Important Events Between the Battles of Badr and Uhud:
Tribulation mongers are no less dangerous than those who brandish swords to fight the Muslims, for had it not been for these mongers, tribulation would never have risen. This is why the Messenger pursued and killed them to suppress temptation and enable the truth. Some of them were killed after the battle of Badr, includin:
The Jewish man, Abu ‘Afak: He was an old man from Banu ‘Amr bin ‘Awf, a Jew who would instigate people against the Prophet and compose poetry to this effect. The Messenger said: “Who would rid me of this wicked [man]?” Saalim bin ‘Umayr, may Allah be pleased with him, set out to find him and killed him.
The major event in the elimination of the anti Islamic-State instigators in the interval between the Battles of Badr and Uhud was the killing of Ka‘b bin Al-Ashraf.
The killing of Ka‘b bin Al-Ashraf: Ka‘b’s lineage is traced back to Banu Nabhaan, a sect of Tayyi’. In the pre-Islamic era, his father killed someone so he escaped to Madeenah and allied with the Jews of Banu An-Nadheer. He married ‘Aqeelah bint Abi Al-Huqayq and had Ka‘b by her. Ka‘b, who was a poet, antagonized Islam. Enraged by the Muslims’ victory over Quraysh in Badr, he traveled to Makkah, lampooning the Prophet and urging Quraysh to retaliate for their slain men whom he mourned and wailed for in his poetry. He also called them to annihilate the Messenger and the Muslims.
He continued to abuse the Prophet in his poetry, encouraging Quraysh to fight the Muslims and maliciously target the Messenger . Once Abu Sufyaan, who was still a polytheist at that time, asked him whether the polytheists’ religion or that of Muhammad and his followers was more loveable to Allah The Almighty. Ka‘b replied that the polytheists followed a more enlightened way. He then left, having formed the polytheists’ public opinion on fighting the Messenger and declaring his animosity and verbally abusing the Messenger . When he arrived in Madeenah, he publicly provoked the Prophet and started to insult him. He was insolent enough to compose amorous poetry about Umm Al-Fadhl bint Al-Haarith, may Allah be pleased with her, the wife of Al-‘Abbaas, may Allah be pleased with him, who was the uncle of the Prophet .
Hassaan bin Thaabit, may Allah be pleased with him, answers back
The Messenger would urge Hassaan, may Allah be pleased with him, to answer Ka‘b bin Al-Ashraf and would tell him about the whereabouts of Ka‘b in Makkah. When Ka‘b stayed at the house of Al-Muttalib bin Abi Wadaa‘ah bin Dhumayrah As-Sahmi and his wife ‘Aatikah bint Aseed bin Abi Al-‘Ees, the Prophet informed Hassaan bin Thaabit, may Allah be pleased with him, who composed poetry satirizing Ka‘b’s hosts for having him in their home. When news of Hassaan’s poetry reached ‘Aatikah bint Aseed, she threw out Ka‘b’s luggage and said to her husband, “What do we have to do with this Jew? Can you not see what Hassaan is doing to us”?
Ka‘b then moved to another household, but every time the Prophet would tell Hassaan, may Allah be pleased with him, where Ka‘b was, and Hassaan would criticize the hosts in his poetry and they would expel Ka‘b until each and every household had expelled Ka‘b and he returned to Madeenah to meet his inevitable doom and well-deserved punishment.
Thus, the propaganda war launched by Hassaan bin Thaabit, may Allah be pleased with him, against Ka‘b achieved its goals.
Ka’b bin Al-Ashraf receives his punishment
The Jew, Ka‘b bin Al-Ashraf, had committed many crimes and acts of treachery and abuse against the Messenger and against Muslim men and women. Each of these crimes was in itself a violation of the covenant between the Muslims and Jews and thus necessitated the death penalty, so what then should the penalty have been if all these crimes were committed by one single person: this wicked Jew?
The insults to the Prophet, sallalaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, in his poetry, the sympathy he showed towards the enemies of the Muslims, the lament of their slain warriors and his instigation against the Muslims, all meant that Ka‘b bin Al-Ashraf had breached the covenant and was at war with the Muslims. Thus, the shedding of his blood became lawful. Therefore, the Prophet ordered that he be killed. The following are the details of this as narrated by Jaabir bin ‘Abdullaah, may Allah be pleased with him and his father:
The Prophet said: “Who is willing to kill Ka‘b bin Al-Ashraf who has offended Allah and His Apostle?” Muhammad bin Maslamah got up saying, “Messenger of Allah, would you like me to kill him?” The Prophet said: “Yes.” Ibn Maslamah said, “Then allow me to say a [false] thing [i.e. to deceive Ka‘b].” The Prophet said: “You may say it..”
Then Ibn Maslamah went to Ka‘b and said, “That man [i.e. Muhammad ] demands charity [Zakah] from us, and this has caused us trouble. I have therefore come to borrow from you.” On that, Ka‘b said, “By Allah, you will get drained by him!” Ibn Maslamah, said, “Well, as we have followed him, we do not want to leave him until we see what will happen to him. We want you to lend us one or two Wasq [a Wasq is equal to almost 150 kg] of food. Ka‘b said, “Yes, [I will lend it to you], but you should mortgage something to me.” Ibn Maslamah and his companion said, “What do you want?” Ka‘b replied, “Mortgage your women to me.” They said, “How can we mortgage our women to you, and you are the most handsome of the Arabs?” Ka‘b said, “Then mortgage your sons to me.” They said, “How can we mortgage our sons to you then later they would be disgraced for having been pawned for one or two Wasq of food. We will mortgage our arms to you.”
Muhammad bin Maslamah promised Ka‘b that they would return to him. He came to Ka‘b at night along with Ka‘b’s foster brother, Abu Naa’ilah. Ka‘b invited them to come into the fort, and then he went down to them. His wife asked him, “Where are you going at this hour?” Ka‘b replied, “It is only Muhammad bin Maslamah and my brother Abu Naa’ilah.” His wife said, “I hear a voice as if blood is dripping from it.” Ka‘b said, “They are none but my brother Muhammad bin Maslamah and my foster brother Abu Naa’ilah.”
Muhammad bin Maslamah had, in fact, brought two other men with him and said to them, “When Ka‘b comes, I will say something about his hair and then smell it; when you see that I have got hold of his head, strike him.”
Ka‘b bin Al-Ashraf came down to them wrapped in his clothes, diffusing perfume. Muhammad bin Maslamah said, “Will you allow me to smell your head?” Ka‘b said, “Yes.” Ibn Maslamah smelt it and made his companions smell it as well. Then he asked Ka‘b again, “Will you let me [smell your head]?” Ka‘b said, “Yes.” When Ibn Maslamah got a strong hold of him, he said [to his companions], “Kill him!” So they killed him and went to the Prophet and informed him. [Al-Bukhari]
According to As-Seerah An-Nabawiyyah by Ibn Hishaam Muhammad bin Maslamah, may Allah be pleased with him, remained for three days without eating or drinking except very little, just enough to keep himself alive, in preparation for the task of killing Ka‘b bin Al-Ashraf. When the Prophet was informed of this he asked him why he did not eat or drink. Muhammad bin Maslamah, may Allah be pleased with him, said that it was due to the apprehension he felt due to promising the Prophet to carry out the task while being uncertain whether he could actually do it. The Prophet said: “You only have to do your best.” Ibn Maslamah, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “We will have to say something false [about the Prophet to carry out the plan];” and the Prophet said, “Say whatever you will.”
According to As-Seerah An-Nabawiyyah by Ibn Is’haaq who narrated through a good chain of narrators on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbaas, may Allah be pleased with them, that as they set out on their mission, the Prophet walked with Muhammad bin Maslamah, may Allah be pleased with him, and his friends up to the Baqee‘ Al-Gharqad graveyard and saw them off, saying: “Go ahead in the Name of Allah. May Allah help you”!
The Elimination of Anti Islamic-State Instigators, and the Assassination of Ka‘b bin Al-Ashraf - II