Among
the Munafiqin who did not join the Tabuk expedition, there were more than
eighty persons from among the Ansar and an equal number from amongst the
nomadic Arabs and a large number from the out-stations. Not only did they stay
behind themselves, but they induced others to do so saying:
"Go
not forth in the heat."
Allah's
reply to this was:
"Say
the fire of Hell is of more intense heat." From amongst the faithful,
there were only three persons who failed to rally to the Prophet's call. They
were Mura-rah bin Rabi, Hilal bin Umayyah and Ka'ab bin Malik (Radhiyallaho
anhum). Murarah had orchards of dates, laden with fruit. He persuaded himself
to lag behind with the plea:
"I
have taken part in all the campaigns so far. What possible harm would befall
the Muslims, if I miss this one?"
He
feared the loss of his entire crop in his absence, and this prevented him from
going out. But when he realized his folly, he gave away in charity the whole
crop and garden, too, that had caused him to tarry behind the Prophet (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam). Hilal's case was different. Some of his kinsfolk who had been
away for a long time had just returned to Madinah.' It was for the sake of
their company that he did not join the expedition. He also had participated in
all the campaigns previously and thought (like Murarah) that it would not
matter much if he missed just that one campaign. When he came to know of the
seriousness of his default, he made up his mind to sever all his connections
with those relatives who had been the cause of that blunder. Ka'ab himself
gives his account in detail, which is quoted in all books of Hadith. He says:
"I
had never been financially so well off as I was at the time of Tabuk. I had two
dromedaries of my own. I had never possessed this number before. It was a habit
with the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) that he never disclosed the
destination of his expeditions, but he would keep enquiring about the
conditions prevailing elsewhere. But this time in view of the distance, the hot
season, and the strength of the enemy, he had declared his destination, so that
preparations could be made thorough and complete. The number of the participants
was so large that it was difficult to note down their names even, so much so,
that absentees could hardly be detected in the large host. The gardens of
Madinah were full of fruit. I intended every morning to make preparation for
the journey but, somehow or other, the days passed by and I made no progress. I
was satisfied that I had all the necessary means at my disposal and that I
would be ready in no time if I once did decide to do so. I was still in this
state of indecision when I learnt that the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam)
had left with his companions. The idea still lingered in my mind that I would
take a day or two to get ready and overtake the party. This procrastination
continued till the time for the Prophet's arrival in Tabuk drew very near. I
then tried to get ready but again, somehow or other, I did not do so. Now, when
I came to look at the people left behind, I realised that, there was none in
Madinah except those who had been condemned as Munafiqin or had been specially
exempted from going for certain reasons. The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe
wasallam) on reaching Tabuk inquired as well, 'How is it that I do not see
Ka'ab?' Somebody said; 'O, Prophet of Allah: His pride in wealth and ease has
caused him to stay behind.' Ma'az interrupted and said, No, this is wrong. As
far as our knowledge goes, he is a true Muslim.' The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe
wasallam) however, kept quiet."
Ka'ab
(Radhiyallaho anho) says:
"After
a few days I heard the news of the Prophet's return. I was struck with grief
and remorse. Good excuses one after the other entered my mind, and I was sure
that I could escape the Prophet's wrath with one of them for the time being,
and later on I could pray for forgiveness to Allah. I also sought advice of the
wise men of my family in the matter. But when I knew that the Prophet
(Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) had actually arrived, I was convinced that nothing
but the truth would save me; so I decided to speak out the plain truth. It was a
habit with the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) that whenever he returned
from a journey he would repair to the musjid, first of all, say two rakaat
`Tahiyyatul musjid' and then stay there for a while to meet visitors. Now also,
as he sat in the musjid, the Munafiqin came and placed before him on solemn
oaths, their excuses for failing to accompany him on the campaign. He took them
at their words, leaving the rest to Allah. Just then I came and greeted him
with 'salaam'. He turned his face with a sardonic smile. I besought him with
the words: 'O, Prophet of Allah! You turn your face from me. By Allah! I am
neither a Munafiq, nor have I the least doubt in my faith.' He asked me to draw
near and I did so. He then said to me: 'What prevented you from going out? Had
you not purchased the dromedaries? I made a reply: `0, Prophet of Allah: If I
were dealing with a worldly man, I am sure I would escape his displeasure
through (seemingly) reasonable excuses, for Allah has endowed me with the gift
of the gab. But in your case I am sure that .if I appease you with .a false
statement, Allah would be displeased with me. And, on the other hand, I am sure
that if I displease you by confessing the simple truth, then Allah would very
soon blow away your displeasure. I, therefore, make bold to speak the very
truth. By Allah, I had no excuse at all. I had never been so well to do as I
was at that time.' The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) remarked: 'He is
speaking the truth.' He then said to me: 'You go away, Allah will decide about
you. When I left the musjid, many a man of my clan blamed me and admonished me
thus; `Never before you had committed any wrong; if after making some good
excuse for once, you had requested the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) to
pray for your goodness, surely his prayer would have sufficed you.' I inquired
of them if there were any more people like me. They informed me that there were
two other persons viz. Hilal bin Umayyah and Murarah bin Rabi, who also had
admitted their faults like me and received the same reply from the Prophet
(Sallallaho alaihe wasallam). I knew that both of them were very good Muslims
and had participated in the campaign of Badr. The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe
wasallam) issued instructions that none was to speak with the three of us.
It
is a common principle that displeasure is shown where some attachment exists.
and a reprimand is given when there is hope for correction. A reprimand to an
incorrigible person would be a futile effort. Ka'ab (Radhiyallaho anho)
continues:
"Under
the instructions of the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam), the Sahabah
completely boycotted us. Nobody was prepared to mix with or even speak to us.
It seemed as if I was living in a strange land alto-gether. My own birthplace
looked like a foreign locality and my bosom friends behaved like strangers.
'The earth, vast as it is, was straightened' (Al—Qur'an IX: 113) for me. The
thing that worried me most was that, if I died in this condition, the Prophet
(Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) would not lead my funeral prayer, and if the
Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) died in the meantime, I would be doomed
for ever, with none to talk to me and with none to pray at my funeral. The
other two companions of mine confined themselves to their houses. I was the
most daring of the three: I would go to the market, and join the Jamaat for
Salaat, but nobody would talk to me. I would approach the Prophet (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam) and say `Assa-lamo alaikum' and would watch eagerly to see if
his lips moved in reply. After Fardh, I used to complete the Salaat by standing
close to him, and I would look at him from the corner of my eye to learn if he
ever cast a single glance at me. I noticed that when I was engaged in Salaat he
did glance at me, but when I was out of it, he would avert his face from
me."
Ka'ab
(Radhiyallaho anho) continues:
"When
this complete social boycott became too hard for me to bear, I, one day,
climbed up the wall of Qata-dah, my dear cousin, and greeted him with
'Assalamo-alaikum'. He did not return my greetings. I said to him, 'For Allah's
sake, do answer me one question. Do not you know that I love Allah and His
Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam)?' He kept quiet. Again I repeated my
request, but again he would not speak. When I in-quired for the, third time, he
simply said, 'Allah and His Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) know best.' At
this, tears welled out of my eyes and he left me alone."
"Once,
I was passing through a street of Madinah, when I noticed a Coptic Christian,
who had come from Syria to sell his grain, inquiring about Kaab bin Malik. When
people pointed me out to him, he came and made over a letter to me from the
Christian King of Ghassan. Thus it read: 'We have come to know that your master
has ill-treated you. Allah may not keep you in abasement and in disgrace. You
had better come to us. We shall extend all help to you.' When I read this
letter, I uttered "Inna-nillahi-wa-Inna-ilaihi-raaji-oon" To Allah we
belong and to Him is our return; and said; `So my state of affairs (had)
reached such an ebb that even the Kafirs were aspiring to draw me away from
Islam.' I could not imagine a calamity worse than that. I went and threw the
letter into an oven. There-after I presented myself to the Prophet (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam) and exclaimed: 'O, Prophet of Allah! Your indifference towards
me has lowered me to such an extent that even the Kafirs are building up their
hopes over me."
When
forty days had passed in this condition, a messenger of the Prophet (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam) brought me this mandate: 'Be separated from your wife' I
inquired, 'Am I to divorce her?' He replied: 'No, only be separated.' A similar
message was delivered to my other two companions as well. I consequently said
to my wife: `Go to your parents and wait till Allah decides my case.' Hilal's
wife went to the Prophet (Sallal-laho alaihe wasallam) and said; 'O, Prophet of
Allah! Hilal is an old man and there is nobody else to look after him. If I go
away from him, he will perish. If it is not very serious, kindly permit me to
keep attending to him.' The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) replied;
`There is no harm, provided you don't indulge in coha-bitation with each
other.' She remarked! 'O, Prophet of Allah: He has no urge for such a thing;
since the day his ordeal has started, he has been spending his entire time in
weeping."
Ka'ab
(Radhiyallaho anho) says: "It was suggested to me that I might also
request the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) for permission to keep my wife
with me for service, but I said; 'Mal is old, while I am young. I do not know
what reply I shall get and, as such, I have no courage to make the re-quest.'
Another ten days passed and now our ordeal had lasted for a full fifty days. On
the morning of the fiftieth day, when I had said my 'Fajr' prayer and was
sitting on the roof of my house stricken with grief, and the earth had
'straightened' for me and the life had become dismal for me, I heard a crier's
cry from over the top of the mount Sula; 'Happy tidings to you, 0, Kaab.' The
moment I heard this, I fell prostrate on the ground and tears of joy rolled
down my cheeks, as I understood that the ordeal was now over. In fact, the
Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) had announced the Divine forgiveness for
all three of us after the Salaat that morning. At this, a person ran up the top
of the mountain and yelled out the cry that had reached me. Thereafter, a rider
came galloping to deliver the same happy news to me. I gave away as a gift the
clothes, I was wearing, to the messeiger of glad tid-ings. I swear by Allah I
had no other clothes in my pos-session at that time. I dressed up by borrowing
clothes from some friend and went to the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam).
As I entered the musjid, the people in the audience of the Prophet (Sallallaho
alaihe wasal-lam) ran to congratulate me. Abu Talha (Radhiyallaho anho) was the
first to approach me. He shook my hand with a warmth that I shall never forget.
Thereafter I of-fered my salutation to the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe
wasallam). I found his face beaming and radiant like the full moon. This was
usual with him at times of ex-treme joy. I said to him, '0, Prophet of Allah! I
propose to give away in charity all that I possess as thanks for the acceptance
of my Taubah.' He said: 'This will be too much for you. Keep a portion with
you.' I agreed to keep my share of the booty that fell in our hands in the
Khaiber campaign."
He
says:
"It
is the truth that brought me salvation, and as such I am determined to speak nothing
but the truth in future."
The
above story brings out the following salient characteristics of the Muslims of
that time:—
(1)
The importance of striving in the path of Allah. Even the persons who had
hitherto faithfully par-ticipated in every expedition, had to bear the brunt of
the Prophet's (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) anger when they failed to respond to
Allah's call even though for the first time in their lives.
(2)
Their devotion and obedience to the Prophet (Sal-lallaho alaihe wasallam). For
full fifty days the -whole Muslim community, even their nearest and dearest,
would not speak to the three persons, in obedience to the Prophet's (Sallallaho
alaihe wa-sallam) orders. The three persons themselves went most steadfastly
through the ordeal imposed on them.
(3)
Their strong faith. Kaab was so much perturbed when he received the letter from
the Christian King, exciting him against the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe
wasallam). His words and his action at that time are a testimony to the strong
faith in his heart.
Let
us search our hearts and see how much devotion we have in them fc,r the
observance of the duties we owe to Islam. Leaving aside Zakaat and Hajj. which
involve the sacrifice of money, take the case of Salaat alone, which is the
most important pillar of Islam after Imaan. How many of us are particular about
it?
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