It is narrated from Sayyiduna Salamah bin Akwa’ (may Allah be pleased with him) that Marhab, the Jew, on the day of Khaybar, challenged my uncle (Sayyiduna ‘Amir) to single combat, saying:

“Qad ‘alimat Khaybaru anni Marhabun
Shaki as-silahi batalun mujarrabun
Idha al-hurubu aqbalat talahhabu”

Khaybar knows well that I am Marhab,
Armed, a warrior, and experienced.
When battles flare up, I turn towards them.

My uncle ‘Amir (may Allah be pleased with him) came out to face him and said:

“Qad ‘alimat Khaybaru anni ‘Amirun
Shaki as-silahi batalun mughāmirun”

Khaybar knows well that I am ‘Amir,
Fully prepared, brave, and one who risks his life.

Both struck at each other once; Marhab’s sword hit ‘Amir’s shield, and ‘Amir (may Allah be pleased with him) bent down and attacked him, but his own shield struck the large vein of his own leg, cutting the vein, and due to this he passed away. Salamah bin Akwa’ (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I met some people who said that ‘Amir’s deeds have been wasted, he has committed suicide. Hearing this, I came weeping to the service of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allah! Have ‘Amir’s deeds been wasted? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Who said this? I replied: Some of your companions, O Messenger of Allah. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever said this, said wrong; rather, for him there is double reward. (Salamah, may Allah be pleased with him, says that) when ‘Amir (may Allah be pleased with him) set out towards Khaybar, he would recite rajaz poetry along with the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was also with them, and ‘Amir (may Allah be pleased with him) was chanting as follows:

“By Allah! If it were not for Allah, we would not have been guided,
Nor would we have given charity, nor prayed.
Indeed, those who have transgressed against us,
When they intend mischief, we refuse it.
And we are not independent of Your bounty.
So make our feet firm if we meet (the enemy),
And send down tranquility upon us.”

Upon hearing this, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Who is this? He said: O Messenger of Allah! I am ‘Amir. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: May your Lord forgive you. Sayyiduna Salamah (may Allah be pleased with him) says: Whenever the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) specifically prayed for someone’s forgiveness on such occasions, that person was certainly martyred. Sayyiduna ‘Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) heard the Prophet’s words and said: O Messenger of Allah! If only you had let us benefit from ‘Amir for a little longer; he advanced and attained martyrdom. Salamah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: Then the Prophet of Allah sent me to Sayyiduna ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: Today I will give this flag to a man who loves Allah and His Messenger, and Allah and His Messenger love him. His eyes were sore; I brought him along, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) applied his blessed saliva to his eyes, and they were cured at once. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) handed him the flag. Marhab, the Jew, came forward, brandishing his sword and reciting this rajaz:

“Faqad ‘alimat Khaybaru anni Marhabun
Shaki as-silahi batalun mujarrabun
Idha al-hurubu aqbalat talahhabu”

Khaybar knows well that I am Marhab,
I am armed, a warrior, and experienced.
When battles flare up, I turn towards them.

In response, Sayyiduna ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

“Ana alladhi sammatni ummi Haydara
Kalaythi ghabatin karihi al-manzara
Ufiihim bis-sa’i kayla as-sandara”

I am the one whom my mother named Haydar (lion),
A lion of the forests, fierce in appearance,
I will repay them with the measure of the spear.

So he struck Marhab’s head with his sword and, by his hand, Khaybar was conquered.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Buraidah Aslami (may Allah be pleased with him) that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) camped near the fort of Khaybar, he (peace and blessings be upon him) gave the flag into the hand of Sayyiduna Umar ibn Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him). Some Muslims also went with him. They fought with the people of Khaybar, but nothing resulted from it. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Tomorrow I will give this flag to a man who loves Allah and His Messenger, and Allah and His Messenger love him." When the next day came, he (peace and blessings be upon him) called for Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). His eyes were hurting, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) applied his blessed saliva to his eyes and handed him the flag. People also went with him, and they fought with the people of Khaybar. Marhab, the Jew, came forward reciting this rajaz:

Indeed, Khaybar knows that I am Marhab,
Armed with weapons, a valiant and experienced warrior,
Sometimes I thrust with the spear, sometimes I strike,
When wars flare up, I am attentive.

Khaybar knows well that I am Marhab,
I am armed, a warrior, and experienced,
Sometimes I strike with the spear, sometimes with the sword,
When battles ignite, I turn my attention to them.

Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and he exchanged a blow each. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) struck his sword on his skull so that the sword split his head and reached his jaws, and the entire army heard the intensity of that blow. Before everyone could reach Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), Allah Almighty had already granted him victory.

Mawla of the Messenger, Sayyiduna Abu Rafi’ (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: He says, when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) sent Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) by giving him his flag, we also went along with him. When he reached near the fort, the people of the fort came out to confront him. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) fought with them. A Jew also attacked him, and it so happened that Sayyiduna Ali’s (may Allah be pleased with him) shield fell from his hand. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) grabbed a door lying near the fort and made it his shield. He continued to fight the Jews with it until victory was achieved, and after finishing the battle, he threw it away with his own hand. It was so heavy that when eight of us tried to turn it over, we could not even turn it.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: When I killed Marhab, I brought his head to the service of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) that Marhab, the Jew, came out of the fortress armed with weapons, reciting this rajaz (war poetry):

So Khaybar knows well that I am Marhab,
Armed with weapons, a tried and tested warrior.
Sometimes I thrust with the spear, sometimes I strike,
When wars flare up, I turn my attention to them.
My defense is for those who do not even dare to come near me.

And he was coming forward, issuing a challenge: "Is there anyone to face me?" The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Who will go out to face him?" Sayyiduna Muhammad bin Maslamah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O Messenger of Allah! I am ready to go out to face him. By Allah! I desire to take revenge on him, for yesterday he killed my brother." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Then you go forth. O Allah! Help him against his opponent."

When the two of them came close to each other, a very old and large tree full of gum came between them. Each of them would take cover behind the tree to avoid the other’s attack. When one of them would be behind the tree, the other would strike with his sword and cut its branches, until they came face to face with each other. The tree stood between them as if a man were standing, and there was no branch left on it.

Then Marhab attacked Muhammad bin Maslamah (may Allah be pleased with him) and struck with his sword. Sayyiduna Muhammad (may Allah be pleased with him) blocked the blow with his shield, and Marhab’s sword struck the shield and got stuck in it. Then Muhammad bin Maslamah (may Allah be pleased with him) struck him and killed him.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mughaffal (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: We were besieging Khaybar when a man threw a waterskin filled with fat towards us. I began to pick it up, but when my gaze fell upon the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), I felt ashamed.