Kenana ibn al-Rabi

Brother in law of Mohammed's wife Zaynab bint Khuzayma
Kenana ibn al Rabi' (كِنَانَة ٱبْن ٱلرَّبِيع) also known as Kenana ibn al Rabi'a and Kenana ibn al Rabi ibn Abu al Huqayq, was a Jewish Arab tribal leader of seventh century Arabia and an opponent of Muhammad. He was from the Arab tribe Banu Nadir. He was a son of the poet al Rabi ibn Abu al Huqayq. Ibn al Rabi' was killed during early Muslim clashes with the Banu Nadir.

He had two brothers — al Rabi ibn al Rabi and Sallam. Kenana is said to have urged Muhammad to give up the custom during prayer of turning his face toward Mecca ("Qiblah") in favor of Jerusalem, as had been the custom in Islam at first. After the expulsion of the Banu al Nadir, he and his family retired to Khaybar, where they possessed a castle called Qamus.

According to one account, after Muhammad and his men took the last fort of the Jewish settlement called Khaybar, the chief of the Jews, Kenana ibn al Rabi, had custody of the treasure of Banu al Nadir. When he was asked about it, he denied knowing its whereabouts. A Jew reported to Muhammad, claiming to have seen Kinana frequenting a certain ruin early every morning. Consequently, Muhammad ordered the ruin to be excavated, and some of the treasure was found. When Kinana was asked about the remainder, he refused to divulge its location. As a result, Muhammad ordered Zubayr ibn al Awwam to torture him in order to extract the treasure that was entrusted to him. Zubayr "kindled a fire with flint and steel on his chest until he was nearly dead." Subsequently, Kenana was handed over to Muhammad ibn Maslama, who beheaded him in revenge for his brother Mahmud. Muhammad took Kenana's young wife Safiyya as a concubine. Muhammad later married Safiyya, who was thus considered the "Mother of the Believers." Al Mubarakpuri maintains that Kenana ibn al Rabi was bound by agreements between Muhammad and Khaybar to not conceal anything from the Muslims. He was executed, al Mubarakpuri concludes, for breaching the agreement. Montgomery Watt supports the view that he was executed for concealing the treasure. Shibli Nomani, however, argues that Kenana was put to death because he had killed Mahmud, the brother of Muhammad bin Maslama. Nomani also casts doubt on the accuracy of the story due to its sources.