THE JOURNEY OF A LIFETIME WITH PROPHET MUHAMMAD THE PROPHET OF ALLAH 070 AFTER TABUK by Khadeijah A. Stephens Copyright © 1984-2012 by Allah.com Muhammad.com Mosque.com Khadeijah A. Stephens Bismillah Ir Rahman Ir Raheem After Tabuk The Excuses Before the Prophet's return from Tabuk, Ka'b had become filled with anxiety and began to invent excuses in his mind so as to escape his displeasure for not having accompanied him to Tabuk. He asked family members what they thought he should say, but in his heart he knew the right thing to do would be to tell the truth. Upon his return the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) went to the Mosque and offered his customary two units of prayer before receiving people. There were about eighty men who had not accompany him and his Companions and one by one they approached the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) to offer their excuse as he sat in the Mosque. The Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) accepted their excuses, renewed their oath of allegiance and supplicated to Allah for their forgiveness, committing to Allah whatever they had in their mind. A Time of Truth When Ka'bs turn came, he was so ashamed that he felt sick inside. He greeted the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) who smiled, but, his displeasure was apparent upon his face. He asked Ka'b to come forward, so he approached and sat down before him, then inquired what had kept him from accompanying them, asking whether perhaps it had been because he had not purchased a ride. The feeling of shame and sickness increased as Ka'b told him that if the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) had been another person he would have attempted to offer a plausible excuse, however, he told him he knew in his heart that if he were to do so, Allah would cause His Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) to be displeased with him over some other matter. So Ka'b told the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi was sallam) of his hope that if he told the truth, even though he knew it would earn his displeasure, that Allah would be merciful toward him. So Ka'b told him that he had absolutely no excuse at all. Upon hearing this the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) said to those present, "This one has told the truth." Then he looked at him and said, "Leave us now until Allah decides your case." Sadly, Ka'b got up and made his way out of the Mosque with his head hanging down in shame and regret. Some of the Salimah tribesmen followed him out of the Mosque saying, "We have never known you to sin like this before!" Others said, "Why didn't you make up an excuse as the others did and ask the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) to supplicate for forgiveness for you?" They kept pestering and rebuking him so much that at one point he was almost about to return and offer an excuse, but his conscience prompted him not to. Ka'b asked if there had been anyone else that had done likewise and offered no excuse. His companions told him that there were two others, Murarah, and Hilal. Ka'b knew these to be good Muslims and that they had been among those who fought at Badr, so he knew he had done the right thing by telling the truth. Soon after, people who had known the three started to avoid them, so that they felt as if they were strangers in a foreign land. Their guilt for disobeying the Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) was to lay heavily upon them, and continued to do so for fifty days. Murarah and Hilal shut themselves away in their homes in misery, weeping bitterly. As for Ka'b, he was younger than the other two and would go to the Mosque to offer his prayer even though everyone avoided him. In Ka'bs anxiousness to receive even the remotest amount of acknowledgement from the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam), he would wait until everyone had left the Mosque after the prayer had ended and then go to greet him. He hoped that perhaps he might see his lips move, indicating a response to his greetings. Sometimes, when he was offering a voluntary prayer, he noticed the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) glance in his direction, but whenever he looked up, the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) looked away from him. A feeling of great pain, loneliness and deep regret accompanied all three. Ka'bs suffering increased still further when, one day, as he passed by the garden of his dearest cousin, Abu Katadhi, he decided to climb over the garden wall to see if he was there. Abu Katadhi was in the garden so Ka’b greeted him, but he did not return the greeting. In desperation, Ka'b said, "Don't you know I love you in the Name of Allah and His Messenger (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam)?" But Abu Katadhi just looked at him and said, "Allah and His Messenger (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) know best." When Ka'b heard this he could not restrain his tears as he wept bitterly and returned home. The Letter from King Ghassan The following day when Ka'b was in the market place, he heard a Bedouin from Syria, who had come to sell some grain, making inquiries about him. The people in the market place directed the Bedouin to him whereupon the person handed him a letter from King Ghassan, the letter read, "We have heard your master has treated you unjustly, Allah has not made you to be humiliated. So come to us and we will treat you in a manner that befits you." Having read the letter, Ka'b thought to himself, this is yet another trial from Allah, so he threw the letter into an oven. From this important communication it is understand that the far away leaders of the major powers of the day were scrutinizing the affairs of the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) and his Companions and knew of his Message. It was only 40 days since Ka’bs confession and during that time news of his predicament had traveled as far as the king, then the letter had been written, and a Bedouin dispatched with it to Medina. The Passage of Forty Days Forty days had now passed without any Revelation being sent down concerning the three, when a messenger from the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) came to Ka’b telling him from now on he must not associate with his wife. Ka'b asked whether Hilal and Murarah had received similar messages and was told they had. He wondered if the message meant he should divorce his wife, so he asked the messenger if that was what it meant, but the messenger told him it did not, so Ka’b told his wife to go and stay with her parents. In the meantime, Hilal's wife had gone to the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) to intercede for her husband. She told him that the only reason she had come was because Hilal was old and incapable of taking care of himself, so the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam), in his mercy, permitted her to stay and look after him. Good News Nine more days of isolation and heaviness of heart were yet to pass and the world seemed to close in upon the three and become narrow. Then, on the morning of the fiftieth day, as Ka'b was sitting by himself he heard a shout ring out from the top of Mount Salalah. He listened hard as the voice cried out, "Ka'b, Malik's son, good news!" Ka'b fell prostrate in gratitude, as he knew that relief had come at last. Only a few moments before, after the Dawn prayer, the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) informed the congregation that Allah, in His Mercy had accepted the repentance of Ka'b and his companions, whereupon several people rushed to bring them the good news. However, in his anxiousness to be the first to convey the good news, a tribesman from the Aslam had raced to the top of the mountain to call to Ka'b before those on horseback had a chance to reach him. Soon after, a man riding a horse arrived and confirmed the good news. Ka'b was so grateful that he gave him all his clothes and had to borrow something to wear to go to greet the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam). On his way to the Mosque people rushed to greet him saying, "Blessed is the acceptance of Allah; Allah has accepted your repentance!" Ka'b went directly to the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) in the Mosque to greet him and with a voice full of happiness the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi was sallam) said, "Be happy with this, the best of days since your mother gave birth to you." Ka'b asked the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam), "O Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam), is this from Allah?" whereupon, the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) whose face shone like a moon as it always did when he was pleased, confirmed that it was so. Ka'b was ecstatic and wished to complete his repentance and wanted to give away everything he owned in charity, but the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) told him to keep a portion of it, so he kept a piece of land in Khaybar. The Revelation conveying the news of the forgiveness of Ka'b and his companions reads: "In the hour of adversity, Allah turned (in mercy) to the Prophet, the Emigrants (of Mecca) and the Supporters (of Medina), who followed him when some of their hearts were about to swerve away. He turned to them, indeed, He is Gentle, the Most Merciful. And to the three who were left behind, until the earth became narrow with all its vastness, and their souls became narrow for them, they knew there was no shelter from Allah except in Him. Then He turned to them (in mercy) so that they might also turn (in repentance). Allah is the Turner, the Most Merciful. Believers, fear Allah and stand with the truthful." Koran 9:117 - 119 Concerning the hypocrites who offered false excuses, Allah sent down the following verses: "When you return to them, they will swear to you by Allah that you might turn aside from them. Let them alone, they are unclean. Gehenna (Hell) shall be their refuge, the recompense for their earnings. They will swear to you in order to please you. But if you will be pleased with them, Allah will not be pleased with the evildoing nation." Koran 9:95 – 96 The Deputation from the Tribe of Fazarah Shortly after the Prophet’s return from Tabuk ten men from the tribe of Fazarah went to see him and embraced Islam. Whilst they were there, they told the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) their land had been stricken by severe drought and their people were suffering. Upon hearing this the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) ascended the pulpit, raised his hands and supplicated to Allah to send rain to that area saying, “O Allah, let it rain and water Your country and animals spreading Your mercy over dead land and restoring life to it. O Allah, send a saving rain which will be comforting, bring forth herbage. Let the rain be beneficial and help to fight the enemy.” The Delegation from Ta'if With the expansion of the Islamic State, the Thakif had become isolated in what they had deemed to be their stronghold of Ta'if. It had become virtually impossible for them to send caravans out to trade as Malik, their former commander at Hunain, together with others would attack their caravans and confiscate their merchandise. Such was their plight they were no longer able to send their flocks to graze outside the city walls as they feared Malik's men would seize them and were also in fear of his threat to put them to death if they were caught and refused to renounce their gods. Inside the walled city, things deteriorated to such an extent it was decided that they would send a deputation to the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) saying they would accept Islam and ask for a guarantee that their kinsmen and flocks would be safe. The Thakif Deputation It was the middle of Ramadan when the deputation reached Medina. A tent was erected for them not far from the Mosque and they were treated with Islamic courtesy and hospitality. No Compromise in Faith and Prayer When they met the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) they presented their proposal to him, however, they added to their original intention permission for the temple to Al-Lat to remain standing for a further three years. When the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) refused their request they bargained for two years, then one, and downwards until they reached one month, but the matter was completely unacceptable to the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam). Having failed at this, they then pleaded with the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) that he should not compel them to destroy their idols, but he refused and when they asked permission not to offer the five obligatory daily prayers, the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) replied, "There is no good in a religion that has no obligatory prayer." Eventually the Thakif accepted the terms and reluctantly agreed to abide by them, and Mughirah, the nephew of Urwah, and Abu Sufyan who was in Mecca at that time, was ordered to return with them and destroy the idol of Al-Lat together with its temple. The Destruction of the Temple of Al-Lat The deputation from Ta'if entered Islam and joined the Muslims in the remaining days of the fast. At the end of Ramadan, Mughirah, together with his tribesmen set out for Ta'if with the deputation. When they reached Mecca, Abu Sufyan joined them and together they proceeded onto Ta'if. Upon reaching Ta'if, Mughirah destroyed the idol of Al-Lat whilst his tribesmen stood guard in readiness to protect him. However, there was no resistance except for the weeping of some women. Abu Aamir and Wahshi Amongst the residents of Ta'if were two men who were not from the tribe of Thakif but had sought refuge with them. One was Hanzalah's father, Abu Aamir, and the other Wahshi, the former Abyssinian slave who had gained his freedom at Badr when he killed Hamza. Wahshi converted to Islam and in the years that followed killed Musailamah who claimed that he was a prophet. Subtle Resistance, The Mosque of Harm As one might suspect, there were among those who newly professed Islam, some who had done so with reluctance. One such person was a man named Dirar who set about building his own mosque to attract those of similar inclination to worship there. To hide his hypocrisy Dirar fabricated the excuse that he had built the Mosque for those too ill or weak to attend the prayers at the Prophet's Mosque and had even gone so far as to invite the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) before he left for Tabuk, to pray there so as to consecrate it to Allah. The Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) declined and upon his return journey from Tabuk he ordered the mosque to be burned down or demolished. Allah speaks of the mosque and hypocrites in the Koran saying: "And there are those who have taken a mosque to cause harm, disbelief, and to divide the believers, and as a place of ambush for those who fought Allah and His Messenger before. They swear, ‘We desired nothing but good’ but Allah bears witness that they are liars. You shall never stand there. A mosque founded upon piety from the first day is worthier for you to stand in. In it are men who love to purify themselves. Allah loves those who purify themselves. Koran 9:107-108 After Tabuk 070 Back Cover Subtitles The Excuses A Time of Truth The Letter from King Ghassan The Passage of Forty Days Good News The Deputation from the Tribe of Fazarah The Delegation from Ta'if The Thakif Deputation No Compromise in Faith and Prayer The Destruction of the Temple of Al-Lat Abu Aamir and Wahshi Subtle Resistance, The Mosque of Harm