The Honesty of the Companions

The Honesty of the Companions

The conquest of Tabuk is one that happened in a very hot weather. Its location was very far from Medina. So over eighty man has stayed behind. When the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] returned, all these men came to him and apologized with different excuses, except for 3 who were: Sd. Ka'b ibn Malik, Sd. Mararah ibn ar-Rabie al-Amry, and Sd. Helal ibn Omaiya al-Waqify. These men were honest with the Messenger of Allah and said that they did not have excuse for not going out with him. Sd. Ka'b said when he was asked by the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] (what made you stay behind? Did not you bought your ride?) He said: Yes I did, if I was with someone else from this worldly life, I would have seen to avoid his anger with an excuse, and I have an arguing skill. But, by Allah, I knew that if I lied to you today to gain your acceptance, I will be about to gain the anger of Allah. And if I give you an honest talk that may make you upset with me, but I hope to gain the acceptance of Allah with it. By Allah, I did not have any excuse and I was not more with power and ease than I was when I stayed behind you. The Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] said (As for this one, he was honest. So go until Allah judge you).

Those three were honest with the Messenger of Allah because of their good belief in Allah and his Messenger.

After that the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] forbid Muslims to talk to those three, so people avoided them and changed their treating. Sd. Mararah ibn ar-Rabie and Sd. Helal ibn Omaiya accepted that and stayed in their homes crying. As for Sd. Ka'b, he was going out for people and walking through the market and attending the prayers, and no one talked to him. He was to come to the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] and say the Salam to him while he is in his sitting from the prayer, and keeps saying to himself: did he move his lips with returning the Salam ?

When the estrangement of the people became so hard for him, there came someone from Sham who came to Medina and was led to him by the people and gave him a letter from the king of Ghassan. When he read the letter he found "I was told that your friend has left you. Allah has not made you in a home of humiliation or losing. So come to us we would counsel you". Sd. Ka'b said to himself: this is also from the trail. He threw the letter in the kiln. This continued for 40 nights. A messenger came to him from the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] and said to him: the Messenger of Allah orders you to isolate yourself from your wife. Sd. Ka'b said: Do I divorce her or what? He said: No, but you isolate yourself from her and do not approach her. So was the case with the other two. So they told their wives to go to their families until Allah judge this case. The woman of Helal ibn Omaiya came to the Messenger of Allah and said: O, Messenger of Allah, Helal ibn Omaiya is lost sheikh, and has no servant, do you hate it if I served him? he said (No, but he does not touch you). She said: by Allah he does not have any motion to anything. By Allah he is still crying since it started till now.

They stayed for 13 nights more until it was 50 nights altogether since the Prophet [PPBUH] prevented the people from talking to them. Sd. Ka'b said: While I was sitting at the condition that Allah, Almighty, described, and while myself became so narrow for me, and the whole earth, as wide as it is, became so narrow for me, I then heard some voice shouting at the top of Sal'e mountain saying with the loudest voice: O, Ka'b rejoice. So I prostrated myself, and I knew that it is a relief and an indication from the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] that Allah has accepted our repentance when he prayed the dawn prayer. Thus the people came to bring us the good tiding. When the one who brought me the good tiding reached me I took off my two clothes and gave it to him. At that time I did not have anything else, so I borrowed two clothes and wore them and went to the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH]. People received me in groups congratulating me for the repentance. When I said the Salam to the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH], while his face was shining with joy, he said (Be rejoiced with the best day that passed on you ever since your mother gave birth to you). Sd. Ka'b said: Is it from you, o, Messenger of Allah, or from Allah? He said (No, it is from Allah). The Messenger of Allah's face used to shine as a piece of the moon when he was happy. Sd. Ka'b said to the Messenger of Allah: from my repentance is that I come out off my money as an alms for Allah and his Messenger. The Messenegr of Allah [PPBUH] said (keep some of your money, as it is good for you). Sd. Ka'b said: I will keep my share of Kaibar, o, Messenger of Allah. Allah saved me because of the honesty, and I will only say honest talk as long as I lived.

Sd. Ka'b said: Allah revealed to his Messenger [PPBUH] [Allah has accepted the repentance of the Prophet, and the Muhajirin and the Ansar] until He said [and be with the truthful] at-Tawba 117-119. By Allah, I have never been given a better gift since I was guided to Islam than being honest with Messenger of Allah [PPBUH], and not lying to him to parish with the ones who lied. As Allah said to those who lied, in His revelation, the worst thing he said to anyone. He said [They will swear by Allah unto you, when you return unto them, that you may let them be] until He said [Allah verily accepts not wrong-living folk] at-Tawba 117-119. Ka'b said: we were left behind - the three of us – from those who were accepted by the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] when they swore to him, and he paid homage to them and asked for forgiveness to them. But he delayed our matter until Allah judged in it, that is why Allah said [And to the three who were left behind] at-Tawba 118. i.e. Allah was not mentioning our staying behind form the conquest, but leaving us and delaying us from those who swore to him and apologized and accepted from them.

May Allah provide us with the good faith that inherits the honesty and the good intention, Amen.

Written by the Student
Translated by Ahmed
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