Kinana ibn al-Rabi
Encyclopedia
Kinana ibn al-Rabi' was a Jewish leader of seventh-century Arabia and an opponent of Muhammad
; son of the poet al-Rabi ibn Abu al-Huqayq
. Ibn al-Rabi' was killed during early Muslim clashes with the Banu Nadir
.
. Kinana is said to have urged Muhammad to give up the custom during prayer of turning his face toward Mecca
("Qiblah") in favor of Jerusalem, as had been the custom in Islam
at first. After the expulsion of the Banu al-Nadir, of which tribe he was a member, he and his family retired to Khaibar, where they possessed a castle called Qamus
.
Ibn Ishaq
writes about Kinana ibn al-Rabi,
Al-Mubarakpuri maintains that al-Rabi was bound by agreements between Muhammad and Khaybar to not conceal anything from the Muslims. He was executed, al-Mubarakpuri concludes, for breaching the agreement. Montgomery Watt supports the view that he was executed for concealing the treasure. Shibli Nomani, however, argues that Kinana was put to death because he had killed Mahmud, the brother of Muhammad bin Maslama. Nomani also casts doubt on the accuraccy of the story due to its sources (see section below).
's narration is the only one that contains a reference to the torture of Kinana ibn al-Rabi. Ibn Ishaq is widely discredited as a narrator of hadith, generally considered as a mudallis (meaning "one who did not name his teacher, claiming instead to narrate directly from his teacher's teacher"). Concerning his sīra, the most notable and widely discussed criticism was that of his contemporary, Malik ibn Anas
, who leveled many accusations against Ibn Ishaq. Malik rejected the stories of Muhammad and the Jews of Medina on ground that they were taken solely based on accounts by sons of Jewish converts. These same stories have also been denounced as "odd tales" later by Ibn Hajar
. Malik and others also thought that Ibn Ishaq relied too heavily on the Isra'iliyat
.
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
; son of the poet al-Rabi ibn Abu al-Huqayq
Al-Rabi ibn Abu al-Huqayq
Ar-Rabī' bin Abī 'l-Huqayq was a Jewish poet of the Banu al-Nadir in Medina, who flourished shortly before the Hegira .His family was in possession of the fort Qamus, situated near Khaybar...
. Ibn al-Rabi' was killed during early Muslim clashes with the Banu Nadir
Banu Nadir
The Banu Nadir were a Jewish tribe who lived in northern Arabia until the 7th century at the oasis of Yathrib . The tribe challenged Muhammad as the leader of Medina. and planned along with allied nomads to attack Muhammad and were expelled from Medina as a result. The Banu Nadir then planned the...
.
Biography
He had two brothers — al-Rabi and SallamSallam ibn Abu al-Huqayq
Salām bin Abī 'l-Huqayq was a Jewish poet of early 7th century Arabia who helped the tribes who were fighting Muhammad.He was killed in the Expedition of 'Abdullah ibn 'Atik. He composed satirical verses about Muhammad and other early Muslim leaders...
. Kinana is said to have urged Muhammad to give up the custom during prayer of turning his face toward Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
("Qiblah") in favor of Jerusalem, as had been the custom in Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
at first. After the expulsion of the Banu al-Nadir, of which tribe he was a member, he and his family retired to Khaibar, where they possessed a castle called Qamus
Qamus
Qamus was the name of one of the fortresses of Al-Rabi ibn Abu al-Huqayq, Banu Qurayza situated near Khaybar. The fortress was attacked by Muslim forces and defeated. Among the people in the fortress at the time was Huyayy ibn Akhtab, the leader of Banu Nadir. It was after this event that Muhammad...
.
Ibn Ishaq
Ibn Ishaq
Muḥammad ibn Isḥaq ibn Yasār ibn Khiyār was an Arab Muslim historian and hagiographer...
writes about Kinana ibn al-Rabi,
Kinana al-Rabi, who had the custody of the treasure of Banu Nadir, was brought to the apostle who asked him about it. He denied that he knew where it was. A Jew came (Tabari says "was brought"), to the apostle and said that he had seen Kinana going round a certain ruin every morning early. When the apostle said to Kinana, "Do you know that if we find you have it I shall kill you?" He said "Yes". The apostle gave orders that the ruin was to be excavated and some of the treasure was found. When he asked him about the rest he refused to produce it, so the apostle gave orders to al-Zubayr Al-Awwam, "Torture him until you extract what he has." So he kindled a fire with flint and steel on his chest until he was nearly dead. Then the apostle delivered him to Muhammad b. Maslama and he struck off his head, in revenge for his brother Mahmud
Al-Mubarakpuri maintains that al-Rabi was bound by agreements between Muhammad and Khaybar to not conceal anything from the Muslims. He was executed, al-Mubarakpuri concludes, for breaching the agreement. Montgomery Watt supports the view that he was executed for concealing the treasure. Shibli Nomani, however, argues that Kinana was put to death because he had killed Mahmud, the brother of Muhammad bin Maslama. Nomani also casts doubt on the accuraccy of the story due to its sources (see section below).
Criticism of Ibn Ishaq's Account
Ibn IshaqIbn Ishaq
Muḥammad ibn Isḥaq ibn Yasār ibn Khiyār was an Arab Muslim historian and hagiographer...
's narration is the only one that contains a reference to the torture of Kinana ibn al-Rabi. Ibn Ishaq is widely discredited as a narrator of hadith, generally considered as a mudallis (meaning "one who did not name his teacher, claiming instead to narrate directly from his teacher's teacher"). Concerning his sīra, the most notable and widely discussed criticism was that of his contemporary, Malik ibn Anas
Malik ibn Anas
Mālik ibn Anas ibn Mālik ibn Abī 'Āmir al-Asbahī is known as "Imam Malik," the "Sheikh of Islam", the "Proof of the Community," and "Imam of the Abode of Emigration." He was one of the most highly respected scholars of fiqh in Sunni Islam...
, who leveled many accusations against Ibn Ishaq. Malik rejected the stories of Muhammad and the Jews of Medina on ground that they were taken solely based on accounts by sons of Jewish converts. These same stories have also been denounced as "odd tales" later by Ibn Hajar
Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani
Al-Haafidh Shihabuddin Abu'l-Fadl Ahmad ibn Ali ibn Muhammad, better known as Ibn Hajar due to the fame of his forefathers, al-Asqalani due to his family origin , was a medieval Shafiite Sunni scholar of Islam who represents the entire realm of the Sunni world in the field of Hadith...
. Malik and others also thought that Ibn Ishaq relied too heavily on the Isra'iliyat
Isra'iliyat
In the hadith studies of Islamic theology, Isra'iliyat is the body of hadith originating from Judeo-Christian traditions, rather than from other well-accepted sources that quote the Islamic prophet Muhammad...
.
Sources
- Muhammad ibn Ismail al-Bukhari. Sahih Bukhari.
- Gottheil, Richard et al. "Kinanah". Jewish EncyclopediaJewish EncyclopediaThe Jewish Encyclopedia is an encyclopedia originally published in New York between 1901 and 1906 by Funk and Wagnalls. It contained over 15,000 articles in 12 volumes on the history and then-current state of Judaism and the Jews as of 1901...
. Funk and Wagnalls, 1901-1906. - Ibn Ishaq. The Life of Muhammad: A Translation of Ibn Ishaq's Sirat Rasul Allah. A. Guillaume, trans. Oxford Univ. Press, 1955.
- Muslim ibn al-HajjajMuslim ibn al-HajjajAbul Husayn Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj ibn Muslim ibn Warat al-Qushayri al-Nisaburi was the author of the second authentic sahih collection of hadith in Sunni Islam, Sahih Muslim.-Biography:...
al-Qushayri. Sahih Muslim. Abdul Hamid Siddiqi, et al., transl's. revised ed. 2000.