❖ The Assassination of ʿAṣmāʾ bint Marwān – A Historical & Legal Review
Source: Fatāwā Shaykh al-Ḥadīth Mubārakpūrī, Vol. 1, p. 140
❖ The Question
Did ʿAṣmāʾ bint Marwān, a Jewish woman, really get killed by ʿUmayr bin ʿAdī al-Khaṭmī (RA)? And if so, what is the Sharʿī (Islamic legal) ruling on this incident?
❖ The Answer
Alḥamdulillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd:
The assassination of ʿAṣmāʾ bint Marwān by Ḥaḍrat ʿUmayr bin ʿAdī al-Khaṭmī (RA) is a documented historical incident, reported by several notable scholars of Hadith and history.
✿ Historical Sources
This incident is recorded by Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar in Al-Iṣābah (Vol. 3, p. 34) citing:
- Al-Wāqidī
- Ibn al-Sakan
- Abū Aḥmad al-ʿAskarī
- Abū al-ʿAbbās al-Sarāj
- Al-Baghawī
It is also mentioned by Ibn Hishām in his Sīrah (2/637) and further elaborated by Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr in Al-Istīʿāb, who notes that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“لَا يَنْطَحُ فِيهَا عَنْزَان“
✿ Meaning of the Phrase:
“لَا يَنْطَحُ فِيهَا عَنْزَان“
“Not even two goats will butt heads over this issue.”
→ Meaning: This act was so clear-cut, necessary, and undisputed, that no rational being would object to it.
Ibn al-Athīr, in Al-Nihāyah (4/162), explains:
“It is such an uncontentious issue that even two gentle animals like goats wouldn’t fight over it, unlike rams or bulls.”
❖ Who Was ʿAṣmāʾ bint Marwān?
She was a Jewish poetess who openly and consistently used poetry as a weapon of slander against the Prophet ﷺ and the Muslims.
- She insulted and mocked the Muslims
- Spread psychological warfare through ridicule
- Encouraged rebellion and incited sedition
Her conduct constituted open enmity and treason against the Islamic state.
✿ Justification for Her Assassination
Ḥaḍrat ʿUmayr bin ʿAdī (RA) executed her with the approval of the Prophet ﷺ in order to eliminate this dangerous source of fitnah (tribal and ideological unrest).
The Prophet ﷺ’s response—**“No two goats will butt heads over this”—**signified approval and that no qisās (retributive justice) or accountability was required.
❖ A Precedent for Strategic Elimination of Fitnah
The Prophet’s ﷺ approach reflected strategic foresight in neutralizing threats to the nascent Muslim society.
This phrase was later compared to a statement of ʿAdī bin Ḥātim (RA), who downplayed the killing of ʿUthmān (RA), only to realize later the massive repercussions that followed.
❖ Final Conclusion
✔ ʿAṣmāʾ’s repeated abuse, public ridicule, and open rebellion against the Prophet ﷺ warranted punitive action.
✔ Her assassination was not an act of personal revenge, but rather a measured step in response to open hostility and treason.
✔ The Prophet ﷺ did not express disapproval, nor did he demand qisās, indicating Sharʿī legitimacy.
✔ This is an example of Prophetic wisdom in dealing with seditious threats to Islam from within society.
هٰذَا مَا عِندِي، وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
