Abd - Allah ibn Ubayy Abd - Allah ibn Ubayy ( , died 631 ) , also called ibn Salul in reference to his mother , was a chief of the Arab tribe Banu Khazraj and one of the leading men of Medina ( then known as Yathrib ) . Upon the arrival of Muhammad , Ibn Ubayy became a Muslim , though the sincerity of that conversion is disputed . Because of repeated conflicts with Muhammad , Islamic tradition has labelled him a " Munafiq " ( hypocrite ) and " leader of the Munafiqun " . Position in Medina . Ibn Ubayy was one of the chiefs of the Khazraj , who at his time were in conflict with the other major Arab tribe of the city , the Banu Aws . During the " fidjar " , the so - called " sacrilegious war " , Ibn Ubayy had led parts of the Khazraj tribe on the first day of fighting , but held aloof on the second day . Neither did he participate in the Battle of Bu ' ath , due to a quarrel with another leader over the execution of Jewish hostages . It appears that at one point during this conflict , his life was saved by his Jewish allies from the tribe of Banu Qaynuqa , as he would later exclaim : " 300 soldiers armed in mail , and 400 unequipped , - - they defended me on the fields of Hadaick and Boath from every foe . " He was also the uncrowned king . Ibn Ubayy " used every effort to end the fratricidal strife " and achieved a partial reconciliation between the two factions , which both recognized the leadership of Ibn Ubayy . He occupied a high status in pre - Islamic Medinan society , and his supporters aimed for him to become " king " . This aim was not realized , however , due to the arrival of Muhammad in 622 : since the tribal conflict was never completely resolved , some citizens looked towards another arbitrator and called in Muhammad , whose preaching had made him famous beyond his home town of Mecca . The arrival of a man who claimed to speak in the name of God eclipsed Ibn Ubayy ' s influence . This provoked his jealousy , which he was careful to conceal , but was mitigated by his moderation and peacefulness . Ibn Ubayy nonetheless remained a well - respected man . According to Ibn Ishaq , Ibn Ubayy was " a man of great authority in Medina before the advent of the apostle " and " remained a continuing thorn in the flesh of his success . " Conversion . After the entry of Muhammad in Medina , large parts of the Arab population converted to Islam . Ibn Ubayy followed suit , according to Maxime Rodinson , as " he thought it wiser to join than to stand out against it . " However , Rudi Paret thinks it probable that he converted very soon after Muhammad ' s Hijra , at the same time as Sa ' d ibn Mua ' dh . Islamic tradition , which views Ibn Ubayy ' s conversion as insincere , labelled him " leader of the hypocrites " ( " munafiqun " ) . However , according to Rodinson , Ibn Ubayy may have converted out of a " genuine sympathy with monotheist ideas fostered by his friendly relations with the Jews . " Being second only to Muhammad , Ibn Ubayy became a " figurehead for those Arabs of Medina who , openly or secretly , sneered at the Prophet ' s teaching and complained of the confusion and the danger which the coming of the Muslims had brought to Medina " . Ibn Ishaq writes that some of the Ansar " were not altogether convinced of the political wisdom of supporting the apostle : these came to be regarded as paying lip - service to Islam , but hiding treachery in their hearts , and they were known and reviled as ' the Hypocrites ' " . William Muir opines that tradition " makes a scapegoat of Abdallah " standing for " a great number , who had incurred Muhammad anger , and some of them much more than Abdallah " . Banu Qaynuqa . In 624 , the Muslims moved against the Jewish tribe of the Banu Qaynuqa and , after a siege of 15 days , eventually forced them to surrender . Now , Ibn Ubayy was allied to the Qaynuqa and according to Muslim historians , appealed to Muhammad for leniency to be shown to them . Ibn Ubayy grabbed hold of the top of Muhammad ' s breast plate as he turned away , provoking his anger . " Let me go , " Muhammad said . Ibn Ubayy replied : " Nay [ . . . ] I will not let thee go , until thou hast compassion on my friends ; 300 soldiers armed in mail , and 400 unequipped , - - they defended me on the fields of Hadaick and Boath from every foe . Wilt thou cut them down in one day , O Mahomet ? As for me , I am one verily that feareth the vicissitudes of fortune . " After this , Muhammad acceded to his request , and gave the Banu Qaynuqa three days to leave the city . Ibn Ubayy ' s last sentence has been interpreted in various ways . Rodinson considered it as threat against Muhammad , while Watt opined that Ibn Ubayy " urged their importance as a fighting unit in view of the expected Meccan onslaught " . Muslims have traditionally seen this episode as another piece of evidence for Ibn Ubayy ' s hypocrisy , since Ibn Ubayy insisted that adherence to Islam had not completely severed the old obligations of tribal and personal loyalty . However , Ibn Ubayy had not defended the Qaynuqa but merely pleaded for mercy . His plea implies that Muhammad intended to put the Qaynuqa to death , as he later did with the Banu Qurayza , but after Ibn Ubayy ' s intercession , they were merely expelled from Medina – their property falling to Muhammad and the Muhajirun . Battle of Uhud . In the consultations preceding the approaching Meccan attack on Medina in 625 , Ibn Ubayy had favored Muhammad ' s original plan to defend from the strongholds inside Medina itself , saying : " our city is a virgin , inviolate . We have never gone forth to our enemies , but we have suffered loss : remaining within our walls , we have beaten them off with slaughter . Leave the Coreish alone . If they remain , it will be in evil case ; when they retire , it will be disappointed and frustrated in their designs . " Some young Muslims , however , argued that the Meccans should be fought outside of the city . Persuaded by the latter , Muhammad adopted an offensive strategy . According to al - Waqidi , Ibn Ubayy also marched out with 300 of his own men and his remaining Jewish allies , but Muhammad ordered him to send the Jews back into the town , calling them " unbelievers " . Muhammad resumed his advance , while Ibn Ubayy led his men back to Medina , retiring to the strongholds . According to Islamic tradition , he expressed his anger about his advice being rejected , proclaiming : " We do not know why we shall kill ourselves " . It has also been presumed that Ibn Ubayy turned back to protect the town or his own possessions . According to Watt , Surah interprets Ibn Ubayy ' s withdrawal as showing " cowardice and lack of belief in God and the Prophet " Muhammad ' s 700 men met the 3000 of the Quraish in the Battle of Uhud and were defeated . The Quraish , however , did not succeed in killing Muhammad , nor did they occupy the town of Medina , possibly because they knew it was guarded by Ibn Ubayy . Rodinson suggests that the Meccans did not want to reforge the very unity of the population , which had been jeopardised by Muhammad ' s defeat . Banu Nadir . Ibn Ubay was also involved in Muhammad ' s conflict with another Jewish tribe , the Banu Nadir . Ibn Ishaq writes that when Muhammad ordered the tribe to leave the city within ten days , " certain persons of Medina who were not Believers sent a message to the Banu al - Nadir , saying , ' Hold out , and defend yourselves ; we shall not surrender you to Muhammad . If you are attacked we shall fight with you and if you are sent away we shall go with you . ' " Other sources include or even identify these persons with the Muslim Ibn Ubayy . Waqidi reports that Ibn Ubayy at first strove to bring about a reconciliation , and Tabari relates that Abd - Allah accused Muhammad of treachery and urged the Nadir to resist by promising aid . However , as the promised help failed to materialize , the Nadir surrendered and Muhammad expelled them from the city . Watt consider this the first instance , in which Ibn Ubayy went beyond verbally criticizing Muhammad to intriguing against him , a practice he sees as continuing for the next two years . Controversy during the Mustaliq campaign . In 627 , Ibn Ubayy participated in a raid against the Banu Mustaliq . On the march home from this campaign , conflict arose between the Muhajirun and the Ansar when a Bedouin servant of Umar pushed an ally of the Khazraj . Hearing of this , Ibn Ubayy reportedly voiced his discontent : " This . . . ye have brought upon yourselves , by inviting these strangers to dwell amongst us . When we return to Medina , the Mightier shall surely expel the Meaner ! " Watt described this phrase as an attempt by Ibn Ubayy " to undermine Muhammad ' s authority and make men think of expelling him " . Muhammad forestalled any fighting by immediately continuing the march . Ibn Ubayy denied having said this and Muhammad accepted this excuse , though after the return to Medina the " Munafiqun " would be reprimanded in Surah . Reportedly Muhammad rejected the advice of Umar , who counseled to have Ibn Ubayy killed , and also the offer of Ibn Ubayy ' s own son , a fervent Muslim , to kill his own father . Later on during the march , Muhammad ' s wife Aisha was rumoured to have committed adultery and Ibn Ubay was among those spreading the rumour . One of the chiefs of the Aws asked for the permission to punish the slanderers ( without incurring a feud ) , but the Khazraj opposed this . After Muhammad had announced that he had received a revelation confirming Aisha ' s innocence , he had her accusers punished by eighty lashes but did not venture to enforce the sentence against Ibn Ubayy . Last years . According to Watt , after 627 there is no record of Ibn Ubayy " actively opposing Muhammad or intriguing against him " . In 628 , Ibn Ubayy participated in the march to Hudaybiyya . According to Rudi Paret , Muhammad ' s " most dangerous rival " was now on Muhammad ' s side . In 630 , when Muhammad ' s launching a campaign against the Byzantine Empire during a time of drought and food shortage created serious discontent in Medina , Ibn Ubayy expressed his sympathy for those criticizing the expedition as untimely which is illogical because the Byzantines has amassed 200 , 000 men close to the city of tabuk . As the army assembled , Ibn Ubayy ' s troops formed a separate camp and turned back to Medina when Muhammad ' s forces set out . This possibly happened with Muhammad ' s consent , because of Ibn Ubayy ' s ill health . After Muhammad ' s return , those criticizing the campaign and had remained behind were chided in Surah . Ibn Ubayy died two months after Muhammad ' s return , in 631 . Despite the various conflicts between the two men , Muhammad did not show signs of vindictiveness towards Ibn Ubayy , when he attended his funeral and prayed above his grave . But later a verse was revealed that there shouldn ' t be any funeral prayers for hypocrites . With Ibn Ubayy died the faction of the Munafiqun , as " there was no one left [ . . . ] possessed of power or influence . " Abd - Allah ibn Ubayy left behind several daughters and a son also called Abd - Allah , all of whom became devout Muslims .