Banu Qaynuqa

The Banu Qaynuqa (Arabic: بنو قينقاع; also spelled Banu Kainuka, Banu Kaynuka, Banu Qainuqa, Banu Qaynuqa) was one of the three main Jewish tribes that originally lived in Medina (now part of Saudi Arabia) before being expelled by the Islamic Prophet Muhammad. They were merchants and were known to be wealthy. They resided in the south-west part of the city and were previously allied with the Banu Khazraj.

Islamic tradition says that in the year 624, when a Muslim woman came to the shop of a Banu Qaynuqa goldsmith, the goldsmith played a prank on her. She screamed, and a Muslim man killed him. His fellows took revenge and killed the Muslim man. Muhammad regarded this as a casus belli. The Muslims accuse the tribe of breaking the Constitution of Medina. Muhammad then besieged the tribe for fourteen or fifteen days, after which they surrendered unconditionally. Following their capitulation, Muhammad had wanted to slaughter the Banu Qaynuqa men en masse, but was forced by Abd Allah ibn Ubayy, the chief of the Khazraj, to change his mind and let them live and expel them instead. The Muslims also took the tribe's property as their booty. It is suggested that this invasion was a way for Muhammad to eliminate the tribe from the market competition in the city.