They sought permission from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and he granted it. Five men of the Khazraj, all from the clan of Banū Salama, set out: ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿAtik, Masʿūd ibn Sinān, ʿAbd Allah ibn Unays, Abū Qatādah ibn Rubayʿī, and another man who was their ally. The Prophet placed Ibn ʿAtik in command, and they travelled until they reached Khaybar.
They arrived at the house of Ibn Abī al-Ḥuqayq by night. Not a single dwelling in the compound did they leave without first locking its door upon those inside. Then they stood at the entrance and asked permission to enter. His wife came out and asked, “Who are you?” They replied, “We are seeking provisions.” She said, “Your man is inside; go in to him.”
The narrator continues: When we entered, we locked the room behind us and her, fearing that some tussle might arise that would keep us from him. His wife screamed, giving us away, and we rushed at him while he was lying on his bed. By Allah, nothing guided us to him in the darkness except the whiteness of his body—it was like a qabṭiyyah (white linen cloth) lying there. Whenever she cried out, one of us would raise his sword at her, then remember the Messenger of Allah’s ﷺ prohibition against killing women, and he would hold back his hand. After we had struck him with our swords, ʿAbd Allah ibn Unays pressed his blade into the man’s belly until it passed through, while he kept saying, “Qaṭnī, qaṭnī,” meaning, “Enough, enough!”
We withdrew, but Ibn ʿAtik, who had poor eyesight, missed a step on the staircase and fell, badly spraining his arm. We carried him until we reached one of their water channels and concealed ourselves in it. They lit fires and searched in every direction; when they lost hope, they returned to their master and gathered around him. We said to one another, “How can we be certain he has died?” One of us replied, “I will go and find out for you.” He went off and mingled with the people. The narrator says: I found his wife holding a lamp, with men standing around her. She kept looking at his face and telling them, “By Allah, I most certainly heard the voice of Ibn ʿAtik …”