It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him), who says: On the occasion of the Battle of Ahzab, Sayyiduna Sa’d bin Mu’adh (may Allah be pleased with him) was struck by an arrow and the enemy cut the Akhil vein of his arm. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) cauterized it with fire to stop the bleeding, but his arm swelled up. When it was cauterized again, it swelled up again. When it was cauterized a third time, it still swelled up and a lot of blood began to flow from it. When Sa’d (may Allah be pleased with him) saw this condition, he prayed: O Allah, do not let me die until my eyes are cooled regarding Banu Qurayza. Thus, the bleeding from his vein stopped and not a single drop of blood came out until those people agreed to the decision of Sayyiduna Sa’d (may Allah be pleased with him). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sent a message to them and called them, and he gave the verdict that their men should be killed and their women and children should be spared so that the Muslims could benefit from their help. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: You have given the decision regarding them according to Allah’s will. The number of Banu Qurayza was four hundred. When the killing was completed, the vein of Sa’d (may Allah be pleased with him) burst and as a result, he passed away.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Zubair (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: On the occasion of the Battle of the Trench, I and Sayyiduna Umar bin Abi Salamah (may Allah be pleased with him) were in one of the forts of Hassan, where the pure wives of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) were. He would lift me up and I would lift him up, and we would look at the scenes outside. When he lifted me up, I recognized my father; he was going towards Banu Qurayza and on the day of the Trench he was fighting alongside the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Who is there who will go towards Banu Qurayza and fight them? When he returned, I said: Father, by Allah! When you were going towards Banu Qurayza, I had recognized you. He said: Son! By Allah! The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was giving me encouragement and praying for me, saying: May my parents be sacrificed for you.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) that on the day of the Battle of the Trench, the situation became severe and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Is there anyone who will bring news of Banu Qurayza? Sayyiduna Zubair (may Allah be pleased with him) went and brought their news. Then, when the situation became severe, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said the same again, and thus it happened three times. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Every prophet has a special companion, and Zubair is my special companion.

It is narrated from Sayyidah Aisha Siddiqa (may Allah be pleased with her) that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) returned from the Battle of the Trench and had taken off his armor and performed ghusl (ritual bath), Jibreel (peace be upon him) came to him with dust on his head. He said: "Have you taken off your weapons? By Allah, I have not taken off my weapons. You should proceed towards Banu Qurayza." So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) set out in that direction. Urwah narrated that the people of Banu Qurayza agreed to accept the decision of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and he (peace and blessings be upon him) delegated the authority of judgment to Sayyiduna Sa’d (may Allah be pleased with him). He said: "I decide that those among them who fought should be killed, their women and children should be taken captive, and their wealth should be distributed among the Muslims." Upon hearing this decision, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "(O Sa’d, may Allah be pleased with him) you have judged concerning them with the judgment of Allah, that is, a decision which Allah also likes and approves."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that it is as if I am still seeing the dust rising from the mount of Jibreel (peace be upon him) flying towards the sky in the street of Banu Ghanm, when he was going towards Banu Qurayzah.

It is narrated from Sayyidah Aisha Siddiqa (may Allah be pleased with her) that only one woman from among the women of Banu Qurayza was killed. By Allah, she was sitting with me, laughing so much that she was rolling with laughter, while the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was killing their men in the market. Suddenly, a caller called out her name, so she said: By Allah! This is a call for me by name. I said: Goodness be for you, what has happened to you? She replied: I am going to be killed. I asked: Why is that? She said: I had committed a crime. Umm al-Mu’minin says: Then she was taken away and her neck was struck. Sayyidah used to say: By Allah! I do not forget her cheerfulness and excessive laughter, even though she knew she was going to be killed.

It is narrated from Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) that when the waiting period (‘iddah) of Sayyidah Zainab (may Allah be pleased with her) was completed, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Sayyiduna Zaid (may Allah be pleased with him): Go and give her my proposal of marriage. He went to her; she was kneading dough at that time. Zaid (may Allah be pleased with him) says: When I saw her, I felt such a great status of hers in my heart that I did not have the courage to look at her, because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had mentioned her with the intention of making her his wife. So I turned my back towards her and turned around on my heels and said: Zainab! Glad tidings to you, for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) has sent me; he remembers you to make you his wife. She replied: I will not say anything until I consult my Lord. After that, she stood in the place designated for prayer in her house. During this time, verses of the Noble Qur’an were revealed, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came to her without permission. Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I saw that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) fed us meat and bread. Imam Ahmad’s shaykh, Hashim, narrates that he (peace and blessings be upon him) gave this food, and then I realized that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had given her the proposal of marriage. Hashim also narrates in his hadith that when Sayyidah Zainab (may Allah be pleased with her) was sent to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), he (peace and blessings be upon him) fed us meat and bread. After the people had eaten, they left, but some people remained in the house, sitting and talking. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) went outside and began to visit the chambers of his wives; I was following behind him. He (peace and blessings be upon him) would enter each chamber, greet his wives, and they would ask: O Messenger of Allah! How did you find your wife? Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I do not remember whether I informed you or someone else came and informed the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that the people had left. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) came into his house. I was about to enter as well, but he (peace and blessings be upon him) hung a curtain between himself and me, and the command of hijab was revealed. And the people were greatly admonished. Imam Ahmad’s shaykh, Hashim, narrated in his hadith that by the command of hijab here, these verses are meant: {لَا تَدْخُلُوا بُیُوتَ النَّبِیِّ إِلَّا أَنْ یُؤْذَنَ لَکُمْ إِلٰی طَعَامٍ غَیْرَ نَاظِرِینَ إِنَاہُ … … وَلَا مُسْتَأْنِسِینَ لِحَدِیثٍ إِنَّ ذٰلِکُمْ کَانَ یُؤْذِی النَّبِیَّ فَیَسْتَحْیِی مِنْکُمْ وَاللّٰہُ لَا یَسْتَحْیِی مِنَ الْحَقِّ … } … O you who believe! Do not enter the houses of the Prophet without permission, unless you are invited for a meal, and do not wait for its preparation. But when you are invited, then enter, and when you have eaten, then disperse, and do not linger, engaging in conversation. Indeed, this behavior annoys the Prophet, and he is shy of you, but Allah is not shy of (telling) the truth. And when you ask (his wives) for anything, ask them from behind a curtain. This is purer for your hearts and their hearts. And it is not proper for you to annoy the Messenger of Allah, nor to ever marry his wives after him. Indeed, that would be a great sin in the sight of Allah. (Surah Al-Ahzab: 53)

It is narrated from Abdul Aziz bin Suhaib that I heard Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) say that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) did not give a wedding feast (walima) on the occasion of marrying any of his wives like the one he gave after marrying Umm al-Mu’minin Sayyida Zaynab (may Allah be pleased with her). Thabit Banani asked: With what did the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) give the walima? He replied: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) fed the people so much bread and meat that they ate to their fill, and still some was left over, meaning the food remained.

(Second chain) It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: I have not seen that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) gave a wedding feast on the occasion of marrying any other wife as much as he did on the occasion of marrying Sayyidah Zainab (may Allah be pleased with her). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave a wedding feast by slaughtering a goat.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that on the occasion of the marriage of the Mother of the Believers, Sayyida Zaynab (may Allah be pleased with her), the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) held a wedding feast (walima) and fed the Muslims bread and meat to their fill. After that, as was his custom, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) went out, just as he used to do after getting married previously. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would go to the chambers of the Mothers of the Believers, greet them with peace, pray for them, and in response, they would also greet him with peace and pray for him. After this, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) returned, and I was with him. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) reached near the door, there were still two men inside the house engaged in conversation. When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saw them, he turned back. When those two saw that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had left, they quickly got up in a hurry and left. I do not remember whether I informed the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) or someone else informed him (that those men had also left), then the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) returned.