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السنن الكبرى للبيهقي
Sunan al-Kubra al-Bayhaqi
كتاب السير
Book of Military Expeditions
باب: من ليس للإمام أن يغزو به بحال
Chapter: Those whom the ruler may not take on an expedition under any circumstances
Bayhaqi 17871 — Those whom the ruler may not take on an expedition
اُردوEn
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَبْدِ اللهِ الْحَافِظُ، ثنا أَبُو بَكْرٍ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ إِسْحَاقَ، ثنا عَبْدُ الْوَاحِدِ، ثنا يَحْيَى بْنُ بُكَيْرٍ، ثنا اللَّيْثُ، عَنْ عُقَيْلٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ كَعْبِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، أَنَّ عَبْدَ اللهِ بْنَ كَعْبٍ قَائِدَ كَعْبٍ حِينَ عَمِيَ مِنْ بَيْتِهِ قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ كَعْبَ بْنَ مَالِكٍ يُحَدِّثُ حَدِيثَهُ حِينَ تَخَلَّفَ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي غَزْوَةِ تَبُوكَ، قَالَ كَعْبُ بْنُ مَالِكٍ: لَمْ أَتَخَلَّفْ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي غَزْوَةٍ غَزَاهَا قَطُّ إِلَّا فِي غَزْوَةِ تَبُوكَ، غَيْرَ أَنِّي تَخَلَّفْتُ عَنْ غَزْوَةِ بَدْرٍ، وَلَمْ يُعَاتِبِ اللهُ أَحَدًا حِينَ تَخَلَّفَ عَنْهَا، إِنَّمَا خَرَجَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يُرِيدُ عِيرَ قُرَيْشٍ حَتَّى جَمَعَ اللهُ بَيْنَهُمْ وَبَيْنَ عَدُوِّهِمْ عَلَى غَيْرِ مِيعَادٍ، وَلَقَدْ شَهِدْتُ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَيْلَةَ الْعَقَبَةِ وَمَا أُحِبُّ أَنَّ لِي بِهَا مَشْهَدَ بَدْرٍ، وَإِنْ كَانَتْ أَذْكَرَ فِي النَّاسِ مِنْهَا، كَانَ مِنْ خَبَرِي حِينَ تَخَلَّفْتُ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي غَزْوَةِ تَبُوكَ أَنِّي لَمْ أَكُنْ قَطُّ أَقْوَى وَلَا أَيْسَرَ مِنِّي حِينَ تَخَلَّفْتُ عَنْهُ فِي تِلْكَ الْغَزْوَةِ، وَاللهِ مَا اجْتَمَعَتْ عِنْدِي قَبْلَهَا رَاحِلَتَانِ قَطُّ حَتَّى جَمَعْتُهُمَا تِلْكَ الْغَزْوَةَ، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يُرِيدُ غَزْوَةً يَغْزُوهَا إِلَّا وَرَّى بِغَيْرِهَا حَتَّى كَانَتْ تِلْكَ الْغَزْوَةُ، غَزَاهَا رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي حَرٍّ شَدِيدٍ، وَاسْتَقْبَلَ سَفَرًا بَعِيدًا وَمَفَازًا وَعَدُوًّا كَثِيرًا، فَجَلَا لِلْمُسْلِمِينَ أَمْرَهُمْ لِيَتَأَهَّبُوا أُهْبَةَ عَدُوِّهِمْ، وَأَخْبَرَهُمْ بِوَجْهِهِ الَّذِي يُرِيدُهُ، وَالْمُسْلِمُونَ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَثِيرٌ لَا يَجْمَعُهُمْ كِتَابٌ حَافِظٌ - يُرِيدُ الدِّيوَانَ. قَالَ كَعْبٌ: فَمَا رَجُلٌ يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَتَغَيَّبَ إِلَّا ظَنَّ أَنْ سَيُخْفَى لَهُ مَا لَمْ يَنْزِلْ فِيهِ وَحْيٌ مِنَ اللهِ، وَغَزَا رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ تِلْكَ الْغَزْوَةَ حِينَ طَابَتِ الثِّمَارُ وَالظِّلَالُ، فَتَجَهَّزَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَالْمُسْلِمُونَ مَعَهُ وَطَفِقْتُ أَغْدُو لِكَيْ أَتَجَهَّزَ مَعَهُمْ وَلَمْ أَقْضِ شَيْئًا، وَأَقُولُ فِي نَفْسِي إِنِّي قَادِرٌ عَلَى ذَلِكَ إِذَا أَرَدْتُهُ، فَلَمْ يَزَلْ يَتَمَادَى بِي حَتَّى اسْتَجَدَّ بِالنَّاسِ الْجِدُّ، فَأَصْبَحَ ⦗٥٩⦘ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَالْمُسْلِمُونَ مَعَهُ وَلَمْ أَقْضِ مِنْ جَهَازِي شَيْئًا، فَقُلْتُ: أَتَجَهَّزُ بَعْدَهُ يَوْمًا أَوْ يَوْمَيْنِ ثُمَّ أَلْحَقُهُمْ، فَغَدَوْتُ بَعْدَ أَنْ فَصَلُوا لِأَتَجَهَّزَ فَرَجَعْتُ، وَلَمْ أَقْضِ شَيْئًا، ثُمَّ غَدَوْتُ، ثُمَّ رَجَعْتُ وَلَمْ أَقْضِ شَيْئًا، فَلَمْ يَزَلْ ذَلِكَ يَتَمَادَى بِي حَتَّى أَسْرَعُوا وَتَفَارَطَ الْغَزْوُ، وَهَمَمْتُ أَنْ أَرْتَحِلَ فَأُدْرِكَهُمْ وَلَيْتَنِي فَعَلْتُ، فَلَمْ يُقَدَّرْ لِي ذَلِكَ، فَكُنْتُ إِذَا خَرَجْتُ فِي النَّاسِ بَعْدَ خُرُوجِ رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَطُفْتُ فِيهِمْ أَحْزَنَنِي أَنِّي لَا أَرَى إِلَّا رَجُلًا مَغْمُوصًا فِي النِّفَاقِ، أَوْ رَجُلًا مِمَّنْ عَذَرَ اللهُ مِنَ الضُّعَفَاءِ، فَلَمْ يَذْكُرْنِي رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ حَتَّى بَلَغَ تَبُوكَ، قَالَ وَهُوَ جَالِسٌ فِي الْقَوْمِ بِتَبُوكَ: " مَا فَعَلَ كَعْبٌ؟ ". فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ بَنِي سَلَمَةَ: يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ، حَبَسَهُ بُرْدَاهُ يَنْظُرُ فِي عِطْفَيْهِ. فَقَالَ لَهُ مُعَاذُ بْنُ جَبَلٍ: بِئْسَ مَا قُلْتَ، وَاللهِ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ مَا عَلِمْنَا إِلَّا خَيْرًا. فَسَكَتَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ. قَالَ كَعْبٌ: فَلَمَّا بَلَغَنِي أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَدْ تَوَجَّهَ قَافِلًا مِنْ تَبُوكَ حَضَرَنِي هَمِّي وَطَفِقْتُ أَتَذَكَّرُ الْكَذِبَ، وَأَقُولُ بِمَاذَا أَخْرُجُ مِنْ سَخَطِهِ غَدًا وَأَسْتَعِينُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ بِكُلِّ ذِي رَأْيٍ مِنْ أَهْلِي، فَلَمَّا قِيلَ: إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَدْ أَظَلَّ قَادِمًا زَاحَ عَنِّي الْبَاطِلُ وَعَرَفْتُ أَنِّي لَا أَخْرُجُ مِنْهُ أَبَدًا بِشَيْءٍ فِيهِ كَذِبٌ، فَأَجْمَعْتُ صِدْقَهُ، وَأَصْبَحَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَادِمًا، وَكَانَ إِذَا قَدِمَ مِنْ سَفَرٍ بَدَأَ بِالْمَسْجِدِ فَصَلَّى فِيهِ رَكْعَتَيْنِ ثُمَّ جَلَسَ لِلنَّاسِ، فَلَمَّا فَعَلَ ذَلِكَ جَاءَ الْمُخَلَّفُونَ فَطَفِقُوا يَعْتَذِرُونَ إِلَيْهِ وَيَحْلِفُونَ لَهُ، وَكَانُوا بَضْعَةً وَثَمَانِينَ رَجُلًا، فَقَبِلَ مِنْهُمْ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَلَانِيَتَهُمْ، وَبَايَعَهُمْ وَاسْتَغْفَرَ لَهُمْ، وَيَكِلُ سَرَائِرَهُمْ إِلَى اللهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، فَجِئْتُهُ فَلَمَّا سَلَّمْتُ عَلَيْهِ تَبَسَّمَ تَبَسُّمَ الْمُغْضَبِ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: " تَعَالَ". فَجِئْتُ أَمْشِي حَتَّى جَلَسْتُ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ، فَقَالَ: " مَا خَلَّفَكَ؟ أَلَمْ تَكُنِ ابْتَعْتَ ظَهْرَكَ؟ ". فَقُلْتُ: بَلَى يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ، إِنِّي وَاللهِ لَوْ جَلَسْتُ عِنْدَ غَيْرِكَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الدُّنْيَا لَرَأَيْتُ أَنْ سَأَخْرُجُ مِنْ سَخَطِهِ بِعُذْرٍ، فَإِنِّي أُعْطِيتُ جَدَلًا، وَلَكِنْ وَاللهِ لَقَدْ عَلِمْتُ لَئِنْ حَدَّثْتُكَ الْيَوْمَ حَدِيثًا كَاذِبًا تَرْضَى بِهِ عَنِّي لَيُوشِكَنَّ اللهُ أَنْ يَسْخَطَكَ عَلَيَّ، وَلَئِنْ حَدَّثْتُكَ حَدِيثَ صِدْقٍ تَجِدُ عَلَيَّ فِيهِ إِنِّي لَأَرْجُو عَفْوَ اللهِ، لَا وَاللهِ مَا كَانَ بِي عُذْرٌ، وَاللهِ مَا كُنْتُ قَطُّ أَقْوَى وَلَا أَيْسَرَ مِنِّي حِينَ تَخَلَّفْتُ عَنْكَ، قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: " أَمَّا هَذَا فَقَدْ صَدَقَ، قُمْ حَتَّى يَقْضِيَ اللهُ فِيكَ". فَقُمْتُ وَسَارَ رِجَالٌ مِنْ بَنِي سَلَمَةَ فَقَالُوا: يَا كَعْبُ، وَاللهِ مَا عَلِمْنَاكَ كُنْتَ أَذْنَبْتَ ذَنْبًا قَبْلَ هَذَا، عَجَزْتَ أَنْ لَا تَكُونَ اعْتَذَرْتَ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِمَا اعْتَذَرَ إِلَيْهِ الْمُخَلَّفُونَ، قَدْ كَانَ كَافِيَكَ ذَنْبَكَ اسْتِغْفَارُ رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَكَ. فَوَاللهِ مَا زَالُوا يُؤَنِّبُونِي حَتَّى أَرَدْتُ أَنْ أَرْجِعَ فَأُكَذِّبَ نَفْسِي، ثُمَّ قُلْتُ: هَلْ لَقِيَ هَذَا مَعِي أَحَدٌ؟ قَالُوا: نَعَمْ، رَجُلَانِ قَالَا مِثْلَ مَا قُلْتَ وَقِيلَ لَهُمَا مِثْلُ مَا قِيلَ لَكَ، فَقُلْتُ: مَنْ هُمَا؟ قَالُوا: مُرَارَةُ بْنُ الرَّبِيعِ الْعُمَرِيُّ، وَهِلَالُ بْنُ أُمَيَّةَ الْوَاقِفِيُّ، فَذَكَرُوا لِي رَجُلَيْنِ صَالِحَيْنِ قَدْ شَهِدَا بَدْرًا فِيهِمَا أُسْوَةٌ، فَمَضَيْتُ حِينَ ذَكَرُوهُمَا، وَنَهَى رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَنْ كَلَامِنَا الثَّلَاثَةَ مِنْ بَيْنِ مَنْ تَخَلَّفَ عَنْهُ، فَاجْتَنَبَنَا النَّاسُ وَتَغَيَّرُوا لَنَا حَتَّى تَنَكَّرَتْ فِي نَفْسِي⦗٦٠⦘ الْأَرْضُ، فَمَا هِيَ الَّتِي أَعْرِفُ، فَلَبِثْنَا عَلَى ذَلِكَ خَمْسِينَ لَيْلَةً، فَأَمَّا صَاحِبَايَ فَاسْتَكَانَا وَقَعَدَا فِي بُيُوتِهِمَا، وَأَمَّا أَنَا فَكُنْتُ أَشَبَّ الْقَوْمِ وَأَجْلَدَهُمْ، وَكُنْتُ أَخْرُجُ فَأَشْهَدُ الصَّلَاةَ مَعَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَأَطُوفُ فِي الْأَسْوَاقِ لَا يُكَلِّمُنِي أَحَدٌ، وَآتِي رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَأُسَلِّمُ عَلَيْهِ، فَأَقُولُ فِي نَفْسِي هَلْ حَرَّكَ شَفَتَيْهِ بِرَدِّ السَّلَامِ عَلَيَّ أَمْ لَا؟ ثُمَّ أُصَلِّي فَأُسَارِقُهُ النَّظَرَ، فَإِذَا أَقْبَلْتُ عَلَى صَلَاتِي نَظَرَ إِلِيَّ، فَإِذَا الْتَفَتُّ نَحْوَهُ أَعْرَضَ عَنِّي حَتَّى إِذَا طَالَ عَلَيَّ ذَلِكَ مِنْ جَفْوَةِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ تَسَوَّرْتُ جِدَارَ حَائِطِ أَبِي قَتَادَةَ وَهُوَ ابْنُ عَمِّي وَأَحَبُّ النَّاسِ إِلِيَّ فَسَلَّمْتُ عَلَيْهِ، فَوَاللهِ مَا رَدَّ عَلَيَّ السَّلَامَ، فَقُلْتُ لَهُ: يَا أَبَا قَتَادَةَ أَنْشُدُكَ اللهَ هَلْ تَعْلَمُنِي أُحِبُّ اللهَ وَرَسُولَهُ؟ قَالَ: فَسَكَتَ، فَعُدْتُ لَهُ فَنَشَدْتُهُ، فَسَكَتَ. قَالَ: فَعُدْتُ لَهُ فَنَاشَدْتُهُ الثَّالِثَةَ، فَقَالَ: اللهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَعْلَمُ. فَفَاضَتْ عَيْنَايَ وَتَوَلَّيْتُ حَتَّى تَسَوَّرْتُ الْجِدَارَ. قَالَ: فَبَيْنَا أَنَا أَمْشِي بِسُوقِ الْمَدِينَةِ إِذَا نَبَطِيٌّ مِنْ أَنْبَاطِ الشَّامِ مِمَّنْ قَدِمَ بِالطَّعَامِ يَبِيعُهُ بِالْمَدِينَةِ يَقُولُ: مَنْ يَدُلُّ عَلَى كَعْبِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ؟ فَطَفِقَ النَّاسُ يُشِيرُونَ لَهُ، حَتَّى إِذَا جَاءَنِي دَفَعَ إِلِيَّ كِتَابًا مِنْ مَلِكِ غَسَّانَ، وَكُنْتُ كَاتِبًا، فَإِذَا فِيهِ: أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَقَدْ بَلَغَنِي أَنَّ صَاحِبَكَ قَدْ جَفَاكَ، وَلَمْ يَجْعَلْكَ اللهُ بِدَارِ هَوَانٍ وَلَا مَضْيَعَةٍ، فَالْحَقْ بِنَا نُوَاسِكَ. فَقُلْتُ حِينَ قَرَأْتُهَا: وَهَذَا أَيْضًا مِنَ الْبَلَاءِ، فَيَمَّمْتُ بِهِ التَّنُّورَ، فَسَجَرْتُهُ بِهَا، حَتَّى إِذَا مَضَتْ لَنَا أَرْبَعُونَ لَيْلَةً مِنَ الْخَمْسِينَ إِذَا رَسُولُ رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَقَالَ: إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَأْمُرُكَ أَنْ تَعْتَزِلَ امْرَأَتَكَ. فَقُلْتُ: أُطَلِّقُهَا أَمْ مَاذَا أَفْعَلُ بِهَا؟ فَقَالَ: لَا، بَلِ اعْتَزِلْهَا فَلَا تَقْرَبَنَّهَا. وَأَرْسَلَ إِلَى صَاحِبِيَّ بِمِثْلِ ذَلِكَ، فَقُلْتُ لِامْرَأَتِي: الْحَقِي بِأَهْلِكِ فَكُونِي عِنْدَهُمْ حَتَّى يَقْضِيَ اللهُ هَذَا الْأَمْرَ. قَالَ كَعْبٌ: فَجَاءَتِ امْرَأَةُ هِلَالِ بْنِ أُمَيَّةَ رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَقَالَتْ: يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ، إِنَّ هِلَالَ بْنَ أُمَيَّةَ شَيْخٌ ضَائِعٌ لَيْسَتْ لَهُ خَادِمٌ، فَهَلْ تَكْرَهُ أَنْ أَخْدُمَهُ؟ قَالَ: لَا، وَلَكِنْ لَا يَقْرَبَنَّكِ. قَالَتْ: إِنَّهُ وَاللهِ مَا بِهِ حَرَكَةٌ إِلَى شَيْءٍ، وَإِنَّهُ مَا زَالَ يَبْكِي مُذْ كَانَ مِنْ أَمْرِهِ مَا كَانَ إِلَى يَوْمِي هَذَا. فَقَالَ لِي بَعْضُ أَهْلِي: لَوِ اسْتَأْذَنْتَ رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي امْرَأَتِكَ كَمَا أَذِنَ لِهِلَالِ بْنِ أُمَيَّةَ تَخْدُمُهُ، فَقُلْتُ: وَاللهِ لَا أَسْتَأَذِنُ فِيهَا رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَمَا يُدْرِينِي مَا يَقُولُ لِي رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِنِ اسْتَأْذَنْتُهُ فِيهَا، وَأَنَا رَجُلٌ شَابٌّ؟ فَلَبِثْتُ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ عَشْرَ لَيَالٍ حَتَّى كَمَلَتْ لَنَا خَمْسُونَ لَيْلَةً مِنْ حِينِ نَهَى رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَنِ كَلَامِنَا، فَلَمَّا صَلَّيْتُ الْفَجْرَ صُبْحَ خَمْسِينَ لَيْلَةً وَأَنَا عَلَى ظَهْرِ بَيْتٍ مِنْ بُيُوتِنَا، فَبَيْنَا أَنَا جَالِسٌ عَلَى الْحَالِ الَّتِي ذَكَرَ اللهُ مِنَّا، قَدْ ضَاقَتْ عَلَيَّ نَفْسِي، وَضَاقَتْ عَلَيَّ الْأَرْضُ بِمَا رَحُبَتْ، سَمِعْتُ صَوْتَ صَارِخٍ أَوْفَى عَلَى جَبَلِ سَلْعٍ: يَا كَعْبُ بْنَ مَالِكٍ أَبْشِرْ. فَخَرَرْتُ سَاجِدًا، وَعَرَفْتُ أَنَّهُ قَدْ جَاءَ الْفَرَجُ، وَأَذِنَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِتَوْبَةِ اللهِ عَلَيْنَا حِينَ صَلَّى صَلَاةَ الْفَجْرِ، فَذَهَبَ النَّاسُ يُبَشِّرُونَنِي، وَذَهَبَ⦗٦١⦘ قِبَلَ صَاحِبِيَّ مُبَشِّرُونَ، وَرَكَضَ رَجُلٌ إِلِيَّ فَرَسًا، وَسَعَى سَاعٍ مِنْ أَسْلَمَ فَأَوْفَى عَلَى الْجَبَلِ، وَكَانَ الصَّوْتُ أَسْرَعَ إِلِيَّ مِنَ الْفَرَسِ، فَلَمَّا جَاءَنِي الَّذِي سَمِعْتُ صَوْتَهُ يُبَشِّرُنِي نَزَعْتُ ثَوْبِيَّ فَكَسَوْتُهُمَا إِيَّاهُ بِبُشْرَاهُ، وَوَاللهِ مَا أَمْلِكُ غَيْرَهُمَا يَوْمَئِذٍ، وَاسْتَعَرْتُ ثَوْبَيْنِ فَلَبِسْتُهُمَا وَانْطَلَقْتُ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَتَلَقَّانِي النَّاسُ فَوْجًا فَوْجًا يُهَنِّئُونَنِي بِالتَّوْبَةِ، يَقُولُونَ: لِيَهْنِكَ تَوْبَةُ اللهِ عَلَيْكَ حَتَّى دَخَلْتُ الْمَسْجِدَ، فَقَامَ إِلِيَّ طَلْحَةُ بَنُ عُبَيْدِ اللهِ يُهَرْوِلُ حَتَّى صَافَحَنِي وَهَنَّأَنِي، مَا قَامَ إِلِيَّ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ غَيْرُهُ، وَلَا أَنْسَاهَا لِطَلْحَةَ، قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَهُوَ يَبْرُقُ وَجْهُهُ مِنَ السُّرُورِ: " أَبْشِرْ بِخَيْرِ يَوْمٍ مَرَّ عَلَيْكَ مُذْ وَلَدَتْكَ أُمُّكَ". قُلْتُ: أَمِنْ عِنْدِكَ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ، أَمْ مِنْ عِنْدِ اللهِ؟ قَالَ: " لَا، بَلْ مِنْ عِنْدِ اللهِ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى". وَكَانَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذَا بَشَّرَ بِبِشَارَةٍ يَبْرُقُ وَجْهُهُ حَتَّى كَأَنَّهُ قِطْعَةُ قَمَرٍ، وَكُنَّا نَعْرِفُ ذَلِكَ مِنْهُ، فَلَمَّا جَلَسْتُ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ قُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ، إِنَّ مِنْ تَوْبَتِي أَنْ أَنْخَلِعَ مِنْ مَالِي صَدَقَةً إِلَى اللهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَإِلَى الرَّسُولِ. قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: " أَمْسِكْ عَلَيْكَ بَعْضَ مَالِكَ فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَكَ". فَقُلْتُ: فَإِنِّي أُمْسِكُ سَهْمِي الَّذِي بِخَيْبَرَ، فَقُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ، إِنَّمَا نَجَّانِي الصِّدْقُ، وَإِنَّ مِنْ تَوْبَتِي أَنْ لَا أُحَدِّثَ إِلَّا صِدْقًا مَا بَقِيتُ، فَوَاللهِ مَا أَعْلَمُ أَحَدًا مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ ابْتَلَاهُ اللهُ فِي صِدْقِ الْحَدِيثِ مُذْ حَدَّثْتُ ذَلِكَ رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَحْسَنَ مِمَّا ابْتَلَانِي، مَا تَعَمَّدْتُ مُذْ ذَكَرْتُ ذَلِكَ لِرَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِلَى يَوْمِي هَذَا كَذِبًا، وَإِنِّي لَأَرْجُو أَنْ يَحْفَظَنِي اللهُ فِيمَا بَقِيَ، فَأَنْزَلَ اللهُ عَلَى رَسُولِهِ: {لَقَدْ تَابَ اللهُ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ وَالْمُهَاجِرِينَ وَالْأَنْصَارِ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُ فِي سَاعَةِ الْعُسْرَةِ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا كَادَ يَزِيغُ قُلُوبُ فَرِيقٍ مِنْهُمْ ثُمَّ تَابَ عَلَيْهِمْ إِنَّهُ بِهِمْ رَءُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ وَعَلَى الثَّلَاثَةِ الَّذِينَ خُلِّفُوا حَتَّى إِذَا ضَاقَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ الْأَرْضُ بِمَا رَحُبَتْ وَضَاقَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ أَنْفُسُهُمْ وَظَنُّوا أَنْ لَا مَلْجَأَ مِنَ اللهِ إِلَّا إِلَيْهِ ثُمَّ تَابَ عَلَيْهِمْ لِيَتُوبُوا إِنَّ اللهَ هُوَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللهَ وَكُونُوا مَعَ الصَّادِقِينَ}، فَوَاللهِ مَا أَنْعَمَ اللهُ عَلَيَّ مِنْ نِعْمَةٍ بَعْدَ أَنْ هَدَانِي لِلْإِسْلَامِ أَعْظَمَ فِي نَفْسِي مِنْ صِدْقِي رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَوْمَئِذٍ أَنْ لَا أَكُونَ كَذَبْتُهُ؛ فَأَهْلِكَ كَمَا هَلَكَ الَّذِينَ كَذَبُوهُ، فَإِنَّ اللهَ قَالَ لِلَّذِينَ كَذَبُوهُ حِينَ نَزَلَ الْوَحْيُ شَرَّ مَا قَالَ لِأَحَدٍ، قَالَ اللهُ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى: {سَيَحْلِفُونَ بِاللهِ لَكُمْ إِذَا انْقَلَبْتُمْ إِلَيْهِمْ لِتُعْرِضُوا عَنْهُمْ فَأَعْرِضُوا عَنْهُمْ إِنَّهُمْ رِجْسٌ وَمَأْوَاهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ جَزَاءً بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ، يَحْلِفُونَ لَكُمْ لِتَرْضَوْا عَنْهُمْ فَإِنْ تَرْضَوْا عَنْهُمْ فَإِنَّ اللهَ لَا يَرْضَى عَنِ الْقَوْمِ الْفَاسِقِينَ} [التوبة: ٩٦]. قَالَ كَعْبٌ: وَكُنَّا تَخَلَّفْنَا أَيُّهَا الثَّلَاثَةُ عَنْ أَمْرِ أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ قَبِلَ مِنْهُمْ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ حِينَ حَلَفُوا لَهُ، فَبَايَعَهُمْ وَاسْتَغْفَرَ لَهُمْ، وَأَرْجَأَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَمْرَنَا حَتَّى قَضَى اللهُ فِيهِ، فَبِذَلِكَ قَالَ اللهُ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى: {وَعَلَى الثَّلَاثَةِ الَّذِينَ خُلِّفُوا} [التوبة: ١١٨]، وَلَيْسَ الَّذِي ذَكَرَ اللهُ تَخَلُّفُنَا عَنِ الْغَزْوِ، إِنَّمَا هُوَ تَخْلِيفُهُ إِيَّانَا وَإِرْجَاؤُهُ أَمْرَنَا مِمَّنْ حَلَفَ وَاعْتَذَرَ، فَقَبِلَ مِنْهُ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ.
The guide of Sayyiduna Ka'b bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) (who led him about because he had become blind) said: I heard Ka'b bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrating the story of his staying behind from the Tabuk campaign. Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I never stayed behind from any campaign except the Tabuk campaign, and (I had also stayed behind from) the Badr campaign, but in that Allah had not reproached anyone who stayed behind, because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had set out intending the caravan of Quraysh, not fighting, until Allah brought them face to face with the enemy without any appointment. I was present with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) at the pledge of al-Aqabah, when we made a covenant on Islam. My presence at it is dearer to me than being present at Badr, even though Badr is more famous among people than the pledge of al-Aqabah. My story is this: when I stayed behind from the Tabuk campaign, I had never been stronger or better off than I was then. By Allah, I had never before had two mounts together, whereas at the time of this campaign I had two mounts. Before this, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) did not speak plainly about campaigns (in order to keep them hidden) but would allude to something else; this time, however, he (peace and blessings be upon him) told them plainly, because the weather was harsh, he (peace and blessings be upon him) was setting out on a long journey, and the enemy was very numerous. So he (peace and blessings be upon him) made the matter clear to the Muslims so that they could prepare according to the enemy's preparations, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) told them the direction in which he was heading. The Muslims were also very many, while there was no (written) register of attendance."
Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Any man who wished to be absent could only suppose that his staying behind would remain hidden as long as no revelation came down about him."
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) undertook this campaign when the fruits had ripened and the shade had become pleasant. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and the Muslims got ready. I too would set out in the morning to make preparations so that I could go with him (peace and blessings be upon him), but I would not settle anything. I would say to myself: I will get ready whenever I wish. I kept putting it off until the people had earnestly prepared to march. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and the Muslims set off early in the morning, and I had still not settled anything. I said to myself: I will go in a day or two and catch up with them. Then I set out in the morning to make preparations, but came back again without settling anything. Mornings and evenings passed and I kept delaying, until the army had hurried far ahead and the time of fighting drew near. I intended to set off and catch up with them, and I wish I had done so! But it was not decreed for me. After the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had left, whenever I went out among the people, it grieved me that I saw only those suspected of hypocrisy or those weak people whom Allah had excused. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) did not think of me until he (peace and blessings be upon him) reached Tabuk. Then, while sitting among the people at Tabuk, he (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "What has happened to Ka'b?" A man from Banu Salimah said: O Messenger of Allah! His two cloaks have held him back, and he kept admiring himself, looking at his sides.
Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) said: What an evil thing you have said! By Allah, O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), we know nothing but good about him. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) remained silent.
Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him) said: When the news reached me that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was on his way back, my mind began to search for false excuses. I said to myself: How will I escape his (peace and blessings be upon him) anger? And I consulted the sensible people of my household about this. When it was said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would arrive in the morning, the thought of lying left me, and I knew that I would never escape through a false statement, so I firmly resolved to hold fast to the truth.
He (peace and blessings be upon him) arrived in the morning, and it was his (peace and blessings be upon him) blessed habit that when he returned from a journey, he would first pray two rak'ahs in the mosque. When he (peace and blessings be upon him) had done so, those who had stayed behind came, presented their excuses and began swearing oaths. They were some eighty-odd men. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) accepted their outward excuses, took their pledge, sought forgiveness for them and left their inner selves to Allah. I came and greeted him, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) smiled the smile of an angry man and said: "Come." I walked over and sat in front of him (peace and blessings be upon him). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "What held you back? Had you not bought a mount?" I said: Yes indeed, O Messenger of Allah! By Allah, had I been sitting before any worldly person other than you, I would surely have escaped his anger by fabricating some excuse, for I have been given skill in argument. But by Allah, I know that if today I please you (peace and blessings be upon him) with a false statement, Allah Almighty will soon make you (peace and blessings be upon him) angry with me; and if I tell you (peace and blessings be upon him) the truth, then even though you (peace and blessings be upon him) will be angry with me for it, I hope for a good outcome from Allah. By Allah, I had no excuse; I was never as strong and well off as I was when I stayed behind from you (peace and blessings be upon him). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "He has spoken the truth. So get up until Allah decides concerning you."
I stood up, and some people of Banu Salimah followed me and said: By Allah, we do not know of you having committed any sin before this. Why were you unable to present some excuse to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) like the other people who stayed behind presented? The seeking of forgiveness by the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would have been enough for the forgiveness of your sin. They kept blaming me until I resolved to go back and belie myself. Then I asked them: Has anyone else met with the same as me? They said: Yes, two other men said the same as you said, and they were given the same reply as you were given. I asked: Who are they? They said: Murarah bin al-Rabi' (may Allah be pleased with him) and Hilal bin Umayyah (may Allah be pleased with him). They named two righteous men who had taken part in Badr, in whom there was an example for me to follow. So when they were mentioned, I held firm to my position. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade (people) to speak to only the three of us among those who had stayed behind. So people avoided us and their attitude towards us changed, until even the earth felt strange to me, as if it were not the land I knew. We spent fifty nights in this state. My two companions lost heart and sat in their houses weeping, while I was the youngest and hardiest of them. I would go out for the prayer and walk around the markets with the Muslims, but no one would speak to me. I would come to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) while he (peace and blessings be upon him) was sitting in his gathering after the prayer, and I would greet him and say to myself: Did he (peace and blessings be upon him) move his lips to return the greeting or not? Then I would pray near him (peace and blessings be upon him) and steal glances at him (peace and blessings be upon him). When I turned to my prayer, he (peace and blessings be upon him) would look at me, and when I looked towards him (peace and blessings be upon him), he (peace and blessings be upon him) would turn his blessed face away from me. When this coldness of the Muslims had gone on for a long time, I climbed over the wall of the garden of Abu Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with him), who was my cousin and the dearest of people to me. I greeted him, and by Allah, he did not even return my greeting. I said: O Abu Qatadah! I ask you by Allah, do you not know that I love Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)? He remained silent. I asked him again by Allah, and he remained silent again. I asked a third time, and he only said: Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) know best. At this my eyes overflowed with tears. I turned back and climbed over the wall again. Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I was walking in the market of Madinah when suddenly I came across one of the farmers of Syria who had come to Madinah to sell his grain. He was asking: Where is Ka'b bin Malik? People began pointing towards me. He came to me and handed me a letter from the king of Ghassan, since I knew how to read and write. I read it, and in it was written: "To proceed: We have learned that your companion (peace and blessings be upon him) has treated you harshly. Allah has not created you to live in a house of disgrace or to be wasted, so come to us and we will honour you." When I read it, I said: This too is a trial. Then I headed for an oven and threw the letter into it.
When forty of the fifty days had passed, suddenly the messenger of 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) has ordered that you keep away from your wife. I asked: Should I divorce her, or what should I do? He said: No, rather keep away from her and do not go near her. The same order was sent to my two other companions as well. I said to my wife: Go to your parents' home and stay there until Allah decides 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 (peace and blessings be upon him)! Hilal bin Umayyah is a very old and weak man and has no servant; would you (peace and blessings be upon him) dislike it if I served him? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No (you may serve him), but he must not come near you." She said: By Allah, he has no inclination towards anything; by Allah, ever since this matter happened, he has been weeping continuously until today. My family said to me: If only you too had sought permission from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) concerning your wife, as Hilal bin Umayyah's wife has been given permission. I said: By Allah, I will never ask the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) for permission in this matter; I do not know what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would say, as I am a young man.
We remained in this state until fifty nights were completed. On the fiftieth night I prayed the Fajr prayer on the roof of my house. I was sitting in the very state that Allah has mentioned: my soul had become constricted for me and the earth, despite its vastness, had become narrow for me, when suddenly I heard the voice of a caller from the top of Mount Sal' crying out at the top of his voice: O Ka'b bin Malik! Receive glad tidings! As soon as I heard this, I fell down in prostration and knew that relief had come from Allah. After the Fajr prayer, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had informed the people that our repentance had been accepted, so people rushed to give us the good news. Bearers of good news also went to my two companions, and a man galloped his horse towards me, while a man from the tribe of Aslam climbed the mountain and called out, and his voice reached me faster than the horse. When the man whose voice of good news I had heard came to me, I took off both my garments and put them on him as a reward for his good news, although, by Allah, I owned no other clothes that day. I borrowed two garments, put them on and set out for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). People met me in crowds, congratulating me on the acceptance of my repentance and saying: Congratulations on Allah's acceptance of your repentance. When I entered the mosque, I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sitting with people around him (peace and blessings be upon him). Talhah bin Ubaydullah (may Allah be pleased with him) stood up and hurried towards me, shook my hand and congratulated me. By Allah, no one from the Muhajirun stood up except him, and Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him) never forgot this kindness of Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, while his (peace and blessings be upon him) blessed face was shining with joy: "O Ka'b! Receive glad tidings of the best day that has passed over you since your mother gave birth to you." I said: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! Is this from you or from Allah? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No, rather it is from Allah Almighty." When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was pleased, his (peace and blessings be upon him) radiant face would shine as if it were a piece of the moon, and this was seen on his (peace and blessings be upon him) face. Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him) said: When I sat in front of him (peace and blessings be upon him), I said: As thanks for the acceptance of my repentance, I give all my wealth in charity for Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Keep some of your wealth for yourself; that is better for you." I said: I will keep my share of Khaybar. I said: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! Allah has saved me because of truthfulness, and part of my repentance is that as long as I live I will never tell a lie. By Allah, since I made this pledge to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), I do not know of any Muslim whom Allah has blessed for speaking the truth better than He has blessed me. Since that day I have never deliberately intended to tell a lie, and I hope that Allah Almighty will protect me from it for the rest of my life as well. Allah Almighty revealed these verses to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him): "Allah has certainly turned in mercy to the Prophet and the Muhajirun and the Ansar who followed him in the hour of hardship, after the hearts of a party of them had almost swerved; then He turned to them in mercy. Indeed, He is to them Most Kind, Most Merciful. And (He turned in mercy) to the three who were left behind, until, when the earth, despite its vastness, became narrow for them and their own souls became constricted for them, and they were certain that there is no refuge from Allah except in Him, then He turned to them in mercy so that they might repent. Indeed, Allah is the Accepter of repentance, the Most Merciful. O you who believe, fear Allah and be with the truthful." [Surah al-Tawbah: 117-119] By Allah, after being guided to Islam, no blessing is dearer to me than the truthfulness I showed before the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), lest I lie and perish as the liars perished. Through revelation, Allah Almighty said about the liars something harsher than He said about anyone. Allah Almighty says: "They will swear by Allah to you when you return to them, so that you may turn away from them. So turn away from them; indeed they are filth, and their refuge 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, indeed Allah is not pleased with the defiantly disobedient people." [Surah al-Tawbah: 95-96] Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The matter of the three of us had been deferred from the matter of those whose oaths the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had accepted, whose pledge he had taken and for whom he had sought forgiveness, while the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) left our matter pending until Allah Himself decided it. Concerning this, Allah Almighty said: "And (also) to the three whose matter was deferred." [Surah al-Tawbah: 118] Here "khullifu" does not mean staying behind from the campaign; rather, it means the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) deferring our matter, in contrast to those who swore oaths and offered excuses and he (peace and blessings be upon him) accepted them.
Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Any man who wished to be absent could only suppose that his staying behind would remain hidden as long as no revelation came down about him."
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) undertook this campaign when the fruits had ripened and the shade had become pleasant. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and the Muslims got ready. I too would set out in the morning to make preparations so that I could go with him (peace and blessings be upon him), but I would not settle anything. I would say to myself: I will get ready whenever I wish. I kept putting it off until the people had earnestly prepared to march. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and the Muslims set off early in the morning, and I had still not settled anything. I said to myself: I will go in a day or two and catch up with them. Then I set out in the morning to make preparations, but came back again without settling anything. Mornings and evenings passed and I kept delaying, until the army had hurried far ahead and the time of fighting drew near. I intended to set off and catch up with them, and I wish I had done so! But it was not decreed for me. After the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had left, whenever I went out among the people, it grieved me that I saw only those suspected of hypocrisy or those weak people whom Allah had excused. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) did not think of me until he (peace and blessings be upon him) reached Tabuk. Then, while sitting among the people at Tabuk, he (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "What has happened to Ka'b?" A man from Banu Salimah said: O Messenger of Allah! His two cloaks have held him back, and he kept admiring himself, looking at his sides.
Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) said: What an evil thing you have said! By Allah, O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), we know nothing but good about him. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) remained silent.
Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him) said: When the news reached me that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was on his way back, my mind began to search for false excuses. I said to myself: How will I escape his (peace and blessings be upon him) anger? And I consulted the sensible people of my household about this. When it was said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would arrive in the morning, the thought of lying left me, and I knew that I would never escape through a false statement, so I firmly resolved to hold fast to the truth.
He (peace and blessings be upon him) arrived in the morning, and it was his (peace and blessings be upon him) blessed habit that when he returned from a journey, he would first pray two rak'ahs in the mosque. When he (peace and blessings be upon him) had done so, those who had stayed behind came, presented their excuses and began swearing oaths. They were some eighty-odd men. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) accepted their outward excuses, took their pledge, sought forgiveness for them and left their inner selves to Allah. I came and greeted him, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) smiled the smile of an angry man and said: "Come." I walked over and sat in front of him (peace and blessings be upon him). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "What held you back? Had you not bought a mount?" I said: Yes indeed, O Messenger of Allah! By Allah, had I been sitting before any worldly person other than you, I would surely have escaped his anger by fabricating some excuse, for I have been given skill in argument. But by Allah, I know that if today I please you (peace and blessings be upon him) with a false statement, Allah Almighty will soon make you (peace and blessings be upon him) angry with me; and if I tell you (peace and blessings be upon him) the truth, then even though you (peace and blessings be upon him) will be angry with me for it, I hope for a good outcome from Allah. By Allah, I had no excuse; I was never as strong and well off as I was when I stayed behind from you (peace and blessings be upon him). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "He has spoken the truth. So get up until Allah decides concerning you."
I stood up, and some people of Banu Salimah followed me and said: By Allah, we do not know of you having committed any sin before this. Why were you unable to present some excuse to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) like the other people who stayed behind presented? The seeking of forgiveness by the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would have been enough for the forgiveness of your sin. They kept blaming me until I resolved to go back and belie myself. Then I asked them: Has anyone else met with the same as me? They said: Yes, two other men said the same as you said, and they were given the same reply as you were given. I asked: Who are they? They said: Murarah bin al-Rabi' (may Allah be pleased with him) and Hilal bin Umayyah (may Allah be pleased with him). They named two righteous men who had taken part in Badr, in whom there was an example for me to follow. So when they were mentioned, I held firm to my position. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade (people) to speak to only the three of us among those who had stayed behind. So people avoided us and their attitude towards us changed, until even the earth felt strange to me, as if it were not the land I knew. We spent fifty nights in this state. My two companions lost heart and sat in their houses weeping, while I was the youngest and hardiest of them. I would go out for the prayer and walk around the markets with the Muslims, but no one would speak to me. I would come to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) while he (peace and blessings be upon him) was sitting in his gathering after the prayer, and I would greet him and say to myself: Did he (peace and blessings be upon him) move his lips to return the greeting or not? Then I would pray near him (peace and blessings be upon him) and steal glances at him (peace and blessings be upon him). When I turned to my prayer, he (peace and blessings be upon him) would look at me, and when I looked towards him (peace and blessings be upon him), he (peace and blessings be upon him) would turn his blessed face away from me. When this coldness of the Muslims had gone on for a long time, I climbed over the wall of the garden of Abu Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with him), who was my cousin and the dearest of people to me. I greeted him, and by Allah, he did not even return my greeting. I said: O Abu Qatadah! I ask you by Allah, do you not know that I love Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)? He remained silent. I asked him again by Allah, and he remained silent again. I asked a third time, and he only said: Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) know best. At this my eyes overflowed with tears. I turned back and climbed over the wall again. Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I was walking in the market of Madinah when suddenly I came across one of the farmers of Syria who had come to Madinah to sell his grain. He was asking: Where is Ka'b bin Malik? People began pointing towards me. He came to me and handed me a letter from the king of Ghassan, since I knew how to read and write. I read it, and in it was written: "To proceed: We have learned that your companion (peace and blessings be upon him) has treated you harshly. Allah has not created you to live in a house of disgrace or to be wasted, so come to us and we will honour you." When I read it, I said: This too is a trial. Then I headed for an oven and threw the letter into it.
When forty of the fifty days had passed, suddenly the messenger of 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) has ordered that you keep away from your wife. I asked: Should I divorce her, or what should I do? He said: No, rather keep away from her and do not go near her. The same order was sent to my two other companions as well. I said to my wife: Go to your parents' home and stay there until Allah decides 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 (peace and blessings be upon him)! Hilal bin Umayyah is a very old and weak man and has no servant; would you (peace and blessings be upon him) dislike it if I served him? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No (you may serve him), but he must not come near you." She said: By Allah, he has no inclination towards anything; by Allah, ever since this matter happened, he has been weeping continuously until today. My family said to me: If only you too had sought permission from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) concerning your wife, as Hilal bin Umayyah's wife has been given permission. I said: By Allah, I will never ask the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) for permission in this matter; I do not know what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would say, as I am a young man.
We remained in this state until fifty nights were completed. On the fiftieth night I prayed the Fajr prayer on the roof of my house. I was sitting in the very state that Allah has mentioned: my soul had become constricted for me and the earth, despite its vastness, had become narrow for me, when suddenly I heard the voice of a caller from the top of Mount Sal' crying out at the top of his voice: O Ka'b bin Malik! Receive glad tidings! As soon as I heard this, I fell down in prostration and knew that relief had come from Allah. After the Fajr prayer, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had informed the people that our repentance had been accepted, so people rushed to give us the good news. Bearers of good news also went to my two companions, and a man galloped his horse towards me, while a man from the tribe of Aslam climbed the mountain and called out, and his voice reached me faster than the horse. When the man whose voice of good news I had heard came to me, I took off both my garments and put them on him as a reward for his good news, although, by Allah, I owned no other clothes that day. I borrowed two garments, put them on and set out for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). People met me in crowds, congratulating me on the acceptance of my repentance and saying: Congratulations on Allah's acceptance of your repentance. When I entered the mosque, I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sitting with people around him (peace and blessings be upon him). Talhah bin Ubaydullah (may Allah be pleased with him) stood up and hurried towards me, shook my hand and congratulated me. By Allah, no one from the Muhajirun stood up except him, and Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him) never forgot this kindness of Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, while his (peace and blessings be upon him) blessed face was shining with joy: "O Ka'b! Receive glad tidings of the best day that has passed over you since your mother gave birth to you." I said: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! Is this from you or from Allah? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No, rather it is from Allah Almighty." When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was pleased, his (peace and blessings be upon him) radiant face would shine as if it were a piece of the moon, and this was seen on his (peace and blessings be upon him) face. Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him) said: When I sat in front of him (peace and blessings be upon him), I said: As thanks for the acceptance of my repentance, I give all my wealth in charity for Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Keep some of your wealth for yourself; that is better for you." I said: I will keep my share of Khaybar. I said: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! Allah has saved me because of truthfulness, and part of my repentance is that as long as I live I will never tell a lie. By Allah, since I made this pledge to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), I do not know of any Muslim whom Allah has blessed for speaking the truth better than He has blessed me. Since that day I have never deliberately intended to tell a lie, and I hope that Allah Almighty will protect me from it for the rest of my life as well. Allah Almighty revealed these verses to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him): "Allah has certainly turned in mercy to the Prophet and the Muhajirun and the Ansar who followed him in the hour of hardship, after the hearts of a party of them had almost swerved; then He turned to them in mercy. Indeed, He is to them Most Kind, Most Merciful. And (He turned in mercy) to the three who were left behind, until, when the earth, despite its vastness, became narrow for them and their own souls became constricted for them, and they were certain that there is no refuge from Allah except in Him, then He turned to them in mercy so that they might repent. Indeed, Allah is the Accepter of repentance, the Most Merciful. O you who believe, fear Allah and be with the truthful." [Surah al-Tawbah: 117-119] By Allah, after being guided to Islam, no blessing is dearer to me than the truthfulness I showed before the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), lest I lie and perish as the liars perished. Through revelation, Allah Almighty said about the liars something harsher than He said about anyone. Allah Almighty says: "They will swear by Allah to you when you return to them, so that you may turn away from them. So turn away from them; indeed they are filth, and their refuge 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, indeed Allah is not pleased with the defiantly disobedient people." [Surah al-Tawbah: 95-96] Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The matter of the three of us had been deferred from the matter of those whose oaths the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had accepted, whose pledge he had taken and for whom he had sought forgiveness, while the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) left our matter pending until Allah Himself decided it. Concerning this, Allah Almighty said: "And (also) to the three whose matter was deferred." [Surah al-Tawbah: 118] Here "khullifu" does not mean staying behind from the campaign; rather, it means the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) deferring our matter, in contrast to those who swore oaths and offered excuses and he (peace and blessings be upon him) accepted them.
