The Heart's Witness Against Muhammad: The Quartering of Umm Qirfa

By Andrew M. Greenwell, Esq.
11/13/2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

Is Muhammad's encouragement of this war ethic and his participation in the capture and trading of women, and in their brutal killing, a perfection to imitate?

Is Muhammad's encouragement of this war ethic, and his participation in the capture and trading of women, and in their brutal killing, a perfection to imitate? A normal man, heeding his conscience, listening to reason, and trained in virtue, would find such behavior abhorrent, against the letter and the spirit of the natural moral law. But he who has been taught that Muhammad is the perfect man, al-insan al-kamil, and the uswatun hasanatun, the "good example," will be corrupted by a positive falsehood.

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CORPUS CHRISTI, TX (Catholic Online) - The death of his enemies never seemed sufficient to satisfy the blood-lust of Muhammad, the self-acclaimed prophet of Allah, supposedly the God Most High. And it never seemed enought for his Muslim followers whom he encouraged by his vicious Medinan surahs, "revelations" which got progressively more and more vicious against the kuffar or non-believers, and the ��Ahl al-Kitab, or Jews and Christians who rejected his prophethood.

The pandora's box of violence which Muhammad opened cannot be shut unless Muhammad's prophethood is rejected by the Muslims, which is a near impossibility because it would be the death knell of their religion, culture, and way of life. It would mean accepting that they have lived a fourteen-centuries-long lie. And so, though the gates of ijtihad and the gates of reason may have closed in Islam, the gates of jihad (which comes in all forms, subtle, vicious, or violent as they showed themselves with Umm Qirfa who is the subject of this article) opened by the barbaric Muhammad remain open and they threaten all civilization today.

In his biography of Muhammad, the early Muslim historian Ibn Ishaq tells us of a brutal torture and murder of the leader named Umm Qirfa (or Umm Kirfa), also known as Fatima bint Rabi'a bin Badr. She was the ruler of a small town called Wad'l-Qura occupied by the tribe known as the Banu Fazara. The event would have occurred around 622 A.D., almost six years after Muhammad's emigration from Mecca to Medina.

The excerpt quoted below from Ibn Ishaq's biography of Muhammad as translated by Guillaume seems to incorporate the historian Ibn Isham's version with the version of al-Tabari. The Zayd mentioned by Ibn Ishaq is Muhammad's son in law, Zayd ibn Haritha. We shall quote Ibn Ishaq's history entire, except where I have added parts for explanation (which are shown in italics and enclosed in brackets).

"Zayd also raided Wadi'l-Qura, where he met [the tribe of] B[anu] Fazara and some of his companions were killed; he himself was carried wounded from the field. Ward b. 'Amr b. Madash, one of the [tribe of] B[anu] Sa'd b. Hudhayl, was killed by one of [the] B[anu] Badr [tribe] (whose name was Sa'd b. Hudhaym-T. and I.H.) When Zayd came he swore that he would use no ablution until he raided [the tribe of] B[anu] Fazara; and when he recovered from his wounds the apostle sent him against them with a force. He fought (T. He met) them in Wadi'l-Qura and killed some of them. Qays b. Al-Musahhar al-Ya'muri killed Mas'ada b. Hakama b. Malik b. Hudhayfa b. Badr, and Umm Qirfa Fatima d. Rabi'a b. Badr was taken prisoner."

"She [Umm Qirfa] was a very old woman, wife of Malik. Her daughter and 'Abdullah b. Mas'ada were also taken. Zayd ordered Qays b. Al-Musahhar to kill Umm Qirfa and he killed her cruelly (T. By putting a rope to her two legs and to two camels and driving them until they rent her in two). Then they brought Umm Qirfa's daughter and Mas'ada's son to the Apostle. The daughter of Umm Qirfa belonged to Salama b. 'Amr b. Al-Akwa' who had taken her. She held a position of honour among her people, and the Arabs used to say, 'Had you been more powerful than Umm Qirfa you can have done no more.' Salama asked the apostle to let him have her and he gave her to him and he presented her to his uncle Hazn b. Abu Wahb and she bare him 'Abdu'l-Rahma b. Hazn."

(Ibn Ishaq, pp. 664-65)

While from the sources themselves this evil cannot be placed directly upon Muhammad as if he ordered it to occur in the manner that it occurred, there certainly is no indication that he disapproved of it. Unquestionably, Muhammad would have been aware of it since he was the recipient of Umm Qirfa's daughter and apparently confirmed title of Umm Qirfa's daughter in Salama bin 'Amr. The latter had taken Umm Qirfa's daughter as war booty, changing her from a free woman to a slave and concubine and a Muslim's chattel slave, which he later transferred--in perfect consonance with Islam's ethical teachings--as a gift to his uncle Hazn bin Abu Wahb.

We can be sure that the daughter of Umm Qirfa did not have a say in all of this, and that she wondered at this religion which justified her mother's death, her capture, her sexual enslavement, and her treatment as a commodity made to cater to the sexual appetites of barbaric men who saw themselves as virtuous, and, indeed, the "best of all peoples ever raised up for mankind." (Qur'an 3:110)

Is Muhammad's encouragement of this war ethic and his participation in the capture and trading of women, and in their brutal killing, a perfection to imitate? A normal man, heeding his conscience, listening to reason, and trained in ...

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1 - 10 of 15 Comments

Tommy
6 months ago
There seems to be a lot of confusion as to the rights of the non muslim in an Islamic State
The following article bu Samuel Shahid should clarify things for most people
His study attempts to examine these laws as they are stated by the Four Schools of the
Fiqh (jurisprudence). It aims at revealing to the reader the negative implications of these laws
without ignoring the more tolerant views of modern reformers.
http://bit.ly/TaYjO3
judy claar
6 months ago
Andrew M. Greenwell: When King Richard fought the Holy Crusades endorsed by the Pope, he fought against the great Muslim leader Saladin. Succinctly put, both leaders killed in the name of "God" or "Allah", captured slaves, and took booty as was the custom of the day. At first, some may have been more pious during this time on the Christian side than others, regarding this matter, but always, as in all wars then, it took booty to finance the war. It is true that Catholics, were more observant of Christ, the True Cross, Mary and the saints before us, but after all, they were closer in Real Time to Christ than we are today.

I do enjoy your articles. They are most interesting. Sunday Blessings
Tommy
6 months ago
KarlVDH
quote.I got my information first hand.. I came to actually understand what I'm referring to as the "average Muslim." I feel pretty confident in my statement...Unquote

You say you got your information first hand-- where is it,your posts are full of opinion and not a single discernable fact -Once again Karl you are delusional you are confusing the "nice" muslim with islam.
You persist in giving an opinion of islam based on "the nice muslim" you met and this is arrant nonsense
The koran tells muslims that they are not to befriend the kafir and to deceive the kafir if it advances islam.
The only muslim from whom you can learn about islam is Muhammed

You are obviously unaware of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Article 18.
Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

and the fact that islamic nations cannot sign up to it (there is no equality in islam) because it goes against sharia.

This is based on verses like sura 3:110 NQ .... You [true believers in Islâmic Monotheism, and real followers of Prophet Muhammad SAW and his Sunnah (legal ways, etc.)] ARE THE BEST OF PEOPLES EVER RAISED UP FOR MANKIND; you enjoinAl-Ma'rûf (i.e. Islâmic Monotheism and all that Islâm has ordained) and forbid Al-Munkar (polytheism, disbelief and all that Islâm has forbidden), and you believe in Allâh[]. And had the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) believed, it would have been better for them; among them are some who have faith, but most of them are Al-Fâsiqûn (disobedient to Allâh - and rebellious against Allâh's Command).

This is the supremacist teaching of islam... (remember alla said non believers are the vilest of creatures and so cannot be trusted)...and because non muslim ideas of freedom,equality and western lifestyle are anathema to islam The Cairo Declaration of Human rights was produced and signed up to by the islamic states and contains the following articles within the document :-

Article 10..Islam is the religion of unspoiled nature. It is prohibited to exercise any form of compulsion on man or to exploit his poverty or ignorance in order to convert him to another religion, or to atheism.
ARTICLE 19:(d)... There shall be no crime or punishment except as provided for in the Shari'ah.
ARTICLE 22:(a)... Everyone shall have the right to express his opinion freely in such manner as would not be contrary to the principles of the Shari'ah.
ARTICLE 23:(b) ...Everyone shall have the right to participate, directly or indirectly in the administration of his country's public affairs. He shall also have the right to assume public office in accordance with the provisions of Shari'ah.
ARTICLE 24:...All the rights and freedoms stipulated in this Declaration are subject to the Islamic Shari'ah.
ARTICLE 25:...The Islamic Shari'ah is the only source of reference for the explanation or clarification of any of the articles of this Declaration.

An example of how this works let us look at Denmark ( a liberal western country)
The housing area Egedalsvænge in Kokkedal will not have a Christmas tree with lights this year. A small Muslim majority in the Egedalsvænge Board has refused to spend money on the Christmas tree a few days after a big Eid celebration….For decades it has been a tradition to have a Christmas tree with lights in the area between the buildings throughout the month of December. But now a majority in the Chamber Board refused to spend the approximately 1,000 dollars that a Christmas tree with lights costs.
The decision has attracted much attention since it was made three days after a big Islamic Eid party in Egedalsvænge. A mobile play ground, bungee jumping and a climbing wall was rented to make the Muslim celebration attractive for children and adults, and this event the Board had agreed to finance with appr. 10,000 dollars.

..............................You can draw your own conclusions................................

When the mufti was asked Is it wrong to say that Islam teaches us to respect the religious beliefs of non-Muslims.He replied --To respect the beliefs of others means to respect kufr and shirk. This is totally unacceptable. (notice NO RESPECT)
and as to their right to practice their religion in an islamic state , he said they could subject to conditions.
Conditions:(note--only applies to people of the book Christians and Jews n)

While the conditions under which non-Muslims are granted citizenship of Daarul Islam are many, at this juncture we refer to only those that are relative to our discussion.
Some of these conditions are:

They may practice their religion within the privacy of their homes
They may not build any new churches, synagogues etc.
Should any church, synagogue etc. be destroyed or require repair, they may repair or
rebuild such buildings.
They may not celebrate any religious festivals in public
They may not display in public any item having particular religious purport, e.g.
bible, Cross, statue, etc.Such items should also be removed from the exterior of their places of worship i.e.
No idol, Cross etc may be displayed on the outside of their places of worship.
They may not ring the church bell, nor read their religious books so loud that it is
audible in public.
They may not invite towards their religion.

The reason for these conditions is that the purpose of Daarul Islam is to entrench
Islam on the earth.Thus the salient features in religion must only be that of Islam. No
features of other religions may be observable in public.
KarlVDH
6 months ago
Tommy, I get my information first-hand, having spent years of my life in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Somalia, and other countries while serving in the Military, a time during which, I actually put in the time and effort to get to know the people I was supposed to be there to help, and during which I came to actually understand what I'm referring to as the "average Muslim." I feel pretty confident in my statement.
Perhaps you can tell me why I'm wrong, and give your own personal experience to back up your assertion. Do you know many Muslims? Have you spent much time in predominantly Muslim nations? how much time have YOU spent in the Middle East, personally, Tommy?
tommy
6 months ago
@ Karl
quote.. the ridiculous idea that the Jihadists and extremists represent their entire faith..Unquote

This is moderate islam as defined by their messenger/prophet
Tommy
6 months ago

@ KarlIVDH
You state-
Quote...
The truth remains that the "vast majority of Muslims" view the more unsavory passages in their sacred writings and history as no more literal a direction for their lives than we do with the Bible
...Unquote
Where do you get this nonsense
-once again you are giving an opinion that has no basis in fact.You are deluding yourself that this in some way represents islam.
Ask yourself could these muslims make a statement like that in an islamic state.
NO.. In Saudi Arabia and other islamic states they would end up headless or hanging from a crane after of course the mandatory torture.
Islam is Muhammed (without muhammed and his actions--No islam) and his actions and teachings are stated in the koran and hadith to be the finest example for all muslims to follow
These so called muslims that (you say) do not accept koranic or muhammeds guidance should give serious thought as to whether they are actually muslims-

Never ever forget that the bible is a history book (the history of the Jewish people,warts and all) it does not contain the open instructions to make war, enslave and slaughter until it achieves world domination.unlike the koran and hadith with their eternal instructions and example for the muslim to emulate
eg
Sura 8:39..And fight them until there is no more Fitnah (disbelief and polytheism: i.e.
worshippingothers besides Allâh) and the religion (worship) will all be for Allâh
Alone [in the whole of the world[]]. But if they cease (worshipping others
besides Allâh), then certainly, Allâh is All-Seer of what they do.[]

Sura 9:29 Fight against those who (1) believe not inAllâh, (2) nor in the Last Day, (3)
nor forbid that which has been forbidden by Allâh and His Messenger (4) and
those who acknowledge not the religion of truth (i.e. Islâm) among the
people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians), until they pay the Jizyah[] with
willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.
The Jizya is the "don't kill me tax" levied on the conquered Christian and Jew - refusal to pay it means death

and from the hadith
Tabari 9:69 "Killing Unbelievers is a small matter to us" (The words of Muhammad, prophet of Islam).

You also state..
quote..
.And our OWN Church's history is absolutely RIFE with our OWN history of bloodshed, torture, and flat out EVIL committed in God's name
...Unquote
In addition You seem to be confusing church history as being the example set out By "The Christ"

Once again I reiterate--There are no open ended commands in the bible to kill and conquer for the faith to achieve world domination conversely the koran contains over 100 verses that require muslims to war with non believers for to establish islamic rule --- demanded by alla himself.
KarlVDH
6 months ago
Southern... you're part right. I'm a Yankee. But you're ignoring a HECK of a lot of violence in our history to try to coun ter my point. First of all, sure, there was the Muslim encroachment on Eastern Eurpoe. ("Our" lands?) But there's also the fact that "we" invaded the Holy Land in the pretense of "liberating" Jerusalem. Then there's that nasty business of the Inquisition. Endless wars. Slavery. Conquest. Genocides. It's not as if we've been icons of peace and stability while the Muslims are just mindlessly violent. And I think you know that was my point. The truth remains that the vast majority of Muslims view the more unsavory passages in their sacred writings and history as no more literal a direction for their lives than we do with the Bible. If we can see, rationally, that no sensible, reasonable Christian could possibly come away from the Bible with a message of violence, we must also see that the same is just as true for the vast, vast majority of Muslims. If we're going to suggest or defend the ridiculous idea that the Jihadists and extremists represent their entire faith, then we must also be willing to be defined by the likes of Fred Phelps, and the Ku Klux Klan.
Now, I think you were probably trying to be dismissive or even insulting with your closing "Liberal Yankee" remark; I find it fascinating that even in a passing joke, anyone, particularly a seminarian would use his Southern heritage as an excuse for bigotry.
Andrew M. Greenwell
6 months ago
@Simon: It's a complicated question without simple answers, but, in the main, I think why most Muslims are not violent is that they generally reject the violent aspects of Islam (jihad, strictly so called), the moral dualism of Islam (i.e., one standard for Muslims, another standard for non-Muslims), and emphasize the good aspects of Islam (of which there are many), and rely more on reasonable morality. Many, additionally, are ignorant of this history of Muhammad, and view Muhammad under a false light, where Muhammad is whitewashed and becomes almost like a Christ-figure. In short, they are better humans for being worse Muslims.
simon
6 months ago
Could you please tell me why many Muslims today are not violent?
SouthernSeminarian
6 months ago
Dear KarlVDH,

Our Old Testament scriptures do contain what some may think is violent, but those were different times, and the actions of a nation that had to either killed or be killed. As for the Church's history, we stood against the Islamic aggressors when they tired to take OUR land. The Koran and Islamic history, however, is full of violent acts that were senseless, and a glorification of men who committed moral atrocities, men who are suppose to be great examples of manhood.

By the way, you asked where Jesus is in these articles, I guest meaning that these articles are not very loving. But these articles are loving Jesus is love and truth, and it is unloving to refuse to tell someone that they are living a lie, especially if that lie is causing some to act in ways contrary to the Natural Law. As the Church states, it is unloving to allow one to live in error.

I do disagree with you, but unlike what you have said before, I do not think you are a Muslim. You are likely just a Yankee liberal.

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