—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and informed him of the killing of ʿAbd Allah ibn Sahl. The Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said, “Will you swear fifty oaths and thereby establish your claim concerning the blood of your companion, or against his killer?” They said, “Messenger of Allah, we neither witnessed it nor were present.” The Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said, “Then the Jews will clear themselves by swearing fifty oaths.” They said, “Messenger of Allah, how can we accept the oaths of a disbelieving people?” So the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—resolved to pay his blood money himself. (1) [In another wording: He stated that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—paid his blood money himself.] (2)

Bashīr ibn Yasār said: Sahl said, “One of those camels assigned as compensation kicked me in a pen belonging to us.” In another narration: “A red she-camel from among those camels kicked me in a pen belonging to us.” Muslim transmitted it from Muḥammad ibn al-Muthannā, from ʿAbd al-Wahhāb. (3)

The point of evidence in this narration is that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—began with the oaths of the claimants, because their case was strengthened by the lawth (circumstantial evidence making the claimant’s allegation probably true): ʿAbd Allah ibn Sahl was found slain in Khaybar; hostility between the Anṣār and the people of Khaybar was evident; and it was most probable that they had killed him. An oath is always evidence for the party whose position is stronger. When there is no lawth, the defendant’s position is stronger, since the basic presumption is that he is free of liability; therefore, his statement is accepted along with his oath.

“Then, after that, your hearts became hardened, being like stones, or even harder. For indeed, among stones are those from which rivers burst forth; among them are those that split open, whereupon water emerges from them; and among them are those that fall down out of fear of Allah. And Allah is not unaware of what you do.” (74)

The words of the Most High, “Then your hearts became hardened,” mean: they became dry and parched. The dryness of the heart is the departure of mercy and tenderness from it. It was also said that they became coarse, and it was said that they became blackened. “After that” means: after the clear proofs had appeared. Al-Kalbī said: After that, they said, “We did not kill him.” Never had they been more blind-hearted or more vehement in denying their prophet than they were at that time. “Being like stones,” that is, in coarseness and severity, “or even harder.” It was said that “or” here means “rather”; and it was said that it means “and,” as in His words, “A hundred thousand or more” (al-Ṣāffāt 37:147)—that is, rather, more; or: and more.

Their hearts were not compared to iron, even though iron is harder than stone, because iron can become soft: it is softened by fire, and it was softened for David, peace be upon him. Stone, however, never softens. Then He declared stones superior to the hard heart, saying: “For indeed, among stones are those from which rivers burst forth.” It was said that this refers to all stones, (4) and it was said that it refers to the stone upon which Moses used to strike for the tribes. “And among them are those that split open, from which water emerges”