Ruins of a Jewish Fortress at Khaybar

Khaybar (خيبر) is the name of an oasis some 95 miles to the north of Medina (ancient Yathrib), Saudi Arabia. It was inhabited by Jews before the rise of Islam, and was conquered by Mohammad in 628 A.D. Image File history File links KhaybarFortress. ... Image File history File links KhaybarFortress. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article is about the Saudi city of Medina. ... Islam (Arabic:  ) is a monotheistic religion based upon the teachings of Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure. ... For other people named Muhammad, see Muhammad (disambiguation). ...

History

Khaybar in the 7th century

In the 7th century, Khaybar was inhabited by the Jews, who pioneered the cultivation of the oasis and made their living growing date palm trees, as well as through commerce and craftsmanship, accumulating considerable wealth. Some objects found by the Muslims when they entered Khaybar — a siege-engine, 20 bales of Yemenite cloth, and 500 cloaks — point out to an intense trade carried out by the Jews. Bale can refer to any of the following: Places Bâle, the French name for the city of Basel The town Bale in Croatia the Bale Province, Burkina Faso in Burkina Faso the former Bale Province, Ethiopia in Ethiopia People Christian Bale, an actor Dr. Edward Turner Bale This is... Motto: Allah, al-Watan, at-Thawra, al-Wehda God, the Nation, the Revolution, the Unity Anthem: United Republic Capital (and largest city) Sanaa Official languages Arabic Government Republic  - President Ali Abdullah Saleh  - Prime Minister Abdul Qadir Bajamal Establishment    - Unification May 22, 1990  Area  - Total 527,968 km² (49th) 203...

The oasis was divided into three regions: al-Natat, al-Shikk, and al-Katiba, probably separated by natural diversions, such as the desert, lava drifts, and swamps. Each of these regions contained several fortresses or redoubts containing homes, storehouses and stables. Each fortress was occupied by a separate family and surrounded by cultivated fields and palm-groves. In order to improve their defensive capabilities, the fortresses were raised up on hills or basalt rocks.^[1] Look up lava, Aa, pahoehoe in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Basalt Columnar basalt at Sheepeater Cliff in Yellowstone Basalt (IPA: ) is a common gray to black volcanic rock. ...

Aftermath

Jews continued to live in the oasis for several more years afterwards until they were finally expelled by caliph Umar. The imposition of tribute upon the conquered Jews of the Khaybar Fortress served as a precedent for provisions in Islamic law requiring the exaction of tribute known as jizya from dhimmis, i.e. non-Muslims under Muslim rule, and confiscation of land belonging to non-Muslims into the collective property of the Muslim community. In states ruled by Islamic law, jizya or jizyah (Arabic: جزْية; Ottoman Turkish cizye) is a per capita tax imposed on free non-Muslim adult males who are neither old nor sick nor monks [1], known as dhimmis, in exchange for being allowed to live, practice their faith, subject to certain... This article is about dhimmi in the context of Islamic law. ... A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Turkish: Müslüman, Persian and Urdu: مسلمان, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of Islam. ...

For many centuries, the oasis at Khaybar was an important caravan stopping place. The center developed around a series of ancient dams that were built to hold back run-off water from the rain. Around the water catchements date palms grew, and soon Khaybar became an important date producing center. Oasis in the Libyan part of the Sahara For other uses, see Oasis (disambiguation). ... A caravan is a group of travellers, such as merchants or pilgrims, journeying together. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Binomial name Phoenix dactylifera L. The Date Palm Phoenix dactylifera is a palm, extensively cultivated for its edible fruit. ...

Battle of Khaybar

Main article: Battle of Khaybar

For other uses, see Khaybar (disambiguation). ...

Expulsion of the Jews from Khaybar

The Jews were expelled from Khaybar in reign of caliph Umar (634-644). During his caliphate, the Muslims conquered vast territories in the Middle East, bringing to the Arabia large numbers of slaves, and the Jewish labor force was no longer necessary. The Jews of Khaybar settled in many areas throughout the Middle East, and they maintained a distinctive identity until the 12th century.^[2] A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ...

The Jews of Khaybar in Arabic folklore

In later times, the Jews of Khaybar became popular figures in Arabic folklore.^[2] One of the stories went that on the road to Mecca many Jewish tent-dwellers lived in the desert in the neighborhood of many Arabs who robbed everybody passing by. The Jews and the Arabs then had an equal share in the booty. However, when a Jew came across, they offered him gifts and brought him to a safe place. Legends such as this one persisted well into the modern times.^[3]

Chant

In modern times, Khaybar has inspired an Arabic chant commonly used in demonstrations against Israel. The chant essentially goes, Khaybar Khaybar ya Yahud, jaysh Muhammad sawfa ya‘ud, and the translation is "Khaybar, Khaybar oh Jews, the army of Muhammad will return". Another version is Khaybar, Khaybar ya Sahyun, Hizbullah qadimun "Khaybar, Khaybar you Zionists, Hizbullah is coming".^{[4] [5] [6]} Arabic can mean: From or related to Arabia From or related to the Arabs The Arabic language; see also Arabic grammar The Arabic alphabet, used for expressing the languages of Arabic, Persian, Malay ( Jawi), Kurdish, Panjabi, Pashto, Sindhi and Urdu, among others. ... Hezbollah militant Guerrilla carrying Hezbollah Flag Hezbollah (Arabic ‮حزب الله‬, meaning Party of God) is a political and military organization in Lebanon founded in 1982 to fight Israel in southern Lebanon. ...

See also

• Fadak
• Battle of Khaybar

Fadak was a tract of land in Khaybar, an oasis in northern Arabia; it is now part of Saudi Arabia. ... For other uses, see Khaybar (disambiguation). ...

References

1. ^
2. ^ ^{a b}
3. ^ Stillman (1979), p. 290
4. ^ Goldberg, Jeffery (2001). Arafat’s Gift. The New Yorker - From the Archive. CondéNet. Retrieved on 2006-09-29.
5. ^ Alagha, Joseph Elie (2006). The Shifts in Hizbullah’s Ideology (pdf). ISIM Dissertations. Amsterdam University Press. Retrieved on 2006-09-29.
6. ^ Lin, Carol, Wolf Blitzer. "War in the Middle East" (transcript 072901CN.V88), CNN Saturday Night 10:00 PM EST, Cable News Network, July 29, 2006 Saturday. Retrieved on 2006-09-29.