List of Killings Ordered or Supported by Muhammad: Difference between revisions

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List of Killings Ordered or Supported by Muhammad (view source)

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The sirah maghaazi literature, early biographical literature produced by the Arabic tradition, portrays Muhammad as a warlord and statebuilder par excellence. Although it does portray him sometimes showing mercy to his opponents, just as often if not more so it portrays him as ordering the killings of transgressors against the divine law, political and religious enemies, personal enemies or threats to his person, and poets who made fun of him. The earliest biographers such as Ibn Ishaq are quite detailed in showing how the prophet did not suffer poetry against him and made a point of ordering the murder of such poets. As with the rest of the sira maghaazi literature many questions remain about the reliability of these accounts from the perspective of ''wie es eigentlich gewesen'' or "as it actually happened." This caution is found not only in academia, but also among Islamic modernists, as well as in the broader Islamic tradition, a perception which has filtered through to public awareness today. While sirah material was of interest in legal and exegetical contexts, classical hadith scholars considered the sirah genre to lack any sound methodology for authenticating isnads (chains of narration; indeed, in some cases no isnad is given at all).  
The sirah maghaazi literature, early biographical literature produced by the Arabic tradition, portrays Muhammad as a warlord and statebuilder par excellence. Although it does portray him sometimes showing mercy to his opponents, just as often if not more so it portrays him as ordering the killings of transgressors against the divine law, political and religious enemies, personal enemies or threats to his person, and poets who made fun of him. The earliest biographers such as Ibn Ishaq are quite detailed in showing how the prophet did not suffer poetry against him and made a point of ordering the murder of such poets. As with the rest of the sira maghaazi literature many questions remain about the reliability of these accounts from the perspective of ''wie es eigentlich gewesen'' or "as it actually happened." This caution is found not only in academia, but also among Islamic modernists, as well as in the broader Islamic tradition, a perception which has filtered through to public awareness today. While sirah material was of interest in legal and exegetical contexts, classical hadith scholars considered the sirah genre to lack any sound methodology for authenticating isnads (chains of narration; indeed, in some cases no isnad is given at all).  


In many cases, however, narrations in major hadith collections do briefly mention or allude to killings found in the sirah literature. Siraj Khan writes regarding traditional Islamic jurisprudence, "Many instances from the hadith corpus are cited in support of the punishment for blasphemy", giving examples such as Abu Rafi' and Ka'b ibn Ashraf. A handful of hadith were used to qualify the specific circumstances when blasphemy was punishable, in particular those narrating Muhammad's approval (as it was usually interpreted) of a blind man who killed his umm walad (freed concubine who bore him children) and a man who killed a Jewish woman, in both cases for insulting Muhammad.<ref>Siraj Khan. "Blasphemy against the Prophet", in Muhammad in History, Thought, and Culture (editors: Coeli Fitzpatrick and Adam Hani Walker). ISBN 978-1610691772 pp. 62-63</ref><ref>These two killings involve a repeated topos as mentioned in the section below on modern scholarship.</ref> It is common even in modern times for Islamic scholars to discuss the legitimacy of blasphemy laws by citing the killings of poets and others who had insulted Muhammad,<ref>For example Iffat khalid & Shamana Munawar, [https://jiscnet.com/journals/jisc/Vol_3_No_1_June_2015/7.pdf Blasphemy law of Islam-Misconceptions and Fallacy], Journal of Islamic Studies and Culture (2015), Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 48-57 DOI: 10.15640/jisc.v3n1a7</ref> though there are also those who urge a more critical view of the sources as well as raising issues of legal methodology.<ref>For example the al-Mawrid institute of reformist scholars in Pakistan [https://www.al-mawrid.org/Question/60a204a3923f0b12074d877f/punishment-of-blasphemy-based-on-a-hadith-narrative Punishment of blasphemy based on a hadith narrative] - al-mawrid.org, August 2020</ref> What is not in doubt, though, is that these narratives, taken together as the sirah, have traditionally formed the most authoritative biographical source available on the life of the prophet.
In many cases, however, narrations in major hadith collections do briefly mention or allude to killings found in the sirah literature. Siraj Khan writes regarding traditional Islamic jurisprudence, "Many instances from the hadith corpus are cited in support of the punishment for blasphemy", giving examples such as Abu Rafi' and Ka'b ibn Ashraf. A handful of hadith were used to qualify the specific circumstances when blasphemy was punishable, in particular those narrating Muhammad's approval (as it was usually interpreted) of a blind man who killed his umm walad (concubine who bore him children) and a man who killed a Jewish woman, in both cases for insulting Muhammad.<ref>Siraj Khan. "Blasphemy against the Prophet", in Muhammad in History, Thought, and Culture (editors: Coeli Fitzpatrick and Adam Hani Walker). ISBN 978-1610691772 pp. 62-63</ref><ref>These two killings involve a repeated topos as mentioned in the section below on modern scholarship.</ref> It is common even in modern times for Islamic scholars to discuss the legitimacy of blasphemy laws by citing the killings of poets and others who had insulted Muhammad,<ref>For example Iffat khalid & Shamana Munawar, [https://jiscnet.com/journals/jisc/Vol_3_No_1_June_2015/7.pdf Blasphemy law of Islam-Misconceptions and Fallacy], Journal of Islamic Studies and Culture (2015), Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 48-57 DOI: 10.15640/jisc.v3n1a7</ref> though there are also those who urge a more critical view of the sources as well as raising issues of legal methodology.<ref>For example the al-Mawrid institute of reformist scholars in Pakistan [https://www.al-mawrid.org/Question/60a204a3923f0b12074d877f/punishment-of-blasphemy-based-on-a-hadith-narrative Punishment of blasphemy based on a hadith narrative] - al-mawrid.org, August 2020</ref> What is not in doubt, though, is that these narratives, taken together as the sirah, have traditionally formed the most authoritative biographical source available on the life of the prophet.


==Views of modern scholarship==
==Views of modern scholarship==
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! style="background: #E3E3B6;" |38
! style="background: #E3E3B6;" |38
| style="background: #FFD4D4;" |'''Blind man's umm walad (freed concubine who bore him children)'''
| style="background: #FFD4D4;" |'''Blind man's umm walad (concubine who bore him children)'''
|Unknown
|Unknown
| style="background: #DEFFD4;" |Killed by a Muslim on his own initiative because the woman insulted Muhammad. When Muhammad learned what had happened he said no retaliation is payable for her blood.<ref name="617AvlDgL">[http://www.webcitation.org/617AvlDgL Ruling on one who insults the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)], Islam Q&A, Fatwa No. 22809</ref><ref name="Abudawud 38 4348">{{Abudawud|38|4348}}</ref>
| style="background: #DEFFD4;" |Killed by a Muslim on his own initiative because the woman insulted Muhammad. When Muhammad learned what had happened he said no retaliation is payable for her blood.<ref name="617AvlDgL">[http://www.webcitation.org/617AvlDgL Ruling on one who insults the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)], Islam Q&A, Fatwa No. 22809</ref><ref name="Abudawud 38 4348">{{Abudawud|38|4348}}</ref>
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