Assassination in Islam?

Does Quran or Islam Order
Assassination of Enemies?

Question:

Did Prophet Muhammad take revenge on enemies or ordering assassination of those who criticized him? If this took place, what were the reasons?
Thank you

Answer by Fadel Soliman, former Chaplain, Washington University, D.C. USA

Bismillah Rahman Raheem - Allahu 'Alim

All the narrations (hadeeth) mentioning the assassinations of non Muslims are not authentic (fabricated) except one.

It is the narration in some books of hadeeths such as al-Bukhari in which the Prophet peace be upon him orders his execution.

But the source of the misconception is thinking that the reason behind his execution is his poetry attacking Islam, while actually the Quran commands Muslims to bear the verbal propaganda and face it with patience and perseverance:

"and you shall certainly hear from those who have been given the Book before you and from those who are polytheists much that will grieve you;But if you persevere patiently, and guard against evil,then that is of the steadfast heart of things". (Quran 2:186)

and also:

"And the servants of the Beneficent Allah are they who walk on the earth in humbleness, and when they are (harassed verbally) by ignorant people, they say: Peace." (Quran25:63)

Also it is well known that the Prophet refused the killing or even harming Suhayl ibn Amr, even though he was a big propagandist who made much more speeches urging the Arabs to fight the Muslims than Kaab ibn Al-Ashraf did.

The prophet's command was based on the fact that Kaab was an eminent military danger, a fifth column in Madinah, as it is mentioned in Al-Jamie li'ahkam Al-Quran for Imam al- Qurtubi, in the tafseer of verse number 50 from surat Al-Nisaa that Kaab went with a delegation of 70 Jews to Makkah after the battle of Uhud and made an agreement with Quraysh to fight the Muslims in Madinah which can be considered to be the first meeting in the preparation for the siege of Madinah in al-Ahzab when eleven thousand pagans and Jews besieged the Muslims in Madinah and attacked their women and children.