WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.000 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 00:00:15.699 --> 00:00:17.699 The Mawaddah Association is pleased 00:00:17.699 --> 00:00:21.699 to present to you glimpses from the lives of the Companions, 00:00:21.699 --> 00:00:24.699 by Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha, 00:00:25.739 --> 00:00:26.739 may Allah have mercy upon him. 00:00:26.739 --> 00:00:33.520 Ka'b ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him. 00:00:46.960 --> 00:00:52.939 Today’s story is truly intense, 00:00:52.939 --> 00:00:54.939 profoundly sincere, 00:00:54.939 --> 00:00:59.939 and reaches the absolute pinnacle of intensity, depth, and excitement in storytelling. 00:00:59.939 --> 00:01:03.060 I had intended, dear listener, 00:01:03.060 --> 00:01:05.060 to narrate it to you myself, 00:01:05.060 --> 00:01:13.060 but when I began, I found my expression too inadequate to convey its exquisite, subtle nuances, 00:01:13.060 --> 00:01:16.060 its brilliant and masterful imagery, 00:01:16.060 --> 00:01:19.060 and its overflowing, surging emotions. 00:01:19.060 --> 00:01:23.060 So, I chose to leave that to the protagonist of the story himself, 00:01:23.060 --> 00:01:25.060 for he is more eloquent than I, 00:01:25.060 --> 00:01:28.060 more capable of expressing the stirrings of his own soul, 00:01:28.060 --> 00:01:31.060 and more precise in depicting the whispers of his conscience. 00:01:31.060 --> 00:01:34.060 So, listen to Ka'b ibn Malik al-Ansari, 00:01:34.060 --> 00:01:38.060 a Companion of the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:01:38.060 --> 00:01:41.060 for he shall tell you his story. 00:01:41.060 --> 00:01:42.260 Ka'b said: 00:01:42.260 --> 00:01:46.260 "I never stayed behind from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:01:46.260 --> 00:01:48.260 in any expedition he undertook, 00:01:48.260 --> 00:01:50.260 except for the day of Tabuk. 00:01:50.260 --> 00:01:54.290 I had never been stronger or better equipped for an expedition 00:01:54.290 --> 00:01:57.290 than I was when I stayed behind from that one. 00:01:57.290 --> 00:02:01.290 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:02:01.290 --> 00:02:04.290 used to conceal his destination whenever he intended an expedition, 00:02:04.290 --> 00:02:06.290 and would hint at a different one, 00:02:06.290 --> 00:02:08.289 except for this expedition. 00:02:08.289 --> 00:02:12.289 Perhaps what made the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:02:12.289 --> 00:02:14.289 not conceal his destination 00:02:14.289 --> 00:02:16.289 was that the heat was intense, 00:02:16.289 --> 00:02:19.289 the journey was long, 00:02:19.289 --> 00:02:21.289 the fruits had ripened, 00:02:21.289 --> 00:02:23.289 and the shade was pleasant. 00:02:23.289 --> 00:02:27.289 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, prepared himself, 00:02:27.289 --> 00:02:30.289 and the Muslims prepared with him. 00:02:30.289 --> 00:02:34.289 I began to go to the market to prepare with them, 00:02:34.289 --> 00:02:37.289 but I would return each time 00:02:37.289 --> 00:02:39.289 without having done anything. 00:02:39.289 --> 00:02:41.289 I would say to myself, 00:02:41.289 --> 00:02:45.289 'I am capable of preparing at any moment.' 00:02:45.289 --> 00:02:48.289 I continued to procrastinate in this manner 00:02:48.289 --> 00:02:50.289 until the Muslims became earnest in their preparations, 00:02:50.289 --> 00:02:53.289 and I had not completed any of my own. 00:02:53.289 --> 00:02:55.349 While I was in that state, 00:02:55.349 --> 00:02:58.349 the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:02:58.349 --> 00:03:00.349 and those with him set out. 00:03:00.349 --> 00:03:03.349 I intended to set out after them 00:03:03.349 --> 00:03:04.349 and catch up with them, 00:03:04.349 --> 00:03:06.349 and I wish I had done so, 00:03:06.349 --> 00:03:09.349 but it was not decreed for me. 00:03:09.349 --> 00:03:14.349 Soon after, I was overcome with grief and regret for what I had done. 00:03:14.349 --> 00:03:16.349 What added to my grief 00:03:16.349 --> 00:03:20.349 was that whenever I went out from my house and walked among the people, 00:03:20.349 --> 00:03:24.349 I saw no one but a man accused of hypocrisy, 00:03:24.349 --> 00:03:27.349 or one who was incapacitated, whom Allah had excused for his incapacity. 00:03:27.349 --> 00:03:30.349 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, did not mention me 00:03:30.349 --> 00:03:32.349 until he reached Tabuk. 00:03:32.349 --> 00:03:34.349 He said to his Companions, 00:03:34.349 --> 00:03:37.349 'What has happened to Ka'b ibn Malik?' 00:03:37.349 --> 00:03:39.349 A man from Banu Salamah said, 00:03:39.349 --> 00:03:42.349 'He was held back by his two beautiful garments 00:03:42.349 --> 00:03:44.349 and his looking at his own sides.' 00:03:44.349 --> 00:03:46.419 Mu'adh ibn Jabal said, 00:03:46.419 --> 00:03:48.419 'What a terrible thing you have said! 00:03:48.419 --> 00:03:50.419 By Allah, O Messenger of Allah, 00:03:50.419 --> 00:03:53.419 we know nothing of him but good.' 00:03:53.419 --> 00:03:56.449 The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, remained silent 00:03:56.449 --> 00:03:58.449 and added nothing. 00:03:58.449 --> 00:04:02.539 Then it reached me that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:04:02.539 --> 00:04:04.539 had turned back toward Medina. 00:04:04.539 --> 00:04:06.539 My grief overcame me, 00:04:06.539 --> 00:04:09.539 and I began to consider lying, saying to myself, 00:04:09.539 --> 00:04:13.539 'How can I apologize to him and escape his anger tomorrow?' 00:04:13.539 --> 00:04:17.540 I sought the advice of every wise person in my family, 00:04:17.540 --> 00:04:19.540 but I found no solution with them. 00:04:19.540 --> 00:04:21.540 When it was said to me 00:04:21.540 --> 00:04:24.540 that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:04:24.540 --> 00:04:26.540 was approaching, 00:04:26.540 --> 00:04:28.540 falsehood departed from me, 00:04:28.540 --> 00:04:31.540 and I knew that I would not escape his anger 00:04:31.540 --> 00:04:33.540 with anything involving a lie. 00:04:33.540 --> 00:04:35.540 So, I resolved to speak the truth. 00:04:35.540 --> 00:04:38.740 Then the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, arrived 00:04:38.740 --> 00:04:40.740 in Medina. 00:04:40.740 --> 00:04:42.740 Whenever he returned from a journey, 00:04:42.740 --> 00:04:44.740 he would begin with the mosque, 00:04:44.740 --> 00:04:46.740 where he would pray two rak'ahs. 00:04:46.740 --> 00:04:49.740 When the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, finished 00:04:49.740 --> 00:04:52.740 the two rak'ahs, he sat for the people. 00:04:52.740 --> 00:04:55.740 Those who had stayed behind, like me, came to him, 00:04:55.740 --> 00:04:58.740 offering excuses and swearing oaths to him. 00:04:58.740 --> 00:05:01.740 They were over eighty men. 00:05:01.740 --> 00:05:05.740 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, accepted from them 00:05:05.740 --> 00:05:07.740 based on what they professed, 00:05:07.740 --> 00:05:09.740 asked forgiveness for them, 00:05:09.740 --> 00:05:11.740 and left their inner secrets to Allah. 00:05:11.740 --> 00:05:13.740 Then I came to him. 00:05:13.740 --> 00:05:15.740 When I greeted him, 00:05:15.740 --> 00:05:18.740 he smiled the smile of one who is angry, then said, 00:05:18.740 --> 00:05:20.740 'Come here.' 00:05:20.740 --> 00:05:23.740 I walked until I sat before him. 00:05:23.740 --> 00:05:25.740 He said to me, 00:05:25.740 --> 00:05:27.740 'What held you back, O Ka'b? 00:05:27.740 --> 00:05:30.740 Had you not purchased your mount?' 00:05:30.740 --> 00:05:31.740 I said, 00:05:31.740 --> 00:05:34.740 'By Allah, O Messenger of Allah, 00:05:34.740 --> 00:05:37.740 if I had sat before anyone else among the people of this world, 00:05:37.740 --> 00:05:40.740 I would have escaped his anger with an excuse I could fabricate for him. 00:05:40.740 --> 00:05:44.740 For, by Allah, I have been given eloquence and a way with words. 00:05:44.740 --> 00:05:46.740 But, by Allah, 00:05:46.740 --> 00:05:50.740 I knew that if I told you a lie today 00:05:50.740 --> 00:05:52.740 to satisfy you, 00:05:52.740 --> 00:05:55.740 Allah would soon make you angry with me. 00:05:55.740 --> 00:05:59.740 And if I told you the truth, which would anger you, 00:05:59.740 --> 00:06:02.740 I hope for Allah’s pardon through it. 00:06:02.740 --> 00:06:04.740 By Allah, O Messenger of Allah, 00:06:04.740 --> 00:06:07.740 I had no excuse for what I did. 00:06:08.740 --> 00:06:13.740 I have never been stronger or better equipped than I was when I stayed behind from you.' 00:06:13.740 --> 00:06:16.740 The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said, 00:06:16.740 --> 00:06:19.740 'As for this man, he has spoken the truth.' 00:06:19.740 --> 00:06:21.740 Then he turned to me and said, 00:06:21.740 --> 00:06:24.740 'Rise until Allah decides your case.' 00:06:24.740 --> 00:06:27.740 I rose and left the mosque. 00:06:27.740 --> 00:06:29.769 Ka'b said, 00:06:29.769 --> 00:06:32.769 'Soon, men from my tribe followed me 00:06:32.769 --> 00:06:33.769 and said to me, 00:06:33.769 --> 00:06:37.769 "By Allah, we have never known you to commit a sin before this. 00:06:37.769 --> 00:06:42.769 Why were you unable to apologize to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:06:42.769 --> 00:06:45.769 as the others who stayed behind did?" 00:06:45.769 --> 00:06:48.769 By Allah, they continued to rebuke me 00:06:48.769 --> 00:06:52.769 until I intended to return to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:06:52.769 --> 00:06:54.769 and declare myself a liar.' 00:06:54.769 --> 00:06:57.769 But I soon asked them, 00:06:57.769 --> 00:07:00.769 'Has anyone else shared in what I have done?' 00:07:00.769 --> 00:07:02.769 They said, 'Yes, 00:07:02.769 --> 00:07:04.769 two men who said exactly what you said, 00:07:04.769 --> 00:07:07.769 and were told exactly what you were told.' 00:07:07.769 --> 00:07:09.769 I asked, 'Who are they?' 00:07:09.769 --> 00:07:10.769 They said, 00:07:10.769 --> 00:07:14.769 'Murarah ibn al-Rabi' and Hilal ibn Umayyah.' 00:07:14.769 --> 00:07:16.769 They were two righteous men 00:07:16.769 --> 00:07:18.769 who had witnessed Badr. 00:07:18.769 --> 00:07:21.769 I said, 'Then I have an example in them.' 00:07:21.769 --> 00:07:23.769 So I went on. 00:07:23.769 --> 00:07:25.769 Ka'b ibn Malik said, 00:07:25.769 --> 00:07:30.769 'Then the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, forbade anyone from speaking to us three, 00:07:30.769 --> 00:07:32.769 out of all those who had stayed behind. 00:07:32.769 --> 00:07:35.769 People avoided us and changed toward us, 00:07:35.769 --> 00:07:38.769 until the very earth felt strange to me. 00:07:38.769 --> 00:07:41.769 It was no longer the earth I knew. 00:07:41.769 --> 00:07:45.829 We remained in that state for fifty nights. 00:07:45.829 --> 00:07:47.829 As for my two companions, 00:07:47.829 --> 00:07:51.829 they remained submissive and stayed in their houses, weeping. 00:07:51.829 --> 00:07:52.829 But as for me, 00:07:52.829 --> 00:07:55.829 I was the youngest and most resilient of the three. 00:07:55.829 --> 00:07:59.829 I would go out and attend prayer with the Muslims 00:07:59.829 --> 00:08:01.829 and walk in the markets, 00:08:01.829 --> 00:08:03.829 but no one would speak to me. 00:08:03.829 --> 00:08:07.829 I would come to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:08:07.829 --> 00:08:11.829 and greet him while he was in his gathering after prayer, 00:08:11.829 --> 00:08:13.829 then I would say to myself, 00:08:13.829 --> 00:08:17.829 "Did he move his lips to return my greeting or not?" 00:08:17.829 --> 00:08:21.829 I would try to pray near him, 00:08:21.829 --> 00:08:23.829 so I could steal a glance at him. 00:08:23.829 --> 00:08:27.860 When I was occupied with my prayer, he would look at me, 00:08:27.860 --> 00:08:30.860 but when I turned toward him, he would turn away from me. 00:08:30.860 --> 00:08:33.990 When the people’s coldness toward me lasted too long, 00:08:33.990 --> 00:08:35.990 my distress became severe. 00:08:35.990 --> 00:08:38.990 I climbed the wall of the garden of Abu Qatadah, 00:08:38.990 --> 00:08:41.990 who was my cousin and the most beloved of people to me. 00:08:41.990 --> 00:08:43.990 I greeted him, 00:08:43.990 --> 00:08:46.990 but by Allah, he did not return my greeting. 00:08:46.990 --> 00:08:49.990 I said, "O Abu Qatadah, 00:08:49.990 --> 00:08:51.990 I adjure you by Allah, 00:08:51.990 --> 00:08:56.990 do you know that I love Allah and His Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him?" 00:08:56.990 --> 00:08:58.990 He remained silent. 00:08:58.990 --> 00:09:00.990 I repeated it to him, and he remained silent. 00:09:00.990 --> 00:09:02.990 I repeated it again, 00:09:02.990 --> 00:09:03.990 and he said, 00:09:03.990 --> 00:09:05.990 "Allah and His Messenger know best." 00:09:05.990 --> 00:09:07.990 At that, 00:09:07.990 --> 00:09:10.990 I turned back from where I had come. 00:09:10.990 --> 00:09:13.990 Then, something unexpected happened. 00:09:13.990 --> 00:09:18.990 While I was walking in the market of Medina, with no one speaking to me, 00:09:18.990 --> 00:09:22.990 a Nabataean from the Nabataeans of Syria said, 00:09:22.990 --> 00:09:25.990 "Who will direct me to Ka'b ibn Malik?" 00:09:25.990 --> 00:09:27.990 People pointed toward me. 00:09:27.990 --> 00:09:31.990 He came to me and handed me a letter from the King of Ghassan. 00:09:31.990 --> 00:09:33.990 It read: 00:09:33.990 --> 00:09:34.990 "To proceed: 00:09:34.990 --> 00:09:37.990 It has reached me that your master has treated you coldly. 00:09:37.990 --> 00:09:41.090 Come join us, and we will comfort you." 00:09:41.090 --> 00:09:43.090 I said when I read it, 00:09:43.090 --> 00:09:45.090 "This, too, is a trial." 00:09:45.090 --> 00:09:49.090 I directed the letter toward the glowing light. 00:09:49.090 --> 00:09:51.090 I cast the letter into it. 00:09:51.090 --> 00:09:53.090 Ka'b said: 00:09:53.090 --> 00:09:56.090 When forty nights of the fifty had passed, 00:09:56.090 --> 00:10:00.090 a man came to me from the Prophet, peace be upon him. 00:10:00.090 --> 00:10:04.090 He said, "The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, 00:10:04.090 --> 00:10:07.090 commands you to separate from your wife." 00:10:07.090 --> 00:10:10.090 I asked, "Should I divorce her, or what should I do?" 00:10:10.090 --> 00:10:14.090 He replied, "No, but separate from her and do not approach her." 00:10:14.090 --> 00:10:17.090 He sent the same message to my two companions. 00:10:17.090 --> 00:10:19.090 I said to my wife, 00:10:19.090 --> 00:10:22.090 "Go to your family and stay with them 00:10:22.090 --> 00:10:25.090 until Allah decides this matter." 00:10:25.090 --> 00:10:27.090 So she went to her family. 00:10:27.090 --> 00:10:30.090 As for the wife of Hilal Ibn Umayyah, 00:10:30.090 --> 00:10:33.090 she came to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, 00:10:33.090 --> 00:10:36.090 and said, "O Messenger of Allah, 00:10:36.090 --> 00:10:40.090 Hilal is an elderly man with no servant. 00:10:40.090 --> 00:10:42.090 Do you dislike that I serve him?" 00:10:42.090 --> 00:10:45.090 He replied, "No, but he must not approach you." 00:10:45.090 --> 00:10:49.090 She said, "By Allah, O Messenger of Allah, 00:10:49.090 --> 00:10:52.090 he has not ceased weeping since he confined himself to his house 00:10:52.090 --> 00:10:54.090 until this very day." 00:10:54.090 --> 00:10:56.090 Ka'b said: 00:10:56.090 --> 00:10:58.090 At that time, some of my family said to me, 00:10:58.090 --> 00:11:02.090 "If only you would ask the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, 00:11:02.090 --> 00:11:03.090 regarding your wife, 00:11:03.090 --> 00:11:07.090 for he might grant you permission just as he granted Hilal Ibn Umayyah." 00:11:07.090 --> 00:11:10.120 I said, "By Allah, I will not do so. 00:11:10.120 --> 00:11:14.120 How do I know what the Messenger, peace be upon him, might say to me, 00:11:14.120 --> 00:11:16.120 given that I am a young man?" 00:11:16.120 --> 00:11:17.120 Ka'b said: 00:11:17.120 --> 00:11:20.120 I remained in that state for another ten nights, 00:11:20.120 --> 00:11:23.120 until fifty nights were complete for us. 00:11:23.120 --> 00:11:27.149 When I performed the dawn prayer on the morning of the fiftieth night, 00:11:27.149 --> 00:11:30.149 while I was on the roof of one of our houses, 00:11:30.149 --> 00:11:33.149 and the earth, despite its vastness, had become constrained for me, 00:11:33.149 --> 00:11:36.149 and my own soul had become severely constricted, 00:11:36.149 --> 00:11:40.149 I heard the voice of a crier from the top of Mount Sal' 00:11:40.149 --> 00:11:42.149 calling out at the top of his voice, 00:11:42.149 --> 00:11:44.149 "O Ka'b Ibn Malik, rejoice!" 00:11:44.149 --> 00:11:47.149 "O Ka'b Ibn Malik, rejoice!" 00:11:47.149 --> 00:11:49.149 No sooner did the sound reach my ears 00:11:49.149 --> 00:11:52.149 than I fell down prostrate to Allah, 00:11:52.149 --> 00:11:55.149 for I knew that relief had come to me, 00:11:55.149 --> 00:11:58.149 and that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, 00:11:58.149 --> 00:12:01.149 had announced this to his Companions. 00:12:01.149 --> 00:12:03.149 People began to come to congratulate me. 00:12:03.149 --> 00:12:07.149 The first of them to reach me was a rider who came on his horse. 00:12:07.149 --> 00:12:11.149 Others also went to my two companions to congratulate them. 00:12:11.149 --> 00:12:14.149 When the one whose voice I had heard came to me, 00:12:14.149 --> 00:12:16.149 I took off my two garments for him, 00:12:16.149 --> 00:12:19.149 and clothed him in them for his good news. 00:12:19.149 --> 00:12:22.149 By Allah, I owned nothing else at that time. 00:12:22.149 --> 00:12:25.149 Then I borrowed two garments and put them on, 00:12:25.149 --> 00:12:29.149 and set out to the Messenger, peace be upon him. 00:12:29.149 --> 00:12:32.149 The Muslims met me in groups, 00:12:32.149 --> 00:12:35.149 congratulating me on my repentance and saying, 00:12:35.149 --> 00:12:39.149 "May Allah’s acceptance of your repentance be blessed, O Ibn Malik!" 00:12:39.149 --> 00:12:41.149 I entered the mosque, 00:12:41.149 --> 00:12:45.149 and there was the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, 00:12:45.149 --> 00:12:47.149 sitting with people around him. 00:12:47.149 --> 00:12:51.149 His face was radiant, as if it were a piece of the moon. 00:12:51.149 --> 00:12:53.149 When I greeted him, 00:12:53.149 --> 00:12:56.149 he said, his face beaming with joy, 00:12:56.149 --> 00:12:58.149 "Rejoice, O Ka'b! 00:12:58.149 --> 00:13:01.149 Rejoice, O Ka'b, at the best day that has passed over you 00:13:01.149 --> 00:13:03.149 since your mother gave birth to you." 00:13:03.149 --> 00:13:05.149 I asked, "Is it from you, O Messenger of Allah, 00:13:05.149 --> 00:13:08.149 or from Allah, the Almighty and Majestic?" 00:13:08.149 --> 00:13:11.149 He replied, "No, rather it is from Allah." 00:13:11.149 --> 00:13:13.149 I said, "O Messenger of Allah, 00:13:13.149 --> 00:13:17.149 part of my repentance is that I strip myself of all my wealth, 00:13:17.149 --> 00:13:23.149 and give it as charity for the sake of Allah and His Messenger, peace be upon him." 00:13:23.149 --> 00:13:26.149 The Messenger, peace be upon him, said, 00:13:26.149 --> 00:13:29.149 "Keep some of your wealth, O Ka'b, 00:13:29.149 --> 00:13:31.149 for it is better for you." 00:13:31.149 --> 00:13:34.250 I said, "Then I shall keep my share in Khaybar, 00:13:34.250 --> 00:13:36.250 and give the rest as charity." 00:13:36.250 --> 00:13:39.250 Then I said, "O Messenger of Allah, 00:13:39.250 --> 00:13:42.250 Allah has saved me only through truthfulness. 00:13:42.250 --> 00:13:44.250 Part of my repentance 00:13:44.250 --> 00:13:47.250 is that I will not speak anything but the truth as long as I live." 00:13:47.250 --> 00:13:51.340 May Allah be pleased with Ka'b Ibn Malik al-Ansari, 00:13:51.340 --> 00:13:55.340 the poet of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him. 00:13:55.340 --> 00:13:59.340 He defended Islam with his tongue and his pen. 00:13:59.340 --> 00:14:03.340 Allah revealed Qur'an concerning him and his companions, 00:14:03.340 --> 00:14:07.340 which is still recited in the hours of the night and at the ends of the day, 00:14:07.340 --> 00:14:13.340 and will continue to be recited until Allah inherits the earth and those upon it. 00:14:13.340 --> 00:14:20.679 Ka'b Ibn Malik, the poet of the Messenger, peace be upon him, 00:14:20.679 --> 00:14:24.679 and one of the truthful Ansar 00:14:24.679 --> 00:14:26.840 whom Allah forgave, 00:14:26.840 --> 00:14:29.840 and about whom He revealed Qur'an. 00:14:36.100 --> 00:14:38.610 O poetry, be generous 00:14:38.610 --> 00:14:40.610 in their praise, for are they not eternal?