Black, tall and sturdy, Muhammad Ibn Maslamah towered
above his contemporaries. He was a giant among the
companions of the Prophet, a giant in body and a giant
in deeds.
Significantly he was called Muhammad even before he
became a Muslim. It would seem that his name was
itself a pointer to the fact that he was among the
first of the Yathribites to become a Muslim and to
follow the teachings of the great Prophet. (The name
Muhammad was practically unknown at the time but since
the Prophet encouraged Muslims to name themselves
after him, it has become one of the most widely used
names in the world.)
Muhammad ibn Maslamah was a halif or an ally of the
Aws tribe in Madinah indicating that he himself was
not an Arab. He became a Muslim at the hands of Musab
ibn Umayr, the first missionary sent out by the
Prophet from Makkah to Madinah. He accepted Islam even
before men like Usayd ibn Hudayr and Sad ibn Muadh who
were influential men in the city.
When the Prophet, peace be on him, came to Madinah, he
adopted the unique method of strengthening the bonds
of brotherhood between the Muhajirin and the Ansar. He
paired off each Muhajir with one of the Ansar. This
arrangement also helped to relieve the i mmediate
needs of the Muhajirin for shelter and food and
created an integrated community of believers.
The Prophet was a keen observer of character and
temperament and was concerned to join in brotherhood
persons of similar attitudes and tastes. He joined in
brotherhood Muhammad ibn Maslamah and Abu Ubaydah ibn
al-Jarrah. Like Abu Ubaydah, Muhammad ib n Maslamah
was quiet and pensive and had a strong sense of trust
and devotion. He was also brave and resolute in
action. He was a distinguished horseman who performed
feats of heroism and sacrifice in the service of
Islam.
Muhammad ibn Maslamah took part in all the military
engagements of the Prophet except the expedition to
Tabuk. On that occasion, he and Ali were put in charge
of an army which was left behind to protect Madinah.
Later in life, he would often relate scenes of these
battles to his ten children.
There are many instances in the life of Muhammad ibn
Maslamah which showed what a dependable and
trustworthy person he was. Before the start of
hostilities at the Battle of Uhud, the Prophet and the
Muslim force numbering some seven hundred persons
spent a night in an open camp. He put fifty men under
the command of Muhammad ibn Maslamah and entrusted him
with the task of patrolling the camp the whole night.
During the battle itself, after the disastrous rout of
the Muslims by the Quraysh during which abo ut seventy
Muslims lost their lives and many fled in every
possible direction, a small band of the faithful
bravely defended the Prophet till the tide of battle
turned. Muhammad ibn Maslamah was among them.
Muhammad ibn Maslamah was quick to respond to the call
of action. He once stood listening to the Prophet as
he spoke to the Muslims about the designs of some of
the Jewish leaders in the region.
At the beginning of his stay in Madinah, the Prophet
had concluded an agreement with the Jews of the city
which said in part:
"The Jews who attach themselves to our commonwealth
shall be protected from all insults and harassment.
They shall have equal rights as our own people to our
assistance...They shall join the Muslims in defending
Madinah against all enemies...They shall no t declare
war nor enter in treaty or agreement against the
Muslims."
Jewish leaders had violated this agreement by
encouraging the Quraysh and tribes around Madinah in
their designs against the state. They were also bent
on creating. discord among the people of Madinah in
order to weaken the influence of Islam.
After the resounding victory of the Muslims over the
Quraysh at the Battle of Badr, one of the three main
Jewish groups in Madinah, the Banu Qaynuqa was
especially furious and issued a petulant challenge to
the Prophet. They said:
"O Muhammad! You really think that we are like your
people (the Quraysh)? Don't be deceived. You
confronted a people who have no knowledge of war and
you took the chance to rout them. If you were to fight
against us you would indeed know that we arc men."
They thus spurned their agreement with the Prophet and
issued an open challenge to fight. The Qaynuqa however
were goldsmiths who dominated the market in Madinah.
They were depending on their allies, the Khazraj, to
help them in their declared war. The Kh azraj refused.
The Prophet placed the Banu Qaynuqa's quarters under a
siege which lasted for fifteen nights. The
fainthearted Qaynuqa finally decided to surrender and
ask the Prophet for a free passage out of Madinah.
The Prophet allowed them to leave and the tribe - men,
women and children - left unharmed. They had to leave
behind them their arms and their goldsmith's
equipment. They settled down at Adhraat in Syria.
The departure of the Qaynuqa did not end Jewish
feelings of animosity towards the Prophet although the
nonaggression agreement was still in force. One of
those who was consumed with hatred against the Prophet
and the Muslims and who openly gave vent to hi s rage
was Kab ibn al-Ashraf.
Kab's father was in fact an Arab who had fled to
Madinah after committing a crime. He became an ally of
the Banu Nadir, another important Jewish group, and
married a Jewish lady name Aqilah bint Abu-l Haqiq.
She was Kab's mother.
Kab was a tall and impressive looking person. He was a
well-known poet and was one of the richest men among
the Jews. He lived in a castle on the outskirts of
Madinah where he had extensive palm groves. He was
regarded as a Jewish leader of importance thr oughout
the Hijaz. He provided means of support and
sponsorship to many Jewish rabbis.
Kab was openly hostile to Islam. He lampooned the
Prophet, besmirched in verse the reputation of Muslim
women, and incited the tribes in and around Madinah
against the Prophet and Islam. He was particularly
distressed when he heard the news of the Muslim
victory at Badr. When he saw the returning army with
the Quraysh prisoners of war, he was bitter and
furious. He took it upon himself then to make the long
journey to Makkah to express his grief and to incite
the Quraysh to take further revenge. He also w ent to
other areas, from tribe to tribe, urging people to
take up arms against the Prophet. News of his
activities reached the Prophet, peace be on him, who
prayed: "O Lord, rid me of the son of Ashfar, however
You wish."
Kab had become a real danger to the state of peace and
mutual trust which the Prophet was struggling to
achieve in Madinah.
Kab returned to Madinah and continued his verbal
attacks on the Prophet and his abuse of Muslim women.
He refused, after warnings from the Prophet, to stop
his dirty campaign and sinister intrigues. He was bent
on fomenting a revolt against the Prophet an d the
Muslims in Madinah. By all these actions, Kab had
openly declared war against the Prophet. He was
dangerous and a public enemy to the nascent Muslim
state. The Prophet was quite exasperated with him and
said to the Muslims: "Who will deal with Kab i bn
al-Ashraf? He has offended God and His Apostle."
"I shall deal with him for you, O Messenger of God,"
volunteered Muhammad ibn Maslamah.
This, however, was no easy undertaking. Muhammad ibn
Maslamah, according to one report, went home and
stayed for three days without either eating or
drinking, just thinking about what he had to do. The
Prophet heard of this, called him and asked him why h
e had not been eating or drinking. He replied: "O
Messenger of God, I gave an undertaking to you but I
do not know whether I can accomplish it or not." "Your
duty is only to try your utmost," replied the Prophet.
Muhammad ibn Maslamah then went to some other
companions of the Prophet and told them what he had
undertaken to do. They included Abu Nailah, a foster
brother of Kab ibn al-Ahsraf. They agreed to help him
and he devised a plan to accomplish the mission. T hey
went back to the Prophet to seek his approval since
the plan involved enticing Kab from his fortress
residence through some deception. The Prophet gave his
consent on the principle that war involved deceit.
Both Muhammad ibn Maslamah who was in fact a nephew of
Kab by fosterage and Abu Nailah then went to Kab's
residence. Muhammad ibn Maslamah was the first to
speak: "This man (meaning the Prophet, peace be on
him) has asked us for sadaqah (charitable tax) a nd we
cannot even find food to eat. He is oppressing us with
his laws and prohibitions and I thought I could come
to you to ask for a loan."
"By God, I am much more dissatisfied with him,"
confessed Kab. "We have followed him but we do not
want to leave him until we see how this whole business
will end. We would like you to lend us a wasaq or two
of gold," continued Muhammad ibn Maslamah.
"Isn't it about time that you realize what falsehood
you are tolerating from him? asked Kab as he promised
to give them the loan. "However," he said, "you must
provide security (for the loan)."
"What security do you want?" they asked. "Give me your
wives as security," he suggested. "How can we give you
our wives as security ," they protested, "when you are
the most handsome of Arabs?"
"Then give me your children as security," Kab
suggested. "How can we give you our children as
security when any one of them would thereafter be
ridiculed by being called a hostage for one or two
wasaqs of gold. This would be a disgrace to us. But we
could give you our (means of) protection (meaning
weapons) since you know that we need them."
Kab agreed to this suggestion which they had made to
disabuse his mind of any notion that they had come
armed. They promised to come back to him again to
bring the weapons.
Meanwhile, Abu Nailah also came up to Kab and said:
"Woe to you, Ibn Ashraf. I have come to you intending
to mention something to you and you do not encourage
me." Kab asked him to go on and Abu Nailah said: "The
coming of this man to us has been a source of
affliction to our Arab customs. With one shot he has
severed our ways and left families hungry and in
difficulties. We and our families are struggling." Kab
replied: "I, Ibn al-Ashraf, by God, I had told you,
son of Salamah, that the matter would end up as I
predicted." Abu Nailah replied: "I wish you could sell
us some food and we would give you whatever form of
security and trust required. Be good to us. I have
friends who share my views on this and I want to bring
them to you so that you could sell them some food and
deal well towards them. We will come to you and pledge
our shields and weapons to you as security." "There is
loyalty and good faith in weapons," agreed Kab.
With this they left promising to return and bring the
required security for the loan. They went back to the
Prophet and reported to him what had happened. That
night, Muhammad ibn Maslamah, Abu Nailah, Abbad ibn
Bisnr, Al-Harith ibn Aws and Abu Abasah ibn Jabr all
set off for Kabs house. The Prophet went with them for
a short distance and parted with the words:
"Go forth in the name of God." And he prayed: "O Lord,
help them." The Prophet returned home. It was a
moonlit night in the month of Rabi al-Awwal in the
third year of the hijrah.
Muhammad ibn Maslamah and the four with him reached
Kab's house. They called out to him. As he got out of
bed, his wife held him and warned: "You are a man at
war. People at war do not go down at such an hour."
"It is only my nephew Muhammad ibn Maslamah and my
foster brother, Abu Nailah..." Kab came down with his
sword drawn. He was heavily scented with the perfume
of musk.
"I have not smelt such a pleasant scent as today,"
greeted Muhammad ibn Maslamah. "Let me smell your
head." Kab agreed and as Muhammad bent over, he
grasped Kab's head firmly and called on the others to
strike down the enemy of God.
(Details of this incident vary somewhat. Some reports
state that it was Abu Nailah who gave the command to
strike down Kab and this was done after Kab had
emerged from his house and walked with them for some
time. )
The elimination of Kab ibn al-Ashraf struck terror
into the hearts of those, and there were many of them
in Madinah, who plotted and intrigued against the
Prophet. Such open hostility as Kab's diminished for a
time but certainly did not cease.
At the beginning of the fourth year of the hijrah, the
Prophet went to the Jewish tribe of Banu Nadir on the
outskirts of Madinah to seek their help on a certain
matter. While among them, he found out that they were
planning to kill him then and there. He had to take
decisive action. The Banu Nadir had gone too far.
Straight away, the Prophet went back to the center of
the city. He summoned Muhammad ibn Maslamah and sent
him to inform the Banu Nadir that they had to leave
Madinah within ten days because o f their treacherous
behavior and that any one of them seen after that in
the city would forfeit his life.
One can just imagine Muhammad ibn Maslamah addressing
the Banu Nadir. His towering stature and his loud and
clear voice combined to let the Banu Nadir know that
the Prophet meant every word he said and that they had
to stand the consequences of their trea cherous acts.
The fact that the Prophet chose Muhammad ibn Maslamah
for the task is a tribute to his loyalty, courage and
firmness.
Further details of the expulsion of the Banu Nadir
from Madinah do not concern us here: their plan to
resist the Prophet with outside help; the Prophet's
siege of their district and their eventual surrender
and evacuation mainly to Khaybar in the north. T wo of
the Banu Nadir though became MusIims - Yamin ibn Umayr
and Abu Sad ibn Wahb. Ali this happened exactly one
year after the elimination of Kab ibn al-Ashraf.
Both during the time of the Prophet and after,
Muhammad ibn Maslamah was known for carrying out any
assignment he accepted exactly as he was ordered,
neither doing more nor less than he was asked to do.
It was these qualities which made Umar choose him as
one of his ministers and as a trusted friend and
guide.
When Amr ibn al-Aas requested reinforcements during
his expedition to Egypt, Umar sent him four
detachments of one thousand men each. Leading these
detachments were Muhammad ibn Maslamah, az-Zubayr ibn
aI-Awwam, Ubadah ibn as-Samit and al-Miqdad ibn al-As
wad. To Amr, Umar sent a message saying, "Let me
remind you that I am sending Muhammad ibn Maslamah to
you to help you distribute your wealth. Accommodate
him and forgive any harshness of his towards you."
Ibn Maslamah went to Amr in Fustat (near present-day
Cairo).. He sat at his table but did not touch the
food. Amr asked him: "Did Umar prevent you from
tasting my food?" "No," replied ibn Maslamah, "he did
not prevent me from having your food but neither did
he command me to eat of it." He then placed a flat
loaf of bread on the table and ate it with salt. Amr
became upset and said: "May God bring to an end the
time in which we work for Umar ibn al-Khattab! I have
witnessed a time when al-Khattab and his son Umar were
wandering around wearing clothes which could not even
cover them properly while Al-Aas ibn Wail (Amr's
father) sported brocade lined with gold..."
"As for your father and the father of Umar, they are
in hell," retorted Muhammad ibn Maslamah, because they
did not accept Islam. "As for you, if Umar did not
give you an appointment, you would have been pleased
with what you got from their udders," conti nued Ibn
Maslamah obviously disabusing Amr's mind of any ideas
he might have of appearing superior because he was the
governor of Egypt.
"Assemblies must be conducted as a form of trust,"
said Amr in an attempt to diffuse the situation and
Muhammad ibn Maslamah replied: "Oh yes, so long as
Umar is alive." He wanted to impress upon people the
justice of Umar and the egalitarian teachings of
Islam. Muhammad ibn Maslamah was a veritable scourge
against all arrogant and haughty behavior.
On another occasion and at another end of the Muslim
state under his caliphate, Umar heard that the famous
Sad ibn Abi Waqqas was building a palace at Kufa. Umar
sent Muhammad ibn Maslamah to deal with the situation.
On reaching Kufa, Muhammad promptly bu rnt the palace
down. One does not know whether people were more
surprised by the instructions of Umar or by the
humiliation of Sad ibn Abi Waqqas, the famed fighter,
conqueror at Qadisiyyah, and the one praised by the
Prophet himself for his sacrifices at Uhud.
Sad did not say a word. This was all part of the great
process of self-criticism and rectification which
helped to make Islam spread and establish it on
foundations of justice and piety.
Muhammad ibn Maslamah served Umar's successor, Uthman
ibn Affan, faithfully. When, however, the latter was
killed and civil war broke out among the Muslims,
Muhammad ibn Maslamah did not participate. The sword
which he always used and which was given to him by
the Prophet himself he deliberately broke. During the
time of the Prophet, he was known as the "Knight of
the Prophet". By refusing to use the sword against
Muslims he preserved this reputation undiminished.
Subsequently, he made a sword from wood and fashioned
it well. He placed it in a scabbard and hung it inside
his house. When he was asked about it he said: "I
simply hang it there to terrify people." Muhammad ibn
Maslamah died in Madinah in the month of S afar in the
year 46 AH. He was seventy seven years old.
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