(Whoso slayeth a believer of set purpose…) [4:93]. Said Ibn ‘Abbas, according to the report of al-Kalbi from Abu Salih: “Maqis ibn Subabah, who was Muslim, found his brother Hisham murdered at Banu’l-Najjar. He went to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, and mentioned what had happened to him. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, sent with him an emissary from Banu Fihr and said to him: ‘Go to Banu’l-Najjar, greet them with the greeting of peace and say to them: ‘The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, commands you, if you know the killer of Hisham ibn Subabah, to hand him over to his brother to exact his retaliation; and if you do not know the killer, to pay him the blood money’. ‘The man from Fihr conveyed to them the message of the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, and they said: ‘We hear and obey Allah and His Messenger. By Allah, we do not know who the killer is, but we are willing to pay the blood money’. They gave him one hundred camels and they headed toward Medina. When they were very close to Medina, the devil whispered to Miqyas: ‘What have you done? Your acceptance of your brother’s blood money will be a slur on you. Kill the person who is with you and it would be as if you have avenged your brother in surplus of the blood money’. Miqyas did just that. He fractured the skull of the man from Fihr with a rock, rode a camel and drove away the rest to Mecca. He went back to Mecca as a disbeliever. Through him I avenged Fihr and charged his blood-wit To the chiefs of Banu’l-Najjar, the lords of Fari‘ castle. By killing him I gave vent to my vengeance and eased my tension, And was the first to return to the idols. This verse was then revealed (Whoso slayeth a believer of set purpose…). The Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, sentenced him to death upon the conquest of Mecca. He was chased and captured by some people in the market place and executed”.
Asbab Al-Nuzul by Al-Wahidi , trans. Mokrane Guezzou
