Sirah Transcript by Yasir Qadhi > The Physical Appearance of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ

We have many narrations that describe the physical features of our Prophet ﷺ. It is reported in al-Tabarani's (الطبراني) al-Mu'jam al-Kabir (المعجم الكبير) and Bukhari's Kitab al-Manaqib (كتاب المناقب) that once, a son of an old sahabiyya (صحابية - female Companion) asked his mother al-Rubayyi' bint Muawwidh (الربيع بنت معوذ) after the Prophet ﷺ had passed away, "What was the Prophet ﷺ like?" She said, "O my dear son, if you were to have seen him, you would have thought that the sun had risen up." It is amazing that she described him as a sun, and another sahabi Kaab b. Malik (كعب بن مالك) described him as a moon. Kaab said, "Whenever the Prophet ﷺ was happy, his face would light up as if it was the full moon." It is beautiful that the sahaba are describing the Prophet ﷺ with what they know to be the most beautiful.

Sirah Transcript by Yasir Qadhi > The Second Covenant of Aqaba

Kaab b. Malik (كعب بن مالك), the one whom Allah revealed his tawba in the Qur'an [9:118] in 9 AH, also witnessed this treaty, and he said, "When we went for Hajj, we hid our Islam from our pagan relatives. And we all agreed to meet at a particular place (the valley behind Aqaba) in the last third of the night. And we snuck out of our tents at nighttime, one by one, so as not to arouse suspicion (among the Khazraj), to meet with the Prophet ﷺ. And we waited for him. And eventually he came with his uncle al-Abbas, even though al-Abbas was still upon the religion of his people." Interesting. Abbas is coming even though he is still a pagan at this time.

Sirah Transcript by Yasir Qadhi > Ahl al-Suffa

By the way, Abu Hurairah was not poor; he was from what we would call a middle-class family. We know this because eventually, his mother who was in Yemen, when she moved in to Madinah, she purchased a house there! But Abu Hurairah stayed in the Suffa. Why? Because not only was it a shelter, it became the first university of Islam. Because the Prophet ﷺ is in his masjid at all times, so Abu Hurairah stuck to the masjid to be with the Prophet ﷺ at all times and learn from him as much as he could. (Tangent: some of the Sufi groups say the term 'Sufi' comes from Suffa - but this is not true.) Abu Hurairah at this time gave up an easy life for the sake of knowledge. Note, even some of the Ansar moved into the Shelter. Hanzala (حنظلة), who was the one washed by the angels, also did so. Kaab b. Malik (كعب بن مالك) is also a member of the Suffa. This shows us that the Suffa isn't a freeloading shelter - it is primarily a place of learning. It's just too good - the Prophet ﷺ is always there. Some of the Ansar therefore left their houses and moved into the Suffa. And also the Muhajirun: Abu Dhar al-Ghifari, Suhayb al-Rumi, Bilal b. Rabah, Abdullah b. Mas'ud, they moved in to the Suffa.

Sirah Transcript by Yasir Qadhi > Kaab b Malik RA Found the Prophet ﷺ

Kaab b. Malik RA Found the Prophet ﷺ

By now the rumor began spreading that the Prophet ﷺ had passed away, and yet still the sahaba are frantically searching, "Perhaps we will find him!" One of the first to recognize the Prophet ﷺ was Kaab b. Malik (كعب بن مالك) RA - he recognized him by his eyes, the piercing and brightness of them. And he shouted, "O Muslims, rejoice! For the Prophet ﷺ is alive!" But the Prophet ﷺ told him to remain quiet, as it is not the smartest thing to let everyone know your whereabouts right now. So Kaab handed the Prophet ﷺ his own armor so the people would not recognize him, and he wore the Prophet's ﷺ armor so the people would think he is the Prophet ﷺ and target him. And it's said by the end of the battle, he had over 10 stabs/wounds.

Sirah Transcript by Yasir Qadhi > 088 - Battle of Tabuk 2

Today we will discuss one of the most popular stories of the Sirah, and that is the story of Kaab b. Malik and what happened to him during the Battle of Tabuk. It's truly a lesson for each and every one of us about how to make up for sins we have committed. Obviously, it's a story that has been heard by many, but every time you read it and refresh your memory, it still hits you. It's such a soft and beautiful story, so one never gets tired of reading it. Therefore today, we will spend the whole lecture on this story (and possibly half of the next lecture too).

Sirah Transcript by Yasir Qadhi > Who is Kaab b Malik RA

Who is Kaab b. Malik RA?

Sirah Transcript by Yasir Qadhi > The Story of Kaab b Malik RA

The Story of [[Kaab b. Malik]] RA

Ibn Shihab reported that Abd al-Rahman b. Abdillah b. Kaab b. Malik (عبد الرحمن بن عبد الله بن كعب بن مالك) informed him that Abdullah b. Kaab, who served as the guide of Kaab b. Malik as he became blind, he heard Kaab b. Malik narrate the story of his remaining behind the Prophet ﷺ from the Expedition of Tabuk. Kaab b. Malik said:

"I also set out in the morning so that I should make preparations along with them, but I would come back and did not do anything and said to myself: 'I can do that when I want to.' And I went on doing this (postponing my preparations) until people were about to depart and it was in the morning that the Prophet ﷺ set out and the Muslims too along with him, but I made no preparations. I went early in the morning and came back, but I made no decision. I continued to do so until they (the Muslims) hastened and covered a good deal of distance. And I thought of riding and catching up with them. I wish I had done that, but perhaps it was not destined for me. After the departure of the Prophet ﷺ, as I went out amongst people, I was shocked to find that I did not find anyone like me except people who were labeled as hypocrites or the people whom Allah granted exemption because of their incapacity. And the Prophet ﷺ took no notice of me until he had reached Tabuk. (And one day, as he ﷺ was sitting amongst the people in Tabuk,) he said: 'What has happened to Kaab b. Malik?' A man from Banu Salama said: 'Ya Rasulullah, the (beauty) of his cloak and his appreciation of his properties have allured him and he was thus detained.' Muadh b. Jabal said: 'What a bad thing you have said! Ya Rasulullah, by Allah, we know nothing but good about him (Kaab).' The Prophet ﷺ, however, kept quiet. It was during that time that he (ﷺ) saw a person (in the distance), dressed in white, breaking the mirage. Thereupon the Prophet ﷺ said: 'May he be Abu Khaythama,' and, lo, it was Abu Khaythama al-Ansari (أبو خيثمة الأنصاري) and he was that person who gave a sa' (صاع - basically 1 kg or so) of dates (in charity) and was scoffed at by the hypocrites." Kaab b. Malik (further) said: "When the news reached me that the Prophet ﷺ was on his way back from Tabuk, I was greatly perturbed. I thought of fabricating false stories and asked myself how I would save myself from his anger on the following day. In this regard, I sought the help/advice of every prudent man from amongst my people, but when it was said to me that the Prophet ﷺ was about to arrive, all the false ideas disappeared (from my mind) and I came to the conclusion that nothing could save me but the telling of truth, so I decided to speak the truth and it was in the morning that the Prophet ﷺ arrived (in Madinah). And it was his habit that as he came back from a journey, he first went to the mosque and observed two rak'at of nafl prayer (as a mark of gratitude) and then sat amongst people. And as he did that, those who had remained behind him began to put forward their excuses and take an oath before him and they were more than eighty people. The Prophet ﷺ accepted their excuses on the face of them and accepted their allegiance and sought forgiveness for them and left their secrets (intentions) to Allah. Then I presented myself to him. I greeted him and he smiled and there was a tinge of anger in that. He (ﷺ) said to me: 'Come forward.' I went forward until I sat in front of him. He said to me: 'What kept you behind? Had you not purchased a mount?' I said: 'Ya Rasulullah, by Allah, if I were sitting in front of any other person from this whole world, I would have been able to wiggle my way out in front of him and save myself from his anger on one pretext. And I have been bestowed the power of speaking fluently and eloquently, but, by Allah, I am fully aware of the fact that if I were to put forward before you a false excuse to please you today, Allah would definitely (expose me and) provoke your wrath upon me (in the near future); and if I speak the truth (today), though you will get angry because of it, I hope that Allah would make its end well, and, by Allah, there is no valid excuse for me. By Allah, I had never been stronger or wealthier than I was when I remained behind you (failed to join the expedition).' Thereupon, the Prophet ﷺ said: 'As for this man, he has spoken the truth. Get up (and leave) until Allah gives a decision in your case.' So I left, and some people of Banu Salama followed me, and they said to me: 'By Allah, we never saw you committing a sin prior to this. You, however, failed to offer an excuse to the Prophet ﷺ as the others who did not join him have offered. The du'a of the Prophet ﷺ to Allah to forgive you would have been sufficient for you.' By Allah, they continued to incite me until I thought of going back to the Prophet ﷺ and contradict myself. Then I said to them: 'Has anyone else also met the same fate (as me)?' They said: 'Yes, two people have met the same fate as has fallen to you and they have made the same statement as you have made, and the same verdict has been delivered in their case as it has been delivered in your case.' I said: 'Who are they?' They said: 'Murara b. al-Rabi' al-Amri (مرارة بن الربيع العمري) and Hilal b. Umayyah al-Waqifi (هلال بن أمية الواقفي).' They made a mention of these two pious people to me who had participated in the Battle of Badr and there was an example for me in them. So I did not change my mind when they mentioned these two people to me. The Prophet ﷺ forbade all the Muslims to talk with three of us from amongst those who had stayed behind him. So we kept away from the people, and the people's attitude towards us changed so much that it appeared to me that I am a foreigner in my own land. We spent fifty nights in this state and my two friends confined themselves within their houses and spent (most of the) time in weeping, but as I was young and strong amongst them, I got out (of my house), participated in congregational prayers, roam about in the marketplaces; but none spoke to me. I came to the Prophet ﷺ as he sat (amongst people) after the prayer, greeted him, and asked myself whether his lips stirred in response to my greetings (or not). Then I observed prayer close to him and looked at him with stealing glances; and when I focused on my prayer, he would look at me, but when I cast a glance at him, he would turn his face away from me. And when the harsh treatment of the Muslims towards me lasted long, I walked until I climbed the wall of the garden of Abu Qatada, and he was my cousin, and I had the greatest love for him. I greeted him but, by Allah, he did not respond to my greetings. I said to him: 'O Abu Qatada, I adjure you by Allah! Aren't you well aware of the fact that I love Allah and His Messenger ﷺ?' But he kept quiet. So I adjured him again. But he kept quiet. I again adjured him, whereupon he said: 'Allah and His Messenger know it better.' My eyes began to shed tears and I turned away and climbed back over the wall. And as I was walking in the marketplace of Madinah, I saw a Nabataean from amongst the Nabataeans of al-Sham, who had come to sell foodgrains in Madinah, saying, 'Who will show me where Kaab b. Malik is?' The people started to point me out to him, and he came to me and gave me a letter from the King of Ghassan, and as I was a scribe (i.e., I was literate), I read that letter and it was written like this: 'Amma ba'd (أما بعد - to proceed); it has been conveyed to us that your friend (the Prophet ﷺ) has treated you harshly, and Allah would not allow you to live at a place where you are inferior and your rights are lost, so join us and we will console you.' As I read that letter, I said (to myself): 'This is also a sort of a test,' so I burned it in the oven. When out of the fifty days, forty days had passed and the Prophet ﷺ received no revelation, there came the messenger of the Prophet ﷺ to me and said: 'Verily, the Prophet ﷺ has commanded you to remain separate from your wife.' I said: 'Should I divorce her or what should I do?' He said: 'No, but only remain separate from her and do not come near her.' And the same message was sent to my companions. I said to my wife: 'You better go to your parents and stay there with them until Allah gives the decision in my case.' The wife of Hilal b. Umayyah came to the Prophet ﷺ and said: 'Ya Rasulullah, Hilal b. Umayyah is an old man with no servant. Do you disapprove of my serving him?' He said: 'No, but he should not come near you.' She said: 'By Allah, he has no such desire. By Allah, he spends his time in weeping from that day (his case began) until today.' Some of the members of my family said to me: 'Will you also seek permission from the Prophet ﷺ in regards to your wife? For he has granted permission to the wife of Hilal b. Umayyah to serve him.' I said: 'I will not ask the permission of the Prophet ﷺ regarding her, for I do not know what the Prophet ﷺ would say if I asked him to permit her (to serve me) while I am a young man.' It was in this state I spent ten more nights, and thus fifty nights was completed starting from the time when the people were prohibited from talking to us. Then I prayed Fajr on the morning of the fiftieth night on the roof of one of our houses, and while I was sitting in the manner that Allah AWJ described us (in Quran, 9:118) —i.e., my very soul seemed straitened to me and even the earth seemed narrow to me despite its vastness— there I heard the voice of one who had ascended Sal'/Sala' (سَلْع - Mount Sela) saying at the top of his voice: 'O Kaab b. Malik, there is glad tidings for you!' I fell into prostration realizing that relief has come. The Prophet ﷺ had informed the people of the acceptance of our repentance by Allah as he offered the Fajr prayer. So the people went on to give us glad tidings and some of them went to my friends in order to give them the glad tidings; one man came to me galloping on his horse, and another man from the tribe of Aslam (أسلم) came rushing to me and he stood up on top of the mountain and shouted. The man's voice was swifter than the horse. When the one whose voice I heard giving me the glad tidings came to me, I took off my garments and dressed him with them because of his bringing good news to me, and, by Allah, I owned no other garments than them on that day. Then I borrowed two garments, and dressed myself in them, and I set out to go to the Prophet ﷺ, and on my way, the people started receiving me in batches, congratulating me on Allah's acceptance of my repentance, saying, 'We congratulate you on Allah's acceptance of your repentance!' (I moved on) until I came to the mosque and the Prophet ﷺ had been sitting there amongst people. Talha b. Ubaydillah got up and rushed towards me and he shook hands with me and congratulated me, and, by Allah, no person stood up (to congratulate me) from amongst the Muhajirun except him." (The sub-narrator said) Kaab said that he never forgot (this good gesture of) Talha. Kaab (further) said: "When I greeted the Prophet ﷺ, his face became bright with joy, and he said: 'Be happy and rejoice, for this is the best day you have ever had since the day your mother gave birth to you!' I said: 'Ya Rasulullah, is this acceptance of repentance from you or from Allah?' He said: 'No, (it is not from me), it is from Allah,' and it was common with the Prophet ﷺ that as he was happy, his face brightened up and it looked like a part of the moon and it was from this that we recognized it (his delight). As I sat before him, I said: 'Ya Rasulullah, as part of my repentance, I will give up (all) my wealth as sadaqa for the sake of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ.' Thereupon, the Prophet ﷺ said: 'Keep some property with you as it is better for you.' I said: 'I shall keep with me that part (of my property) which fell to my lot on (the occasion of the Expedition of) Khaybar.' I said: 'Ya Rasulullah, Allah saved me because I spoke the truth; so as part of my repentance, I shall speak nothing but the truth so long as I live.'" Kaab said (to the sub-narrator): "By Allah, I do not know of anyone amongst the Muslims whom Allah tested with truthfulness in speech —from the time I said that (promise) to the Prophet ﷺ until today— more than me; (but) by Allah, I have not intentionally told a lie from the time I said that to the Prophet ﷺ until today, and I hope that Allah will save me for the rest of my life. And Allah AWJ revealed these verses: 'Allah has certainly turned in mercy to the Prophet as well as the Muhajirun and the Ansar who stood by him in the time of difficulty (i.e., the Expedition of Tabuk), after the hearts of a group of them had almost faltered. He then accepted their repentance. Surely He is Ever Gracious and Most Merciful to them. And [Allah has also turned in mercy to] the three who were left behind, [whose guilt distressed them] until the earth, despite its vastness, seemed to close in on them, and their souls were torn in anguish.' And this revelation reached up to the (words): 'O  believers! Be mindful of Allah and be with the truthful' [9:117-119]." Kaab said: "By Allah, since Allah directed me to Islam, there has been no blessing more significant for me than this truth of mine which I spoke to the Prophet ﷺ, and if I were to tell a lie, I would have been ruined as were ruined those who told lies; for in regards to those who told lies, Allah used harshest words used for anyone as He descended revelation (and the words of Allah are): 'When you return, they will swear to you by Allah so that you may leave them alone. So leave them alone—they are truly evil. Hell will be their home as a reward for what they have committed. They will swear to you in order to please you. And even if you are pleased with them, Allah will never be pleased with the fasiqs' [9:95-96]." Kaab said: "The matter of us three was deferred as compared with those who took an oath in the presence of the Prophet ﷺ, and he accepted their allegiance and sought forgiveness for them. The Prophet ﷺ deferred our case until Allah decided concerning it. [And it was Allah AWJ who gave decisions in our case]. Hence, Allah said, 'And [Allah has also turned in mercy to] the three who were left behind'; and this (phrase, 'the three who were left behind') does not mean that we remained back from the expedition (even though we did remain back; but) rather, this implies that he (ﷺ) kept our matter behind those who swore an oath and apologized to him, from whom he accepted that."

Sirah Transcript by Yasir Qadhi > The Story of Kaab b Malik RA With Sh YQ s Commentary

The Story of Kaab b. Malik RA (With Sh. YQ's Commentary)

Abdullah b. Kaab b. Malik, one of Kaab's sons who became his guide when he became blind later on in life, said, "I heard my father narrate the story of the Ghazwa of Tabuk that he failed to take part in. He said: 'I never remained behind in any ghazwa the Prophet ﷺ fought, except Ghazwat Tabuk and Ghazwat Badr. But as for Badr, nobody criticized anyone for not participating because it was not meant to be a war; it was just a search for the caravans of the Quraysh, and then the Muslims met their enemy' [see Quran, 8:7]." So Kaab begins by saying he never remained behind in any ghazwa except Tabuk and Badr, and he says as for Badr, nobody was criticized for remaining behind because it was not a fight in the beginning, rather, it was simply a raid of the caravan of Abu Sufyan [see episodes 35 & 36]. And then he said, "I witnessed the night of the Bay'at al-Aqaba with the Prophet of Allah when we pledged our Islam; and to me, that is more precious than Badr, and I would not substitute that for Badr even though Badr is more popular amongst the people than the Bay'at al-Aqaba."

One of the most profound points here really is the issue of tawhid; of the maqam-Allah vs. maqam-nabi-ﷺ. Clearly we have this here. And this distinction is especially essential when we look at certain groups out there and the way they view huquq-Allah vs. huquq-nabi-ﷺ (huquq/حقوق = rights); especially the Sufi and Barelvi groups. Here we have Kaab b. Malik. And what is he saying to the Prophet ﷺ? He says, "Ya Rasulullah, if I were to tell you a lie today to please you, Allah would expose me and make you angry at me tomorrow. But if I tell you the truth, even though you might be angry at me today, I can hope that Allah will forgive me." Clearly Kaab understands the kalimah, "La ilaha illaLlah, Muhammad-ur-Rasulullah," that it is Allah's pleasure he needs to seek; that even if he manages to convince the Prophet ﷺ, Allah is not going to be happy with him if he lies. But if he is truthful and repentant to Allah, Allah will forgive him eventually. Imagine that. And subhan'Allah, these days so many groups have reversed the order, and they quite literally say the Prophet ﷺ is in charge of who goes to Jannah and Jahannam; and they give him ﷺ so many powers and whatnot — but this is not from our religion. No doubt, the Prophet ﷺ is the greatest human being; but he is not divine. We don't worship him; we worship his Creator and Sender. Kaab understands this point, and he summarizes tawhid in this small incident.

Then Kaab said that in the last few days when he was walking in the marketplace, "I saw a Nabati (نبطي - Nabataean/Christian from up north) from the Nabatis of al-Sham who had come down to Madinah to sell his grain. And the Nabati was asking around as he's selling the grain, 'Who can tell me where is Kaab b. Malik?' And the people pointed, 'That is Kaab b. Malik,' so he came to me, and he said, 'I have a letter for you from the King of Ghassan.'" Recall the Battle of Tabuk was against the Ghassanids, and the Prophet ﷺ has just come back from trying to fight them (but he didn't, because they fled). And this narration from Kaab clearly shows that they have spies in Madinah, and they are reporting what is going on. And of the reports is that, "One of the elites of the Ansar has been abandoned." So within the 50 days, the spies go back and report, and the king sends a letter to Kaab.

And the letter says, "Amma ba'd (to proceed). I have been informed that your friend (the Prophet ﷺ) has treated you coldly. And Allah would not allow you to live in a place where you are inferior and your rights are lost. Join us and we will console you and make you happy." Now why would the King of Ghassan want to reach out to Kaab b. Malik? For many reasons: (i) To break the ranks and brotherhood of the Muslims. (ii) It's a matter of pride, that, 'I have one of yours.' (iii) To learn the inner mechanisms and dynamics of the Muslims, i.e., source of information. America, Russia, and so many countries do this all the time. You want to have the informants and the confidants come over. It's about prestige and inflicting wound. Indeed how embarrassing is it when an ambassador of a country defects over. So the King of the Ghassanids wants this elite sahabi. So he sends him an offer.

Then some of the women of Kaab's extended family came to Kaab and said, "Why don't you as well go and get permission?" But Kaab said, "What am I going to say as an excuse in front of the Prophet ﷺ? I am the youngest of them. No, I am not going to do that." So Kaab b. Malik refused to do this. And then a further ten days went by. And we will have to stop right here at the cliffhanger.

Sirah Transcript by Yasir Qadhi > 089 - Story of Kaab b Malik

089 - Story of Kaab b. Malik

Sirah Transcript by Yasir Qadhi > Cont The Story of Kaab b Malik RA With Sh YQ s Commentary

(Cont.) The Story of Kaab b. Malik RA (With Sh. YQ's Commentary)

We continue the story of Kaab b. Malik from episode 88. As we said, he was one of the three people who were honest enough to say, "Ya Rasulullah, I swear by Allah, I have no excuse." Then the Prophet ﷺ told the people of Madinah the three should be boycotted. 40 days went by and the command came that they should remain separate from their wives, so their wives were sent to their parents' house, except for Hilal's wife, she asked the Prophet ﷺ, "Ya Rasulullah, Hilal b. Umayyah is an old man with no servant. Do you disapprove of my serving him?" and the Prophet ﷺ said, "No, but he should not come near you," so she remained. Some of the members of Kaab's family said to Kaab, "Will you also seek permission from the Prophet ﷺ in regards to your wife?" but Kaab said, "I will not ask the permission of the Prophet ﷺ regarding her, for I do not know what the Prophet ﷺ would say if I asked him to permit her (to serve me) while I am a young man."

He continued: "It was in this state I spent ten more nights, and thus fifty nights was completed starting from the time when the people were prohibited from talking to us. Then I prayed Fajr on the morning of the fiftieth night on the roof of one of our houses, and while I was sitting in the manner that Allah AWJ described us (in Quran, 9:118) —i.e., my soul seemed straitened to me, and even the earth seemed narrow to me despite its vastness— there I heard the voice of somebody who had gone to the top of Jabal al-Sela (the mountain you see when you exit the Masjid al-Nabawi) crying out at the top of his voice, 'Ya Kaab b. Malik, be happy!' As soon as I heard this, I fell down in sajdah realizing Allah's help had come"—after Salat al-Fajr, the Prophet ﷺ announced to the people that Allah had forgiven Kaab, Murara, and Hilal.

Sirah Transcript by Yasir Qadhi > More About Kaab b Malik RA

More About Kaab b. Malik RA

Kaab was amongst the 2-3 most famous poets of Madinah. Hassan b. Thabit, his poetry is more famous to us because he specialized in a genre of poetry we are more comfortable/happy with, i.e., attacking the Quraysh; but Kaab b. Malik's poetry was not of the attacking type, his genre was of enticing the Muslims to be more brave and steadfast in the battlefield. And he is amongst the same group of elite poets as Hassan b. Thabit.

Also, recall Kaab b. Malik was the one who substituted his armor for the armor of the Prophet ﷺ in the Battle of Uhud so the enemy would think he is the Prophet ﷺ and target him; and indeed, a lot of the mushrikun thought he was the Prophet ﷺ from the distance, so they targeted and attacked him; and as a result, he was wounded 11 different times through spears and arrows [see episode 49].

This is Kaab b. Malik. He lived a long life throughout the period of Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali, and he eventually died in the reign of Muawiyah at the age of 77. And from the books of Sirah (and from the long hadith we discussed), we know he became blind in his old age.

Sirah Transcript by Yasir Qadhi > Points of Benefit From the Story of Kaab b Malik RA

Points of Benefit From the Story of Kaab b. Malik RA

Sirah Transcript by Yasir Qadhi > Fiqh Benefits From the Story of Kaab b Malik RA

Fiqh Benefits From the Story of Kaab b. Malik RA

Sirah Transcript by Yasir Qadhi > 090 - Battle of Tabuk 3

So we discussed the story of Kaab b. Malik. We now move on to other incidents. Recall again the Battle of Tabuk really isn't a battle since no fighting took place. Rather, it is a series of mini-incidents from which we derive lessons and benefits. And for this ghazwa, we cannot go completely chronological because the affair of the hypocrites who remained in Madinah, i.e., their building of Masjid al-Dirar, is happening simultaneously with the expedition.

Sirah Transcript by Yasir Qadhi > The Story of Abu Khaythama al-Ansari RA

We also have the story of Abu Khaythama al-Ansari, and this story shows us even the sahaba had to struggle sometimes, and some of them took more struggling than others. Kaab b. Malik, we discussed his story in depth and saw how he had to struggle and suffer; Abu Khaythama almost got to the level of Kaab, almost didn't leave Madinah — the same thing happened; he delayed and delayed until finally the Prophet ﷺ departed. But then when he went back to his home, entered his garden and saw that his wife had prepared for him a rug under the date palms, had sprinkled some water on the rug, and had prepared for him some food — upon seeing all of these, he said to himself, "What am I doing here? I am here in this pleasure while the Prophet ﷺ is in the heat?! Wallahi, I am not even going to sit down." So right then and there he rushed out to catch up with the Prophet ﷺ. And a few days later at Tabuk, when the Prophet ﷺ saw a lone rider racing in the distance, he ﷺ said, "May it be Abu Khaythama," and lo and behold, it turned out to be him. The Prophet ﷺ knew Abu Khaythama wasn't a munafiq and it was hurting him that he was not in the army. And this, by the way, again shows us the Prophet ﷺ is monitoring the sahaba. When Abu Khaythama came, the Prophet ﷺ asked him, "Why were you delayed?" Abu Khaythama told him the whole story and the Prophet ﷺ said, "Woe to you, Abu Khaythama (i.e., you just saved yourself)!"—this shows us the tough love of the Prophet ﷺ. He is gently rebuking him, basically saying, "I'm happy you are here, but realize that was a very close call!" And this shows us the fine balance of our Prophet ﷺ.

Sirah Transcript by Yasir Qadhi > Returning to Madinah Via Thaniyat al-Wada

The Prophet ﷺ returned to his masjid, prayed two rak'at, and almost immediately, he began accepting the delegations of the people who stayed behind, including Kaab b. Malik [see episodes 88 & 89].

Sirah Transcript by Yasir Qadhi > Tafsir

— This verse is a reference to Kaab b. Malik RA and his two companions who admitted they were guilty [see episode 88. They had good deeds, e.g., participated in Aqaba, Uhud, Khandaq, etc., but they disobeyed the Prophet ﷺ in the Incident of Tabuk — so this is what's referred to in the verse that they have mixed goodness with evil.