The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume II — Page 301
VII - Commencement of War with the Tribes of Najd and the Jews, the Marriage of Ḥaḍrat Fāṭimah and Ḥafṣah, and a Few Miscellaneous Incidents 301 and commander in chief of the democratic State of Madīnah. Thus, when the state of affairs escalated to such an extent, and charges of infraction of treaty, rebellion, inciting war, sedition, use of foul language and conspiracy to assassinate the Holy Prophet sa had been established, he issued the verdict that Ka‘b bin Ashraf was liable to be put to death due to his actions. The Holy Prophet sa , therefore, instructed some of his Companions to execute him. 1 However, due to the sedition of Ka‘b, since the atmosphere of Madīnah at the time was such that if a formal announcement had been made before his execution, there was a possibility that civil war may have erupted in Madīnah, and there was no telling how much massacre and carnage would have ensued as a result. The Holy Prophet sa was willing to offer any possible and reasonable sacrifice in order to prevent international violence and bloodshed. Thus, he instructed that Ka‘b should not be executed publicly; rather, a few people should quietly find an opportunity and put an end to him. The Holy Prophet sa assigned this duty to a faithful Companion named Muḥammad bin Maslamah ra , and emphasized that whatever strategy was devised, should be executed with the counsel of Sa‘d bin Mu‘ādh ra , who was the chief of the Aus tribe. 2 Muḥammad bin Maslamah ra submitted, “O Messenger of Allāh! In order to kill him silently, we shall be required to say something,” which meant that some excuse, etc, would be required, by which Ka‘b could be lured out of his residence and executed in a secure location. Taking into account the grave consequences which could have arisen if a covert operation had been ruled out, the Holy Prophet sa said, “Alright then. ” As such, with the counsel of Sa‘d bin Mu‘ādh ra , Muḥammad bin Maslamah ra took Abū Nā’ilah ra and two or three other Companions along and reached the residence of Ka‘b. They called Ka‘b out from his living quarters and said, “Our Chief (i. e. , Muḥammad sa ) demands charity of us, while we are of straitened circumstances. Would you be so kind as to give us a loan?” 3 Upon hearing this, Ka‘b jumped with joy and said, “By God! This is nothing - the day is not far when you shall become averse to him and abandon him. ” 1 * Sunanu Abī Dāwūd, Kitābul-Khirāji Wal-Imārati Wal-Fai’i, Bābu Kaifa Kāna Ikhrājul-Yahūdi Minal- Madīnah, Ḥadīth No. 3000 * Ṣaḥīḥul-Bukhārī, Kitābul-Maghāzī, Bābu Qatli Ka‘b bin Al-Ashraf, Ḥadīth No. 4037 2 Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘Alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Allāmah Shihābuddīn Al-Qusṭalānī, Volume 2, p. 372, Qatlu Ka‘b bin Al-Ashraf. . . . . , Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) 3 Although this statement was formulated for the specific occasion at hand, but nonetheless, it was correct in its own right. The reason being that the Holy Prophet sa did in fact urge his Companions to offer alms and pay Zakāt in order to fulfill the needs of the nation, and it is also true that the Companions were generally poor and without means.