Write about the main events of the battles of Khaybar and Mu'ta.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2014). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. (a) Khaybar: fought in 628 (7AH) against the Jews who had broken their agreements with the Muslims; Muslim army caught the city by surprise; ‘Ali was given the banner to carry; Muslims attacked the first fort of Naim; this was taken and the Muslims carried on until they reached the most powerful fort, An-Nizar; 'Ali is said to have moved a door by himself which would have taken many men to move; Jewish leader was killed; Jews requested they stay in the oasis and in return give half their produce to the Muslims; battle strengthened the Muslims and the Prophet's leadership. Mu'ta: this was the fiercest battle during the Prophet's lifetime; fought in 629 (8AH); The Prophet had sent Al-Harith bin 'Umair al-Azdi carrying a letter to the ruler of Basra; he was intercepted and killed by the governor of al-Balqa'; the Prophet mobilised an army of 3000 men; people near the scene of al-Harith's murder would be invited to Islam and if they accepted no battle would ensue; Zaid bin Haritha was to lead the army, Ja'far bin Abi Talib would replace him, and 'Abdullah bin Rawaha would replace Ja'far if he fell; Heraclius sent 100000 troops with another 100000 from tribes allied to the Byzantines; Zaid led the battle until he was fatally stabbed; Ja'far succeeded him and both his hands were cut off; then Abdullah took the banner and he too was killed; Khalid bin Walid stepped up to take leadership and showed his skills as a strategist; the Muslims gradually retreated and the Byzantines, thinking they were entrapped, stopped their pursuit allowing the Muslims to incur minimal casualties; the Muslims did not avenge al-Harith's murder but they proved they were a force to be reckoned with. Not all of the above needs to be mentioned, but most of points should be made as well as development of the points to give depth to the answer.
2. (b) Candidates should only choose one battle to write about and should attempt to give reasons why the Muslims needed to engage in that battle. Khaybar: As peaceful settlements were not accepted, the Prophet had to carry out a military campaign to prevent further disruptions upon the Muslims from these parts, as they did not want to be continually fighting in minor skirmishes. It was therefore a matter of survival for the Muslim community. Had they not fought, it could have led to insecurity as they would not have known when the next attack would come from there. It was also important as God had promised them abundant spoils from this campaign (sura 48.20). Mu'ta: At that time, killing envoys and messengers was considered a terrible crime, and amounted to a declaration of war. The Prophet therefore had to respond otherwise the Muslims would have looked weak had they ignored such a clear threat. Ignoring the killing of envoys would have led to their reputation being challenged, and the battle also showed that they were a serious presence that was emerging out of Arabia. Candidates should draw principles from the details they have written such as fighting for security of Islam, believing God's promises, showing strength, defending honour, etc.