Hypocrites among the Prophet’s outward companions tried to kill Prophet Muhammad ﷺ at Aqabah
Response to this article:
https://www.twelvershia.net/2013/04/15/response-to-assassination-attempt-on-the-prophet-saw/
The assassination attempt at Aqabah is strongly established in Sunni sources.
Calling it a “Shia fantasy” is simply false.
Important clarification:
This post is not claiming that the names of Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Talhah, or Sa’d are proven by a sound Sunni chain. That is a separate issue.
The point here is much simpler and much stronger:
Sunni sources themselves prove that there were hidden hypocrites within the Prophet’s visible Muslim community, and that some of them tried to kill the Prophet ﷺ at Aqabah on the return from Tabuk.
So when Shia say “not everyone around the Prophet ﷺ was automatically righteous,” this is not fantasy.
This is Qur’an.
This is Sahih Muslim.
This is Musnad Ahmad.
This is Sunni commentary.
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1. Musnad Ahmad: masked men tried to throw the Prophet ﷺ from Aqabah
Sanad:
حدثنا يزيد، أنبأنا الوليد يعني ابن عبد الله بن جميع، عن أبي الطفيل، قال
Arabic:
لما أقبل رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم من غزوة تبوك أمر مناديا فنادى إن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أخذ العقبة فلا يأخذها أحد.
فبينما رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقوده حذيفة ويسوق به عمار، إذ أقبل رهط متلثمون على الرواحل غشوا عمارا وهو يسوق برسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، وأقبل عمار يضرب وجوه الرواحل.
فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم لحذيفة: قد قد، حتى هبط رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم.
فلما هبط رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم نزل، ورجع عمار، فقال: يا عمار هل عرفت القوم؟
فقال: قد عرفت عامة الرواحل، والقوم متلثمون.
قال: هل تدري ما أرادوا؟
قال: الله ورسوله أعلم.
قال:
أرادوا أن ينفروا برسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فيطرحوه.
English translation:
When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ returned from Tabuk, he ordered a caller to announce:
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ has taken the Aqabah route, so no one should take it.”
While Hudhayfah was leading the Prophet’s mount and Ammar was driving it from behind, a group of masked men came on riding animals and pressed upon Ammar while he was driving the Prophet’s mount. Ammar began striking the faces of their animals.
The Prophet ﷺ said to Hudhayfah: “Move on, move on,” until the Messenger of Allah ﷺ descended.
Then Ammar returned, and the Prophet ﷺ said:
“O Ammar, did you recognize the people?”
He replied:
“I recognized most of the riding animals, but the people were masked.”
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Do you know what they intended?”
He said:
“Allah and His Messenger know best.”
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“They intended to startle the Messenger of Allah’s mount and throw him down.”
Reference:
Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Hadith Abi al-Tufayl Amir ibn Wathilah, no. 23280 in IslamWeb numbering.
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2. Same report: Ammar said twelve of them were at war with Allah and His Messenger
Arabic:
فقال عمار: أشهد أن الاثني عشر الباقين حرب لله ولرسوله في الحياة الدنيا ويوم يقوم الأشهاد.
English translation:
Ammar said:
“I testify that the remaining twelve are at war with Allah and His Messenger in this worldly life and on the Day when the witnesses stand.”
Reference:
Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Hadith Abi al-Tufayl, no. 23280.
This is not a Shia book.
This is Musnad Ahmad.
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3. al-Haythami graded the Musnad Ahmad route as strong
Arabic:
رواه أحمد، ورجاله رجال الصحيح.
English translation:
“Ahmad narrated it, and its men are the men of the Sahih.”
Reference:
al-Haythami, Majma’ al-Zawa’id wa Manba’ al-Fawa’id, Kitab al-Maghazi wa’l-Siyar, Bab Ghazwat Tabuk.
This is very important.
The report about masked men trying to throw the Prophet ﷺ from Aqabah is not a weak Shia story. al-Haythami said the narrators of Ahmad’s report are the narrators of the Sahih.
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4. Sahih Muslim: among the Prophet’s outward companions were twelve hypocrites
Sanad:
حدثنا أبو بكر بن أبي شيبة، حدثنا أسود بن عامر، حدثنا شعبة بن الحجاج، عن قتادة، عن أبي نضرة، عن قيس، قال قلت لعمار
Arabic:
ولكن حذيفة أخبرني عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: قال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم:
في أصحابي اثنا عشر منافقا، فيهم ثمانية لا يدخلون الجنة حتى يلج الجمل في سم الخياط، ثمانية منهم تكفيكهم الدبيلة، وأربعة لم أحفظ ما قال شعبة فيهم.
English translation:
Hudhayfah informed me from the Prophet ﷺ that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Among my companions are twelve hypocrites. Among them are eight who will not enter Paradise until a camel passes through the eye of a needle. Eight of them will be destroyed by al-Dubaylah, and four — I do not remember what Shu’bah said about them.”
Reference:
Sahih Muslim, Kitab Sifat al-Munafiqin wa Ahkamihim, Hadith 2779.
Important point:
The wording is:
في أصحابي
“Among my companions.”
Sunni scholars explain this as referring to those outwardly attributed to the Prophet’s companionship, not righteous true believers.
But the basic point is undeniable:
There were hypocrites inside the visible Muslim community around the Prophet ﷺ.
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5. Sahih Muslim variant: twelve hypocrites in the Ummah
Sanad:
حدثنا محمد بن المثنى ومحمد بن بشار، قالا حدثنا محمد بن جعفر، حدثنا شعبة، عن قتادة، عن أبي نضرة، عن قيس بن عباد، قال قلنا لعمار
Arabic:
إن في أمتي اثنا عشر منافقا لا يدخلون الجنة ولا يجدون ريحها حتى يلج الجمل في سم الخياط، ثمانية منهم تكفيكهم الدبيلة، سراج من النار يظهر في أكتافهم حتى ينجم من صدورهم.
English translation:
“In my Ummah are twelve hypocrites. They will not enter Paradise nor smell its fragrance until a camel passes through the eye of a needle. Eight of them will be destroyed by al-Dubaylah — a flame of fire appearing in their shoulders until it emerges from their chests.”
Reference:
Sahih Muslim, Kitab Sifat al-Munafiqin wa Ahkamihim, Hadith 2779.
So whether the wording is:
في أصحابي
“Among my companions”
or:
في أمتي
“In my Ummah”
the meaning is clear:
There were hidden hypocrites within the Prophet’s visible community.
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6. Sahih Muslim / Ahl al-Aqabah report: twelve were at war with Allah and His Messenger
Arabic:
عن أبي الطفيل، قال:
كان بين رجل من أهل العقبة وبين حذيفة بعض ما يكون بين الناس، فقال: أنشدك الله كم كان أصحاب العقبة؟
قال: فقال له القوم: أخبره إذ سألك.
قال: كنا نخبر أنهم أربعة عشر، فإن كنت منهم فقد كان القوم خمسة عشر.
وأشهد بالله أن اثني عشر منهم حرب لله ولرسوله في الحياة الدنيا ويوم يقوم الأشهاد.
English translation:
Abu al-Tufayl said:
There was some dispute between a man from the people of Aqabah and Hudhayfah. The man said:
“I ask you by Allah, how many were the people of Aqabah?”
The people said to Hudhayfah:
“Tell him, since he has asked you.”
Hudhayfah said:
“We were informed that they were fourteen. If you were among them, then the group was fifteen.
And I testify by Allah that twelve of them are at war with Allah and His Messenger in this worldly life and on the Day when the witnesses stand.”
Reference:
Sahih Muslim, Kitab Sifat al-Munafiqin, Hadith of Ahl al-Aqabah.
Also quoted in al-Mufhim lima Ashkala min Talkhis Kitab Muslim.
This is another clear Sunni proof.
The wording is:
أهل العقبة
“People of Aqabah”
and:
حرب لله ولرسوله
“At war with Allah and His Messenger.”
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7. Sunni commentary: this Aqabah was the Tabuk route, and hypocrites waited there to kill the Prophet ﷺ
Arabic:
ليست هذه العقبة عقبة بيعة الأنصار لرسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم في أول الإسلام، ومن ظن ذلك فقد جهل، وإنما هي عقبة بطريق تبوك، وقف له فيها قوم من المنافقين ليقتلوه.
English translation:
“This Aqabah is not the Aqabah of the pledge of the Ansar to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ at the beginning of Islam. Whoever thinks that is mistaken. Rather, it is an Aqabah on the road to Tabuk, where a group of hypocrites waited for him in order to kill him.”
Reference:
al-Mufhim lima Ashkala min Talkhis Kitab Muslim, commentary on the hadith of Ahl al-Aqabah.
This line alone destroys the claim that this event is a Shia fantasy.
The Sunni commentary says:
قوم من المنافقين ليقتلوه
“A group of hypocrites, in order to kill him.”
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8. IslamWeb explanation: these twelve hypocrites tried to assassinate the Prophet ﷺ
Arabic:
وهؤلاء الاثنا عشر منافقون أرادوا وهموا أن يفتكوا بالنبي صلى الله عليه وسلم في طريق عودته من إحدى الغزوات.
English translation:
“These twelve were hypocrites who intended and planned to assassinate the Prophet ﷺ on his return from one of the battles.”
Reference:
IslamWeb Fatwa: Explanation of the hadith “Among my companions are twelve hypocrites.”
Again, this is not a Shia source.
This is a Sunni explanation.
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9. Ibn Kathir: Allah exposed their plan and the Prophet ﷺ told Hudhayfah and Ammar their names
Arabic:
فأطلع الله على مرادهم رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، فأمر حذيفة فرجع إليهم فضرب وجوه رواحلهم، ففزعوا ورجعوا مقبوحين، وأعلم رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم حذيفة وعمارا بأسمائهم، وما كانوا هموا به من الفتك به صلى الله عليه وسلم، وأمرهما أن يكتما عليهم.
English translation:
Allah informed the Messenger of Allah ﷺ of their intention. So he ordered Hudhayfah to go back to them, and he struck the faces of their riding animals. They became frightened and returned humiliated.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ informed Hudhayfah and Ammar of their names and what they had intended of assassinating him, and he ordered them to keep it secret.
Reference:
Ibn Kathir, cited by IslamWeb in the explanation of Qur’an 9:74 and the hadith of the hypocrites.
Important point:
The names were kept secret.
So the argument “why are the names not public everywhere?” is weak. Sunni sources themselves state that the Prophet ﷺ ordered secrecy.
==============================
10. Ibn Kathir / Ibn Ishaq: why did the Prophet ﷺ not execute them?
Arabic:
فقالا: يا رسول الله أفلا تأمر بقتلهم؟
فقال:
أكره أن يتحدث الناس أن محمدا يقتل أصحابه.
English translation:
They said:
“O Messenger of Allah, will you not order that they be killed?”
He said:
“I dislike that people should say Muhammad kills his companions.”
Reference:
Ibn Kathir, al-Bidayah wa’l-Nihayah, Ghazwat Tabuk, citing Ibn Ishaq.
This answers the common objection:
“If they tried to kill him, why did the Prophet ﷺ not execute them?”
The answer from a Sunni source is:
Because the Prophet ﷺ did not want people saying:
“Muhammad kills his companions.”
Again, the word “companions” here means outwardly in his camp, not righteous believers.
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11. Qur’an: there were hypocrites around the Prophet ﷺ whom people did not know
Arabic:
وَمِمَّنْ حَوْلَكُم مِّنَ الْأَعْرَابِ مُنَافِقُونَ، وَمِنْ أَهْلِ الْمَدِينَةِ، مَرَدُوا عَلَى النِّفَاقِ، لَا تَعْلَمُهُمْ، نَحْنُ نَعْلَمُهُمْ
English translation:
“And among those around you of the Bedouins are hypocrites, and also among the people of Madinah. They have persisted in hypocrisy. You do not know them; We know them.”
Reference:
Qur’an 9:101
This verse is enough to prove the Shia principle:
Not everyone around the Prophet ﷺ was automatically righteous.
There were hidden hypocrites in Madinah and around the Prophet ﷺ.
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12. Qur’an: hypocrites came to the Prophet ﷺ and outwardly testified
Arabic:
إِذَا جَاءَكَ الْمُنَافِقُونَ قَالُوا نَشْهَدُ إِنَّكَ لَرَسُولُ اللَّهِ، وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ إِنَّكَ لَرَسُولُهُ، وَاللَّهُ يَشْهَدُ إِنَّ الْمُنَافِقِينَ لَكَاذِبُونَ
English translation:
“When the hypocrites come to you, they say: We testify that you are the Messenger of Allah. Allah knows that you are His Messenger, and Allah testifies that the hypocrites are liars.”
Reference:
Qur’an 63:1
This proves that hypocrites were not always openly known enemies.
They came to the Prophet ﷺ.
They spoke like Muslims.
They testified outwardly.
But Allah called them liars.
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13. Qur’an: they planned what they could not attain
Arabic:
يَحْلِفُونَ بِاللَّهِ مَا قَالُوا، وَلَقَدْ قَالُوا كَلِمَةَ الْكُفْرِ، وَكَفَرُوا بَعْدَ إِسْلَامِهِمْ، وَهَمُّوا بِمَا لَمْ يَنَالُوا
English translation:
“They swear by Allah that they did not say it, but they had certainly said the word of disbelief and disbelieved after their Islam, and they planned what they could not attain.”
Reference:
Qur’an 9:74
Sunni tafsir and seerah discussions connect “they planned what they could not attain” with the hypocrites’ plot against the Prophet ﷺ at Aqabah.
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Final response to the article
The article tries to make this event sound like a Shia fantasy.
That is false.
The Aqabah assassination attempt is established in Sunni sources.
Musnad Ahmad narrates the masked men.
al-Haythami says its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.
Sahih Muslim confirms twelve hidden hypocrites.
The Sahih Muslim / Ahl al-Aqabah report says twelve were at war with Allah and His Messenger.
al-Mufhim says clearly that this was the Aqabah on the road to Tabuk, where hypocrites waited to kill the Prophet ﷺ.
IslamWeb explains that these twelve hypocrites intended to assassinate the Prophet ﷺ.
Ibn Kathir mentions that Allah exposed their plan and the Prophet ﷺ told Hudhayfah and Ammar their names, then ordered secrecy.
The Qur’an itself says there were hypocrites around the Prophet ﷺ and in Madinah.
So the Shia point is not:
“All Sahaba were bad.”
The Shia point is:
Not everyone who outwardly accompanied the Prophet ﷺ was righteous.
Some were true believers.
Some were hypocrites.
Some were known only to Allah and to the Prophet ﷺ.
Sunni sources themselves prove that hypocrites existed within the visible Muslim community, and that some of them tried to kill the Prophet ﷺ at Aqabah.
Therefore, blindly declaring every outward companion righteous is not Qur’an.
It is not Sahih Muslim.
It is not Musnad Ahmad.
It is a later theological assumption.
The Qur’an separates believers from hypocrites.
The Prophet ﷺ knew hypocrites among the people around him.
Hudhayfah was entrusted with their names.
And the Aqabah assassination attempt is not Shia fantasy.
It is in Sunni sources.
Did Hypocrites Among the Sahabah Try to Kill the Prophet?
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