English translation
4039. Narrated Al-Barā' bin 'Azib رضي الله عنه: Allāh's Messenger ﷺ sent some men from the Anṣār to (kill) the Jew Abū Rāfi', and appointed 'Abdullāh bin 'Atik as their leader. Abū Rāfi' used to hurt Allāh's Messenger and help his enemies against him. He lived in his castle in the land of Hijāz. When those men approached (the castle) after the sun had set and the people had brought back their livestock to their homes. 'Abdullāh (bin 'Atīk) said to his companions, "Sit down at your places. I am going, and I will try to play a trick on the gate-keeper so that I may enter (the castle)." So, 'Abdullāh proceeded towards the castle, and when he approached the gate, he covered himself with his clothes, pretending to answer the call of nature. The people had gone in, and the gate-keeper (considered 'Abdullāh as one of the castle's servants) addressing him saying, "O Allāh's slave! Enter if you wish, for I want to close the gate." 'Abdullāh added in his story, "So, I went in (the castle) and hid myself. When the people got inside, the gate-keeper closed the gate and hung the keys on a fixed wooden peg. I got up and took the keys and opened the gate. Some people were staying late at night with Abū Rāfi' for a pleasant night chat in one of his rooms. When his companions of nightly entertainment went away, I ascended to him, and whenever I opened a door, I closed it from inside. I said to myself, 'Should these people discover my presence, they will not be able to catch me till I have killed him.' So I reached him and found him sleeping in a dark place (house) amidst his family, I could not recognize his location in the house. So I shouted, 'O Abū Rāfi'!' Abū Rāfi' said, 'Who is it?' I proceeded towards the source of the voice and hit him with the sword, and because of my perplexity, I could not kill him. He cried loudly, and I came out of the house and waited for a while, and then went to him again and said, 'What is this voice, O Abū Rāfi'?' He said, 'Woe to your mother! A man in my house has hit me with a sword!' I again hit him severely but I did not kill him. Then I drove the point of the sword into his belly (and pressed it through) till it touched his back, and I realised that I have killed him. I then opened the doors one by one till I reached the staircase, and thinking that I had reached the ground, I stepped out and fell down and got my leg broken in a moonlit night. I tied my leg with a turban and proceeded on till I sat at the gate, and said, 'I will not go out tonight till I know that I have killed him.' So, when (early in the morning) the cock crowed, the announcer of the casualty stood on the wall saying, 'I announce the death of Abū Rāfi', the merchant of Hijāz.' Thereupon I went to my companions and said, 'Let us save ourselves, for Allāh has killed Abū Rāfi'.' So, I (along with my companions proceeded and) went to the Prophet ﷺ and described the whole story to him. He said, 'Stretch out your (broken) leg'. I stretched it out and he rubbed it and it became alright as if I never had any ailment whatsoever.