KA'B  AND THE BATTLE OF TABOOK Adapted for children from an authentic Hadith transmitted by Bukhari and Muslim with a quiz and workshop by Khadijah Stephens The Mosque of the Internet Welcome, welcome! So you want to hear my story. First, let me introduce myself. My name is Ka'b, the son of Malik. I was a companion of our beloved Prophet, Prophet Muhammad, praise and peace be upon him. Believe me, it was the greatest time in the whole of history to be alive. Islam had started to spread and the world would never be the same again. Now, I am old and blind, but in my youth you should have seen me. Al Hamdulillah, I was strong and took part in every battle, that is except for Badr and Tabook. It wasn't until after Badr that it became obligatory for all Muslim men to rise up and fight in support of Allah and His Prophet, praise and peace be upon him. I was one of those who pledged their oath of allegiance to the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, on that special night many years ago at Aqabah. Oh, that night, I remember it well. I wouldn't exchange that night for Badr with all its fame! As for the Battle of Tabook -- it still weighs heavily upon my heart. At that time Allah had blessed me to be strong and wealthier than I had ever been. I owned some land and for the first time in my life I owned two riding camels which gave me great pleasure. One day, a rumor reached us that the Romans were planning to attack Medina. We heard that their soldiers had already been given a year's pay in advance, which told us that the Romans expected a long drawn out battle ahead of them. It was not a rumor to be taken lightly. Let me tell you a little about the Prophet's strategy before embarking upon a campaign. You see, it was usual for him not to disclose the true objective of a mission right up until the last moment just in case his plans fell into the wrong hands. In fact he would often indicate the opposite direction to foil our enemies but this time he told us. "Why", do you ask, well there was a very long journey ahead of us across the scorching desert sands of summer with its blinding brightness all the way from Medina to Tabook. With this in mind the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, ordered us to prepare ourselves, camels, and horses well. Not only was the journey going to be hard, but the enemy were strong and great in number and they also had the advantage of being well rested. As I mentioned before, those were the early years of Islam. It was not until later on that someone had the idea to compile a register of all those who took part in the battles. So, as you can see, before the registers it was easy for any one who were reluctant to go and hide themselves in the shade of the orchard's lush foliage, knowing well that their presence would go unnoticed unless Allah disclosed it! Each morning I would go out intending to make the necessary preparations only to return at night having accomplished nothing at all, telling myself: "There is plenty of time, I can get ready whenever I wish." Time passed quickly. The preparations were finalized and Prophet Muhammad, praise and peace be upon him, gave the order to set off for Tabook. There I was, unprepared in my indecisive state as the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, and his other companions rode off into the distance. I kept telling myself that I would set off by myself and catch up with them -- but I didn't. Oh, how I deeply regret not having done so! I wasn't missed until they reached Tabook. The Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, was sitting with a group of his companions when he asked where I was. A tribesman from the Banu Salimah commented that I had not accompanied them because of the love of my wealth. However, Muaz, the son of Jabal immediately jumped to my defense and told him that he knew only good things about me and accused the tribesman of speaking evil about me. The Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, heard all this but made no comment. Shortly afterwards, the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, spotted a rider wearing a white cloak riding towards them and said: "Perhaps this is Abu Khaisamah", and it was.  At one time the hypocrites had tried to degrade Abu Khaisamah by calling him a miser because he had only been able to give a small quantity of dates in charity, of course we knew the accusation to be untrue, but that's by the way. Meanwhile, I wandered around Medina feeling very sad indeed. The only men I saw left behind were those that had either been accused of hypocrisy or those too weak to go. I hated myself for letting satan trick me. I had disobeyed the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, himself! Al Hamdulillah, the rumor proved false and so the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, and his army started their long march home, grateful to Allah for sparing them from the encounter. News reached Medina ahead of their arrival. I was grateful to Allah for their safe homecoming. However, I became filled with anxiety and began to invent excuses so as to escape the displeasure of the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him. I asked members of my family what they thought I should say, but in my heart, I knew the only thing to do would be to tell the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, the truth. Now, before the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, entered a town, it was his practice to strike camp some distance outside and then enter the next morning. Upon entering the town he would go straight to the Mosque, offer two units of voluntary prayer and then receive its people. This time was no exception. Those who had not taken part in the campaign -- about eighty -- went to him and offered their excuses as to why they had not accompanied him on the expedition. 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. My turn came, I felt so ashamed and sick inside. I greeted him, he smiled but his displeasure was apparent upon him face. He asked me to come forward, so I approached and sat down before him. He inquired what had kept me back; was it perhaps because I had not purchased a ride, he asked? The feeling of shame and sickness inside me increased. I told him that if it had been anyone other than he, I would have attempted to offer a plausible excuse, because I was skilled in the art of convincing. But, I knew only too well in the depth of my heart that if I did, Allah would cause him to be displeased with me over something else. So, I told him of my hope that if I told him the truth -- even though I knew he would be displeased with me -- that Allah would have mercy on me. So, I told him I had no excuse at all. Upon hearing this the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, said to those present: "This one has told the truth." Then he looked at me and said: "Leave us now until Allah decides your case." In great sadness, I got up and made my way out of the Mosque with my head hanging down in shame and regret. Some of the tribesmen of the Banu Salimah followed me 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 like the others did to the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, and ask him to supplicate to Allah for your forgiveness?" They kept pestering and rebuking me so much that I was almost about to return and offer an excuse -- but, something inside me prevented me from doing so. I asked them if there had been anyone else that had done likewise and offered no excuse. They told me that there were two others, Murarah, the son of Rabi'a Amiri and Hilal, the son of Umayyah Wakifi. These two people I knew to be good, they had been among those who fought at Badr, so I knew I had done the right thing by sticking to the truth. People we had known for a long time, even those whom we had grown up with, avoided us as if we were strangers in a foreign land. Our guilt for disobeying the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, lay heavily upon us. And so the circumstances continued like this for fifty days. Murarah and Hilal shut themselves away in their homes in their misery and wept bitterly. As for myself, I was younger than both of them and would go to the Mosque to offer my prayers even though everyone avoided me. In my anxiousness to receive even the remotest amount of acknowledgment from the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, I would wait until everyone had left the Mosque after the prayer had ended and then go to greet him. I hoped that perhaps I might see his lips move, indicating a response to my greetings. Sometimes, when I was offering a voluntary prayer, I noticed the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, glance in my direction, but whenever I looked up he looked away from me. No one can know the pain I felt for having disobeyed him, nor yet the loneliness or deep regret except the other two. One day I was passing by the garden of my very dear cousin, Abu Kataddhi. I decided to climb over the garden wall and there he was, I greeted him but he did not return the greeting. I pleaded with him saying: "Don't you know I love you in the Name of Allah and His Messenger?" But he only looked at me and said: "Allah and His Messenger know best." When I heard this I couldn't hold back my tears, I wept and returned home. The next day I went to the market and heard a bedouin from Syria who had come to sell some grain making inquiries about me. The people in the market place pointed me out to him and he came across to me. You can imagine my surprise when he handed me a letter from King Ghassan. I opened it and it read: "We have heard your Master has treated you unjustly. Allah has not made you to be humiliated. Come to us and we will treat you in a manner that befits you." Having read the letter I thought to myself, this is yet another trial from Allah, so I threw the letter into an oven! Forty days had now passed without any Revelation being sent down concerning us when a messenger from the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, came to me and told me that from now on I must not associate with my wife. I asked whether Hilal and Murarah had received similar messages and was told that they had. I wondered if it meant I should divorce my wife, so I asked the messenger if that was what it meant, but he told me it did not. So, I returned to my wife and told her to go and stay with her parents. In the meantime, the wife of Hilal had gone to the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, 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, praise and peace be upon him, in his mercy, permitted her to stay and look after him. Nine more days of isolation and heaviness of heart passed, the like of which I did not know could exist. It was as if the whole world had closed in on me and become narrow. On the morning of the 50th day, I was sitting alone when I heard a shout ring out from the top of Mount Salalah. I listened hard and a voice cried out: "Ka'b, the son of Malik -- GOOD NEWS!" I fell prostrate in gratitude -- I knew that relief had come at last. The Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, had informed his congregation after the Dawn prayer that Allah, in His Mercy had accepted our repentance. Upon hearing the good news, several people rushed to bring it to us. However, in his anxiousness to be the first to convey the good news, a tribesman from the tribe of Aslam had raced to the top of the mountain to call the good news out to me before those on horseback could reach me! It wasn't long after hearing the news from the mountain top that one of the horsemen arrived and confirmed the good news. I was so grateful that I gave him all my clothes and had to borrow something to wear to go and greet the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him! My heart pounded away with thanks and joy, exalting and praising Allah as I raced to greet the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him. On my way I met groups of people who greeted and congratulated me saying: "Blessed is the acceptance of Allah; Allah has accepted your repentance!" At last I reached the Mosque. As I entered one of the Emigrants, Talha, the son of Ubaidullah, rushed towards me and greeted me -- I will never forget that gesture, it meant so much to me. I went straight to the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, and greeted him. With happiness in his voice he said: "Be happy with this, the best of days since your mother gave birth to you." I asked: "O Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, is this from Allah?" "Indeed yes," he replied and the Prophet's face shone like the moon as it always did when he was pleased. I told the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, that I wanted to complete my repentance by giving everything I owned away in charity. The Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, agreed, however, he told me to keep a portion of it, so I kept a piece of land in Khybar. I was so happy that I told everyone: "Allah has blessed me because I told the truth; from now onwards I will always tell the truth!" Allah tried me many times after that, but I always told the truth and never missed taking part in a campaign again.WORKSHOP The following are the verses which Allah sent down concerning the absolution of Ka'b, his companions and the delayed punishment of the hypocrites. "Allah turned in mercy to the Prophet, the Emigrant and the Supporters, who stood by him in the hour of adversity when some of them were on the point of loosing heart. He turned to them in mercy. Surely to them He is Compassionate, Merciful. And 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 refuge from Allah except in Him. Then He returned to them in mercy so that they might repent. Allah is the Forgiving, the Merciful. Believers, have fear of Allah and stand with the truthful." Koran, Chapter 9 verses 117 - 119 Concerning the hypocrites who offered false excuses Allah sent down the following verses: "When you (Prophet Muhammad) return, they will appeal to you in the Name of Allah to let them alone. Let them alone. They are unclean. Hell shall be their home, the punishment for their misdeeds. They will swear to you in order to please you. But if you accept them, Allah will not accept the evildoers." Koran, Chapter 9 verses 95 - 96QUIZ TIME If you find some of the names difficult to remember, look them up in the story. 1. What was the name of Ka'bs father? 2. What would Ka'b not exchange for Badr with all its  fame? 3. How many camels did Ka'b own? 4. Was the journey going to take place in hot or cold   weather? 5. What did the Prophet, praise and peace be upon   him, tell them all to do before setting off for    Tabook? 6. What did Ka'b do every day before the others set off? 7. What did Ka'b tell himself after the others had left? 8. Was Ka'b happy after they had all left? 9. Who asked the whereabouts of Ka'b when they    reached Tabook? 10. What was the name of the person who defended Ka'b when they reached Tabook? 11.  Name the person who arrived late at Tabook wearing a white cloak. 12. What did King Ghassan say in his letter to Ka'b? 13.  What excuse did Ka'b offer the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him? 14. Name one of the other companions who told the truth. 15. How many days did the people avoid Ka'b? 16. From which tribe did the man come from who raced  up to the top of Mount Salalah? 17. What was the name of the man who rushed to greet  Ka'b in the Mosque? 18. What did the Prophet, praise and peace be upon   him, tell Ka'b? 19. What did Ka'b give away? 20. Was Ka'b always truthful from that time onwards? QUIZ TIME ANSWERS 1. Malik. 2. The night/oath at Aqabah. 3. Two. 4. Very hot weather. 5. To prepare themselves, their camels and horses. 6. Nothing. 7. That he would set off by himself and catch them up. 8. No. 9. Prophet Muhammad, praise and peace be upon him. 10. Muaz, the son of Jabal. 11. Abu Khaisamah. 12. "Come over to me". 13. None. 14. Hilal or Murarah.15. 50. 16. From the tribe of Aslam. 17. Talha, the son of Ubaidullah. 18.  "Be happy with this, the best of days since your   mother gave birth to you." 19. He gave everything he owned away except for a   piece of land. 20. Yes. SCORE HOW TO GET EXTRA MARKS If you remembered to say after the Prophet's name, "praise and peace be upon him" add an extra mark to your score, and if you said it in Arabic add two extra marks to your score. 1 - 5 answers right? You tried hard, but I am sure you will do better next time you hear the story. Why not read it again or ask your parents to read it to you? 6 - 11 answers right? GOOD! Perhaps you might like to try the quiz again and this time look at the story to help you remember so that you will get an even higher score. 12 - 16 answers right? VERY GOOD!! You must have a good memory! 17 - 20 answers right? EXCELLENT!! You are very clever, perhaps mummy and daddy or your teacher will read you some more stories about the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him.THE END We hope you have enjoyed this story, Insh'Allah. © 1993-2004 The Mosque of the Internet