Is the Hadith, “He made them stay in the Harra and gouged out their eyes,” narrated concerning the Jews of Khaybar, and did the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, actually torture them, and why? Is the Hadith authentic, and how do we respond to the accusation that the Messenger lacked mercy and to his saying that women are impure?

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, besieged the Jews of Khaybar due to their evil actions. Your Christian interlocutor's claim that the Prophet tortured and killed prisoners is a lie. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, only killed Kinana ibn al-Rabi' because he violated the terms of the treaty and hid a treasure. As for the incident of gouging out eyes, it did not occur during the Battle of Khaybar, but rather it concerned the ‘Uraniyyin, who killed the shepherds and gouged out their eyes, so the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, did that to them as retribution.

As for the claim of a woman’s impurity and attributing that to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, it is a lie. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, used to drink from the place where Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, drank, even when she was menstruating, which indicates the purity of a menstruating woman. It is the Jews who claim a woman’s impurity during menstruation. The verse regarding menstruation was revealed as a response to the Jews, and the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, interpreted "keep away from women during menstruation" to mean abstaining only from intercourse, not from eating or sitting with them.

As for the claim that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was not merciful, it is a slander. Allah Almighty defended His Messenger, saying: (And We have not sent you except as a mercy to the worlds) [Al-Anbiya 21:107]. His biography, peace and blessings be upon him, demonstrates his mercy even towards his enemies, and his stance on the day of the conquest of Mecca is proof of that.