Kaʿb exclaimed, “By Allah, son of Salāmah, I have been telling you all along that matters would turn out exactly as I said.”
Abū Nāʿilah replied, “I was hoping you would sell us some food on credit. We would pledge something with you, give you firm security, and you would treat us generously.”
Kaʿb asked, “Will you pledge your children to me?”
He answered, “You only wish to disgrace us. I have companions who share my view; I would like to bring them so that you may sell to them as well and treat them kindly. We shall pawn with you enough suits of mail to cover the price.” Abū Nāʿilah said this so that Kaʿb would not object when they arrived carrying weapons, then added, “Those coats of mail will provide full security.”
Abū Nāʿilah returned to his comrades, told them what had transpired, and ordered them to take up their arms and come to him. They gathered in the presence of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Ibn Isḥāq reports—Thawr ibn Zayd related to me from ʿIkrimah, from Ibn ʿAbbās—that:
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ walked with them as far as Baqīʿ al-Gharqad, then bid them farewell, saying, ‘Go forth in the name of Allah; O Allah, help them.’ He returned to his house on a moonlit night, while they continued until they reached Kaʿb’s fortress.
“Abū Nāʿilah called out. Kaʿb had only recently married, so he jumped up wrapped in his cloak. His wife clutched its edge and said, ‘You are a man at war; men at war do not go out at this hour.’
“He replied, ‘It is Abū Nāʿilah. Had he found me asleep, he would not have woken me.’
“She said, ‘By Allah, I sense evil in his voice.’
“He retorted with a line: ‘When a youth is invited to a stab, he answers the call.’ He came down and spoke with them for a while.
“Then they said, ‘O son of al-Ashraf, would you like to stroll with us to Shaʿb al-ʿAjūz and spend the rest of the night talking there?’
“He answered, ‘If you wish.’ They walked on together for a time. Abū Nāʿilah ran his hand through the side-lock of Kaʿb’s hair, sniffed his hand, and said, ‘I have never smelled a fragrance finer than tonight.’ They walked a little farther, and he repeated the gesture, until Kaʿb felt at ease. They walked again; he did it a third time, seized the side-lock, and cried, ‘Strike the enemy of Allah!’ Their swords came down on him, yet he still struggled.
“Muḥammad ibn Maslamah said, ‘I remembered a dagger attached to my sword. I drew it while the enemy of Allah let out a scream that caused every nearby fortress to light its fires. I thrust the dagger into the lower part of his abdomen, pressing until it reached his genitals, and the enemy of Allah collapsed. Al-Ḥārith ibn Aws ibn Muʿādh, however, was wounded—either in the leg or the head—by one of our swords.
“‘We set off, passing by Banū Umayyah ibn Zayd, then Banū Qurayẓah, then Baʿāth, and climbed the lava-plain of al-ʿUrayḍ. Our companion al-Ḥārith ibn Aws lagged behind, bleeding heavily. We waited for him a while; he followed our tracks, and we carried him until we reached the Messenger of Allah ﷺ late at night while he was standing in prayer. We greeted him; he came out to us, and we informed him that the enemy of Allah had been slain. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ spat upon our companion’s wound, and we returned to our families. At daybreak, the Jews were seized with fear on account of what had happened to their champion; not a single Jew in Madinah felt safe.’
Ibn Jarīr said: al-Wāqidī claimed they brought the head of Kaʿb ibn al-Ashraf to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Ibn Isḥāq said: Concerning this, Kaʿb ibn Mālik composed:
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