Abu 'Afak

Abu 'Afak (Arabic: أبو عفك, died c. 624) was a Jewish poet who allegedly lived in the Hijaz region (today Saudi Arabia). After Muhammad moved to the city of Al-Madina and started to preach Islam, Abu 'Afak did not convert to Islam and was vocal about his opposition to Muhammad. He became a significant political enemy of Muhammad and was subsequently assassinated by a follower of Muhammad. As an elderly man, Abu 'Afak Arwan wrote a politically charged poem against Muhammad and his followers that is preserved in the Sira. Muhammad then allegedly called for Abu 'Afak's death, and Salim ibn Umayr killed him. The affair was recorded by Ibn Ishaq in "Sirat Rasul Allah" (The Life of the Prophet of God), the oldest biography of Muhammad.