Abu 'Afak

Story by Ibn Sa'd

Another description of this story comes from Kitab al Tabaqat al Kabir (The book of The Major Classes) by Ibn Sa'd:

"Then occurred the "sariyyah" [raid] of Salim Ibn Umayr al-Amri against Abu Afak, the Jew, in [the month of] Shawwal in the beginning of the twentieth month from the hijrah [immigration from Mecca to Medina in AD 622], of the Apostle of Allah. Abu Afak, was from Banu Amr Ibn Awf, and was an old man who had attained the age of one hundred and twenty years. He was a Jew, and used to instigate the people against the Apostle of Allah, and composed (satirical) verses [about Muhammad].
"Salim Ibn Umayr who was one of the great weepers and who had participated in Badr, said, "I take a vow that I shall either kill Abu Afak or die before him. He waited for an opportunity until a hot night came, and Abu Afak slept in an open place. Salim Ibn Umayr knew it, so he placed the sword on his liver and pressed it till it reached his bed. The enemy of Allah screamed and the people who were his followers, rushed to him, took him to his house and interred him."

Authenticity Concerns

Muslims have questioned the authenticity of this story. Based on the criteria of accepting a narration, this narration fails in not being able to provide a verifiable isnad (link). Hence, it is unknown who originally narrated this story, and therefore this story is not accepted as part of Islamic history, nor can be taken as a precedent.

Furthermore, this story does not appear in any Islamic literature until 150 years after the death of Muhammad.