2769 — Muhammad ibn Ḥuzābah narrated to us: Isḥāq — meaning Ibn Manṣūr — narrated to us: Asbāṭ al-Hamdānī narrated to us, from al-Suddī, from his father, from Abū Hurayrah, from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, who said: "Faith restrains treachery; a believer does not commit treachery." (1)

168 — Chapter on saying the takbīr upon every elevated place during travel

2770 — Al-Qaʿnabī narrated to us, from Mālik, from Nāfiʿ

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Al-Khaṭṭābī said: In this there is the following point of jurisprudence: the removal of blame from one who interprets speech [in a certain way] and reports about a matter as if it had not yet occurred, when his intention in doing so is to set right the affairs of his religion or to defend himself and his family. Such an act is permissible against a disbeliever who has no covenant [with the Muslims], just as night raids and sudden attacks upon them are permitted at times of heedlessness and moments of negligence. This Kaʿb was persistent in insulting the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and satirizing him, and thus he deserved to be killed — in addition to his disbelief — for insulting the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. Some people have missed the meaning of this and imagined that the act of killing him was an act of treachery or perfidy, but the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, prohibited treachery.

(1) Authentic through its corroborating witnesses; this chain is weak due to the unknown status of al-Suddī's father, whose name is ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Karīmah. Al-Suddī's name is Ismāʿīl.

It was also recorded by Ibn Abī Shaybah 15/122–123, al-Bukhārī in his "al-Tārīkh al-Kabīr" 1/403, Ibn Abī ʿĀṣim in "al-Diyāt" pp. 52–53, al-Ḥākim 4/352, al-Khaṭīb al-Baghdādī in "Tārīkh Baghdād" 10/387, al-Mizzī in his biography of ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Karīmah in "Tahdhīb al-Kamāl," and al-Dhahabī in "Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ" 17/28 and in "Tadhkirat al-Ḥuffāẓ" 3/1020, via the route of Ismāʿīl ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Karīmah al-Suddī, from him.

On this topic, there is also a report from al-Zubayr ibn al-ʿAwwām recorded by ʿAbd al-Razzāq (9676) and (9677), Ibn Abī Shaybah 15/123 and 279, and Aḥmad (1426), and its chain is good as a corroborating witness.

And from Muʿāwiyah ibn Abī Sufyān, recorded by Aḥmad (16832), and its chain is good as a corroborating witness.

By the totality of these corroborating witnesses, the ḥadīth is authentic.

Al-Khaṭṭābī said: Treachery is only the sudden killing of one who has been granted safety. Kaʿb ibn al-Ashraf was among those who cast off safety and broke the covenant.