Rebuttal To Answering Islam's Article "Muhammad and `Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Salul al-`Aufi"

by

Bassam Zawadi

Their article can be located here. You should definitely read their article before reading this. 

Basically, their two main arguments are why the Prophet ordered the killing of Abdullah bin Salul and why the Prophet didn't have Abdullah bin Salul flogged. 

First of all, the Prophet never ordered the killing of Abdullah bin Ubay. When you read the word in Arabic, it is 'ya'athirni', meaning 'help' or 'relieve'. Even look at how Ibn Kathir translates it:

So then the Messenger of Allah got up and (addressed the people) and asked who could sort out `Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Salul for him. While he was standing on the Minbar, the Messenger of Allah said, O Muslims, who will help me against a man who has hurt me by slandering my family By Allah,.......... (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Source)

When the Muslims reacted by saying that they would kill him, that was THEIR idea of helping the Prophet! The Prophet never ordered it. The Prophet just wanted their help in how to stop Abdullah bin Salul from doing what he was doing. 

If the Prophet had wanted to have Abdullah ibn Salool killed, then he would have taken the chance. He was given this opportunity, yet the Prophet (peace be upon him) refused to order the killing of Abdullah ibn Salool:

Saheeh Bukhari

Volume 004, Book 056, Hadith Number 720.

Narated By Jabir : We were in the company of the Prophet in a Ghazwa. A large number of emigrants joined him and among the emigrants there was a person who used to play jokes (or play with spears); so he (jokingly) stroked an Ansari man on the hip. The Ans-ari got so angry that both of them called their people. The Ansari said, "Help, O Ansar!" And the emigrant said "Help, O emigrants!" The Prophet came out and said, "What is wrong with the people (as they are calling) this call of the period of Ignorance? "Then he said, "What is the matter with them?" So he was told about the stroke of the emigrant to the Ansari. The Prophet said, "Stop this (i.e. appeal for help) for it is an evil call. "Abdullah bin Ubai bin Salul (a hypocrite) said, "The emigrants have called and (gathered against us); so when we return to Medina, surely, the more honorable people will expel there-from the meaner," Upon that 'Umar said, "O Allah's Prophet! Shall we not kill this evil person (i.e. Abdullah bin Ubai bin Salul) ?" The Prophet) said, "(No), lest the people should say that Muhammad used to kill his companions."

Volume 006, Book 060, Hadith Number 428.

Narated By Jabir bin 'Abdullah : We were in a Ghazwa (Sufyan once said, in an army) and a man from the emigrants kicked an Ansari man (on the buttocks with his foot). The Ansari man said, "O the Ansar! (Help!)" and the emigrant said. "O the emigrants! (Help!) Allah's Apostle heard that and said, "What is this call for, which is characteristic of the period of ignorance?" They said, "O Allah's Apostle! A man from the emigrants kicked one of the Ansar (on the buttocks with his foot)." Allah's Apostle said, "Leave it (that call) as is a detestable thing." 'Abdullah bin Ubai heard that and said, 'Have the (the emigrants) done so? By Allah, if we return Medina, surely, the more honourable will expel there-from the meaner." When this statement reached the Prophet. 'Umar got up an, said, "O Allah's Apostle! Let me chop off the head of this hypocrite ('Abdullah bin Ubai)!" The Prophet said "Leave him, lest the people say that Muhammad kills his companions." The Ansar were then more in number than the emigrants when the latter came to Medina, but later on the emigrant increased.

Volume 006, Book 060, Hadith Number 430.

Narated By Jabir bin Abdullah : We were in a Ghazwa and a man from the emigrants kicked an Ansari (on the buttocks with his foot). The Ansari man said, "O the Ansari! (Help!)" The emigrant said, "O the emigrants! (Help)." When Allah's Apostle heard that, he said, "What is that?" They said, "A man from the emigrants kicked a man from the Ansar (on the buttocks his foot). On that the Ansar said, 'O the Ansar!' and the emigrant said, 'O the emigrants!" The Prophet said' "Leave it (that call) for it Is a detestable thing." The number of Ansar was larger (than that of the emigrants) at the time when the Prophet came to Medina, but later the number of emigrants increased. 'Abdullah bin Ubai said, "Have they, (the emigrants) done so? By Allah, if we return to Medina, surely, the more honourable will expel there-from the meaner," 'Umar bin Al-Khattab said, "O Allah's Apostle! Let me chop off the head of this hypocrite!" The Prophet said, "Leave him, lest the people say Muhammad kills his companions."

Plus, even Answering Islam says:

According the Sirat the death request for `Abdullah is not uttered by Muhammad, but Usayd b. Hudayr, asking Muhammad to allow kill the slanderers. The question would be which report is more authentic.

So, I would like to thank Answering Islam for strengthening my position even more that it was not the Prophet who issued the order for the killing. 

The main people involved in the slandering affair were Mistah bin Athatha, Hassan bin Thabit and Hamnah bint Jahsh and they were flogged. 

However, Abdullah bin Salool, the person who started it all, was not. This could be because his punishment was awaiting him in the next life, unlike the others whom Allah forgave, whose punishment was only in this life:

Verily, those who brought forth the slander are a group among you.), until the ten Ayat. Allah revealed these Ayat concerning my innocence. Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, who used to spend on Mistah bin Uthathah because he was a close relative and because he was poor, said, `By Allah, I will never spend anything on him again after what he has said about `A'ishah. ' Then Allah revealed,

(And let not those among you who are blessed with graces and wealth swear not to give to their kinsmen.) until His saying:

(Do you not love that Allah should forgive you And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful) [24:22]. So Abu Bakr said, `By Allah, certainly I love that Allah should forgive me.' So he resumed spending on Mistah as he had spent on him before, and he said, `By Allah, I shall never stop spending on him.' The Messenger of Allah asked Zaynab bint Jahsh about my situation, and said, (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Source)

(Verily, those who brought forth the slander are a group among you.) [24:1] This refers to Hassan and his companions who said what they said. Then Allah said, (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Source)

(Had it not been for the grace of Allah and His mercy unto you in this world and in the Hereafter,) This is addressed to those who were indulging in discussing the matter of `A'ishah, informing them that Allah has accepted their repentance in this world, and forgiven them because of their faith in the Hereafter.

would have touched you for that whereof you had spoken.) with regard to the slander.

(a great torment) This refers to those who had faith in Allah because of their repentance, such as Mistah, Hassan and Hamnah bint Jahsh the sister of Zaynab bint Jahsh. As for the hypocrites who indulged in the slander, such as `Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Salul and his like, they are not the ones who are referred to in this Ayah , because they did not have sufficient faith and righteous deeds to balance or cancel out what they had done. By the same token, the threats that were narrated for a specific deed are bound to be carried out, if there is no repentance or sufficient righteous deeds to balance or outweigh it. (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Source)

Allah speaks about Abdullah bin Ubayy in the following way: "And to him who took on himself the lead among them, will be a penalty grievous." 

So, let's look at the verse one more time:

Those who brought forward the lie are a body among yourselves: think it not to be evil to you; On the contrary, it is good for you: to every man among them (will come the punishment) of the sin that he earned, (they are Mistah, Hassan, and Hamnah) and to him who took on himself the lead among them, will be a penalty grievous. (this is Abdullah bin Salul)

So God, instead of having Abdullah bin Salul punished in this life, is giving him a worse punishment, which is a guaranteed entry to hell. 

The idea that the Prophet (peace be upon him) did not punish certain people because of their position or who they were is a complete lie. The Prophet was even willing to implement Islamic law on his family if it were to resort to such a need...

Saheeh Muslim

Book 017, Number 4187:

A'isha reported that the Quraish had been anxious about the Makhzumi woman who had committed theft, and said: Who will speak to Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) about her? They said: Who dare it, but Usama, the loved one of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him)? So Usama spoke to him. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: Do you intercede regarding one of the punishments prescribed by Allah? He then stood up and addressed (people) saying: O people, those who have gone before you were destroyed, because if any one of high rank committed theft amongst them, they spared him; and it anyone of low rank committed theft, they inflicted the prescribed punishment upon him. By Allah, if Fatima, daughter of Muhammad, were to steal, I would have her hand cut off. In the hadith transmitted on the authority of Ibn Rumh (the words are):" Verily those before you perished."

Saifur Rahman al-Mubarakpuri puts it nicely in his book 'The Sealed Nectar': 

The principal elements involved in the slander affair, Mistah bin Athatha, Hassan bin Thabit and Hamnah bint Jahsh, were flogged with eighty stripes.

As for the man who took the principal part, 'Abdullah bin Ubai, he was not flogged, either because the corporal punishment commutes the chastisement in store for him in the Hereafter, and he does not deserve this merit, or for the same public interest for which he was not killed previously. He, moreover, became the butt of reproach and humiliation amongst his people after his real intentions had been unequivocally exposed to all the public. [Sahih Al-Bukhari 1/364,2/696-698; Za'd Al-Ma'ad 2/113-115; Ibn Hisham 2/297-307]

Almost a month later, the Messenger of Allâh [pbuh] and 'Umar bin Al-Khattab were engaged in the following talk: "Don't you see 'Umar if I had had him (Abdullah bin Ubai) killed, a large number of dignitaries would have furiously hastened to fight for him. Now, on the contrary, if I ask them to kill him, they will do so out of their own free will." 'Umar replied "I swear by Allâh that the Prophet's judgement is much more sound than mine." [Ibn Hisham 2/293] (Saifur Rahman al-Mubarakpuri, The Sealed Nectar, Source) 

Abdullah bin Salul had enmity towards the Prophet since day one (read Saheeh Bukhari, Volume 6, Book 60, Number 89)

Abdulla bin Salool even betrayed the Muslim army during Uhud, when they were most desperate, and took 300 men along with him. Read about it here.

Another hadith showing the trouble Abdullah bin Salul caused the Muslims (read Saheeh Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 56, Number 720)

However, even after all this, the Prophet prayed for Abdullah bin Salul at his funeral. (read Saheeh Bukhari, Volume 2, Book 23, Number 447)

Do you see the mercy of the glorious Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)?

Return to Refuting General Articles by Answering-Islam.org

Return to Homepage