# Did the Prophet Muhammad ever kill anyone himself?

*Did the Prophet kill a man with a spear? His battles were defensive*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/a6h5lye4mn8/s/8/
- Date: 2020-07-14 · Kind: question · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth 173 (40:56–42:49)
- Status: general teaching
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6H5lYE4MN8&t=2456s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/a6h5lye4mn8/

**Topics:** Replies to attacks on the Prophet; The life of the Prophet

**Question as asked:** Did the Prophet really kill a man with a spear while riding a horse?

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** Mufti Abu Layth is not aware of such a killing and doubts the usual example, though it may have happened in battle; the Prophet's battles were all defensive in essence.

**Checked position (checked by two independent reviews, not by the channel):** Mufti Abu Layth says all of the Prophet's battles were in essence defensive, even if pre-emptively defensive.

**Evidence, his words at 42:13:** “to be fair all of the prophets battles in his lifetime were in essence were always defensive even if you feel that they were preemptive ly defensive” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6H5lYE4MN8&t=2533s)

## Longer summary

A chat question asks whether the Prophet really killed a man with a spear while riding a horse. Mufti Abu Layth says he is not sure which incident is meant; scholars discuss whether the Prophet killed anyone, and even the reports used do not show people dying on the spot. He cites the incident in which the Prophet asked a man who will protect you now, which teachers gave as an example although the man died later and the Prophet did not kill him. He allows that it may have happened in battle, since that is the nature of battles, but says all the Prophet's battles were in essence defensive, even if pre-emptively defensive.

## Sources and names cited

- report: man yamnauka minni (who will protect you from me)
- battles of the Prophet

## Transcript (machine tier, 40:56–42:49)

[40:56] did the Prophet really kill a man with the spear whilst riding a horse I'm not so sure about that I've not I'm not sure what what incident are you referring to because they do discuss that did the Prophet kill anyone now the Prophet did participate in several battles and they say that some people did die but even in those narrations they don't show that they died there and then from this the

[41:34] famous incident of when the Prophet says well who will protect you now and he kind of puts the sword out to the person and then later on the person happens to die so they include people like that in those people who did die but the Prophet didn't actually kill him even though when we were studying it they I remember the teachers mentioning it as that's an example but I was thinking even then that doesn't really make much sense but yeah so I'm not sure about this example but that said that said the fact that

[42:13] the Prophet participated in battles it may have happened in battles obviously if people are swinging swords are each other then you know that's the nature of a battle but to be fair all of the prophets battles in his lifetime were in essence were always defensive even if you feel that they were preemptive ly defensive but they were always defensive so yeah

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment a6H5lYE4MN8/s/8. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/a6h5lye4mn8/s/8/

Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.