Appendix Three
The Nature of Hātib’s Action, May Allah Be Pleased with Him

What did the Companion Hātib do? What kind of action was it? Would someone who did the same thing today not become a disbeliever?

Praise be to Allah. Hātib, may Allah be pleased with him, wrote to the people of Mecca to inform them that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was marching towards them. He intended this as a favour for which they would protect his family and property in return. This was an act of espionage. Hātib entrusted the letter to a woman to deliver to Quraysh. Revelation then came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and he sent ʿAlī and al-Zubayr after her. They caught up with her and took the letter from her.

The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, summoned Hātib and asked, “What is this?” He replied, “Do not be hasty in judging me”—and explained why he had acted as he did—then said, “I did not do it out of apostasy from my religion, nor out of acceptance of disbelief after embracing Islam.” The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, accepted his explanation as truthful and spoke of Allah’s forgiveness of him for having fought at Badr, saying to ʿUmar: “How do you know? Perhaps Allah looked upon those who fought at Badr and said: