Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf
Banu Nadir poet-chief assassinated for treaty-treason.
Hijri — (d. 3 AH) CE — (d. 624 CE)
A wealthy poet and chief of Banu Nadir whose treason and incitement after Badr led to his sanctioned assassination; died an enemy.
Identity & lineage
Half-Arab, half-Jew: his father, of Banu Nabhan (Tayy), was a murderer who fled to Yathrib; his mother was of Banu Nadir, making him a leader of that tribe. Rich, with his own fortress, handsome, and a renowned poet.
Role in the Seerah
A signatory community of the Constitution of Madinah turned open belligerent — using wealth, poetry, and diplomacy to rally Makkah against the Muslims.
Key episodes
- Doctrinal agitation: objected to the change of the qibla (the objectors quoted in Q 2:142) and discouraged zakat (Q 4:37).
- Alliance with Makkah: after Badr he mourned the Quraysh dead in verse, then rode secretly to Makkah and pledged alliance with Abu Sufyan, telling him paganism was “more rightly guided” than Islam — words Q 4:50–51 rebukes.
- Slander: composed sensual, defamatory poetry naming Muslim women.
Character & lessons
Treaty and treason cannot coexist; his crime was violating the covenant and inciting war, not mere disbelief.
Death
Assassinated between Badr and Uhud (14 Rabi’ al-Awwal, 3 AH) by Muhammad ibn Maslamah (ra) and companions on the Prophet’s ﷺ sanction. Reliability: high — the account is in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, plus Ibn Ishaq and Ibn Hisham. See The Assassination of Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf.
Cross-references
The Assassination of Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf · Muhammad ibn Maslamah · The Battle of Badr · Abu Sufyan ibn Harb (ra) · The Change of the Qibla · The Constitution of Madinah · Muhammad ﷺ
Sources
- S007 — Yasir Qadhi Seerah EP 041–050.
- Sahih al-Bukhari; Sahih Muslim (the killing of Ka’b ibn al-Ashraf).
- Ibn Ishaq / Ibn Hisham, Sirat Rasul Allah.
- Quran 2:142, 4:37, 4:50–51 (asbab al-nuzul traditions).