The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) – Volume III — Page 80
Seal of the Prophets - Volume III 80 When the state of affairs reached this extent and the scenes of Aḥzāb once again began to appear before the eyes of the Muslims, a few Anṣār from the Khazraj presented themselves before the Holy Prophet sa and said, “Now, the solution to this turmoil is nothing but to put an end to the mastermind of this unrest. ” 1 Considering the fact that the elimination of a single mischief-maker and seditious person was more preferable than mass bloodshed throughout the land, the Holy Prophet sa granted permission to these companions. He sent four companions from the Khazraj under the leadership of ‘Abdullāh bin ‘Atik Anṣārī ra towards Abū Rāfi‘. However, as he sent them he emphasised, “Look here, do not at all kill any woman or child. ” 2 Therefore, in the month of Ramaḍān 3 6 A. H. 4 this party set off, and returned after very skillfully completing its mission. In this manner, these clouds of calamity dispersed from the sky of Madīnah. The details of this account as mentioned in Bukhārī, which is the most authentic in this regard, have been recorded as such: “Barā’ bin ‘Āzib narrates that the Holy Prophet sa sent a party of his companions to kill Abū Rāfi‘ the Jew, and appointed ‘ Abdullāh bin ‘Atīk as their leader. The story of Abū Rāfi‘ is that he would inflict great grief on the Holy Prophet sa and would incite and help people against the Holy Prophet sa. When ‘Abdullāh bin ‘Atīk and his companions reached near the castle of Abū Rāfi‘ and the sun had set, ‘Abdullāh bin ‘Atīk left his companions behind and proceeded to the gate of the castle. He covered himself with his mantle and sat down as if answering the call of nature. When the gate-keeper approached the entrance of the castle, he called out to ‘Abdullāh bin ‘Atīk and said, ‘O servant of Allāh, enter if you wish, for I am about to close the gate. ’ Still covered in his mantle, ‘Abdullāh bin ‘Atīk quickly entered the gate and hid to one side of the castle. The gate-keeper closed the gate, hung the key on a nearby peg and left. After this, the narration of ‘Abdullāh bin ‘Atīk himself begins. He says, ‘First and foremost, I got up and opened the lock on the gate, so that a swift and 1 As-Sīratun-Nabawiyyah, By Abū Muḥammad ‘Abdul-Mālik bin Hishām, p. 659, Maqtalu Sallām-ibni Abil-Ḥuqaiq , Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2001) 2 Al-Muwaṭṭā, By Imām Mālik bin Anas, Kitābul-Jihād, An-Nahyu ‘An Qatlin-Nisā’i Wal-Wildāni Fil- Ghazwi. . . , Ḥadīth No. 980 3 Aṭ-Ṭabaqātul-Kubrā, By Muḥammad bin Sa‘d, Volume 2, p. 295, Sariyyatu ‘Abdillāh-ibni ‘Atīqin Ilā Abī Rāfi‘in, Dāru Iḥyā’it-Turāthil-‘Arabī, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) 4 * As-Sīratun-Nabawiyyah, By Abū Muḥammad ‘Abdul-Mālik bin Hishām * Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘Alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Allāmah Shihābuddīn Al-Qusṭalānī, Volume 3, p. 141, Qatlu Abī Rāfi‘in , Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) (Publishers)