Battle of Khaybar

The Battle of Khaybar was a military campaign launched by the Muslims of Medina, led by the Prophet Muhammad, against the settlement of Khaybar. Khaybar was a fortified oasis north of Medina, inhabited by Jewish tribes. The campaign is believed to have taken place in the seventh year of the Islamic calendar (approximately 628 CE), sometime after the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah.

Khaybar consisted of several distinct fortifications, each defended separately. Consequently, the battle was not a single major engagement but rather a prolonged siege and series of attacks on individual forts. Muslim historical sources recount that the fortifications were taken one by one until the local population agreed to a settlement.

Background and preceding conditions

Following the Battle of the Trench and the expulsion of Jewish tribes from Medina, some of their leaders relocated to Khaybar. Historical sources indicate that they maintained political and military ties with groups opposed to Medina. The Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, which established a peace agreement between Quraysh and the Muslims, is understood to have enabled Medina to redirect its military efforts northward.

Course of the campaign

The Medina force reached Khaybar at night and cut off the outer access routes to the fortifications. The defenders relied on the buildings' height and food supplies. After a period of uncertain duration, the defense collapsed. A notable engagement involved the capture of the strongest fort, in which Ali ibn Abi Talib is said to have led the assault. Early sources contain colorful descriptions that complicate the separation of event from embellishment.

Settlement and agricultural arrangement

After the campaign, the people of Khaybar were permitted to remain on their land and cultivate their date palms, on the condition that they render a share of the produce to Medina. This arrangement of shared yield is considered an early precedent for land taxation systems later employed by Islamic states. Khaybar also became an important source of dates and agricultural land.

Impact and historical questions

Khaybar strengthened Medina's control over northern Hijaz and eliminated a center of resistance in the region. Details concerning troop numbers, duration of the siege, and settlement terms vary across early sources, most of which were recorded centuries after the event. Modern scholars agree that it occurred but dispute its particulars.