044 - Assassination of Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf

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So between Badr and Uhud a number of small expeditions took place. Each had its own reasons and issues and benefits.

Expedition of Qarqarat al-Kudr

The first of these incidents is called the Expedition of Qarqarat al-Kudr (قرقرة الكدر)  after the place where it happened. Some of the neighboring mushrik tribes of Madinah wanted to take revenge on the Muslims because their business had been cut off [as an indirect result of the Battle of Badr — because now the caravan of the Quraysh has to divert its route]. Therefore only seven days after the Battle of Badr, some of the tribes of the Banu Salim (سليم) and Ghatafan (غطفان) (i.e., two very large tribes of Arabia; Ghatafan was one of the largest in Arabia) detached a small entourage of 200 people to attack Madinah.

When the Prophet PBUH heard this, he launched an offensive against them. And when the pagans saw the Muslims, they fled even though quantity-wise they were more than the Muslims. And what's more, they left all of their tents, belongings, and animals. So the Muslims basically acquired most of their animals, and this was a huge surplus for them so much so it's said every Muslim who participated got two camels. When the sahaba reached their vicinity, the first person they found was an Abyssinian slave named Yasar (يسار), and they captured him; others fled, so Yasar was left with the Muslims. And he converted to Islam after a while, after seeing how good the Muslims were. So the sahabi who captured him said to the Prophet PBUH, "Ya Rasulullah, he is yours." And the Prophet PBUH never kept a male slave, so he was freed. But Yasar remained with him as a servant, so Yasar became one of the servants of the Prophet PBUH. And as usual, it was a sunnah of the Prophet PBUH that he would camp for 3 days after any battle (this was a sunnah that is established from Badr), so he camped over there. And in explaining why the pagans fled, he PBUH told the sahaba (and this hadith is in Bukhari), "I have been helped by Allah that my enemies are terrified of me even if I'm at a month journey away"—this is one of the ways Allah helped the Prophet PBUH; that just by seeing and hearing of the Muslims, the enemies would flee and run away.

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Sariyya of Sawiq

Second expedition was the Sariyya of Sawiq (سويق), and this occurred around 2 or 3 months after Badr, probably in the early part of Dhu al-Hijjah. The reason for this battle is: Abu Sufyan had made a promise to Allah that he would not take a bath until he avenged Badr. He would not take a bath even from janaba! (Note: This shows that taking a bath after janaba was in their custom, which must have come from Ibrahim AS.) He remained in that state for months, and finally he really had to do something; so he gathered around 150-200 of the Quraysh and launched an offensive. The Banu Nadir (another Jewish tribe in Madinah) gave him protection, food, supplies, and water. This is now blatant treachery because one of the clause of the Constitution is, "You will not help the Quraysh against us," and also, "If we are externally attacked, the two of us will act as one." But the Banu Nadir hosted the small entourage of Abu Sufyan before they attack Madinah; and then Abu Sufyan launched an offensive into one of the date gardens of Madinah. And he killed two Ansaris, burned down the garden, etc. This is blatant terrorism. When the Muslims find out, they attack the army of Abu Sufyan. And in the rush to flee, once again, just like what happened in Qarqarat al-Kudr, the Quraysh left their belongings.

So why is this expedition called Sawiq? What is sawiq? It is dried porridge that could be eaten for long periods of time. You mix barley and milk and butter and honey and then you dry it. So it is packets of food that the Arabs would eat on a long journey. And when Abu Sufyan and his entourage saw the Muslims coming, they fled on their camels; and in order to lighten the load, they cut off the bags of sawiq. And so the Muslims were able to capture a lot of this sawiq, even though they were not able to harm Abu Sufyan.

So Abu Sufyan and his entourage returned; and now at least he could take a bath because he killed two Ansaris.

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Sariyya of Qarada

Yet another incident that took place was the Sariyya of Qarada (قردة). (Note: Recall sariyya means the Prophet PBUH did not participate. And a ghazwa is what the Prophet PBUH participated in. Sariyya is any expedition the Prophet PBUH commanded but did not participate in; and there are hundreds of sariyya, as we mentioned.) The Sariyya of Qarada took place a few months before the Battle of Uhud, most likely in Rabi' al-Awwal of the 3rd year; and this was an important stepping stone to the actual Battle of Uhud.

What happened was: The Quraysh were preparing the annual caravan — they had a meeting, "What can we do about the caravan? Which route should it take?" etc. Badr had shown them they cannot take the standard route. Safwan ibn Umayyah was placed in charge of this year's caravan. He gathered the Quraysh and said, "Muhammad and his companions have blocked our passages; if we take the sea route (close to the ocean), most of them have already given their allegiance to Muhammad, and are upon his religion. So what do we do?" Note this clearly shows Islam was spreading. The people on the coastal line have not been attacked, but according to Safwan, most of them are Muslims. (Note the biographers of the Prophet PBUH recorded mainly battles in the Medinan phase; so you have to extract a wealth of information from this type of sentence that just comes in the middle. E.g. from the statement of Safwan we learn that Medinan phase wasn't just battles; Islam is spreading so much so most of the coastal regions are now upon Islam. People are converting through dawah, interacting with the Muslims, etc.) And he goes on, "If we remain here, we will not go on any journey, we will not interact with the Syrians, we will not get any money, and our money will dwindle down to nothing. And our life depends on Rihlat al-Shita'i wa al-Sayf." One of the elders, al-Aswad ibn al-Muttalib said, "Let us go through the Iraq passage." So north-eastwards, then double back down towards the route again to make their way up to Syria. This shows how desperate they are getting, and how much of a success Badr was for the Muslims. So they had to find someone who knew the route, and they loaded up the caravan, and as we said, this time the leader was Safwan ibn Umayyah. And effectively, this was Badr part II — Allah SWT had willed that all of this money go directly into the hands of the Muslims.

How so? The Prophet PBUH heard of this —even though it was supposed to be top secret— and he sent an expedition against them. How did he hear of it? It is mentioned that one of the elite of the Quraysh who knew, was drinking wine with Salit ibn al-Nu'man (سليط بن النعمان), who was a secret Muslim in Makkah; and he boasted, "The Quraysh have a plan that no one will be able to outsmart! We will take this-and-this route to get to Syria!" And as soon as Salit heard this, he informed the Prophet PBUH. And this is 100 camels full of booty etc., and it's just a caravan, not an army, so it's a sitting duck — easy prey. The Prophet PBUH sent Zayd ibn Harithah to intercept the caravan; and the entire caravan, with all of the camels, and >50,000 dirhams, plus the leather, and all of the other goods, came into the hands of the Prophet PBUH and the Muslims. Pause here. Allah AWJ had promised the Muslims back at Badr, "I'll give you one of the two" [see Quran, 8:7], but in fact Allah gave them BOTH. Subhan'Allah. In Badr they got what they didn't want; and through Sariyya of Qarada, Allah gave them what they wanted, "the unarmed one" [Quran, 8:7]. And there were NO casualties.

And this made the Quraysh so desperate that it led up to the Battle of Uhud.

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The Assassination of Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf

Let us now get to one of the most controversial issues, and that is the assassination of Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf (كعب بن الأشرف). It is one of the most sensitive issues of the seerah, and deserves some special attention. So who is Ka'b? And what's so sensitive about this issue? Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf was the son of an Arab father and a Jewish mother. His father was a pure Arab, a pagan from the tribe of the Banu Nabhan (بنو نبهان); and his mother was of the Jews of the Banu Nadir. His father had committed murder so he had to flee from his own people, and so he fled and was adopted by the Banu Nadir of Yathrib. And they allowed him to marry one of their women, and from this marriage Ka'b is born. So Ka'b is basically a full Arab and a full Jew (in Judaism the religion is from the mother) — so he has the nasab (نسب - lineage) of the Arabs and also the religion, education, and nobility that the Banu Nadir has. And he was one of the leaders of the Banu Nadir. He was known for many things:

1. He was a very rich man — he had his own fortress

2. He was one of the most handsome people in Yathrib

3. He was known for his poetry

And his animosity to Islam was demonstrated from very early on. When the qibla was changed, it was Ka'b who said, "Why did they change the qibla?" And Allah quotes Ka'b in the Quran [2:142]. When the commandment for zakat was revealed, Ka'b went to his friends who had converted from the Ansar, and said, "Do not give any of your money, because I am worried you will become poor. And don't be hasty in getting rid of your wealth, for you don't know what will happen to this man (the Prophet PBUH)." At this Allah revealed, "Those people who are stingy, and they command others to be stingy, and they hide what Allah has given of His blessings" [Quran, 4:37].

And many other things are mentioned. At the Battle of Badr, when the two criers came back, when Ka'b heard the news, he mockingly said, "If Muhammad [PBUH] has really killed all of these people —and they are from the noblest of Arabs— then it is better for us to be inside the earth than outside of it (it's better to be dead than alive)!" And indeed that is what happened in a while. When the victory of Badr was manifested in front of Ka'b, he undertook a secret expedition to Abu Sufyan. He and some of the Banu Nadir went to Makkah and forms an alliance with Abu Sufyan against the Prophet PBUH. What are the details of this alliance we have no idea. None of the books of seerah mentioned; but what could it be other than a surprise attack.

One of the last things Abu Sufyan asked him, "I ask you by Allah! Which of the two religions is closer and more beloved to Allah? Our religion or the religion of Muhammad [PBUH]?" (Remember the pagans felt an inferiority complex towards the Jews since they were a people of civilization.) Ka'b said, "You are more rightly guided than them." Allah references this in the Quran, in Surah al-Nisa:

انظُرْ كَيْفَ يَفْتَرُونَ عَلَى اللَّهِ الْكَذِبَ ۖ وَكَفَىٰ بِهِ إِثْمًا مُّبِينًا

أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا نَصِيبًا مِّنَ الْكِتَابِ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْجِبْتِ وَالطَّاغُوتِ وَيَقُولُونَ لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا هَٰؤُلَاءِ أَهْدَىٰ مِنَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا سَبِيلًا

"See how they fabricate lies against Allah—this alone is a blatant sin. Have you [O Prophet] not seen those who were given a portion of the Scriptures yet believe in jibt (جبت) and taghut (طاغوت) and reassure the disbelievers that they are better guided than the believers?" [4:50-51]

Allah is quoting Ka'b here. This is exactly what he said in the private conversation with Abu Sufyan. He then returns to Madinah after having formed this secret alliance (but Allah has told the Prophet PBUH of it).

He has written a lot of poetry against the Prophet PBUH and the Muslims. The last straw however was when he started writing a sensual poetry about Muslim ladies out of mockery, as a satire. And it mentioned them by name. This is obviously crossing the line.

According to Ibn Ishaq, Ibn Hisham, and al-Waqidi, Ka'b was assassinated between Badr and Uhud. But other scholars such as Muqatil ibn Sulayman (مقاتل بن سليمان), al-Baghawi, and al-Salihi who wrote a 12 volume book on seerah (one of the largest ever written), they said he was killed after Uhud. And all of them add one more reason which Ibn Ishaq, Ibn Hisham, and al-Waqidi didn't add, and that is the blatant assassination attempt against the Prophet PBUH (which the Banu Nadir did). We all are familiar with the story of the Prophet PBUH having been invited by the Banu Nadir for a poisoned meal — and this occurred after Uhud. And according to al-Salihi and others, the guy behind the plot was Ka'b. It was his idea to poison the food. And according to these authorities, Ka'b was killed literally the night before the incident of Banu Nadir. So if we follow this version of events, it's even more clear why Ka'b needed to be killed. But we will stick with Ibn Ishaq's version. (Note al-Salihi said the IDEA of poisoning the food came from Ka'b — so this can reconcile with Ibn Ishaq's version.)

In any case, the Prophet PBUH stood up and said, "Who will take care of Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf? فإنه قد آذى الله ورسوله." Muhammad ibn Maslamah (محمد بن مسلمة) stood up and said, "I will do it, O Messenger of Allah." This sahabi was from the Aws. Note before Islam, the Aws and the Banu Nadir were one. Of course this is of his wisdom that he didn't want a Khazraji to do it, or else this will bring a bad blood, as the Khazraj and the Banu Nadir already have problems from pre-Islam; whereas the Aws and the Banu Nadir don't. So Muhammad ibn Maslamah, being one of the senior of the Aws, he volunteered in order to save the potential of the jahili civil war being resurrected. According to Ibn Hisham, for three days after this, Muhammad ibn Maslamah stopped eating and drinking, until finally somebody came to the Prophet PBUH to tell him about this. The Prophet PBUH visited him and asked, "What is the matter?" He said, "O Messenger of Allah! I promised you something, but then I realized I might not be able to fulfill it!" He got so worried that in his anxiety, he stopped eating and drinking. Remember Ka'b is a rich man, well guarded, has his own fortress, etc. The Prophet PBUH said, "All you need to do is try." Muhammad ibn Maslamah said, "In that case, O Messenger of Allah, allow me to say some thing (i.e. you have to allow me to say things that I don't mean)." And the Prophet PBUH said, "Say as you like."

Muhammad ibn Maslamah then called upon Ka'b in his, let's say, office hours; and there were other people sitting there, so he said to Ka'b, "Look, I have something very private I need to talk to you with." So they went to a corner, and Muhammad ibn Maslamah said to Ka'b, "This man (the Prophet PBUH) has come and caused us irritation for the last few years. And the Arabs are now all against us! On top of that, he is asking for our money; and he has put us through so much trouble and hardship!" When Ka'b heard this, he felt so happy and said, "Wallahi, this is just the beginning! He will put you through much more hardship!" And they continued talking in this manner (and you can see why Muhammad ibn Maslamah had to ask for special dispensation from the Prophet PBUH); until finally he said, "Well, now we are his followers, and we cannot forsake him until the situation turns a little. Until that time, I need you to loan me to pay him that money (i.e. zakat)." Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf, one of the ways he got rich was by lending people money, and everybody knows it; and in his eyes, that is why Muhammad ibn Maslamah is here asking for a loan. And of course a loanee has to offer a mortgage, but Muhammad ibn Maslamah said, "I don't have anything to give, and that's why I'm here!" So Ka'b said, "Okay, leave your wife in my house," but Muhammad ibn Maslamah said, "By Allah, you are the most handsome of men. And you expect me to trust a woman in your presence?" Ka'b took the bait, he is flattered, and said, "Okay, then leave your sons with me." Muhammad ibn Maslamah said, "My sons? So they will grow up for the rest of their lives and their friends are teasing them, 'You were the mortgage that your father had to give'? This is a permanent dishonor! I can't give you my sons." Ka'b said, "What then?" Muhammad ibn Maslamah said, "What if I bring you my weapons? And you know we need these weapons now (because of all of these wars that are going on), so I am desperate to get them back. So this is a very urgent mortgage that you will possess." Ka'b said, "Great idea! Bring your weapons!" And of course you understand the tactic here: Muhammad ibn Maslamah can show up armed to the hilt and there will be no suspicion. There's a gray area as to what exactly happened, but it seems two or three of the other sahaba (e.g. Silkan ibn Salama [سلكان بن سلامة] a.k.a. Abu Na'ila [أبو نائلة]) also gotten loans from Ka'b along the similar lines.

Then Abu Na'ila set a particular time, "Look, we have to do this in secret, we don't want anybody to see us; so let's come at such-and-such a time at night, and we will give all of this to you," etc. According to al-Waqidi, this took place on the 14th of Rabi' al-Awwal in the 3rd year of the Hijrah. The books of seerah mention that there was no clouds in the sky, and it was a full moon. The Prophet PBUH walked with them to Baqi' al-Gharqad, and at the very end he said, "May Allah help you in your mission." So they went to Ka'b's castle which was on the outskirts of Madinah, and called upon Ka'b to come outside. It's said he had just married another wife, and he was lying in his bed when he heard the call. He stood up to go, but his wife held on to him and said, "Where are you going at this time?" He said, "Abu Na'ila and Muhammad ibn Maslamah, they have come to give me some of their goods." She said, "Why are they coming at this time? This is not right. You are a man at war! And I am worried for you." But he said, "No, Abu Na'ila is my foster brother, and Muhammad ibn Maslamah, I know him for a long time. I trust them both." So he basically dragged himself off of her, and went down.

Muhammad ibn Maslamah had already told his companions what he was going to do, and that is that he will —through some ruse or tactic— hold on to Ka'b's head and have him in an arm grip, and then the others will do the deed. Now, they knew Ka'b is going to be armed because he was always heavily armed — he had one of the most expensive armors — that's what they were known for, to build and buy armors. They met outside, it was a beautiful night, and they began talking and gossiping as was the way in the days of Jahiliyyah, and Abu Na'ila said to his foster brother Ka'b, "I smell the sweetest perfume coming from you!" Ka'b said, "Yes, I have with me a young lady who is the most scented of all of the women of Arabia!" Abu Na'ila said, "Allow me to smell it!" Ka'b came closer. Abu Na'ila said, "Oh! It's coming from your hair! Let me smell it!" So Ka'b lowered his head, and at this, Muhammad ibn Maslamah held on to him, and the others did the deed. But it wasn't easy because of the armor he was wearing; and it's said one of them, al-Harith ibn Aws (الحارث بن أوس), was severely wounded by the others who were attacking. He was bleeding badly, and had to limp back to Madinah. When the Prophet PBUH met them, he put his saliva on the wound of al-Harith and it healed instantly.

So this was basically the end of Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf. And it is very obvious why this incident is problematic in light of modern times, and that is because the charge is given that this is a blatant assassination attempt that is justified by the Prophet PBUH.

And it is an authentic incident — it's mentioned in Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Ibn Ishaq, Ibn Hisham, etc. Sahih al-Bukhari has a whole chapter on the killing of Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf.

A number of reasons are given as to why the assassination took place. It was not because Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf rejected Islam or ridiculed the Prophet PBUH personally, but rather:

1. Main reason is the treaty he did with Abu Sufyan. This was clear treachery, violating the Constitution, and was a clear threat to the Muslims.

2. The poetry against the Muslims and specifically the Muslim ladies.

3. The direct attempt to assassinate the Prophet PBUH (if we follow al-Salihi et al.'s version).

And of course these reasons are very solid. The problem comes not that he wasn't a criminal, but in the manner with which he was gotten rid of — assassination. In modern days, technically, there would be a trial, etc. But frankly, this is one of our problems, that we are judging the political situation in the time of the Prophet PBUH as if it is in our time — we are judging him with our own laws and customs, and trying to retroactively look at the seerah in light of modern laws. But again, frankly, those were different societies, those were different times; and the people who lived in those societies, they understood the dynamics of that society. And that is why, we go back to that interesting phrase of Ka'b's wife when she told him, "You are a man at war!"—even though he himself did not participate in a battle, up until that point, against the Muslims, but she understood that what her husband is doing is, "You are declaring war! And you are not safe!" She understood this, because the political landscape and customs and laws at the time were very different. Thus there is no need for us to try to justify this incident in light of our laws. If we had a theoretical modern Islamic state, and the laws were different, it is not wajib for us to follow those types of laws in our times anyway. We can have our own system of laws. There is no problem at all.

At that time, the Prophet PBUH is basically the government of Islam. His decree is political, religious, and legal, all in one. Therefore he is the judge, and he is the ruler. Thus it is legal for him to do it in that manner. He didn't do it in Makkah when he didn't have any political authority; rather he did it when he himself now has actual political power. Thus there is no need for us to 'defend' this action. It is what it is, and we don't need to try to sugarcoat it. In that time and place, it's completely justified.

And we also have to add here: In light of recent developments where our own country and government has now opened this door of targeted assassinations; if killing its own citizens knowingly, and sending drones against even a 16-year-old kid are legal and constitutional, then very frankly, nobody who agrees with this tactic can find any problem with the story of Ka'b. You cannot have your cake and eat it too.

(Theory: Did Ka'b directly help Abu Sufyan when he attacked Madinah in the incident of Sawiq? It makes sense if he did — he was of the leaders of Banu Nadir. Maybe it was Ka'b himself who helped Abu Sufyan in that attack on Madinah, and then a few weeks later he travels to Makkah to form a real alliance. Allah knows best. This is a theory, take it or leave it.)

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To summarize: This incident needs to be told as it is — it was a political incident that the Prophet PBUH approved. It was in accordance with the norms and political understanding of his time, and it was done because Ka'b was a genuine political threat — he had gone above and beyond merely rejecting Islam, he formed an alliance with the Quraysh violating the Constitution. And the poetry he wrote was so revolting that simply crossed the line. For him to go to these levels, he knows what he got involved with. Even his wife understood the risks. Thus we have no qualms in saying this is exactly what happened.

Br. Safwan's note: Norman Arthur Stillman (non-Muslim) is a renowned historian who specializes in the intersection of Jewish and Islamic culture and history. In the last few years, Stillman has been the executive editor of the Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World, a project that includes over 2,000 entries in 5 volumes. What did he say regarding this incident? According to Stillman, "Muhammad was acting in complete accordance with the norms of the Arab society of that period which demanded retaliation for a slight to a group's honor." This is coming from the highest possible academic.

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Q&A

— The books of seerah mention that not just the Banu Nadir, but the other tribes all complained about this; but the Prophet PBUH did not do anything about them, because he had in fact ordered it himself. The message was given. Ibn Ishaq said that not a single tribe (of them) felt safe afterwards. And this was one of the reasons of the assassination: to send the message that, "You cannot get away with blatant treason."

[Transcribed by Br. Safwan Khan & Faizan]
safwan-khan@hotmail.com
[Revised by Br. Syed Haq & MAR, January 2021]