The Prophetic Constitution of Madinah by Dr Muhammad Al-Massari

It is from the established matters that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had a constitutional document written down and that he adopted it for the regulation of some of the relationships in Madinah, the capital of the newly arising Islamic State. The following has been narrated with the most authentic of chains of transmission in the “Sunan of Abu Dawud” (3/154/3000) and in another printed version of his “Sunan” (3/114/3002):

Az-Zuhriy related from Abdur Rahman bin Abdullah bin Ka’b bin Malik from his father who was one of the three whose repentance had been accepted (i.e. Ka’b bin Malik):

“Ka’b bin Al-Ashraf used to mock the Prophet (ﷺ) and incited the disbelievers of the Quraish against him. When the Prophet (ﷺ) came to Madinah, its people were a mixed blend; some of them were Muslims and others were polytheists who worshipped idols whilst some were Jews. They used to seek to bring harm/abuse to the Prophet (ﷺ) and his Companions. Then Allah, the Most High, commanded His Prophet to show patience and to overlook. Allah revealed in respect to them .

“You will surely be tested in your possessions and in yourselves. And you will surely hear from those who were given the Scripture before you and from those who associate others with Allah much abuse. But if you are patient and fear Allah - indeed, that is of the matters [worthy] of determination” (TMQ 3:186). .

When Ka’b bin Al Ashraf refused to desist from hurting the Prophet (ﷺ) the Prophet(ﷺ) ordered Sa’d bin Mu’adh to send a small group to kill him. He sent Muhammad bin Maslamah. He then mentioned the story of his killing. .

When they killed him, the Jews and the polytheists were greatly alarmed. The next day they came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: “Our Companion was attacked at night and killed.” The Prophet(ﷺ) then informed them about that what he had been saying. The Prophet (ﷺ) then called them so that he could write a document of agreement between him and them for them to refer back to (for issues). And so, he wrote a document (Sahifah) of agreement between him, them (the non-Muslims) and the Muslims in general.” The following was also related via Abu Dawud in “Dalaa’il An- Nubuwwah” of Al-Baihaqi (3/198):

“Ka’b bin Al-Ashraf used to mock the Prophet (ﷺ) … He then went on to mention it (i.e. the narration). And the Hadith of Abdul-Kareem is more complete …”. We will come to the Hadith of Abdul-Kareem later. .

Al-Albani said: The Isnad (Chain of narration) is Sahih. I say: Yes (that is correct) and what has been mentioned in terms of the existence of instability (Idtiraab) in the Isnad does not negatively impact that. .

That is because:

1) Either it was related by Abdur Rahman Bin Abdullah Bin Ka’b Bin Malik from his father Abdullah Bin Ka’b Bin Malik, who use to guide Ka’b Bin Malik after he became blind, who related from his father, the Sahaabiy Ka’b Bin Malik, one of the three whose repentance was accepted, as has been recorded in numerous Ahaadeeth of Al- Bukhaari and Muslim. And so, the Hadith is Sahih (authentic) upon their conditionality. .

2) Or, it was related by Abdur Rahman Bin Abdullah Bin Ka’b Bin Malik from his grandfather (directly), the Sahaabiy Ka’b Bin Malik. That is because Abdur Rahman use to guide his grandfather on behalf of his father Abdullah on some occasions. Also, the Arabs use to frequently call their grandfathers father. (In addition, the grandfather, is also a father, definitely, as stated in the Qur’an. Just as it represents a linguistic necessity built upon sensory and rational necessity). Indeed, it is a continuous and constant customary norm. Therefore, the statement in the chain of transmission “From his father” means from his grandfather. 3) Or it was related by Abdur Rahman Bin Ka’b Bin Malik from his father, the Sahaabiy Ka’b bin Malik, and not from Abdur Rahman Bin Abdullah Bin Ka’b Bin Malik. Az-Zuhriy heard (i.e. took the narrations) from both Abdur Rahman Bin Abdullah Bin Ka’b Bin Malik and from his namesake and his paternal uncle Abdur Rahman Bin Ka’b Bin Malik. The inconsistency only comes from Az-Zuhriy as he related from his memory and recalled this on an occasion and recalled that on another occasion due to the closeness of the lineages and names, whilst sometimes he would prefer safety and related Mursal (with an interrupted chain of narrators).

All of that has been related about him by the Imaams in respect to this narration and other than him such as Malik, Mu’ammar, Younus and ‘Aqeel among others. The narration (of Ka’b Bin Malik) has also been related in a more complete form in the “Sunan Al-Baihaqi Al-Kubra” (9/183/18408), in another printed edition of his “Sunan Al-Kubra” (9/308/18628) and in “Dalaa’il An-Nubuwwah” by Al-Baihaqi (3/196). The following is from the text recorded in the “Dalaa’il”:

Abdul-Kareem Bin Al-Haitham related from Abu l-Yamaan from Shu’aib from Az-Zuhriy who said: Abdur Rahman bin Abdullah bin Ka’b bin Malik, who (meaning Ka’b bin Malik) was one of the three whose repentance was accepted, said:

“That the Jew Ka’b bin Al-Ashraf was a poet and he use to mock the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and incite the disbelievers of Quraish against him in his poetry. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) came to Madinah and its people were a blended mix, consisting of the Muslims who were unified by the Da’wah (call) of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), the Mushrikeen (polytheists) who worshiped idols and the Jews who were people of weaponry and fortresses and were allies of the inhabitants (of Yathrib); the Aws and the Khazraj. When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) arrived in Al-Madinah, he wanted to remedy the situation of them all. A man would be a Muslim and his father a Mushrik (polytheist), and a man would be Muslim and his brother a Mushrik. When the Messenger (peace be upon him) came to Al- Madinah, the polytheists and Jews used to seek to bring great harm/abuse to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and his companions. Allah, the Most High, commanded his Messenger and the Muslims to persevere patiently upon that and overlook them. Allah, glorified be His praise, revealed in respect to them: “You will surely be tested in your possessions and in yourselves. And you will surely hear from those who were given the Scripture before you and from those who associate others with Allah much abuse. But if you are patient and fear Allah - indeed, that is of the matters [worthy] of determination” (TMQ 3:186). .

And Allah also revealed in respect to them: “Many of the People of the Scripture wish they could turn you back to disbelief after you have believed, out of envy from themselves [even] after the truth has become clear to them. So, pardon and overlook until Allah delivers His command. Verily, Allah is capable over all matters” (TMQ 2:109). Then, when Ka’b bin Al-Ashraf refused to refrain from harming the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and harming the Muslims, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) commanded Sa’d Ibn Mu’adh to dispatch a small party to kill him. Sa’d Ibn Mu’adh dispatched Muhammad bin Maslamah Al- Ansari, along with Al-Harithy, Abu ‘Abs Al-Ansari and Al-Harith the nephew of Sa’d bin Mu’adh, as part of a group of five who approached him at night whilst he was in their seated gathering at Al-‘Awaaliy. When Ka’b bin Al-Ashraf saw them, he resented their affair and was frightened by them. He said to them: “What has brought you here?” They replied: “A need has brought us to you”. He said: “Then, let some of you draw near to me to discuss with me this need”. So, some of them drew near to him and said to him: “We have come to you to sell you our armour plates so that we can spend from its price”. He (Ka’b) replied: “By Allah, if you were to do that! You have become overburdened since this man has settled among you”. He then arranged for them to come to meet him in the evening when he was less busy with the people. They came and a man from among them called for him. He then arose to leave his house and his wife said to him: “They are not knocking at your door at this time for something that you will like”. He replied: “Indeed, they have already spoken to me about their matter”. Then (when he left) Abu ‘Abs grabbed hold of him and Muhammad Bin Salamah struck him with his sword whilst some of them thrust him in his side with their swords. Then, after they had killed him the Jews and the polytheists with them were greatly alarmed and set off early to see the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) when they awoke in the morning. They said: “Verily, our companion was called upon at night, who is one of our main noblemen and was killed”. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) reminded them of what he (Ka’b) use to say in his poetry. He had forbidden them of this and then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) invited them to write between him and them and the Muslims a document, which they would refer back to (in order to resolve or arbitrate issues). And so the Prophet (peace be upon him) wrote between himself, them and the Muslims in general, a document. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) had it written under the grape vines which were in the property of the daughter of Al-Harith. That Sahifah (document), following the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) came to be in the possession of ‘Ali Ibn Abi Taalib, may Allah be pleased with him”.

I say: This Isnaad (chain of transmission) is also Sahih (authentic) as previously mentioned. There is also within the content of the text an important benefit which is that this Sahifah “Sahifaht ul-Madinah” came to be in the possession of the Ameer ul-Mu’mineen, the rightly guided Imam, ‘Ali Ibn Abi Taalib, the pleasure of Allah and His peace be upon him. Some of what came within that Sahifah (document) will be presented shortly, by the permission of Allah Ta’aalaa.

The statement in the text which describes it as a document which they (the Jews and polytheists) will refer back to, is a precise expression of the reality of the document and that it represents, in its reality, a constitution, because it is referred to in order to resolve issues i.e. it is the reference that is returned to and which must be committed to or abided by. It is also at the same time a covenant (‘Ahd) and treaty (Meethaaq) (or contract and agreement). Observe here that it was he (peace be upon him) who initiated it with them and invited them to that document. As such, the invitation came from him and not from them. In the “Mu’jam” of At-Tabaraani (16/480/15503), the details of the killing of Ka’b bin Al-Ashraf were mentioned via another path: Abdur Rahman bin Abdullah bin Ka’b bin Malik related:

“That the Jew Ka’b bin Al-Ashraf was a poet and he use to mock the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and his companions and incite the disbelievers of Quraish against them in his poetry. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) came to Madinah and its people were a mix; consisting of the Muslims who were unified by the Da’wah (call) of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), the Mushrikeen (polytheists) who worshiped idols and the Jews including those from them who were people of weaponry and fortresses and they were the allies of the inhabitants (of Yathrib); the Aws and the Khazraj. When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) arrived in Al-Madinah he wanted to remedy the situation of them all and make a treaty with them. A man would be a Muslim and his father a Mushrik (polytheist) and a man would be Muslim and his brother a Mushrik. When the Messenger (peace be upon him) came to Al-Madinah, the polytheists and Jews would bring great harm/abuse to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and his companions. Allah, the Most High, commanded his Prophet (peace be upon him) and the Muslims to persevere patiently upon that and overlook them. Allah, the Most High, revealed in respect to them: “You will surely be tested in your possessions and in yourselves. And you will surely hear from those who were given the Scripture before you and from those who associate others with Allah much abuse. But if you are patient and fear Allah - indeed, that is of the matters [worthy] of determination” (TMQ 3:186). And Allah also revealed in respect to them: “Many of the People of the Scripture wish they could turn you back to disbelief after you have believed, out of envy from themselves [even] after the truth has become clear to them. So pardon and overlook until Allah delivers His command. Verily, Allah is capable over all matters” (TMQ 2:109). .

Then, when Ka’b bin Al-Ashraf refused to refrain from harming the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and harming the Muslims, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) commanded Sa’d Ibn Mu’adh and Muhammad bin Maslamah Al-Ansari, along with Al- Harithy, Abu ‘Eisaa bin Habr Al-Ansaari and Al-Harith the nephew of Sa’d bin Mu’adh, as part of a group of five. They then approached him at night whilst he was in their seated gathering at Al-‘Awaaliy. When Ka’b bin Al-Ashraf saw them, he resented their affair and was frightened of them. He said to them: “What has brought you here?” They replied: “A need has brought us to you”. He said: “Then, let some of you draw near to me to discuss with me this need”. So, some of them drew near to him and said to him: “We have come to you to sell you our armour plates so that we can spend from its price”. He (Ka’b) replied: “By Allah, If you were to do that. Indeed, you have become overburdened since this man has settled amongst you”. He then arranged for them to come to meet him in the evening when he was less busy with the people. .

They came and a man from among them called for him. He then arose to leave his house and his wife said to him: “They are not knocking at your door at this time for something that you will like”. He replied: “Indeed, they have already spoken to me about their matter”. So, he went out to meet them. Muhammad bin Maslamah then grabbed hold of him and said to his companions: “Don’t let him getaway even if you kill me and him at the same time”. Some of them then thrust him in his side with their swords. .

Then, after they had killed him the Jews and the polytheists with them were greatly alarmed and set off early to see the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) when they awoke in the morning. They said: “Verily, our companion was called upon at night, who is one of our main noblemen, and was killed”. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) reminded them of what he (Ka’b) use to say in his poetry and how he would harm them with it. Then, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) invited them for there to be written between him and them and the Muslims in general, a Sahifah (document), which would encompass the affair of the people. And then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) had it written.”.

The incident was also related in the “Mu’jam” of At-Tabaraani (16/482/15504) via another path. ‘Abdaan bin Ahmad related from Abu At-Taahir bin As-Sarh from Ibn Wahb from Ibn Lahee’ah from ‘Aqeel who related from Ibn Shihab from Abdur Rahman bin Ka’b bin Malik:

“That the Jew Ka’b bin Al-Ashraf was a poet and he use to mock the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and his companions and incite against them, saying “Who if for Ka’b?” Then, when he refused to refrain from harming the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and harming the Muslims, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) commanded Sa’d Ibn Mu’adh, Muhammad bin Maslamah, Abu ‘Eisaa bin Al-Harith the nephew of Sa’d bin Mu’adh, as part of a group of five. They then approached Ka’b … And he mentioned the same (i.e. as the previous narration)”. .

The story of Ka’b bin Al-Ashraf was reported in detail within the Seera of Ibn Hisham (2/51).

Ibn Ishaq said (from the Hadith about Ka’b bin Al-Ashraf):

“When the people of Badr (Quraish) were afflicted, Zaid bin Harithah went to the people of As-Safilah and Abdullah bin Rawaahah went to the people of Al-‘Aaliyah as bearers of glad tidings dispatched by the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) to the Muslims of Al- Madinah to give the news of the victory Allah, ‘Azza Wa Jalla, had bestowed upon him and about who from among the polytheists had been killed … Ka’b bin Al-Ashraf, who was a man from the Tayyi tribe, one of Bani Nabhan and whose mother was from Bani Nadeer, said upon hearing the news: “Is this true? Do you believe that Muhammad those men whom these two (Zaid and Abdullah Ibn Rawaahah) have named? That is because those were from the nobles of the Arabs and the kings of the people. By Allah, if Muhammad had killed these people, the belly of the earth is better than its surface!” Then, when the enemy of Allah ascertained the truth of the news, he departed until he reached Makkah. He set down at the residence of Al-Muttalib bin Abi Wada’ah bin Dubairah As-Sahmiy who was married to Atikah the daughter of Abu l-‘Ieas bin Umayyah bn Abdi Shams bin Abdi Manaf. She received him and honoured him with hospitality. He then began to incite the people against the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), reciting poetry and weeping over the people of the well from Quraish who had been killed at Badr. He said:

Badr’s mill churned out the blood of its people.

At events like Badr you should weep and cry.

The best of the people were slain round its cisterns, “Who will deal with (i.e. eliminate) Bin Al-Ashraf for me?” Muhammad bin Maslamah, the brother of Banu Abdi l-Ash’hal said: “I will deal with him for you O Messenger of Allah. I will kill him”. He (peace be upon him) replied: “If you are capable of carrying it out, then do it”. Muhammad bin Maslamah then went back to his locality and remained for three days, neither eating nor drinking more than he required to remain living. This was mentioned to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) who then called for him. He (peace be upon him) said to him: “Why have you left the food and drink?” He replied: “O Messenger of Allah, I said that I would do something to you and I don’t know if I will be able to fulfil it”. He (peace be upon him) replied: “To try is all that is required of you”. He (then) said: “O Messenger of Allah, it will be necessary for us to say certain things (i.e. use deception)”. He (peace be upon him) replied: “Say what you believe needs to be said as this is Halaal for you in this regard”. .

Then Muhammad bin Maslamah, Silkan bin Salamah bin Waqsh (known as Abu Naa’ilah) of Banu Abdi l-Ash’hal who was the foster- brother of Ka’b bin Al-Ashraf, ‘Abbad bin Bishr bin Waqsh of Banu Abdi l-Ash’hal, Al-Harith bin Aws bin Mu’adh of Banu Abdi l-Ash’hal and Abu ‘Abs bin Jabr of Banu Harithah, gathered together to plan to kill him. They then headed to the enemy of Allah Ka’b bin Al-Ashraf, albeit preceded by Silkan bin Salamah Abu Naa’ilah who went to him and spoke with him for a while, reciting poetry to each other, as Abu Naa’il was himself a poet. He (Abu Naa’il) then said: “Woe to you son of Al-Ashraf, I have come to you about a matter that I wish to bring up with you, so keep it to yourself”. He replied: “Go ahead”. He said: “The arrival of this man has been an affliction for us. The Arabs (Bedouins) have become hostile to us and are attacking us as one and have cut off our travelling paths to the point that our families are facing ruin and suffering. We have all become overburdened and our families have become overburdened”. Ka’b then said: “I am the son of Al-Ashraf and by Allah I informed you, O son of Salamah, that the matter would turn out just as I told you it would”. Silkan said: “I had Don’t think it strange that the Kings were left lying.

Some people whose anger pleases me say “Ka’b bin al-Ashraf is utterly dejected.” They are right. O that the earth when they were killed Had split asunder and engulfed its people! How many noble handsome men, the refuge of the homeless, were slain, Liberal when the stars gave no rain,

Who bore others’ burdens, ruling and taking their due forth.

I was told that all the Banu al-Mughirah were humiliated And brought low by the death of Abu¯ l-Hakeem And the two sons of Rabi’ah along with him, and Munabbih Was he destroyed in the manner of Tubba?

Hassan Ath-Thabit responded to him saying: Does Ka’b weep for him incessantly And lives in humiliation hearing nothing?

In the vale of Badr I saw some of them, killed,

Eyes shedding tears for them.

Weep for you have made a sordid slave shed tears Like a pup following a little bitch.

Allah has granted satisfaction to our leader And put to shame and prostrated those who fought him.

Those whose hearts were torn with fear Escaped and fled from them Swiftly, the few defeated fugitives Escaped and fled from them.

Then, Ka’b bin Al-Ashraf returned to Al-Madinah and composed inappropriate poems about the Muslim women to the point that he offended them. As narrated to me from Abdullah bin Al-Mugheeth bin Abi Burdah, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) then said: “Who will deal with (i.e. eliminate) Bin Al-Ashraf for me?” Muhammad bin Maslamah, the brother of Banu Abdi l-Ash’hal said: “I will deal with him for you O Messenger of Allah. I will kill him”. He (peace be upon him) replied: “If you are capable of carrying it out, then do it”. Muhammad bin Maslamah then went back to his locality and remained for three days, neither eating nor drinking more than he required to remain living. This was mentioned to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) who then called for him. He (peace be upon him) said to him: “Why have you left the food and drink?” He replied: “O Messenger of Allah, I said that I would do something to you and I don’t know if I will be able to fulfil it”. He (peace be upon him) replied: “To try is all that is required of you”. He (then) said: “O Messenger of Allah, it will be necessary for us to say certain things (i.e. use deception)”. He (peace be upon him) replied: “Say what you believe needs to be said as this is Halaal for you in this regard”. .

Then Muhammad bin Maslamah, Silkan bin Salamah bin Waqsh (known as Abu Naa’ilah) of Banu Abdi l-Ash’hal who was the foster- brother of Ka’b bin Al-Ashraf, ‘Abbad bin Bishr bin Waqsh of Banu Abdi l-Ash’hal, Al-Harith bin Aws bin Mu’adh of Banu Abdi l-Ash’hal and Abu ‘Abs bin Jabr of Banu Harithah, gathered together to plan to kill him. They then headed to the enemy of Allah Ka’b bin Al-Ashraf, albeit preceded by Silkan bin Salamah Abu Naa’ilah who went to him and spoke with him for a while, reciting poetry to each other, as Abu Naa’il was himself a poet. He (Abu Naa’il) then said: “Woe to you son of Al-Ashraf, I have come to you about a matter that I wish to bring up with you, so keep it to yourself”. He replied: “Go ahead”. He said: “The arrival of this man has been an affliction for us. The Arabs (Bedouins) have become hostile to us and are attacking us as one and have cut off our travelling paths to the point that our families are facing ruin and suffering. We have all become overburdened and our families have become overburdened”. Ka’b then said: “I am the son of Al-Ashraf and by Allah I informed you, O son of Salamah, that the matter would turn out just as I told you it would”. Silkan said: “I had wanted for you to sell us food and in return we would give you a security, firm contract and be faithful to that”. He asked: “Would you give me your sons as a security?”. “Is it your wish to disgrace us? I have some companions with me who think as I do. I wanted to bring them to you so that you sell to them and deal with us in a good manner in respect to that. We will give you an abundant supply of coats of mail (i.e. weapons) as a surety”. [Silkan didn’t want him to be put off by the weapons if they came to him with it]. He (Ka’b) said: “The coats of mail (weaponry) will be satisfactory”. Silkan then returned to his companions and informed them of what had taken place. He told them to take their weapons, set off and then join up with him. They then met up at the house of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)” … Addition: Ibn Hishaam said: It is said that he (Ka’b) said: “Will you give to me your women as a surety?” He replied: “How could we give you our women whilst you are the most youthful of the people of Yathrib and one who can give the most?” He (then) said: “Will you give me your sons as a surety?”. .

Ibn Ishaq related that Thawr Bin Zaid related from Ikrimah the mawla of Ibn ‘Abbas that Ibn ‘Abbas said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) accompanied them to Baqee’ Al-Gharqad and then sent them off saying: “Set off in the name of Allah. O Allah aid them”. He (peace be upon him) then returned to his house. It was a moonlit night and they continued on until they reached his fortified residence. Abu Naa’ilah then called out to him. He (Ka’b) had recently married and he leapt up from his blanket. His wife took hold of an end of it and said to him: “You are a warring man. The people of war do not leave their house at this hour”. He replied: “It is Abu Naa’ilah. If he found that I was sleeping, he would not have wakened me”. She said: “By Allah, I have discerned evil in his voice”. Ka’b then said: “Even if a brave young man is called to be thrust by a sword he still responds to that call”. .

He went down to them and spoke to them for a while. Then they said: “Would you like to walk with us O Ibn Al-Ashraf, to Shi’b al-Ajuz, so that we can talk the remainder of this night of ours, over there?” "If you like" he replied. They set out walking together and walked for a while. Then Abu Naa'ilah combed his hand through the hair of (Ka’b) to the temples, smelt it, and said: "I have never known perfume to smell so good as it does tonight." Then he walked on for a while, and did the same thing again, so that Kalb relaxed his guard. He then walked on for a while, and did it again, (this time) taking hold firmly of the hair by both temples. Then he said: “Strike the enemy of Allah!” Their swords rained blows upon him, but to no avail. Muhammad bin Maslamah said later: “When I saw that our swords were of no avail, I remembered a long, thin dagger which I had in my scabbard, and took hold of it. By this time the enemy of Allah had yelled out so loudly that lamps had been lit in all the strongholds around us. I plunged the dagger into his breast and pressed upon it so heavily that it reached his pubic region, and the enemy of Allah fell. Al-Harith bin Aws bin Mu'adh had been wounded in the head or the leg, struck by one of our swords. .

He continued: We left, passing through the quarters of the Banu Umayyah bin Zayd and the Banu Qurayzah, and then through Bu'ath, until we ascended the Harrah of al-'Urayd. Our companion al-Harith bin Aws was lagging behind us, bleeding heavily, so we waited for him a while, and then he came to us, having followed our tracks. We then carried him to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) which we reached at the end of the night. He was standing in prayer, so we greeted him, and he came out to meet us. We told him that the enemy of Allah had been killed and he spat upon the wound of our companion. He then returned and we all returned to our families. The next morning, the Jews were in a state of fear on account of our attack upon the enemy of Allah, and there was not a Jew there except that he feared for his life”. .

The story of Ka’b bin Al-Ashraf was also related in detail in “Al- Maghaziy” of Al-Waqidiy (1/189). .

Related from Az-Zuhriy from Ibn Ka’b bin Malik and Ibrahim bin Ja’far from his father and Jabir bin ‘Abdullah who said:.

““That the Jew Ka’b bin Al-Ashraf was a poet and he use to mock the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and his companions and incite the disbelievers of Quraish against them in his poetry. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) came to Madinah and its people were a mix; consisting of the Muslims who were unified by the Da’wah (call) of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), the Mushrikeen (polytheists) who worshiped idols and the Jews including those from them who were people of weaponry and fortresses and they were the allies of the inhabitants (of Yathrib); the Aws and the Khazraj. When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) arrived in Al-Madinah he wanted to remedy the situation of them all and make a treaty with them. A man would be a Muslim and his father a Mushrik (polytheist) and a man would be Muslim and his brother a Mushrik. .

When the Messenger (peace be upon him) came to Al-Madinah, the polytheists and Jews would bring great harm/abuse to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and his companions. Allah, the Most High, commanded his Prophet (peace be upon him) and the Muslims to persevere patiently upon that and overlook them. Allah, the Most High, revealed in respect to them: “You will surely be tested in your possessions and in yourselves. And you will surely hear from those who were given the Scripture before you and from those who associate others with Allah much abuse. But if you are patient and fear Allah - indeed, that is of the matters [worthy] of determination” (TMQ 3:186). And Allah also revealed in respect to them: “Many of the People of the Scripture wish they could turn you back to disbelief after you have believed, out of envy from themselves [even] after the truth has become clear to them. So pardon and overlook until Allah delivers His command. Verily, Allah is capable over all matters” (TMQ 2:109). Ibn al-Ashraf refused to abstain from abusing the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the Muslims which he had done to a great extent. Then when Zayd bin Haritha arrived with tidings from Badr about the killing of the polytheists and the capture of prisoners from them, and had seen the prisoners chained, Ibn al-Ashraf was dejected and degraded and said to his people: “Woe unto you! By Allah, the bowels of the earth are better for you than its surface today! The best of the people have been killed and taken prisoner. What will you do?” They replied, “Enmity towards him will last as long as we live.” He said: “What are you whilst he has trampled his people, and defeated them? Rather, I will go to the Quraysh and incite them and weep for their dead so they will, perhaps, issue a command and then I will go out with them (in war).” Ka’b departed until he arrived in Makkah, stopping at the residence of Abu Wada’ah bin Dubairah As-Sahmiy who was married to Atikah the daughter of Usaid bin Abu l-‘Eeas. He then began to mourn the Quraysh, saying:

Badr’s mill churned out the blood of its people.

At events like Badr you should weep and cry.

The best of the people were slain round its cisterns,

Don’t think it strange that the Kings were left lying.

Some people whose anger pleases me say “Ka’b bin al-Ashraf is utterly dejected.” They are right. O that the earth when they were killed Had split asunder and engulfed its people! How many noble handsome men, the refuge of the homeless, were slain, Liberal when the stars gave no rain,

Who bore others’ burdens, ruling and taking their due forth. I was told that all the Banu al-Mughirah were humiliated And brought low by the death of Abu¯ l-Hakeem And the two sons of Rabi’ah along with him, and Munabbih Was he destroyed in the manner of Tubba?

Hassan Ath-Thabit responded to him saying: Does Ka’b weep for him incessantly And lives in humiliation hearing nothing?

In the vale of Badr I saw some of them, killed,

Eyes shedding tears for them.

Weep for you have made a sordid slave shed tears Like a pup following a little bitch.

Allah has granted satisfaction to our leader And put to shame and prostrated those who fought him.

Those whose hearts were torn with fear Escaped and fled from them Swiftly, the few defeated fugitives Escaped and fled from them.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) called for Hassan and then he informed him about where Ka’b’s was staying. Hassan said:

Did they not convey a letter from me to Aseed?

Your uncle is an experienced slave of deceit By your life, Aseed does not fulfil what was due to his neighbour,

Neither Khalid, nor the fat bellied Zaynab.

And ‘Attab is a slave who does not fulfil protection A liar in the affairs of the head.

A schooled monkey who does as he is told.

When his insults reached Atikah, she threw out his saddle and said: Why is this Jew with us? Have you not seen what Hassan does with us? So, Ibn al-Ashraf moved on and whenever he moved on to another group, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) called for Hassan and said to him: “Ibn al-Ashraf has set down ay the residence of so- and-so person”. Ibn al-Ashraf would continue to insult and deride them until his saddle was thrown out of that place, and when he was not able to find shelter he headed back to Al-Madinah. .

When news of Ibn al-Ashraf’s arrival reached the Prophet (peace be upon him), he said, “O Allah, grant me satisfaction over Ibn al-Ashraf however you wish in respect to his evil pronouncements and words of poetry”. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Who will deal with Ibn al-Ashraf, for he has brought harm to me?” Muhammad bin Maslamah answered: “I will do it, O Messenger of Allah, I will kill him.” He (peace be upon him) replied: “Then you can do so!”. Muhammad bin Maslamah then stayed a few days without eating, so the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) called for him and said: “O Muhammad, you have kept away from food and drink?” He replied: “O Messenger of God, I have agreed to do something for you which I do not know that I can deliver upon”. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Do your best.” He added: “Consult with Sa’d bin Mu’adh about the matter”. .

Muhammad bin Maslamah then assembled a group from the Aws including ‘Abbad bin Bishr, Abu Na’ilah Silkan bin Salamah, al-Harith bin Aws and Abu Abs bin Jabr. They said: “O Messenger of Allah, we will kill him, but grant us permission to use deceit in speech as it will be necessary for us”. He (peace be upon him) replied: “You have permission to use such speech”. .

Abu Na’ilah then went out to see Ka’b. When Ka’b saw him, he resented his affair. He was quite alarmed and feared he would be ambushed. Abu Na’ilah then said to him: “We have a need from you”. Ibn al-Ashraf said, while he was in the company of his people and in their gathering: “Come closer to me and inform me of your need” and his colour had changed out of fear. Abu Na’ilah and Ibn Maslama were his foster brothers, so they talked for some time and exchanged poetry with each other. Then Ka’b became contented and asked, from time to time: “What is your need!” whilst Abu Na’ilah would recite poetry to him, as Abu Na’ilah was himself a poet. Ka’b then said: “Your need is perhaps that you desire those who are in our company to get up and leave?” And when the people heard that, they stood up to leave. Abu Na’ilah said: “I dislike that the people hear only parts of our speech and then begin to speculate. The arrival of this man (Muhammad (peace be upon him)) upon us is a trial. The (Bedouin) Arabs have warred against us and have targeted us as one. The roads are cut off from us. The people are overburdened and their dependants are suffering. He takes charity from us and we do not find the means to eat.” Ka’b said: “By Allah, did I not warn you about this, O Ibn Salamah, that the matter would turn out like this?”.

Abu Na’ilah said: “I have along with me some companions who share a similar opinion to mine. I would like to bring them to you to purchase food and dates from you and for you to be good to us in that regard that. In return, we will deposit as a surety whatever will make you assured” Ka’b said: “My shelves are filled with Ajwah dates in which one’s back teeth disappear. O Abu Na’ilah, I did wish to see this suffering from you. Indeed, you were among the most generous of people to me. You are my brother and I competed over breast milk with you!” Silkan then said: “Keep quiet about us and what I have told you about Muhammad”. Ka’b said: “I will not mention a word of it”. Then he said: “O Abu Na’ilah, tell me the truth of what you want. What is it that you all desire from this affair?” He replied: “To abandon him and withdraw from him”. Ka’b said: “Indeed, you make me happy, O Abu Na’ilah. And what will you deposit with me as a surety? Your sons and your women?” Abu Na’ilah replied: “Surely you seek to dishonour us and expose our affairs. But we will deposit coats of mail (i.e. weaponry) with you and whatever satisfies you”. Ka’b said: “Indeed, coats of mail (weaponry) is sufficient”. Silkan only said this so that they would not be looked upon negatively when they (later) came to him with weapons. .

Abu Na’ilah (later) departed for the appointed time of meeting. His companions came and gathered, and they agreed to go to him in the evening to meet with him. They came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) at night and informed him of what had occurred. The Prophet (peace be upon him) the walked with them until he reached al-Baqee’, where he faced them and said: “Proceed, upon the blessings of Allah and His aid”.

[It has also been said (reported) that he met them after they prayed Ishaa’, on a brightly moonlit night, which was like day, on the fourteenth of Rabee’ ul-Awwal, at the beginning of the twenty-fifth month after Hijrah]. .

He (the narrator) said: They went on until they came to Ibn al-Ashraf. When they finally reached his fortress, Abu Na’ilah called out to him. Ibn al-Ashraf had recently contracted a marriage, but he jumped out of bed while his wife grabbed a part of his blanket (to restrain his movement) saying: “Where are you going? Surely you are a warring man and such a man does not go out at this hour?” He replied: “I have an appointment. It is only my brother Abu Na’ilah. By Allah, if he had found me sleeping, he would not wake me up”. He struck the blanket with his hand saying: “If a young (strong) man is invited to a stabbing, he answers.” He then went down to them and greeted them. .

They sat down and talked for an hour until he was comfortable and relaxed with them. They said to him: O Ibn al-Ashraf, would you like to walk to Sharj al- Ajuz, so we can talk about it for the rest of the night?” He said: They continued walking until they faced the direction of Sharj. Then Abu Na’ilah put his hand in the head of Ka’b saying, “Woe unto you, how excellent is this perfume of yours, Ibn al- Ashraf,” as Ka’b had been be oiled with youthful musk, water and ambergris, reaching with his hand to where the hair was massed at his temple, where there was a nice curl. Then he walked on again for a while and repeated what he had done similarly, until Ka’b was composed, while his two hands were interwoven in his hair. Then he grasped the crown of his head and said to his companions: “Kill the enemy of Allah.” .

They struck with their swords but the blades failed to make contact and were to no avail. Some of the blows pushed away others while he remained stuck to Abu Na’ilah. Muhammad bin Maslamah said: “I remembered a short knife of mine which was with my sword. I pulled it out and thrust it in his navel. Then I pressed heavily on it and cut him until, finally, I reached his pubic region. The enemy of Allah shouted, and not a fortress of the Jews remained but it lit a flame. Ibn Sunaynah, one of the Jews of the Banu Harithah, even though there were three miles between them, remarked: “Indeed, I smell the air of spilled blood in Yathrib”. Some of them (the party) struck al-Harith bin Aws (accidently) with a sword, while they were killing Ka’b, and wounded him in his leg. .

When they finished killing him they cut off his head and took it with them. They went out hurrying for they were fearful of a Jewish ambush. They took the path over Banu Umayyah bin Zayd, then over Quraizhah, where the fires in their fortresses were high. Then on to Bu’ath, until they reached the district of al-Urayd. Al-Harith was bleeding a lot and was lagging behind from them so he called out to them saying: “Give my Salaam (greetings) to the Messenger of Allah”. So they felt compassionate towards him and then carried him until they reached the Prophet (peace be upon him). .

When they reached Baqee’ al-Gharqad they made Takbeer. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) had stayed up that night in prayer. When he heard the Takbeer (Allahu Akbar) proclaimed at al- Baqee’ he made Takbeer in turn and knew that they had killed Ka’b. .

They continued on until they found the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) standing at the door of the Masjid. He said to them: “May your faces prosper!” They replied: “And your face too, O Messenger of Allah”. They threw Ibn al-Ashraf’s head before him, and he praised Allah for his death. They then brought their companion al-Harith before the Prophet. The Prophet spat in his wound and it no longer bothered him. ‘Abbad bin Bishr said about that (in poetic prose):

“I called to him but he did not hasten to my voice But he appeared rising from above the castle So I called again, and he said: Who is this caller?

I replied: Your brother ‘Abbad bin Bishr.

Muhammad then said: Hurry to us.

We have come for your gratitude and hospitality And your support for us. Surely, we have come in hunger With a half load of grain and dates and these our weapons as security/pledge, take them For a full month or a half.

He said to himself, a people who are hungry and in need Surely they lack wealth but are without poverty.

He approached us coming down swiftly And he said you have come for a matter But in our right hands are white swords Practiced in the slitting of the unbeliever.

Ibn Maslamah the one who struck embraced him Like a lion and smothered him.

Strengthened by his sheathed sword upon him Abu Abs Ibn Jabr pierced him.

I arrived with my two companions and when We killed the filth he was like a slaughtered animal.

A noble group took off his head.

They were renowned for fidelity and piety And Allah was the sixth among us, and we Returned with the best blessings and great victory”.

Ibn Abi Habibah commented (in respect to this poetry): “I saw the one who said this poetry”. Ibn Abi l-Zinad said: “If it were not for this saying of Ibn Abi Habibah I would not have regarded to be confirmed (authentic)”.

Then when the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) awoke following the night of the killing of Ka’b bin Al-Ashraf he said, “Whoever from among you can get the better of men (leaders) from among the Jews, kill him”. The Jews became fearful. Not one of their leaders ventured out. They did not speak for they feared they would be sought out in their homes at night just as Ibn al-Ashraf had been.

Ibn Sunaynah was from the Jews of the Banu Harithah and an ally of Huwayyisah bin Mas’ud who Muhayyisah (his brother) who had embraced Islam attacked Ibn Sunaynah and killed him. Huwayyisah, his older brother, then began to beat Muhayyisah saying: “O enemy of Allah, did you kill him? By Allah, much of the fat that is in your belly has come from his wealth.” Muhayyisah replied: “By Allah, if he who commanded me to kill him, commanded me to kill you, I would kill you”. Huwayyisah then said: “By Allah, if Muhammad had commanded you to kill me you would have killed me?” Muhayyisah replied: “Yes”. Huwayyisah then said: “By Allah, indeed a religion which reaches this level is a wondrous religion” and Huwayyisah embraced Islam that day. Muhayyisah said (in respect to this): “It is true, and I did not see anyone force it upon him” saying:

“My mother’s son blames me if I were ordered to kill him I would have smite his nape with a sharp sword,

A blade white as salt, from polishing.

My downward stroke never misses its mark.

It would not please me to kill you voluntarily (i.e. without being commanded) And even if I owned all that lies between Busra and Ma’rib.

The Jews and the polytheists among them were alarmed and fearful. When they awoke in the morning hey came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said: “Our companion, who was one of our noblemen, was called upon at night and assassinated for no crime or incident committed by him that we were aware of”. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) answered: “If he had remained as others of similar opinion remained, he would not have been assassinated. But he caused harm to us and insulted us with poetry, and none from among you will do such a thing, except that he shall be put to the sword.” The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) then invited them to write a document between them establishing which they would refer to and abide by. A document was then written between them and him (peace be upon him) under the date palm at the house of Ramlah bint al-Harith. The Jews became cautious and were fearful and humbled from the day Ibn al-Ashraf was murdered” [End of narration]. .

Some of the incident was reported in another section of “Al- Maghaziy” of Al-Waqidiy (1/121): .

“When the Quraish returned to Makkah, Abu Sufyan bin Harb stood before them and said: “O people of the Quraysh, do not weep for your dead, do not lament over them and no poet, should lament and mourn over them. Display strength and honour, for if you lament and weep over them with poetry, that anger of yours will depart, and the enmity against Muhammad and his companions will be blunted. And if your mourning reached Muhammad and his companions they would rejoice in your misfortune. The greatest of your afflictions would then be their joy. Perhaps you will achieve your revenge. Oil and women are forbidden to me until I have made war with Muhammad”. The Quraish then remained for a month and no poets made them weep and no mourner lamented over them. .

When the prisoners arrived, Allah humbled the disbelievers, the hypocrites and the Jews. There did not remain a Jew or a hypocrite in Madinah except that he was tamed and put to check because of the battle of Badr. Abdullah bin Nabtal said at that time: “If only we had gone out with him and won spoils of war. Allah has separated in their dawn disbelief from faith”. The Jews among them said among each other: “This is what is described in the Scripture. By Allah, a flag will not be raised for him after this day except that it will be victorious”. Ka’b ibn al-Ashraf said: “Today, the bowels of the earth are better than the earth above. Those are the nobles of the people, their lords, the kings of the Arabs and the people of the holy sanctuary and security. They have been killed” He departed for Makkah and set down at the residence of Abu Wada’ah bin Dubairah. He then began to broadcast insults of the Muslims to the heirs of the dead of Badr from the Quraish. He sent out these verses saying:

“Badr’s mill ground out the blood of its people At events like Badr you should weep and cry.

The best of the people were slain around its cisterns,

Don’t think it strange that the Kings are being killed.

Some people whose anger humiliates me say Ka’b b. al-Ashraf is utterly afraid.

They speak the truth. O that the earth when they were killed Had split asunder and engulfed its people.

I was told that Harith bin Hisham Is doing well and gathering troops To visit Yathrib with armies For only that noble handsome man protects the ancient reputation”. .

Al-Waqidiy said: Abdullah bin Ja’far, Muhammad bin Salih and Ibn Abi Zinad dictated it to me. They said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) called for Hassan bin Thabit al-Ansari and informed him of Ka’b’s stay in the home of Abu Wada’ah. He then began to disparage (in poetry) those who stayed with him until Ka’b was made to return to Al-Madinah. When he sent out these verses of poetry the people took them from him and publicized the lamenting. He made those whom he met among the youth and slaves recite these verses in Makkah. The Quraysh mourned over their dead with that poetry until there did not remain a house in Makkah except that there was mourning in it. The women cut their hair, and the camel or horse of one of the men would be brought and they would lament around it. The women went out to the streets and put curtains in the alleys and the roads to set aside areas for mourning and weeping and they believed in the vision (dream) of ‘Aatikah and Juhaym bin al-Salt”. .

In “Al-Jaami’ As-Sahih Al-Mukhtasar” Al-Imam Al-Bukhari allocated a chapter entitled the “The chapter of the killing of Ka’b bin Al- Ashraf”, in which he recorded numerous AHadith; in full length and summarized form. They were related from Jabir bin Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with him, via the path of his Shuyookh; Ali bin Abdullah Al-Madeeniy, Qutaibah bin Sa’eed and Abdullah bin Muhammad, all of whom related from Sufyan bin ‘Uyainah. Similarly, Al-Imam Al-Baihaqi, with Sahih (authentic) chains, reported via Ibn Al-Madeeniy and Ibn Abi ‘Umar who both related from Sufyan bin ‘Uyainah, and what he recorded is more complete in wording than what Al-Bukhari recorded. And there is nothing in these reports which mentions the writing of the Sahifah (document of Al-Madinah). .

The following came in the “Sunan Al-Kubra” of Al-Baihaqi (2/229/18567):

Sufyan related from ‘Amr bin Dinar who heard Jabir bin ‘Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with him, saying, that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Who will deal with (eliminate) Ka’b bin Al- Ashraf for verily he has insulted Allah and His Messenger?” Muhammad bin Maslamah asked: “Would you like that I kill him O Messenger of Allah?”. He (peace be upon him) replied: “Yes”. He said: “I will deal with him O Messenger of Allah, so permit me to use (deceptive) speech”. He (peace be upon him) replied: “You can employ such speech”. Muhammad bin Maslamah then went to him (Ka’b) and said: “This man (i.e. the Prophet (peace be upon him)) has afflicted us with charity (i.e. taking it from us). This caused us suffering and we are tired of this. When the wretched man heard this, he said: “By Allah, you will be put to more trouble by him or get more tired of him. I knew that your affair would turn out like this”. He (Ibn Maslamah) said: “Indeed, we cannot give him up until we see what he does, and we hate to abandon him after having followed him until we see how his affair will turn out. I have come now for you to loan me dates”. He said: “Yes I will do that upon the condition that you pledge me your women as a security (for the loan)”. He said: “Do we pledge our women to you whilst you are the most handsome of the Arabs?” He replied: “Then pledge me your sons as a security”. He (ibn Maslamah) said: “The people will then disparage our sons upon the basis that we pledged them for a mere Wasq or two Wasqs of dates (Or perhaps he said: “Then one of our sons will be insulted and it will be said that he was mortgaged for a Wasq or two of dates). He (Ka’b) asked: “What will you mortgage to me as a security then”. He answered: “We can pledge you weapons”. He said: “All right”. Then Muhammad b. Maslamah agreed an appointed time to come to see him later. .

Muhammad then returned to his companions. He then set off and Abu Naa’ilah, who was the foster brother of Ka’b, set off with him. Two other men also accompanied him. He said (to them): “I will attempt to grab hold of his head. So, when I have inserted my hands into his hair (and grabbed hold), deal with him”. .

They reached his residence at night and he (Muhammad) commanded his companions to stand in the shade of the date palms. Muhammad then approached and called out: “O son of Al-Ashraf!”. His wife the said: “Where are you leaving to at this hour (of the night)?” He replied: “It is only Muhammad bin Maslamah and my brother Abu Na’ilah”. He then descended covered in a single garment whilst a pleasant fragrance was coming from him. Muhammad said to him: “How splendid is your physique and how pleasant is your fragrance!”. He replied: “I have (as my new wife) the daughter of so and so person and she is the most pleasant in fragrance of all Arabs”. He (Ibn Maslamah) asked: “Do you permit me to smell it?” He replied: “Yes”. Muhammad then inserted his hand in the hair of his head and said: “Would you also permit me to let my companions smell it?” He replied: “Yes”. So, he inserted his hands in his head and let his companions smell. He then placed them once again in his head until he (Ka’b) felt secure and safe. He then entwined his hand in his hair and grabbed hold of his forelock. He then said to his companions: “Deal with the enemy of Allah!”. They then attacked him and killed him. Following that, they went to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and informed him of what had taken place” [End of Quote]. [Al-Baihaqi said: “Al-Bukhari related this is his Sahih from ‘Ali bin Abdullah and Muslim related it from Abdullah bin Muhammad, and both related it from Sufyan bin Uyainah”]. .

The following are some of the Ahadith recorded by Al-Bukhari, Muslim and others from the people of the Sunan, Masaanid (pl. of Musnad) and Ma’aajim (pl. of Mu’jam):

The followed was reported in Sahih Al-Bukhari (5/90/4037):

Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said: “Who is willing to kill Ka’b bin Al-Ashraf who has insulted Allah and His Messenger?” Thereupon, Muhammad bin Maslamah stood up saying: “O Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him), Would you like me to kill him?" He (peace be upon him) said: “Yes”. Muhammad bin Maslamah asked: "Then allow me to say a (false) thing (i.e. to deceive Ka’b)”. He (peace be upon him) said: “You may say it”. .

Muhammad bin Maslamah then went to Ka’b and said: “That man (i.e. Muhammad (peace be upon him)) demands Sadaqah (charity) from us, and he has brought us hardship, and I have come to loan something from you”. On that, Ka`b said: “By Allah, you will get tired of him!” Muhammad bin Maslamah said: “Now as we have followed him, we do not want to abandon him until we see how his matter will turn out. We wanted for you to loan us a Wasq or two (i.e. quantity of food). [Note: ‘Amr related to us more than once and he did not mention a Wasq or two Wasqs]. Ka’b said: “Yes, (I will loan that to you), but you should mortgage something to me as a security”. Muhammad bin Mas-lama and his companion said, "What do you want?" Ka’b replied: “Mortgage your women to me as a security”. They responded: “How can we mortgage our women to you whilst you are the most handsome of the Arabs?” Ka’b said: “Then mortgage your sons to me” They replied: “How can we mortgage our sons to you? One of them will be insulted and it would be said that he was mortgaged for a Wasq or two? That would cause us great disgrace. Instead, we will mortgage our weapons to you as a security”. He then agreed to come to him later at a set time. .

He came to Ka’b at night accompanied by Abu Na’ilah who was Ka’b's foster brother. He (Ka’b) invited them to come into his fort and then went down to them. His wife asked him: “Where are you going at this hour?” He replied: “It is only Muhammad bin Maslamah and my (foster) brother Abu Na’ilah”. His wife said: “I hear a voice as if blood is dripping from it”. He replied: “They are only my brother Muhammad bin Maslamah and my foster brother Abu Na’ilah. An honourable man should respond to a call at night even if he is being invited to be thrust with a blade”..

Muhammad bin Maslamah came with two men. (Some narrators mention that the men were 'Abu bin Jabr. Al Harith bin Aus and `Abbad bin Bishr). He said to them: “When Ka’b comes, I will talk about his hair and smell it, and when you see that I have got hold of his head, approach him and strike him. I will do this once and then let you smell it”.

Ka’b bin Al-Ashraf came down to them wrapped in his clothes and smelling of a scented fragrance. Muhammad bin Maslamah remarked: "I have never smelt a better scent than this”. Ka’b replied: “I have got the best-perfumed woman and most perfect of all Arabs”. Muhammad bin Maslamah asked Ka`b: “Would you allow me to smell your head?” Ka’b said: “Yes”. Muhammad smelt it and made his companions smell it as well. Then he made the request to Ka’b again: “Would you let me (smell your head again)?” Ka`b said: “Yes”. Then when Muhammad got a strong hold of him, he said (to his companions): “Get at him!” So, they killed him and went to the Prophet (ﷺ) and informed him” [End of Quote]..

Al-Bukhari recorded this incident in summarized (short) form and also in full (long) form in a number of places in his Sahih: (2/888/2375), (3/1103/2867), (3/1103/2868) and (4/1482/3811). Al- Hamidiy also related it in his Musnad with some summarization (2/527/1250). As did An-Nasaa’iy in his Sunan Al-Kubra in full length (5/193/8641) and Al-Baihaqi in his Sunan Al-Kubra (5/193/8641). He summarized it and also added: “The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) then said: “War is deceit””. Al-Hakim recorded it in his “Al- Mustadrak” (3/492/5840) in an extremely abbreviated manner and added the sentence: “Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) said when he regarded them (i.e. the group who killed Ka’b): “May your faces be successful”. Just as many others related this incident..

The incident is also found related in Sahih Muslim (5/184/4765): “Az- Zuhriy related from ‘Uyainah from ‘Amr who heard Jabir saying that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:

“Who will kill Ka’b bin Al-Ashraf? He has maligned Allah and His Messenger”. Muhammad bin Maslamah said: “O Messenger of Allah, would you like me to kill him?” He replied: “Yes”. He said: “Permit me then to talk (to him in the way I deem fit including deception)”. He said: “Talk (as you like)”. He then went to him (Ka’b) and talked to him, referred to the old friendship between them and said: “This man (i.e. the Messenger (peace be upon him)) has demanded charity (from us) and this has put us to a great hardship”. When be heard this, Ka’b said: “By Allah, you will be put to more trouble by him”. Muhammad bin Maslamah replied: “verily, we have become his followers now and we do not like to forsake him until we see how his affair turns out. I had wanted that you provide me a loan”. He said: “What will you give me as a pledge of security?” He asked: “What do you want?” He answered: “Pledge me your women as a security”. He replied: “You are the most handsome of the Arabs. Should we then pledge our women to you?” He said: “Then pledge me your sons”. He replied: “One of our sons may be insulted and it will be said that he was pledged for (a mere) two Wasqs of dates. Rather, we can pledge you our weapons as a security”. He said: “All right”. Then Muhammad bin Maslamah agreed that he would come to him along with Al-Harith, Abu 'Abs bin Jabr and ‘Abbad bin Bishr. .

Later, they came and called upon him during the night (at his residence). He came down to them. [Sufyan commented that all the narrators except 'Amr have stated that his wife said: “I hear a voice which sounds like the voice desiring blood”. He then replied to her saying: “It is only Muhammad bin Maslamah and Abu Na'ilah, his foster-brother. When a young (strong) man is called at night, even if it is to be thrust by a blade, he should respond to such a call”]. Muhammad said to his companions: “As he comes, I will extend my hands towards his head and when I hold him fast, you should do your job. So, when he came down covered loosely by a garment, they said to him: “We find that you have a very fine perfumed fragrance”. He replied: “Yes, I have with me a woman who is the most finely scented of the women of Arabia”. He (Muhammad) said: Would you allow me to smell (the scent on your head)”. He said: “Yes, you may smell”. Then he took the hair (in his hands) and smelt. Then he said: “Would you allow me to do so (once again)”. He then held his head fast and said to his companions: “Set upon him”. He (the relator) said: And then they killed him” [End of Quote].

In the Mustakhraj of Abu ‘Awanah (8/102/5541) the following was reported from Jabir, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:

“The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Who will deal with Ka’b bin Al-Ashraf? For verily, he has defamed Allah and His Messenger”. Muhammad bin Maslamah, may Allah be pleased with him, stood and said: “O Messenger of Allah, would you like me to kill him?”. He replied: “Yes”. He said: “Then permit me to say things (i.e. use deception)”. He (Bin Salamah) then went to him and said to him (Ka’b): “Indeed this man (i.e. the Prophet) has asked Sadaqah from us and this has caused us hardship. We have chosen to follow him and we dislike to abandon him until we see how his matter will turn out”. He continued: “And I had wanted to take a loan from you”. He (Ka’b) asked: “And what will you pledge to me as a security? They (i.e. Ibn Maslalamah and those accompanying him) asked: “What do you want from us? He answered: “Pledge me your women as a security”. They replied: “You are the most handsome of Arabs so how could we possibly pledge our women to you as a security? That would be a shameful disgrace for us” He said: “Then pledge me your sons as a security”. They responded: Glory be to Allah, one of our sons would be insulted and it would be said to him: You were pledged as a security for a mere Wasq or two of dates!” They said: “We can pledge you weapons?” He said: “Yes, I agree”. .

When he (Bin Maslamah) later came to his (Ka’ab) residence, he called to him. He then came out and he had a perfumed fragrance. He went to sit with him (Bin Maslamah) who had a group of three or four accompanying him and the smell of the fragrance was coming from him. They then mentioned that perfumed fragrance to him and he (Ka’b) said: “I have a certain woman and she is the most finely perfumed women of all people”. He (Bin Maslamah) asked: “Would you permit me to smell it?” He replied: “Yes”. He then placed his hand in the hair of his head and smelled it. He then asked: “Can I have another smell?” He replied in the affirmative and then when he (Bin Maslamah) had grasped hold of his head he said: “Set upon him” and then they struck him until they had killed him. .

[Yunus said: Ibn Wahb related from Ibn ‘Uyainah, similar to this. And Musa bin Ishaq Al-Ansari told us that Abdah bin Abdur Rahim said: Ibn ‘Uyainah related from ‘Amr who said: Jabir bin Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with him, said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Who will deal with Ka’b bin Al-Ashraf? Verily, he has defamed Allah and His Messenger … he then mentioned the Hadith … And said (at the end): Then he returned to the Prophet, peace be upon him, and informed him of what had taken place”. [End of Quote]..

The following was reported in the Sunan of Abu Dawud (3/42/2770): Jabir bin Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with him, said:

“The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Who will deal with Ka’b bin Al-Ashraf? For verily, he has defamed Allah and His Messenger”. Muhammad bin Maslamah, may Allah be pleased with him, stood and said: “O Messenger of Allah, would you like me to kill him?”. He replied: “Yes”. He said: “Then permit me to say things (i.e. use deception)”. He said: “Yes, you may use such speech”..

He (Bin Salamah) then went to him and said to him (Ka’b): “Indeed this man (i.e. the Prophet) has asked Sadaqah from us and this has caused us hardship and worn us out”. He continued: “We have chosen to follow him and we dislike to abandon him until we see how his matter will turn out. And we had wanted to take a loan of a Wasq (specific quantity of food) or two from you”. He (Ka’b) asked: “And what will you pledge to me as a security? They asked: “What do you want from us? He answered: “Pledge me your women as a security”. They replied: “Glory be to Allah, You are the most handsome of Arabs. If we were to pledge our women to you as a security that would be a shameful disgrace upon us?” He said: “Then pledge me your sons as a security”. They responded: “Glory be to Allah, one of our sons would be insulted and it would be said to him: You were pledged as a security for a (mere) Wasq or two of dates!” They said: “We can pledge you weapons?” He said: “Yes (I agree)”. .

When he (Bin Maslamah) later came to his (Ka’ab) residence, he called to him. He then came out and he had a perfumed fragrance effusing from his head. He went to sit with him (Bin Maslamah) who had a group of three or four accompanying him and the smell of the fragrance was coming from him. They then mentioned that perfumed fragrance to him and he (Ka’b) said: “I have a certain woman and she is the most finely perfumed women of all people”. He (Bin Maslamah) asked: “Would you permit me to smell it?” He replied: “Yes”. He then placed his hand in the hair of his head and smelled it. He then asked: “Can I have another smell?” He replied in the affirmative. So he inserted his hand in the hair of his head and then when he (Bin Maslamah) had grasped hold of his head he said: “Set upon him” and then they struck him until they had killed him”. [End of Quote]..

In the Mustradak of the Sahihatain of Al-Haakim (3/492/5841) there is reported a narration from Abu ‘Abs bin Jabr, may Allah be pleased with him, who was one of the heroes of that blessed mission:

“Ka’b bin Al-Ashraf used to recite poetry that troubled the Prophet (peace be upon him) and went out to Ghatafan. The Prophet (peace upon him) then said: “Who will deal with the son of Al-Ashraf for me as he has indeed insulted Allah and His Messenger?” Muhammad bin Maslamah Al-Harithiy said: “I, O Messenger of Allah, would you like me to kill him?” The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) remained silent upon that and said: “Fetch Sa’d bin Mu’adh and consult him”. He (bin Maslamah) said: So, I brought Sa’d bin Mu’adh and mentioned the matter to him. He said: “Proceed with the blessing of Allah and take with you the nephew of Al-Harith bin Aws bin Mu’adh, ‘Abbad bin Bishr Al-Ash’haliy, Abu ‘Abs bin Jabr Al-Harithiy and Abu Na’il Silkan bin Qais Al-Ash’haliy”. He said: So I met with them and mentioned the matter to them all apart from Silkan who did not attend. He said: O nephew, I believe you but I would not like to partake in that at all until I speak to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). He then mentioned this matter to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and he said to him: “Proceed along with your companions”. He (the relator) said: So we went out at night until we reached his fortress. .

In relation to that ‘Abbad bin Bishr composed poetry explaining the killing and journey, saying:

I came to him and he said who is calling upon me?

I said: Your brother ‘Abbad bin Bishr.

This is our weaponry as a pledge of security so take it.

Which will be fulfilled in two months or half a month.

He said: A gathering of those who have become frustrated and hungry. They have come to lack affluence without impoverishment.

So he came towards us moving quickly.

And said to us: You have come for a matter.

And in our hands was iron.

Tried and tested, branding and chopping.

So I said to my companions what was in my mind.

Attack him with the blades like the slaughtering of a camel. And bin Salamah Al-Muradiy grabbed hold of him in an embrace.

He screamed out against him like a fierce lion.

And he drew his sheathed sword against him.

Then Abu ‘Abs bin Jabr fatally struck him.

And Allah was the sixth with us our Protector and guardian.

Bestowing upon us the most gracious favour and most honorable victory. Then a noble group came with his head.

A returning group of truthfulness and righteousness came to them. [End of Quote].

The incident was also related in “Ma’rifat us-Sahabah” of Abu Nu’aim (4/1812/4579): Abu ‘Abs Bin Jabr said:

“The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Who will deal with the son of Al-Ashraf for me?”. Muhammad bin Maslamah then asked: “Would you like me to kill him O Messenger of Allah?”. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was then silent. Muhammad then said: “He has consented by way of silence”. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) then said: “Fetch Sa’d bin Mu’adh and consult him”. And so he consulted him and he (Sa’d) told him: “Take along with you Abu ‘Abs bin Jabr, Al-Harith bin Uwais bin Mu’adh, ‘Abbad bin Bishr and Abu Na’ilah Sulkan bin Salamah”. He (the narrator) said: “We then set out until we reached his (Ka’b’s) fortress. ‘Abbas Bin Bishr yelled out and then said (in poetic prose):.

I called out to him and he did not repel to my voice.

And a colour rising from above caution.

He awoke to it and said: Who is calling (for me)?

I said: Your brother ‘Abbad bin Bishr.

This (here) are your weapons as a pledge of security so take them.

For a month or half a month to be fulfilled.

He said: A gathering who have become frustrated and turned.

Who have not escaped suffering without falling into impoverishment.

So come towards us, let us walk quickly.

And he said to you: I have come to you to fulfil a matter.

So we moved before he could react.

Swords moving as if to slaughter a sheep.

Blazing upon him.

And Abu ‘Abs bin Jabr fatally struck him.

And Allah was the sixth of us and our protector/guardian.

Bestowing upon us the most gracious favour and most honourable victory Then the noble party returned.

Those who are characterised by resolve and righteousness”. [End of Quote].

There are additional reports which indicate to a document or agreement of peace (Muhalafah) which may be referring to this Sahifah (constitutional document):

Imam Muslim in his Sahih (2/1146/1507) related that Jabir bin Abdullah said:

“The Prophet (peace be upon him) wrote that blood-money is due upon every tribe. He then wrote (made it obligatory) that it is not permissible for a freed slave to take a Muslim (other than the one who freed him) as his Mawla (Patron) without the permission (of his former master who set him free). .

He (the narrator further added): I was informed that he (the Noble Prophet) cursed the one who did that (and that it was recorded) in his Sahifah (in a document)” [End of Quote].

Imam An-Nasaa’iy also related this in his Sunan (4/241/7033), in addition to Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal in his Musnad (3/321/14485), Al- Baihaqi in in Sunan Al-Kubra (8/107/16157) and (8/108/16158), Imam Abu Ya’la in his Musnad (4/161/2228), Ibn Al-Jaroud in “Al-Muntaqa” (1/197/779), and Imam Abdur Razaq As-San’aniy in his Musannaf (9/6/16154), among others. Ahmad Bin Hanbal also related it in his Musnad (3/342/14727) via a different path:

“Abu Az-Zubair asked Jabir about the man who assumes the position of being the Mawla (patron) of a Muslim man without his permission. He (Jabir) said: “The Prophet (peace be upon him) wrote that blood- money is due upon every tribe. He then wrote (made it obligatory) that it is not permissible for a freed slave to take a Muslim (other than the one who freed him) as his Mawla (Patron) without the permission (of his former master who set him free)”. I say: This is in agreement to some of what came stated in the Sahifah and these chains of narration are Sahih. In the Musannaf of Ibn Abi Shaibah (12/417/33927) the following was related: Ibn ‘Abbas said:

“The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) wrote a document between the Muhajrin and the Ansar: That they pay their blood money for those whom it was due and that they ransom their captives in a good and fitting manner and in a way that rectifies and mends between the Muslims”.

It is also recorded, like this, in the Musannaf of Ibn Abi Shaibah (9/318/28150).

It was related in the Musnad “Al-Jaami’ Al-Mu’allal” of Abu Al-Fadl (3/373/6771). It was related from Ibn ‘Abbas that he said:

“The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) wrote a document between the Muhajirin and the Ansar: That they pay their blood money for those whom it was due and that they ransom their captives in a good and fitting manner and in a way that rectifies and mends between the Muslims”.

It was also related by Ahmad (1/271/2444).

And it was also related in the Musnad “Al-Jaami’ Al-Mu’allal” of Abu Al-Fadl (20/141/8505) from Abdullah bin ‘Amr, who said:

“That the Prophet (peace be upon him) wrote a document between the Muhajrin and the Ansar: That they pay their blood money for those whom it was due and that they ransom their captives in a good and fitting manner and in a way that rectifies and mends between the Muslims”.

This was also recorded by Ahmad (1/271/2443 and (2/204/6904) with different transmitters.

Both were mentioned in Al-Awsat of Ibn ul-Mundhir (10/145/2443) [According to the numbering of the electronic Shamela library program]. Ibn ‘Abbas related:

“That the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) wrote a document between the Muhajirin and the Ansar: That they pay their blood money for those whom it was due and that they free their captives in a good and fitting manner and in a way that rectifies and mends between the Muslims”.

In addition, in “Ad-Diyat” of Ibn Abi ‘Asim (352/240) [According to the numbering of the electronic Shamela library program] it was related from Ibn ‘Abbas and from ‘Amr bin Shu’aib who related from his father who related from his grandfather that:

“That the Prophet (peace be upon him) wrote a document between the Muhajrin and the Ansar: That they pay their blood money for those whom it was due and that they ransom their captives in a good and fitting manner and in a way that rectifies and mends between the Muslims”. I say: As for this, then it is not relied upon greatly due to the weakness of Al-Hajjaj bin Artat (one of the transmitters) as his Tadlis (misrepresentation) was excessive. He has therefore brought instability (Iditraab) to the Isnad (transmission chain) here. If it was authenticated, then it is as if it is alluding to some of the rulings contained in the Sahifah (constitutional document).