The Root of Terrorism a la Islamic style

Part Seven

Abul Kasem
e-mail: abul88@...

[A cautionary note: This essay is a twenty parts series; its content may be
deemed offensive to some readers. The author will not be responsible in the
event any reader feels anger, umbrage, agitated, distraught and/or derided
after reading this serial. You have been forewarned. Read at your own
risk.]


‘We have to pay a tax to go to Paradise’---Ramzi Binalshibh


Terror Twenty-two

The Invasion of Hamra al-Aswad by Muhammad—March, 624CE

As stated earlier, Muhammad was deeply perturbed at the defeat of Muslims at
Uhud; therefore, to salvage Muslim morale, as well as to instil fear in the
hearts of the Jews and the hypocrites, he planned a few attacks against the
enemy in order to offset the ignominy of the rout at Uhud,

So on Sunday the 8th of Shawaal, AH3 (March 24, 625), the next day after
Uhud, when the Muslims woke up, they heard that Muhammad had called them to
join him in the pursuit of the returning Quraysh army. He gave a general
order of mobilization of the troops, but with the condition that only those
who had participated in the Uhud battle the previous day were eligible to
join in the new operation. Undoubtedly, he did this to elevate the spirit of
the Jihadists, to remove the impression of their disgraceful defeat at Uhud
and to boost the morale of his demoralized soldiers. One Muslim, who missed
out the Uhud battle because of his father’s reluctance to let him fight in
the Jihad, was allowed to join the Muslim army. The son of a martyred
Jihadist sought Muhammad’s permission to join in this expedition; he was
also allowed in.

Besides them, several wounded Jhadists also joined this march.

A little before Muhammad set out in the pursuit of the departing Meccan
army, he sent three spies, all belonging to B. Aslam to track the footprints
of the departing Meccan army. Two of them met the Meccan army at Hamra
al-Asad, about eight (or ten, as per ibn S’ad) miles from Medina. Abu Sufyan
had already come to learn about Muhammad’s venture to pursue the Meccans.
The two spies heard the discussion among the Quraysh: whether they should go
back and finish off the Muslims once and for all, or to continue their
journey to Mecca. Abu Sufyan was in favor of inflicting a deciding blow to
the Muslims, but on the counseling of Safwan ibn Umayyah, he decided against
it and, instead, proceeded towards Mecca. It happened just a day before the
Muslim Jihadists arrived at Hamra al-Asad. Prior to their departure from
Hamra al-Asad, the Quraysh spotted the two Muslim spies, caught them and
killed them, leaving their corpses on the road. Nothing is known about the
whereabouts of the third Muslim sleuth. Presumably, he fled and returned to
Muhammad.

The Jihadists, under the leadership of a bandaged Muhammad, went up to Hamra
al-Asad, and found the two dead bodies of the spies that Muhammad had sent
for intelligence on the Quraysh. Once Muhammad learned that the Quraysh were
not there to attack him further, he felt elated and decided to spend three
nights (or five nights, according to ibn Sa’d)-- until Wednesday, (March
25-27, 625) before returning to Medina. While recuperating at Hamra al-Asad
from his battle-wound suffered at Uhud, he ordered five hundred fires
kindled on the adjoining heights, simply to send the Quraysh the strong
message of his strength.

Further, while Muhammad was at Hamra al-Asad, he made an agreement with
Mabad al-Khuzaah at Tihamah. Both the Muslims and the polytheists of Tihamah
were trusted allies of Muhammad. They made a compact with Muhammad to not to
conceal anything from him.

Then, Mabad went to Mecca; met with Abu Sufyan and talked falsely that
Muhammad had gathered a great force to fight Abu Sufyan. At that time Abu
Sufyan and his companions were planning a massive and decisive attack on
Medina to finish off the Muslims once and for all. Hearing Mabad’s vein talk
of a great military strength of Muhammad, Abu Sufyan retreated from his plan
of an immediate attack on the Muslims. Thus, Muhammad, once again, proved
that the use of terror and deceit do indeed work for his cause.

After the demonstration of his mettle at Hamra al-Asad, Muhammad returned to
Medina. One Quraysh soldier was loitering at Hamra al-Asad. He was the poet
Abu Azzah al-Jumahi, a poor man with five daughters. He had just missed the
Quraysh party. Previously, he was one of the prisoners of Badr II. As he was
an indigent, having no means to pay ransom, he pleaded for his freedom.
Muhammad released him freely on the condition that he would not take up arms
against Muslims again. However, he was tempted by the Meccans to fight with
the promise of a great reward with a win, or the maintenance of his five
daughters in case of his being killed. After the Uhud battle when the
Muslims caught this hapless destitute, he begged mercy from Muhammad, but
Muhammad was not to be moved by pity or compassion; he ordered Abu Azzah’s
killing, as he had broken his promise. Hazrat Ali killed him.

Another Quraysh, while returning to Mecca lost his way and passed the night
near Medina. Next morning, he went to the house of Uthman ibn Affan
(Muhammad’s son-in-law). Uthman procured for him, a grace period of three
days, arranged a camel and provisions for his return journey to Mecca.
Having made such arrangement, Uthman departed with Muhammad for
Hamra-al-Asad. The unlucky Quraysh tarried and stayed in Medina until the
last day of his term of grace. Muhammad, hearing about his delay by just one
day, caught him and put him to death.

Al-Harith b. Suwayd was a hypocrite. He went to Uhud with Muslims but killed
some Muslims. Then he fled to Mecca, to the Quraysh. After that, al-Harith
sent his brother to Muhammad for his forgiveness, so that he could return to
Medina. Muhammad allowed his return, but was undecided about his fate,
preferring to make a decision after returning from Hamra al-Asad. On his
hesitation, Allah quickly sent the verse 3:86, indicating that those who
reject faith after accepting it should be put to death

So, after returning to Medina, Muhammad ordered the execution of al-Harith
b. Suwayd for the suspected murder of al- Mujaddzir of B. Aws. This incident
(i.e., the alleged and unproven murder of al-Mujaddzir) happened nine or ten
years ago. Muhammad gave orders to Uthman b Affan , his son-in-law to cut
off the head of al-Harith.

Hazrat Uthman beheaded al-Harith at the gate of the mosque right in front of
Muhammad.

The success at Badr II was seen as a proof of Muhammad’s divine claim. Now
the defeat at Uhud was subversive of his prophetic claims. The Jews started
broadcasting this argument. Muhammad was now deeply concerned to regain his
reputation and to reinvigorate his followers. He started to preach that the
defeat of Uhud was due to the hypocrites. He claimed that Allah, in the
oracle of Sura 3, told this truth to him. Then he proceeded to sift the true
believers from the hypocrites by blaming those who stayed at home and did
not join the Jihad at Uhud. Arguing that even if he died, his cause
remained, he promised future success to his believers if they remained
steadfast and be courageous. The cause itself was immortal and divine-- he
was absolutely adamant. This exhortation had its intended effect on the true
Jihadists, and they were now reassured. He was satisfied that he could
really make his gullible believers accept any postulation that he fancied
them to accept as true.

Terror Twenty-three

The Plunder of B. Asad ibn Khuzaymah at Katan in Nejd by Abu Salma b. Abd al
Asad al-Makhzumi —April, 625CE

Bani Asad ibn Khuzaymah, the resident of Katan, in the vicinity of Fayd,
where there was a spring, was a powerful tribe connected with the Quraysh.
They resided near the hill of Katan in the Nejd. Muhammad, purportedly,
received intelligence reports that they were planning a raid on Medina. So
he dispatched a force of one hundred men under the leadership of Abu Salma
b. Abd al Asad al-Makhzumi to make a sudden attack on this tribe. On the
first day of Muharram , while they were completely unprepared, Abd al-Asad,
perpetrated an unprovoked terror raid on them and took their booty.

However, this terror operation was not a huge success. When the Jihadists
arrived at the site, the victims fled and the Muslims found three herdsmen
with a large herd of camels and goats. They took the camels and goats as
booty and the three herdsmen as prisoners. Then the booty, along with the
three captives was brought to Medina. Muhammad took one of the prisoners
(presumably as a slave) for himself, distributed the camels and cattle among
the Jihadists, keeping his due share of the plunder. This success in plunder
restored some of the Muslim prestige that had been lost at Uhud. Abu Salamah
did not live long after this raid due to the inflammation of the wound he
received at Uhud.

In this connection it may be appropriate to mention that, as per Islamic
rule on plunder, all the immovable booty must be taken out and removed from
the site of plunder. It s unlawful, according to Islamic rule, not to take
possession of infidel wealth after a successful plunder. On the rule on
Ghanimah, (plunder), the Dictionary of Islam writes, “If the Imam, or the
leader of the Muslim army, conquer a country by force of arms, he is at
liberty to leave the land in possession of the original proprietors,
provided they pay tribute, or he may divide it amongst the Muslims; but with
regard to moveable property, it is unlawful for him to leave it in
possession of the infidels, but he must bring it away with the army and
divide it amongst the soldiers.”

Terror Twenty-four

The Assassination of Sufyan ibn Khalid, the B. Lihyan Chief at Urana (the
first attack on B. Lihyan) by Abd Allah b. Unays—April, 625CE

B. Lihyan, a branch of the powerful tribe of Hudhayl (a section of the
Quraysh), inhabited the vicinity of Mecca. When the terrors of Muhammad’s
Jihadists became unbearable, they rallied around their chief, Khalid ibn
Sufyan al-Hudhayli at Urana to follow up the late victory at Uhud.

Four days after the plunder at Katan (i.e., on the fifth day of Muharram)
Muhammad learned that Sufyan b Khalid (or Khalid b. Sufyan, there is
controversy on this) was collecting people at Nakhla to make an attack on
him. So he called Abdullah b. Unays to go to Nakhla or Urana on a mission to
kill ibn Khalid. When Abdullah b. Unays wanted a description of his victim,
Muhammad replied, “When you will see him, you will be frightened and
bewildered and you will recall Satan.” Abd Allah b. Unays said that he was
not afraid of ibn Khalid; but to assassinate him, he (Abd Allah) has to
resort to lies and deceit. He sought Muhammad’s permission to tell lies, and
to commit the act of deception. Muhammad unhesitatingly permitted him to do
so. Abd Allah b. Unays prayed to Allah before going on this murder mission.
He spent almost eighteen days to find a way to infiltrate ibn Khalid’s newly
recruited army. Then he found ibn Khalid in a halting place. When he met
him, he bowed his head, pretending to be a respectful follower of ibn
Khalid. When ibn Khalid asked about Abd Allah’s identity, Abd Allah said
that he was an Arab and wanted to join as a volunteer in ibn Khalid’s force
against Muhammad. Sufyan b. Khalid trusted him and provided him with
shelter. Then, once, while conversing, Abd Allah b. Unays walked a short
distance with ibn Khalid, and when an opportunity came he struck him with
his sword and killed him. After killing ibn Khalid, he cut off his head,
brought that to Muhammad, and, while he (Muhammad) was at his mosque, threw
the head of ibn Khalid at Muhammad’s feet. When he told Muhammad the details
of his act of assassination, Muhammad praised him and gave him, as his
reward, a stick as a sign between him and Abd Allah on the resurrection day.
Abd Allah fastened the stick with his sword, and it remained with him until
his death. When he died, the stick was buried with him.

This assassination had the effect of silencing the Banu Lihyan, for some
time. But another branch of B.Lihyan wanted to take revenge of the murder of
their leader Sufyan ibn Khalid.


Terror Twenty-five

The Mishap at al-Rajii—May or July, 625CE

This is an important episode in the early history of Islam. In this episode
of terror and murder we have a clear glimpse of a terribly violent society
of the savage Bedouin Arabs. Spilling blood was almost a routine affair in
that barbaric culture, no matter who initiated it or who was in the wrong or
right. As you read this chilling episode of ‘peaceful’ Islam, recall the
seemingly unstoppable violence that is perpetrated around the globe by the
Islamic Jihadists. There are several versions of this story—making it
difficult to ascertain its verity. Here is the version that I compiled,
mainly from the version of Tabari and Ibn Ishaq. Variations are indicated
with appropriate references.

Immediately after the Uhud battle and after the assassination of Sufyan ibn
Khalid (see Terror 24), a group of men from Adal and al-Qarah came to
Muhammad; requested him to send with them a few instructors to teach Islam
to their people who had embraced Islam. Muhammad readily agreed to this, and
promptly sent six men (or ten men as per Ibn Sa’d vol.ii, p.66) with them.
In reality, those emissaries were sent by the B. Lihyan people who wanted to
avenge the killing of their chief, Sufyan b. Khalid al-Hudhayli (refer to
Terror 24). Those emissaries were paid agents of B. Lihyan. Among the six
teachers of Islam selected by Muhammad was Asim b. Thabit, the brother of B.
Amr. Awf; Marthad b. Abi Marthad (or Asim b. Thabit as per Ibn Sa’d, vol.ii,
p.66) was appointed the head of this delegation.

When the Muslim party arrived at al-Raji, the delegation took rest for the
night. The Adal and Qarah, in connivance with the Hudhayl, the owner of the
watering place, made a completely surprise attack with swords on the six
Muslims to extract money from them. They promised not to kill them, but to
derive money as ransom. However, the Muslims refused to believe the promise
of the polytheists and fought back. All the Muslims, except Zayd b.
al-Dathinnah, Khubyab b. Adi and Abd Allah b. Tariq were killed. These three
Muslims surrendered and were taken as prisoners to be sold in Mecca. After
killing Asim b. Thabit, Hudhayl wanted to sell his head to Sulafah bt. Sad
b. Shuhayd, for, she had vowed to drink from the skull of Asim b. Thabit.
This was in retribution for the killing of her sons (remember? her two sons,
Musafi and Julas were killed by Asim b. Thabit at Uhud) at Uhud. They could
not cut off the head of Asim b. Thabit, as hornets (?) protected it and
Allah sent a flood in the wadi that carried away Asim’s body. It is claimed
that Asim vowed that no polytheist should ever touch his body nor would he
touch any polytheist’s body.

When the party, along with the three captives arrived at al-Zahran, Abd
Allah b. Tariq attempted to escape, but his captors killed him by stoning.
The other two prisoners were taken to Mecca and sold there as slaves. Hujayr
b. Abi Ihab bought Khubayb on behalf of Uqbah b. al-Harith, so that Uqbah
can kill Khubyab in revenge for his father’s killing at Uhud. Safwan b.
Umayyah bought Zayd b. al-Dathinah to be killed in revenge for the killing
of his father Umayyah b. Khalaf in Badr II.

Islamic historians such as Ibn Ishak claim that Khubyab was a trusty slave
because he did not do any harm to a minor boy of the al-Harith family while
the boy was with him and Khubayab had a blade with him to shave his hair.
Later, the mother of the little boy vouched that she had never encountered a
captive as virtuous as Khubyab. Of course, these are exaggerated stories
that are better left for the readers to judge. Khubayb was kept in jail
while waiting to be crucified and remained imprisoned until the sacred
months had passed, and then the Quraysh killed him.

During his execution time at Ka’ba, Khubyab, presumably asked to be allowed
to pray two prostrations. He was allowed to offer his prayer and this became
the tradition for those Muslims who are about to be executed.

The prayer over, Abu Sirwaah b. al-Harith b. Amir took Khubyab out and
beheaded him.

The other captive Zayd b. al-Dathinah was given to Safwan’s servant, Nastas
for execution .Before the killing of Zayd b. al-Dathinah, Abu Sufyan wanted
to spare his life in exchange for the life of Muhammad. But Zayd’s love for
Muhammad was so great that he did not want Muhammad to be hurt even by a
thorn prick. In the end, Nistas killed Zayd b.Dathinah.

Muhammad and the Muslim community were greatly saddened by the news of the
death of those six Jihadists. Hassan ibn Thabit, the Muslim poet composed a
poem in their memory. Muhammad was alarmed to fear the deterioration of
Muslim prestige in case such events were to repeat. To counter such fear
Allah promptly sent down His assurance in verse 2:204.

When the news of the kidnap and selling of those two slaves reached
Muhammad, he immediately dispatched Abu Kurayb to the Quraysh as a spy. It
is claimed that he untied Khubyab’s dead body from the cross. It is also
claimed that the dead body of Khubyab fell on the ground and disappeared
forever

Terror Twenty-six

Attempt on the Liife of Abu Sufyan b. Harb by ‘Amr b. Umayyah al-Damri—July,
625CE

After the killing of Khubayb (ie, after the affair at al-Rajii) and his
companion, Muhammad commissioned the service of Amr b. Umayyah al-Damri, a
professional killer , along with an Ansar to murder Abu Sufyan b. Harb. It
is also claimed that during this ruction Abu Sufyan also sent an assassin to
kill Muhammad. The Muslims caught the assassin and he pleaded for his life.
Muhammad forgave him and he embraced Islam. But Muhammad wanted to take
revenge on Abu Sufyan. So he sent out a two-man assassin squad led by the
hired killer Amr b. Umayyah, having instructed Amr to kill Abu Sufyan
stealthily when he (Abu Sufyan) is resting or retiring. These two desperado
Jihadists set out, riding a camel. As per Tabari, the Ansar had a foot
problem. They went riding the camel to the valley of Yajaj where they
decided that Amr would go to Abu Sufyan’s house to assassinate him. If there
was a commotion, or if there was any danger, then the Ansari would
immediately return to Muhammad for reporting and further instructions. Amr’s
mission to kill Abu Sufyan was not a success so he returned to his Ansari
companion.

They entered Ka’ba and did the Hajj rituals. While exiting, a man (Muawiyah,
as per Ibn Sa’d) recognised Amr b. Umaya and cried out; for, Amr was a
violent and unruly fellow. So, the Ka’ba people got up to pursue Amr. Amr
and his Ansari companion then took to the heel and climbed the mountain and
went into a cave where they spent the night, thus eluding the Meccans. While
they were in the cave, one Quraysh went there to cut grass for his donkey.
He went to the very proximity of the cave, where Amr had taken sanctuary.
Amr came out of his cave and stabbed the Quraysh for no reason. The
Quraysh’s shrill voice attracted the attention of other Meccans searching
for Amr. When the Meccans came to the rescue of the mortally wounded
Qurasyh, he told them that Amr had stabbed him; then he died. The Meccans
were so occupied with the dead Quraysh that they had no time to look for
Amr. After two days of stay in the cave, Amr and his companion went out, and
when they reached al-Tanim they found the cross of Khubayb. A guard was
watching the cross. Apprehending that the Ansari man was frightened, Amr
advised him to mount the camel, return to Muhammad and report the story to
him. Amr alone went to the cross, untied the corpse of Khubyab and carried
it on his back. But the Meccans soon found him out. So, Amr immediately
threw down the corpse of Khubyab, ran for his life and took the road to
al-Safra, managing to escape the Meccan chasers. His Ansari companion
mounted the camel, returned to Muhammad and narrated him what had happened.

Amr continued on his foot until he came to another cave and took shelter
there with his bows and arrows. A one-eyed man (a shepherd) of B. al-Dil
came to this snuggery. Amr lied to him that he was a man from B. Bakr
(Quraysh’s ally). The one-eyed man also admitted that he was from B. Bakr.
Then the one-eyed man lay down beside Amr and sang a song expressing that he
would never become a Muslim as long as he lived. This angered Amr and he
waited to finish off the one-eyed shepherd. As soon as the shepherd (the
one-eyed man) slept, Amr got up and killed the one-eyed man in the most a
horrible way. He put the end of his arrow in his sound eye; bore it down
until it was forced out at the back of his neck. After this gory killing of
the Bedouin shepherd, Amr rushed out of the cave and ran to a nearby
village, then to Rakubah and finally to al-Naqi. While there, he spotted two
Meccan spies who were sent to watch on Muhammad. Amr asked them to
surrender. One of them refused, so Amr killed him with his arrow. The other
Meccan surrendered; Amr tied him up and took him to Muhammad.

When Amr returned to Muhammad with the Meccan prisoner, Muhammad blessed Amr
for a job well done.

Terror Twenty-seven

The Affairs of Bir Maunah—July, 625CE

This episode is indeed a tragic one for the Muslims. It involved the slaying
of forty (as per Ibn Ishaq) or seventy of Muslim missionary by the infidels.
Nonetheless, when we review the past activities of what havoc and terror
Muhammad perpetrated on those who did not believe in him, it is quite
clear-cut to guess that Muhammad was simply asking for such retribution from
his victims. After all, no sane person can remain sober and peaceful in the
face of Muhammad’s unrelenting foray of terror, torture, political
assassination, war mongering, highway robbery…etc. It was time for the
infidels to get even and teach Muhammad a lesson that he had been asking
for.

When I consulted several Islamic sources on the details of this episode, I
found quite conflicting and confusing narrations. Here is the best way that
I could summarize this important event of early Islam.

Four months after the Uhud battle, and following the return of the hired
assassin Amr b. Umayyah, Abu Bara, the aged chief of the delegation of B.
Amir b. Sasaah came to Muhammad and presented him with a gift. Abu Bara
stayed in Medina. Muhammad declined to accept that gift because it was from
a polytheist and asked Abu Bara to embrace Islam. Abu Bara declined,
although he acknowledged certain good points of Islam. He requested Muhammad
to send some Muslims to the people of Najd to call them to Islam. At first,
Muhammad was quite apprehensive of this, as he feared that some harm might
befall on these Muslim missionaries. On Muhammad’s hesitation, Abu Bara
guaranteed the safety of the emissaries of Muhammad. So Muhammad sent forty
Islamic preachers (some say seventy), making al-Mundhir b. Amr as the chief
of this missionary team. It is claimed that they were the best of Muslims
among Muhammad’s companions.

These new missionaries (expert Qur’an reciters) rode on horses until they
arrived at the well of Bir Maunah. Bir Maunah lies between the territories
of B. Amir and B. Sulaym. At Bir Maunah, the Muslims sent a messenger with a
letter of Muhammad to Amir b. Tufayl, the cousin of Abu Bara and the chief
of B. Amir. When the messenger met Amir b. Tufayl, the latter immediately
killed him without even opening the letter of Muhammad. Amir b. Tufayl then
requested the B. Amir people to help him fight the Muslims. They refused to
entertain his request, as they were reluctant to betray the promise of
safety to the Muslims by Abu Bara. So, Amir b. Tufayl took the help of B.
Sulaym against the Muslims. Together, they attacked the Muslims. The Muslims
fought back, but in the end, all of them were killed except for Ka’b b.
Zayd. He was at the point of death when the enemy left him. He survived and
somehow managed to return to Medina.

Sahih Bukhari records this incidence in this Hadith:

Volume 2, Book 16, Number 116:

Narrated 'Asim:
I asked Anas bin Malik about the Qunut. Anas replied, "Definitely it was
(recited)". I asked, "Before bowing or after it?" Anas replied, "Before
bowing." I added, "So and so has told me that you had informed him that it
had been after bowing." Anas said, "He told an untruth (i.e. "was mistaken,"
according to the Hijazi dialect). Allah's Apostle recited Qunut after bowing
for a period of one month." Anas added, "The Prophet sent about seventy men
(who knew the Quran by heart) towards the pagans (of Najd) who were less
than they in number and there was a peace treaty between them and Allah's
Apostles (but the Pagans broke the treaty and killed the seventy men). So
Allah's Apostle recited Qunut for a period of one month asking Allah to
punish them."


When the news of this massacre reached Muhammad, he was greatly grieved and
sent Amr b. Umayyah (the professional killer, remember?) and an Aansar to
investigate the whole matter. When they approached the area, they discovered
the killing of the Muslims by the swirling vultures in the sky. They
witnessed the Muslims lying in blood and their killers standing by. In anger
they resorted to fight. The perpetrators killed the Ansar in no time and
took Amr b. Umayyah as a prisoner. But soon he was released by Amir b.
Tufayl due to distant kinship. Before releasing Amr, Amir cut off his
forelock.

Upon his release from Amir b. Tufayl, Amr b. Umayyah traveled towards
Medina. On his way he stopped at Qarkarat, an oasis where he met two men of
B. Amir who halted next to Amr b. Umayyah. B. Amir had a treaty of
protection with Muhammad that Amr b. Umayyah was unaware of. When they were
asleep, Amr rushed and killed these two men of B. Amir thinking that he had
taken his revenge. When Muhammad learned what Amr had done, he told Amr that
he (Muhammad) had to pay the blood money. Muhammad blamed the whole episode
of slaughter to Abu Bara. When Abu Bara heard of what had previously been
suspected, he was greatly remorseful at the betrayal of Amir b. Tufayl.

One may legitimately ask why only Muhammad had to pay blood money for the
killing of the two people of B. Amir but he (Muhammad) received no blood
money for the killing of the Muslim missionaries? Tabari explains this
seemingly confusing rule on blood money in a footnote. He writes:

“Muhammad had to pay blood money for the murder of two men of b Amir because
of the compact he had with them. He could not claim blood money for the
Muslims as presumably the B. Sulaym killed them even if Amir b. Tufayl had
asked the B. Sulaym to do so.”

On the slaying of Muslim missionaries, Hassan b. Thabit (Muhammad’s personal
poet) composed a passionate poem on the sad demise of them and incited the
sons of Abu Bara against Amir b. al-Tufayl. When Rabiah, the son of Abu Bara
heard the words of Hassan b. Thabit, he attacked Amir b. al-Tufayl with his
lance but failed to kill him. Amir put the blame on his uncle Abu Bara and
vowed to take revenge either himself or by other people, should he die.

Naturally, Muhammad was extremely crestfallen at the Bir Maunah affair. His
followers were deeply demoralized at this tragedy. To boost their morale
Allah quickly sent down verse 3:169-173, in which He declared that the
Jihadists do not die; they live, finding their sustenance with Him. It is
said that Allah released another verse in which the slain Jihadists informed
their people that they had met Allah; but the verse was, later, abrogated.
Mubarakpuri , sourcing from Islamic authorities, quotes this abrogated verse
thus: “Inform our people that we have met our Lord. He is pleased with us
and He has made us pleased.” It is not known why Allah suddenly changed His
mind and ostensibly abrogated this verse. Nowhere in the Qur’an the
abrogation of any such verse is mentioned!

Muhammad now started a campaign to collect blood money from the Muslims and
their Jewish allies. As the Jews were much wealthier than the Muslims,
Muhammad devised a clever plan to extract this blood money from the Jews of
B. Nadir, who were living in their sanctuary that was not very far off from
the Muslims’ quarter. Muhammad had already made up his mind to expel this
group of Jews and appropriate their land and property, to not only to pay
blood money, but also to enrich his downhearted Jihadists who were
absolutely dispirited at the tragedy of Bir Maunah. He had to do something
urgently to placate and to lift their morale, and to save his prestige and
clout among his fanatic believers. His experience with B. Qaynuqa (read
Terror 14, TROTIS 4) had already taught him how simple it was to terrorize
an entire section of infidel population, steal their land and property with
impunity and without the slightest of any compunction. Muhammad was now
poised to use terror again to his full advantage.


To be continued in Part Eight

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