Almost everyone is familiar with the Nazi Jewish Holocaust, but few are aware that the first mass extermination of Jews was carried out on Prophet Muhammad’s orders in the year 627 AD, immediately following the battle of “Ditch,” when the Meccans held the Muslims captive at Medina.

The Quraysh (Meccans) had approached the Banu Qurayza (Jews) for assistance in their fight against Muhammad, but Qurayza had remained neutral throughout the conflict.

On the contrary, the Jews assisted Muhammad in saving his men by providing material assistance for digging trenches, which proved critical for Muslim survival.

However, Muhammad was dissatisfied with the Banu Qurayza and decided to attack them for their support of the Quraysh. This was a sham attack. The Jews eventually surrendered to Muhammad.

The Jews offered to go into exile as an alternative to mass extermination, but Muhammad rejected the offer, ordering the mass murder of all adult males and the enslavement of women and children.

The Banu Qurayza’s properties were confiscated and distributed among Muslims. All captured adult males (800-900 in total) were led to a freshly dug trench in the marketplace.

 

Each was beheaded in Muhammad’s presence before their bodies were thrown into the trench from morning to night. Muhammad himself beheaded two Jewish leaders.

A Jewish woman, whose husband had been beheaded, demanded the same fate for herself rather than Muslim slavery. Her wish came true. She died with a smile and laughter. This scene haunted Ayesha (Muhammad’s young wife) for the rest of her life.

Even a Jewish man who had previously saved the lives of some Muslims was not spared because he refused pardon.

Muhammad received one-fifth of all captured Banu Qurayza properties. The rest was divided among his followers. Children and women were distributed in the same manner. All of the lovely ladies were sold as sex slaves.

To satisfy his lust, Muhammad took a beautiful girl named Rayhana. He put her to bed on the same night that Jewish men were slaughtered. Some of the women were sold overseas in order to obtain weapons and horses for future wars.

DISCLAIMER: The author is solely responsible for the views expressed in this article. The author carries the responsibility for citing and/or licensing of images utilized within the text.