The Killing of Abu Rafi': Was It Assassination or Justified Execution
Some Christians today have criticized the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, for sending Abdullah bin Atik, may Allah be pleased with him, to kill Abu Rafi’ in Khaybar. They have argued for this with what was mentioned in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, portraying Abu Rafi’ as if he were an innocent or oppressed man. To respond to such ignorance:
First: Abu Rafi’ Was a Warmonger Who Formed the Confederates Against the Muslims
Abu Rafi’ Salam bin Abi al-Haqiq was one of the leading Jews of Khaybar who incited enmity against the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and helped against him by plotting and forming parties against him. There was no treaty between the Jews of Khaybar and the Muslims of Medina — rather, they began showing open enmity towards the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and they were the direct cause, as narrated, of the Battle of the Confederates. The evidence for this comes from the very same narration of al-Bukhārī which the Christians use as evidence against Islam.
Grade: Ṣaḥīḥ · Bukhārī
We read from Fatḥ al-Bārī, the commentary on Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Book of Military Expeditions:
[!scholar] Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī — Fatḥ al-Bārī, Book of Military Expeditions
His saying “And Abu Rāfiʿ used to harm the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, and help against him” — Ibn Āʾidh mentioned, through al-Aswad, from ʿUrwah, that he was among those who helped Ghaṭafān and other polytheists of the Arabs with a great deal of money against the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace.
We read an indication of what we mentioned — which is what Ibn Isḥāq transmitted from a group of the followers, in a mursal ḥadīth in the biography of Ibn Hishām, Part Two, Chapter on the Battle of the Trench:
They are the ones about whom Allah the Most High revealed: “Have you not seen those who were given a portion of the Scripture? They believe in jibt and ṭāghūt and say to those who disbelieve, ‘These are better guided than those who believe in the way.’ Those are the ones whom Allah has cursed, and he whom Allah curses you will never find for him a helper.” Until His saying the Most High: “Or do they envy people for what Allah has given them of His bounty” — meaning prophethood — “But We had given the family of Abraham the Scripture and wisdom and conferred upon them a great kingdom. Then among them were those who believed in it and among them were those who turned away from it. And sufficient is Hell as a Blaze.”
Second: Abu Rafi’ Was Already a Traitor Who Had Been Expelled from Medina
Abu Rafi’ Salam bin Abi al-Ḥaqīq was from Banū Naḍīr, and he was expelled from Medina with the rest of Banū Naḍīr for breaking their covenant with the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Therefore, from the very beginning in Medina, he was a traitor and a fighter against the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace. So how much more so after his expulsion, when neither he nor Banū Naḍīr had any covenant with the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace!
We read from Sunan Abī Dāwūd, Book of Kharāj, Emirate, and Booty, Chapter on the Battle of Banū Naḍīr:
Muḥammad bin Dāwūd bin Sufyān told us, ʿAbd al-Razzāq told us, Muʿammar told us, on the authority of al-Zuhrī, on the authority of ʿAbd al-Raḥmān bin Kaʿb bin Mālik, on the authority of a man from the companions of the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, that the infidels of Quraysh wrote to Ibn Ubayy and those who worshipped idols with him from the Aws and Khazraj — and the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, was in Medina at that time before the Battle of Badr — “You have given refuge to our companion, and we swear by God that you will fight him or expel him, or we will march against you all together until we kill your fighters and take your women as booty.” When that reached ʿAbdullah bin Ubayy and those who were with him from the idol worshippers, they gathered to fight the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace. When that reached the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, he met them and said: “The threat of Quraysh from you has reached its limits. Your plotting against yourselves was more than you want to plot against yourselves. You want to fight your sons and your brothers.” When they heard that from the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, they dispersed. That reached the infidels of Quraysh, so the infidels of Quraysh wrote to the Jews after the Battle of Badr: You are the people of the circle and the fortresses, and you must fight our companion or we will do such and such, and nothing will come between us and the anklets of your women. When their letter reached the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, Banū Naḍīr decided to betray him. So they sent to the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, saying: Come out to us with thirty men from your companions, and let thirty rabbis come out from us so that we may meet at the place of justice and hear from you. If they believe you and have faith in you, we will believe in you. He related their story. The next day, the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, came to them with battalions and besieged them. He said to them: By God, you will not be safe with me except by a covenant that you make with me. But they refused to give him a covenant, so he fought them that day. Then the next day he went to Banū Quraiẓah with battalions and left Banū Naḍīr, and called upon them to make a covenant with him. So they made a covenant with him. So he turned away from them and went to Banū Naḍīr with battalions and fought them until they agreed to leave. Then Banū Naḍīr fled and carried what the camels could carry of their belongings and the doors of their houses and their wood. So the palm trees of Banū Naḍīr were for the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, specifically. God gave them to him and made them special to him.
We read from Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Book of Military Expeditions, Chapter on the Hadith of Banū Naḍīr:
Grade: Ṣaḥīḥ · Bukhārī
Third: She Accused Me of Her Disease and Slipped Away — Examples of Praised Assassinations in the Holy Bible
Those who criticize the killing of Abu Rafi’ on behalf of Islam should explain what their own scripture says about similar and far more striking examples of killing through deception — and the Bible praises every one of them.
1. Ehud Killed Eglon, King of Moab
“And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord strengthened Eglon king of Moab against Israel, because they did evil in the sight of the Lord. (12) And he gathered to him the children of Ammon and Amalek, and went and defeated Israel, and they took possession of the city of palm trees. (13) And the children of Israel served Eglon king of Moab eighteen years. (14) Then the children of Israel cried to the Lord, and the Lord raised up for them a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a left-handed man. And the children of Israel sent by his hand a present to Eglon king of Moab. (15) So Ehud made himself a two-edged sword, a cubit long, and girded it under his garments on his right thigh. (16) And he presented the present to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man. (17) And it came to pass, when he had made an end of presenting the gift, that he sent away the men that brought the gift. (18) Then he returned from the graven images that were by Gilgal and said, ‘I have a secret message for you, O king.’ And he said, ‘Hush.’ And all those who stood by him went out from him. (19) Then Ehud came in to him, as he was sitting in a cool upper room which was his own. And Ehud said, ‘I have a message for you from God.’ And he rose from his throne. (20) Then Ehud stretched out his left hand, and took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly. (21) And the haft also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, because he did not draw the sword from his belly. And he went out through the porch. (22) Then Ehud went out of the porch, and shut the doors of the upper chamber behind him, and locked them.” (23)
2. Jael Killed Sisera While He Was Sleeping — After She Had Given Him Security
“Then Deborah said to Barak, ‘Arise, for this is the day that the Lord has delivered Sisera into your hand. Has not the Lord gone out before you?’ So Barak went down from Mount Tabor, and ten thousand men followed him. (14) And the Lord discomfited Sisera and all the chariots and all the army with the edge of the sword before Barak. So Sisera got down from the chariot and fled on foot. (15) And Barak pursued the chariots and the army to Harosheth of the nations. And all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; not one was left. (16) But Sisera fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, for there had been peace between Jabin king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite. (17) Then Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, ‘Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; do not be afraid.’ So he turned in to her into the tent, and she covered him with a blanket. (18) And he said to her, ‘Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty.’ So she opened the milk jar and gave him a drink, then covered him. (19) And he said to her, ‘Stand by the door.’ (20) Then Jael, Heber’s wife, took the tent peg and put the stick in her hand. Then she went to him and drove the peg into his temple, and it went into the ground. He was fast asleep and tired, and he died. (21) And behold, Barak pursued Sisera. And Jael went out to meet him and said to him, ‘Come, I will show you the man whom you seek.’ So he came to her, and behold, Sisera lay dead, with the peg in his temple. (22) So God humbled Jabin king of Canaan that day before the children of Israel. (23) And the hand of the children of Israel increased and became harsher against Jabin king of Canaan, until they cut off Jabin king of Canaan.” (24)
Abu Rafi’ Salam bin Abi al-Ḥaqīq was not an innocent man. He was a leading instigator of the Battle of the Confederates, a man who travelled to Mecca to unite the Arab tribes against the Muslims and financed their war effort, and a man who had already been expelled from Medina for breaking his covenant with the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. He had no treaty and no protection. His execution was a legitimate act of war against a combatant enemy. And those who raise this objection from a Christian position would do well to explain Ehud deceiving Eglon and killing him with a hidden sword while he sat on his throne — and Jael luring Sisera into her tent with milk, giving him security, waiting until he slept, and then driving a tent peg through his skull — both of which the Bible presents as acts of divine deliverance deserving of praise.