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Question About The Authenticity Of A Narration In Ibn Ishaq (Guillaume)

Q:
 "Ibn 'Adiyy mentions this incident in his book "Al-Kamel" on the
 authority of Ja'far Ibn Ahmad Ibn Muhammad Ibn As-Sabah on authority
 of Muhammad Ibn Ibrahim Ash-Shami on authority of Muhammad Ibn
 Al-Hajjaj Al-Lakhmi on authority of Mujalid on authority of
 Ash-Shu'abi on authority of Ibn 'Abbas, and added that
 
 "...this isnad (chain of reporters) is not narrated on authority
 of Mujalid but by Muhammad Ibn Al-Hajjaj and they all (other reporters
 in the chain) accuse Muhammad Ibn Al-Hajjaj of forging it."[3]
 {dubious discussion}
 
 It is also reported by Ibn al-Gawzi in Al-'Ilal and is listed among
 other flawed reports."

A:
It was also narrated by al-Waqidi in al-Maghazi (1:172-173), al-
Quda`i in Musnad al-Shihab (2:48 para:858), Ibn al-Sakan in Mu`jam al-
Sahaba, al-`Askari in al-Amthal, `Iyad in al-Shifa, and Ibn Kathir, 
Bidaya (5:221, Year 11). Also, without full chains, by Ibn Hisham 
(6:49-50), Ibn Sa`d (2:27), and al-Salihi in Subul al-Huda (6:36-37), 
all through Muhammad ibn al-Hajjaj al-Lakhmi who is accused of 
forging it while his student Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn al-`Ala' al-
Shami is also accused of lying cf. al-Ghumari, Fath al-Wahhab 
(2:89-90). 

Something similar is narrated - with a very weak chain and without 
naming `Umayr - from Ibn `Abbas by al-Quda`i (2:46-47 para:856-857), Ibn 
`Asakir, and al-Khatib in his Tarikh (13:99).

Ibn Taymiyya in al-Sarim al-Maslul (p. 95-104) considers al-Waqidi's 
report authentic and discusses its probative force at length. Ibn 
Hibban in al-Thiqat (1:208) narrates that `Umayr had vowed to kill 
her if the Prophet returned safe from Badr. Note that `Umayr was a 
blind man, cf. Isaba (4:721) and al-Ahdab, Zawa'id Tarikh Baghdad 
(9:98-103 para:1977). 

A sound report from Ibn `Abbas does state that the Prophet salla 
Allahu `alayhi wa-Sallam had declared non-liability (hadar) for her 
blood i.e. he had condemned her to death: narrated by Abu Dawud, al-
Nasa'i, al-Daraqutni in his Sunan (4:216-217), and al-Tabarani in al-
Kabir (11:351 para:11984), cf. Ibn Hajar, Bulugh al-Maram (p. 255).

So the latter detail is on the face of it authentic but we cannot say 
the same of the rest. Allah knows best.

Q2:
 So the poetry recorded in the hadith could not be used as evidence 
 of what constitutes an "insult" to the Prophet (saw)?

A:
The poetry is not verifiable as authentic and this is the case with 
much of the poetry in Ibn Hisham.

On a side-note, the poetry in question constitutes an incitement to 
murder and not just an insult. Ka`b ibn Zuhayr had insulted the 
Prophet, upon him blessings and peace, but repented and was forgiven.


GF Haddad
2009-01-19