Abu 'Afak

Abu 'Afak (Arabic: أبو عفك, died c. 624) was a Jewish poet who allegedly lived in the Hijaz region (today Saudi Arabia).

As an elderly man, Abu 'Afak Arwan wrote a politically charged poem against Muhammad and his followers that is preserved in the Sira.

The affair was recorded by Ibn Ishaq in "Sirat Rasul Allah" (The Life of the Prophet of God), the oldest biography of Muhammad.

The following is an excerpt from Alfred Guillaume's translation of Ibn Ishaq's prophetic biography, chapter "Salim b. Umayr's expedition to kill Abu Afak".Abu 'Afak was one of the B. Amr b. Auf of the B. Ubayda clan.

The following is an excerpt from Rizwi Faizer's translation of Waqidi's military history, chapter “The Expedition to Kill Abu ‘Afak”.

Sa’id b. Muhammad related to us from ‘Umara b. Ghaziyya, and Abu Mus’ab related to us from Isma’il b. Mus’ab b. Isma’il b. Zayd b. Thabit from his elders, who said: “There was a sheikh of the Banu ‘Amr ibn ‘Awf called ‘Abu Afak.

Another description of this story comes from The Major Classes by ibn Sa'd al-Baghdadi:"Then occurred the "sariyyah" [raid] of Salim Ibn Umayr al-Amri against Abu Afak, the Jew, in [the month of] Shawwal in the beginning of the twentieth month from the hijra, of the Apostle of Allah.

Abu Afak, was from Banu Amr Ibn Awf, and was an old man who had attained the age of one hundred and twenty years.

Salim Ibn Umayr who was one of the great weepers and who had participated in Badr, said, "I take a vow that I shall either kill Abu Afak or die before him.

Salim Ibn Umayr knew it, so he placed the sword on his liver and pressed it till it reached his bed.