Nu'aym ibn Mas'ud

A Stratagem That Broke a Siege

Nu’aym ibn Mas’ud was a chief of Ghatafan, allied with the Quraysh and Banu Qurayza in their siege of Madinah at the Trench. He slipped away from the camp, came secretly to the Prophet ﷺ and embraced Islam, then asked permission to sow discord among the besiegers — none of them yet knew he had become a Muslim. The Prophet ﷺ said: “War is deception,” and bade him go. 1 Seerat-e-Mustafa · Vol 2 · pp. 92 — Idris Kandhlawi — Nu'aym's secret conversion at the Trench; the Prophet's words 'war is deception'.

Banu Qurayza and the Quraysh

Going from camp to camp, Nu’aym made each side suspect the other: he warned Banu Qurayza they would be left to the Muslims if the Quraysh withdrew, and counselled them to demand Quraysh hostages; and he told the Quraysh that Banu Qurayza had repented their breach and might surrender them. The seed of mistrust took root: Banu Qurayza held back their support, and the alliance crumbled in the cold and wind of that night, lifting the siege of Madinah. 2 History of Islam · Vol 1 · pp. 194 — Najeebabadi — Nu'aym divides Banu Qurayza and the Quraysh by sowing mistrust between them; the alliance crumbles.