Bani Nazeer._

[Sidenote: 84. The Bani Nazeer.]

The expulsion of the Bani Nazeer has been censured by Sir W. Muir, who
says: "The pretext on which the Bani Nadhir were besieged and
expatriated (namely, that Gabriel had revealed their design against the
Prophet's life), was feeble and unworthy of an honest cause."[280]

A whole Sura in the Koran is devoted to the Bani Nazeer, but it does
not hint at the alleged crime of their attempt on the life of the
Prophet or their expulsion for the same cause. The traditions on the
subject are unsupported, _ex parte_, and legendary. Had such a tradition
been current at the time of Mohammad, or what is called Sadr Av-val (the
first or Apostolic Age), we should certainly have had scores of
narrators on the subject.[281] Their crime was treachery,[282] and they
were a dangerous element to Medina, for a combination, at any period,
between the treacherous Jews and the aggressive Koreish, or other
enemies of Islam, would have proved fatal to the safety of Medina. But
their banishment was too mild a punishment.

[Sidenote: 85. Fruit-trees not cut down.]

It is said that Mohammad cut down the surrounding date trees and burned
the choicest of them during the siege of the Bani Nazeer, and justified
himself by publishing the verses of the LIX Sura of the Koran.[283] But
the date trees cut down were neither bearing fruit, nor did they supply
any staple article of food to the Bani Nazeer, or the public in general.
The _Leena_ mentioned in the verse referred to above is a tree without
fruit. Thus no fruit trees were destroyed. (Zoorkanee Vol. II, page 98.)
Trees not bearing fruits were only cut, which is also justified under
the Law of Moses. (See Deuteronomy XX, 20.)

_Females and the Treaty of Hodeibia._

[Sidenote: 86. Females and the treaty of Hodeibia.]

Females were not included in the truce of Hodeibia. The stipulation for
the surrender of deserters referred only to the male sex. All women who
were to come over to Medina from Mecca during the period of the peace
were, by the dictates of Sura LX, 10, to be tried, and if their
profession was found sincere, they were to be retained. They were
prohibited from marrying the unbelievers. The guardians of such
believing females were to receive from the Moslem commonwealth what they
had spent upon their charges. Sir W. Muir understands from Sura LX,
verse 10, that the women referred to therein were the wives of the
Meccans, and says:--"Th