Musailamah the False Prophet

Names may be imitated, designations may be equated, but the essence is still different. People say, "You can imitate everything you want, but you will never be me." Hopefully that is a proper expression given to them imitators and those who like to confess.

Confessing and claiming in the material world is certainly not good and is not a habit of praiseworthy people. How would it also claim in the matter of receiving divine revelation. As done by Musailamah al-Kadzab. This son of the Hanifah claimed to be a Prophet.

Who is Musailamah?

Historians differ in their names. Some say he is Musailamah bin Hubaib al-Hanafi. Others say Musailamah bin Tsamamah bin Katsir bin Hubaib al-Hanafi. Some say the kun-yah is Abu Tsamamah. Some call it Abu Harun.

Musailamah was born in the Yamamah region. In a village now called al-Jibliyah. Close to Uyainah in the Hanifah valley of Nejd region.

Musailamah's age is older and longer than the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Some say he was killed at the age of 150 during the Yamamah War. He was a religious figure in Yamamah and had followers before the apostolic revelations came to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

Before claiming to be a prophet, Musailamah often walked the streets. Enter markets that are crowded by Arab and non-Arab communities. Meet people of various professions there. The market he visited was such as the market in the area of ​​al-Anbar and Hirah (Futuh al-Buldan by al-Baladzuri, Hal: 100).

Musailamah is someone who has a strong personality (strong personality). Good at talking. Having influence in the midst of the Hanifah and the neighboring tribes. His words were gentle but deceptive. Clever to attract sympathy, for both men and women. He calls himself Rahman al-Yamamah. But God is different. He is known as Musailamah al-Kadzab (Musailamah the liar) to this day.

When Musailamah announced his prophethood (false prophet), Rasulullah di was in Mecca. He sent people to Mecca to listen to the Koran. Then go back to Yamamah to read it to him. After that he imitated or played back to the people while claiming it was his greeting (Tarikh al-Rusul wa al-Muluk by Tabari, 3: 295).

Messenger of the Banu Hanifah Met the Messenger of Allah

Among the methods of preaching the Prophet ﷺ was to write a letter to the rulers and kings. Call them to embrace Islam. The call for da'wah arrived at Haudzah bin Ali al-Hanafi. A ruler of Yamamah who is a Christian. After receiving the letter, Haudzah proposed the condition that power be given to him. The Prophet ﷺ refused. Not long after that Haudzah died.

In the 9th year H, figures of the Hanifah numbering a dozen or more men came to meet the Prophet ﷺ in Medina. Among them is Musailamah. They came to announce Islam to the Prophet ﷺ. And agreed that the Prophet ﷺ was the leader.


Banu Hanifah including the largest Arab tribes. They have a position and prestige. Feeling worthy of leadership, they submitted a leadership request. They wanted Musailamah to replace the Prophet after he died. The Prophet ﷺ refused their request.

The descendants of the Hanifah were disappointed and began the desire to leave Islam. And the Prophet menangkap has caught this signal. When they were about to return to Yamamah, they said to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, "Indeed, we left one of our friends in our provisions to guard it".

Rasulullah ﷺ responded, "His position (Musailamah) is not worse than your position". This means that even though he is an officer who keeps your supplies, it does not mean that he is lower than you. They also returned to Yamamah with gifts from the Prophet ﷺ.

The words of the Prophet ﷺ to Musailamah were made a word of recommendation by Musailamah and other figures. They claim that the Prophet Muhammad id meridhai Musailamah was his successor. Soon Musailamah announced his prophethood in the midst of the Hanifites. From then on he was known as Musailamah al-Kadzab.

Then the Prophet ﷺ appointed Nuharur Rijal bin Unfuwah to teach religion to the residents of Yamamah. Ibnu Unfuwah is a knowledgeable, broad-minded and intelligent man. Who would have thought, it turned out that Ibn Unfuwah actually joined Musailamah. His sincerity in the presence of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was only mere riya. Ibn Unfuwah acknowledged Musabamah's prophethood. According to him Musailamah was with the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in the prophetic message. The Hanifah people also sympathized with him. And Musailamah made him a believer (Futuh al-Buldan by al-Baladzuri, Hal: 97, Dach-ar-Rusul wa al-Muluk by Tabari, 3: 137-138, and al-Bidayah wa an-Nihayah by Ibn Kathir, 5: 50-52).

Rasulullah ﷺ Reply to a Letter with Musailamah

After his prophetic claim was received in the midst of his people, Musailamah's confidence grew. The further heresy. He began to position himself as a messenger of God. He imitated Prophet Muhammad wah who preached through letters to kings and rulers. Because of his confidence, he sent a letter to the Prophet Muhammad:

من مسيلمة رسول الله, إلى محمد رسول الله: سلام عليك, أما بعد, فإني قد أشركت في الأمر معك, وإن لنا نصف الأرض, ولقريش نصف الأرض, ولكن قريشا قوم يعتدون

"From Musailamah an apostle to Muhammad an apostle.

Safety for you, Amma Ba'du:

Really I am the same as you in this apostolate. For us, certain parts of the earth and for other parts of the Quraysh. But the Quraysh are people who transgress. "

Pay attention, the callers of heresy have always been used to using beautiful word choices to deceive humans. Musailamah called the Prophet Muhammad a person who transcended limits. Because they want to dominate the entire Arabian Peninsula. While he hinted that he was a wise person because he wanted to share.



Likewise, the callers of heresy in this age, they use beautiful language to captivate the heart. They call their teachings enlightening while holding on to the Koran and the sunnah are awkward and rigid. They call their teachings tolerant. While others are radical.

Rasulullah ﷺ did not want to miss this opportunity. He did not want these doubts and ambiguities to spread. He also replied to Musailamah's letter:

الرَّحْمِنَّ الرَّحِيَِ ، مِنْ مُحَمَّدٍ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ، إلَى مُسَيْلِمَةَ الْكَذَّابِ: السَّلَامُ عَلَى مَنْ اتَّبَعَ الْهُدَى. أَمَّا بَعْدُ ، فَإِنَّ الْأَرْضَ للَّه يُورَثُهَا مَنْ يُشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ ، وَالْعَاقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ

"In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Merciful.

From Muhammad Allah's messenger to Musailamah the liar.

Safety for those who follow the instructions, amma ba’du:

Surely the earth (this) belongs to God; He will destroy those whom He wants from His servants. And the good end is for those who fear. "

After reading the letter, Musailamah mutilated the Prophet's best friend, Hubaib bin Zaid radhiallahu ‘anhu, which the Prophet assigned to deliver a letter to Musailamah al-Kadzab. This event occurred at the end of the 10th year H.

Tribal fanatics, poetry is suspected of revelation

Musailamah began to make Yamamah an illegitimate land. He also began to compile the poetry he called the Qur'an. Al-Mutasyammas bin Muawiyah, uncle of al-Ahnaf bin Qais, had heard false Qur'anic poems read by Musailamah. After leaving the assembly Musailamah he commented, "Really he is a liar". Al-Ahnaf also commented, "He is not the real prophet. Nor is it a smart person to pretend to be a prophet. "

The Yamamah people who followed Musailamah were so fanatical about his prophetic preaching. They were proud of the people from the Rabiah family competing with the Mudhar family. Namely Rabiah's descendants also have prophets as Mudhar's descendants have prophets, namely Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Prophetic confession of Musailamah was strongly influenced by the fanaticism of the tribes and tribes.

One day Thalhah an-Namiri came to Yamamah to meet Musailamah. He wanted to hear his preaching directly and test the prophethood of the maker of this false revelation. When he arrived at the Musailamah assembly, Talha said the name Musailamah directly. Musailamah's people replied, "Call him the messenger of Allah!" "I don't want to, until I see it first," said Thalhah.

When Musailamah arrived, Talha said, "You are Muslim?" "Yes," answered the false prophet the deceitful man. "Who came to you?" Asked Thalhah. Musailamah replied, "Rahman (Allah pen.)". "In a state of glow or in darkness?", Explained Thalhah. "In the dark," Musailamah answered.

Talha said, "Indeed I bear witness you are a liar. And Muhammad is the right one. However, liars from Rabiah are more loved than honest people from Mudhar. " (Dachr-Rusul wa al-Muluk by Tabari, 3, 283-286, Asadul Ghabah by Ibnul Atsir, 1: 443, and al-Mufashshal fi Tarikh al-Arab Qobla al-Islam by Jawad Ali, 6: 97 )

To strengthen his position, Musailamah married a woman from the children of Tamim. Other great Kabilah in Arab society. The woman is Sajah bint al-Harits bin Suwaid at-Tamimiyah. This woman has a similarity with Musailamah, both of them claim to be prophets. He invited his people the children of Tamim and his uncles from the Taghlib tribe and other Rabi'ah tribes. Joining this large group in tribal fanaticism claims a lie. Then they challenged the Caliphate of Abu Bakr in Medina.



When the Messenger of Allah afat died, Abu Bakr radhiallahu ‘anhu replaced him leading the Muslims. Among Abu Bakr's priority policies was to send troops against apostates. Such as the followers of Musailamah al-Kadzab and others. Abu Bakr sent Ikrimah bin Abi Jahl and was accompanied by Syurahbil bin Hasanah to face the liar prophet.

After carrying out the assignment, Ikrimah rushed to attack. He and his troops were successfully repelled by Muslim defenders. Ikrimah sent a letter to Abu Bakr, preaching the conditions at the bar and asking for input to him. Abu Bakr said, "O Ikrimah, I did not see you and you did not see me either. Thou shalt not return (to Madinah) so that the morale of your troops goes down. Keep going until you meet Hudzaifah and Urfujah. Both are with Omanis and Mahrah people. Join him! If both are busy (with their duties), keep going forward. Walk! Walk! With your troops regardless of the people you meet. Until later you meet Muhajir bin Abi Umayyah in Yemen and or in Hadhramaut ".

Abu Bakr also wrote to Syurahbil to remain in his position until Khalid bin Walid arrived. After the mission in Yamamah was completed, they were ordered to join Amr bin al-Ash towards Qadha'ah. Khalid waited for the envoy sent to him in the al-Baththah region. When they arrived, then he left with his troops to Yamamah to face Musailamah.

Aqriba Day

In Yamamah, Musailamah heard Khalid's forces approaching. He gave a speech by alerting his troops to Aqriba. When the two troops meet, there is no bargaining price except war. Musailamah's small army consisting of 40-60 people was defeated. This opening war was won by Khalid and his troops.

The next morning, Khalid's troops met again with Musailamah's defense. The appeal and motivation of the defenders of the false prophet is the family's tribal and honorary values. Musailamah al-Kadzab's son, Shurahbil bin Musailamah, motivated his troops by saying, "Fight to defend your nasab and take care of your wives!"

The muhajirin's banner was held by Salim maula Abi Hudzaifah radhiallahu ‘anhu. Muhajirin people said to him, "We are afraid that defeat will be overtaken by you". The muhajir friends doubted Salim's leadership in this war. Salim replied, "If so, I am as bad as the bearer of the Koran." He dismissed the Muhajirin's doubts. The banner of the war of the Ansar was held by Thabit ibn Qais bin Shammas radhiallahu ‘anhu, khatib Rasulullah ullah.



With large troops, no less than 100,000 people, Musailamah al-Kadzab's army was on the wind and succeeded in suppressing 12,000 Muslim troops at the beginning of the war. They managed to ruin the defenses of the Muslims. They broke through the ranks of God's soldiers and managed to enter the camp of the commander of Khalid bin al-Walid. Khalid's wife almost died in the incident.

In this precarious situation, Thabit bin Qais motivated himself and the Muslims by saying, "What a bad thing you are doing (doing) this, O Muslims. O God, I depart from what they - the people of Yamamah do. And I apologize for what the Muslims are doing ". Then he fought until he met his death.

Abu Hudzaifah said, "O memorizers of the Koran, pay attention to the Koran with deeds!".

Zaid bin al-Khattab said, "O troops, throw away your worries. Face your enemy. Step forward. For God's sake, I will not speak a word until I meet God. Then I spoke to Him with my hujjah. Then Zaid fought without fear and trembling.

Brother Umar bin al-Khattab and the leader of the right-wing forces met God with Naharur Rijal. The person who betrayed the mandate of the Prophet ﷺ and instead chose to join Musailamah al-Kadzab. The second sword hit each other until Naharur Rijal was killed. The death of Musailamah's right hand cashed in the morale of the Hanifah army.

Raging Yamamah War is heating up. Cries of passion, anger, and screams of wounds echoed everywhere. The clatter and clatter of the sword struck each other. The sound of the arrows and spears sliced ​​through the wind. The roar of the steps of the army raced with the horses. Weak mentality will shake the pace. The wrong intention to make a heavy jihad is a meaning besides dust. On the feet, hands and face. The bodies crashed to earth apart from their lives. That is the scene that occurs in warfare.

Sometimes the Muslims press. Sometimes the Hanifah took control of the war. Fall in this war noble friends; Salim was Abu Hudzaifah. A messenger of Allah. And also Zaid bin al-Khattab died. As well as Islamic figures besides the two.

The Death of the Fake Prophet

Musailamah al-Kadzab and his defenders were cornered and ran into a garden that had a high fence. That many troops made the garden crowded. 6000 Musailamah's troops took refuge in it. Muslims try to chase them, but are unable to enter them. Until al-Barra bin Malik issued the idea of ​​"desperate". He said, "Put me in armor. Then lift with the spearhead. Lift it up, so I can reach the top of the fence. Then throw me into the garden. I'll open the door from inside ".

Initially, people rejected al-Barra's proposal. They are worried about their safety. Until finally they picked it up and threw it into the garden. Al-Barra entered the garden. Courage, expertise in martial arts and using weapons drove al-Barra to the door after he killed 15 people. Open garden gate.

The garden which originally became Musailamah's fortress. Now it is a garden of death for him. The Muslims ran to flood the garden. After everything entered, al-Barra closed the door again and threw the key across the fence. So that no one can come out.

The place of the farmers has now turned into a battlefield. Musailamah al-Kadzab's troops were increasingly cornered. Until finally the false prophet Musailamah al-Kadzab was killed, in the hands of Wahsyi bin Harb, a former slave of Jabir bin Muth'im and a mujahid of Ansar, Abu Dujanah Simak bin Khirasyah radhiallahu ‘anhu.

Musailamah's death brought down the morale of his followers. Their pride and arrogance immediately subsided, late in the situation. They seemed to wake up from magic, confused not doing anything. Finally they gave up. After 21,000 of them died in battle. And some say 500 or 600 or even 1200 Muslims were martyred. Large number of casualties.

After the war was over, the Hanifah people were brought to Medina to meet with Abu Bakr radhiallahu ‘anhu. They were asked to tell about the prophethood of Musailamah. Abu Bakr asked about the poem Musailamah had made. They mentioned several examples of them. Then Abu Bakar commented, "Subhanallah !! You guys! These sentences are not from God, even good people. How can that guide you? "(Ar-Rusul wa al-Muluk by Tabari, 3: 281-301, al-Bidayah wa an-Nihayah by Ibn Kathir, 6: 237 & 324, Thabaqat al-Kubra by Ibn Saad, 3: 377, and al-Ishabah by Ibn Hajar, 3:15).



This is the end of the story of the false prophet Musailamah al-Kadzab. He lied to revelation, until now the title of al-Kadzab (the liar) is always carried at the end of his name. The humiliation he gets in the world and later in the hereafter.