Banu Jadhimah (Arabic: بنو جذيمة) was one of the Arabian tribes that interacted with Muhammad.

In the year 8 of the Hijrah, Khalid ibn Walid was dispatched by Muhammad to invite the Banu Jadhima to Islam.^[1][2]

According to historian Ibn Ishaq, Khalid had persuaded the Jadhima tribesmen to disarm and embrace Islam, which he followed up by executing a number of the tribesmen in revenge for the Jadhima's slaying of his uncle Fakih ibn al-Mughira dating to before Khalid's conversion to Islam. In the narrative of historian Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani and modern scholar Taha Karaan, Khalid asked the tribesmen to accept Islam, they responded by saying, “saba’na, saba’na,” a phrase that literally means “We have become Sabeans,” but which had come to be understood as a general declaration of changing one's religion. However, Khalid misunderstood this response, viewing it as a rejection or denigration of Islam due to his unfamiliarity with the Jadhima's accent. As a result, he ordered their execution. Muhammad declared himself innocent of Khalid's action.^[3][4] He sent Ali ibn Abi Talib to pay compensation to the survivors.^[5] Muhammad did not discharge or punish him and he still gave Khalid command over other expeditions as well.^[3]

Ibn Battal stated that an unjust or consensus-contradicting ruling is invalid, but if the mistake comes from ijtihad, as with Khalid, he is not sinful, though compensation (diya) is required, as shown by the Muhammad disavowal of Khalid’s actions while excusing him due to his valid interpretation.^[6] Al-Tahawi further clarified that Muhammad did not punish Khalid, affirming that his action was based on an honest mistake rather than intentional wrongdoing.^[7] In line with this, Ibn Taymiyyah explained that despite Khalid’s mistake, Muhammad continued to appoint him as a leader, emphasizing that obedient and loyal commanders who err due to a lack of knowledge are corrected but not necessarily removed from authority.^[8]

• Crone, P. (1978). "Khālid b. al-Walīd". In van Donzel, E.; Lewis, B.; Pellat, Ch. & Bosworth, C. E. (eds.). The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Volume IV: Iran–Kha. Leiden: E. J. Brill. pp. 928–929. OCLC 758278456.
• Umari, Akram Diya (1991). Madīnan Society at the Time of the Prophet, Volume II: The Jihād against the Mushrikūn. Translated by Huda Khattab. Herndon, Virginia: The International Institute of Islamic Thought. ISBN 0-912463-37-6.
• Watt, W. Montgomery (1956). Muhammad at Medina. Oxford: Clarendon Press. OCLC 3456619.