Koran Curious - A Guide for Infidels and Believers by C.J. Werleman Page B

rather than a centralized town surrounded by perimeter defensive positions.
    On the 7 th May, 629 the Muslims launched their offensive but they met stiff resistance from the Jewish archers who picked off more than 50 of Muhammad’s men in the first five days of fighting. It appeared as if the city was indeed impregnable, but then came a stroke of luck. A Jewish soldier was taken prisoner and interrogated. He revealed that the weakest hamlet of the city was the fort of Naim. Moreover, if they were to capture that fort, they would be able to seize a large stockpile of weapons. A platoon was sent in and the fort fell as easily as predicted by the prisoner. To their further good fortune, Naim possessed a ballista, which was a rock-hurling catapult. They repositioned the ballista to fire upon the mud-brick walls of the other hamlets, allowing the Muslim raiders to send the Jews into chaos. The Muslims cut off access to the town’s water wells and the city of Khaybar had fallen to Muhammad. Certainly, an astounding military success, by any war historian’s measure.
    Muhammad told the residents of Khaybar that no harm would befall them should they hand over all of their possessions to the Muslims. Soon after the agreement, the Jews approached Muhammad with a request they could continue to farm their land on the condition they forfeit fifty percent of their produce to the Muslims each year. Muhammad agreed to the terms, thus making it the precedent for Islamic Law in determining the status of non-Muslims living under Muslim rule.
    The divvying up of the spoils of war continued with Muhammad taking the widow of a slain Jewish commander to be his wife, and then later learning that the city contained hidden treasure. The fact that the Jewish Rabbi had not forfeited the treasure was a breach of the terms of the settlement, and Muhammad had the Rabbi tortured and beheaded.
    In 630, Muhammad led the Muslims for their first hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, as guaranteed by the terms of the treaty with the Quraysh. Thousands of Muslims followed Muhammad into the shrine, as the Meccans looked on the passing parade in awe of his now vast following. The prophet walked right up to the black stone, touched it and then made seven circuits of the Kaaba, and seven runs between the hillocks of Safa and Marwah. Muhammad then led the thousands of his followers in communal prayer and the Meccans couldn’t help be impressed by not only the discipline of his followers, but their reverence of the Kaaba and sacred stone. For the next few days, the Muslims stayed as guests in the city and this gave those Muslims who were originally from Mecca to reunite with family and former friends. But the terms of the treaty included that the Muslims could stay for only three days and would have to return to Medina. They did exactly that, winning many more converts along the way.
    A short while later, in 630, the Meccans violated the treaty by attacking one of Muhammad’s tribal allies. In return, Muhammad marched onto Mecca with a force of 10,000 soldiers. Mecca was caught completely off guard and little if any resistance was encountered. Entering the city, Muhammad had his warriors fanned out across the city and gave the order they should fight only if attacked. With the residents held in a virtual lockdown, Muhammad entered the Kaaba and destroyed all of the pagan idols, all three-hundred-and-sixty of them. He then stood atop the Kaaba and addressed his army, “Praise be to God, who hath fulfilled His promise and helped his slave and routed the clans.” The words of Muhammad’s address reached all the residents of the city and soon he would offer them a moratorium to convert to Islam. In all but a few cases, the entire city pledged their faith to Islam, and their lives were spared. There were some not shown any clemency or mercy, however, as Muhammad had with him a list of names. If your name was on this list it meant you were an enemy of Islam and you were to be