132 In the r '(j()tJtep; if 1m Prop!;t!
The situation was so exceptional that Revelation made express mention of
it: "\'\fhatever palm trees you cut down or left standing on their rootS, it
was by leave o f God.,,2 Never again would the Prophet act in disrespect
of creation, and he was to repeat again and again, as we shall see, that
such respect must be complete, even in wartime. The Revelation of the
abovementioned verse is in itself the confirmation of the rule set by that
single exception.
The strategy turned out to be most successful. The Banu Nadir,
besieged and penurious, surrendered and tried to negotiate the terms of
their exile. Before the siege the Prophet had offered to let them leave with
all theif wealth, but the Banu Nadir bad refused, and now they wefe in a
weak position. According to the terms of the Prophet's threat, they ought
to have been executed. In any case, allowing them to take a\vay their pos-
sessions was now out of the question. Forgetting his threat to execute
them, the Prophet demanded that they leave the city, taking only their
women and children with them. Banu Nadir's chief, Huyay, nonetheless
tried to negotiate, and the Prophet eventually allowed them to leave with
all the goods and belongings their camels could carry; they eventually
found refuge at Khaybar.3 He not only did not carry out his threat, spar-
ing their lives, but he also allowed them to take away a considerable
amount of wealth. Muhammad had always been generous and lenient
after battles, despite rus enemies' betrayals and ungratefulness; he had
found some of the captives he had spared after Ba(1r among his fiercest
enemies at Uhud. The same trung would happen trus time too: several
months after allowing the Bann Nadir to flee, he would find some of the
tribe's leaders and other members among the Confederates (aJ-Ahzab),
who were to join against him a few months latcr.
The l 'luslims' situation had marginally improved, but the dangers
remained considerable and manifold. After Uhud, Abu Sufyan had told
Umar and the Prophet that they would meet the following year at Badr.
The Prophet had accepted the challenge. He did not want to go back o n
his word, and he therefore went to Badr with an army of fifteen hundred
men. Abu Sufyan set o ut with two thousand soldiets, but he stopped o n
the way and turned back. The j\luslims stayed on the spot for eight days,
waiting for the Quray~h, who d id not appear. T hey had been true to their
word, and this display of fidelity to their promise and confidence in the
face of challenge both reassured them and reinforced their prestige.