Ka'b ibn Malik, One of the three who stayed behind

Companion

CompanionOne of the three who stayed behind

Ka'b ibn Malikكعب بن مالك

Approximate dateMadinah

A poet who stayed behind from Tabuk without excuse, told the truth, and was forgiven by Allah.

When the army left for Tabuk, Ka'b kept delaying until it was too late. On the Prophet's return the hypocrites made excuses, but Ka'b admitted he had none. For fifty days no Muslim spoke to him. Then Allah revealed that the three who stayed behind were forgiven, and Ka'b gave away part of his wealth in thanks.

What does the Quran say?

And [He also forgave] the three who were left behind [and regretted their error] to the point that the earth closed in on them in spite of its vastness and their souls confined them and they were certain that there is no refuge from Allah except in Him. Then He turned to them so they could repent. Indeed, Allah is the Accepting of repentance, the Merciful.

Quran 9:118

What does the hadith say?

The lesson

Truthfulness saved him where excuses would not.

Source: the Quran · Wikipedia

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