Question regarding Commiting Kufr under Compulsion?

Question

I was reading this Hadith

Narrated Jabir bin `Abdullah:

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Who is ready to kill Ka'b bin Al-Ashraf who has really hurt Allah and His Apostle?" Muhammad bin Maslama said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! Do you like me to kill him?" He replied in the affirmative. So, Muhammad bin Maslama went to him (i.e. Kab) and said, "This person (i.e. the Prophet) has put us to task and asked us for charity." Kab replied, "By Allah, you will get tired of him." Muhammad said to him, "We have followed him, so we dislike to leave him till we see the end of his affair." Muhammad bin Maslama went on talking to him in this way till he got the chance to kill him.

So i was wondering how the scholars approached this Hadith. It seems to be "Put us to task" seems like disliking what Allah as revealed which is therefore Kufr so would they have thought that this situation comes under Ikrah as said in Qu'ran as said by 16:106? I'm aware that scholars differed if fear for family and wealth comes under compulsion but i don't understand where's the compulsion in the Hadith. Thank you very much

Answer 1

This is not particularly a statement of kufr as much as it is a statement of double-meaning.

It is a statement that Ka'b ibn Ashraf thinks is expressing dislike, but the speaker does not intend so. The speaker intends that Muhammad (SAW) has imposed on them the difficult task of Islam and fulfilling the laws of God. This is a good thing!

But, the listener took from it a bad meaning that the Prophet caused them problems and trouble that are disliked. So, it is a statement of double-meaning.

Double-meaning is allowed in at least some contexts, and it is preferred to complete lying.

The verse in the Quran about kufr under ikrah is about actual and clear statements of kufr like disbelieving in Allah or the Prophet or something similar to that. It is not about something that could be interpreted as kufr by one perspective.