Expedition of Abdullah Ibn Unais
| Expedition of Abdullah ibn Unais (Sirya of Muhammad) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Muslims | Banu Lahyan | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Abdullah ibn Unais | Khaled bin Sufyan Al-Hathali | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 0 | Chief of Banu Lahyan Killed | ||||||
The Expedition of Abdullah ibn Unais, also known as the Assassination of Khaled bin Sufyan was the 1st attack against the Banu Lahyan, which took place in the month of Muharam in the year 4 A.H. it was reported that Khaled bin Sufyan Al-Hathali (also known as Hudayr, the chief of the Banu Lahyan tribe), considered an attack on Madinah and that he was inciting the people on Nakhla or Uranah to fight Muslims. So Muhammad sent Abdullah ibn Unais to assassinate him. After cutting off Sufyan bin Khalid's head at night, Unais brought it back to Muhammad.
Abdullah ibn Unais found Hudayr in the company of his wife, when asked about his identity. Unais replied:
"I am an arab tribesman who has heard of you and the Army you are raising to fight Muhammad, so i have come to join your ranks"
Sufyan bin Khalid trusted him. Then Unais asked to talk to him privately, once, while conversing, Abdullah ibn Unais walked a short distance with ibn Khalid, and when an opportunity came he struck him with his sword and killed him. After killing ibn Khalid, he cut off his head, brought that to Muhammad, Muhammad gave him his staff as a reward and said:
This will function as a sign of recognition for you and me, on the day of resurrection Musnad Ahmad 3:496
This assassination had the effect of silencing the Banu Lahyan, for some time. But another branch of Banu Lihyan wanted to take revenge for the killing of their leader, Sufyan ibn Khalid and where thinking of means to do so.
This event is mentioned in Ibn Hisham's biography of Muhammad. The Muslim jurist Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya also mentions the event in his biography of Muhammad, Zad al-Ma'ad. Modern secondary sources which mention this, include the award winning book,Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum (The Sealed Nectar)
The Muslim Jurist Tabari, also mentions the event in his biography of Muhammad:
Al-Tabari vol.9 p.121
The incident is also mentioned in the Sunni Hadith collection Sunan Abu Dawud:
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