68. The killing of Sallām b. Abī al-Ḥuqayq

Sirat Ibn Hisham 1203No grade recorded
مَقْتَلُ سَلَّامِ بْنِ أَبِي الْحُقَيْقِ [ اسْتِئْذَانُ الْخَزْرَجِ الرَّسُولَ فِي قَتْلِ ابْنِ أَبِي الْحَقِيقِ ] قَالَ ابْنُ إسْحَاقَ: وَلَمَّا انْقَضَى شَأْنُ الْخَنْدَقِ، وَأَمْرُ بَنِي قُرَيْظَةَ، وَكَانَ سَلَّامُ بْنُ أَبِي الْحُقَيْقِ، وَهُوَ أَبُو رَافِعٍ فِيمَنْ حَزَّبَ الْأَحْزَابُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ، وَكَانَتْ الْأَوْسُ قَبْلَ أُحُدٍ قَدْ قَتَلَتْ كَعْبَ بْنَ الْأَشْرَفِ، فِي عَدَاوَتِهِ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَتَحْرِيضِهِ عَلَيْهِ، اسْتَأْذَنَتْ الْخَزْرَجُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ فِي قَتْلِ سَلَّامِ بْنِ أَبِي الْحُقَيْقِ، وَهُوَ بِخَيْبَرِ، فَأَذِنَ لَهُمْ. قَالَ ابْنُ إسْحَاقَ: وَحَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ مُسْلِمِ بْنِ شِهَابٍ الزُّهْرِيُّ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ كَعْبِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، قَالَ: وَكَانَ مِمَّا صَنَعَ اللَّهُ بِهِ لِرَسُولِهِ ﷺ أَنَّ هَذَيْنِ الْحَيَّيْنِ مِنْ الْأَنْصَارِ، وَالْأَوْسِ وَالْخَزْرَجِ، كَانَا يَتَصَاوَلَانِ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ تَصَاوُلَ الْفَحْلَيْنِ، لَا تَصْنَعُ الْأَوْسُ شَيْئًا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ غَنَاءً إلَّا قَالَتْ الْخَزْرَجُ: وَاَللَّهِ لَا تَذْهَبُونَ بِهَذِهِ فَضْلًا عَلَيْنَا عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَفِي الْإِسْلَامِ. قَالَ: فَلَا يَنْتَهُونَ حَتَّى يُوقِعُوا مِثْلَهَا؛ وَإِذَا فَعَلَتْ الْخَزْرَجُ شَيْئًا قَالَتْ الْأَوْسُ مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ. وَلَمَّا أَصَابَتْ الْأَوْسَ كَعْبَ بْنَ الْأَشْرَفِ فِي عَدَاوَتِهِ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَتْ الْخَزْرَجُ: وَاَللَّهِ لَا تَذْهَبُونَ بِهَا فَضْلًا عَلَيْنَا أَبَدًا، قَالَ: فَتَذَاكَرُوا: مَنْ رَجُلٌ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فِي الْعَدَاوَةِ كَابْنِ الْأَشْرَفِ ؟ فَذَكَرُوا ابْنَ أَبِي الْحُقَيْقِ، وَهُوَ بِخَيْبَرِ، فَاسْتَأْذَنُوا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ فِي قَتْلِهِ، فَأَذِنَ لَهُمْ.
✧ THE KILLING OF SALLĀM B. ABĪ AL-ḤUQAYQ [The Khazraj ask the Messenger's permission to kill Ibn Abī al-Ḥaqīq] Ibn Isḥāq said: When the affair of the Trench and the matter of the Banū Qurayẓah were over—and Sallām b. Abī al-Ḥuqayq, who is Abū Rāfiʿ, was among those who gathered the confederates against the Messenger of God ﷺ—and the Aws had killed Kaʿb b. al-Ashraf before Uḥud for his enmity toward the Messenger of God ﷺ and his incitement against him, the Khazraj asked permission of the Messenger of God ﷺ to kill Sallām b. Abī al-Ḥuqayq, who was in Khaybar, and he granted them permission. Ibn Isḥāq said: Muḥammad b. Muslim b. Shihāb al-Zuhrī related to me, from ʿAbd Allāh b. Kaʿb b. Mālik, who said: Among what God did for His Messenger ﷺ was that these two tribes of the Anṣār, the Aws and the Khazraj, used to vie with one another in the presence of the Messenger of God ﷺ like two stallions vying. The Aws would not do anything of service for the Messenger of God ﷺ but that the Khazraj would say: 'By God, they will not go off with this as an excellence over us in the sight of the Messenger of God ﷺ and in Islam.' He said: They would not stop until they brought about something like it. And when the Khazraj did something, the Aws would say the like. When the Aws struck down Kaʿb b. al-Ashraf for his enmity toward the Messenger of God ﷺ, the Khazraj said: 'By God, they will never go off with it as an excellence over us.' He said: So they reminded one another: Who is a man to the Messenger of God ﷺ in enmity like Ibn al-Ashraf? They mentioned Ibn Abī al-Ḥuqayq, and he was in Khaybar, so they asked the Messenger of God ﷺ for permission to kill him, and he granted them permission.
Sirat Ibn Hisham 1204No grade recorded
[ النَّفَرُ الَّذِينَ خَرَجُوا لِقَتْلِ ابْنِ أَبِي الْحُقَيْقِ وَقِصَّتُهُمْ ] فَخَرَجَ إلَيْهِ مِنْ الْخَزْرَجِ مِنْ بَنِي سَلِمَةَ خَمْسَةُ نَفَرٍ: عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عَتِيكٍ، وَمَسْعُودُ بْنُ سِنَانٍ، وَعَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ أُنَيْسٍ، وَأَبُو قَتَادَةَ الْحَارِثُ بْنُ رِبْعِيٍّ، وَخُزَاعِيُّ بْنُ أَسْوَدَ، حَلِيفٌ لَهُمْ مِنْ أَسْلَمَ. فَخَرَجُوا وَأَمَّرَ عَلَيْهِمْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ عَتِيكٍ، وَنَهَاهُمْ عَنْ أَنْ يَقْتُلُوا وَلِيدًا أَوْ امْرَأَةً، فَخَرَجُوا حَتَّى إذَا قَدِمُوا خَيْبَرَ، أَتَوْا دَارَ ابْنِ أَبِي الْحُقَيْقِ لَيْلًا، فَلَمْ يَدْعُوَا بَيْتًا فِي الدَّارِ إلَّا أَغْلَقُوهُ عَلَى أَهْلِهِ. قَالَ: وَكَانَ فِي عِلِّيَّةٍ لَهُ إلَيْهَا عَجَلَةٌ قَالَ: فَأَسْنَدُوا فِيهَا، حَتَّى قَامُوا عَلَى بَابِهِ، فَاسْتَأْذَنُوا عَلَيْهِ، فَخَرَجَتْ إلَيْهِمْ امْرَأَتُهُ، فَقَالَتْ: مَنْ أَنْتُمْ ؟ قَالُوا: نَاسٌ مِنْ الْعَرَبِ نَلْتَمِسُ الْمِيرَةَ. قَالَتْ: ذَاكُمْ صَاحِبكُمْ، فَادْخُلُوا عَلَيْهِ؛ قَالَ: فَلَمَّا دَخَلْنَا عَلَيْهِ، أَغْلَقْنَا عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَيْهَا الْحُجْرَةَ، تَخَوُّفًا أَنْ تَكُونَ دُونَهُ مُجَاوَلَةٌ تَحُولُ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَهُ، قَالَتْ: فَصَاحَتْ امْرَأَتُهُ، فَنَوَّهَتْ بِنَا وَابْتَدَرْنَاهُ، وَهُوَ عَلَى فِرَاشِهِ بِأَسْيَافِنَا، فَوَاَللَّهِ مَا يَدُلُّنَا عَلَيْهِ فِي سَوَادِ اللَّيْلِ إلَّا بَيَاضُهُ كَأَنَّهُ قُبْطِيَّةٌ مُلْقَاةٌ. قَالَ: وَلَمَّا صَاحَتْ بِنَا امْرَأَتُهُ، جَعَلَ الرَّجُلُ مِنَّا يَرْفَعُ عَلَيْهَا سَيْفَهُ، ثُمَّ يَذْكُرُ نَهْيَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَيَكُفُّ يَدَهُ، وَلَوْلَا ذَلِكَ لَفَرَغْنَا مِنْهَا بِلَيْلٍ. قَالَ: فَلَمَّا ضَرَبْنَاهُ بِأَسْيَافِنَا تَحَامَلَ عَلَيْهِ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ أُنَيْسٍ بِسَيْفِهِ فِي بَطْنِهِ حَتَّى أَنْفَذَهُ، وَهُوَ يَقُولُ: قَطْنِي قَطْنِي: أَيْ حَسْبِي حَسْبِي. قَالَ: وَخَرَجْنَا، وَكَانَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عَتِيكٍ رَجُلًا سَيِّئَ الْبَصَرِ، قَالَ: فَوَقَعَ مِنْ الدَّرَجَةِ فَوُثِئَتْ يَدُهُ وَثْئًا شَدِيدًا - وَيُقَالُ: رِجْلُهُ، فِيمَا قَالَ ابْنُ هِشَامٍ - وَحَمَلْنَاهُ حَتَّى نَأْتِيَ بِهِ مَنْهَرًا مِنْ عُيُونِهِمْ، فَنَدْخُلَ فِيهِ. قَالَ: فَأَوْقَدُوا النِّيرَانَ، وَاشْتَدُّوا فِي كُلِّ وَجْهٍ يَطْلُبُونَنَا، قَالَ: حَتَّى إذَا يَئِسُوا رَجَعُوا إلَى صَاحِبِهِمْ، فَاكْتَنَفُوهُ وَهُوَ يَقْضِي بَيْنَهُمْ. قَالَ: فَقُلْنَا: كَيْفَ لَنَا بِأَنْ نَعْلَمَ بِأَنَّ عَدُوَّ اللَّهِ قَدْ مَاتَ ؟ قَالَ: فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ مِنَّا: أَنَا أَذْهَبُ فَأَنْظُرُ لَكُمْ، فَانْطَلَقَ حَتَّى دَخَلَ فِي النَّاسِ. قَالَ: فَوَجَدْتُ امْرَأَتَهُ وَرِجَالَ يَهُودَ حَوْلَهُ وَفِي يَدِهَا الْمِصْبَاحُ تَنْظُرُ فِي وَجْهِهِ، وَتُحَدِّثُهُمْ وَتَقُولُ: أَمَا وَاَللَّهِ لَقَدْ سَمِعْتُ صَوْتَ ابْنِ عَتِيكٍ، ثُمَّ أَكْذَبْتُ نَفْسِي وَقُلْتُ: أَنَّى ابْنُ عَتِيكٍ بِهَذِهِ الْبِلَادِ ؟ ثُمَّ أَقْبَلَتْ عَلَيْهِ تَنْظُرُ فِي وَجْهِهِ ثُمَّ قَالَتْ: فَاظَ وَإِلَهِ يَهُودَ، فَمَا سَمِعْتُ مِنْ كَلِمَةٍ كَانَتْ أَلَذَّ إلَى نَفْسِي مِنْهَا. قَالَ: ثُمَّ جَاءَنَا الْخَبَرُ فَاحْتَمَلْنَا صَاحِبَنَا فَقَدِمْنَا عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَأَخْبَرْنَاهُ بِقَتْلِ عَدُوِّ اللَّهِ، وَاخْتَلَفْنَا عِنْدَهُ فِي قَتْلِهِ، كُلُّنَا يَدَّعِيهِ. قَالَ: فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: هَاتُوا أَسْيَافَكُمْ؛ قَالَ: فَجِئْنَاهُ بِهَا، فَنَظَرَ إلَيْهَا فَقَالَ لَسَيْفُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أُنَيْسٍ: هَذَا قَتَلَهُ، أَرَى فِيهِ أَثَرَ الطَّعَامِ
✧ [The party who went out to kill Ibn Abī al-Ḥuqayq and their story] So five men from the Khazraj, of the Banū Salimah, went out to him: ʿAbd Allāh b. ʿAtīk, Masʿūd b. Sinān, ʿAbd Allāh b. Unays, Abū Qatādah al-Ḥārith b. Ribʿī, and Khuzāʿī b. Aswad, an ally of theirs from Aslam. They went out, and the Messenger of God ﷺ put ʿAbd Allāh b. ʿAtīk in command over them, and he forbade them from killing any child or woman. They set out until, when they reached Khaybar, they came to the house of Ibn Abī al-Ḥuqayq at night, and they did not pass by any room in the house but they locked it upon its occupants. He said: He was in an upper chamber of his to which there was a ladder. He said: They climbed up it until they stood at his door, and they sought permission to enter upon him. His wife came out to them and said, "Who are you?" They said, "People from among the Arabs seeking provisions." She said, "There is your man; enter upon him." He said: When we entered upon him, we locked the chamber upon us and upon her, fearing that there might be a scuffle for him that would come between us and him. He said: His wife cried out and alerted them to us, and we rushed upon him with our swords while he was on his bed. By God, nothing indicated him to us in the darkness of the night except his whiteness, as if he were a cast-off Egyptian linen cloth. He said: When his wife cried out against us, a man among us would raise his sword against her, then remember the prohibition of the Messenger of God ﷺ and restrain his hand; had it not been for that, we would have finished with her by night. He said: When we struck him with our swords, ʿAbd Allāh b. Unays bore down upon him with his sword in his belly until he pierced it through, while he was saying, "Qaṭnī qaṭnī," meaning "Enough for me, enough for me." He said: We went out. ʿAbd Allāh b. ʿAtīk was a man of weak sight. He said: He fell from the stairs and his hand was severely injured—some say his leg, according to what Ibn Hishām said—and we carried him until we came with him to a water channel of their springs and entered it. He said: They lit fires and went about in every direction seeking us. He said: Until when they despaired, they returned to their companion, surrounding him while he was breathing his last among them. He said: We said, "How can we know that the enemy of God has died?" He said: A man among us said, "I will go and look for you." He set off until he entered among the people. He said: I found his wife and the Jewish men around him, and in her hand was a lamp, looking at his face, telling them, and saying, "By God, I certainly heard the voice of Ibn ʿAtīk, but then I told myself I was mistaken and said, 'How could Ibn ʿAtīk be in this land?'" Then she turned to him, looking at his face, and said, "Fāẓa wa-ilāhi Yahūd," that is, "He has died, by the God of the Jews." I heard no word sweeter to my soul than it. He said: Then the news came to us, so we carried our companion and came to the Messenger of God ﷺ and informed him of the killing of the enemy of God. We disputed in his presence over who killed him, each of us claiming it. He said: The Messenger of God ﷺ said, "Bring me your swords." He said: We brought them to him, and he looked at them and said of the sword of ʿAbd Allāh b. Unays, "This one killed him; I see in it the trace of food."
Sirat Ibn Hisham 1205No grade recorded
[ شِعْرُ حَسَّانَ فِي قَتْلِ ابْنِ الْأَشْرَفِ وَابْنِ أَبِي الْحُقَيْقِ ]: قَالَ ابْنُ إسْحَاقَ: فَقَالَ حَسَّانُ بْنُ ثَابِتٍ وَهُوَ يَذْكُرُ قَتْلَ كَعْبِ بْنِ الْأَشْرَفِ، وَقَتْلَ سَلَّامِ بْنِ أَبِي الْحُقَيْقِ: لِلَّهِ دَرُّ عِصَابَةٍ لَاقَيْتَهُمْ يَا بْنَ الْحُقَيْقِ وَأَنْتَ يَا ابْنَ الْأَشْرَفِ يَسْرُونَ بِالْبِيضِ الْخِفَافِ إلَيْكُمْ مَرَحًا كَأُسْدٍ فِي عَرِينٍ مُغْرِفِ حَتَّى أَتَوْكُمْ فِي مَحِلِّ بِلَادِكُمْ فَسَقَوْكُمْ حَتْفًا بِبِيضِ ذُفَّفِ مُسْتَبْصِرِينَ لِنَصْرِ دِينِ نَبِيِّهِمْ مُسْتَصْغِرِينَ لِكُلِّ أَمْرٍ مُجْحِفٍ قَالَ ابْنُ هِشَامٍ: قَوْلُهُ: ذُفَّفِ، عَنْ غَيْرِ ابْنِ إسْحَاقَ
✧ [Poem of Ḥassān on the killing of Ibn al-Ashraf and Ibn Abī al-Ḥuqayq]: Ibn Isḥāq said: Ḥassān b. Thābit said, mentioning the killing of Kaʿb b. al-Ashraf and the killing of Sallām b. Abī al-Ḥuqayq: How excellent is the band you met, O son of al-Ḥuqayq, and you, O son of al-Ashraf! They travel by night with the slender white swords against you, exulting, like lions in a dense thicket, until they came to you in the place of your abodes and gave you to drink death with white, sharpened swords, seeking insight for the victory of the religion of their Prophet, despising every calamitous affair. Ibn Hishām said: His words 'sharpened' (dhuffaf) are from someone other than Ibn Isḥāq.