This is a poll about morality.
I am specifically interested in the morality on display in a popular folk-tale. I first read the story on an Islamic Arabic News website. It was considered by the presenters a virtuous tale and morally apt. It's not uncommon for people to use tales to teach morality. Take Aesop's Fables for instance. We've all heard the phrase ".. and the moral of the story is..."
Therefor the folk-lore or tale or fable needn't be true itself to answer this poll. The poll has nothing at all to do with historic accuracy or even reality but only to do with morality.
Here is the tale as I originally heard it:
Arab News
"Abdullah ibn Khatal used to be a Muslim. The Prophet once sent him to collect zakah from people who lived far away. He traveled with another man and a servant of his who was a Muslim. At one stage on the way they stopped. He gave the servant orders to slaughter a big goat and prepare food for him while he himself went to sleep. When he woke up, he discovered that the servant had not done anything. He killed his servant and, fearing the Prophet’s punishment, reverted to idolatry. He also had two slave girls who used to sing for him and for his companions songs full of abuse of the Prophet. The Prophet’s instructions specified that the two slave girls should also be killed. The man was killed as he was actually holding on to the coverings of the Kaaba. Abu Barzah Al-Aslami and Saeed ibn Hurayth Al-Makhzumi killed him along with one of his slave girls. The other managed to flee until someone sought a special pardon for her from the Prophet, which he granted."
Here is an English Translation by
Alfred Guillaume of the original Historical work of Muhammad ibn Ishaq ibn Yasar who himself was (and is) considered a scholar and historian and whom many credit with witting the oldest Biograph of Mohammad.
Another was Abdullah Khatal of B. Taym b. Ghalib. He had become a Muslim and the apostle sent him to collect the poor tax in company with one of the Ansar. He had with him a freed slave who served him. (He was a Muslim.) When they halted he ordered the latter to kill a goat for him and prepare some food, and went to sleep. When he woke up the man had done nothing, so he attacked and killed him and apostatized. He had two singing-girls Fartana and her friend who used to sing satirical songs about the apostle, so he ordered that they should be killed with him.
The Poll Question:
Was the order to have the two singing-girls killed (Fartana and her friend) moral or immoral?
Why or why not?
Thanks,
Michael
Michael
I am specifically interested in the morality on display in a popular folk-tale. I first read the story on an Islamic Arabic News website. It was considered by the presenters a virtuous tale and morally apt. It's not uncommon for people to use tales to teach morality. Take Aesop's Fables for instance. We've all heard the phrase ".. and the moral of the story is..."
Therefor the folk-lore or tale or fable needn't be true itself to answer this poll. The poll has nothing at all to do with historic accuracy or even reality but only to do with morality.
Here is the tale as I originally heard it:
Arab News
"Abdullah ibn Khatal used to be a Muslim. The Prophet once sent him to collect zakah from people who lived far away. He traveled with another man and a servant of his who was a Muslim. At one stage on the way they stopped. He gave the servant orders to slaughter a big goat and prepare food for him while he himself went to sleep. When he woke up, he discovered that the servant had not done anything. He killed his servant and, fearing the Prophet’s punishment, reverted to idolatry. He also had two slave girls who used to sing for him and for his companions songs full of abuse of the Prophet. The Prophet’s instructions specified that the two slave girls should also be killed. The man was killed as he was actually holding on to the coverings of the Kaaba. Abu Barzah Al-Aslami and Saeed ibn Hurayth Al-Makhzumi killed him along with one of his slave girls. The other managed to flee until someone sought a special pardon for her from the Prophet, which he granted."
Here is an English Translation by
Alfred Guillaume of the original Historical work of Muhammad ibn Ishaq ibn Yasar who himself was (and is) considered a scholar and historian and whom many credit with witting the oldest Biograph of Mohammad.
Another was Abdullah Khatal of B. Taym b. Ghalib. He had become a Muslim and the apostle sent him to collect the poor tax in company with one of the Ansar. He had with him a freed slave who served him. (He was a Muslim.) When they halted he ordered the latter to kill a goat for him and prepare some food, and went to sleep. When he woke up the man had done nothing, so he attacked and killed him and apostatized. He had two singing-girls Fartana and her friend who used to sing satirical songs about the apostle, so he ordered that they should be killed with him.
The Poll Question:
Was the order to have the two singing-girls killed (Fartana and her friend) moral or immoral?
Why or why not?
Thanks,
Michael
Michael
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