Narrated Abdullah Bin Kaab Bin Malik: Who; from among Kaab sons; was the guide of Kaab when he became blind: I heard Kaab Bin Malik narrating the story of the Ghazwa of Tabuk in which he failed to take part. Kaab said; I did not remain behind Allah Messenger ﷺ in any Ghazwa that he fought except the Ghazwa of Tabuk; and I failed to take part in the Ghazwa of Badr; but Allah did not admonish anyone who had not participated in it; for in fact; Allah Messenger ﷺ had gone out in search of the caravan of Quraish till Allah made them i.e. the Muslims and their enemy meet without any appointment. I witnessed the night of AlAqaba pledge with Allah Messenger ﷺ when we pledged for Islam; and I would not exchange it for the Badr battle although the Badr battle is more popular amongst the people than it i.e. AlAqaba pledge. As for my news in this battle of Tabuk ; I had never been stronger or wealthier than I was when I remained behind the Prophet ﷺ in that Ghazwa. By Allah; never had I two camels before; but I had then at the time of this Ghazwa. Whenever Allah Messenger ﷺ wanted to make a Ghazwa; he used to hide his intention by apparently referring to different Ghazwa till it was the time of that Ghazwa of Tabuk which Allah Messenger ﷺ fought in severe heat; facing; a long journey; desert; and the great number of enemy. So the Prophet ﷺ announced to the Muslims clearly their destination so that they might get prepared for their Ghazwa. So he informed them clearly of the destination he was going to. Allah Messenger ﷺ was accompanied by a large number of Muslims who could not be listed in a book namely; a register. Kaab added; Any man who intended to be absent would think that the matter would remain hidden unless Allah revealed it through Divine Revelation. So Allah Messenger ﷺ fought that Ghazwa at the time when the fruits had ripened and the shade looked pleasant. Allah Messenger ﷺ and his companions prepared for the battle and I started to go out in order to get myself ready along with them; but I returned without doing anything. I would say to myself; I can do that. So I kept on delaying it every now and then till the people got ready and Allah Messenger ﷺ and the Muslims along with him departed; and I had not prepared anything for my departure; and I said; I will prepare myself for departure one or two days after him; and then join them. In the morning following their departure; I went out to get myself ready but returned having done nothing. Then again in the next morning; I went out to get ready but returned without doing anything. Such was the case with me till they hurried away and the battle was missed by me. Even then I intended to depart to take them over. I wish I had done so! But it was not in my luck. So; after the departure of Allah Messenger ﷺ ; whenever I went out and walked amongst the people i.e; the remaining persons ; it grieved me that I could see none around me; but one accused of hypocrisy or one of those weak men whom Allah had excused. Allah Messenger ﷺ did not remember me till he reached Tabuk. So while he was sitting amongst the people in Tabuk; he said; What did Kaab do? A man from Banu Salama said; O Allah Messenger ﷺ ! He has been stopped by his two Burdas i.e. garments and his looking at his own flanks with pride. Then Muadh Bin Jabal said; What a bad thing you have said! By Allah! O Allahs Apostle! We know nothing about him but good. Allah Messenger ﷺ kept silent. Kaab Bin Malik added; When I heard that he i.e. the Prophet ﷺ was on his way back to Medina. I got dipped in my concern; and began to think of false excuses; saying to myself; How can I avoid his anger tomorrow? And I took the advice of wise member of my family in this matter. When it was said that Allah Messenger ﷺ ; had come near all the evil false excuses abandoned from my mind and I knew well that I could never come out of this problem by forging a false statement. Then I decided firmly to speak the truth. So Allah Messenger ﷺ arrived in the morning; and whenever he returned from a journey.; he used to visit the Masjid first of all and offer a two-rakat prayer therein and then sit for the people. So when he had done all that this time ; those who had failed to join the battle of Tabuk came and started offering false excuses and taking oaths before him. They were something over eighty men; Allah Messenger ﷺ accepted the excuses they had expressed; took their pledge of allegiance asked for Allah Forgiveness for them; and left the secrets of their hearts for Allah to judge. Then I came to him; and when I greeted him; he smiled a smile of an angry person and then said; Come on. So I came walking till I sat before him. He said to me; What stopped you from joining us. Had you not purchased an animal For carrying you? I answered; Yes; O Allah Messenger ﷺ ! But by Allah; if I were sitting before any person from among the people of the world other than you; I would have avoided his anger with an excuse. By Allah; I have been bestowed with the power of speaking fluently and eloquently; but by Allah; I knew well that if today I tell you a lie to seek your favor; Allah would surely make you angry with me in the near future; but if I tell you the truth; though you will get angry because of it; I hope for Allah Forgiveness. Really; by Allah; there was no excuse for me. By Allah; I had never been stronger or wealthier than I was when I remained behind you. Then Allah Messenger ﷺ said; As regards this man; he has surely told the truth. So get up till Allah decides your case. I got up; and many men of Banu Salama followed me and said to me. By Allah; we never witnessed you doing any sin before this. Surely; you failed to offer excuse to Allah Messenger ﷺ as the others who did not join him; have offered. The prayer of Allah Messenger ﷺ to Allah to forgive you would have been sufficient for you. By Allah; they continued blaming me so much that I intended to return to the Prophet and accuse myself of having told a lie; but I said to them; Is there anybody else who has met the same fate as I have? They replied; Yes; there are two men who have said the same thing as you have; and to both of them was given the same order as given to you. I said; Who are they? They replied; Murara Bin AlRabi AlAmri and Hilal Bin Umaiya AlWaqifi. By that they mentioned to me two pious men who had attended the Ghazwa Battle of Badr; and in whom there was an example for me. So I did not change my mind when they mentioned them to me. Allah Messenger ﷺ forbade all the Muslims to talk to us; the three aforesaid persons out of all those who had remained behind in that Ghazwa. So we kept away from the people and they changed their attitude towards us till the very land where I lived appeared strange to me as if I did not know it. We remained in that condition for fifty nights. As regards my two fellows; they remained in their houses and kept on weeping; but I was the youngest of them and the firmest of them; so I used to go out and witness the prayers along with the Muslims and roam about in the markets; but none would talk to me; and I would come to Allah Messenger ﷺ and greet him while he was sitting In his gathering after the prayer; and I would wonder whether the Prophet ﷺ did move his lips in return to my greetings or not. Then I would offer my prayer near to him and look at him stealthily. When I was busy with my prayer; he would turn his face towards me; but when I turned my face to him; he would turn his face away from me. When this harsh attitude of the people lasted long; I walked till I scaled the wall of the garden of Abu Qatada who was my cousin and dearest person to me; and I offered my greetings to him. By Allah; he did not return my greetings. I said; O Abu Qatada! I beseech you by Allah! Do you know that I love Allah and His Apostle? He kept quiet. I asked him again; beseeching him by Allah; but he remained silent. Then I asked him again in the Name of Allah. He said; Allah and His Apostle know it better. Thereupon my eyes flowed with tears and I returned and jumped over the wall. Kaab added; While I was walking in the market of Medina; suddenly I saw a Nabati i.e. a Christian farmer from the Nabatis of Sham who came to sell his grains in Medina; saying; Who will lead me to Kaab Bin Malik? The people began to point me out for him till he came to me and handed me a letter from the king of Ghassan in which the following was written: To proceed; I have been informed that your friend i.e. the Prophet ﷺ has treated you harshly. Anyhow; Allah does not let you live at a place where you feel inferior and your right is lost. So join us; and we will console you. When I read it; I said to myself; This is also a sort of a test. Then I took the letter to the oven and made a fire therein by burning it. When forty out of the fifty nights elapsed; behold ! There came to me the messenger of Allah Messenger ﷺ and said; Allah Messenger ﷺ orders you to keep away from your wife; I said; Should I divorce her; or else! what should I do? He said; No; only keep aloof from her and do not cohabit her. The Prophet ﷺ sent the same message to my two fellows. Then I said to my wife. Go to your parents and remain with them till Allah gives His Verdict in this matter. Kaab added; The wife of Hilal Bin Umaiya came to Apostle and said; O Allah Messenger ﷺ ! Hilal Bin Umaiya is a helpless old man who has no servant to attend on him. Do you dislike that I should serve him? He said; No you can serve him but he should not come near you. She said; By Allah; he has no desire for anything. By; Allah; he has never ceased weeping till his case began till this day of his. continued... continuing... 1 : -5.702:...... On that; some of my family members said to me; Will you also ask Allah Messenger ﷺ to permit your wife to serve you as he has permitted the wife of Hilal Bin Umaiya to serve him? I said; By Allah; I will not ask the permission of Allah Messenger ﷺ regarding her; for I do not know What Allah Messenger ﷺ would say if I asked him to permit her to serve me while I am a young man. Then I remained in that state for ten more nights after that till the period of fifty nights was completed starting from the time when Allah Messenger ﷺ prohibited the people from talking to us. When I had offered the Fajr prayer on the 50th morning on the roof of one of our houses and while I was sitting in the condition which Allah described in the Quran i.e. my very soul seemed straitened to me and even the earth seemed narrow to me for all its spaciousness; there I heard the voice of one who had ascended the mountain of Sala calling with his loudest voice; O Kaab Bin Malik! Be happy by receiving good tidings. I fell down in prostration before Allah; realizing that relief has come. Allah Messenger ﷺ had announced the acceptance of our repentance by Allah when he had offered the Fajr prayer. The people then went out to congratulate us. Some bringers of good tidings went out to my two fellows; and a horseman came to me in haste; and a man of Banu Aslam came running and ascended the mountain and his voice was swifter than the horse. When he i.e. the man whose voice I had heard; came to me conveying the good tidings; I took off my garments and dressed him with them; and by Allah; I owned no other garments than them on that day. Then I borrowed two garments and wore them and went to Allah Apostle. The people started receiving me in batches; congratulating me on Allah Acceptance of my repentance; saying; We congratulate you on Allah Acceptance of your repentance. Kaab further said; When I entered the Masjid. I saw Allah Messenger ﷺ sitting with the people around him. Talha Bin Ubaidullah swiftly came to me; shook hands with me and congratulated me. By Allah; none of the Muhajirin i.e. Emigrants got up for me except him i.e. Talha ; and I will never forget this for Talha. Kaab added; When I greeted Allah Messenger ﷺ he; his face being bright with joy; said Be happy with the best day that you have got ever since your mother delivered you. Kaab added; I said to the Prophet ﷺ Is this forgiveness from you or from Allah? He said; No; it is from Allah. Whenever Allah Messenger ﷺ became happy; his face would shine as if it were a piece of moon; and we all knew that characteristic of him. When I sat before him; I said; O Allah Messenger ﷺ ! Because of the acceptance of my repentance I will give up all my wealth as alms for the Sake of Allah and His Apostle. Allah Apostle said; Keep some of your wealth; as it will be better for you. I said; So I will keep my share from Khaibar with me; and added; O Allah Messenger ﷺ ! Allah has saved me for telling the truth; so it is a part of my repentance not to tell but the truth as long as I am alive. By Allah; I do not know anyone of the Muslims whom Allah has helped fortelling the truth more than me. Since I have mentioned that truth to Allah Messenger ﷺ till today; I have never intended to tell a lie. I hope that Allah will also save me from telling lies the rest of my life. So Allah revealed to His Apostle the Verse:- Verily; Allah has forgiven the Prophet; the Muhajirin i.e. Emigrants up to His Saying And be with those who are true in word and deed. 9.117-119 By Allah; Allah has never bestowed upon me; apart from His guiding me to Islam; a Greater blessing than the fact that I did not tell a lie to Allah Messenger ﷺ which would have caused me to perish as those who have told a lie perished; for Allah described those who told lies with the worst description He ever attributed to anybody else. Allah said:- They i.e. the hypocrites will swear by Allah to you when you return to them up to His Saying Certainly Allah is not pleased with the rebellious people- 9.95-96 Kaab added; We; the three persons; differed altogether from those whose excuses Allah Apostle accepted when they swore to him. He took their pledge of allegiance and asked Allah to forgive them; but Allah Messenger ﷺ left our case pending till Allah gave His Judgment about it. As for that Allah said :- And to the three He did for give also who remained behind. 9.118 What Allah said in this Verse does not indicate our failure to take part in the Ghazwa; but it refers to the deferment of making a decision by the Prophet ﷺ about our case in contrast to the case of those who had taken an oath before him and he excused them by accepting their excuses.
+ + Sahih AlBukhari
+ + Sahih Muslim
+ + Sunan AlNasai
+ + Sunan Abu Dawoud
+ + Sunan AlTermithi
+ + Muwata Malik
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