English Translation

Ibn Shihab said: Then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) undertook the expedition of Tabuk, and his intention was to fight the Byzantine Romans and the Christian Arabs of Syria. Ibn Shihab said: 'Abd al-Rahman bin 'Abdullah bin Ka'b bin Malik informed me that 'Abdullah bin Ka'b, who used to guide Sayyiduna Ka'b bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) after he became blind, said that he heard Sayyiduna Ka'b bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrating the account of his staying behind from the expedition of Tabuk. Sayyiduna Ka'b bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I did not stay behind from any expedition of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) except the expedition of Tabuk, though I had also stayed behind from the expedition of Badr. But in that, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) did not express displeasure toward anyone who stayed behind. At Badr, he (peace be upon him) had gone out with the Muslims to intercept the caravan of the Quraysh, but Allah caused the Muslims to meet their enemies unexpectedly (and the caravan escaped). And I was present with the Messenger of Allah at the Night of al-'Aqabah (the night on which he, peace be upon him, took the pledge from the Ansar upon Islam and upon aiding him; this pledge took place twice near Jamrat al-'Aqabah at Mina; in the first there were twelve Ansar, and in the second there were seventy Ansar), and I would not wish to have been at Badr in exchange for that night, although Badr is more renowned among people than that night (that is, people consider it more excellent). As for my account of staying behind from the expedition of Tabuk, it is that at the time of this expedition I was more able-bodied and more prosperous than I had ever been. By Allah! Never before had I possessed two camels together, but at the time of this campaign I had two camels. He (peace be upon him) set out for this battle in the days of severe heat; the journey was long and there were deserts along the way (distant places where water was scarce and there was fear of destruction), and the confrontation was with a large enemy. So he (peace be upon him) told the Muslims plainly that he was going to this battle (whereas his habit was, in other campaigns, not to state his intention plainly, for strategic reasons, so that word would not spread), so that they could prepare. He told them, "Go toward such-and-such direction." At that time there were many Muslims with him, and there was no register in which their names could be recorded. Ka'b said: Scarcely would anyone who intended to be absent from this expedition suppose that his affair would remain hidden as long as no revelation came concerning it. And this campaign the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) undertook at a time when the fruits had ripened and the shade was pleasant, and I was very fond of these things. Finally the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) made his preparations and the Muslims prepared with him. I too began going out each morning intending to prepare with them, but I would return each day having decided nothing, saying to myself, "I can go whenever I wish (since my travel provisions are ready)." I kept thinking this until the Muslims had completed their preparations, and one morning the Messenger of Allah set out with the Muslims, while I had made no preparation. Then I went out in the morning and returned without making any decision. This remained my condition until the people hastened and all the fighters had gone ahead. At that point I resolved to set out to join them. Would that I had done so! But it was not decreed for me. After the departure of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), whenever I went out, I would grieve, because I found no one worthy to follow except a man suspected of hypocrisy or one of the excused, the weak, and the frail. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) did not mention me at all (on the way) until he (peace be upon him) reached Tabuk. While he (peace be upon him) was sitting among the people at Tabuk, he said, "What has Ka'b bin Malik done?" A man from Banu Salamah said, "O Messenger of Allah! His two garments and his conceit over his flanks have kept him back (that is, he is occupied with his clothes and himself)." Hearing this, Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "You have spoken ill. By Allah, O Messenger of Allah! We know nothing of Ka'b bin Malik but good." The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) fell silent upon hearing this. Meanwhile he (peace be upon him) saw a man dressed in white coming, raising the dust (from walking), and he (peace be upon him) said, "That is Abu Khaythamah." And indeed it was Abu Khaythamah, and Abu Khaythamah was the man who had given a sa' of dates in charity and whom the hypocrites had mocked. Sayyiduna Ka'b bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) said: When the news reached me that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was returning from Tabuk toward Madinah, my grief increased. I began to invent lies, thinking of what I might say to escape his (peace be upon him) displeasure upon his return the next day, and for this I began seeking help from every wise person among my family, taking their counsel (as to what excuse I might fabricate). But when people told me that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) had drawn near, all falsehood vanished, and I realized that I could not save myself from him (peace be upon him) with any lie. So I resolved to speak the truth. In the morning the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) arrived. When he (peace be upon him) returned from a journey, he would first go to the mosque and pray two rak'ahs, then sit to meet the people. When he (peace be upon him) had done this, those who had stayed behind began presenting their excuses and swearing oaths. They were a little more than eighty. He (peace be upon him) accepted their outward statements, took their pledge, sought forgiveness for them, and left their inner intentions (their hearts' truth) to Allah. When I came and greeted him, he (peace be upon him) smiled, but the smile of one who is angry. Then he (peace be upon him) said, "Come." I walked over and sat before him. He (peace be upon him) said, "Why did you stay behind? Had you not bought a mount?" I said, "O Messenger of Allah! If I were sitting before anyone in the world other than you, I would think I could escape his anger by presenting some excuse, for Allah has given me eloquence of tongue (that is, I can speak well and fabricate a good case). But by Allah! I know that if I tell you a lie by which you may be pleased with me, Allah will soon make you angry with me (that is, Allah will inform you that my excuse was false and untrue, and you will become displeased). But if I tell you the truth, though you will be angry, I hope that Allah will make its outcome good. By Allah! I had no excuse when I stayed behind from you. By Allah! I was never stronger or wealthier than I was at that time." The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "As for this one, he has spoken the truth." Then he (peace be upon him) said, "Get up, until Allah decides concerning you." I stood up, and some men of Banu Salamah rushed after me and said, "By Allah! We do not know that you committed any offense before this. Why then were you unable to present an excuse to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) as the other stay-behinds did? The Messenger of Allah's (peace be upon him) seeking forgiveness for you would have sufficed to forgive your sin." By Allah! They kept blaming me until I resolved to return to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and declare myself a liar (and present some excuse). Then I said to them, "Has anyone else met with the same as I have?" They said, "Yes! Two other men said what you said, and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said to them what he said to you." I asked, "Who are those two men?" They said, "Murarah bin Rabi'ah and Hilal bin Umayyah al-Waqifi." They named two men who were righteous, had been present at Badr, and were worthy of being followed. When they named these two, I held firm to my earlier resolve. And the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) forbade the Muslims from speaking to the three of us who had stayed behind. So people began to avoid us, and their attitude toward us changed completely, until the very earth seemed changed; it was no longer the land I knew. This remained our condition for fifty nights. My two companions became helpless and remained in their homes weeping, but I was the youngest and strongest of them all. I would go out and attend the prayer and walk through the markets, but no one spoke to me. And when the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) sat in his place after the prayer, I would come and greet him, wondering in my heart whether he (peace be upon him) had moved his lips in reply to my greeting or not. Then I would pray near him and glance at him stealthily; when I was in prayer, he (peace be upon him) would look at me, but when I looked at him, he (peace be upon him) would turn away. When the Muslims' harshness toward me had lasted long, I went and climbed the wall of the garden of Abu Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with him), who was my cousin and the dearest of all people to me. I greeted him, but by Allah, he did not even return my greeting. (Glory be to Allah! The followers of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, are such that, before his command, they show no regard even for a brother or a son. When there is no such love for the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, of what use is faith? When it becomes known that a hadith of his, peace be upon him, is authentic, then the statement of a jurist or scholar that opposes it should be cast against the wall, and one should follow the hadith.) I said to him, "O Abu Qatadah! I ask you by Allah, do you not know that I love Allah and His Messenger?" He remained silent. I asked him again, and he remained silent. I asked a third time under oath, and he said, "Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) know best." (Even this he did not say to Ka'b, but rather spoke to himself.) At last tears flowed from my eyes and I turned back and climbed the wall. While I was walking in the market of Madinah, one of the Syrian farmers who had come to Madinah to sell grain was saying, "Who will show me the house of Ka'b bin Malik?" People began pointing toward me until he came to me and handed me a letter from the king of Ghassan. Since I could read, I read it, and in it was written: "To proceed: It has reached us that your companion (the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him) has treated you harshly. Allah has not placed you in a house of humiliation, nor in a place where your right is lost. So join us, and we will honor you." When I read this letter, I said, "This too is a trial from Allah," and I burned the letter in the oven. When forty of the fifty days had passed and no revelation came, suddenly a messenger from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) came to me and said, "The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) commands you to keep apart from your wife." I said, "Shall I divorce her, or what shall I do?" He said, "No, do not divorce her; only keep apart and do not approach her." My two companions (who had stayed behind) received the same message. I said to my wife, "Go to your relatives and stay there until Allah decides in this matter." Sayyiduna Hilal bin Umayyah's (may Allah be pleased with him) wife heard this and went to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and said, "O Messenger of Allah! Hilal bin Umayyah is an old, weak man who has no servant; do you disapprove of my serving him?" He (peace be upon him) said, "I do not disapprove of your serving him, but he should not approach you." She said, "By Allah! He has no thought for anything, and by Allah, he has been weeping from that day until now." My family said, "Would that you too sought permission from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) to keep your wife with you, for he (peace be upon him) permitted Hilal bin Umayyah's wife to serve him." I said, "I will never seek permission from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) concerning my wife, for I do not know what the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) will say if I ask permission for my wife, and I am a young man." Then I remained in this state for ten nights, until fifty nights were completed from the time the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) forbade everyone from speaking to us. Then on the morning of the fiftieth night, I prayed on the roof of one of our houses. While I was sitting in the state that Allah has described concerning us—that my soul was constrained and the earth, despite its vastness, had become narrow upon me—I heard the voice of a caller calling out loudly from the mountain of Sal', "O Ka'b bin Malik! Rejoice!" Hearing this, I fell into prostration and knew that relief had come. Then, after the dawn prayer, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) announced that Allah had accepted our repentance. People went out to give us the good news. Some bearers of good tidings went to my two companions, and one man raced a horse toward me, and a runner from the tribe of Aslam came toward me, and his voice reached me faster than the horse. When the man whose voice of good tidings I had heard arrived, I took off my two garments and clothed him with them in reward for his good news. By Allah! At that time I possessed only those two garments. So I borrowed two garments, put them on, and set out to meet the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). People met me in groups, congratulating me on the acceptance of my repentance and saying, "May Allah's acceptance of your repentance be blessed for you." When I reached the mosque, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was sitting there with people around him. Talhah bin 'Ubaydullah (may Allah be pleased with him), upon seeing me, sprang up, ran to me, shook my hand, and congratulated me. By Allah! No one among the Muhajirun stood up except him, and Sayyiduna Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him) never forgot this kindness of Sayyiduna Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him). Sayyiduna Ka'b bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) said: When I greeted the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), his face was shining with joy. He (peace be upon him) said, "Rejoice with the best day you have had since your mother gave you birth." I said, "O Messenger of Allah! Is this good news from you or from Allah, the Majestic?" He (peace be upon him) said, "From Allah, the Majestic." And when the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was pleased, his face would shine as if it were a piece of the moon, and we would recognize this (that is, his joy). When I sat before him (peace be upon him), I said, "O Messenger of Allah! In my joy at the acceptance of my repentance, I give my wealth in charity for the sake of Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him)." He (peace be upon him) said, "Keep some of your wealth; that is better for you." I said, "Then I will keep my share of Khaybar." And I said, "O Messenger of Allah! In the end, truthfulness saved me, and part of my repentance is that I will speak only truth as long as I live." Sayyiduna Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him) said: By Allah! I do not know that Allah has bestowed a greater favor upon any Muslim for truthfulness than the excellent favor He bestowed upon me since I mentioned this to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). By Allah! From the time I said this to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) until this day, I have never deliberately told a lie, and I hope that Allah will protect me from lying for the rest of my life. Ka'b said: Then Allah revealed these verses: "Indeed, Allah has forgiven the Prophet (peace be upon him), the Muhajirun, and the Ansar who followed him in the hour of hardship," until He said, "He is Kind and Merciful to them. And He has also forgiven the three who were left behind, until the earth, despite its vastness, became narrow for them, and their souls were constrained, and they realized that there is no refuge from Allah except in Him. Then He turned to them in mercy that they might repent. Indeed, Allah is the Accepter of repentance, the Merciful. O you who believe! Fear Allah and be with the truthful." (Surah al-Tawbah: 117-119). Sayyiduna Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him) said: By Allah! Since Allah guided me to Islam, He has bestowed no favor upon me greater in my eyes than that I spoke the truth to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and did not lie; otherwise I would have been ruined as the liars were ruined. For when Allah revealed concerning the liars, He described such wickedness as He did not describe for anyone else. He said: "When you return to them, they will swear to you by Allah so that you may leave them alone. So turn away from them; indeed, they are filth, and their abode is Hell, a recompense for what they earned. They swear to you so that you may be pleased with them. But even if you are pleased with them, indeed Allah is not pleased with the disobedient people." Sayyiduna Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Our affair, the three of us, was deferred from those whose excuses the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) had accepted. When they swore oaths, he took their pledge and sought forgiveness for them, but the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) deferred our case (that is, kept our matter and decision pending) until Allah decided. For this reason Allah said, "And He forgave the three who were left behind, until the earth, despite its vastness, became narrow for them." And by this word (i.e., "left behind") is not meant that we stayed behind from the jihad, but rather the deferring of our case and his (peace be upon him) keeping it pending in comparison with those who swore oaths and offered excuses to him (peace be upon him), which he (peace be upon him) accepted.