When Banu Qurayza surrendered to the judgment of Saad bin Muaz, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ sent for him, and he came riding on a donkey. When he drew near, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Stand up for your chief."He came and sat beside the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, who said to him, "These people have agreed to accept your judgment."Saad replied, "I rule that the fighting men be killed and the women and children be taken captive."The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "You have judged them by the ruling of the King," meaning Allah.
لما نزلت بنو قريظة على حكم سعد بن معاذ، بعث رسول الله ﷺ، فجاء على حمار، فلما دنا، قال رسول الله ﷺ: قوموا إلى سيدكم، فجاء فجلس إلى رسول الله ﷺ، فقال له: إن هؤلاء نزلوا على حكمك، قال: فإني أحكم أن تقتل المقاتلة وأن تسبى الذرية، قال: لقد حكمت فيهم بحكم الملك يعني الله.
Bukhari related it in the Book of Jihad (3043), and Muslim in the Book of Jihad (1768:64), both from the hadith of Shubah, from Saad bin Ibrahim, from Abu Umama bin Sahl bin Hunayf, who said, "I heard Abu Saeed Khudri," and then he mentioned the hadith.The way to reconcile the hadith of Ayesha with that of Abu Saeed is that they first submitted to the judgment of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and the Messenger then referred the matter to the judgment of Saad bin Muaz. This is what Abu Saeed mentioned in summary form, and its explanation is found in the hadith of Ayesha.His saying, "Rise for your leader," was out of respect and honor for him, and this is permissible, unlike standing to glorify someone. It also shows that it is permissible to accept the arbitration of the leader or of someone acting on his behalf, and that the parties may withdraw from it before the arbitration is issued, but once he has ruled, they no longer have the right to withdraw from it.When arbitration takes place between the people under a covenant of protection, it is permissible to rule with any of the following judgments, killing the fighting men (their number was four hundred), taking the women and children captive, dividing their wealth, imposing jizya, granting pardon, or expelling them. If the ruling is made with something other than these judgments, the leader has the right to overturn it and not carry it out.His saying, "the son of Urfa," refers to a man named Habban bin Abu Qays, from the descendants of Abd Manaf. Urfa was his mother, the daughter of Saad bin Sahm bin Amr bin Hasees. She became known as Urfa because of the pleasantness of her scent.Saad bin Muaz was from the Aws. He was wounded on the day of the Trench, so the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had a tent set up for him in his mosque so that he could visit him easily. He remained there for a month until he died. When he died, the Throne of the Most Merciful shook for him, and the angels carried his funeral bier. He has other virtues besides these.In another version reported by Muslim within the hadith of Ayesha, the following verses of poetry are added."Oh Saad, Saad of Banu Muaz, what became of Qurayza and Nadir? By your life, Saad of Banu Muaz was truly patient on the morning they were carried away. You left your cooking pot with nothing in it, while the people's pot was boiling with fury. The noble Abu Hubab had said, 'Stay firm in Qaynuqa and do not march away.' They had been a heavy burden in their land, just as the rocks of Maytan weigh heavy."This shows that the Aws were hoping the Prophet ﷺ would pardon Banu Qurayza, since they were their allies, just as the Prophet ﷺ had earlier accepted the intercession of the Khazraj on behalf of their allies, Banu Qaynuqa, and had pardoned them, leaving them in the hands of Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Salul, who is the Abu Hubab mentioned in the verse.