Why did Muhammad expel the Banu Qaynuqa from Medina in April 624?
In April 624, the Islamic prophet Muhammad besieged the Jewish tribe of Banu Qaynuqa in Medina. After fifteen days, the tribe surrendered unconditionally. While traditional accounts cite a series of provocations and treaty violations, modern scholars debate whether the expulsion was a strategic move to consolidate power after the Battle of Badr.
The Banu Qaynuqa were a Jewish tribe residing in the south-western part of Yathrib, now Medina. They were artisans and goldsmiths who owned no land and maintained an alliance with the local Arab tribe of Khazraj. Following the Muslim victory against the Meccan Banu Quraish at the Battle of Badr in December 623, tensions between the Muslims and the Jewish tribes of Medina escalated significantly.
Traditional Muslim sources, such as Ibn Hisham, describe a chain of events triggered by a dispute in the Qaynuqa marketplace, where a Muslim woman was harassed and subsequently stripped naked. This led to a series of revenge killings. Muhammad reportedly admonished the tribe, warning them of the vengeance God had brought upon the Quraysh. The Banu Qaynuqa, who possessed a force of 700 men—400 of whom were armored—reportedly challenged Muhammad, claiming they were experts in war.
Following the surrender, Abdullah ibn Ubayy, a chief of the Khazraj, intervened to save the tribe from execution. He physically confronted Muhammad, insisting that the 700 warriors were necessary for defense against expected Meccan attacks. Muhammad eventually agreed to expel the tribe rather than execute them. The Banu Qaynuqa subsequently moved to Wadi al-Kura and later to Syria, where they assimilated into existing Jewish communities.
Modern historians offer varied perspectives on the underlying causes. While traditional sources view the expulsion as a response to the violation of the Constitution of Medina, scholars like Fred Donner and W. Montgomery Watt suggest that the tribe's independent power and close ties to Meccan merchants made them a strategic threat. Some orientalists argue that the anecdotal stories of the marketplace dispute serve to obscure the political reality: Muhammad, emboldened by his success at Badr, sought to eliminate potential opposition within Medina.
Source: Siege of Banu Qaynuqa
