قريظة
Qurayẓa
Group
A Jewish tribe of Medina whose siege and judgement in 627 followed their breach of the pact during the Battle of the Trench.
What it means
In the siege of the Trench the Banu Qurayza were accused of conspiring with the besieging army against Medina. After the siege, they surrendered and requested that Sa‘d ibn Mu‘adh, their former ally, judge them. Sa‘d ruled by the law of the Torah, and the men who had fought were put to death (Sahih al-Bukhari).
What the sources say
Historians dispute the number executed, and some modern scholars question details of the account. The Quran refers to the event at 33:26–27. Muslim scholars stress that it was a judgement on treason in wartime, not on a people for their faith.