A PAGE FROM OUR ISLAMIC HISTORY: A JEWESS TRIES TO POISON PROPHET MUHAMMED By Yasin T. al-Jibo !i E"#$!%&$' (!

!o) *ol )$ T+o o( ), boo- &i&l$' Alla.: T.$ Con#$%& o( Go' in Isla) /0loo)in1&on2 In'iana2 U.S.A.: A &.o!Ho s$2 34567 While the Prophet was still in Khaybar, a Jewess presented him with a dressed and grilled lamb just when he was about to be served his dinner. Expressing his gratitude for the present, the Prophet took the shoulder, his favorite part, to eat, giving the man sitting next to him, namely ishr son of al! ar"# ibn $a%r&r al!Kha'raji al!(nsari who had )ourageously parti)ipated in the battles at adr and *hud, another pie)e and passing pie)es to other sahaba who were present there and then as was always his habit. (s soon as the Prophet tasted the lamb, he reali'ed that it did not taste right. +ather than swallowing it, he spat it out. $eanwhile, ishr had already swallowed some of the meat. ,e )ollapsed and died instantly. -ondu)ting an intensive in.uiry, the )ompanions of the Prophet )ame to know that that lamb had been prepared by a Jewish )aptive who was summoned and interrogated. /he defended herself by saying that that was her revenge for the loss of her father, brother, husband other relatives, for the devestation wrought by the $uslims on her people and )ountry. /he added saying that if $u0ammed were a true Prophet, he would dis)over the mis)hief before any harm affli)ted him1 but if he were a pretender, he would fall a vi)tim to her s)heme and the Jews would be saved from 2his tyranny3. 4here are two different stories as to what happened to that Jewess. 5ne says that she was put to death there and then. (nother tells .uite a different story. 6ollowing is the narration of the same in)ident by a grandson of the Prophet , namely 7m"m (li ibn $u0ammed , pea)e and blessings of the (lmighty with him and with all the Progeny of Prophet $u0ammed88 2When the $essenger of (ll"h returned from Khaybar to $ed9na, after having won a great vi)tory :over the Jews;, a Jewess who had pretended to have a))epted 7slam took a lamb#s shoulder and )ooked it. Putting it before the Prophet, she said, 25 $essenger of (ll"h< $ay both my parents be sa)rifi)ed for your sake< 7 was very mu)h )on)erned about you when you )ame out to meet the hosts at Khaybar, for 7 know that they are very tough people. 7 know that the shoulder is your favorite, and grilling is your favorite method of )ooking, so 7 made a vow : nathr; that if (ll"h saved you from them, 7 would slaughter a lamb for you and feed you from its grilled shoulder. =ow (ll"h has saved you from them and granted you vi)tory over them, 7 have brought you my nathr.3 7n the )ompany of the Prophet there were men su)h as ishr ibn al! ar"# ibn $a%r&r and (li ibn (b& >"lib . 4he $essenger of (ll"h said, A ring me some bread.2 5n)e the bread was brought, ishr stret)hed his hand took a morsel of the meat and put it in his mouth. (li ibn (b& >"lib , said to him, A5 ishr< ?ou should not do anything ahead of the Prophet. ishr was a bedouin. ,e said to (li , A5 (li < 7t seems as if you are )alling the $essenger of (ll"h miser<2 (li said, A7

never make su)h an impli)ation about the $essenger of (ll"h 1 on the )ontrary, 7 respe)t and revere him. =either 7, nor you, nor any of (ll"h#s )reation should say something or do something or eat or drink before the $essenger of (ll"h does so.2 A7 never imply that the $essenger of (ll"h is miser, either,2 ishr said. (li said, A4his is not why 7 said what 7 said. ut this woman who used to be Jewish has )ome here and we do not know her very well. 7f you eat of it a))ording to the order of the $essenger of (ll"h, pea)e and blessings of (ll"h with him and his progeny, he will be the one to guarantee your safety. ut if you eat of it without an order from the $essenger of (ll"h, pea)e and blessings of (ll"h with him and his progeny, you will be on your own.2 (li )ontinues to narrate this story saying that meanwhile, ishr was already )hewing his morsel. 7t is then that the shoulder spoke out and said, A5 $essenger of (ll"h< @o not eat of me, for 7 am poisoned<2 ishr fell a vi)tim to the swoon of death. ,e was not lifted from the ground ex)ept to be buried. 4he $essenger of (ll"h said, A ring me that woman.2 /he was brought to him. AWhat made you do what you didA,2 the Prophet asked her. /he said, A?ou have )aused me a great disaster, indeed. ?ou have killed my father, my un)le, my husband, my brother, and my son, so 7 did what 7 did saying to myself, %7f he were a king, 7 would seek revenge against him, but if he were a prophet, as he )laims, having promised to )on.uer $e))a and to bring vi)tory, (ll"h will prote)t him from it :from the poison;, and it will not harm him.2 4he $essenger of (ll"h said, A5 woman, you have said the truth.2 4hen he added, A@o not be fooled by the death of ishr son of al! ar"# ibn $a%r&r, for (ll"h )aused him to fall into a trial and tribulation on a))ount of his doing something ahead of the $essenger of (ll"h. ,ad he eaten of it with the permission of the $essenger of (ll"h, it would not have harmed him, nor would it have poisoned him.2 4hen the Prophet ordered a number of his )ompanions to be brought to him in)luding /alm"n, $i.d"d, (b& @harr, %(mm"r, /uhayb, ilal, and other aba totalling ten in number in addition to (li . 5n)e they were all present, the Prophet told them to sit down around the food like a )ir)le. 4hen the Prophet put his hand on the poisoned shoulder, blew of his breath over it, then said, A7n the =ame of (ll"h alShafi, the ,ealer1 in the =ame of (ll"h al-Mu`afi, the 5ne Who grants good health1 nothing at all )an harm when ,is =ame is invoked, nor any ailment, not in the earth, nor in the heavens, and ,e is the ,earing, the Knowing.2 4hen he added, AEat in the =ame of (ll"h.2 4he $essenger of (ll"h, pea)e and blessings of (ll"h with him and his progeny, ate of it, and they, too, ate of it to their fill. 4hen they drank water. 4he Prophet ordered the Jewess to be imprisoned.2 5n the next day, he ordered her brought to him. A@id you not see with your own eyes how these men ate of that poisoned foodA @id you not see how (ll"h prote)ted ,is $essenger and ,is $essenger#s sahabaA2 4he woman said, A?es, 7 have, 5 $essenger of (ll"h< efore now, 7 had entertained serious doubts about you being a Prophet, but now 7 am )ertain that you are, indeed, the $essenger of (ll"h1 therefore, 7 testify that8 4here is no god ex)ept (ll"h, the 5ne and 5nly Bod Who has no partner, and that you are ,is servant and $essenger.2 ,er a)tions testified to the soundness of her )onvi)tion and belief in 7slam. C 7bn ,ish"m briefly narrates this in)ident on p. DDC, Eol. C, of his Seera, and the edition 7 have is dated CDFF (.,.GFHHC and is published in eirut, Iebanon, by @"r al!Kutub al!%7lmiyya. 5n pp. FJK!FJD, Eol. C, of his Usd al-Ghba, 7bn al!(th r narrates a brief biography of ishr,
C Cal!$ajlisi, Bihr al-Anwr, Eol. CL, pp. KCM!KCN.

giving the date of his death in Khaybar by this poisoned food as L (.,.GOFM (.@. 4he edition of this important referen)e whi)h 7 have is published by @"r al!6ikr of eirut, Iebanon, in CDCN (.,.GCNNM (.@. 4he name of that Jewess is given in al!$ajlisi#s Bihr al-Anwr as well as in 7bn ,ish"mPs Seera as Qainab daughter of al!,"rith and wife of /all"m ibn $ishkam, nie)e of the same $arhab referred to above. 7bn ,ish"m tells us that the Prophet said to the Jewess, 24he bones of what you have brought me tell me that it is poisoned.3 4he Prophet asked her what prompted her to do that, so she said to him, 27 have suffered, and so have my people, that of whi)h you are knowledgable, so 7 said to myself that if you were a king, we would thus be spared of your mis)hief, but if you are a Prophet, your Iord should tell you that the meat is poisoned.3 4hen it was time to bury ishr ibn al! ar"# ibn $a%r r. 4he Prophet in.uired about (li and was told that he had gone on an errand for a $uslim man. ,earing that, the Prophet sat down. 4he sahaba asked him as to why he sat down instead of pro)eeding with the funeral rituals. ,e said, 2(ll"h, the most Exalted and the most Breat, ordered me to postpone the performan)e of the prayers for al! ar"# till (li returns so that he would forgive him for what he had said in the presen)e of the Prophet, so that ,e may )onsider his death by this poison an atonement for his sins.3 /ome of those who were present during the entire in)ident said to the Prophet, 25 $essenger of (ll"h< ,e was only jesting< ,e was simply teasing (li< ,e was not serious at all1 so, how )an (ll"h take him so seriouslyA3 4he Prophet said, 2,ad he been serious, (ll"h would have wiped out all his good deeds even if he had spent what is between the earth and the %(rsh by way of )harity in gold and silver, but he was, indeed, jesting, so he is ex)used. ut the $essenger of (ll"h does not desire any of you to think that (li was angry with him. ,e, therefore, will renew in your presen)e his sentiments towards him, and so that he may seek (ll"h#s forgivenes for him. (ll"h will then bring him : ar"#; )loser to ,im and grant him a loftier status in ,is Paradise.3 /hortly thereafter (li returned and stood before the )offin to say8 25 ar"#< $ay (ll"h have mer)y on you. ?ou used to fast and to stand for the prayers, and you have died in the way of (ll"h.3 4he $essenger of (ll"h then said, 2,ad any de)eased person not needed the $essenger of (ll"h to perform his funeral prayers, your fellow here :meaning ishr; would have found su)h a suppli)ation from (li suffi)ient.3 4hen he stood up, performed the funeral prayers for ishr ibn al! ar"# ibn $a%r&r and had him buried.2C y the way, 2Qainab3 was a )ommon name before the advent of 7slam. 5ne of the most famous women who )arried this name was the last pagan (rab .ueen of 4admur, Palmyra, kingdom of =abatean (rabs, till +oman emperor (urelianus :(urelian;, who ruled +ome from FLH to FLJ (.@., destroyed her kingdom in FLK (.@. /he is known as Rueen Qaynab or Qenobia :whi)h is pronoun)ed 2Qennoobia3, a bedouin )orruption of 2Qainab3. /in)e the advent of 7slam, no Jewess would be named 2Qainab3 and none ever will< 7f you make a tour around the world not in eighty but in eight hundred days, you will not find one Jewish female named 2Qainab3<

C CIbid., Eol. CL, pp. KCN!KFH.