People to remember
K,ab ibn Malik
Murarah ibn-ur-Rabee
Hilal ibn Umayyah
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Ka’b IbnMalik said, “I stayed behind
Rasoolullah on the expedition to Tabook.I had
never been stronger or wealthier than I was at
that time. Never before did I have two camels.
When the Prophet would go out on an
expedition, he would always indicate another
destination until the army actually left.
Rasoolullah made this long journey at a time of
intense heat through a waterless desert to face a
great enemy.
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He made the whole thing quite clear to the
Muslims that they could make the necessary
preparations for the expedition.
Ka’b Falls to Travel with the Prophet
and the Muslims
Ka’b : The Messenger of Allah was to make the
expedition when the fruit was ripe and there
was plentiful shad. Because of this, I really
wanted to stay at home. The preparation for
expedition was going on, I would go out to do
the same but then I would return without
having accomplished anything, saying to
myself, I can do it any time I wish. I went on
like this until the Messenger of Allah set out
with the Muslims, I had still not completed any
of my preparation. The Prophet left on the
expedition of Tabook on Thursday.
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I intended to set off and catch up with them, and I
wish that I had done so, but that was not decreed
for me. When I saw the people who stayed after
the Prophet had left, it saddened me that they
were either hypocrites, or had been excused by the
Prophet for being sick or old.
The Messenger of Allah did not mention me until
he reached Tabook. While he was sitting among
the people at Tabook, he said, “What has Ka’b ibn
Malik done?” A man said, “O Rasoolullah, he has
been held back by his two and self-conceit.” im,
Mu’ath ibn Jabal said to him, “What an evil thing
to say! by Allah, O Rasoolullah, we only know
good thing about him”. Rasoolullah was silent.
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The Prophet Returns to Madinah and Ka’b Tells
Him the Truth
“When I heard that the Prophet, was on his return
journey from Madinah,I became very upset and
began to think up lies. But I resolved to stick to the
truth. Rasoolullah arrived in the morning.
Whenever he came back from a journey, he would
first go to the mosque and pray two rak’aa there
and then would sit to receive the people. Those
who had stayed behind went to him making their
excuses, swearing that they were telling the truth
to him.
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There were eighty such men in all. He accepted
what they claimed and asked Allah to forgive
them. When I greeted him, he gave an angry look
and said, “come here "walked up and sat down in
front of him. He said to me, What kept you back?
Didn’t you buy a camel? I said, ‘ oh Messenger of
Allah, by Allah, if I was sitting with anyone else in
the world I would think that I could escape his
anger by making some excuse. I am gifted in
argumentation, but, by Allah, I know that if were
to tell you false story today that might satisfy you
with regard to me, Allah will soon make you angry
with me. If I tell you the truth, you will be angry
with me, but I hope for a good outcome from
Allah.
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By Allah, I do not have any excuse. By Allah, I
have never been stronger nor wealthier than
when I remained behind you.”
Rasoolullah said, “This one spoken the truth.
Get up until Allah decides about you.” Some
men followed and said to me, ‘by Allah, we
have not known you to commit a wrong action
before this. You could have offered an excuse
to the Prophet like the others who stayed
behind? The Prophet’s prayer for forgiveness
would have erased your wrong action. By
Allah they continued to reproach me until I
wanted to return to the Prophet and deny what
I had said.
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Then I said to them, Has anyone received the
same treatment from Rasoolullah as I did?
They said, ‘yes, Murarah ibn-urRabee, and
Hilal ibn Umayyah .” They mentioned to me
two righteous men of good charcrter who had
been present at Badr. I was determined to
remain truthful.
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The Prophet forbade people from speaking to the three
of us out of all those who remained behind. So the
people avoided us. The earth seemed strange to me
and it was not the same Earth I used to know.
We remained under this boycott for fifty days. My two
companions were depressed and stayed in their homes,
weeping. I was the youngest of them . I used to go out
and attend the prayer with the Muslims. I would walk
in the markets, but no one would speak to me.
I went to Rasoolullah and greeted him while he was in
his assembly after the prayer and would say to myself,
Did he move his lips to return the greeting or not?
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I would pray near him and sneak a look at him and
he would look at me while I attended to my
prayer, but when I turned towards him, he would
turn away from me.
During harshness of the Muslims I climbed over
the wall the of Abu Qatadah’s garden. He was my
cousin and the dearest of people to me. I greeted
him, and by Allah, he did not return the greeting
to me. I said to him, “I ask you by Allah, do you
not know that I love Allah and His Messenger?”
He was silent, and I repeated my question and he
was still silent. I again repeated my question and
he said, “Allah and His Messenger know best.” My
eyes overflowed with tears and I turned and
climbed back over the wall.
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While I was walking in the market of Madinah, a
farmer from Syria, who had brought food to sell in
Madinah, said, “who will direct me to Ka’b ibn
Malik.? The people led him to me and he handed
me a letter from the king of Ghassan, a Tribe in
Northern Arabia. I was a Scribe, so I read it, “It has
reached us that your companion (Prophet
Muhammad) has been harsh to you. Allah has not
put you in a place to be to be humiliated. Join us
and we will support you.” When I read it, I said,
“This is also part of the test, "and I threw it in the
oven to burn it up.
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When forty of the fifty days had passed, and
revelation had still not been conveyed. A
messenger from the Prophet came to me and
said, “ Rasoolullah commands you to
withdraw from your wife.” I said, “ I to divorce
her or what? He said, “No just withraw from
her and do not go near her.”He sent the the
same message to my two companions.
I remained like that for ten days until fifty days
had passed from rhe.
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The on the up morning after the fiftieth day, I
prayed Fajr on the roof of my house. While sitting
up there I heard someone shouting at the top of his
voice, “Kab ibn Malik, good news for you!”
I fell down in prostration (sujood-ush-Shukr) and
felt a wave of relief sweep over my body.
Rasoolullah announced to the people that Allah
hat turned towards us after he prayed the Fajr
prayer. The people came to bring the good news.
They also went to my two companions with the
good news. Crowds of people met me to
congratulate me on Allah’s turning towards me.
They were saying to me, “enjoy the turning of
Allah towards you!” until I reached the mosque.
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Ka’b said, “when I greeted the Messenger of
Allah his face was shining with joy and he
said, "rejoice in the best day that has come to
since your bore you!” I said, “is it from you,
Messenger of Allah, or from Allah!” He said,
“indeed it is from Allah!”
When I sat down in front of him, I said,
‘Messenger of Allah, part of my repentance is
that I give out all of my property as sadaqah
for Allah and His Messenger,”
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I said to Rasoolullah, “oh Rasoolullah, Allah
Almighty has saved me because I was honest,
and part of my repentance is that I will speak
nothing but the truth for as long as I live.”
1.
2.
How many days did the campaign to the Tabook
last? For how many days did the Prophet and the
Muslims ostracize Ka’b and other two
companions who lagged behind? What lesson can
you learn from that?
Compare the hardship Abu Tharr Al-Ghifari went
through hardshipwhen he followed the Muslims
alone in the desert with the hardship that Ka’b
went through after the Muslims returned to
Madina. Indicate which which hardship you
would rather go through if you had to choose
between them.
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6.
Who are the believers who stayed in Madina
behind the Prophet without a good excuse?
What made Ka’b stay behind?
What did Ka’b tell the Prophet when he
explained why he stayed benind?
What did the hypocrites tell the Prophet? Did
he believe them?
What punishment did Ka’b and his two
counterparts receive from Allah?
How did the ordeal of Ka’b end?
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6 What was the greatest lesson Ka’b learned
during the course of the ordeal he went
through?
7 Who died shortly after the Prophet returned
to Madina? Describe what the Prophet did
about that?