http://mahajjah.com/Take a look at the above Ahle Sunnah ink. Below is information from that link concerning the killing of Malik bin Nuwayrah, the Ahle Sunnah perspective.
The execution of Malik ibn Nuwayrah
Shortly after the demise of Rasulullah salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam a number of tribes in the Arabian peninsula turned away from Islam. With many of them apostasy was expressed in the form of a refusal to pay the zakat. From Madinah Sayyidina Abu Bakr radiya Llahu `anhu dispatched a number of punitive expeditions. Khalid ibn al Walid radiya Llahu `anhu was placed in command of one such expedition.
After his victory against some of the apostate tribes, Khalid set out for Banu Sulaym, another of the apostate tribes. On his way towards Banu Sulaym he passed through the lands of Banu Tamim. Malik ibn Nuwayrah was a member of this tribe, and he had been appointed zakat – collector of Banu Tamim by Rasulullah salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam. Reports had been circulating that Malik too, was withholding the zakat.1 There were even more disturbing reports about him having started to speak ill about Rasulullah salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam, and referring to him in derogatory terms.2
Sayyidina Khalid radiya Llahu `anhu had orders from Sayyidina Abu Bakr radiya Llahu `anhu to inspect the practices of the people of the various locations he passed by in order to find out whether they were Muslims or whether they too, had forsaken Islam. If they heard the adhan and saw the people performing salah they could conclude that they were Muslims, and if they did not see them upholding the salah that would be an indication that they were not Muslim.3 In the case of Banu Tamim, Sayyidina Khalid’s spies differed: some claimed that they did not make salah, while others claimed that they did.4
According to one report, their mu’adhin, a person by the name of Abu al Jalal, was absent, which was the reason why no adhan was heard.5 It has even been reported that they encountered armed resistance from Malik and his men at an oasis called al Ba’udah.6 Those who put up the resistance, including Malik, were captured and brought before Sayyidina Khalid radiya Llahu `anhu. He decided that they must be put to death. This is how Malik ibn Nuwayrah was killed.
In Sayyidina Khalid’s party was the Sahabi Sayyidina Abu Qatadah radiya Llahu `anhu. He was amongst those who claimed that they had seen Malik’s people making salah. He was thus understandably upset at the decision of Sayyidina Khalid radiya Llahu `anhu, and returned immediately to Madinah to complain to Sayyidina Abu Bakr radiya Llahu `anhu. Sayyidina `Umar radiya Llahu `anhu insisted that Khalid be removed from his position as commander on account of his impetuousness. Khalid was summoned back to Madinah and interrogated by the khalifah, who concluded that Khalid’s deed was an error of judgement, for which it was not necessary to dismiss him.7
Sayyidina Abu Bakr radiya Llahu `anhu was guided in this decision by two things. Firstly, the hadith of Rasulullah salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam wherein he described Khalid as “the sword which Allah unsheathed against the unbelievers”.
The second was the fact that a similar occurrence took place in the time of Rasulullah salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam, also with Khalid ibn al Walid. He was put in command by Rasulullah salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam of an expedition to Banu Jadhimah. When Khalid asked them to accept Islam they responded by saying: “saba’na, saba’na”, a word which literally means “We have become Sabeans”, but which had come to be used in the general sense of changing one’s religion. To Khalid this was not sufficient evidence of their acceptance of Islam, and he gave the order for their execution. When the news of their execution reached Rasulullah salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam he lifted his hands and said: “O Allah, I dissociate myself from what Khalid has done.”8 Although Rasulullah salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam dissociated himself from the haste Khalid made himself guilty of, he did not punish him, since it was an error in judgement on his part. A very regrettable error it was, but it was still an error. It was for this reason that Rasulullah salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam did not hesitate to give Khalid command over other expeditions as well.
Shortly after the Banu Jadhimah incident Rasulullah entrusted him with the mission to destroy the temple of the pagan goddess `Uzza at a place called Nakhlah.9 In Jumad al Ula in the year 10 A.H he was sent on a da`wah mission to Banu Harith ibn Ka`b, and they accepted Islam at his hands without a drop of blood being shed.10 It was also to Khalid that Rasulullah salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam entrusted the expedition to Ukaydir ibn `Abd al Malik.11
Above all there was the day, at the battle of Mu’tah in the year 8 A.H, when Khalid ibn al Walid radiya Llahu `anhu would prove his valour and military genius by saving the day for Islam and the Muslim ummah in its first ever encounter with the Roman Empire. The three generals appointed by Rasulullah salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam all attained martyrdom in succession, and the standard was taken over by the valiant Khalid, who through his sheer genius managed to save the honour of Islam by effecting a tactical withdrawal after what seemed like certain defeat. Rasulullah was informed by Allah of what had happened at Mu’tah, and although his eyes were filled with tears at the martyrdom of his beloved cousin Jafar ibn Abi Talib, his adopted son Zaid ibn Harithah and the poet `Abdullah ibn Rawahah radiya Llahu `anhum, he saw reason to give the Muslims in Madinah the glad tidings of Khalid’s victory, saying: “then the standard was taken up by a Sword from amongst the Swords of Allah, and upon his hands did Allah grant victory.”12
All of this shows that Rasulullah salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam saw the Banu Jadhimah incident, as regrettable as it was, as a mistake on the part of Khalid. In not punishing Khalid for the execution of Malik ibn Nuwayrah, and not dismissing him from his post as commander, Sayyidina Abu Bakr radiya Llahu `anhu was thus completely justified. His interrogation of Khalid revealed that Khalid had committed an error of judgement, and the insistence of Sayyidina `Umar radiya Llahu `anhu that Khalid be dismissed was met by a resolute answer form Sayyidina Abu Bakr radiya Llahu `anhu: “I will not sheath the sword that was drawn by Allah.”13 Like Rasulullah salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam did in the case of Banu Jadhimah, Sayyidina Abu Bakr radiya Llahu `anhu paid out blood money to Malik’s brother Mutammim, and ordered the release of all captives taken by Khalid.13
Have a read of the above analysis.
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October 27, 2016, 07:39:49 PM
