Banu Qaynuqa

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The Banu Qaynuqa were one of Medina’s three main Jewish tribes. They were wealthy merchants and craftspeople, living in two fortresses in the southwest of Yathrib (Medina). They did not own land and earned money mainly from trade, especially goldsmith work. They were allied with the Banu Khazraj and helped them in their conflicts with the Banu Aws.

In the early years after Muhammad and his followers arrived in Medina, tensions grew. A Muslim woman had an incident in a Banu Qaynuqa goldsmith shop that led to a killing and revenge. Muslims saw this as breaking the agreement that was supposed to govern Medina’s diverse communities (the Constitution of Medina). Muhammad then besieged the Banu Qaynuqa for about two weeks. The tribe surrendered.

Muhammad’s forces took the tribe’s property and tools, and they were expelled from Medina. They moved first to the Jewish settlements in the Wadi al-Kura, north of Medina, and later to Der’a in Syria, where they joined other Jewish communities. Some historians say the siege aimed to remove a rival market group as well as a political threat.

Muhammad divided the Banu Qaynuqa’s possessions among his followers, with a fifth share going to the Islamic state. Some members stayed in the region and converted to Islam, including Abdullah ibn Salam, who is believed by some sources to have converted later, around 630.