Al-Naḍr ibn al-Ḥārith ibn ʿAlqama ibn Kalada ibn ʿAbd Manāf ibn Abd al-Dār ibn Quṣayy (, d. 624 CE) was an

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

pagan Paganism (, later 'civilian') is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Christianity, Judaism, and Samaritanism. In the time of the ...

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

who is considered one of the greatest

Quraysh The Quraysh () are an Tribes of Arabia, Arab tribe who controlled Mecca before the rise of Islam. Their members were divided into ten main clans, most notably including the Banu Hashim, into which Islam's founding prophet Muhammad was born. By ...

i opponents to the

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

ic prophet

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

. He was captured after the

Battle of Badr The Battle of Badr or sometimes called The Raid of Badr ( ; ''Ghazwahu Badr''), also referred to as The Day of the Criterion (, ; ''Yawm al-Furqan'') in the Qur'an and by Muslims, was fought on 13 March 624 CE (17 Ramadan, 2 AH), near the pre ...

as one of the pagan fighters and flag-bearers. He was sentenced to death for his participation and persecution of Muhammed and Muslims in

Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...

. The

execution Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in ...

was conducted by Ali by beheading him in front of Muhammad and his companions at as-Safra' before they had returned to

Medina Medina, officially al-Madinah al-Munawwarah (, ), also known as Taybah () and known in pre-Islamic times as Yathrib (), is the capital of Medina Province (Saudi Arabia), Medina Province in the Hejaz region of western Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ...

from the battle. According to the '' Sīrah'', two captives, al-Naḍr ibn al-Ḥārith and ʿUqbah ibn Abī Muʿayṭ, were

executed Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence (law), sentence ordering that an offender b ...

during this event, the former by Ali and the latter by Asim ibn Thabit. According to Professor Sarah Bowen Savant, the event is claimed to have inspired Nadr's sister, Qutayla ukht al-Nadr, to compose an elegy on his death, upbraiding Muhammad for the execution.

Life

During the Meccan period, Nadr ibn alharits was known as one of the authors a document advocating for the boycott of the small Muslim community by withholding the sale of any goods, effectively leading to their starvation. He is also considered one of the greatest opponents to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his message during the Meccan era, and a propeller of their persecution. Per Islamic traditionalists like

Muqatil ibn Sulayman Muqātil ibn Sulaymān () (d. 767 C.E.) was an 8th-century Muslim scholar of the Quran, controversial for his anthropomorphism. He wrote one of the earliest, if not first, commentaries of the Qur'an which is still available today.John Wansbrough ...

, Al-Nadr had also accused Muhammad of plagiarism in his Quranic verses based on the stories of ancient people. Al-Nadr was captured after the

after his army was defeated in their offensive and was executed for his participation and involvements in Meccan persecutions. Mohar Ali also names Al-Nadr as one of the assassins who tried to kill Muhammad before he migrated to Medina. British Orientalist David Samuel Margoliouth, however, claims that he was executed for his challenge and ridiculing Muhammad, and that this version is supported by some ninth and tenth-century Muslim sources, including

al-Tabari Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad ibn Jarīr ibn Yazīd al-Ṭabarī (; 839–923 CE / 224–310 AH), commonly known as al-Ṭabarī (), was a Sunni Muslim scholar, polymath, historian, exegete, jurist, and theologian from Amol, Tabaristan, present- ...

, who cites an oral report of Muhammad justifying his order on the basis of Nadr accusing him. Al-Waqidi mentions a report that when Nadr asked the Muslims why he was to be executed, they replied that it was for his persecuting and torturing the Muslim as well as ridiculing the Quran.

Quran verse about the beheading of an-Nadir bin al-Harith

In Ibn Kathir's book ''"

Tafsir Ibn Kathir (), commonly known as ' (), is the Qur'anic exegesis (') by Ibn Kathir. It is one of the most famous Islamic books concerned with the science of interpretation of the Quran. It also includes jurisprudential rulings, and takes care of the hadit ...

"'', he claims in his

tafsir Tafsir ( ; ) refers to an exegesis, or commentary, of the Quran. An author of a ''tafsir'' is a ' (; plural: ). A Quranic ''tafsir'' attempts to provide elucidation, explanation, interpretation, context or commentary for clear understanding ...

that the verse Quran 8:31 was revealed about Nadir bin al-Harith, despite no direct mention of him or his execution in the Quran itself. Ibn Kathir's commentary on Quran 8:31 and Quran 8:5 is as follows:Muhammad Saed Abdul-Rahman
The Meaning and Explanation of the Glorious Qur'an (Vol 3) 2nd Edition
p. 412, , MSA Publication Limited, 2009.
online

References

{{Reflist 7th-century Arab people Year of birth unknown Date of birth unknown Date of death unknown Place of birth unknown Place of death unknown People executed by decapitation 7th-century executions 624 deaths Opponents of Muhammad

Life

Quran verse about the beheading of an-Nadir bin al-Harith

See also

References