Banu Qurayza: Where Does the Number 600–900 Come From?
Ibn Ishaq records 600 to 900 men executed after the siege of Banu Qurayza. The Qur'an and the Six Books confirm the event but give no number. In 1976 W.N. Arafat challenged the figure; M.J. Kister defended the tradition. Both columns, texts as they are — the verdict is yours.
By John Shaqi · July 23, 2026 · 15 min read
Trenches in the Market of Medina
The year is 5 AH — 627 CE. The siege of Medina has ended and the confederate armies have melted into the desert. But for one community the war is not over. The Banu Qurayza, the last major Jewish tribe of Medina, are besieged in their fortresses. When they come down, their fate is placed in the hands of one wounded man — Sa'd ibn Mu'adh.
What happens next is described by Ibn Ishaq, the earliest full biographer of the Prophet: trenches dug in the market of Medina, and six hundred to nine hundred men beheaded beside them. Then, in 1976, W.N. Arafat published a paper arguing that this number cannot stand. A decade later M.J. Kister answered him, defending the tradition.
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