Is the Report About Ka’b Ibn Zuhayr’s Brother Warning Him That the Prophet Was Killing Those Who Mocked Him Authentic?

Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch

Question

Is the report about Ka‘b ibn Zuhayr’s brother warning him that the Prophet was killing those who mocked him authentic? And does the Conquest of Makka show the Prophet’s pardon of personal harm, or were only specific individuals excluded from his mercy?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

The following story of Ka‘b ibn Zuhayr is considered authentic and is transmitted in the relied-upon Sira collections. Here is the story in a summary from Sira of Ibn Hisham.

Ka‘b ibn Zuhayr (Allah be pleased with him) was one of the most renowned poets of the Arabian Peninsula. The poets at that time, especially the best of them, were extremely influential in shaping the minds and thoughts of their people. If a poet criticized someone or incited people to oppose them, people would fervently act on that advice, and their minds would be set on that belief. [Ibn Hisham, Sira Nabawiyya]

Before Islam, Ka‘b was adamantly opposed to the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) and the religion of Islam, as many of the polytheists were. However, it was his poetry that incited people to disbelief and to persecute the Muslims to an even greater degree. Due to this, the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) sanctioned his killing due to the danger of his offensive against Islam. [Ibid.]

Although he was not aware, Ka‘b’s brother, Bujayr, was already a Muslim and advised Ka‘b to seek forgiveness from the Prophet before any of the companions captured him. Bujayr told him, “The Messenger of Allah had some people in Makka killed due to their attacks and insults, and the rest of the Makkan poets have fled. So, if you care about your life, then hasten to the Messenger of Allah, for he does not have anyone who comes penitent killed. If not, then seek refuge in some distant land.” [Ibid.]

At this, Ka‘b became afraid and anxious. Once he realized he had no choice, he left for Madina and went to the Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) during the Dawn prayer. After praying with him, he approached the Messenger of Allah and sat next to him and put his hand in his hand. At the time, the Messenger of Allah did not know him (by face). Ka‘b then said, “O Messenger of Allah, indeed Ka‘b bin Zuhayr has come seeking safety in repentance as a Muslim; would you accept him, if I brought him to you?” The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Yes.” Ka‘b then said, “O Messenger of Allah, I am Ka‘b bin Zuhayr.” Thereafter, Ka‘b bin Zuhayr said his famous poem in praise of the Prophet. [Ibid.]

The Conquest of Makka

When entering the Holy city of Makka after years of exile and persecution, the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) gave a general amnesty to the people of Makka, including many who were directly involved in persecuting the Muslims. [Ibid.]

Before entering Makka, the Messenger of Allah instructed his appointed generals not to fight anyone except those who fight them first, except for a specific group of people that the Messenger mentioned by name. He commanded that they should be killed, even if they were found between the Ka‘ba and its covering. [Ibid.]

Among these people was ‘Abdullah bin Sa‘d, ‘Abdullah bin Khatal, Fartana and her companion, Huwayrith bin Nuqaydh, Miqyas bin Hubaba, Sara, the patron of the Abdul Muttalib tribe, ‘Ikrima bin Abi Jahl [Ibid.]

Why Were These People the Exception?

Abdullah bin Sa‘d was, before this, among those who entered Islam. He was even among those who would write down the revelations. Thereafter, he apostated and returned to Quraysh as a polytheist. He then fled to ‘Uthman ibn Affan, who was his milk brother; ‘Uthman hid ‘Abdullah bin Sa‘d and brought him to the Messenger of Allah, seeking amnesty for him after everything had settled down. The Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) agreed, and years later, Abdullah bin Sa‘d returned to Islam. [Ibid.]

The Prophet appointed Abdullah bin Khatal as a collector of charity. He was, however, killed after he had killed his Muslim servant and turned back to polytheism. [Ibid.]

Fartana and her companion were songstresses who would sing poetry to attack and insult the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace). For the same reason and context for which he commanded the killing of Ka‘b bin Zuhayr, these two were also treated similarly. One of them was actually killed, and the other fled. Later on, amnesty was sought for her and was granted. She then came back and lived until the Caliphate of ‘Umar, when she died in a horse accident. [Ibid.]

Huwayrith bin Nuqaydh pulled the two daughters of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) from their camels as they were migrating to Madina with ‘Abbas bin ‘Abdul Muttalib and caused them to fall to the ground violently. This is why he was under the command to be killed. [Ibid.]

Miqyas bin Hubaba was commanded to be killed because he killed one of the Muslims from the Ansar and returned to the Quraysh as a polytheist. [Ibid.]

Sara was also among those who would insult the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) in Makka. [Ibid.]

‘Ikrima (Allah be pleased with him) fled to Yemen, after which his wife embraced Islam and sought amnesty for him, which the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) granted.  So she went looking for him in Yemen and brought him back to the Messenger of Allah, after which he embraced Islam. [Ibid.]

Summary

The fundamental way of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) is one of mercy. When heading to Makka for the conquest, one of the Companions said to Abu Sufyan (who was not yet a Muslim), “Today is the day of slaughter.” When this statement reached the Messenger, he demoted that Companion from his position and said, “Rather, today is a day of mercy.” [Ibid.]

Except for the above individuals, the Messenger granted forgiveness unlike anything history has ever seen. If one looks carefully at the individuals who were killed, one would note a couple of points.

Firstly, any of them who sought amnesty from the Prophet and changed their ways (even if they remained disbelievers) were given amnesty.

Secondly, all of those who were killed were extremely dangerous in their incitement of people towards disbelief. The Prophet’s command to kill them due to their insulting of him was not due to his personal offence; however, people’s perception of the Messenger is directly related to their perception of the message, revelation, Allah, and all matters of faith.

This is why we have many narrations of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) teaching the companions of his own virtues, characteristics, and distinctions, and how Allah Most High loves him. This was not out of boasting; it was part of the message he was commanded to convey and prohibited from concealing any part of. For us to know and love the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) is integral to having true faith.

He (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “No one truly believes until I am more beloved to them than their parents, children, and all humankind.” [Bukhari]

Hope this helps
Allah knows best
[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a teacher of Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he went on to study at Darul Uloom Seminary in New York and completed his studies at Darul Mustafa in Tarim, Yemen.

There, he completed the memorization of the Quran and his study of Islamic Sciences. Throughout his years of study, he was blessed to learn from many great scholars: Habib Umar bin Hafiz, Habib Kazhim al-Saqqaf, Shaykh ‘Umar bin Husayn al-Khatib, and others.

Upon returning, he joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.