In today’s episode, we will discuss a person who did not participate in the Battle of Tabuk, his name is Ka’b ibn Malik. But he was not a hypocrite or a traitor, rather he was a believer. Today’s episode is just about him. The story of the Battle of Tabuk would be incomplete without recounting his story. His story is narrated in various books. It is important to know his life story because here the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) narrated the sad story of the life of a companion. Here is the story of a companion who was a dedicated and dedicated guard for Islam. But he fell back from Islam only once, under great pressure. But later he was freed from this situation through his good deeds and faith. He himself tells this story. Let’s find out about this incident.
He narrated that he did not lag behind in any of the campaigns that the Prophet (peace be upon him) led except Tabuk. However, I did not participate in the Battle of Badr, but the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not say anything to those who did not participate in the Battle of Badr because the Battle of Badr was not a war at all, but rather its main purpose was to attack the caravan of Quraysh. However, I was present at a place called Aqaba and there I took the oath of allegiance from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
However, during the Battle of Tabuk, I was in very good condition and had many camels. Usually, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not announce any decision in advance, but during the Battle of Tabuk, the situation was very rough and hostile, so the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) informed everyone about the battle in advance because the Muslim army was going to face a large army.
It was fruit season then, so I went out on a trip with everyone. But I kept delaying preparations, saying “tomorrow or later,” but the other people with me had already prepared to go on the expedition. I was being lazy. I finally went on an expedition and came back home. I went out again the next morning but returned home without doing any work. But the Muslim army had already advanced far. I was sitting at home thinking that I would quickly go out and join them.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not think of the Ka’b ibn Malik at first, but when he reached the plains of Tabuk, he suddenly spoke of Ka’b ibn Malik. He asked where Ka’b ibn Malik was, and the companions present said that he was obsessed with the illusions of the world.
Mu’adh ibn ‘Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “What nonsense are you talking about?” The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) became silent and did not reply.
When I learned that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was returning to Medina, my condition worsened. I thought I could get away with some lie and answer, and I started thinking to myself, what excuse can I use to escape from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)? But when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) came near, I thought that there was no point in lying.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to pray two rak’ahs in the mosque whenever he returned from an expedition. After he had finished his prayer, the people who had been behind him came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and started making excuses. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed for them and asked for forgiveness.
Then I walked towards the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) who was very tired. He smiled at me and called me closer. He then asked me why I did not go. Were you busy? I replied, “O Messenger of Allah, I tell you the truth. I did not go intentionally, but I had sufficient wealth and was in a good condition.” Then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to him, “You are telling the truth, so stand up and wait until a decision comes from Allah.”
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) forbade others from speaking to us about me and three others. This ban is imposed only on these three of us. This ban did not apply to the rest of the people who did not go to war. We stayed away from people and how they treated us became…
I was the youngest of these three banned people. I would pray towards the mosque and wander around the market, but no one would talk to me. I used to pray behind the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and I would look him in the eye, but he would turn away whenever he looked at me.
This situation continued for a long time and I became restless. One day, I desperately tried to sneak into Abu Qatar’s garden wall. He was my brother. I greeted him but he did not return my greeting. I asked him if Abu Katara used to say that I don’t love Allah. But he didn’t answer my words. I asked him again but he did not answer. When I asked him again, he said that Allah and His Messenger know best. Tears welled up in my eyes and I climbed back over the wall.
Forty nights passed in this way, then one day a messenger came from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) ordered you to maintain distance from your wife. I asked my father if he would divorce his wife. He replied, “No, but stay away from her.” Then I went to my wife and said, “Go and stay at your father’s house for a while.” In this way, 10 more days passed. On the 50th day, I was praying Fajr on the roof of my house when suddenly a companion told me that I had good news for you. Hearing this, I fell into prostration, meaning that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) informed me that our repentance had been accepted by Allah.
Everyone started running towards me and saying, “Congratulations, Allah has accepted your repentance.” Then I went to the mosque and met the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and wanted to give him all my wealth. He said, “No, you don’t have to give me all of it. You can keep some of it.” I said, “Okay, I will keep some of the land of Khaybar with me.”
They will swear by Allah to you when you return to them that you would leave them alone. So leave them alone; indeed they are evil; and their refuge is Hell as recompense for what they had been earning. They swear to you so that you might be satisfied with them. But if you should be satisfied with them – indeed, Allah is not satisfied with a defiantly disobedient people.
(Quran 9:95-96)
Now let’s see what we can learn from this. The first is Ka’b ibn Malik honesty with Allah. He could have made a good excuse if he wanted to, but he didn’t, instead he told the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) what was true.
When the Prophet (peace be upon him) was asked about Ka’b ibn Malik on the outskirts of Tabuk, the companions said that Ka’b ibn Malik was obsessed with the world. It is a great insult to say such things against a respected companion. Hearing this, the Prophet (peace be upon him) fell silent and from this we learn how much of a sin it is to not participate in jihad. Three companions were kept out of society for 50 days just for not participating in jihad.
The next lesson is that whoever does good deeds will receive their reward one day or another.
