The Two Executions at Badr: An-Nadr ibn Al-Harith and Uqbah ibn Abi Muayt

Three Wisdoms of Allah's Correction on Prisoners

The previous lesson established that Allah corrected the Prophet's decision to ransom the Badr prisoners (Q 8:67-68), indicating that a stricter course would have been more appropriate at this early stage. Dr. Yasir Qadhi identifies three wisdoms behind this divine guidance:

First, the Quran itself states the principle: "ma kana li-nabiyyin an yakuna lahu asra hatta yuthkhina fi al-ard", it is not appropriate for a prophet to have prisoners until he has established his authority in the land. Forgiveness when one is in a position of weakness is not effective forgiveness. It is forgiveness from a position of power, "hatta yuthkhina fi al-ard", that carries weight and demonstrates genuine magnanimity. At this early stage, the Muslims had not yet consolidated their authority.

Second, a purely practical wisdom: many of the freed prisoners came back to fight at Uhud and the Battle of the Confederates (al-Ahzab). The exact same people whom the Muslims released returned as enemies. This is why it would have been wiser to prevent them from ever returning to arms.

Third, Umar ibn al-Khattab articulated an important social wisdom: by having each Muslim execute his own relative from the Qurayshi side, they would demonstrate to all the tribes of Arabia that Islam had completely replaced the tribal system (Jahiliyyah). Umar said: "Give me my own relative, give Ali his relative [Aqil], let every man execute his own kin, so that no one can say Banu Hashim killed Banu Adi, or Banu Abd al-Dar killed Banu Abd al-Dar. We are unified by Islam alone." This wisdom took years for the Quraysh to understand: at the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, Suhayl ibn Amr, himself a Qurayshi negotiator, still could not comprehend how such a diverse group of people from all different tribes could be unified against the Quraysh.

Nevertheless, Allah ﷻ accepted the Prophet's ijtihad and the 70 prisoners were taken back to Madinah. Only two were not spared.

An-Nadr ibn al-Harith

Ibn Ishaq described an-Nadr ibn al-Harith as "shaytanun min shayatini Quraysh" (a devil among the devils of Quraysh). He was one of the very few Qurayshis who had lived abroad, specifically in al-Hirah, the capital of the Lakhmid Arab dynasty in Iraq, and had returned to Makkah with extensive knowledge of ancient Persian legends and tales of kings. When the Quran began to be revealed, he became its most sarcastic and persistent critic. He would sit by the gathering where people listened to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa-sallam and say: "Leave his stories and come listen to mine, I will tell you better stories!" He would then entertain them with tales of ancient Persian rulers (the type preserved in Firdawsi's Shahnameh, written centuries later in Persian).

The Quran mentions him in multiple places. Every reference in the Quran to someone saying "asatir al-awwalin" (fables of the ancients) is understood by scholars to refer primarily to an-Nadr (Q 25:5, Q 83:13, Q 68:15). The Quran also references his boast in Q 6:93: "Who does more injustice than the one who... says 'I will reveal something like what Allah has revealed'", this refers to an-Nadr's claim "sa-unzilu mithla ma anzala Allah" (I will reveal something like what Allah has revealed).

Together with Uqbah ibn Abi Muayt, an-Nadr had traveled all the way from Makkah to Yathrib before the Hijrah to consult the Jewish scholars there. They collected specific questions designed to trap the Prophet, questions about the People of the Cave, Dhul-Qarnayn, and the Ruh. They returned triumphant, convinced they had found questions that the Prophet could never answer. Allah revealed Surat al-Kahf (in one major scholarly opinion) and Surat Yusuf (in another opinion) in response.

Uqbah ibn Abi Muayt

As for Uqbah ibn Abi Muayt, he was among the most vile and active persecutors of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa-sallam. Ibn Ishaq says "qama fi al-qawmi ashqahum" (the most despicable of them stood up) when Abu Jahl called for someone to bring a carcass to throw on the Prophet while he prayed. Uqbah rushed out, brought back a dead animal, and draped it over the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa-sallam while he was in prostration. Fatimah, the young daughter of the Prophet, had to run to remove it, because no man dared to intervene. Ibn Masud himself said: "I couldn't do anything, I was a slave."

Uqbah also physically tried to choke the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa-sallam to death. He threw his cloak around the Prophet's neck and tightened it while the Prophet was praying. Abu Bakr rushed in crying: "A-taqtuluna rajulan an yaqula rabbi Allah?!" (Will you kill a man simply because he says Allah is my Lord?!), referenced in Q 40:28.

Together with an-Nadr, Uqbah had also traveled to Yathrib to bring trick questions from the Jewish scholars to try to expose the Prophet as a fraud.

The Execution

When Uqbah saw Ali ibn Abi Talib standing with his sword ready to carry out the execution, he fell to his knees and began begging the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa-sallam: "Man li-al-sibyah, ya Rasulallah?" (Who will take care of my children, O Messenger of Allah?) The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa-sallam gave a one-word response: "al-Nar." (The Fire.)

Scholars give two interpretations: (1) The Prophet was saying: you have a far greater worry than your children, you are about to face the Fire; (2) Alternatively, if your children follow your path, the Fire is already their destination, you have led them there. The same Ali then carried out the execution.

Dr. Qadhi points out the irony: where was Uqbah's sympathy when little Fatimah came running to remove the carcass from her father's back? The same Uqbah who showed no mercy then was now begging for mercy for himself and his children.

Scholars note that this was the only time in the Prophet's entire military career that prisoners of war were executed on his command. This represents the strictest possible response in an extraordinary situation. The general principle of Islam remained mercy and clemency, but these two had exceeded all limits in their personal hostility to Allah and His Messenger.