Siege of Banu Qaynuqa

Historical overview

In Shawwal 2 AH (April 624 CE), shortly after the decisive Muslim victory at Badr, tensions escalated in Medina between the Muslim community and the Jewish tribe of Banu Qaynuqa. Banu Qaynuqa, who worked as goldsmiths and armorers in fortified quarters in southern Medina, breached the Constitution of Medina through overt hostility and a violent marketplace provocation that led to casualties. In response, the Prophet Muhammad gathered the Muslim forces and marched to besiege their strongholds. The siege lasted for fifteen consecutive nights, completely cutting off the fortresses from outside supplies. Unable to break the blockade or endure further isolation, Banu Qaynuqa surrendered unconditionally. Following the intervention of Abdullah ibn Ubayy, the leader of the Medinan hypocrites who pleaded for his traditional allies, the Prophet commuted their sentence from execution to expulsion. Banu Qaynuqa were exiled to Syria, forfeiting their weapons and armor to the Muslim state.

Historical context and how to read this record

This record presents Siege of Banu Qaynuqa, dated in the archive as 2 AH / 624 CE and associated with Banu Qaynuqa Quarter, Medina, Hijaz. The date, place, summary, named groups, terrain features, and references shown here come from the bundled or published event record. They provide a concise entry point for study, while the linked source notes remain the place to check what each historical or religious text actually reports. A label in the archive is not, by itself, proof that every chronology, number, or interpretation is agreed across historians.

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Record timeline and tactical markers

1. Archive date: 2026-10-03 · 2 AH / 624 CE
2. Recorded setting: Banu Qaynuqa Quarter, Medina, Hijaz
3. Map feature 1: Fortified Mudbrick Strongholds (Ataam)
4. Map feature 2: Volcanic Basalt Lava Fields (Harrah)
5. Map feature 3: Suburban Date Palm Groves of Southern Medina
6. Schematic marker 1: Muslim Besieging Force · Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) / Hamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib · 300 infantry
7. Schematic marker 2: Besieged Banu Qaynuqa Garrison · Banu Qaynuqa Tribal Chieftains · 700 fighters (400 armored)
8. Schematic marker 3: Faction of Abdullah ibn Ubayy · Abdullah ibn Ubayy · Negotiation entourage

Marker ordering is a reading aid, not a chronological claim about the event.

Forces and commanders

• Muslim Besieging Force — Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) / Hamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib (300 infantry)
• Besieged Banu Qaynuqa Garrison — Banu Qaynuqa Tribal Chieftains (700 fighters (400 armored))
• Faction of Abdullah ibn Ubayy — Abdullah ibn Ubayy (Negotiation entourage)

Geography: water and landscape

• Wadi Ranuna Bed (river)
• Banu Qaynuqa Communal Well (well)
• Fortified Mudbrick Strongholds (Ataam)
• Volcanic Basalt Lava Fields (Harrah)
• Suburban Date Palm Groves of Southern Medina

Sources

• Ibn Hisham, Sirat Nabawiyyah, Vol. 2, pp. 47-50
• Tarikh al-Tabari, Vol. 2, pp. 479-482
• Al-Waqidi, Kitab al-Maghazi, Vol. 1, pp. 176-180
• Ibn Athir, Al-Kamil fi al-Tarikh, Vol. 2, pp. 137-139

More 3D maps

• Karbala · The Plain of 61 AH
• Battle of Badr · Wells and Two Slopes
• Khaybar · Basalt Harrat and Fortified Oases
• Hijrah Route · Makkah to Madinah
• Najaf & Kufa · The Historic Plain
• Siffin · Euphrates Campaign Landscape