Ka'b bin Malik reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) did not come back from the journey but by day in the forenoon, and when he arrived, he went first to the mosque, and having prayed two rak'ahs in it he sat down in it.

Ibn Ka'b bin Malik reported on the authority of his father that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sent him and Aus bin Hadathan during the days of Tashriq to make this announcement: None but the believer would be admitted into Paradise, and the days of Mina' are the days meant for eating and drinking.

Abdullah bin Ka'ab bin Malik reported from his father that he pressed in the mosque Ibn Abu Hadrad for the payment of the debt that he owed to him during the lifetime of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) . (In this altercation) their voices became loud, until Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) heard them, while he was in the house, so Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) came out towards them, and he lifted the curtain of his apartment and he called upon Ka'b bin Malik and said: O Ka'b. He said: At thy beck and call, Allah's Messenger. He pointed out with the help of his hand to remit half of the loan due to him. Ka'b said: Allah's Messenger, I am ready to do that, whereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said (to Ibn Abu Hadrad): Stand up and make him the payment (of the rest).

The above hadith is narrated through another chain with a slight variation of words at the begining and the rest is of the hadith is the same.

Ka'b bin Malik reported that he made a demand for the payment of the debt that Ibn Abu Hadrad owed to him. This hadith is narrated through another chain of transmitters and (the words are):" He had to get the loan from'Abdullah bin Hadrad al-Aslami. He met him and pressed him for payment. There was an altercation between them, until their voices became loud. There happened to pass by them Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and he said: O Ka'b, and pointed out with his hand in such a way as he meant half. So he got half of what he (Ibn Abu Hadrad) owed to him and remitted the half."

Ibn Ka'b bin Malik reported on the authority of his father that he saw Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) licking his three fingers (after having finished the food). Ibn Hatim made no mention of "three". This hadith is also narrated through another chain of transmitters.

Ibn Ka'b bin Malik reported on the authority of his father that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to eat (food) with three fingers and he licked his hand before wiping it (with towel).

'Abdullah bin Ka'b reported that his father Ka'b narrated to him that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) used to eat with three fingers and when he had finished (eating), he licked them.

A hadith like this has been reported on the authority of Ka'b bin Malik through another chain of transmitters.

Yunus informed me from Ibn Shihab, who said: Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) went to fight the Battle of Tabuk, and his intention was to confront the Romans and the Christian Arabs of Syria. Ibn Shihab said: ‘Abd al-Rahman bin ‘Abdullah bin Ka‘b informed me that ‘Abdullah bin Ka‘b, after Ka‘b (may Allah be pleased with him) became blind, was the one among the sons of Ka‘b who would hold his hand and take him wherever he needed. He said: I heard from Ka‘b bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) his narration when he stayed behind from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in the Battle of Tabuk. Ka‘b bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I never stayed behind from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in any battle he fought except the Battle of Tabuk. (Yes,) but I also stayed behind from the Battle of Badr (because the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, did not take everyone with him), so he did not blame anyone who did not participate in that battle. (At the time of Badr) the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and the Muslims set out with the intention of confronting the Quraysh’s trade caravan, until Allah caused them and their enemies to meet without a prior appointment. I was present with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) on the night of the Pledge of ‘Aqabah, when we all pledged to accept Islam with him. I do not prefer participation in Badr over that (honor), even though among the people, Badr is mentioned more than that (pledge). When I stayed behind from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) at the time of the Battle of Tabuk, my condition was such that I had never been stronger physically or wealthier than at that time when I stayed behind from that battle. By Allah! I had never before possessed two mounts at the same time until that expedition, when I had two mounts ready. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) undertook that expedition in severe heat, facing a long journey through barren desert and a large enemy. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) made clear to the Muslims the situation they were facing so that they could prepare fully for the battle. He also informed them of the direction he intended to go. There were many Muslims with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Their names were not recorded in any register. Ka‘b (may Allah be pleased with him) said: There were few who wished to remain absent, thinking that their absence would remain hidden until Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, revealed something about them. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) undertook this expedition at a time when the fruits had ripened and the shade was pleasant (because of the abundance of leaves on the trees). (Everyone wished to stay at home, rest in the shade during the day, and eat fresh fruit.) My heart was also more inclined towards this. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and the Muslims with him began preparing for (jihad). I would go out in the morning to prepare with them, but would return having done nothing. I would say to myself: I can prepare whenever I want. This continued, and I kept delaying while the people became more and more earnest, until the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) set out early in the morning, and the Muslims went with him, but I had not completed any preparation. Again, I went out in the morning and returned having done nothing, and this continued until the Muslims who were preparing to go left quickly, and those who were to participate in the battle had gone far ahead. Then I intended to set out and catch up with the people. If only I had done so! But this was not decreed for me, and my situation became such that after the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had departed, whenever I went out among the people, I was greatly grieved that I could find no example (to follow for myself), except for a man who was accused of hypocrisy or someone whom Allah had excused. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) did not mention me until he reached Tabuk. While he was sitting with the people at Tabuk, he said: “What did Ka‘b bin Malik do?” A man from Banu Salamah said: His two (fine) cloaks and his looking at his sides have kept him back. Mu‘adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him: You have spoken badly. O Messenger of Allah! By Allah, we know nothing of him but good. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) remained silent. While he was in that state, he saw a man dressed in white, walking such that the mirage (in the desert) was breaking because of him. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “It must be Abu Khaythamah (al-Ansari).” And it was Abu Khaythamah al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him), the one who had given a sa‘ of dates in charity when the hypocrites mocked him (saying: Allah is not in need of this sa‘). Ka‘b bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) said: When I heard that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had set out to return from Tabuk, I was overtaken by grief and sorrow, and I began to think of false excuses and say (to myself): How will I escape his anger tomorrow? I sought advice from every wise member of my family. When it was said to me: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) is about to arrive, the idea of making false excuses left my mind, until I realized that I could not escape (his displeasure) by anything, so I resolved to speak the truth before him. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) arrived in the morning. When he returned from a journey, he would begin with the mosque, pray two rak‘ahs in it, then sit with the people. When he had done so, those who had stayed behind began to come to him, making excuses and swearing oaths before him. They were more than eighty men. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) accepted their outward excuses, took their pledge for the future, prayed for their forgiveness, and left their inner affairs to Allah, until I came. When I greeted him, he smiled as one who is angry, then said: “Come.” I walked until I sat before him. He said to me: “What kept you back? Did you not have your mount?” I said: O Messenger of Allah! By Allah, if I were sitting before anyone else in the world, I would have thought of an excuse to escape his anger, for I have been given the ability to argue. But by Allah! I know that if I were to tell you a lie today to please you, Allah would soon make you angry with me. And if I tell you the truth, though you may be angry with me, I hope for a good outcome from Allah. By Allah! I had no excuse. By Allah! I was never stronger or wealthier than when I stayed behind from you. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “This man has spoken the truth. Get up until Allah decides concerning you.” I got up, and some men from Banu Salamah followed me, saying: We do not know that you have ever committed a sin before this. Could you not have made an excuse to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) as those who stayed behind did? It would have been enough for you that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sought forgiveness for your sin. (Ka‘b bin Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, said:) By Allah! They continued to reproach me so much that I almost returned to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) to deny myself. Then I said to them: Has anyone else faced the same situation as me? They said: Yes, two other men have faced the same situation as you, and they were told what you were told. I asked: Who are they? They said: Murarah bin Rabi‘ al-‘Amiri and Hilal bin Umayyah al-Waqifi. They mentioned to me two righteous men who had participated in Badr. In them was a good example. When they mentioned them to me, I remained firm (and did not return to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade all Muslims from speaking to any of us three who had stayed behind. People began to avoid us, or he said: They changed towards us, until the earth itself seemed strange to me, and it was no longer the earth I knew. We remained in this state for fifty nights. As for my two companions, they remained in their houses, weeping. I was the youngest and boldest of them, so I would go out, attend the prayer, and walk in the markets, but no one would speak to me. I would come to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) when he sat with the people after prayer, greet him, and wonder in my heart whether he moved his lips in response or not. Then I would pray near him and look at him stealthily. When I turned towards my prayer, he would look at me, but when I looked at him, he would turn away. When the estrangement from the Muslims became prolonged, I climbed over the wall of Abu Qatadah’s garden (and entered it). He was my cousin and the dearest of people to me. I greeted him, but by Allah! He did not answer me. I said to him: O Abu Qatadah! I adjure you by Allah, do you not know that I love Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)? He remained silent. I repeated my question, adjuring him by Allah, but he remained silent. I asked again, adjuring him by Allah, and he said: Allah and His Messenger know best. My eyes filled with tears, and I turned away, climbing back over the wall. One day, while I was walking in the market of Madinah, I saw a Nabatean from Syria, who had come to sell food in Madinah, saying: Who will guide me to Ka‘b bin Malik? The people began to point towards me, until he came to me and handed me a letter from the king of Ghassan. I could read. I read the letter, and it said: After greetings, we have learned that your companion (the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him) has treated you harshly, and Allah has not made you to live in a place of humiliation and loss. So come to us, and we will treat you well. When I read it, I said: This is another trial. I took it to the oven and burned it in it. Forty out of the fifty nights had passed, and the revelation was delayed. Then suddenly, a messenger from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came to me and said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) commands you to separate from your wife. I asked: Should I divorce her, or what should I do? He said: No, just separate from her. Do not approach her. The same message was sent to my two companions. I said to my wife: Go to your family and stay with them until Allah decides concerning this matter. The wife of Hilal bin Umayyah (may Allah be pleased with him) came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allah! Hilal bin Umayyah is an old man who cannot look after himself, and he has no servant. Do you dislike that I serve him? He said: “No, but he must not approach you.” She said: By Allah, he has no desire for anything. Since this matter began, he has done nothing but weep. Some of my family said to me: Why do you not ask the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) for permission regarding your wife, as he has allowed the wife of Hilal bin Umayyah to serve him? I said: I will not ask the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) for permission regarding her, for I do not know what he will say if I ask him. I am a young man (and can look after myself). I remained in this state for ten more nights, and thus fifty nights passed since the people were forbidden to speak to us. Then, on the morning of the fiftieth night, I prayed Fajr on the roof of one of my houses. I was in the state that Allah described, my soul constricted and the earth, vast as it is, seemed narrow to me. While I was sitting, I heard the voice of a crier from the mountain of Sal‘, calling at the top of his voice: O Ka‘b bin Malik! Rejoice! I fell in prostration, knowing that relief had come. When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed the morning prayer, he announced to the people that Allah had accepted our repentance. People came to give us glad tidings. A man rode swiftly to my two companions, and a man from the tribe of Aslam ran to me and climbed the mountain, and his voice reached me before the horseman. When the man whose voice I had heard came to me with the glad tidings, I took off my two garments and gave them to him as a reward for his good news. By Allah! I owned no other clothes that day except those two. I borrowed two garments, put them on, and set out to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). People met me in groups, congratulating me on the acceptance of my repentance, saying: Congratulations on Allah’s acceptance of you! When I entered the mosque, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was sitting among the people. Talhah bin ‘Ubaydullah (may Allah be pleased with him) got up, rushed towards me, shook my hand, and congratulated me. By Allah! None of the Muhajirun stood up to greet me except him. (‘Abdullah bin Ka‘b said:) Ka‘b (may Allah be pleased with him) never forgot this about Talhah. Ka‘b (may Allah be pleased with him) said: When I greeted the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), his face was shining with joy, and he said: “Rejoice in the best day you have ever had since your mother bore you!” I said: O Messenger of Allah! Is this from you or from Allah? He said: “No, rather from Allah.” When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was happy, his face would shine as if it were a piece of the moon, and we knew this about him. When I sat before him, I said: O Messenger of Allah! As part of my repentance, I wish to give all my wealth in charity for Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Keep some of your wealth, for it is better for you.” I said: Then I will keep my share from Khaybar. (Ka‘b bin Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, said:) I said: O Messenger of Allah! Allah has saved me only because of truthfulness, and as part of my repentance, I will never speak anything but the truth as long as I live. By Allah! I do not know of anyone among the Muslims whom Allah has blessed more for truthfulness since I spoke the truth to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) than He has blessed me. By Allah! Since I said that to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), I have never intended to tell a lie, and I hope that Allah will protect me for the rest of my life. Then Allah revealed (these verses): «لَقَدْ تَابَ اللَّهُ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ وَالْمُهَاجِرِينَ وَالْأَنْصَارِ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُ فِي سَاعَةِ الْعُسْرَةِ» to «يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَكُونُوا مَعَ الصَّادِقِينَ» “Allah has turned in mercy to the Prophet, the Muhajirun, and the Ansar who followed him in the hour of difficulty…” to “…O you who believe! Fear Allah and be with those who are truthful.” and «سَيَحْلِفُونَ بِاللَّهِ لَكُمْ إِذَا انْقَلَبْتُمْ إِلَيْهِمْ لِتَعْرِضُوا عَنْهُمْ فَأَعْرِضُوا عَنْهُمْ إِنَّهُمْ رِجْسٌ وَمَأْوَاهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ جَزَاءً بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ يَحْلِفُونَ لَكُمْ لِتَرْضَوْا عَنْهُمْ فَإِنْ تَرْضَوْا عَنْهُمْ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَرْضَىٰ عَنِ الْقَوْمِ الْفَاسِقِينَ» “They will swear to you by Allah when you return to them so that you may turn away from them. So turn away from them; they are impure, and their abode is Hell as a recompense for what they used to earn. They swear to you so that you may be pleased with them, but if you are pleased with them, Allah is not pleased with the defiantly disobedient people.” Ka‘b (may Allah be pleased with him) said: By Allah! After Allah guided me to Islam, He never bestowed upon me a favor greater in my heart than the truth I spoke to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), that I was not destroyed as those who lied were destroyed. Those who lied, when Allah revealed (the verses), He condemned them more than He ever condemned anyone. Ka‘b (may Allah be pleased with him) said: We three were left behind and our matter was deferred from those who swore oaths and whose oaths were accepted, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) took their pledge and prayed for their forgiveness. But the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) deferred our matter until Allah decided concerning us, as Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, said: “And (He also turned in mercy) to the three who were left behind…” What Allah meant by “left behind” was not our staying behind from the battle, but that our matter was deferred and its decision delayed, unlike those who swore oaths and made excuses, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) accepted it from them.

'Abdullah bin K'ab, who was his (Ka'b's) guide as he became blind, reported that he heard from Ka'b bin Malik the story of his staying behind Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) from the expedition of Tabuk. The rest of the hadith is the same (but with this variation) that in the narration transmitted on the authority of Yunus (the words are): When Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) intended to set on any expedition he kept it as a secret, but he did not do so in this expedition. And in the narration transmitted on the authority of Muhammad bin 'Abdullah bin Muslim, there is no mention of Abu Khaithana (RA) and no mention of his meeting with Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) .

It is reported on the authority of 'Abdullah bin K'ab and he was the guide of Ka'b as he lost his eyesight and he was the greatest scholar amongst his people and he retained in his mind many ahadith of the Companions of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) . He said: I heard my father Ka'b bin Malik, and he was one of those three whose repentance was accepted (by Allah). He transmitted that he never lagged behind Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) from any expedition that he undertook except two expeditions; the rest of the hadith is the same, and in the tradition narrated through another chain of transmitters the words are: "That Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) set out on an expedition with a large number of persons more than ten thousand and this could not be recorded in the census register."

Ka'b reported that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said that the similitude of a believer is that of a standing crop in a field which is shaken by wind and then it comes to its original position but it stands at its roots. The similitude of a non-believer is that of a cypress tree which stands on its roots and nothing shakes it but it is uprooted (with) one (violent stroke).

Ka'b bin Malik reported on the authority of his father that the similitude of a believer is that of a standing crop. The wind sometimes shakes it and sometimes raises it up and then it comes to its destined end. And the similitude of a hypocrite is that of a cypress tree which is not affected by anything but is uprooted once for all.

This hadith has been narrated through another chain, of transmitters also.'Abdullah bin 'Umar (RA) reported that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: There is a tree amongst trees, the leaves of which do not wither and that is like a Muslim; tell me which that (tree) can be? The people began to think of the trees of the forest. 'Abdullah said: I thought that it could be the date-palm tree, but I felt hesitant (to say that). They (the Companions) then said: Allah's Messenger, (kindly) tell us which that can be? Thereupon he said: It is the date-palm tree. I made a mention of that to 'Umar, whereupon he said: Had you said that it meant the date-palm tree, this statement of yours (would have been dearer to me) than such and such things.'Abdullah bin 'Umar (RA) reported that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: There is a tree amongst trees, the leaves of which do not wither and that is like a Muslim; tell me which that (tree) can be? The people began to think of the trees of the forest. 'Abdullah said: I thought that it could be the date-palm tree, but I felt hesitant (to say that). They (the Companions) then said: Allah's Messenger, (kindly) tell us which that can be? Thereupon he said: It is the date-palm tree. I made a mention of that to 'Umar, whereupon he said: Had you said that it meant the date-palm tree, this statement of yours (would have been dearer to me) than such and such things.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Ibn Ka'b through another chain of transmitters but with a slight variation of wording.