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"Discover the Truth's" Game

The Murder of Ka'b al-Ashraf


From Discover the Truth:

Ka’b Ibn al-Ashraf gave the Quraish assistance, and organised the assassination of Prophet Muhammad (p). Hence, Prophet Muhammad (p) had decided to deal with him.
(January 24, 2015)

What the Apologists Want You to Believe

Ka'b al-Ashraf was one of the poets assassinated by Muhammad.  DTT rationalizes his murder by contending that he "organized the assassination" of Muhammad and "incited" the Quraish, and even "instigated war."

What They Offer as Proof

While Discover the Truth presents no evidence that Muhammad was assassinated, there is a reliable hadith from Sahih Bukhari that says Ka'b "used to satire the Prophet and incited the infidels of the Quraish against him."

What They Leave Out and Why They are Wrong

The assassination of Ka'b al-Ashraf, an elderly poet, is well-documented in the Hadith and Sira.  DTT's reliance on scholars born a thousand years later attests to the fact that they can't find what they need in the historical account.

From Sahih Bukhari:
The Prophet said, "Who is ready to kill Ka`b bin Al-Ashraf who has really hurt Allah and His Apostle?" Muhammad bin Maslama said, "O Allah's Messenger! Do you like me to kill him?" He replied in the affirmative. So, Muhammad bin Maslama went to him (i.e. Ka`b) and said, "This person (i.e. the Prophet) has put us to task and asked us for charity." Ka`b replied, "By Allah, you will get tired of him." Muhammad said to him, "We have followed him, so we dislike to leave him till we see the end of his affair." Muhammad bin Maslama went on talking to him in this way till he got the chance to kill him. (Sahih Bukhari 52:270)
The sole reason given for the assassination is that Ka'b has "hurt Allah and his Apostle."  Obviously, it is not speaking of physical harm, nor is there any record of such.  While DTT conjures up fantsies of militancy and assassination plots, none of this is documented in the reliable account.  Instead, it speaks of "satire," which is interpreted as "incitement."

And what of the "incitement" against Muhammad?  Apologists such as DTT employ an obvious double standard here.  While it may be true that Ka'b was encouraging the Quraish to take up arms (even if there is no direct evidence), it came at a time in which Muhammad was encouraging his own tribe to battle as well.

Moreover, this occurred after the Battle of Badr, in which Muhammad attacked a Quraish caravan and its defenders.  This was clearly an act of war.  In fact, Ka'b was upset because defenseless Quraish had been butchered after they were taken hostage.  How is his reaction unreasonable?

Again, there is no evidence that Ka'b hurt anything other than Muhammad's feelings with his satire.  The speculation that he was "inciting" a group of people already threatened with war and assassination is ridiculous.  His very actions are justified by his own murder.

DTT also plays the "Muhammad Never Took Revenge According to So and So" verses as proof that Ka'b's murder was an act of self-defense rather than revenge.  As explained elsewhere, the verses are editorial comments, and most even include clauses like "except when he would take revenge for Allah's sake".

A sahih Hadith verse puts the murder in its proper context:
...“Ka’ab bin Al Ashraf used to satire the Prophet and incited the infidels of the Quraish against him... They used to hurt the Prophet and his Companions. Then Allah Most High commanded His Prophet to show patience and forgiveness. So Allah revealed about them “And ye shall certainly hear much that will grieve you from those who receive Book before you”. When Ka’ab bin Al Ashraf refused to desist from hurting the Prophet the Prophet ordered Sa’d bin Mu’adh to send a band to kill him... When they killed him, the Jews and the polytheist were frightened... (Abu Dawud 3000)
So again, the earliest and most reliable sources say that Ka'b's murder was ordered because he hurt Muhammad's feelings, thus contradicting the lie that Muhammad never took revenge.  If Ka'b had done something more serious, then it surely would have been mentioned instead.

Finally, Discover the Truth claims that Muhammad never told the assassin to lie in order to gain Ka'b's trust:
Another issue brought up is that Prophet Mohammad approved of Maslamah to lie, and then get Ka’b killed. There is no evidence from hadith to suggest this happened
Oh, but there is:
...Muhammad bin Maslamah stood up and said: 'I (shall do), Messenger of Allah. Do you want that I should kill him?' He said: 'Yes'. He said: 'So permit me to say something (against you)'. He said 'Yes'. (Abu Dawud 2768)
As Muhammad said elsewhere, "War is deceit."

Further Reading

Discover the Truth Propaganda Index

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