his usual shrewd appreciation of circumstances. Two of the Jewish tribes of Medina, the Beni Nadhir and the Beni Koreiza, had long been the allies of the powerful Awsites, amongst whom Islam had as yet made slower and smaller progress; but the third, the Beni Keinoka, who had been the ancient allies of the less powerful Khazrajites, in whose midst the profession of Islam had become general, were now left isolated, because the brotherhood of the new religion had superseded the former bonds of amity and alliance. They could therefore be attacked with comparatively little risk, inasmuch as their Arab allies had either become staunch Moslems, or at least outwardly conformed to the new order of things; and their removal appeared all the more desirable, because, as artisans, they occupied a convenient and central part of the city. Hence the Beni Keinoka were fixed upon by the astute Prophet as the first victims of a policy which aimed at the entire removal of the Jews, in order to make room for himself and his followers.

He did not delay the execution of this selfish purpose longer than was necessary, but entered upon it as soon as his victory at Bedr enabled him to do so. Ibn Hisham narrates, 'When God had visited the Koreish on the battle-day of Bedr, Mohammed returned to Medina and assembling the Jews on the bazar of the Beni Keinoka, said to them, "O ye Jews, believe in Islam, ere God visit you like the Koreish." But they answered, "Be not deceived by thy imagination. Thou hast indeed slain some Koreishites who were without experience and knowledge of war; but, by God! if thou make war with us, thou wilt find that we are men the like of whom thou halt not yet encountered"' — a boast which they soon after flagrantly belied. Mohammed was not the man to be turned aside from his plans by vain boasts or empty threats.

The actual outbreak of hostilities had not long to be waited for, and Mohammedan historians narrate it in this way. A Moslem woman went to the market of the Beni Keinoka to sell milk, and sat down in front of a goldsmith's shop. Being veiled, the Jewish shopkeeper annoyed her in a manner which caused her to blush and to weep. This was witnessed by a Mussulman, who forthwith slew the offending

goldsmith; and he, in his turn, was slain by the Jews. The Moslems, indignant at this, now called all their brethren to arms: and thus the war began. If this story, told by Moslem biographers to explain the cause of the conflict, was well founded on fact — which is improbable, because at the time to which it refers the injunction to veil had not yet been given, — it could only account for the outbreak of hostilities at this particular moment. Its real cause lay much deeper, and must surely have led to war, sooner or later, without any such accidental occurrence, which, moreover, could have been so easily settled by gentler means than war and expatriation. Mohammed, only too glad to avail himself of any plausible pretext for commencing open hostilities, summoned his followers to arms and surrounded the quarter of the Beni Keinoka. This was all the more easy, because, being artisans, mostly gold and silver smiths, they lived close together within the city and were not scattered on plantations like the other Jews.

The beleaguered Jews defended their fortified houses for a fortnight; but being deserted, in this hour of need, by their former allies, the Khazrajites, in whose cause they had often shed their blood, and expecting no help from the two other Jewish tribes, against whom they had often fought on the side of Arabs; they thought it better to surrender, than further irritate their implacable foe. Obada, one of the leading Khazrajites, went to Mohammed and formally renounced his obligations towards his former allies, handing them over to the Prophet's discretion. Abd Allah Ibn Obei, whose attachment to Islam was not so strong, indeed sympathised with his former confederates, but dared not openly join their ranks. The only thing he ventured to do was, to insist strongly on having their lives spared. When they had surrendered, and were already being bound, in preparation for execution, he went to Mohammed to induce him not to slay them. Ibn Ishak thus describes the scene: 'Mohammed at first turned away from him, and when Abd Allah held him by the armour, to stop him, he called out, "Let me go!" and became so enraged that his face turned quite dark. But Abd Allah swore, saying, "I will not let thee go till thou relentest towards my clients: they are 700