Kinana ibn al-Rabi' (Arabic: كنانة ابن الربيع, also Kinana bin al-Rabi, Kinana ibn al-Rabi'a, Kinana ibn al-Rabi ibn Abu al-Huqayq) was a Jewish leader of seventh-century Arabia and an opponent of Muhammad; son of the poet al-Rabi ibn Abu al-Huqayq. Al-Rabi was executed after the Battle of Khaybar for hiding the tribe's treasure.
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Non-Muslim view
He had two brothers — al-Rabi and Sallam. 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 Hisham writes about Kinana ibn al-Rabi,[1]
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 exceuted, al-Mubarakpuri concludes, for breaching the agreement.[2] Montgomery Watt supports the view that he was executed for concealing the treasure.[3] Shibli Nomani, however, argues that Kinana was put to death because he had killed Mahmud, the brother of Muhammad b. Maslama. Nomani also casts doubt on the accuraccy of the story due to its sources (see section below).[4] After Kinana's death, Muhammad married his wife Safiyyah bint Huyayy, the daughter of Huyayy ibn Akhtab, a chief of the Banu al-Nadir who had been executed on a previous occasion.[5]
Muslim response
Muslims scholars regard this narration as a forgery due to its suspicious narration. The story of al-Rabi narrated by Ibn Hisham has been taken from Ibn Ishaq. Ibn Ishaq, however, doesn't specify any source for this story. According to Nomani, tradionists have stated that Ibn Ishaq probably borrowed this story from the contemporary descendents of al-Rabi's tribe. Rather, it is held that Kinana was executed for violating a sacred oath by committing murder (akin to treason)[6]; in such cases the death penalty is applied in order to protect the relationship between Muslims and non-Muslims from deteriorating by cycles of revenge killings. While the Quran allows for the execution of murderers (barring any extenuating circumstances), it also forbids inflicting injustices such as torture. Not once was Muhammad known to have beaten his wives or servants. Additionally, despite the torture and persecution of Muslims by the residents of Makkah, Muhammad did not seek revenge upon the conquest of the city, but rather opted to pardon its people; such a pardon was shocking given the brutal and merciless fashion in which the pre-Islamic tribes of Arabia conducted warfare. Nomani also casts doubt on the story on the basis of its inconsistency with Muhammad's other actions. He doubts Muhammad would have tortured al-Rabi, as he forgave the Jewess Raihana after the she tried to poison him.[7]
See also
Notes
- ^ Ibn Hisham. Al-Sira al-Nabawiyya (The Life of The Prophet). English translation in Guillame (1955), pp. 145–146
- ^ Mubarakpuri (1996), pg. 372
- ^ Watt (1956), pg. 218
- ^ Nomani, vol. II, pg. 173
- ^ Bukhari, Vol. 1, book 8, no. 371; Muslim, book 8, no. 3329.
- ^ Allama Shibli Nu'Mani, Sirat-Un-Nabi, volume II, p 173-174
- ^ Nomani, vol. II, pg. 173
Sources
- Muhammad ibn Ismail al-Bukhari. Sahih Bukhari.
- Gottheil, Richard et al. "Kinanah". Jewish Encyclopedia. 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-Hajjaj al-Qushayri. Sahih Muslim. Abdul Hamid Siddiqi, et al., transl's. revised ed. 2000.
External links
This article incorporates text from the 1901–1906 Jewish Encyclopedia, a publication now in the public domain.
