MUHAMMAD AND THE MECCAN 10
by Silas
ABSTRACT
When Muhammad conquered Mecca, he
gave orders for the execution of 10 people.
Most of these were executed; others were spared for various
reasons. This article examines who was
ordered to be executed, why the orders were given, and the final outcome for
each person ordered to be murdered by Muhammad.
INTRODUCTION
As Muhammad grew in power, he began
to use violence to obtain his desires.
He ordered the murder of many people.
He himself did not go out and commit the murders; he had men who were
willing to do his killing for him.
Muhammad had marched upon Mecca with
an army of at least 10,000 soldiers.
These men were tough, dedicated Muslims. The Meccan leaders did not think they could defeat Muhammad's
army, so they surrendered to him.
Muhammad did not destroy Mecca, or massacre it's inhabitants, but he
remembered some of his personal enemies and ordered their execution. Muhammad hated some of these people only
because they had mocked him years earlier.
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BACKGROUND
I want to give you some background
on the sources I am using. Primarily I
am using three Muslim sources:
1) the "Hadiths" (Traditions) of
Bukhari, Muslim, and Abu Dawud,
2) the "Sirat Rasulallah" originally
written by Ibn Ishaq and later rescended by Ibn Hisham,
3) and the "Kitab al-Tabaqat
al-Kabir" written by Ibn Sa'd.
4) "23 Years - A study of the prophetic
career of Muhammad", by Ali Dashti.
Dashti was a
Shia Muslim scholar. He was murdered
when he was about 85 years old by the Muslim who took over Iran. Although Dashti doesn't represent the Sunni
branch of Islam, he addressed the issues I am addressing in this paper, and
I've found his scholarship substantial, and well founded. No doubt he had access
to far more Islamic sources than I have. So, while some Sunni Muslims may object to
me quoting a Shia scholar, I find that his comments regarding the murders at Mecca
to be in accordance with the information I've found in the Hadith, Sirat, and
Tabaqat. In any case, my points are
not based on Dashti's work, his comments are confirming my own research and
conclusions.
All of the writers of these sources
were Muslim, and all of the first 3 works are recognized by the Sunni branch of
Islam. Of course none of these are
recognized equal to the Quran. I would
say that the order of authentic recognition is 1) Hadiths, 2) Sirat, 3)
Tabaqat.
The Hadith are the traditions,
sayings, and actions of Muhammad. Both
the Sirat and Tabaqat are biographies of Muhammad. Both biographies were written well before the Hadith. Both contain much material corroborated by
the Hadith and Quran.
As I continue to quote these
sources, at times I will interject my own notes, as a short explanation, to
keep the context clear for you. My own
notes will be bracketed by [ ] type
brackets.
NOTE that frequently, in these
sources, the original writers or translators used parenthesis. I will type their parenthesis as standard
( ) parenthesis brackets, just as they appear
in their text.
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NOTE ON THE
SIRAT RASULALLAH:
The Sirat
was translated into English by A. Guillaume.
He was a recognized Islamic scholar.
He wrote many books on Islam. He
was the professor of Arabic at the University of London, a member of the Arab
Academy of Damascus, and Royal Academy of Baghdad. A number of Arab Muslim scholars worked with him on his
translation of the Sirat. Guillaume was
a professional, he was not trying to discredit Muhammad in any way. He just wanted to produce the best
translation possible. Further, I have a
book written by Muslim apologists that quote from his translations of the
Sirat.
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NOTE ON THE
TABAQAT:
The Tabaqat
was translated into English by S. Moinul Haq, a Pakistani. His work was published by the Pakistan
Historical Society. It is published in
two volumes. The title means "Book
of the Major Classes". It also is
basically a biography of Muhammad.
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MUHAMMAD AND
MURDER IN MECCA - DETAILS
Muhammad ordered the execution of 10
people when he took Mecca. Here is the
list of names found in Ibn Sa'd "Tabaqat".
The
quote is from the Tabaqat, Vol. 2, page 168.
"The
apostle of Allah entered through Adhakhir, [into Mecca], and prohibited
fighting. He ordered six men and four
women to be killed, they were (1) Ikrimah Ibn Abi Jahl, (2) Habbar Ibn
al-Aswad, (3) Abd Allah Ibn Sa'd Ibn Abi Sarh, (4) Miqyas Ibn Sababah
al-Laythi, (5) al-Huwayrith Ibn Nuqaydh, (6) Abd Abbah Ibn Hilal Ibn Khatal
al-Adrami, (7) Hind Bint Utbah, (8) Sarah, the mawlat (enfranchised girl) of
Amr Ibn Hashim, (9) Fartana and (10) Qaribah.
Occasionally, the Sirat, and the
Tabaqat use a different name for the same person. #3 in the list given above is such a case. The differences in the name is due to the
amount of family lineage given for the man's name, and the English translation.
Let's start with #3 in the
list. The Sirat corroborates the
Tabaqat's list, a few at a time. And
the Sirat gives much more detail concerning #3. You'll see that in the end, this man was almost executed, but he
got lucky because Muhammad's men couldn't read Muhammad's mind! This case will give you a glimpse into how
Muhammad's mind worked.
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QUOTING FROM
THE SIRAT, PAGE 550.
"The apostle had instructed his
commanders when they entered Mecca only to fight those who resisted them,
except a small number who were to be killed even if they were found beneath the
curtains of the Kaba. Among them was
Abdullah Sa'd, brother of the B. Amir Luayy.
The reason he ordered him to be killed was that he had been a Muslim and
used to write down revelation; then he apostatized and returned to Quraysh
[Mecca] and fled to Uthman Affan whose foster brother he was. The latter hid him until he brought him to
the apostle after the situation in Mecca was tranquil, and asked that he might
be granted immunity. They allege that
the apostle remained silent for a long time till finally he [Muhammad] said yes
[granting Abdullah immunity from the execution order].
When Uthman had left he [Muhammad]
said to his companions who were sitting around him, "I kept silent so that
one of you might get up and strike off his head!" One of the Ansar said, "Then why didn't
you give me a sign, O apostle of God?"
He answered that a prophet does not kill by pointing."
Ibn
Sa'd corroborates Ibn Ishaq and says on page 174:
"A person of al-Ansar had taken
a vow to kill Ibn Abi Sarh [the already mentioned Abdullah] if he saw him. Uthman whose foster brother he (Ibn Abi
Sarh) was, came and interceded for him with the prophet. The Ansari was waiting for the signal of the
prophet to kill him. Uthman interceded
and he [Muhammad] let him go. The
apostle of Allah said to the Ansari, "Why did you not fulfill your vow?" He said, "O apostle of Allah! I had my hand on the hilt of the sword
waiting for your signal to kill him.
The prophet said signaling would have been a breach of faith. It does not behave the prophet to make
signal.""
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DISCUSSION
Okay lets examine this one. Abdullah Sa'd used to write down Muhammad's
revelations, i.e., the Quran. Later, he
apostatized, left Islam, and went back to Mecca. When Muhammad took Mecca he gave a general amnesty, except for a
number of specific people he wanted killed.
Abdullah Sa'd is the first of this group mentioned.
Ali Dashti provides additional
comments. I do not have all of the
source references Dashti had, but this will give you more insight into the
reason Muhammad ordered to have Abdullah killed.
From
Ali Dashti's "23 Years, A study of the prophetic career of Muhammad",
page 98.
"The last man named [in the
list of people to be killed] had been one of the scribes employed at Medina to
write down the 'revelations'. On a
number of occasions, with Muhammad's consent, he changed the closing words of
verses. For example, when Muhammad said
"And God is mighty and wise", Abdullah Sarh suggested 'knowing and
wise', and the prophet answered that there was no objection. Having observed a succession of changes of
this type, Abdullah renounced Islam on the ground that the revelations, if from
God, could not be changed at the prompting of a scribe such as himself. After his apostasy, he went to Mecca and
joined the Qorayshites."
So you see the background behind the
order to murder Abdullah. He was a
threat to the credibility of the Quran.
He was a Muslim, worked with Muhammad in writing down the Quran, and, from
time to time he suggested some minor changes. Finally Abdullah realized that if this were truly from God, no
changes would be made at the suggestion of a mere scribe. So, he realized Islam was false, and went
back to Mecca. After Muhammad took
Mecca, and issued the order to kill him, he hid out with Uthman who was one of
Muhammad's closest companions. Later
Abdullah pled for amnesty. Muhammad
wanted one of his men to kill him on the spot, but they didn't know, because
they couldn't read Muhammad's mind. So,
finally Muhammad gave him amnesty.
Note here that Ibn Hisham notes
[note #803] that Abdullah became a Muslim again, and obtained a political
position in time. This was a case of
"If you can't beat em, join em."
Muslims may say 'well, Muhammad
ordered him to be killed, but Muhammad accepted his repentance and let him
live.' That is besides the point. Muhammad really wanted him to die, it just
didn't happen the way Muhammad wanted.
I have to comment here. Muhammad's reasoning is really vain and
irrational. Muhammad issues an edict to
have a man executed, but fails to have it carried out because he doesn't want
to make a signal with his hand??? Why
didn't Muhammad kill him himself? If
this man had committed such a crime as to cost him his life, why didn't
Muhammad see that his death sentence be carried out?
This shows that Muhammad orders were
made willy-nilly. This man committed no
major crime. Muhammad just wanted this
man killed for personal reasons. People
lived or died depending on Muhammad's frame of mind.
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So far, we have
examined one execution order. Muhammad
ordered that Abdullah be executed, but Abdullah got lucky because Muhammad's
men were not mind readers.
0 for 1 (0 killed for 1 on the list).
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Now
lets go on with the Sirat, picking up where I left off on page 550.
"Another [to be killed] was
Abdullah Khatal of B. Taym b. Ghalib.
He had become a Muslim and the apostle sent him to collect the poor tax
in company with one of the Ansar. He
had with him a freed slave who served him.
(He was Muslim). When they
halted he ordered the latter to kill a goat for him and prepare some food, and
went to sleep. When he woke up the man
had done nothing, so he attacked and killed him and apostatized. He had two singing-girls Fartana and her
friend who used to sing satirical songs about the apostle, so he ordered that
they should be killed with him."
Let's stop here and examine this
paragraph.
Muhammad ordered that a man who apostatized, and his two slave girls, be
killed. Khatal was ordered to be
killed not because he killed his male slave, a Muslim, but because he
apostatized. Islamic law does not allow
a Muslim man to be put to death for killing a slave. Muhammad also ordered two slave girls to be killed for singing
satirical songs about him. Remember,
they sung these songs about Muhammad years earlier. Now it was Muhammad's payback time. Look, these slave girls were not threats to Islam, or to the new
Islamic state. They were only slave
girls. They were ordered to be executed
only because they sang a silly song about Muhammad. More on them in a few paragraphs.
Note here
that Khatal is #6 in Ibn Sa'd's list.
Now I will give you the information from
Ibn Sa'd's book on Khatal, Vol. 2, page 172 and on. I will not type out the chain of narrators.
p172: "The apostle of Allah entered Makkah in
the year of victory and on his head there was a helmet. Then he removed it. Ma'n and Musa Ibn Dawud said in their version: A person came to him and said, "O
apostle of Allah! Ibn Khatal is holding fast the curtains of al-Kabah. Thereupon the apostle of Allah said: "Kill him."
p173: "....kill him wherever you find
him"
Now then on to Bukhari's Hadith
about Khatal, volume 5 #582.
"Narrated Anas bin Malik: "On the day of the Conquest, the
prophet entered Mecca, wearing a helmet on his head. When he took it off, a man came and said, "Ibn Khatal is
clinging to the curtain of the Kaba."
The prophet said "Kill him."
Khatal was not as fortunate as
Abdullah. Ibn Sa'd says on page 174:
"Verily the apostle of Allah
ordered (his followers) on the day of the Victory to kill Ibn Abi Sarh, Fartana
Ibn al-Zibr'ra and Ibn Khatal. Abu
Barzah came and saw him (Ibn Khatal) holding fast the curtains of
al-Kabah. He (Abu Barzah) ripped open
his belly.
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Okay, now we
have a man who only apostatized from Islam executed. Note that he apostatized while living in Medina, not Mecca.
1 for 2.
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Now I will jump ahead to page 551 of
the Sirat to finish the story of the slave girls.
"As
for Ibn Khatal's two singing girls, one was killed and the other ran away until
the apostle, asked for immunity, gave it to her."
So, one girl was murdered, one ran
away. When Muhammad eased up, she plead
for forgiveness, and he gave her immunity.
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So, one of the slave girls escapes,
the other is executed. Later, the
living slave girl begs forgiveness, and is forgiven. Again, this shows that Muhammad's death sentences were willy-nilly. They mocked him, they paid (one with her
life). Later, as Muhammad felt more
secure, he forgave the remaining slave girl.
2 for 4.
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On page
551 of the Sirat:
"Another
was al-Huwayrith Nuqaydh Wahb Qusayy, one of those who used to insult him in
Mecca. .....Al-Juwayrith was killed by
Ali. [Ali was Muhammad's son in law.]
What do you see here? This guy was murdered because he insulted
Muhammad! Ibn Hisham notes [804] that
Huwayrith goaded a camel that two of Muhammad's children were riding on. So, years later, he paid with his life.
3 for 5.
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Continuing
on page 551 of the Sirat:
"Another [ordered to be killed]
was Miqyas Hubaba because he had killed an Ansari who had killed his brother
accidentally, and returned to Quraysh as a polytheist."
There
is a reference to this on page 492:
"Miqyas Subaba came from Mecca
as a Muslim, so he professed, saying, "I come to you as a Muslim seeking
the bloodwit for my brother who was killed in error."" The apostle ordered that he should have the
bloodwit for his brother Hisham and he stopped a short while with the apostle. Then he attacked his brother's slayer and
killed him and went off to Mecca an apostate.
This guy evidently became a Muslim
and wanted revenge on the man who had accidentally killed his brother. Muhammad allowed him to take his
revenge. Miqyas then killed the other
Muslim who accidentally killed his brother.
He then left Islam as an apostate and returned to Mecca. Since the penalty for leaving Islam is
death, Muhammad had him killed.
4 for 6.
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Continuing
on page 551 of the Sirat:
"And Sara, freed slave of one
of the Abdul-Muttalib [a tribe], and Ikrima Abu Jahl. Sara had insulted him [Muhammad] in Mecca. As for Ikrima, he fled to the Yaman. His wife Umm Hakim Harith Hisham became a
Muslim and asked for immunity for him and the apostle gave it. She went to the Yaman in search of him and
brought him to the apostle and he accepted Islam."
Here are two more, one was killed,
one was forgiven. I don't know what
Ikrima did to deserve the death sentence in the first place. Ibn Hisham later says on page 551 that
"Similarly Sara, who lived until in the time of Umar a mounted soldier
trod her down in the valley of Mecca and killed her. Al-Huwayrith was killed by Ali."
For a
side note, there is a Hadith narrated by Ikrima, Bukhari vol. 9 #57
"Narrated Ikrima: "Some atheists were brought to Ali
[Muhammad's son in law, the fourth Caliph] and he burnt them [to death]. The news of this event reached Ibn Abbas who
said, 'If I had been in his place, I would not have burnt them as Allah's
messenger forbade it saying "Do not punish anybody with Allah's punishment
(fire)." I would have killed them
according to the statement of Allah's messenger 'Whoever changed his Islamic
religion, then kill him''".
5 for 8.
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How do you feel about freedom of
religion? Should people be killed just
because they want to leave Islam?
Muhammad said they should be killed.
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From Ibn Sa'd's list, #2 is probably
the man mentioned in Bukhari vol. 5, #662.
Habbar Ibn al-Aswad Al-Ansi. He
was murdered in Yemen.
6 for 9.
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Number 7 on Ibn Sa'd's list was Hind
bint Utbah. She was Abu Sufyan's
wife. Dashti notes that Muhammad had
earlier ordered Sufyan to be killed.
Sufyan was a big leader in Mecca.
He fought against Muhammad in
battle. Just before Muhammad
took Mecca, Sufyan went out to Muhammad and was coerced into accepting Islam,
or be killed. Sufyan accepted
Islam. Afterwards, Hind bint Utbah
accepted Islam and was spared. Hind had previously desecrated dead Muslim
bodies after the battle of Uhud. She even cut the liver out of one dead Muslim
and took a bite of it, and spit it out. She also mocked Muhammad and the other
defeated Muslims as they left the field.
She asked forgiveness and was forgiven.
6 for 10.
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SUMMARY
We see that some of these people
were murdered simply because they had rejected Muhammad and mocked him. Other's were ordered to be executed because
they had thought for themselves and left Islam. Most of these people never lifted a weapon against Muhammad. Years later, Muhammad in his bitter
vengeance, took revenge for the pain and humiliation some of these people
caused him and had these people killed.
meccan10.htm
Rev A: 10-12-97
Articles by Silas
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