:7
Arabic : يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِن تَنصُرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ يَنصُرْكُمْ وَيُثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَكُمْ ٧
Translation — Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran : O believers! If you stand up for Allah, He will help you and make your steps firm.
Translation — M. Pickthall : O ye who believe! If ye will aid (the cause of) Allah, He will aid you, and plant your feet firmly.

Surah al-Baqarah, verse 245
Quran reference : Surah al-Baqarah, 2:245
Arabic : مَّن ذَا ٱلَّذِي يُقۡرِضُ ٱللَّهَ قَرۡضًا حَسَنٗا فَيُضَٰعِفَهُۥ لَهُۥٓ أَضۡعَافٗا كَثِيرَةٗۚ وَٱللَّهُ يَقۡبِضُ وَيَبۡصُۜطُ وَإِلَيۡهِ تُرۡجَعُونَ ٢٤٥
Translation — Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran : Who will lend to Allah a good loan which Allah will multiply many times over? It is Allah ˹alone˺ who decreases and increases ˹wealth˺. And to Him you will ˹all˺ be returned.
Translation — M. Pickthall : Who is it that will lend unto Allah a goodly loan, so that He may give it increase manifold? Allah straiteneth and enlargeth. Unto Him ye will return.

Surah al-Hadid, verse 11
Quran reference : Surah al-Hadid, 57:11
Arabic : مَّن ذَا ٱلَّذِي يُقۡرِضُ ٱللَّهَ قَرۡضًا حَسَنٗا فَيُضَٰعِفَهُۥ لَهُۥ وَلَهُۥٓ أَجۡرٞ كَرِيمٞ ١١
Translation — Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran : Who is it that will lend to Allah a good loan which Allah will multiply ˹many times over˺ for them, and they will have an honourable reward?
Translation — M. Pickthall : Who is he that will lend unto Allah a goodly loan, that He may double it for him and his may be a rich reward?

Surah al-Hadid, verse 18
Quran reference : Surah al-Hadid, 57:18
Arabic : إِنَّ ٱلۡمُصَّدِّقِينَ وَٱلۡمُصَّدِّقَٰتِ وَأَقۡرَضُواْ ٱللَّهَ قَرۡضًا حَسَنٗا يُضَٰعَفُ لَهُمۡ وَلَهُمۡ أَجۡرٞ كَرِيمٞ ١٨
Translation — Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran : Indeed, those men and women who give in charity and lend to Allah a good loan will have it multiplied for them, and they will have an honourable reward.
Translation — M. Pickthall : Lo! those who give alms, both men and women, and lend unto Allah a goodly loan, it will be doubled for them, and theirs will be a rich reward.

Surah at-Taghabun, verse 17
Quran reference : Surah at-Taghabun, 64:17
Arabic : إِن تُقۡرِضُواْ ٱللَّهَ قَرۡضًا حَسَنٗا يُضَٰعِفۡهُ لَكُمۡ وَيَغۡفِرۡ لَكُمۡۚ وَٱللَّهُ شَكُورٌ حَلِيمٌ ١٧
Translation — Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran : If you lend to Allah a good loan, He will multiply it for you and forgive you. For Allah is Most Appreciative, Most Forbearing.
Translation — M. Pickthall : If ye lend unto Allah a goodly loan, He will double it for you and will forgive you, for Allah is Responsive, Clement.

The Prophet’s Anger When Asked Who Created Allah

There is a very important question that naturally comes to everyone’s mind: if Allah exists, then who created Allah? But it is known that when this question was put to the Prophet, he would flare up in rage ^[10]

The Jews’ insolent questioning about the essence of Allah
Ibn Ishaq says: Sa‘id ibn Jubayr informed me that once some Jews came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and asked, “O Muhammad, Allah created the entire universe, but who created Allah?”
On hearing this question, the Messenger (peace be upon him) became so angry that his face changed color, and he warned them about the wrath of Allah. At that moment Jibril (peace be upon him) came to him and comforted him, saying, “O Muhammad! Be calm.” Then he recited to him the answer he had brought from Allah in response to the Jews’ question:
Quran reference : Surah al-Ikhlas, 112:1–4
Arabic : قُلْ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ أَحَدٌ ١ ٱللَّهُ ٱلصَّمَدُ ٢ لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ ٣ وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُۥ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌۢ ٤
Translation — Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran : Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “He is Allah—One ˹and Indivisible˺; Allah—the Sustainer ˹needed by all˺. He has never had offspring, nor was He born. And there is none comparable to Him.”
Translation — M. Pickthall : Say: He is Allah, the One! Allah, the eternally Besought of all! He begetteth not nor was begotten. And there is none comparable unto Him.
After the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) recited the above surah before the assembled Jews, they said, “O Muhammad! Let us say we understand this statement of yours. Now tell us, what is His shape and form? What is His hand like? What is His arm like?”
On hearing this, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) became even more angry than before and warned them again. At that moment Jibril (peace be upon him) came to him and repeated what he had said the first time. He then recited to him the answer he had brought from Allah to this question. That answer from Allah was:
Quran reference : Surah az-Zumar, 39:67
Arabic : وَمَا قَدَرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِۦ وَٱلْأَرْضُ جَمِيعًا قَبْضَتُهُۥ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ وَٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتُ مَطْوِيَّـٰتٌۢ بِيَمِينِهِۦۚ سُبْحَـٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَـٰلَىٰ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ ٦٧
Translation — Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran : They have not shown Allah His proper reverence. On the Day of Judgment, the whole earth will be in His Grip, and the heavens will be rolled up in His Right Hand. Glorified and Exalted is He above what they associate ˹with Him˺!
Translation — M. Pickthall : And they esteem not Allah as He hath the right to be esteemed, when the whole earth is His handful on the Day of Resurrection, and the heavens are rolled in His right hand. Glorified is He and High Exalted from all that they ascribe as partner (unto Him).

The Invitation of Banu Nadir and Muhammad’s Flight

The leaders of the Banu Nadir tribe invited the Prophet Muhammad and his companions for the purpose of discussion; they challenged him to show proof of his prophethood. The Jews said that if Muhammad could correctly answer all the questions of the Jewish scholars, then everyone in the Banu Nadir tribe would understand the truth of Islam and accept it. Muhammad was to come to a particular place with thirty companions, and the Jews too would bring thirty people. The Prophet went there with his companions. But before the debate even began, he suddenly got up and left the place, quietly abandoning everyone else. The other companions waited for a long time, but there was no trace of the Prophet! He could not be found anywhere. Later, they heard from another person that the Prophet had gone back to Medina. They returned to Medina. After returning, they came to know that Jibril had supposedly come and secretly told the Prophet that some people were sitting on the roof of the house where they had been seated, intending to kill him. But why those people did not kill the Prophet’s companions, why none of the companions saw anyone like that, and why the Prophet left alone without saying anything to anyone—nothing is known about any of this. In other words, only the Prophet alone knew about this secret Jewish conspiracy, for which there is no actual evidence. Any intelligent person can understand how ridiculous this incident is—how the Prophet ran away, leaving his friends and companions in danger that day, and how it appears to have been a tactic for avoiding debate with the Jews. The very next day, under Muhammad’s leadership, an attack was launched against Banu Nadir ^[11] ^[12] –

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was then sitting beside the wall of one of their houses. They said, “Who will go up to the roof and drop a stone from there, killing Muhammad and freeing us from his hand?” Amr ibn Jahhash came forward and said, “I am ready for that.” Accordingly, he climbed up to that place in order to throw the stone. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was still sitting there with a group of companions. Among them were Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA), Umar (RA), and Ali (RA). Heavenly news of their evil intention came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). Without saying anything to anyone, he got up and set out toward Medina. When he did not return to the place for a long time, the companions went out looking for him. Seeing a man coming from the direction of Medina, they asked him about the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). That man said, “I saw him entering Medina.” Receiving this news, all the companions returned to Medina and gathered before the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). He informed them about the Jews’ treachery.

You saw in the document above that Muhammad abruptly left the place without providing proof of his prophethood. Now let us see what happened before and after this incident ^[13]

Reference : Sunan Abi Dawud 3004
In-book reference : Book 20, Hadith 77
English translation : Book 19, Hadith 2998
Narrated Abdullah ibn Ka’b ibn Malik:
On the authority of Abdullah ibn Ka’b ibn Malik, from a man among the companions of the Prophet (ﷺ):
The infidels of Quraysh wrote to Abdullah ibn Ubayy and to those who worshipped idols from al-Aws and al-Khazraj while the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was still in Medina before Badr: “You have given shelter to our companion. We swear by Allah that you must either fight him or expel him, or we shall come against you all together, kill your fighters, and take possession of your women.”
When this reached Abdullah ibn Ubayy and the idol-worshippers with him, they gathered to fight the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). When this news reached the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), he went to them and said: “The threat of Quraysh has reached you. They cannot plot against you with anything more harmful than what you yourselves intend to do. Do you intend to fight your sons and brothers?” When they heard this from the Prophet (ﷺ), they dispersed. This news reached the infidels of Quraysh.
After the Battle of Badr, the infidels of Quraysh again wrote to the Jews: “You are men of weapons and fortresses. You must fight our companion, or we shall deal with you in such-and-such a way, and nothing will come between us and the anklets of your women.” When their letter reached the Prophet (ﷺ), they gathered Banu an-Nadir to violate the treaty.
They sent a message to the Prophet (ﷺ): “Come out to us with thirty men from your companions, and thirty rabbis will come out from us, until we meet at a central place where they will hear you. If they testify to you and believe in you, we shall believe in you.” The narrator then narrated the whole story.
When the next day came, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) went out in the morning with an army and surrounded them. He said to them: “By Allah, you will have no peace from me until you conclude a treaty with me.” But they refused to conclude a treaty with him, so he fought them that day.
Then the next morning he attacked Banu Qurayzah with an army, leaving Banu an-Nadir. He asked them to conclude a treaty, and they concluded one with him. Then he turned away from them and attacked Banu an-Nadir again with an army. He fought them until they agreed to exile. Banu an-Nadir were deported, carrying on their camels whatever they could carry of their property, including the doors and wood of their houses.
The palm trees of Banu an-Nadir were reserved exclusively for the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). Allah bestowed them upon him and made them a special portion for him. Allah, the Exalted, said: “What Allah has bestowed on His Messenger from them, you made no expedition for it with either horses or camels.” He said: “Without fighting.” So the Prophet (ﷺ) gave most of it to the emigrants and divided it among them; he also divided some of it between two needy men from the helpers, and did not divide it among any of the helpers except those two. The rest remained as the sadaqah of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), which was in the hands of the descendants of Fatimah.
Arabic : حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ دَاوُدَ بْنِ سُفْيَانَ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ، أَخْبَرَنَا مَعْمَرٌ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ كَعْبِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ رَجُلٍ، مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنَّ كُفَّارَ قُرَيْشٍ كَتَبُوا إِلَى ابْنِ أُبَىٍّ وَمَنْ كَانَ مَعَهُ يَعْبُدُونَ الأَوْثَانَ مِنَ الأَوْسِ وَالْخَزْرَجِ وَرَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَوْمَئِذٍ بِالْمَدِينَةِ قَبْلَ وَقْعَةِ بَدْرٍ أَنَّكُمْ آوَيْتُمْ صَاحِبَنَا وَإِنَّا نُقْسِمُ بِاللَّهِ لَتُقَاتِلُنَّهُ أَوْ لَتُخْرِجُنَّهُ أَوْ لَنَسِيرَنَّ إِلَيْكُمْ بِأَجْمَعِنَا حَتَّى نَقْتُلَ مُقَاتِلَتَكُمْ وَنَسْتَبِيحَ نِسَاءَكُمْ …
Grade: Sahih in chain (Al-Albani)

The Slaughter of Her Father Huyayy ibn Akhtab

After this, the Prophet kept the Banu Qurayza tribe under siege for twenty-five days and eventually forced them to surrender. Among the captives there, Huyayy ibn Akhtab too was killed along with the other men ^[14]

Let us look at this reference from another source as well ^[15]

In this way, all the captives—whose number was between six and seven hundred—were beheaded.
Through the arrangement mentioned above, the treachery and rebellion of Banu Qurayza, who had broken a firmly established and mature covenant, was completely uprooted. By aiding the enemies at a time of hardship, suffering, and great crisis for the Muslims, with the intention of exterminating them, they had committed such a heinous war crime that they had indeed become deserving of the death penalty. Like Banu Qurayza, the vile devil of the Banu Nadir tribe and one of the major criminals of the Battle of Ahzab, Huyayy ibn Akhtab, had also become deserving of punishment because of his many injustices and acts of tyranny.
This man was deserving of punishment because of Umm al-Mu’minin. [This man was the father of Umm al-Mu’minin Safiyya (RA). When Banu Qurayza was besieged after the return from the war against Quraysh and Ghatafan, and they were living under siege inside the fortress, Huyayy ibn Akhtab too remained besieged inside the fortress with Banu Qurayza. This was because, during the Battle of Ahzab, when he had come to incite Ka‘b ibn Asad to treachery and betrayal, he had made a pledge—and what was taking place now was the implementation of that pledge.
When he was brought into the presence of the Prophet, he had covered himself with a pair of garments. He himself had torn that garment by one finger’s width on every side so that it would not be counted among the stamped heavenly drink, 357, among the looted goods. His two hands were tied together with rope behind his neck. He said, addressing the Noble Messenger: “I do not blame myself for my hostility toward you. But whoever fights against Allah is defeated.”
Then, addressing the people, he said: “O people, there is no difficulty in Allah’s decree. This is a matter written in destiny. This is a great killing that Allah the Exalted has written upon the Children of Israel.” Then he sat down, and his throat was cut.
In this incident, one woman of Banu Qurayza was also killed. She had thrown one stone slab of a hand-mill onto Khallad ibn Suwayd, killing him as a martyr. Therefore, she was killed in retaliation for that killing.
Regarding this incident, the Messenger of Allah ordered that those whose hair below the navel had grown should be killed. At that time, Atiyya al-Qurazi had not yet grown that hair, and for that reason he was left alive. Later, he accepted Islam and attained the fortune of becoming one of the companions.

Did the Prophet Himself Take Part in the Slaughter?

A question may arise: did the Prophet himself carry out this slaughter, or did his companions do it in his absence? From authentic hadith itself, we learn that Muhammad had hundreds of men made to stand in lines in the market of Banu Qurayza, and that he was present while they were being slaughtered. Imagine the scene: a man sits there giving orders, hundreds of people are brought before him in rows, they are slaughtered, and their bodies are thrown into pits. At that time, there was a woman who had probably gone mad from the pain of losing her relatives. She was bursting into loud laughter and abusing the Prophet. She knew that for this she too would be killed, yet she chose death while laughing. Seeing this, Aisha was utterly astonished ^[16] ^[17]

Reference : Sunan Abi Dawud 2671
In-book reference : Book 15, Hadith 195
English translation : Book 14, Hadith 2665
Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu’minin:
No woman of Banu Qurayzah was killed except one. She was with me, talking and laughing on her back and belly (extremely), while the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was killing her people with the swords. Suddenly a man called her name: Where is so-and-so? She said: I I asked: What is the matter with you? She said: I did a new act. She said: The man took her and beheaded her. She said: I will not forget that she was laughing extremely although she knew that she would be killed.
Arabic : حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ النُّفَيْلِيُّ ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ إِسْحَاقَ ، حَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ ، عَنْ عُرْوَةَ بْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ ، قَالَتْ لَمْ يُقْتَلْ مِنْ نِسَائِهِمْ – تَعْنِي بَنِي قُرَيْظَةَ – إِلاَّ امْرَأَةً إِنَّهَا لَعِنْدِي تُحَدِّثُ تَضْحَكُ ظَهْرًا وَبَطْنًا وَرَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقْتُلُ رِجَالَهُمْ بِالسُّيُوفِ إِذْ هَتَفَ هَاتِفٌ بِاسْمِهَا أَيْنَ فُلاَنَةُ قَالَتْ أَنَا ‏.‏ قُلْتُ وَمَا شَأْنُكِ قَالَتْ حَدَثٌ أَحْدَثْتُهُ ‏.‏ قَالَتْ فَانْطَلَقَ بِهَا فَضُرِبَتْ عُنُقُهَا فَمَا أَنْسَى عَجَبًا مِنْهَا أَنَّهَا تَضْحَكُ ظَهْرًا وَبَطْنًا وَقَدْ عَلِمَتْ أَنَّهَا تُقْتَلُ ‏.‏
Grade: Hasan (Al-Albani)

Reference : Sunan Abi Dawud 2671
In-book reference : Book 15, Hadith 195
English translation : Book 14, Hadith 2665
Original Bengali source also cited Sunan Abi Dawud, Islamic Foundation, Hadith 2662; the same narration is available on Sunnah.com as Sunan Abi Dawud 2671.
Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu’minin:
No woman of Banu Qurayzah was killed except one. She was with me, talking and laughing on her back and belly (extremely), while the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was killing her people with the swords. Suddenly a man called her name: Where is so-and-so? She said: I I asked: What is the matter with you? She said: I did a new act. She said: The man took her and beheaded her. She said: I will not forget that she was laughing extremely although she knew that she would be killed.
Arabic : حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ النُّفَيْلِيُّ ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ إِسْحَاقَ ، حَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنِ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ ، عَنْ عُرْوَةَ بْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ ، قَالَتْ لَمْ يُقْتَلْ مِنْ نِسَائِهِمْ – تَعْنِي بَنِي قُرَيْظَةَ – إِلاَّ امْرَأَةً إِنَّهَا لَعِنْدِي تُحَدِّثُ تَضْحَكُ ظَهْرًا وَبَطْنًا وَرَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقْتُلُ رِجَالَهُمْ بِالسُّيُوفِ إِذْ هَتَفَ هَاتِفٌ بِاسْمِهَا أَيْنَ فُلاَنَةُ قَالَتْ أَنَا ‏.‏ قُلْتُ وَمَا شَأْنُكِ قَالَتْ حَدَثٌ أَحْدَثْتُهُ ‏.‏ قَالَتْ فَانْطَلَقَ بِهَا فَضُرِبَتْ عُنُقُهَا فَمَا أَنْسَى عَجَبًا مِنْهَا أَنَّهَا تَضْحَكُ ظَهْرًا وَبَطْنًا وَقَدْ عَلِمَتْ أَنَّهَا تُقْتَلُ ‏.‏
Grade: Hasan (Al-Albani)

I am citing another narration of this incident. This narration is deeply heartbreaking ^[18]

That day, among the women of Banu Qurayza, only one woman named Banana was killed. She was a woman from the Banu Nadir community. But she had been married to a young man from Banu Qurayza. Their marital affection was extremely deep. At that time, the siege was in its final stage. They all understood that there was no escape now. Banana said to her husband, “You are now going to be separated from me. If that is so, then what use is there in my living?” The young man said, “If Muhammad wins, he will not kill you. He will make you a slave forever. For in his religion, there is no rule for killing women. But the thought that you will live as someone’s slave is unbearable to me.” “So do one thing. Roll down that millstone from here. If a Muslim soldier is killed by the impact of that stone, then you will be sentenced to death for that offense. I want you to be given the death penalty.” Banana did as her husband said and rolled the millstone down through an opening in the fortress. Outside, it was the intense heat of midday. At that time, many Muslim soldiers were resting in the shade of the fortress wall. The stone rolled straight down onto the head of one such resting soldier. As a result, he attained martyrdom shortly afterward.
In Urwah’s narration, it is reported that Mother Aisha said, when the men of Banu Qurayza were being killed, Banana was with me. It was her nature to remain almost constantly absorbed in laughter and joking. Meanwhile, their men were being killed, and from time to time she would joke and say, “How amusing! Today the men of Banu Qurayza are being slaughtered.” After a while, a voice came from outside: “Where is Banana?” She immediately replied, “Here I am.” I said, “Wretched woman! Who is that man to you?” She said, “I am being called to be killed.” I said, “For what reason?” She said, “Surely I have committed some offense.” Mother Aisha further said, “I have never in my life heard of someone behaving with such joy and cheerfulness while a death warrant was hanging over her. I still remember her words.”

Now let us listen to a sermon,

The Prophet Muhammad’s Attack on Khaybar

Like the other Jewish tribes, the Prophet Muhammad attacked the region of Khaybar, which belonged to a very wealthy Jewish tribe. This battle took place in 628 CE (7 AH) in an area called Khaybar, located about 150 kilometers north of the city of Medina. Khaybar was once a prosperous Jewish-majority settlement with strong fortresses, cultivable land, and mineral resources. The Jews there held significant influence in Arabian society at the time, not only religiously but also economically and strategically. Muslim histories say that the Jewish leaders of Khaybar incited the tribes of Banu Qurayza and Banu Nadir against the Muslims of Medina, and later joined with the Ghatafan tribe and desert Bedouins to plan an attack on Medina. However, the reliability of these Muslim reports remains doubtful, because all such information is one-sided. Against this background, under the leadership of the Prophet Muhammad, the Muslim army attacked Khaybar and captured one fortress after another.

The battle was violent, and as a result, many Jews were killed and taken captive. Although the Muslims won the battle, the Jews of Khaybar were not completely expelled. Instead, through an agreement, they were allowed to live in Khaybar on the condition that Muhammad would allow them to remain there as long as he wished, and that they would give half of their annual produce to the Muslims. It was in this post-war period that an extraordinary incident occurred, which created much debate even among Islamic historians. A grieving Jewish woman who had lost her relatives invited the Prophet Muhammad to a meal and served goat meat mixed with poison. After eating it, the Prophet suffered poisoning, and the effect of this poison had a long-term adverse impact on his health and eventually pushed him toward death ^[19]।

Safiyya Was Brought Over the Corpses of Her Relatives

One after another, most of Safiyya’s relatives, including her father, uncle, and husband, were killed at the hands of the forces of the Prophet Muhammad. The Islamic claim that a mentally healthy woman would forget overnight the horrific grief of losing her entire family, willingly climb into the Prophet’s bed, and begin indulging in romance and sexual play is utterly unrealistic. After the fall of the fortress of Qamus, many women, including Safiyya, were captured by the Muslims as spoils of war. Among them, when Hazrat Bilal brought Safiyya forward, he led her directly past the mutilated corpses of her relatives. A terrifying situation emerged at that moment. This narration is found in many Sirah works, including Ashab-e-Rasul-er Jibonkotha ^[20] –

The Killing of Safiyya’s Husband Kinana

The newly married Safiyya’s husband was named Kinana, who was the treasurer or custodian of the wealth of the Jews of Khaybar. It is known that Kinana was severely tortured in order to learn where the hidden wealth of Khaybar was kept. Not only that, it is also known that Safiyya’s husband Kinana was later killed in an extremely brutal manner ^[21]

Sirat-un-Nabi (peace be upon him), p. 354
The Incident of Umm al-Mu’minin Safiyya
Ibn Ishaq says: When Allah granted the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) victory over the Qamus fortress of Banu Abu al-Huqayq, Safiyya bint Huyayy ibn Akhtab was brought to him along with another woman. They had been led past the dead bodies of the slain Jews. When the woman accompanying Safiyya saw their dead bodies, she began to scream violently, strike her own face, and smear dust on her head.
Seeing this, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “Take that satanic woman away from me!” Then he ordered Safiyya to be brought to him. Safiyya drew herself in tightly and stood behind him, and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) spread his cloak over her. The Muslims present then understood that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) had chosen her for himself.
Then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said to Bilal, “When you saw that Jewish woman behaving in that way, had mercy and compassion been removed from your heart, O Bilal, that you brought these two women past the dead bodies of their relatives?”
While Safiyya was the wife of Kinana ibn Rabi‘ ibn Abu al-Huqayq, she once saw in a dream that the moon had fallen into her lap. When she described the dream to her husband, he said, “You desire nothing other than marriage to Muhammad, the ruler of the Hijaz.” Saying this, he struck her so hard on the cheek that her eye turned blue. When Safiyya was brought to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), the mark of that slap was still visible on her face.
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) asked her, “What is this?” She then informed him about it.
The Punishment of Kinana ibn Rabi‘
Kinana ibn Rabi‘ was brought before the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). The treasures of Banu Nadir were kept with him. He questioned him about them, but Kinana refused to disclose where they were.
Then a Jew was brought before the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). He reported that Kinana ibn Rabi‘ had been seen every morning walking around the ruins of a particular house. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) then said to Kinana, “Do you know that if the treasure is later found with you, you will be sentenced to death?”
He said, “Yes.”
Then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) ordered that deserted house to be dug up. As expected, some treasure was recovered from there. After that, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) questioned him about the remaining treasure, but he refused to hand it over.
Then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) ordered Zubayr ibn al-Awwam, “Keep punishing him until the treasure is extracted from him.”
Zubayr kept rubbing flint on his chest and setting fire to it as punishment, until he was half-dead. After that, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) him…

How a Human Being Becomes Property

Without the slightest sense of shame or modesty, Islam counts a human being as property—especially a woman. A human being who only moments earlier had been free, under the bite of Islam, was transformed into property! Let us read a hadith ^[22]

Reference : Sunan Abi Dawud 2994
In-book reference : Book 20, Hadith 67
English translation : Book 19, Hadith 2988
Chapter: The Special Portion (As-Safi) Of The Prophet (saws) That Was taken From The Spoils Of War
A’ishah said “Safiyyah was called after the word safi (a special portion of the Prophet).”
Arabic : حَدَّثَنَا نَصْرُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو أَحْمَدَ ، أَخْبَرَنَا سُفْيَانُ ، عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ عُرْوَةَ ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ ، قَالَتْ كَانَتْ صَفِيَّةُ مِنَ الصَّفِيِّ ‏.‏
Grade: Sahih (Al-Albani)

The Distribution of the Spoils of War

After attacking Khaybar, the Prophet Muhammad and his jihadist army conquered it and captured women and children as spoils of war. After that, the captive women were gathered together in groups for distribution. As if they were cattle or goats—whoever wanted whichever one could choose her. At that point, when the Prophet’s companion Dihya al-Kalbi asked the Prophet for a slave girl, the Prophet told him: take whichever one you like from among them. He selected the most beautiful one, Safiyya bint Huyayy, as his own sex slave. At that moment, when a man told the Prophet Muhammad about Safiyya’s beauty, the Prophet summoned Dihya along with Safiyya. Then when Dihya appeared with Safiyya, the Prophet kept Safiyya for himself, and Dihya too, understanding the Prophet’s desire, asked for seven slave girls in exchange for Safiyya. The Prophet took Safiyya as his own share in exchange for seven slave girls. Then, on the return journey itself, he consummated the marriage with Safiyya ^[23] ^[24] –

Reference : Sunan Abi Dawud 2998
In-book reference : Book 20, Hadith 71
English translation : Book 19, Hadith 2992
Chapter: The Special Portion (As-Safi) Of The Prophet (saws) That Was taken From The Spoils Of War
Anas said “Captives were gathered at Khaibar. Dihyah came out and said “Apostle of Allaah(ﷺ) give me a slave girl from the captives.” He said “Go and take a slave girl. He took Safiyyah daughter of Huyayy. A man then came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said “You gave Safiyyah daughter of Huyayy, chief lady of Quraizah and Al Nadir to Dihyah? This is according to the version of Ya’qub. Then the agreed version goes “she is worthy of you.” He said “call him along with her.
When the Prophet (ﷺ) looked at her, he said to him “take another slave girl from the captives. The Prophet (ﷺ) then set her free and married her.
Arabic : حَدَّثَنَا دَاوُدُ بْنُ مُعَاذٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَارِثِ، ح وَحَدَّثَنَا يَعْقُوبُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، – الْمَعْنَى – قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ عُلَيَّةَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ بْنِ صُهَيْبٍ، عَنْ أَنَسٍ، قَالَ جُمِعَ السَّبْىُ – يَعْنِي بِخَيْبَرَ – فَجَاءَ دِحْيَةُ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَعْطِنِي جَارِيَةً مِنَ السَّبْىِ ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏”‏ اذْهَبْ فَخُذْ جَارِيَةً ‏”‏ ‏.‏ فَأَخَذَ صَفِيَّةَ بِنْتَ حُيَىٍّ فَجَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ يَا نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ أَعْطَيْتَ دِحْيَةَ – قَالَ يَعْقُوبُ – صَفِيَّةَ بِنْتَ حُيَىٍّ سَيِّدَةَ قُرَيْظَةَ وَالنَّضِيرِ – ثُمَّ اتَّفَقَا – مَا تَصْلُحُ إِلاَّ لَكَ ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏”‏ ادْعُوهُ بِهَا ‏”‏ ‏.‏ فَلَمَّا نَظَرَ إِلَيْهَا النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ لَهُ ‏”‏ خُذْ جَارِيَةً مِنَ السَّبْىِ غَيْرَهَا ‏”‏ ‏.‏ وَإِنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَعْتَقَهَا وَتَزَوَّجَهَا ‏.‏
Grade: Sahih (Al-Albani)

Reference : Sahih Muslim 1365c
In-book reference : Book 16, Hadith 102
Chapter: The virtue of manumitting one’s slave girl, then marrying her
Anas (Allah be pleased with him) reported that Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) set out on an expedition to Khaibar and we observed our morning prayer in early hours of the dawn. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) then mounted and so did Abu Talha ride, and I was seating myself behind Abu Talha. Allah’s Apostle (ﷺ) moved in the narrow street of Khaibar (and we rode so close to each other in the street) that my knee touched the leg of Allah’s Apostle (ﷺ).
(A part of the) lower garment of Allah’s Apostle (ﷺ) slipped from his leg and I could see the whiteness of the leg of Allah’s Apostle (ﷺ). As he entered the habitation he called:
Allahu Akbar (Allah is the Greatest). Khaibar is ruined. And when we get down in the valley of a people evil is the morning of the warned ones. He repeated it thrice. In the meanwhile the people went out for their work, and said: By Allah, Muhammad (has come). Abd al-‘Aziz or some of our companions said: Muhammad and the army (have come). He said: We took it (the territory of Khaibar) by force, and there were gathered the prisoners of war.
There came Dihya and he said: Messenger of Allah, bestow upon me a girl from among the prisoners. He said: Go and get any girl. He made a choice for Safiyya daughter of Huyayy (b. Akhtab). There came a person to Allah’s Apostle (ﷺ) and said: Apostle of Allah, you have bestowed Safiyya bint Huyayy, the chief of Quraiza and al-Nadir, upon Dihya and she is worthy of you only. He said: Call him along with her. So he came along with her.
When Allah’s Apostle (ﷺ) saw her he said: Take any other woman from among the prisoners. He (the narrator) said: He (the Holy Prophet) then granted her emancipation and married her. Thabit said to him: Abu Hamza, how much dower did he (the Holy Prophet) give to her? He said: He granted her freedom and then married her. On the way Umm Sulaim embellished her and then sent her to him (the Holy Prophet) at night. Allah’s Apostle (ﷺ) appeared as a bridegroom in the morning.
He (the Holy Prophet) said: He who has anything (to eat) should bring that. Then the cloth was spread. A person came with cheese, another came with dates, and still another came with refined butter, and they prepared hais and that was the wedding feast of Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ).
Arabic : حَدَّثَنِي زُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ، – يَعْنِي ابْنَ عُلَيَّةَ – عَنْ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ، عَنْ أَنَسٍ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم غَزَا خَيْبَرَ قَالَ فَصَلَّيْنَا عِنْدَهَا صَلاَةَ الْغَدَاةِ بِغَلَسٍ فَرَكِبَ نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَرَكِبَ أَبُو طَلْحَةَ وَأَنَا رَدِيفُ أَبِي طَلْحَةَ فَأَجْرَى نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فِي زُقَاقِ خَيْبَرَ وَإِنَّ رُكْبَتِي لَتَمَسُّ فَخِذَ نَبِيِّ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَانْحَسَرَ الإِزَارُ عَنْ فَخِذِ نَبِيِّ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَإِنِّي لأَرَى بَيَاضَ فَخِذِ نَبِيِّ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَلَمَّا دَخَلَ الْقَرْيَةَ قَالَ ‏”‏ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ خَرِبَتْ خَيْبَرُ إِنَّا إِذَا نَزَلْنَا بِسَاحَةِ قَوْمٍ فَسَاءَ صَبَاحُ الْمُنْذَرِينَ ‏”‏ ‏.‏ قَالَهَا ثَلاَثَ مَرَّاتٍ قَالَ وَقَدْ خَرَجَ الْقَوْمُ إِلَى أَعْمَالِهِمْ فَقَالُوا مُحَمَّدٌ وَاللَّهِ ‏.‏ قَالَ عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ وَقَالَ بَعْضُ أَصْحَابِنَا مُحَمَّدٌ وَالْخَمِيسُ ‏.‏ قَالَ وَأَصَبْنَاهَا عَنْوَةً وَجُمِعَ السَّبْىُ فَجَاءَهُ دِحْيَةُ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَعْطِنِي جَارِيَةً مِنَ السَّبْىِ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ ‏”‏ اذْهَبْ فَخُذْ جَارِيَةً ‏”‏ ‏.‏ فَأَخَذَ صَفِيَّةَ بِنْتَ حُيَىٍّ فَجَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى نَبِيِّ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ يَا نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ أَعْطَيْتَ دِحْيَةَ صَفِيَّةَ بِنْتَ حُيَىٍّ سَيِّدِ قُرَيْظَةَ وَالنَّضِيرِ مَا تَصْلُحُ إِلاَّ لَكَ ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏”‏ ادْعُوهُ بِهَا ‏”‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ فَجَاءَ بِهَا فَلَمَّا نَظَرَ إِلَيْهَا النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏”‏ خُذْ جَارِيَةً مِنَ السَّبْىِ غَيْرَهَا ‏”‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ وَأَعْتَقَهَا وَتَزَوَّجَهَا ‏.‏ فَقَالَ لَهُ ثَابِتٌ يَا أَبَا حَمْزَةَ مَا أَصْدَقَهَا قَالَ نَفْسَهَا أَعْتَقَهَا وَتَزَوَّجَهَا حَتَّى إِذَا كَانَ بِالطَّرِيقِ جَهَّزَتْهَا لَهُ أُمُّ سُلَيْمٍ فَأَهْدَتْهَا لَهُ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ فَأَصْبَحَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَرُوسًا فَقَالَ ‏”‏ مَنْ كَانَ عِنْدَهُ شَىْءٌ فَلْيَجِئْ بِهِ ‏”‏ قَالَ وَبَسَطَ نِطَعًا قَالَ فَجَعَلَ الرَّجُلُ يَجِيءُ بِالأَقِطِ وَجَعَلَ الرَّجُلُ يَجِيءُ بِالتَّمْرِ وَجَعَلَ الرَّجُلُ يَجِيءُ بِالسَّمْنِ فَحَاسُوا حَيْسًا ‏.‏ فَكَانَتْ وَلِيمَةَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏.‏
Grade: Sahih

Safiyya bint Huyayy was approximately sixteen years old when she was captured by the Prophet Muhammad, while Muhammad was about fifty-seven. This age difference is astonishing and raises questions from any ordinary perspective, especially when the marriage took place in the context of war captivity and the destruction of her family. A sixteen-year-old young woman, before whom the bloodied dead bodies of her husband and father and the corpses of her relatives were suddenly scattered all around, was being prepared and arranged to be taken to the bed of a conqueror who was old enough to be her grandfather. This was not merely a marriage; rather, it was an expression of power and authority. The question of how spontaneous her consent was here remains very much open.

In light of modern human rights, women’s dignity, and independent decision-making, this kind of incident raises deep questions. A relationship in which the age gap is extremely large, and in which the girl is situationally in a mentally fragile condition, needs to be analyzed not as a relationship of love but from a more realistic and political perspective. Although such marriages are presented in history as “Allah’s will” or “religious command,” in reality they were strategies for politics, power, and the establishment of conquest. Safiyya’s case is no exception. Behind this relationship lay the absence of the woman’s will, the enjoyment and possession of a woman’s body as a symbol of victory in war, and the cruel reality of assigning women their place in a patriarchal society. Let us learn from Safiyya herself how old she was when she was taken captive by the Prophet ^[25]

hakim:6789 – Abū ʿAbdullāh al-Aṣbahānī > al-Ḥasan b. al-Jahm b. Maṣqalah > al-Ḥusayn b. al-Faraj > Muḥammad b. ʿUmar > Muḥammad b. Mūsá > ʿUmārah b. al-Muhājir > Āminah b. Abū Qays al-Ghifāriyyah
[Machine] “I am one of the women who accompanied Safiyyah to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ . I heard her say, ‘I did not reach the age of seventeen when I entered upon the Messenger of Allah ﷺ .’ He said, ‘And Safiyyah passed away at the age of fifty-two during the time of Mu’awiyah and she was buried in the Baqi’ cemetery.’ Al-Dhahabi remained silent about it in his summary.”
– Remains Silent (Dhahabī)
§ Safiyyah b. Huyayy in Book of the Companions

Did They Actually Marry at All?

Anas ibn Malik worked for some time as a servant in the household of the Prophet Muhammad, which naturally means that he would have known more than others about what happened inside the Prophet’s house. From the narration transmitted from Anas, we learn that on the way back from Khaybar, the Prophet had intercourse with Safiyya, but at that time none of the Muslims were actually certain whether the Prophet had taken Safiyya as a wife or as a sex slave. Later, seeing the curtain, they assumed that the Prophet had accepted Safiyya as a wife. But the Prophet himself did not tell them this. At the same time, they were supposed to have a marriage, and witnesses too would be required. That is the ruling of Islam. Without witnesses, how did the Prophet marry by himself? And if a marriage had taken place, why did others not know about it? Was there actually any marriage? Or did the Prophet simply take the young Safiyya to bed? ^[26]

Reference : Sunan an-Nasa’i 3382
In-book reference : Book 26, Hadith 187
English translation : Vol. 4, Book 26, Hadith 3384
Chapter: Consummation Of Marriage While Travelling
It was narrated that Anas said:
“The Prophet stayed between Khaibar and Al-Madinah for three days when he consummated his marriage to Safiyyah bint Huyayy, and I invited the Muslims to his Walimah, in which there was no bread or meat. He commanded that a leather cloth (be spread) and dates, cottage cheese and ghee were placed on it, and that was his Walimah.
The Muslims said: ‘(Will she be) one of the Mothers of the Believers, or a female slave whom his right hand possesses?’ They said: ‘If he has a Hijab for her, then she will be one of the Mothers of the Believers and if she does not have a Hijab then she will be a female slave whom his right hand possesses.’ When he rode on, he set aside a plate for her behind him and extended a Hijab between her and the people.”
Arabic : أَخْبَرَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ حُجْرٍ ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا حُمَيْدٌ ، عَنْ أَنَسٍ ، قَالَ أَقَامَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم بَيْنَ خَيْبَرَ وَالْمَدِينَةِ ثَلاَثًا يَبْنِي بِصَفِيَّةَ بِنْتِ حُيَىٍّ فَدَعَوْتُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ إِلَى وَلِيمَتِهِ فَمَا كَانَ فِيهَا مِنْ خُبْزٍ وَلاَ لَحْمٍ أَمَرَ بِالأَنْطَاعِ وَأَلْقَى عَلَيْهَا مِنَ التَّمْرِ وَالأَقِطِ وَالسَّمْنِ فَكَانَتْ وَلِيِمَتَهُ فَقَالَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ إِحْدَى أُمَّهَاتِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَوْ مِمَّا مَلَكَتْ يَمِينُهُ فَقَالُوا إِنْ حَجَبَهَا فَهِيَ مِنْ أُمَّهَاتِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَحْجُبْهَا فَهِيَ مِمَّا مَلَكَتْ يَمِينُهُ فَلَمَّا ارْتَحَلَ وَطَّأَ لَهَا خَلْفَهُ وَمَدَّ الْحِجَابَ بَيْنَهَا وَبَيْنَ النَّاسِ ‏.‏
Grade: Sahih (Darussalam)

Safiyya Hated the Prophet

Now let us learn the most important piece of information. Was Safiyya forced to marry the Prophet? Did Safiyya feel love for the Prophet? Had Safiyya already been desperate to go to the Prophet’s bed? While she was another man’s wife, did Safiyya have erotic dreams about a non-mahram elderly man—the Prophet? Many Muslims take one narration and claim that even before the Prophet’s attack on Khaybar, Safiyya had seen a dream about the Prophet. Even if the narration is true, one can infer why Safiyya narrated it. Otherwise, do Muslims really believe that Safiyya, their Mother of the Believers, while still the wife of Kinana, had erotic dreams about the elderly Muhammad, a man unrelated to her? Yet from Safiyya’s own report, we learn that until that time she had intense hatred toward the Prophet ^[27]

Sahih Ibn Hibban (11/607)
عن عبد الله بن عمر رضي الله عنه قال : … قالت صفية :وكان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم من أبغض الناس إليَّ قَتل زوجي وأبي وأخي فما زال يعتذر إليَّ ويقول : ( إن أباك ألَّب علي العرب وفعل وفعل ) حتى ذهب ذلك من نفسي .۔۔ رواه ابن حبان في ” صحيحه ” ( 11 / 607 ) ، .
Abdullah Ibn Umar narrates that Safiya said: “The Messenger of Allah was among the most hated people to me, since he had killed my husband, my father, and my brother. Then he kept making excuses to me, saying: ‘Your father incited the Arabs against me and did such-and-such,’ until that feeling left my heart.
Grading: Sahih (authentic)

Safiyya Was Taken to Bed Shortly Afterward

Notice the hadiths below. On the way back to Medina from Khaybar, only a few miles away from Khaybar, at a place called Sadd as-Sahba, the Prophet had intercourse with Safiyya. The exact location of this place cannot be established with complete certainty, but it was between 6 and 30 kilometers from Khaybar; in other words, it was very nearby. Riding a camel, it would have been possible to reach there within only a few hours. That means, on the way back to Medina, Muhammad took Safiyya—who had only just lost her father, husband, and relatives—to bed ^[28] ^[29]

Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 2893
In-book reference : Book 56, Hadith 108
USC-MSA web (English) reference : Vol. 4, Book 52, Hadith 143
Chapter: Whoever sets off for a holy battle accompanied by a boy-servant
Narrated Anas bin Malik:
The Prophet (ﷺ) said to Abu Talha, “Choose one of your boy servants to serve me in my expedition to Khaibar.” So, Abu Talha took me letting me ride behind him while I was a boy nearing the age of puberty. I used to serve Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) when he stopped to rest.
I heard him saying repeatedly, “O Allah! I seek refuge with You from distress and sorrow, from helplessness and laziness, from miserliness and cowardice, from being heavily in debt and from being overcome by men.” Then we reached Khaibar; and when Allah enabled him to conquer the Fort (of Khaibar), the beauty of Safiya bint Huyai bin Akhtab was described to him. Her husband had been killed while she was a bride.
So Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) selected her for himself and took her along with him till we reached a place called Sa`d-AsSahba,’ where her menses were over and he took her for his wife. Haris (a kind of dish) was served on a small leather sheet. Then Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) told me to call those who were around me. So, that was the marriage banquet of Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) and Safiya. Then we left for Medina.
I saw Allah’s Apostle folding a cloak round the hump of the camel so as to make a wide space for Safiya (to sit on behind him) He sat beside his camel letting his knees for Safiya to put her feet on so as to mount the camel. Then, we proceeded till we approached Medina; he looked at Uhud (mountain) and said, “This is a mountain which loves us and is loved by us.” Then he looked at Medina and said, “O Allah! I make the area between its (i.e. Medina’s) two mountains a sanctuary as Abraham made Mecca a sanctuary. O Allah! Bless them (i.e. the people of Medina) in their Mudd and Sa (i.e. measures).
Arabic : حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ ، حَدَّثَنَا يَعْقُوبُ ، عَنْ عَمْرٍو ، عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ لأَبِي طَلْحَةَ ‏”‏ الْتَمِسْ غُلاَمًا مِنْ غِلْمَانِكُمْ يَخْدُمُنِي حَتَّى أَخْرُجَ إِلَى خَيْبَرَ ‏”‏‏.‏ فَخَرَجَ بِي أَبُو طَلْحَةَ مُرْدِفِي، وَأَنَا غُلاَمٌ رَاهَقْتُ الْحُلُمَ، فَكُنْتُ أَخْدُمُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم إِذَا نَزَلَ، فَكُنْتُ أَسْمَعُهُ كَثِيرًا يَقُولُ ‏”‏ اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْهَمِّ وَالْحَزَنِ وَالْعَجْزِ وَالْكَسَلِ وَالْبُخْلِ وَالْجُبْنِ وَضَلَعِ الدَّيْنِ وَغَلَبَةِ الرِّجَالِ ‏”‏‏.‏ ثُمَّ قَدِمْنَا خَيْبَرَ، فَلَمَّا فَتَحَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ الْحِصْنَ ذُكِرَ لَهُ جَمَالُ صَفِيَّةَ بِنْتِ حُيَىِّ بْنِ أَخْطَبَ، وَقَدْ قُتِلَ زَوْجُهَا وَكَانَتْ عَرُوسًا، فَاصْطَفَاهَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم لِنَفْسِهِ، فَخَرَجَ بِهَا حَتَّى بَلَغْنَا سَدَّ الصَّهْبَاءِ حَلَّتْ، فَبَنَى بِهَا، ثُمَّ صَنَعَ حَيْسًا فِي نِطَعٍ صَغِيرٍ، ثُمَّ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏”‏ آذِنْ مَنْ حَوْلَكَ ‏”‏‏.‏ فَكَانَتْ تِلْكَ وَلِيمَةَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَلَى صَفِيَّةَ‏.‏ ثُمَّ خَرَجْنَا إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ قَالَ فَرَأَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يُحَوِّي لَهَا وَرَاءَهُ بِعَبَاءَةٍ، ثُمَّ يَجْلِسُ عِنْدَ بَعِيرِهِ فَيَضَعُ رُكْبَتَهُ، فَتَضَعُ صَفِيَّةُ رِجْلَهَا عَلَى رُكْبَتِهِ حَتَّى تَرْكَبَ، فَسِرْنَا حَتَّى إِذَا أَشْرَفْنَا عَلَى الْمَدِينَةِ نَظَرَ إِلَى أُحُدٍ فَقَالَ ‏”‏ هَذَا جَبَلٌ يُحِبُّنَا وَنُحِبُّهُ ‏”‏‏.‏ ثُمَّ نَظَرَ إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ فَقَالَ ‏”‏ اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أُحَرِّمُ مَا بَيْنَ لاَبَتَيْهَا بِمِثْلِ مَا حَرَّمَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ مَكَّةَ، اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ لَهُمْ فِي مُدِّهِمْ وَصَاعِهِمْ ‏”‏‏.‏
Grade: Sahih

Reference : Sunan Abi Dawud 2995
In-book reference : Book 20, Hadith 68
English translation : Book 19, Hadith 2989
Chapter: The Special Portion (As-Safi) Of The Prophet (saws) That Was taken From The Spoils Of War
Anas bin Malik said “We came to Khaibar. We bestowed the conquest of fortress (on us), the beauty of Safiyyah daughter of Huyayy was mentioned to him (the Prophet). Her husband was killed (in the battle) and she was a bride. The Apostle of Allaah(ﷺ) chose her for himself. He came out with her till we reached Sadd Al Sahba’ where she was purified. So he cohabited with her.”
Arabic : حَدَّثَنَا سَعِيدُ بْنُ مَنْصُورٍ ، حَدَّثَنَا يَعْقُوبُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ ، عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ أَبِي عَمْرٍو ، عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ ، قَالَ قَدِمْنَا خَيْبَرَ فَلَمَّا فَتَحَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى الْحِصْنَ ذُكِرَ لَهُ جَمَالُ صَفِيَّةَ بِنْتِ حُيَىٍّ وَقَدْ قُتِلَ زَوْجُهَا وَكَانَتْ عَرُوسًا فَاصْطَفَاهَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم لِنَفْسِهِ فَخَرَجَ بِهَا حَتَّى بَلَغْنَا سُدَّ الصَّهْبَاءِ حَلَّتْ فَبَنَى بِهَا ‏.‏
Grade: Sahih (Al-Albani)

I have tried to determine the location of this place from uncertain sources; I am not at all certain about this information. This place should be a location within approximately 6 miles (9.6 kilometers) to 30 kilometers south of Khaybar. From Khaybar, it should take about seven hours to reach there on foot. Riding a camel, it should take even less time.

Guarding Outside the Tent All Night

During the attack on Khaybar, Safiyya’s husband was captured, and later the Muslims sought to learn from him the location of Khaybar’s treasury. When Kinana refused to provide the information, he was tortured very brutally and eventually killed. Immediately after that, the Messenger of Allah selected Safiyya for himself and freed her from captivity, accepting her as his wife. When Safiyya was brought to the Prophet’s tent, the Companion Abu Ayyub al-Ansari stood guard in front of the Prophet’s tent late at night. In the morning, when the Prophet saw him, he asked, “Why were you standing here?” Abu Ayyub (RA) replied, “O Messenger of Allah! This woman has just become widowed. Her husband and relatives have been killed. I was afraid that she might try to harm you, so I guarded all night.” The Prophet prayed for him and thanked him for this caution. ^[30]

This matter is also found in al-Mustadrak ‘ala al-Hakim ^[31]

hakim:6787 – ʿAbdullāh b. Isḥāq al-Khurāsānī al-ʿAdl > Yaḥyá b. Jaʿfar b. al-Zibriqān > ʿAbd al-Wahhāb b. ʿAṭāʾ > Khālid al-Ḥadhhāʾ > Kathīr b. Zayd > al-Walīd b. Rabāḥ > Abū Hurayrah > Lammā
[Machine] When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ entered Safiyyah’s tent, Abu Ayub slept at the door of the Prophet ﷺ . When morning came and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saw him, he raised his voice in takbeer (saying “Allahu Akbar”) and Abu Ayub had a sword with him. He said, “O Messenger of Allah, she was a newlywed woman who had just gotten married, and I had killed her father, brother, and husband. So I did not trust her with you.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ laughed and said to him, “Well done.”
– Sound (Dhahabī)
§ Safiyyah b. Huyayy in Book of the Companions

Now let us see what we learn from the history of al-Tabari, ^[32]

What Would Have Happened If She Had Not Married the Prophet

It is easy to imagine what actually happens to the women of a defeated army, and the degree of mental torment they endure. When they are captured by soldiers of the opposing army, they understand that something very cruel is going to happen to them. Especially when the opposing side contains someone like Muhammad. In such a situation, there is only one way to protect oneself from gang rape: to go to the bed of someone among the opposing leadership. If one goes to the bed of someone in the leadership, at least she will not have to become a victim of gang rape. Safiyya surely knew that no one else could cast an eye on the slave woman or wife of the Prophet Muhammad. Therefore, quite naturally, compared with gang rape, choosing to be raped only by the Prophet was the wiser course for her. That is what Safiyya actually did.

Because Safiyya had fallen to the share of Dihya al-Kalbi. And one ruling of Islam is that Muslims may exchange their male and female slaves and enjoy them. Since selling a slave woman or giving her as a gift is completely lawful in Islam, and since enjoying a slave woman acquired by purchase or gift is also lawful, it would be very natural that the companions of the Prophet Muhammad exchanged slave women. Suppose one companion received a slave woman as a war captive. For some time, he enjoyed that slave woman however he wished. That same companion’s friend also received a woman as spoils of war. He too enjoyed his slave woman.

Now, according to Islamic law, the two of them gave each other their slave women as gifts, or sold them at equivalent value. After that, they enjoyed the new slave women however they wished. In other words, although this rule of selling or gifting slave women may look very ordinary at first glance, in reality an even uglier picture is hidden within it. By using this rule, the companions could collectively enjoy a girl obtained as spoils of war by exchanging her among themselves. This means that once a girl was captured by the Muslim army, there was no release for her until everyone had enjoyed her together. Hidden inside what looks at first glance like a very simple rule is a horrifyingly ugly matter. Let us read a hadith related to this ^[33] –

Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 2635
In-book reference : Book 51, Hadith 67
USC-MSA web (English) reference : Vol. 3, Book 47, Hadith 803
Chapter: It is permissible if somebody says, “I give this slave-girl to you for your service. …”
باب إِذَا قَالَ أَخْدَمْتُكَ هَذِهِ الْجَارِيَةَ عَلَى مَا يَتَعَارَفُ النَّاسُ فَهْوَ جَائِزٌ
Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “The Prophet (ﷺ) Abraham migrated with Sarah. The people (of the town where they migrated) gave her Ajar (i.e. Hajar). Sarah returned and said to Abraham, “Do you know that Allah has humiliated that pagan and he has given a slave-girl for my service?”
Arabic : حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الْيَمَانِ، أَخْبَرَنَا شُعَيْبٌ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الزِّنَادِ، عَنِ الأَعْرَجِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏”‏ هَاجَرَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ بِسَارَةَ، فَأَعْطَوْهَا آجَرَ، فَرَجَعَتْ فَقَالَتْ أَشَعَرْتَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ كَبَتَ الْكَافِرَ وَأَخْدَمَ وَلِيدَةً ‏”‏‏.‏ وَقَالَ ابْنُ سِيرِينَ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏”‏ فَأَخْدَمَهَا هَاجَرَ ‏”‏‏.‏
Grade: Sahih

Now let us look at a document about this from Tafsir Mazhari, ^[34] –

Aisha’s Insults Toward Safiyya

It is known that the Prophet’s child wife Aisha also insulted Safiyya. This means that Safiyya had to hear various harsh remarks from different people for being the daughter of a Jew. Because if Aisha, the Prophet’s wife and the ideal woman in the eyes of Muslims, said such things, others surely would not have spared her either. Others were surely not ideal women like Aisha, were they? ^[35] –

Reference : Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2502
In-book reference : Book 37, Hadith 88
English translation : Vol. 4, Book 11, Hadith 2502
Chapter: The Hadith: “If You Were to Mix It into the Water of the Sea”
Abu Hudhaifah narrated – and he was one of the companions of ‘Abdullãh bin Mas’üd – from ‘Aishah who said:
“I told the Prophet (ﷺ) about a man, so he said: ‘I do not like to talk about a man, even if I were to get this or that (for doing so).” She said: “I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah! Safiyyah is a woman who is …” and she used her hand as if to indicate that she is short – “So he said: ‘You have said a statement which, if it were mixed in with the water of the sea, it would pollute it.”
Arabic : حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ ، حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ سَعِيدٍ ، وَعَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ مَهْدِيٍّ ، قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ ، عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الأَقْمَرِ ، عَنْ أَبِي حُذَيْفَةَ ، وَكَانَ، مِنْ أَصْحَابِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ عَنْ عَائِشَةَ ، قَالَتْ حَكَيْتُ لِلنَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم رَجُلاً فَقَالَ ‏”‏ مَا يَسُرُّنِي أَنِّي حَكَيْتُ رَجُلاً وَأَنَّ لِي كَذَا وَكَذَا ‏”‏ ‏.‏ قَالَتْ فَقُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّ صَفِيَّةَ امْرَأَةٌ وَقَالَتْ بِيَدِهَا هَكَذَا كَأَنَّهَا تَعْنِي قَصِيرَةً ‏.‏ فَقَالَ ‏ “‏ لَقَدْ مَزَجْتِ بِكَلِمَةٍ لَوْ مَزَجْتِ بِهَا مَاءَ الْبَحْرِ لَمُزِجَ ‏”‏ ‏.‏
Grade: Sahih (Darussalam)

The Prophet’s Obscene Insults Toward Safiyya

Immediately afterward, the Prophet Muhammad went to Safiyya’s tent and found Safiyya worried and depressed. At that time, Muhammad, in a state of intense anger, insulted Safiyya by calling her barren and shaven-headed. I will explain later why he used those insults. First, let us look at those extremely degrading and filthy insults ^[36] ^[37]-

Reference : Sahih Muslim 1211ag
In-book reference : Book 15, Hadith 432
USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 7, Hadith 3066
Chapter: The farewell Tawaf is obligatory, but it is waived in the case of menstruating women
‘A’isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported:
When Allah’s Apostle (ﷺ) decided to march (for return journey), he found Safiyyah at the door of her tent, sad and downcast. He remarked. Barren, shaven-head, you are going to detain us, and then said: Did you perform Tawaf Ifada on the Day of Nahr? She replied in the affirmative, whereupon he said: Then march on.
Arabic : حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى، وَابْنُ، بَشَّارٍ قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، ح وَحَدَّثَنَا عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُعَاذٍ، – وَاللَّفْظُ لَهُ – حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنِ الْحَكَمِ، عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، عَنِ الأَسْوَدِ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، قَالَتْ لَمَّا أَرَادَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنْ يَنْفِرَ إِذَا صَفِيَّةُ عَلَى بَابِ خِبَائِهَا كَئِيبَةً حَزِينَةً ‏.‏ فَقَالَ ‏”‏ عَقْرَى حَلْقَى إِنَّكِ لَحَابِسَتُنَا ‏”‏ ‏.‏ ثُمَّ قَالَ لَهَا ‏”‏ أَكُنْتِ أَفَضْتِ يَوْمَ النَّحْرِ ‏”‏ ‏.‏ قَالَتْ نَعَمْ ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏”‏ فَانْفِرِي ‏”‏ ‏.‏
Grade: Sahih

The Reason for Calling Safiyya Barren and Shaven-Headed

A question may arise: why did the Prophet abuse Safiyya in such obscene language that day? From the hadiths cited below, it becomes very clear that on that day the Prophet Muhammad wanted to have sexual intercourse with Safiyya, but because Safiyya had her period or menses, he could not do so. Just think: the Prophet regarded Safiyya merely as an object of enjoyment, someone with whom sex could be had whenever he wished. Otherwise, why would the Prophet abuse Safiyya in this way simply because he could not have sexual intercourse with her due to her period? ^[38] ?

Readers should note carefully that in this hadith, the Prophet is reported to have said whether Safiyya would detain them there. You will find exactly the same statement in other hadiths. This means that the time period of these hadiths is the same, and the incident too is the same. Different people merely heard and narrated different parts of it ^[39] ^[40] ^[41] ^[42] –

Reference : Sahih Muslim 1211af
In-book reference : Book 15, Hadith 431
USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 7, Hadith 3065
Chapter: The farewell Tawaf is obligatory, but it is waived in the case of menstruating women
‘A’isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported that Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) inclined to do with Safiyyah what a man feels inclined to do with his wife. They said: Messenger of Allah, she has entered the state of menses, whereupon he said: (Well) she is going to detain us. They (his wives) said: Messenger of Allah, she performed Tawaf Ziyara (Tawaf Ifada) on the Day of Nahr. Thereupon he said: Then she should proceed along with you.
Arabic : حَدَّثَنِي الْحَكَمُ بْنُ مُوسَى، حَدَّثَنِي يَحْيَى بْنُ حَمْزَةَ، عَنِ الأَوْزَاعِيِّ، – لَعَلَّهُ قَالَ – عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ أَبِي كَثِيرٍ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ التَّيْمِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَرَادَ مِنْ صَفِيَّةَ بَعْضَ مَا يُرِيدُ الرَّجُلُ مِنْ أَهْلِهِ ‏.‏ فَقَالُوا إِنَّهَا حَائِضٌ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏”‏ وَإِنَّهَا لَحَابِسَتُنَا ‏”‏ ‏.‏ فَقَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّهَا قَدْ زَارَتْ يَوْمَ النَّحْرِ ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏”‏ فَلْتَنْفِرْ مَعَكُمْ ‏”‏ ‏.‏
Grade: Sahih

Reference : Sahih Muslim 1211ad
In-book reference : Book 15, Hadith 429
USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 7, Hadith 3063
Chapter: The farewell Tawaf is obligatory, but it is waived in the case of menstruating women
‘A’isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported:
We feared that Safiyyah might have entered the period of menses before performing Tawaf Ifada. Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) came to us and said: Is Safiyyah going to detain us? Thereupon we said: She has performed Tawaf Ifada. He (the Holy Prophet) said: Then there is no detention (for us) now.
Arabic : وَحَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مَسْلَمَةَ بْنِ قَعْنَبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَفْلَحُ، عَنِ الْقَاسِمِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، قَالَتْ كُنَّا نَتَخَوَّفُ أَنْ تَحِيضَ، صَفِيَّةُ قَبْلَ أَنْ تُفِيضَ – قَالَتْ – فَجَاءَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ ‏”‏ أَحَابِسَتُنَا صَفِيَّةُ ‏”‏ ‏.‏ قُلْنَا قَدْ أَفَاضَتْ ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏”‏ فَلاَ إِذًا ‏”‏ ‏.‏
Grade: Sahih

Reference : Sahih Muslim 1211ac
In-book reference : Book 15, Hadith 428
USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 7, Hadith 3062
Chapter: The farewell Tawaf is obligatory, but it is waived in the case of menstruating women
Abd al-Rahman b. al Qasim narrated on the authority of ‘A’isha (Allah be pleased with her) that she made a mention to Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) that Safiyyah had entered the period of menses. The rest of the hadith is the same.
Arabic : وَحَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ، – يَعْنِي ابْنَ سَعِيدٍ – حَدَّثَنَا لَيْثٌ، ح وَحَدَّثَنَا زُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، ح وَحَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَهَّابِ، حَدَّثَنَا أَيُّوبُ، كُلُّهُمْ عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، بْنِ الْقَاسِمِ عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، أَنَّهَا ذَكَرَتْ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنَّ صَفِيَّةَ قَدْ حَاضَتْ ‏.‏ بِمَعْنَى حَدِيثِ الزُّهْرِيِّ ‏.‏
Grade: Sahih

Reference : Sahih Muslim 1211ae
In-book reference : Book 15, Hadith 430
USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 7, Hadith 3064
Chapter: The farewell Tawaf is obligatory, but it is waived in the case of menstruating women
‘A’isha (Allah be pleased with her) said to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ):
Messenger of Allah, Safiyyah bint Huyayy has entered the state of menses, whereupon Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said: Perhaps she is going to detain us. Has she not clicumambulated the House along with you (i. e. whether she has not performed Tawaf Ifada)? They said: Yes. He said: Then they should set out.
Arabic : حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ يَحْيَى، قَالَ قَرَأْتُ عَلَى مَالِكٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ عَمْرَةَ بِنْتِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، أَنَّهَا قَالَتْ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّ صَفِيَّةَ بِنْتَ حُيَىٍّ قَدْ حَاضَتْ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏”‏ لَعَلَّهَا تَحْبِسُنَا أَلَمْ تَكُنْ قَدْ طَافَتْ مَعَكُنَّ بِالْبَيْتِ ‏”‏ ‏.‏ قَالُوا بَلَى ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏”‏ فَاخْرُجْنَ ‏”‏ ‏.‏
Grade: Sahih

Now let us learn a little more about this matter from an explanatory work on Sahih Muslim ^[43] –

Allama Qurtubi and other expert scholars say that during the journey of Hajj, both Hazrat Aisha and Safiyya (RA) had menstruated. But a major difference is observed in the statement of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) in the cases of these two women. For he said to Hazrat Safiyya (RA): “Wretched, ill-fated woman, may no good befall you.” But to Hazrat Aisha (RA) he said: “This is something Allah the Exalted has prescribed for the daughters of Adam.”
This was not intended to give preference to one over the other; rather, speech differs according to place, time, person, and circumstance. Thus, when the Prophet (peace be upon him) came to Hazrat Aisha (RA), she was distressed and crying out of fear that she would miss Hajj. Therefore, she needed consolation, and accordingly he consoled her with comforting words. On the other hand, Hazrat Safiyya (RA), having completed the rites of Hajj, “the Prophet (peace be upon him) desired from her what a man desires from his wife.” Because of the difference between these two situations, the difference in address was appropriate. Allah knows best. (Fath al-Mulhim 327).

(3117) Hadith (Imam Muslim (rh.) says): Hakim ibn Musa (rh.) narrated to me … from Aisha (RA), that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) desired from Safiyya (RA) what a man usually desires from his wife. Then they said, “O Messenger of Allah, she is menstruating.” He said, “Then she will detain us.” They submitted, “O Messenger of Allah, she has already performed the Tawaf of visitation on the Day of Sacrifice.” He said, “Then let her set out with you.”

The activities of modern so-called “sugarcoated” or apologetic interpreters regarding this tragic chapter in the life of Safiyya bint Huyayy are especially noticeable. They try in various ways to make this incident appear “humane” or “romantic” so that the image of the Prophet Muhammad can be protected by the standards of modern human rights. If one hears the incident from Islamic preachers, it may seem as though Safiyya had been so madly in love with the Prophet Muhammad from the very beginning, merely by hearing his name, that she became eager to marry him and even suffered beating at the hands of her husband for that reason! Especially after the rise of da‘wah culture, this incident has been promoted in such a way that it appears to have been a voluntary and honorable marriage. But these explanations are largely constructed by ignoring Islam’s classical sources, morality and human sensibility, and the harsh reality of war. Since Muhammad is believed to be the “best model human being,” acknowledging any of his actions as morally controversial is extremely risky for these interpreters; as a result, they soften and edit history according to their needs. Reading these ad hoc explanations, created through various kinds of mental gymnastics, often makes it seem as though Safiyya, while still living among the Jewish tribe, physically desired Muhammad and secretly wished that Muhammad would come, kill her husband along with her entire tribe, and place her in his own bed!

In order to present Safiyya’s incident as a story of normal love, independent conversion, or a pressure-free marriage, one must first erase the post-war reality of Khaybar. Safiyya was not then a free woman sitting in her own social environment and considering a marriage proposal. Her tribe had been militarily defeated and devastated; she herself was a war captive; she too had been gathered with the other captives as part of the spoils; she was first assigned to Dihya al-Kalbi; later she was removed from there and taken by Muhammad, the supreme leader of the victorious army, for himself. The structure of ownership, distribution, and transfer is clear in the strongest and most widely preserved parts of the authentic Islamic reports. After this reality, if a narration says that the captive woman ultimately “chose” the victorious ruler through free consent, then detaching that sentence from its political and military context and turning it into proof of that supposed free consent is a distortion of history.

Even more important is the nature of the sources. We do not possess any contemporary written testimony from Safiyya herself. We are not reading any memoir written in her own voice, nor are we reading any neutral third-party account of the war. The incident has reached us primarily through male narrators belonging to that religious community, who were on the victorious side of the war and for whom Muhammad’s actions were above dispute or criticism, religiously ideal and justified. In the history written by the victors, an account that presents the victorious leader’s actions as moral, honorable, and voluntary cannot be accepted as proof of the captive woman’s free situation. Especially when the uncomfortable and less disputed part from the same culture itself informs us that the woman had first been distributed as spoils of war. Therefore, a later preserved report from the victorious side saying “she voluntarily chose our leader” cannot serve as its own certificate of truth; it must be read alongside the relationship of power, the purpose of the narration, and other stronger sources.

Safiyya Had an Opportunity, but Chose the Prophet?

When Islamic da‘wah preachers face this extremely embarrassing question regarding Safiyya, they mainly present several hadith and Sirah reports. Among these, Safiyya’s alleged dream story and the report that Muhammad supposedly gave her the choice of accepting Islam or returning to her own people are especially used. Both of these reports are used to transform the captivity of Khaybar into a later story of voluntary love, predestined union, and free religious choice. But when the sources, chains, and wording of these reports themselves are examined, the weakness of this apologetic construction becomes clear.

Let us first look at the report of Safiyya’s alleged dream. In a long narration in Ibn Sa‘d’s al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, it is said that when Muhammad saw the mark of a blow on Safiyya’s face and asked about its cause, she told him about a dream of hers. It should be noted that although some Bengali apologetic writings call this a “bright star,” the original Arabic says قَمَرًا—that is, moon. ^[44]

“I saw in a dream that a moon came from the direction of Yathrib and fell into my lap. When I told my husband Kinana about it, he said, ‘Do you wish to become the wife of that king who is coming from Medina?’ Then he struck me in the face.”

The dream of the moon falling into one’s lap is commonly associated with having a child. How Muhammad entered into this dream of the moon falling into her lap is somewhat difficult to understand. The second report is used even more frequently. In the same Tabaqat, it is said that after Safiyya was brought before Muhammad, he mentioned the hostility of Safiyya’s father and then asked her to choose between Islam and Judaism. ^[45]

The principal report behind the claim that Safiyya was given the option either to become Muhammad’s wife after being freed or to return to her own people is found in Musnad Ahmad 12409. Its chain is ‘Abd al-Razzaq → Ma‘mar → Thabit al-Bunani → Anas ibn Malik. Shu‘ayb al-Arna’ut graded it “isnaduhu sahihun ‘ala shartish-shaykhayn”, that is, authentic according to the conditions of al-Bukhari and Muslim; al-Haythami also said that its narrators are the narrators of sahih. Therefore, by the conventional standards of hadith criticism, this report cannot simply be dismissed as weak. But it is precisely here that a major confusion in the apologetic presentation becomes visible. Although al-Sunan al-Kubra of al-Nasa’i 8646 is presented alongside it as a second independent authentic witness, it is in fact a shortened report from the same basic chain-line; rather, in al-Nasa’i’s abbreviated wording, the very sentence about Safiyya being given that supposed choice is absent. In other words, the idea that “Ahmad and al-Nasa’i—two independent authentic hadiths—prove the same choice” is not correct. The evidentiary value of the choice-sentence rests on one specific transmission line.

First, read the report from Musnad Ahmad. It is a long hadith; below is the relevant portion concerning Safiyya. It should be noted that the supposed option of freeing Safiyya so that she would become his wife, or letting her go back to her family, is not narrated in Safiyya’s own voice; rather, Hajjaj ibn ‘Ilat is saying this while informing ‘Abbas of the victory at Khaybar. ^[46]

Arabic:
فَأَخْبَرَهُ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَدِ افْتَتَحَ خَيْبَرَ، وَغَنِمَ أَمْوَالَهُمْ، وَجَرَتْ سِهَامُ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي أَمْوَالِهِمْ، وَاصْطَفَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ صَفِيَّةَ بِنْتَ حُيَيٍّ فَاتَّخَذَهَا لِنَفْسِهِ، وَخَيَّرَهَا أَنْ يُعْتِقَهَا وَتَكُونَ زَوْجَتَهُ، أَوْ تَلْحَقَ بِأَهْلِهَا، فَاخْتَارَتْ أَنْ يُعْتِقَهَا وَتَكُونَ زَوْجَتَهُ.
English translation:
Hajjaj informed him that the Messenger of Allah had conquered Khaybar, taken their wealth as spoils, and that the shares decreed by Allah, Mighty and Majestic, had been distributed among their property. The Messenger of Allah selected Safiyya bint Huyayy for himself and took her for himself. Then he gave Safiyya this option: that he would free her and she would become his wife, or that she would go back to her family. Safiyya then chose to be freed and to become his wife.

Now read the same report from al-Sunan al-Kubra of al-Nasa’i. Its chain too returns to the same point—‘Abd al-Razzaq → Ma‘mar → Thabit al-Bunani → Anas. But al-Nasa’i abridged this report, and in the text preserved by him there is no mention of Safiyya being given any option, of her being freed, or of Safiyya choosing Muhammad. ^[47]

Arabic:
أَنْبَأَ إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ قَالَ أَنْبَأَ عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا مَعْمَرٌ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ ثَابِتًا الْبُنَانِيَّ يُحَدِّثُ عَنْ أَنَسٍ قَالَ لَمَّا افْتَتَحَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ خَيْبَرَ قَالَ الْحَجَّاجُ بْنُ عِلَاطٍ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّ لِي بِمَكَّةَ مَالًا وَإِنَّ لِي بِهَا أَهْلًا وَأَنَا أُرِيدُ أَنْ آتِيَهُمْ فَأَنَا فِي حِلٍّ إِنْ أَنَا نِلْتُ مِنْكَ وَقُلْتُ شَيْئًا فَأَذِنَ لَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَلَمَّا قَدِمَ عَلَى امْرَأَتِهِ بِمَكَّةَ قَالَ لِأَهْلِهِ اجْمَعِي مَا كَانَ لَكِ مِنْ مَالٍ وَشَيْءٍ فَإِنِّي أُرِيدُ أَنْ أَشْتَرِيَ مِنْ مَغَانِمِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَأَصْحَابِهِ فَإِنَّهُمْ قَدْ أُبِيحُوا وَذَهَبَتْ أَمْوَالُهُمْ، فَانْقَمَعَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ وَظَهَرَ الْمُشْرِكُونَ فَرَحًا وَسُرُورًا.
English translation:
Ishaq ibn Ibrahim informed us; ‘Abd al-Razzaq informed him; Ma‘mar said: I heard Thabit al-Bunani narrating from Anas: When the Messenger of Allah conquered Khaybar, Hajjaj ibn ‘Ilat said, “O Messenger of Allah! I have wealth and family in Mecca. I want to go to them. Do I have permission if I say something about you there, or say something against you?” The Messenger of Allah gave him permission. When he arrived in Mecca and reached his wife, he said, “Gather whatever wealth and property you have. I want to buy from the spoils of the Messenger of Allah and his companions, because they have been defeated and their wealth is gone.” Hearing this news, the Muslims became dispirited, while the polytheists displayed joy and happiness.

When the two reports are placed side by side, the matter becomes clear. These are not two separate hadiths from two independent witnesses. Al-Nasa’i himself narrates the incident through the same ‘Abd al-Razzaq → Ma‘mar → Thabit → Anas chain, but his shortened text ends before reaching the part concerning Safiyya’s alleged choice. Therefore, there is no scope to present al-Nasa’i 8646 as a second independent witness for the statement in Ahmad 12409 that “Safiyya freely chose Muhammad.” Rather, hadith critics themselves have identified al-Nasa’i’s narration as “مختصراً”—an abridged version—of Ahmad’s report.

Even more significant is that this report too is not Safiyya’s own statement. Here Hajjaj ibn ‘Ilat is informing ‘Abbas of the victory at Khaybar. Within that victory report itself, it is said that Khaybar had been conquered, its wealth had been divided as spoils, Muhammad had selected Safiyya for himself, and only afterward he gave her the option of becoming his wife after being freed or going to her own people. In other words, the internal structure of the report itself places military conquest, seizure of property, and selection of the woman first; only after that comes the alleged choice. Reversing this sequence and bringing only the final part to the front in order to say “Safiyya freely chose Muhammad” distorts the entire report.

The Quality of the Two Reports and Their Internal Problems

Now let us look at the quality of the reports. The long dream report above appears in Ibn Sa‘d’s al-Tabaqat al-Kubra through Muhammad ibn Umar al-Waqidi. At the very beginning of Ibn Sa‘d’s text, there is أخبرنا محمد بن عمر—that is, his teacher al-Waqidi is narrating this story. In the same long report, the statements of multiple sources are gathered together, and it is directly said: دخل حديث بعضهم في حديث بعض—one person’s report has become mixed with another’s. Therefore, Safiyya’s dream, Kinana’s comment, the blow to her face, and her later conduct cannot be presented, even by Islamic standards, as a pure, independent, authentic hadith. The dream that apologetics use as proof of Safiyya’s predestined love for Muhammad itself rests on a composite Sirah report preserved through al-Waqidi.

The status of the long dialogue about accepting Islam and returning to her own people is even clearer. Its chain is Muhammad ibn Umar al-Waqidi → Ibrahim ibn Ja‘far → his father. In other words, the gateway of this report too is the same al-Waqidi. Therefore, it cannot be used as a sahih hadith-level direct testimony of Safiyya’s free consent. Although Musnad Ahmad’s sahih-graded report contains a brief mention of a choice, the detailed dramatic dialogue about Islam versus Judaism, the death of the father, “I have no father there, nor any brother,” and preferring Allah and His Messenger over freedom is not found in that stronger chain. Filling the empty spaces of a strong concise report with the detailed wording of a weak report and then presenting it as historical truth is completely unacceptable.

And even if the report is accepted as true for the sake of argument, it creates a greater problem instead of helping the apologetic claim. Muhammad’s statement, “فعسى أن أعتقك فتلحقي بقومك”—“perhaps I will free you so that you may go to your people”—does not present freedom as an acknowledged right; it presents freedom as a possible favor from the victorious owner. Even more significant is the statement placed in Safiyya’s mouth: “I have no father there, nor any brother.” That is, the very report used as proof of free choice itself acknowledges the terrifying narrowing of her alternatives: her father was dead, she had no brother, her husband was dead, her tribe defeated, and her own freedom dependent on the victor’s decision. Such a “choice” is not a choice between two free lives of equal standing.

The dream story, even if assumed true, proves no love. Seeing a dream does not mean a conscious desire to marry the person seen in the dream. Rather, Kinana’s alleged comment—“Do you wish to become the wife of this king coming from Medina?”—is the husband’s own interpretation; Safiyya herself did not express any love, desire, or wish for marriage with Muhammad there. Turning a dream into a “divine foreshadowing” in light of a conquest and marriage that took place later is a textbook teleological reconstruction: because the final outcome is already known, an older ambiguous event is reinterpreted as a sign pointing toward that outcome. And using a report whose chain is itself weak to transform war captivity into predestined love is even more baseless.

“Go Back to Your Own People”—In What Reality?

Here, another important question is almost always suppressed: after the conquest of Khaybar, what did “going back to one’s own people” actually mean in reality? Not all the Jews of Khaybar were killed; a portion of them remained alive. But they were no longer in their previous independent political and economic position. In the narration of Sahih Muslim, the Jews of Khaybar themselves requested Muhammad to let them remain there and cultivate the land. They were allowed to stay on the condition that they would give half of the produce, and in Muhammad’s words, “as long as we wish.” In other words, their position depended on the permission of the victor. Sahih al-Bukhari also preserves the same arrangement: the Jews worked on the land of Khaybar and received half of the produce. Muhammad’s instruction, “as long as we wish,” certainly included keeping Muhammad satisfied and pleased. Under such a condition, if a Jewish woman wished to sacrifice herself while thinking of the future of her tribe, there would be nothing surprising in that.

Therefore, the picture that “if Safiyya had wanted, she could have returned to her family and lived her former free life” does not apply to a defeated woman who had lost her family. The “own people” who were still alive before her were a community that had just been militarily defeated, had lost political control over their homes, land, and property, and were living there at the will of the victorious Muslim ruler. On one side stood freedom through becoming the wife of the conquering ruler, membership in the highest political household, and security; on the other side stood returning to a defeated community surviving under that same victorious power. These two conditions cannot be called two neutral alternatives of equal power.

The Outcome: From “As Long as We Wish” to Eventual Expulsion

The real nature of the supposed option given to Safiyya to “go back to her own people” becomes even clearer when we look at later events. After the conquest of Khaybar, Muhammad first wanted to expel the Jews from there. But because agricultural work in Khaybar needed to be managed, the Jews requested him to permit them to stay there, and they were allowed to remain on the condition that half of the produce would be given to the Muslims. In the wording of Sahih al-Bukhari, Muhammad clearly told them: “We shall keep you on these terms as long as we wish.” In other words, the very society to which Safiyya’s return is presented as an independent option had its own right of residence dependent on the will of the victorious Muslim ruler. ^[48]

Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 3152
In-book reference : Book 57, Hadith 60
USC-MSA web (English) reference : Vol. 4, Book 53, Hadith 380
Chapter: What the Prophet ﷺ used to give to those Muslims whose faith was not so firm, and to other Muslims, from the Khumus or other resources
Narrated Ibn `Umar:
`Umar bin Al-Khattab expelled all the Jews and Christians from the land of Hijaz. Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) after conquering Khaibar, thought of expelling the Jews from the land which, after he conquered it belonged to Allah, Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) and the Muslims. But the Jews requested Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) to leave them there on the condition that they would do the labor and get half of the fruits (the land would yield).
Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “We shall keep you on these terms as long as we wish.” Thus they stayed till the time of `Umar’s Caliphate when he expelled them to Taima and Ariha.
Arabic : حَدَّثَنِي أَحْمَدُ بْنُ الْمِقْدَامِ ، حَدَّثَنَا الْفُضَيْلُ بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ ، حَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى بْنُ عُقْبَةَ ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي نَافِعٌ ، عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ ـ رضى الله عنهما أَنَّ عُمَرَ بْنَ الْخَطَّابِ، أَجْلَى الْيَهُودَ وَالنَّصَارَى مِنْ أَرْضِ الْحِجَازِ، وَكَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم لَمَّا ظَهَرَ عَلَى أَهْلِ خَيْبَرَ أَرَادَ أَنْ يُخْرِجَ الْيَهُودَ مِنْهَا، وَكَانَتِ الأَرْضُ لَمَّا ظَهَرَ عَلَيْهَا لِلْيَهُودِ وَلِلرَّسُولِ وَلِلْمُسْلِمِينَ، فَسَأَلَ الْيَهُودُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنْ يَتْرُكَهُمْ عَلَى أَنْ يَكْفُوا الْعَمَلَ، وَلَهُمْ نِصْفُ الثَّمَرِ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏”‏ نُقِرُّكُمْ عَلَى ذَلِكَ مَا شِئْنَا ‏”‏‏.‏ فَأُقِرُّوا حَتَّى أَجْلاَهُمْ عُمَرُ فِي إِمَارَتِهِ إِلَى تَيْمَاءَ وَأَرِيحَا‏.‏
Grade: Sahih

This was not a permanent treaty, equal political rights, or a guarantee that they could live freely on their own land. The same narration in Bukhari further says that after the conquest, the land of Khaybar passed into the possession of Allah, the Messenger, and the Muslims, and that the Jews’ position was conditional. Even more significant is that the same hadith also informs us of the later outcome: after Umar became caliph, he expelled the Jews of Khaybar from there and sent them toward Taima and Ariha. In other words, Muhammad’s “as long as we wish” was not a rhetorical phrase; the later Muslim state implemented it in reality.

When this is read together with another authentic instruction of Muhammad, the nature of the policy becomes even clearer. In Sahih Muslim, through Umar ibn al-Khattab, Muhammad’s statement is preserved that he would expel the Jews and Christians from the Arabian Peninsula and would not leave anyone there except Muslims. This was not some isolated later political decision; Islamic hadith tradition itself preserves it as Muhammad’s own statement.

Reference : Sahih Muslim 1767a
In-book reference : Book 32, Hadith 75
USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 19, Hadith 4366
Chapter: Expulsion of Jews and Christians from the Arabian Peninsula
It has been narrated by ‘Umar b. al-Khattib that he heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say:
I will expel the Jews and Christians from the Arabian Peninsula and will not leave any but Muslim.
Arabic : وَحَدَّثَنِي زُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ ، حَدَّثَنَا الضَّحَّاكُ بْنُ مَخْلَدٍ ، عَنِ ابْنِ جُرَيْجٍ ، ح وَحَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ رَافِعٍ ، – وَاللَّفْظُ لَهُ – حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ ، أَخْبَرَنَا ابْنُ جُرَيْجٍ ، أَخْبَرَنِي أَبُو الزُّبَيْرِ ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ جَابِرَ بْنَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ، يَقُولُ أَخْبَرَنِي عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ ‏”‏ لأُخْرِجَنَّ الْيَهُودَ وَالنَّصَارَى مِنْ جَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِ حَتَّى لاَ أَدَعَ إِلاَّ مُسْلِمًا ‏” ‏ ‏.‏
Grade: Sahih

In light of this sequence, presenting Safiyya’s supposed opportunity to “go back to her own people” as a safe and independent alternative becomes even more absurd. The Jewish society that still remained before her as a possible destination existed there from the beginning only with the permission of the conqueror; it had no independent authority over its land; its position was conditional upon “as long as we wish”; and in the end, that very Muslim state expelled them not long after Muhammad’s death. Moreover, the authentic narration preserved in Muhammad’s own name declares the policy of removing Jews and Christians from the Arabian Peninsula. Therefore, was becoming the wife of the victorious ruler and keeping that ruler satisfied not an extremely harsh real-world decision for Safiyya?

Thus, ending Safiyya’s story with the single sentence “she chose Muhammad of her own will” is not history. The strongest Islamic sources first present her as a captive woman, as spoils of war, and as a distributable woman. The principal narration of the so-called choice is testimony from the victorious side preserved through one specific chain-line; Nasa’i is not an independent second corroboration; the detailed romantic conversion dialogue rests on weak reports; and in the reality of Khaybar, “going back to her own people” did not mean returning to her former free life, but returning to a newly defeated community under victorious Muslim power. Within this reality, Safiyya’s decision should not be called proof of free love.

Rather, this decision has a clear political and survival logic. While Safiyya was Muhammad’s captive, her own life and future were in his hands; at the same time, the lives, land, and security of her surviving relatives and tribal people were also under victorious Muslim authority. Becoming the wife of the victorious ruler transformed her from a woman of the spoils directly into a member of the highest center of state power. Alongside protecting her own life and dignity, it also created a political opportunity to reduce possible retaliation, expulsion, or oppression against her surviving relatives and tribe. Therefore, there is sufficient historical basis for reading her decision as a tribal and personal survival strategy. It was not the selection of a lover or sexual partner in a normal social environment; it was the selection of the strongest path to safety within the reality created by a conqueror before a defeated aristocratic woman.

This aspect is even more significant because there is also historical basis for reading this marriage as an event of political reconciliation and alliance-building. From the perspective of the victorious ruler, if marrying a woman from a defeated Jewish aristocratic family was an effective way to reduce political hostility, then it is entirely natural that the same relationship, for that woman from the defeated side, could also function as a political means of securing her own safety and the safety of her community. To omit this two-sided reality of power and say only, “She chose him,” erases the most important part of the history.

Apologetic Presentation	Historical Reality
Safiyya freely chose Muhammad	She was already a war captive and a woman distributed as part of the spoils
Ahmad and Nasa’i are two independent sahih witnesses	Both go back to the same basic transmission line; Nasa’i’s abridged text does not even contain the choice-sentence
She could have returned to her own people if she wanted	Her surviving people were a newly defeated community living in Khaybar by permission of the victor. Muhammad could keep them there as long as he wished; that is, keeping Muhammad pleased was itself a condition here
Islam and marriage were her free choice	Her freedom, life, and future were then in the hands of the victorious ruler
There was a good relationship later, so the initial decision was also free	Later adaptation or relationship does not erase the earlier captivity and power imbalance
The marriage was the result of personal love	It was also a powerful path for personal safety, tribal survival, and political reconciliation

Even If the Hadiths Are Accepted as Completely True, the Problem Does Not Disappear

Finally, for the sake of argument, let us accept the narration of Musnad Ahmad word for word as completely true. Let us assume that Muhammad really did say to Safiyya: I will free you and make you my wife, or I will let you go back to your own people. Even then, this does not prove free consent. Because the power to give alternatives itself was in the hands of the victorious owner. Safiyya’s freedom did not exist as her own natural right; whether Muhammad would grant it or not was also Muhammad’s decision. A person who first places a woman under his own authority as a war captive, and later gives that woman a conditional alternative to freedom, cannot thereby erase the earlier coercive relationship.

More importantly, Safiyya’s so-called choice does not change the events that took place before her captivity by even the slightest degree. She was captured without her own consent; she was made part of the spoils without consent; she was given to Dihya’s share without consent; she was removed from Dihya and brought under Muhammad’s control without consent. Even if, after this entire process had ended, the victorious owner gave her an alternative, that does not prove the previous arrangement was consensual. Rather, it proves that the power to grant or withhold freedom too lay in the hands of the victor.

Therefore, ending Safiyya’s story with the single sentence “she chose Muhammad of her own will” is not history. The strongest Islamic sources first present her as a captive woman, as spoils of war, and as a distributable woman. The principal narration of the so-called choice is testimony from the victorious side preserved through one specific chain-line; Nasa’i is not an independent second corroboration; the detailed romantic conversion-dialogue stands on weak reports; and in the reality of Khaybar, “going back to her own people” did not mean returning to her former free life, but returning to a newly defeated community under victorious Muslim power. Within this reality, Safiyya’s decision should not be called proof of free love; rather, reading it as the political survival decision of a defeated aristocratic woman for the sake of her life, dignity, and perhaps the safety of her surviving tribe is most consistent with the power reality of the incident.

In psychology and international human rights law, an indispensable and inviolable condition of consent is that it must be completely free from any kind of fear, coercion, and extreme imbalance of power. A captive, newly widowed, fatherless, tribe-less girl of sixteen or seventeen, surrounded by a vast armed force made up of her ethnic and familial enemies—how far she could make a decision freely and in a normal state of mind at that moment is a basic question of sociology and psychology. Yet apologists usually present this tragic incident so carefully that it appears as though it were a mutual agreement of love or respect between two free people of equal status. The real truth is that on one side of power stood a victorious military leader with absolute authority, and on the other side stood a deeply devastated teenage war captive newly bound in the chains of slavery; therefore, within this inhumanly unequal relationship, there was effectively not the slightest possibility of genuine consent. The most important question here is: did Safiyya have any real opportunity at all to say “no”? If she had rejected the proposal, would she have had the chance to return freely to her own people and live on her own ancestral land, or would she have passed from hand to hand among the victorious soldiers as a sex slave? Once the classical fiqh of Islam and the established rules of war captivity are read, there remains no ambiguity that the body and future of a conquered woman were entirely under the control of the victor ^[49]. Therefore, this so-called “marriage” was not a mutual contract between two persons of equal power; rather, it was merely a desperate strategy for survival within a terrifyingly unequal reality of power ^[50].

Trauma Bonding and Survival Adaptation

Modern apologists bring forward a much-discussed claim: that Safiyya later showed respect, love, or loyalty toward the Prophet. Even if this claim is accepted as true, it proves nothing about initial free consent. When a person faces extreme insecurity, captivity, and threat to life, they are often compelled, even unconsciously, to adapt psychologically to the powerful figure who controls them in order to preserve life and mental balance. Experts who work on captivity, torture, and the long-term effects of power have repeatedly shown that when a victim loses all social and familial protection, she becomes entirely dependent on the mercy of the oppressor and, for the sake of her own safety, begins to internalize the oppressor’s will and preferences. For a sixteen-year-old girl, before whose eyes the bloodied corpses of her own people lay scattered, it would be entirely natural to fall into this kind of psychological condition. Therefore, if Safiyya later displayed any kind of loyalty, it was not the expression of a normal or spontaneous love; rather, it may have been an indispensable psychological instinct for surviving a horrific trauma and an extremely hostile environment. History contains countless examples of slaves, captives, and abused people who later became compelled to adapt to their fate, but there is no logical basis for treating that as their “free and conscious choice.”

Divine Romanticism and Moral Self-Contradiction

A large part of the popular romantic narratives about Safiyya revolves around the story of her alleged “dream,” where it is claimed that she had dreamed of Muhammad even before the attack on Medina, as described above with references. When this narrative is analyzed closely, an extreme moral self-contradiction and double standard become clear. If we accept this claim as true—that while Safiyya was still the married wife of her first husband, Kinana ibn Rabi‘, she felt romantic attraction or secret affection toward the non-mahram man Muhammad—then by Islamic moral standards themselves, this should count as a form of “mental infidelity” or a serious deviation of character for a woman. Islamic preachers usually construct strict ideals of “chastity,” “lowering the gaze,” and “exclusive loyalty to one’s husband” for Muslim women; yet when it comes to Safiyya, in order to protect Muhammad’s image, they casually abandon that very standard. Essentially, such teleological narratives—or purpose-driven stories—are the product of later attempts to reimagine the brutal reality of war captivity and unequal power as “mutual heavenly love” or a “predestined union.” This reduces Safiyya’s human tragedy into a trivial story in which she supposedly fell in love unconsciously with her future conqueror—something that ultimately objectifies Safiyya even more, instead of protecting her honor and dignity.

‘Uswatun Hasanah’ versus Historical Relativism

Another widely used apologetic argument is this: “In that era, slavery and such treatment of captive women were normal.” When this argument is analyzed, it becomes clear that it stands on an extremely fragile foundation. In almost every dark age of human history, genocide, the oppression of women, or slavery was at some point practiced as “normal.” But the historical “normality” of something can never be final proof of its moral correctness. This is especially so where Muhammad is not viewed merely as a seventh-century Arab leader, but is claimed to be “Uswatun Hasanah,” that is, an eternal and supreme moral model for all ages and all human beings until the Day of Judgment. If, in order to morally justify any of his actions, one has to take refuge merely in “the excuse of the age” or the argument that “this was practiced at that time,” then that indirectly admits the truth that Muhammad’s morality was unable to go beyond the limited morality of the average Arab society of his own time. Therefore, if something that was once “normal” appears cruel and inhuman in the light of modern human rights and advanced morality, then brushing it aside merely with the “excuse of the time” severely calls into question and weakens Islam’s claim to universal morality.

Finally, the greatest limitation of these apologetic explanations is that they are incapable of imagining this horrific incident in human terms. They place the whole matter inside an abstract religious-theological framework, which ultimately disconnects it completely from the flesh-and-blood reality of human experience. With even a little sensitivity, one can imagine a teenage girl whose father, husband, and many relatives had been killed; whose tribe had been militarily defeated and shattered; who was surrounded only by armed, unfamiliar enemy soldiers; and who knew that her life was now entirely dependent on the mercy of her supreme enemy. To call becoming someone’s bed-partner in the middle of such an extreme catastrophe “love” is profoundly hollow and cruel. In reality, such explanations seek to remove real flesh-and-blood human beings from history and replace them with religious symbols or “icons.” As a result, Safiyya no longer survives as a sensitive human being; she is compressed into a supernatural and abstract identity called “the Prophet’s wife.” Her personal trauma, unbearable grief, ethnic identity, fear, and psychological suffering then disappear completely from the pages of history. Yet one of history’s most urgent and unresolved questions is this: behind the sky-high glory of the victors, where exactly does the endless weeping of the defeated disappear?

Safiyya’s Love for Her Relatives Even in Later Life

Although Safiyya accepted Islam and came to occupy the status of a Prophet’s wife, she never completely abandoned her Jewish identity. Many historical sources show that she carried her tribe, her people, and the memories tied to them in her heart throughout her life. Even while remaining with the Prophet Muhammad until the final stage of his life, she did not hide her Jewish identity. Rather, at one point she said, “I am a descendant of Aaron, my uncle is Moses, and I am a child of the Jewish people.”

Multiple reports indicate that Safiyya helped her Jewish relative—she allocated property for him and even maintained contact with him. Although many Muslim companions and wives of the Prophet felt uneasy about this conduct, Safiyya never lost compassion for her own relatives. This position may have been a form of silent protest. Perhaps she did not say anything publicly; perhaps saying anything publicly was not possible either. But her conduct shows that she may have accepted her present, yet she did not forget her past. ^[51]

Reference : Sunan ad-Darimi (HadithBD), Hadith 3337
Chapter : 22. The Book of Wills
Section : 42. Making a will for dhimmis
Narrated from Ibn Umar (RA):
Safiyya (RA) made a bequest for a Jewish relative of hers.
Arabic : حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو نُعَيْمٍ حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ عَنْ لَيْثٍ عَنْ نَافِعٍ عَنْ ابْنِ عُمَرَ أَنَّ صَفِيَّةَ أَوْصَتْ لِنَسِيبٍ لَهَا يَهُودِيٍّ
Verification note : HadithBD grades the report as Sahih up to Ibn Umar; final Sunnah.com replacement requires manual verification.
Grade: Sahih according to HadithBD

A woman captive of war, whose husband and father had been killed by the Prophet’s order—when such a woman becomes installed as a Prophet’s wife in the position of “Mother of the Believers,” the conflict within her and her deep resentment found a language in her silent love for her relatives, even without open expression. This love was deep, silent, and unfathomable. Even in later life, she preserved respect, memory, and an inner attachment to her own people—an exceptional aspect of her personality that has remained in history.

A Woman Torn Between Two Worlds

To be taken by force as a captive, to witness the deaths of one’s father and husband, and then to be absorbed into the household of the very power under whose authority they were killed—this is a fate almost beyond comprehension. Yet this is precisely what happened to Safiyya. She was not merely a convert; she was a survivor. Her dignity, identity, and silent loyalty to her people were not erased by her conversion. They endured.

Her silent loyalty, expressed through memory and care for her Jewish relatives, reveals a profound inner conflict. Outwardly, she was a wife of the Prophet and a “Mother of the Believers,” but inwardly she carried the wounds, memories, and torn identity of a defeated past. This layered human complexity is almost always absent from glorified religious biographies. Yet it is precisely this duality—this silent, unwavering attachment to her roots—that makes Safiyya not merely a historical figure, but a deeply human one.

Conclusion

The life of Safiyya bint Huyayy stands at the intersection of faith, politics, war, captivity, and the deeper struggle for human dignity. She was at once a wife of the Prophet, the daughter of a conquered people, and the symbol of a woman whose life was permanently trapped between grief, doubt, and conflict. To view her story merely as a religious narrative is to strip it of its human essence. Her experience reminds us that tales of conquest may be sung with pride, but within them remain the untold stories of defeat, whispered as hidden sorrow.

In today’s world, stories like Safiyya’s compel us to remember that history is not written only by the victors. It also lives in the silence of the vanquished. Although she became a wife of the Prophet, Safiyya remained the symbol of a woman devastated by war. Her story carries the pain of loss, the anguish of identity, and the confrontation with harsh human truths.

Only when such unheard stories are brought to the table—stories of women, of sorrow, of resistance without swords—can we begin to build a truly human history: one that creates space for courage, for questioning, and for the quiet voices of defiance that history too often leaves behind.

References

Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith: 2652 ↩︎
Sahih Muslim, Hadith: 2533 ↩︎
Sirat Rasul Allah, Ibn Ishaq, Prothoma Prokashoni, translated by Shahid Akhand, p. 281 ↩︎
Sirat-un-Nabi, Ibn Hisham, Vol. 2, p. 196 ↩︎
Sirat-un-Nabi, Ibn Hisham, Vol. 2, pp. 191, 193, 235 ↩︎
Al-Bidaya wa’l-Nihaya, Vol. 2, Islamic Foundation Bangladesh, pp. 39, 40 ↩︎
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The Prophet Muhammad’s Tragic Death ↩︎
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The Reason for the Prophet’s Insulting Safiyya ↩︎
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Ibn Sa‘d, al-Tabaqat al-Kubra — Safiyya bint Huyayy ↩︎
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Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 12409 — Shu‘ayb al-Arna’ut: authentic chain, according to the conditions of al-Bukhari and Muslim ↩︎
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Sahih al-Bukhari, Islamic Foundation, Hadith: 2931 ↩︎
On the Islamic Legality of Sex with Female War Captives or Slave Women: Is a Slave Woman’s Consent Necessary? ↩︎
The Final Nail in the Coffin of Humanity: The Islamic Slave Market and the Open Auction of Women’s Bodies ↩︎
Sunan ad-Darimi (HadithBD), Hadith: 3337 ↩︎

About This Article

Genre: Semi-Academic Skeptical Analysis

Epistemic Position: Scientific Skepticism and Secular Humanist Ethics

This article belongs to the skeptical-rationalist analytical tradition of Shongshoy.com.

Its purpose is evidence-based critical examination of religious, philosophical, moral, and historical claims.