Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (سيرة 1/445)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

They called out to the men: “Come down—surrender—and we give you our solemn pledge and covenant that we will not kill any one of you.” ʿĀṣim replied, “As for me, by Allah, I will never place myself under the guarantee of a polytheist. O Allah, convey news of us to Your Prophet.” They then let fly their arrows and killed ʿĀṣim along with seven of his companions. Three men descended on the basis of the promise: Khubaib, Zayd ibn al-Dathinna, and another man. Once their captors had them in hand, they loosened the bowstrings and tied them with them. The third man said, “This is the beginning of treachery. By Allah, I will not go with you; I have an example in these slain men,” referring to the martyrs. They dragged him, tried to force him along, but he refused, so they killed him. They then took Khubaib and Zayd and sold them in Mecca after the Battle of Badr. The clan of Banū al-Hārith ibn ʿĀmir ibn Nawfal bought Khubaib, for it was Khubaib who had killed al-Hārith at Badr.

A point of clarification:
Al-Dimyāṭī said: “This is an error. Khubaib ibn ʿAdī al-Awsī was not present at Badr, nor did he kill al-Hārith ibn ʿĀmir. The one who fought there and killed him was Khubaib ibn Asāf al-Khazrajī.”

Return to the narrative: Khubaib remained with them as a prisoner until they unanimously agreed to put him to death. He borrowed a razor from one of al-Hārith’s daughters so that he might shave in preparation for execution, and she lent it to him. While she was distracted, her little boy toddled over to him and she found the child seated on Khubaib’s thigh with the razor in his hand. She was terrified, and Khubaib sensed her fear and said, “Are you afraid that I would kill him? I would never do that.” She later said, “By Allah, I have never seen a captive better than Khubaib. By Allah, I saw him—while he was bound in iron—eating a bunch of grapes, and there was no fruit at all in Mecca. It was sustenance Allah had provided for Khubaib.”

When they led him out of the Sacred Precinct to kill him in the ḥill area, he said to them, “Allow me to perform two rakʿahs.” They granted it, so he prayed the two units, then said, “By Allah, were it not that you would think I am afraid of death, I would have prolonged them. O Allah, count them one by one, kill them piecemeal, and leave not a single one of them alive.” And he said:

القوم، فقالوا لهم: انزلوا -فأعطوا بأيديكم، ولكم العهد والميثاق أن لا نقتل منكم أحدا. فقال عاصم: أما أنا فوالله لا أنزل في ذمة مشرك, اللهم أخبر عنا نبيك. فرموهم بالنبل فقتلوا عاصما في سبعة من أصحابه، ونزل إليهم ثلاثة على العهد والميثاق: خبيب، وزيد بن الدثنة، وآخر فلما استمكنوا منهم أطلقوا أوتار قسيهم فربطوهم بها, فقال الرجل الثالث: هذا أول الغدر، والله لا أصحبكم إن لي بهؤلاء أسوة. يريد القتلى فجروه وعالجوه فأبى أن يصحبهم فقتلوه، وانطلقوا بخبيب، وزيد، حتى باعوهما بمكة بعد وقعة بدر. فابتاع بنو الحارث بن عامر بن نوفل خبيبا. وكان خبيب هو قتل الحارث يوم بدر. وفائدة: قال الدمياطي: هذا وهم، ما شهد خبيب بن عدي الأوسي بدرا ولا قتل الحارث بن عامر، إنما الذي شهدها وقتله هو خبيب بن أساف الخزرجي. رجعٌ, قال: فلبث خبيب عندهم أسيرا حتى أجمعوا على قتله، فاستعار من بعض بنات الحارث موسى يستحد بها للقتل فأعارته. فدرج بني لها وهي غافلة حتى أتاه، فوجدته مجلسه على فخذه والموسى بيده ففزعت فزعة عرفها خبيب فقال: أتخشين أن أقتله؟ ما كنت لأفعل ذلك، فقالت: والله ما رأيت أسيرا قط خيرا من خبيب، والله لقد رأيته، أو وجدته، يأكل قطفا من عنب وإنه لموثق بالحديد وما بمكة من ثمرة، وكانت تقول: إنه لرزق رزقه الله خبيبا. فلما خرجوا به من الحرم ليقتلوه في الحل قال لهم: دعوني أركع ركعتين. فتركوه فركع ركعتين، ثم قال: والله لولا أن تحسبوا أن ما بي جزع من القتل لزدت، اللهم أحصهم عددا، واقتلهم بددا، ولا تبق منهم أحدا، وقال: