The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume II — Page 303
VII - Commencement of War with the Tribes of Najd and the Jews, the Marriage of Ḥaḍrat Fāṭimah and Ḥafṣah, and a Few Miscellaneous Incidents 303 and did not say a word. 1 After this, the Holy Prophet sa said, “At least from here onwards, you would do well to live in peace and harmony, and do not sow the seed of enmity, violence and disorder. ” As such, with the agreement of the Jews, a new treaty was drafted, and the Jews promised once again to live with the Muslims in peace and harmony, and to abstain from a course of violence and disorder. 2 This treaty was entrusted to Ḥaḍrat ‘Alī ra. 3 Furthermore, nowhere in history is it recorded that after this, the Jews ever mentioned the execution of Ka‘b bin Ashraf and accused the Muslims, for in their hearts they knew that Ka‘b received the rightful punishment due to him. Some western historians have greatly worn out their pens on the issue of the execution of Ka‘b bin Ashraf, and presenting this incident as being an unpleasant blemish upon the mantle of the Holy Prophet sa , they have levelled allegations. However, what needs to be studied is that firstly, was this execution in itself a justified action or not? Secondly, was the method that was employed for this execution justifiable or not? With regards to the first issue it should be remembered that Ka‘b bin Ashraf had entered into a formal agreement of peace and security with the Holy Prophet sa. Scheming against the Muslims was out of the question, especially when he had agreed to support the Muslims against all foreign enemies and to maintain friendly relations with the Muslims. By virtue of this treaty, he had also accepted that the Holy Prophet sa would be the chief executive of the democratic state which had been established in Madīnah, and that the verdict of the Holy Prophet sa would be legally binding in all disputes, etc. Therefore, historical evidence proves that under this very treaty, Jewish people would present their cases before the Holy Prophet sa and he would administer verdicts to them. As such, in a case of adultery, a Jewish man and a Jewish lady were given the penalty of stoning 1 * Fatḥul-Bārī Sharḥu Ṣaḥīḥil-Bukhārī, By Al-Imām Aḥmad bin Ḥajar Al-‘Asqalānī, Volume 7, p 431, Kitābul-Maghāzī, Bābu Qatli Ka‘b bin Al-Ashraf, Ḥadīth No. 4037, Qadīmī Kutub Khānah, Ārām Bāgh, Karachi * Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘Alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Allāmah Shihābuddīn Al-Qusṭalānī, Volume 2, p. 378, Qatlu Ka‘b bin Al-Ashraf. . . . . , Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) 2 * Sunanu Abī Dāwūd, Kitābul-Khirāji Wal-Imārati Wal-Fai’i, Bābu Kaifa Kāna Ikhrājul-Yahūdi Minal- Madīnah, Ḥadīth No. 3000 * Aṭ-Ṭabaqātul-Kubrā, By Muḥammad bin Sa‘d, Volume 2, p. 266, Sariyyatu Qatli Ka‘b bin Al-Ashraf, Dāru Iḥyā’it-Turāthil-‘Arabī, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) 3 Aṭ-Ṭabaqātul-Kubrā, By Muḥammad bin Sa‘d, Volume 2, p. 266, Sariyyatu Qatli Ka‘b bin Al-Ashraf, Dāru Iḥyā’it-Turāthil-‘Arabī, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996)