THE LIFE AND PERSONALITY OF NUAYM b. MAS'UD al-ASHCA', ONE OF THE IMPORTANT PERSONS OF THE PERIOD OF THE PROPHET IN TERMS OF JEWISH-POLYTHEIST RELATIONS THE LIFE AND PERSONALITY OF NUAYM b. MAS'UD al-ASHCA', ONE OF THE IMPORTANT PERSONS OF THE PERIOD OF THE PROPHET IN TERMS OF JEWISH-POLYTHEIST RELATIONS

The aim of this study is to examine the life and personality of Nuaym b. Mas'ud. Qualitative research method was used in the study, and the data obtained by document examination technique were analyzed descriptively. As a result of the research, important findings have been reached about the life and personality of Nuaym b. Mas'ud, who belongs to the al-Ashca' branch of the Gatafan tribe. Nuaym b. Mas'ud, changed the course of the war in favor of the Muslims in the Battle of the Khandaq. He broke the treaty between the Banu Qurayza and the allied army in the Battle of the Khandaq with his successful diplomatic attempts. He carried out important actions in his life before and after he became a Muslim. He caused the Muslims to be victorious with the information he gave unwittingly before the Qareda Sariyya. Before the Ghazwa of Badru'l-Maw'id, he was specially commissioned by Abu Sufyan to prevent Muslims from going to war. It is certain that his words in favor of Banu Nadir during the expulsion of the Banu Nadir tribe from Medina are also historically important. Nuaym b. Mas'ud became a Muslim in the Battle of the Khandaq and took part in the important ghazwas of the Prophet both in the Battle of the Khandaq and in the ongoing process. The Prophet carried out his actions regarding the al-Ashca' tribe through Nuaym. There are different narrations about the date of his death. It has been stated that the reason for the revelation of Al-i Imran 3/173 and Nisa 4/91 verses was Nuaym. Hadiths were narrated from him through his son and daughter. While the personality structure before becoming a Muslim creates an image based on interests and free from religious moral concerns, a Nuaym b. Mas'ud personality with a very strong character is encountered in his attitudes and behaviors after becoming a Muslim. Some people who lived centuries ago came to the forefront due to their exemplary personalities and important deeds, and even identified with their famous aspects. For this reason, their lives have been a subject of curiosity and have been tried to be revealed down to the smallest details. However, what should be known about some important persons has not been fully revealed yet. In some of them, there have been biased approaches from a subjective point of view or the highlighting of certain aspects of their lives. However, in order to obtain objective data in the studies where historical figures are examined, a person's life should be presented from a holistic point of view. According to our findings, there is no sufficient and holistic study about Nuaym b. Mas'ud, one of the important figures of the Prophet's era. Apart from a short study in DIA, we have not been able to find an independent study of Nuaym b. Mas'ud. We thought that it would be appropriate to identify the existing narrations about him in the sources of Islamic History and to deal with them with a holistic approach. The most common narration about him is that he changed the course of the war in favor of Muslims with the delicate diplomatic method he followed in the Battle of Khandaq, which we can call a life-or-death war from the point of view of Muslims. He achieved fame with this success. For this reason, his important actions that he performed before becoming a Muslim and in his life after becoming a Muslim have been overshadowed by this success. However, Nuaym has also taken part in other very important events both before he became a Muslim and after he became a Muslim. In this study, the document analysis method, one of the qualitative research methods, was used, the narrations were evaluated comparatively and new determinations were made. During the research, the main sources of Islamic History, contemporary studies on the subject and encyclopedia articles were examined. The genealogy of Nuaym b. Mas'ud, who belongs to the Ashca' branch of the Gatafan tribe, is mentioned in the sources as follows: Nuaym b. Mas'ud b. Amir b. Uneyf b. Sa'lebe b. Kunfuz b. Hilal b. Halave b. Ashca' b. Reys b. Gatafan. He caused the course of the sariyya to change and the Muslims to prevail with a knowledge that he had unwittingly given about the Polytheists of the Quraysh in an entertainment assembly before the Qareda Sariyya. Likewise, Nuaym was sent to Medina by Abu Sufyan on a special mission before the Ghazwa of Badru'l-Mas'ud, and he was asked to spread the word that the Quraysh had prepared a large army and would attack Medina, and to prevent the Muslims from going to war by intimidating the Prophet and his companions. Nuaym is mentioned as the reason for the revelation of the 173rd verses of the Surah Al-i Imran and the 91st verses of the Surah Nisa in many tafsir sources. It is a very important historical issue that he spoke laudatory words about the members of the Banu Nadir tribe during their expulsion from Medina. He became a Muslim in the most heated moment of the Khandaq Ghazwa, and upon the agreement of the Banu Qurayza and the allied forces, he took the initiative to save the Muslim army, which was caught between two fires, from a great defeat. Despite their sincere friendship in the past against Banu Qurayza, who was punished for his betrayal immediately after the Khandaq Ghazwa, he did not show the reaction that Banu Nadir showed during his exile. In the following process, he personally participated in the ghazwas of the Prophet, enabled the Ashca' tribe to support the Muslims and carried the banner of his tribe. He was also assigned by the Prophet to collect the zakat of his tribe. Some hadiths were narrated from Nuaym, who lived until the time of Caliph Othman, through his son and daughter. Before becoming a Muslim, Nuaym was able to establish bilateral relations with Jews, Polytheists and Muslims at the same time in the interests of his person and tribe. However, after he became a Muslim, he persevered, never strayed from the path of the Prophet and never broke his line. When the narrations about his life are looked at from a broad perspective, it is seen that Nuaym's strategic role, which brought him fame and contributed to the winning of the Battle of Khandaq, was not a coincidence. It is understood that this situation is the result of the characteristics such as being respected, cultured, influential, being able to observe and analyze well, which he had in Jahiliya, and that he has successfully carried these characteristics into his life after becoming a Muslim.