The Story of Ka'b bin Malik (RA) - Shaykh Mustafa Abu Rayyan

Opening — Khutbah al-Hajah

إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ لِلَّهِ نَحْمَدُهُ وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْهُ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ وَصَفِيُّهُ مِنْ خَلْقِهِ وَخَلِيلُهُ أَرْسَلَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَى النَّاسِ كَافَّةً بَشِيرًا وَنَذِيرًا فَبَلَّغَ الرِّسَالَةَ وَأَدَّى الْأَمَانَةَ وَنَصَحَ الْأُمَّةَ وَتَرَكَنَا عَلَى الْمَحَجَّةِ الْبَيْضَاءِ لَيْلُهَا كَنَهَارِهَا لَا يَزِيغُ عَنْهَا إِلَّا هَالِكٌ فَصَلَوَاتُ اللَّهِ وَسَلَامُهُ عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَأَصْحَابِهِ وَأَتْبَاعِهِ وَمَنِ اهْتَدَى بِهَدْيِهِ وَاسْتَنَّ بِسُنَّتِهِ وَدَعَا بِدَعْوَتِهِ إِلَى يَوْمِ الدِّينِ

I counsel myself and all of you with the taqwa of Allah and with ihsan, for indeed Allah is with those who have taqwa — those who are muhsinoon.

My brothers and sisters, I start by praising Allah Almighty and sending blessings and salutations upon our beloved Messenger Muhammad ﷺ.

The Command to Be with the Truthful

Allah in the Quran commands us many things. And I want to focus on a particular command that Allah gives in Surah Tawbah. Allah says:

O you who believe, have taqwa of Allah. Be conscious of Allah Almighty. Remember that Allah is watching you. Have taqwa, have piety. وَكُونُوا مَعَ الصَّادِقِينَ — And be with the truthful. Be among the truthful, meaning tell yourself the truth as well.

The concept of being a truthful person is something that has been reiterated and emphasized in our religion very often. And the Prophet ﷺ said in a hadith that the one who constantly tells the truth, he will be written as the truthful in the 'illiyyeen. And the one who lies often will be written among the liars.

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 6094; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2607)

But what I want to share with you today is a story. Often the Qur'an gives us context. When Allah revealed this verse, the verse before it is discussing an incident that happened in the seerah of the Prophet ﷺ. And what I want to share with you, although I have limited time, is this particular incident — and that is the story of Ka'b ibn Malik al-Ansari.

Who Was Ka'b ibn Malik?

Ka'b ibn Malik was among the companions of the Prophet ﷺ. He was among the companions from the Ansar, but from the early believers among the Ansar. So he was a believer before even the Prophet migrated to Medina. Ka'b ibn Malik was among the highest regarded companions. He participated in all of the major battles and expeditions with the Prophet ﷺ. And he was someone considered to be among the great companions of the Prophet ﷺ.

This story is one that he tells in the first person, and you can find it in Sahih Muslim and other books as well. And that story is how he didn't participate in a particular battle — it wasn't actually a battle, it was more of an expedition — and this was the Expedition of Tabuk.

The Expedition of Tabuk

Tabuk happened in the ninth year of the hijrah of the Prophet ﷺ. So that was towards the end of the Prophet's life. They were going to go on a campaign to face the Byzantine Empire. And this campaign was the one campaign where the Prophet ﷺ announced it prior, and he ensured that everyone knew they had to go. It was fard 'ayn on every able-bodied man to come. Everyone had to prepare and go, and the Prophet ﷺ gave plenty of time for everyone to prepare and set their affairs in order.

This campaign is also known as Jaysh al-'Usrah — the Difficult Army. Why was it called the Difficult Army? Because there were about 30,000 men going, and many of them didn't have camels or horses, or enough to leave for their families. So it was a difficult situation. The Prophet ﷺ urged the companions: anyone who can give sadaqah for this cause, let him do so.

The story you have all heard — whoever prepares the Jaysh al-'Usrah will go to Jannah — and it was Uthman ibn Affan who gave 900 camels. This is the story where Abu Bakr gave all of his wealth. Where Umar gave half of his wealth. So the companions were all pitching in what they could and helping in any way they could to ensure that they would travel and go with the Prophet ﷺ. Everyone had to go and there was no excuse — except for those who literally could not go: the disabled, the elderly, women and children.

Ka'b's Delay — The Danger of Procrastination

Ka'b ibn Malik mentions that he was in a situation where he was ready to go. He said: I have never been more wealthy in my life than at that time. I had two camels — where some companions didn't have anything to ride on and a bunch of them would share one ride. He said: I had two camels, and I was healthy and wealthy and able and I could go.

He said: I saw the people preparing themselves — the whole city getting ready for this expedition. And I would go to the marketplace and I would see people buying and selling and getting ready, and I would say to myself, 'I have plenty of time,' and I would go back home having done nothing. And he said: The next day I would do the same, until the day of actual travel. He said: I saw everyone leaving and I thought to myself, my camel is fast enough — I can catch up to them.

And he said: I kept on delaying and procrastinating until one day, two days, three days went by. The Prophet had left. The companions had left. And then he said something amazing: I realized that the only people remaining in the city were those who couldn't go — the blind, those who couldn't travel — and the women and children and known hypocrites. So he found himself in the company of people that he shouldn't be in the company of.

The Lesson: Do Not Delay — Avoid Taswīf

The scholars talk about delaying, especially delaying worship. The mentality of "I'm going to pray later." The mentality of "I'm going to make tawbah later." The scholars call this taswīf. And it is among the worst conditions one can have. And anyone who has ever spoken about self-improvement will tell you: don't procrastinate. You've got something to do — do it. Prioritize that which is more important, but do it. Do not delay it. And this is exactly what happened to this noble companion.

When he realized that they had gone too far and he couldn't catch up, he started worrying. So now we know: Ka'b ibn Malik didn't go. And it was fard 'ayn — he had to go, and he didn't go. He had no excuse. He had enough wealth. He had two camels to ride. He should have been in the front line. He also mentioned in this qissa that this was not the norm for him — he was someone who had participated in many battles and helped the Prophet ﷺ. He was a great and noble companion. That also shows you that although you can have many virtues, sometimes you can make a big mistake.

The Prophet ﷺ at Tabuk

The Prophet ﷺ and the companions camped at Tabuk — there was no battle. Some scholars say they stayed about a month, others say less. The Prophet ﷺ, out of the 30,000 men with him, realized that Ka'b was not among them. And he asked: Where is Ka'b al-Malik? One man from his tribesmen — his name was not mentioned — said: Probably his fine clothing and his luxuries have delayed him. He implied that Ka'b was too comfortable for the Prophet's company.

But Mu'adh ibn Jabal came to his defense and said: Ya Rasulallah, I don't think that is the case. I know Ka'b al-Malik, and he is one who loves Allah and His Messenger. And we know who Mu'adh ibn Jabal is — another great companion of the Prophet ﷺ. He came in defense of his brother Ka'b ibn Malik. Yes, Ka'b ibn Malik made a mistake, but the way the other man spoke about him was unbefitting, and Mu'adh came to his defense.

What does the Prophet ﷺ say about those who defend their Muslim brother or sister in their absence? That Allah will defend them on the Day of Judgment. So if you ever find yourself in a situation where someone is being bad-mouthed or spoken about in a wrong way and you can defend them, do so — for don't you want Allah to defend you on the Day of Judgment?

Abu Khaythamah — The Man Who Caught Up

Among the incidents that happened during Tabuk: the Prophet ﷺ saw a man approaching from far away — someone galloping towards them. No one could tell who it was. But the Prophet ﷺ said: It should be Abu Khaythamah. And lo and behold, when he arrived, it was the companion known as Abu Khaythamah.

What is interesting is that during the preparation, Abu Khaythamah had only brought a handful of dates — that was all he had. He said: Ya Rasulallah, this is all I have. Give it to someone. And the hypocrites laughed at him. They said: Allah doesn't need your dates. So the hypocrites would criticize those who gave a little, and when Uthman ibn Affan and the great companions gave a lot, they would say: Look at these people showing off. They would criticize everyone. Among the traits of the munafiqeen is that they criticize. Yet Abu Khaythamah — who had almost nothing — managed to come and join the Prophet ﷺ.

Ka'b's Moment of Truth

The Prophet ﷺ returned to Medina. And when he returned, Ka'b ibn Malik was worried — What am I going to say to the Prophet ﷺ? What is my excuse? I have no excuse.

When the Prophet ﷺ came back to Medina, the first thing he would do was go to the masjid. He would pray two rak'at, then go home. But this time, after he prayed, he sat down in the masjid. And the men who had stayed behind from the hypocrites — around 80 of them — all lined up to come to the Prophet ﷺ to give one excuse or another. And the Prophet ﷺ would accept the excuse and say: May Allah forgive you.

Now Ka'b ibn Malik was wondering: What shall I do? Some of his tribesmen and family members said: Just do what everyone else is doing. Make an excuse and the Prophet will make du'a for you and that's it. But that didn't sit right with Ka'b, because he had no excuse other than his own delay.

So he said: I sat in front of the Prophet ﷺ and looked at him, and the Prophet ﷺ smiled at me — but I could tell he was angry. And he said: 'Ka'b, what happened to you?' And then I realized that I could not make up an excuse. I had to tell the truth.

And he said: Ya Rasulallah, I was able, I was ready, I had every means to go. I don't know why, but I didn't go. Then the Prophet ﷺ looked at him and said:

"As for this one — he has told the truth."

Meaning: many of those who gave excuses had lied. And the Prophet ﷺ said to Ka'b: Just go — until Allah reveals your matter.

People began saying to him: Ka'b, what is wrong with you? Why didn't you just do what everyone else did? And they said it so often that he felt like retracting his statement and making an excuse. But then he asked a very important question: Was there anyone else who told the truth to the Prophet ﷺ? And he was told: Yes — it was Hilal ibn Umayyah and Murarah ibn al-Rabi'. Two great companions who had participated in Badr. He said: As long as they are also telling the truth, then I am in good company. So he stuck with his decision — no excuse, no lie. He told the truth.

Fifty Days of Isolation

Then the Prophet ﷺ declared a verdict: as for those three — Ka'b and the other two companions — no one in the city was allowed to speak to them. Not even as-salamu 'alaykum. They were put into complete social isolation.

They would go out and no one would look at them. How long did this last? Forty straight days. The other two companions isolated themselves in their homes and wouldn't even come out. But Ka'b said: I would come to the masjid for the jama'ah and no one would say anything to me. And I would look at the Prophet ﷺ and I couldn't even tell whether he returned my salaam or not.

And he said it became very difficult. No one acknowledging you. That is something many of us cannot imagine — going through your whole day with no one saying hello, no conversation, no one speaking to you.

When the forty days were past, the Prophet ﷺ said: even your wives have to leave you. Ka'b asked: Does that mean I have to divorce her? He said: No — but she cannot be with you. The other two companions — one of their wives said: He needs my help; we have no servant at home, so can I stay with him? The Prophet ﷺ said: Yes, but you cannot be intimate with each other.

This was the discipline they were undergoing for staying behind when they were obligated to go. And it became extremely difficult. Ka'b says: I reached a stage where my heart became compressed and I felt like the earth had become constricted and I didn't know where to go. And I realized there was nowhere to run except to Allah.

The Quranic Verse Revealed About Them

And Allah speaks about it in the Qur'an:

"And [He also forgave] the three who were left behind, until the earth, despite its vastness, became constricted for them, and their souls became constricted for them, and they were certain that there was no refuge from Allah except in Him. Then He turned to them in mercy so that they could repent. Indeed, Allah is the Accepting of Repentance, the Merciful."

This ayah was revealed — but Ka'b did not yet know it had been revealed. When it came down, the Prophet ﷺ told Umm Salamah that Ka'b had been forgiven. She asked: Ya Rasulallah, should we send a rider to let him know? The Prophet ﷺ said: Let us wait until Fajr.

The Glad Tidings — After Fifty Days

While Ka'b was praying Fajr, he heard someone screaming:

Glad tidings, O Ka'b ibn Malik — you have been forgiven!

After fifty days, the verses were revealed showing that they had been forgiven and their repentance had been accepted. Ka'b ibn Malik mentions that one man was riding toward him, but he said: His voice came to me faster than his galloping horse. And he told me glad tidings — you have been forgiven.

And immediately — what did he do? He went into sujood. He prostrated to Allah and thanked Him. Then he rushed to the masjid.

When he entered the masjid, people were congratulating him. He said: I walked into the masjid and I looked at the Prophet ﷺ — and his face was bright and he was smiling. And among the people sitting with the Prophet ﷺ was Talhah ibn 'Ubaydillah — and he was the only one who stood up, came to Ka'b, and greeted him with salam. Ka'b said: From that day on I saw him differently from those who did not get up — because he actually came to me.

Then he went to the Prophet ﷺ and the Prophet said to him: O Ka'b, this is the best day of your life. Rejoice — for this is the best day of your life since the day you were born. The day that Allah accepted his repentance.

And his story is mentioned in the Qur'an, and it will be read until the Last Day — it is in Surah Tawbah.

The Resolution — Truth as a Way of Life

Then Ka'b ibn Malik said: Ya Rasulallah, part of my tawbah will be that I will never lie, and I will always tell the truth. And he asked: Ya Rasulallah, did Allah save me because of the truth? Yes. And this is why, after this verse — when Allah mentions those three — Allah follows it with the very same verse mentioned at the beginning of this khutbah:

O you who believe, fear Allah — and be among the truthful.

Lessons and Conclusion

Ikhwanifillah, the moral of the story is to be truthful wherever you are. Even if it is sometimes difficult — tell the truth. And Allah will reward you. The moral of the story is that we should always repent from our sins, and to never give up hope. The moral of the story is to never delay and engage in taswīf — as Ka'b did. And there are so many lessons we can take from this story, ikhwanifillah. But the main one I want you to take with you is: be among the truthful. Tell the truth. And teach your children to tell the truth.

Closing Du'a

O Allah, do not disperse this gathering of ours except with sins forgiven, efforts appreciated, and deeds accepted and blessed. O Allah, make faith beloved to us and beautify it in our hearts, and make disbelief, wickedness, and disobedience hateful to us, and make us from the rightly guided. O Allah, send Your blessings and peace upon our master Muhammad and upon his family and all his companions. And the last of our prayers is: All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all the worlds.