Nu’aym ibn Mas’ud (RA)
Background and Early Connections:
Nu’aym ibn Mas’ud was from Najd and he was part of the Ghatafan tribe.
While in Yathrib (Madinah), Nu’aym was known to spend generously and he was well connected with the Jews of the city, especially with the tribe of Banu Qurayzah.
The Rising Threat Against Madinah:
Two years before the siege of Makkah, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ removed a group of Jews belonging to the tribe of Banu an-Nadir from Madinah because of their association with the Quraysh.
The tribe of Banu an-Nadir migrated and settled in Khaybar.
The Confederation:
They began to gather the tribes around the Arabian Peninsula to join forces against the Muslims. This confederation included the tribe of Ghatafan, who Nu’aym ibn Mas’ud was part.
When the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ heard this news, he was on his way to an expedition to Dumat Al-Jandal, which was around a fifteen day journey from Madinah.
The Prophet quickly went back to Madinah and informed the Muslims about the confederations’ plan.
The amount of soldiers in the confederation was over ten thousand in comparison to the three thousand Muslims.
Allah SWT revealed: ‘When they came upon you from above and from below you, and when eyes grew wild and hearts reached to the throats. And you were imagining vain thoughts concerning Allah. Then the believers were sorely tried and shaken with a mighty shock.’ (Quran, 33:10)
Siege of Khandaq:
As the siege went on against the confederation and the situation became more difficult for the Muslims, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ prayed to Allah: O Allah, I beseech you to grant Your promise of victory. O Allah I beseech You to grant your promise of victory.
Nu’aym ibn Mas’ud Accepts Islam:
On that same night, Nu’aym ibn Mas’ud had second thoughts about fighting against the Muslims and after some time, he decided to accept Islam.
Nu’aym ibn Mas’ud went to the tent of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and when the Prophet saw him, he said: Nu’aym ibn Masud? What has brought you here at this hour?
Nu’aym replied: I came to declare that there is no God but Allah and that you are the servant of Allah and His Messenger and that the message you have brought is. I have declared my submission to Allah, O Messenger of Allah, but my people do not know of my submission. Command me therefore to do whatever you desire.
Instructions from the Prophet:
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ replied: You are only one person among us, so go to your people and act as if you have nothing to do with us for indeed war is treachery.
Strategic Role and Psychological Warfare:
Nu’aym ibn Mas’ud then thought of a plan to make the tribes from the confederation fight each other.
Manipulating the Tribe of Banu Qurayzah:
Nu’aym went to the tribe of Banu Qurayzah and said: the Quraysh are thinking about retreating back to Makkah, and if the Quraysh and the rest of the confederation leave, you will be left alone to deal with the punishment of the Prophet ﷺ for your betrayal.
Nu’aym then informed the tribe of Banu Qurayzah: ask the Quraysh to leave ten men with them so they will not leave Makkah without these men. Banu Qurayzah agreed to Nu’aym ibn Mas’ud’s suggestion:
Manipulating the Quraysh:
After doing this, Nu’aym went to Abu Sufyan and told the Quraysh: the Banu Qurayzah regret that they broke their treaty with the Messenger of Allah. They are offering the Messenger that they will kill ten members of the Quraysh in order to please the him. So, if they ask you for ten men, know that this is their plan.
Manipulating the Rest of the Tribes in the Confederation:
Nu’aym also did this with the other tribes within the confederation.
Outcome of Nu’aym’s Strategy:
Because of Nu’aym ibn Mas’ud’s plan, the trust between the different tribes within the confederation had been broken and on that same night, Allah SWT sent a very cold wind that damaged the tents of the disbelievers.
Abu Sufyan then told the Quraysh: Let’s go back to Makkah.
The next morning, all of the tribes in the confederation had left.
They all retreated and the Arabs now witnessed the army of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ defeating the ten thousand men in the confederation.
Trusted Companion and Standard-Bearer:
Nu’aym ibn Mas’ud gained the confidence and respect of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and he became the flag-bearer of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ on several occasions.
Abu Sufyan on Nu’aym ibn Mas’ud:
Three years after the Battle of Khandaq, and on the day the Muslims conquered Makkah, the leader of the Quraysh, Abu Sufyan saw a man carrying the Ghatafan flag and asked: Who is this? The reply was: it is Nu’aym ibn Masud.
Abu Sufyan said: He did a terrible thing to us at Khandaq. By Allah, he was certainly one of the biggest enemies of Muhammad and here he is now carrying his people’s flag in the ranks of Muhammad and coming to wage war on us under his leadership.