IMAM ABU ALFIDA' ISMACFL IBN KATH~R 23 1Ibn Ishaq then stated, "There are no men or women of the Banti 'Abd
al-Ashhal known as hypocrites; al-Dahhzk b. Thahit, however, was charged with
hypocrisy and love of the Jews."
All the above persons were from Aws.Ibn Ishzq stated, "And of Khazraj there were Ritfic b. Wadi'a, Zayd b. 'Amr,
'Amr b. Qays, Qays b. 'Amr b. Sahl and al-Jadd b. Qays. It was the last-nanled
who said, 'Give me leave; do not try me.'"
"And there was 'Abd All?& b. Ubayy b. Saliil who was the chief hypocrite and
leader of the Aws and Khazraj as well. They had previously agreed, before the
coming of Islam, to appoint hi their king, but when God led them to Islam before
they did so, the accursed fellow was greatly offended and angered. It is he who
said, 'If we get back to Medina the strong will definitely drive out of it the weak!'"
Very many verses were revealed about this man and also about Wadi%, a man
of the Banii 'Awf, as about Maik h. Aha Qawqal, Suwayd and DSis who were
all of his gang. About them the Almighty revealed, "If they are driven out, they
will not go forth with themn (swat al-Hashr; LIX, v.12). This was when they
allied secretly with the Bann &Nadir.Then Ibn IshSq made mention of those Jewish rabbis who had accepted Islam
as if God-fearing men while in secret they were unbelievers; and they were
followed by the worst of the hypocrites among whom were: Sa'd b. Hanif and
Zayd b. al-Lqif. It was the latter who commented, when the camel of the
Messenger of God (SAAS) strayed, 'Muhammad claims that information
reaches hi from heaven, yet he doesn't know the whereabouts of his camel!'
The Messenger of God (SAAS) responded, 'I only know what God tells me;
and He has guided me towards it. My camel is in this defile, her bridle caught in
a tree.' Some of the Muslims then went and found it just so."
Ibn Ishxq went on: "And there were Nu'mzn b. Awfa, Wthman b. Awfz and
bfi' h. Huraymala. The last-mentioned is the one of whom the Messenger of
God (SAAS) said, so I have been told, when the man died, 'One of the great
hypocrites has died today.'
"Also there was Rifa'a b. Zayd b. al-Tzhiit. On the day of his death a great
wind arose just as the Messenger of God (SAAS) was returning from Tabnk and
he said, 'It is blowing due to the death of a great unbeliever.' And when they
reached Medina they found that Rifz'a had died that day.
"Also there was Silsila b. Burhm, and Kinma b. Snriya.
"These, then, are the Jewish hypocrites who had accepted Islam."
Ibn Ishzq went on, "These hypocrites would attend the mosque and listen to the
Muslims' talk, ridiculing and making fun of their religion.
- Presumably a reference to rtlraf al-Tawba or ol-Bar&; IX, v.49.