A Serious Misunderstanding (People Do Not Say That Muhammad Kills His Companions)

1. They said: Abdullah bin Ubay bin Salul used to utter the disbelief that warrants the death penalty (the penalty for apostasy), yet the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, suspended this penalty for the sake of uniting hearts and averting the harm of his tribe's anger and public opinion (people) that Muhammad kills his companions. 2. This statement is one of the most baseless falsehoods spread among Muslims! It has been promoted by advocates of concessions, "democracy," working within the pre-Islamic system, and "gradual Islamization of the law." 3. This doubt implies that the Prophet, peace be upon him, saw Abdullah bin Ubay as a prominent figure with many followers, so he feared the consequences of imposing the penalty on him, whereas he imposed the penalty on the weak like Ma'iz, the weak woman from Ghamid, and the weak woman from Jahinah... on these weak individuals! Did he not say himself, peace be upon him: (Those before you were destroyed because when a nobleman among them stole, they would let him go, but when a weak person among them stole, they would impose the penalty on him. By Allah, if Fatima, the daughter of Muhammad, were to steal, her hand would be cut off)?! 4. What is the reality then? The hypocrites like Abdullah bin Abi used to say words that were not explicit in disbelief (ambiguous speech), such as his saying: (If we return to Medina, we will expel the noble from it and keep the weak). Who is noble and who is weak? Did the Prophet, peace be upon him, mention any text? No. 5. Then they used to say such words among themselves, so only a few of the Companions would report it, such as Zayd bin Al-Arqam, who reported (We will expel the noble from it and keep the weak) to the Prophet, peace be upon him. The testimony of apostasy is not sufficient with one person, but rather, the person must confess to it himself or there must be evidence such as the testimony of a sufficient number of witnesses. 6. Then the hypocrites would deny this speech (even though it was not explicit in disbelief), as in Al-Bukhari, when the Prophet asked Ibn Salul about this statement: (He struggled with his right hand, meaning he swore by Allah that he did not say this statement (they swear by Allah that they did not say it)). 7. Then even when revelation came down condemning the hypocrites and those with diseased hearts, they would claim not to intend disbelief: (If you were to ask them, they would say, 'We were only joking and playing'), meaning they did not intend to mock the religion. 8. Then even when the Quran condemned them for disbelief, they would claim repentance, and this is an important matter. For Allah opened the door of repentance to them in many verses, and He alone, exalted be He, knows who sincerely repented and who was lying: (If We pardon a group of you, We will punish another group because they were criminals). 9. The hypocrites did not persist in this disbelief and insist on it. Allah says: (If the hypocrites and those in whose hearts is a disease and the agitators in the city do not cease, We will certainly incite you against them, then they will not remain in it as your neighbors except for a little (60). Cursed wherever they are found, they will be seized and killed a killing (61). That is the way of Allah with those who passed before, and you will not find for the way of Allah any change (62). And the Messenger of Allah did not kill them a killing. Therefore, there is no doubt that they stopped their actions. Otherwise, Allah would have incited him against them and killed them, for this is the established way of Allah (and you will not find for the way of Allah any change). 10. Their apparent repentance would remove the obligation of the penalty for apostasy. 11. A question remains: If we say that in their mockery of Islam, what about the penalty for mocking the Prophet, peace be upon him, which many scholars have stated that one who insults him is killed even if he repents? 12. The answer: There are two rights: the right of Allah, the Exalted, to kill the apostate as a penalty, and the right of the Prophet, peace be upon him, to kill one who insults him. If the one who insults the Prophet shows repentance, the right of Allah, the Exalted, is lifted, and the Prophet, peace be upon him, has the right to kill the one who wrongs him or to pardon him, for this is his personal right that he can waive in this world and is not a penalty that must be imposed. This - and Allah knows best - is the meaning of the Prophet's, peace be upon him, saying: (People do not say that Muhammad kills his companions). For there was no obligatory penalty in the matter, but a personal right that he could waive. 13. How much more so when the speech of Ibn Salul was not explicit insult mentioning the name of the Prophet, peace be upon him, and it was not proven by a sufficient number of witnesses to say that Ibn Salul's apostasy was established by this speech. 14. In conclusion: It is never permissible to say: The penalty of killing was obligatory on Ibn Salul, yet the Prophet, peace be upon him, suspended it. He, peace be upon him, said: (Avoid imposing penalties among yourselves. Whatever penalty reaches me, it is obligatory). The Sharia is not eager to impose penalties. But if the penalty reaches the Imam, it is obligatory for him to impose it. However, the penalty was not obligatory on Ibn Salul in the first place. 15. This, my brothers, is the conclusion of extensive readings on the subject, especially by Ibn Hazm and Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on them. Ibn Hazm strongly condemned those who said that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, suspended the penalty on Ibn Salul. Many questions will arise in your mind, which we will answer in upcoming articles, by the permission of Allah. I have deliberately been very brief. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.