Expulsion of Banu Qaynuqa

Banu Qaynuqa was one of three Jewish tribes resident in Medina before the Hijra, occupying a fortified commercial quarter where they practiced goldsmithing and trading. As signatories to the Constitution of Medina, they were formally allied with the Muslim community under a covenant that obligated mutual defense and required disputes to be brought to the Prophet ﷺ for arbitration. The covenant also prohibited any signatory from supporting the enemies of another signatory. Their expulsion in Shawwal 2 AH — shortly after the Muslim victory at Badr — was triggered by a sequence of events that revealed the fragility of the covenant and the tribe's actual alignment with the Qurayshi opposition. The precipitating incident involved a Muslim woman who came to the Banu Qaynuqa marketplace and was publicly humiliated — a Jewish man of the tribe pinned the hem of her garment so that she was exposed when she rose. A Muslim man who witnessed this killed the offender, and was in turn killed by others of the tribe. Following this exchange of violence, members of Banu Qaynuqa openly challenged the Muslim community: 'The men of Quraysh were not experienced warriors. If you fight us, you will find that we are real men.' This was not a private expression of frustration but a public declaration of willingness to fight the Prophet ﷺ — a direct breach of their covenant obligations and an alignment with Medina's enemies. The Prophet ﷺ besieged them in their fortified quarter for fifteen days until they surrendered unconditionally. He had determined to execute the adult males — the standard consequence for treaty-breakers under the recognized laws of war — but Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul, leader of the Medinan hypocrites who had longstanding commercial and social ties to the tribe, intervened persistently until the Prophet ﷺ relented and accepted exile instead. Banu Qaynuqa left Medina with what they could carry, surrendering their weapons and properties. They settled north of Medina and eventually dispersed. The expulsion established that the Medinan covenant was legally enforceable, not aspirational — a precedent that would govern the Prophet's ﷺ later dealings with Banu al-Nadir and, eventually, Banu Qurayza.