Before the Prophet's arrival in Medina, 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. Now that the Prophet (sa) had returned he went to the Mosque and offered his customary two units of prayer before receiving people.

There were about eighty men that had not taken part in the campaign and one by one they approached the Prophet (sa) as he sat in the Mosque to offer their excuses. He 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 (sa) 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, then asked 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 (sa) had been another person he would have attempted to offer a plausible excuse, however, he told him that he knew in his heart that if he were to do so, Allah would cause him to be displeased with him over some other matter. So Ka'b told him 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 (sa) 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 (sa) 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 he did not. 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 that 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 (sa) was to lay heavily upon them, and continue 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 (sa), 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 (sa) glance in his direction, but whenever he looked up, he 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 he 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 (sa)?" But Abu Katadhi just looked at him and said, "Allah and His Messenger (sa) 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 him to Ka'b whereupon he 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.

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 (sa) came to him telling him that from now on he must not associate with his wife. Ka'b asked whether Hilal and Murarah had received similar messages and was told that 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 he told him it did not, so he told his wife to go and stay with her parents. In the meantime, Hilal's wife had gone to the Prophet (sa) 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 (sa), 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 (sa) informed the congregation that Allah, in His Mercy had accepted their repentance, 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 and greet the Prophet (sa). 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 (sa) in the Mosque to greet him and with a voice full of happiness he said, "Be happy with this, the best of days since your mother gave birth to you." Ka'b asked the Prophet (sa), "O Messenger of Allah (sa), is this from Allah?" whereupon, the Prophet (sa) whose face shone like a moon as it always did when he was pleased, confirmed that it was so.

Ka'b was ecstatic and wish to complete his repentance and wanted to give away everything he owned in charity, but the Prophet (sa) told him to keep a portion of it, so he kept a piece of land in Khybar. The Revelation that conveyed 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 above 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)