Ridda (Apostasy) & the False Prophets
Apostasy and the false prophets; Musaylimah; diplomatic immunity; the Wars of Ridda.
Ridda is apostasy from Islam. In this volume it names two linked phenomena: the false-prophet copycats who arose with the success of the Prophet ﷺ, and the Wars of Ridda that followed his death.
One-line: the wave of apostasy and false prophets Islam’s success provoked — foretold, and crushed under Abu Bakr.
Definition
Two kinds of kufr are distinguished: (i) the ordinary kufr of a disbeliever, and (ii) the kufr of ridda — crossing a line such as falsely claiming prophethood. Arabia had never known a prophet-claimant before Muhammad ﷺ (the phenomenon belonged to the Judeo-Christian world); his success bred imitators.
How it appears in the Seerah
- The Prophet ﷺ foretold, “after me you shall see 30 dajjals (liars).” In a dream he saw two gold bracelets he blew away — interpreted as al-Aswad al-Ansi of Yemen and Musaylimah of al-Yamama (Bukhari).
- Musaylimah the Liar came in the delegations demanding a share of prophethood, wrote “from Musaylimah the Messenger of Allah…”, and mocked the Quran with doggerel (“Surah of the Frog,” “the Elephant”). The Prophet ﷺ spared his two envoys only by the law of diplomatic immunity (“were envoys not protected, I would have you executed”).
- Many delegations included hypocrites who apostatised the moment he ﷺ died.
Aftermath
The Wars of Ridda (11–12 AH) under Abu Bakr crushed the apostate tribes; Banu Hanifa were the largest and worst. Musaylimah was killed by Wahshi — with the same javelin that killed Hamzah, in atonement.
Lessons
- False religion can justify anything by “intellect” alone — hence the need for revealed guidance (the same section’s point about jahili naked tawaf: the mind rationalises even the perverse).
- Diplomatic immunity is a law the shariah endorses though it did not originate it — envoys are never harmed.
Cross-references
Musaylimah al-Kadhdhab · The Year of Delegations · Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (ra) · Wahshi ibn Harb (ra) · Nifaq (Hypocrisy) · Muhammad ﷺ
Sources
- S012 — Yasir Qadhi Seerah EP 096. Sahih Bukhari (the dream of the two bracelets; the envoys).