The Expedition of 'Abdullah ibn 'Atik () also known as the Assassination of Abu Rafi' ibn Abi Al-Huqaiq (), took place in March, AD 627. Note: Book contains a list of battles of Muhammad in Arabic, English translation availabl

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Background

Sallam ibn Abu al-Huqayq Salām bin Abī 'l-Huqayq or Abu Rafi () was a Jewish poet of early 7th century Arabia who financed and assisted the Pagan tribes who were fighting Muhammad and his followers, the muslims. He was killed in the Expedition of 'Abdullah ibn 'Atik ...

(Abu Rafi) was a Jew, who financed and assisted the Pagan tribes who were fighting

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

and his followers, the Muslims, and denigrating Muhammad with his poetry (hija'). After Muhammad's followers had exterminated the males of the tribe of Banu Quraiza in Medina, the Al-Khazraj tribe, a rival of Al-Aws, asked for Muhammad's permission to kill him in order to merit a virtue equal to that of Al-Aws who had killed Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf.

Assassination

According to the Sealed Nectar, a group of 5 men from the

Banu Khazraj The Banu Khazraj () is a large Arab tribe based in Medina. They were also in Medina during Muhammad's era. The Banu Khazraj are a South Arabian Qahtanite tribe that were pressured out of South Arabia as a result of the destruction of the Marib ...

tribe with ‘Abdullah bin ‘Ateeq at their head, headed for

Khaybar KhaybarOther Arabic transliteration, standardized Arabic transliterations: / . Anglicized pronunciation: , . (, ) is an oasis in Medina Province (Saudi Arabia), Medina Province, Saudi Arabia, situated some north of the city of Medina. Prior to ...

where ‘Abu Rafi’s fort was situated. When they approached the fortress, ‘Abdullah advised his men to stay a little behind, then went ahead disguised in his cloak, as if he had been relieving himself. When the people of the fort went in, the gate-keeper called him to enter thinking he was one of them. ‘Abdullah went in and lurked inside. He then began to unbolt the doors leading to Salam’s room. There it was absolutely dark but he managed to put him to the sword, and then leave in safety. On his way back, his leg broke so he wrapped it up in a band, and hid in a secret place until morning when someone stood on the wall and announced the death of Salam bin Abi Al-Huqaiq officially. On hearing this news he left and went to see

, who listened to the whole story, and then asked ‘Abdullah to stretch his leg, which he wiped and the fracture healed on the spot according to Muslim scholar Saifur Rahman al Mubarakpuri. In another version, all five of the group participated in the killing. This incident took place in Dhul Qa‘dah or Dhul Hijjah in the year five Hijri.

William Muir Sir William Muir (27 April 1819 – 11 July 1905) was a Scottish oriental studies, Orientalist, and colonial administrator, Principal of the University of Edinburgh and Lieutenant Governor of the North-Western Provinces of British Raj, Brit ...

also claims five people were sent, 'Abdullah ibn 'Atik who was familiar with the language of the

Banu Nadir The Banu Nadir (, ) were a Jewish Arab tribe that lived in northern Arabia at the oasis of Medina until the 7th century. They were probably a part of the Constitution of Medina, which was formed after Muhammad's Hijrah. Tensions rose between th ...

, addressed Al-Huqaiq's wife, who came to open the door, entering on a false pretext. Muir also mentions that according to one account, he pretended he brought a present for her husband. When his wife saw they were armed, she began to scream and they started to aim their weapons at her, forcing her to be silent "at the peril of her life". They then rushed in and killed Al-Huqaiq (Abu Rafi)..

Islamic primary sources

In his biography of Muhammad, the Muslim historian

Tabari Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad ibn Jarīr ibn Yazīd al-Ṭabarī (; 839–923 CE / 224–310 AH), commonly known as al-Ṭabarī (), was a Sunni Muslim scholar, polymath, historian, exegete, jurist, and theologian from Amol, Tabaristan, present-day ...

mentions the event as follows: Abu Rafi's assassination is mentioned in many Sunni

Hadith Hadith is the Arabic word for a 'report' or an 'account f an event and refers to the Islamic oral tradition of anecdotes containing the purported words, actions, and the silent approvals of the Islamic prophet Muhammad or his immediate circle ...

: Abu Rafi's assassination is mentioned in: , , and many more.

References

Notes

*. Note: This is the free version available on Google Books *, Original from: Harvard University (according to Google books). {{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 627 Campaigns ordered by Muhammad

Background

Assassination

Islamic primary sources

See also

References

Notes