Salām bin Abī 'l-Huqayq or Abu Rafi was a Jewish poet of early 7th century Arabia who financed and assisted the Pagan tribes who were fighting Muhammad and his followers, the muslims. He was killed in the Expedition of 'Abdullah ibn 'Atik after composed satirical verse (hija') about Muhammad and other early Muslim leaders. When men of the Banu Aus assassinated Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf, some Khazraj tribesman including Abdullah ibn Unays went to Muhammad and received his permission to kill Sallam. Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari describes the assassination thus: Sallam was the brother of al-Rabi ibn Abu al-Huqayq and the uncle of the latter's sons, who included Kenana ibn al-Rabi.

Sunni hadith

Abu Rafi's assassination is mentioned in many Sunni Hadith: Narrated Al-Bara bin Azib: Allah's Apostle sent a group of Ansari men to kill Abu-Rafi. One of them set out and entered their (i.e. the enemies) fort. That man said, "I hid myself in a stable for their animals. They closed the fort gate. Later they....." Abu Rafi's assassination is mentioned in:, , and many more.

Resources

al-Tabari, The History of Al-Tabari: Volume 8, Michael Fishbein, tr. (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1997), 482–483.