Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul

The senior Khazraji chief of Yathrib who would become the head of the munafiqun (hypocrites) — Muslims outwardly, opponents inwardly — in the Medinan period.

Role in the Seerah (EP 024, 028–029)

• The one senior leader of the Aws and Khazraj to survive the Battle of Bu’ath. Had the war not thinned the old leadership, he was on the verge of being crowned Yathrib’s undisputed king.
• The Prophet’s ﷺ arrival ended that prospect, breeding the resentment that made him leader of the munafiqun. Notably, the Quran preserves the munafiqun’s persistence in calling the city Yathrib (33:13) after its renaming to Madinah.

Qaynuqa and Uhud (EP 041–050)

• At the Banu Qaynuqa expulsion he seized the Prophet’s ﷺ armour and would not release it until their lives were spared — exile rather than execution.
• On the march out to Uhud he broke away with ~300 men, the first open display of hypocrisy — Q 3:166–167 quotes his excuse and calls him a liar. The withdrawal exposed the munafiqun.

Note on sources (schema §5)

Yasir Qadhi flags this as a politicised topic: because the Madinan tribes are known only through Islamic sources, some modern writers invert the narrative and cast Ibn Ubayy as a wronged noble. The seerah must be read carefully, but his hypocrisy is established across the Medinan record. (Fuller episodes lie beyond EP 030.)

Exposed and disgraced (EP 051–060)

• Banu Nadir’s false hope. He secretly promised the Banu Nadir he would fight alongside them and never let them be expelled — an empty pledge Allah exposed: “if they are expelled, they will not leave with them” (Q 59:11), naming him a liar. No help came, and Banu Nadir surrendered.
• Surah al-Munafiqun. On the al-Muraysi’ expedition his boast “the honourable will expel the inferior” (the Ansar driving out the Muhajirun) was reported to the Prophet ﷺ, and Allah revealed the whole of Surah al-Munafiqun (Q 63), quoting him word-for-word (Q 63:8). His own son, Abdullah ibn Abdullah ibn Ubayy (ra), offered to execute him, but the Prophet ﷺ declined — killing him would have said “Muhammad ﷺ kills his own companions,” so he spared him for Maslaha (Public Welfare) (the greater good). Many munafiqun deserted Ibn Ubayy after this.
• The Slander in revenge. Humiliated, he instigated the Slander of Aisha (rha) against the Prophet’s ﷺ household — the lowest that nifaq stooped to.
• Khandaq. At the Trench the munafiqun mocked the digging and sought leave to desert their posts (Surah al-Ahzab).

Cross-references

Madinah (Yathrib) · The Ansar (the Helpers of Madinah) · Muhammad ﷺ · The Second Pledge of Aqabah (Bay'at al-Aqaba al-Thaniya) · Jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic Arabia) · The Expulsion of Banu Qaynuqa · The Battle of Uhud · Nifaq (Hypocrisy) · The Expulsion of Banu Nadir · The Expedition of Banu al-Mustaliq · The Slander of Aisha (rha) · The Battle of Khandaq (al-Ahzab) · Maslaha (Public Welfare)

Sources

• S005 — Yasir Qadhi Seerah EP 024, 028–029 (background; Bu’ath; the name Yathrib in 33:13).
• S007 — Yasir Qadhi Seerah EP 041–050 (Qaynuqa armour episode; the ~300 withdrawal at Uhud, Q 3:166–167).
• S008 — Yasir Qadhi Seerah EP 051–060 (Banu Nadir false promise Q 59:11; Surah al-Munafiqun Q 63:8; the Slander; Khandaq).