A prophet kills a man (Kaab Ibn Al Ashraf) by treachery

A prophet kills a man (Kaab Ibn Al Ashraf) by treachery!


They said: the prophet of Islam used to kill his enemies by treachery…Where's mercy?? Where are the good manners??
They referred to the story of Kaab Ibn Al Ashraf's kill mentioned in the Correct Bukhari, book of (incursions), chapter (killing Kaab Ibn Al Ashraf), no. 3731. Ali Ibn Abdullah narrated from Sufian narrated from Amr who said: I heard Jaber Ibn Abdellah saying: the messenger of Allah said: "Who would kill Kaab Ibn AlAshraf as he has harmed Allah and His messenger?" Muhammad Ibn Maslama (got up and) said, "I will kill him." So, Muhammad Ibn Maslama went to Kaab and said, "I want a loan of one or two loadings of food grains." Kaab said, "Mortgage your women to me." Muhammad Ibn Maslama said, "How can we mortgage our women, and you are the most handsome among the Arabs?" He said, "Then mortgage your sons to me." Muhammad said, "How can we mortgage our sons, as the people will abuse them for being mortgaged for one or two loadings of food grains? It is shameful for us. But we will mortgage our arms to you." So, Muhammad Ibn Maslama promised him that he would come to him next time. They (Muhammad bin Maslama and his companions came to him as promised and murdered him. Then they went to the Prophet and told him about it.


The reply to this misunderstanding:

First: Islam orders the believers to keep their vows, and prohibits treachery…This is proved in many texts, some of which are:

1 – Allah, the Almighty, says in the Quran: "And fulfill [every] commitment. Indeed, the commitment is ever [that about which one will be] questioned" (The Night Journey:34).

2 – The Correct Muslim, no. 3261. Buraida narrated that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) appointed anyone as leader of an army or detachment he would especially exhort him to fear Allah and to be good to the Muslims who were with him. He (PBUH) said: "Fight in the name of Allah and in the way of Allah. Fight against those who disbelieve in Allah. Make a holy war, do not embezzle the spoils; do not break your pledge; and do not mutilate (the dead) bodies, and do not kill children…."

3 – Abu Dawood's Sunan, no. 3068. Abu Huraira narrated that the messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: "Be honest with honest people (Pay the deposit to he who deposited it with you), and don't betray who betrays you". Thus, the prophet (PBUH) used to prohibit betrayal.

4 – The Correct Jamea, no.9301. Abu Saeed narrated that the prophet (PBUH) said: "Every betrayer will have a flag on the Day of Resurrection, so that the betrayer might be recognized by it. The more he betrays the higher his flag will be. No betrayer will be more sinful than a betraying leader". Thus the prophet (PBUH) clarifies that the betrayer will be exposed on the day of judgment…

Second: their claim that Kaab Ibn Al Ashraf was killed by treachery is untrue, why? Because he harmed Allah, the Almighty and His messenger (PBUH), as the prophet (PBUH) said: "Who would kill Kaab Ibn AlAshraf as he has harmed Allah and His messenger?"


Therefore, Kaab was fighting against the prophet (PBUH) in a war, and it's allowed to deceive your enemy in wars..This is proved in the following:

1 – The Correct Buhkari, no. 2805. Jaber Ibn Abdellah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: "War is deceit". So, killing Kaab isn't treachery, because he's fighting in a war against the prophet (PBUH)…

2 – Al Bukahri mentioned the story of Kaab's killing in the chapter (lying in wars). Thus, Muhammad Ibn Maslama was right when he killed him, and this is not called treachery.
The important question here: Was Kaab's killing right or wrong?

The answer: It was right, because he "harmed Allah and His messenger", the act that Allah, the Almighty, prohibited when He said in the Quran:


1 – {And those who abuse (harm) the Messenger of Allah - for them is a painful punishment} (The Repentance:61).

2 – {Indeed, those who abuse (harm) Allah and His Messenger - Allah has cursed them in this world and the Hereafter and prepared for them a humiliating punishment} (The Combined Forces:57).

It's worth mentioning that Kaab was a Jewish poet, who used to curse, swear, and urge against the prophet (PBUH) in his poetry….

Besides, Allah, the Almighty, prohibited killing a person except by right; He, the Almighty, said in the Quran: {And do not kill the soul which Allah has forbidden [to be killed] except by [legal] right. This has He instructed you that you may use reason} (The Cattle:151)


So, Muhammad (PBUH) did never order killing except by legal right, as he (PBUH) was the most merciful and patient man ever. In addition to that, we didn't hear anyone living at the prophet's (PBUH) time objecting the killing of Kaab and accusing the prophet (PBUH) of betrayal. We just hear that from the objectors nowadays…!!


Third: Some people may ask: Kaab Ibn Al Ashraf was from the Jews living in Madina, and they were people of covenant, so how could the prophet (PBUH) order to kill him…?
The answer: If we assume that the Jews living in Madina had a covenant with the prophet (PBUH) at that time, Muslim scholars agreed that who swears the prophet (PBUH) defects his vow due to his swear….


Fourth: Someone may ask: Why didn't the prophet (PBUH) forgive him, as he forgave others who swore and harmed him before…?

The answer: May be because Allah, the Almighty, informed His messenger (PBUH) that Kaab had a sealed heart, so he would never stop swearing, harming, and urging people against him (PBUH). So, he (PBUH) ordered to kill him, as he (PBUH) ordered to kill Abu Rafea, who used to harm him (PBUH). The prophet (PBUH) also ordered to kill a group of the disbelievers, who used to harm him (PBUH), such as AL Nadr Ibn AL Hareth, Uqba Ubn Abu Meiyat, and others….

This is exactly what happened with prophet Noah (PBUH), when Allah, the Almighty, informed him that his nation wouldn't obey his orders and accept his message. So, he (PBUH)
supplicated to Allah, and said: {Indeed, if You leave them, they will mislead Your servants and not beget except [every] wicked one and [confirmed] disbeliever} (Noah:27).

Fifth: The Bible mentions that prophet David (PBUH) ordered to kill his leader, Uriah the Hittite, by betrayal after he (PBUH) fornicated with his wife. This is mentioned in 2 Samuel 11:


1 In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.


2 It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king's house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. 3 And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” 4 So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. (Now she had been purifying herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned to her house. 5 And the woman conceived, and she sent and told David, “I am pregnant.”

6 So David sent word to Joab, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent Uriah to David. 7 When Uriah came to him, David asked how Joab was doing and how the people were doing and how the war was going. 8 Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” And Uriah went out of the king's house, and there followed him a present from the king. 9 But Uriah slept at the door of the king's house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house. 10 When they told David, “Uriah did not go down to his house,” David said to Uriah, “Have you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?” 11 Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah dwell in booths, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Shall I then go to my house, to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing.” 12 Then David said to Uriah, “Remain here today also, and tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. 13 And David invited him, and he ate in his presence and drank, so that he made him drunk. And in the evening he went out to lie on his couch with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house.
14 In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. 15 In the letter he wrote, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, that he may be struck down, and die.” 16 And as Joab was besieging the city, he assigned Uriah to the place where he knew there were valiant men. 17 And the men of the city came out and fought with Joab, and some of the servants of David among the people fell. Uriah the Hittite also died.


I have a question here: Why didn't the objectors attack prophet Noah (PBUH) and allege that he's not a prophet, because he killed Uriah the Hittite, same as what they did with prophet Muhammad (PBUH)…?! No comment!!