Abu 'Afak (Arabic: ãèàùÃÂÃÂ, died c. 624) was a Jewish poet who allegedly lived in the Hijaz region (today Saudi Arabia). After Muhammad moved to the city of Al-Madina and started to preach Islam, Abu 'Afak did not convert to Islam and was vocal about his opposition to Muhammad. He became a significant political enemy of Muhammad and was subsequently assassinated by a follower of Muhammad.
As an elderly man, Abu 'Afak Arwan wrote a politically charged poem against Muhammad and his followers that is preserved in the Sira. Muhammad then allegedly called for Abu 'Afak's death, and Salim ibn Umayr killed him. The affair was recorded by Ibn Ishaq in "Sirat Rasul Allah" (The Life of the Prophet of God), the oldest biography of Muhammad.
The following is an excerpt from Alfred Guillaume's translation of Ibn Ishaq's prophetic biography, chapter "Salim b. Umayr's expedition to kill Abu Afak".<blockquote>Abu 'Afak was one of the B. Amr b. Auf of the B. Ubayda clan. He showed his disaffection when the apostle [Muhammad] killed al-Harith b. Suwayd b. Samit and said:
The apostle [Muhammad] said, "Who will deal with this rascal for me?" Whereupon Salim b. Umayr, brother of B. Amr b. Auf, one of the "weepers", went forth and killed him. Umama b. Muzayriya said concerning that:
But there is no chain of transmission mentioned for the story through Ibn Ishaq, and therefore either Ibn Ishaq narrated the story without chain, or the chain is missing (since Ibn Ishaq's prophetic biography have not been transmitted completely, but some of which survive through the writings of Ibn Hisham and Ibn Jarir al-Tabari.).
This is with the knowledge that Ibn Ishaq was born at least 67 years after the death of Muhammad.
The following is an excerpt from Rizwi Faizer's translation of Waqidi's military history, chapter âÂÂThe Expedition to Kill Abu âÂÂAfakâÂÂ.
<blockquote>SaâÂÂid b. Muhammad related to us from âÂÂUmara b. Ghaziyya, and Abu MusâÂÂab related to us from IsmaâÂÂil b. MusâÂÂab b. IsmaâÂÂil b. Zayd b. Thabit from his elders, who said: âÂÂThere was a sheikh of the Banu âÂÂAmr ibn âÂÂAwf called âÂÂAbu Afak. He was an old man who had reached one hundred and twenty years when the Prophet arrived in Medina. He provoked the enmity of the Prophet and did not enter Islam. When the Messenger of God went out to Badr and returned, and God granted him victory, Abu âÂÂAfak envited him and opposed him, saying:
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Salim b. âÂÂUmayr said â and he was one of the weepers of the Banu Najjar â âÂÂI vowed that I would kill Abu Afak or die in the attempt. I waited for a heedless moment.â Then, one summerâÂÂs night, as Abu Afak slept in the courtyard with the Banu âÂÂAmr b. âÂÂAwf, Salim b. âÂÂUmayr approached, and pressed the sword upon his liver until it entered his bed. The enemy of God screamed. Those among the people who heard his words returned to him. They entered his place and buried him. They said, âÂÂWho killed him? By God, if we learn who killed him, we will surely kill him for it.â Al-Nahdiyya, a Muslim woman, said these verses about that.
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MaâÂÂan b. âÂÂUmar related to me saying: âÂÂIbn Ruqaysh informed me that Abu âÂÂAfak was killed in Shawwal, the twentieth month AH.âÂÂ</blockquote>
However, Al Waqidi was said by many Islamic Hadith scholars to be an unreliable source of information. Al-Waqidi has been condemned as an untrustworthy narrator and has been frequently and severely criticized by scholars, thus his narrations have been abandoned by the majority of hadith scholars:
Another description of this story comes from The Major Classes by ibn Sa'd al-Baghdadi:<blockquote>"Then occurred the "sariyyah" [raid] of Salim Ibn Umayr al-Amri against Abu Afak, the Jew, in [the month of] Shawwal in the beginning of the twentieth month from the hijra, of the Apostle of Allah. Abu Afak, was from Banu Amr Ibn Awf, and was an old man who had attained the age of one hundred and twenty years. He was a Jew, and used to instigate the people against the Apostle of Allah, and composed (satirical) verses [about Muhammad].
Salim Ibn Umayr who was one of the great weepers and who had participated in Badr, said, "I take a vow that I shall either kill Abu Afak or die before him. He waited for an opportunity until a hot night came, and Abu Afak slept in an open place. Salim Ibn Umayr knew it, so he placed the sword on his liver and pressed it till it reached his bed. The enemy of Allah screamed and the people who were his followers, rushed to him, took him to his house and interred him."</blockquote>
Ibn Sa'd gives a second account, which cites his sources.
<blockquote>Muhammad ibn âÂÂUmar [Waqidi] reported from SaâÂÂid ibn Muhammad az-Zuraqi from âÂÂUmara ibn Ghaziya that Abu MusâÂÂab IsmaâÂÂil ibn MusâÂÂab ibn IsmaâÂÂil ibn Zayd ibn Thabit related from his shaykhs that Abu âÂÂAfak was an old man of the Banu âÂÂAmr ibn Awf. He reached the age of one hundred and twenty and he heard about the Prophet but he did not enter Islam. Salim ibn âÂÂUmayr vowed to kill him and sought him until he killed him. That was at the command of the Prophet. Muhammad ibn âÂÂUmar [Waqidi] reported from MaâÂÂn ibn âÂÂUmar from Ibn Ruqaysh of the Banu Asad ibn Khuzayma that Abu âÂÂAfak was killed in Shawwal at the beginning of the twentieth month of the Hijra [late March/early April 624].</blockquote>
Ibn Sa'd transmits the story through Al-Waqidi mentioned in the chain of transmission, who, as already mentioned above, has been criticized by Hadith as an unreliable source.