Ibn Abi Hadrad's raid on Batn Idam and the killing of Amir ibn al-Adbat

Ibn Ishaq says that the raid of Ibn Abi Hadrad and his companions to the valley of Idam was before the conquest. ¹ Abd Allah ibn Abi Hadrad himself relates it, through the chain of Yazid ibn Abd Allah ibn Qusayt from al-Qa'qa' ibn Abd Allah ibn Abi Hadrad from his father. The Prophet sent them to Idam with a number of Muslims, among them Abu Qatada al-Harith ibn Rib'i and Muhallim ibn Jaththama. ¹

When they were in the valley of Idam, Amir ibn al-Adbat al-Ashja'i passed by them on his riding camel, with a bowl and a skin of milk. He greeted them with the greeting of Islam, but they held back. Muhallim charged at him and killed him "for something that had been between them", and took his camel and goods. ¹ When they came to the Prophet and told him, the verse of al-Nisa' 94 was revealed about them, according to Ibn Abi Hadrad, on the need to investigate and not to say to one who gives the greeting "you are not a believer", seeking the goods of this world. ¹ Ibn Hisham says that Abu Amr ibn al-Ala' read "al-salam" on the basis of this report. ¹

Ibn Ishaq relates from Muhammad ibn Ja'far ibn al-Zubayr, from Ziyad ibn Dumayra ibn Sa'd al-Sulami, from Urwa ibn al-Zubayr, from his father and grandfather, both of whom witnessed Hunayn: the Prophet prayed the noon prayer and then sat under a tree at Hunayn. Al-Aqra ibn Habis and Uyayna ibn Hisn came to him disputing over Amir ibn al-Adbat: Uyayna demanded his blood, and he was then the chief of the Ghatafan; al-Aqra defended Muhallim because of his standing among Khindif. ² Uyayna said: by God, I will not leave him until I make his women taste of the burning as he made my women taste it. The Prophet said: no, you will take the blood-money, fifty on this journey of ours and fifty when we return; but Uyayna refused. ² A man of the Banu Layth called Mukaythir, whom Ibn Hisham calls Mukaytil, stood up and said: I have found this slain man like no one but sheep that came to water and were shot at the first of them, so the rest scattered; make a custom today and change it tomorrow. The Prophet raised his hand and repeated the offer of the blood-money, and they accepted it. ²

Then they said: where is your companion for whom the Messenger of God should ask forgiveness? A tall brown man in the robe in which he had been prepared for the killing stood up and sat before the Prophet. The Prophet asked his name; he said: I am Muhallim ibn Jaththama. The Prophet raised his hand and said: O God, do not forgive Muhallim ibn Jaththama, three times. He stood up catching his tears with the edge of his cloak. ² The narrator says: among ourselves we say that we hope the Prophet asked forgiveness for him, but what appeared from him was this. ³

Ibn Ishaq relates from "one I do not doubt", from al-Hasan al-Basri, that the Prophet said to him when he sat: you gave him safety in God and then killed him! Muhallim did not remain more than seven days before he died, and the earth cast him out repeatedly, until his people set out to two cliffs, laid him between them and piled stones on him. When the Prophet heard of it he said: the earth closes over one worse than him, but God wished to admonish you in the sacred place among you through what He showed you of him. ³

Ibn Ishaq relates from Salim Abu al-Nadr that he "was told" that al-Aqra was alone with Uyayna and Qays and said: O company of Qays, you prevented the Messenger of God from a slain man through whom people might be set right; do you not fear that he will curse you and God will curse you with His curse, or be angry with you and God be angry with His anger? Either hand him over to the Messenger of God to do with him what he wills, or I will bring fifty men of the Banu Tamim who will all swear by God that your companion was killed an unbeliever who never prayed, and I will shed his blood; when they heard that, they accepted the blood-money. ³

The report belongs to the principles of "investigation" in fighting: whoever gives the greeting is not killed on suspicion of hypocrisy or for the sake of booty, and that a killing "in the early days of Islam" was dealt with by blood-money rather than retaliation, so that people would not be repelled, with the Prophet declaring his anger at the killer. The museum stops at the report of the earth rejecting the body at its narrative limit: a message from al-Hasan al-Basri through a narrator Ibn Ishaq did not name. ³

• The first chain runs continuously to Ibn Abi Hadrad. The report of the dispute is from Ziyad ibn Dumayra (Abu Dhar says it is written with a mim, and is also read "Dubayra", the correct form being with the mim as in al-Bukhari). ¹
• "Mukaythir" in Ibn Ishaq and "Mukaytil" in Ibn Hisham; "from the Harqa" and in one copy "from the heat". ²
• Ibn Hisham says: "Muhallim in all this story is from other than Ibn Ishaq... and Ibn Ishaq said: Mulajjim, as Ziyad related it to me from him." ³
• The report of al-Hasan al-Basri from one Ibn Ishaq does not name, as a missive. ³
• "Ghayyir ghadan", where "ghiyar" means the blood-money; it is also read "ghabbir" with a ba (Abu Dhar). ²