الترجمة الإنجليزية

Abd al-Razzaq narrated to us: Ma'mar narrated to us, from al-Zuhri, from Abd al-Rahman ibn Ka'b ibn Malik, from his father, who said: I never remained behind from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, in any expedition he undertook until the expedition of Tabuk, except Badr - and the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, did not reproach anyone who remained behind from Badr, for he had only set out intending the caravan, and Quraysh set out to rescue their caravan, and the two sides met without any prior appointment, as Allah, Mighty and Majestic, has said. And by my life, the noblest of the Messenger of Allah's, peace and blessings be upon him, engagements among the people was indeed Badr, though I would not wish that I had witnessed it in place of my pledge on the night of Aqabah, when we agreed together upon Islam. And I never again remained behind from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, in any expedition he undertook until the expedition of Tabuk, which was the last expedition he undertook. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, gave the people permission to set out and wanted them to prepare their gear for their expedition, and that was when the shade had become pleasant and the fruits had ripened. He rarely intended an expedition without disguising it with something else - and Ya'qub, from Ibn Akhi Ibn Shihab, said: without disguising it with something else - narrated to us by Sufyan, from Ma'mar, from al-Zuhri, from Abd al-Rahman ibn Abdullah ibn Ka'b ibn Malik, who said in it: he disguised it with something else - then returning to the report of Abd al-Razzaq: and he used to say, "War is deception." So the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, wanted the people to prepare their gear for the expedition of Tabuk, while I was, at that time I had gathered two mounts and was as capable as I had ever been in myself for jihad and lightness of burden, yet I was inclined toward the shade and the ripe fruits. I remained thus until the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, set out early in the morning, that being a Thursday, for he loved to set out on a Thursday. He set out early, and I said, "I shall go tomorrow to the market and buy my equipment, then catch up with them." So I went to the market the next day, but some of my affairs proved difficult, so I returned and said, "I shall go tomorrow, Allah willing, and catch up with them," but some of my affairs again proved difficult for me. I remained thus until the matter became entangled with sin for me and I remained behind from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. I would walk about in the markets and go around the city, and it grieved me that I saw no one who had remained behind except a man suspected of hypocrisy; and there was no one who remained behind but thought that this would remain hidden for him - the people were numerous and no register gathered them together. All those who remained behind from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, numbered some eighty-odd men. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, did not mention me until he reached Tabuk. When he reached Tabuk he said, "What has become of Ka'b ibn Malik?" A man of my people said, "O Messenger of Allah, his two garments and his self-regard have kept him back" - and Ya'qub, from Ibn Akhi Ibn Shihab, said: his two cloaks and his self-regard - whereupon Mu'adh ibn Jabal said, "What an evil thing you have said! By Allah, O Prophet of Allah, we know of him nothing but good." While they were thus, there appeared a man shimmering in the mirage, and the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, "Be Abu Khaythamah," and indeed it was Abu Khaythamah. When the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, completed the expedition of Tabuk and returned and drew near Madinah, I began to think about how I would extricate myself from the Prophet's, peace and blessings be upon him, displeasure, and I sought the help of every person of sound judgment among my family in that, until, when it was said that the Prophet would arrive among you the next morning, falsehood slipped away from me and I knew that I could not escape except by truthfulness. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, entered in the forenoon and prayed two rak'ahs in the mosque - as he used to do whenever he arrived from a journey - and entered the mosque and prayed two rak'ahs, then sat down; and those who had remained behind began coming to him, swearing to him and making excuses to him, and he would seek forgiveness for them, accepting their outward statements and entrusting their inner secrets to Allah, Mighty and Majestic. Then I entered the mosque, and there he was sitting; and when he saw me he smiled the smile of one displeased. Then I came and sat before him, and he said, "Did you not purchase your mount?" I said, "Yes indeed, O Prophet of Allah." He said, "Then what kept you back?" I said, "By Allah, had I been sitting before anyone else among the people besides you, I would surely have extricated myself from his displeasure with some excuse, for I have indeed been given skill in argument. But, by Allah" - Ya'qub said, from Ibn Akhi Ibn Shihab: "I know that were I to tell you today a false report with which you would be pleased with me, Allah would soon disclose me to you; but were I to tell you today a true report, though you would be displeased with me over it, I hope for Allah's pardon in it. By Allah, O Prophet of Allah, I was never more capable and never lighter in burden than when I remained behind you." He said, "As for this one, he has spoken truthfully to you. Stand aside until Allah decides your case." So I stood, and men of my people rose in pursuit of me, reproaching me, saying, "By Allah, we never knew you to have committed any sin before this - why did you not offer the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, some excuse that would please him regarding you? The Messenger of Allah's, peace and blessings be upon him, seeking of forgiveness would have covered your sin, and you would not have put yourself in a position where you do not know what will be decided for you." They kept reproaching me until I nearly resolved to go back and give the lie to myself. Then I said, "Has anyone else said this besides me?" They said, "Yes - Hilal ibn Umayyah and Murarah" - meaning Ibn Rabi'ah - naming two righteous men who had witnessed Badr, in whom I had an example. So I said, "By Allah, I shall never go back to him about this, nor shall I give the lie to myself." The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, forbade the people from speaking with us three. I would go out to the market, and no one would speak to me; people became strangers to us until they were no longer the people we knew, and the walls became strange to us until they were no longer the walls we knew, and the land became strange to us until it was no longer the land we knew. I was the strongest of my companions, so I would go out and go around the markets and come to the mosque and enter, and I would come to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and greet him, saying to myself, "Did he move his lips in returning the greeting?" And when I stood to pray near a pillar, and turned toward my prayer, he would glance at me from the corner of his eye, but if I looked at him, he would turn away from me; while my two companions grew resigned and would weep night and day, unable to lift their heads. While I was going around the market, a Christian man came selling food, saying, "Who will guide me to Ka'b ibn Malik?" So the people began pointing him toward me, and he came to me and brought me a letter from the king of Ghassan. In it was: "Now then, it has reached me that your companion has treated you harshly and put you at a distance, and you are not to be a place of abasement or degradation - so join us, and we will console you." I said, "This too is part of the trial and the evil." So I heated the oven and burned it in it. When forty nights had passed, a messenger came to me from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, saying, "Keep away from your wife." I said, "Shall I divorce her?" He said, "No, but do not approach her." Then the wife of Hilal came and said, "O Messenger of Allah, Hilal ibn Umayyah is a weak old man - will you permit me to serve him?" He said, "Yes, but he must not approach you." She said, "O Prophet of Allah, he has no vigor for anything - he has not ceased weeping night and day since this matter of his began." Ka'b said: When the trial had grown long for me, I climbed over the wall of Abu Qatadah's garden - he being my cousin - and greeted him, but he did not return the greeting. I said, "I adjure you by Allah, O Abu Qatadah, do you know that I love Allah and His Messenger?" He remained silent. Then I said again, "I adjure you by Allah, O Abu Qatadah, do you know that I love Allah and His Messenger?" He said, "Allah and His Messenger know best." I said: I could not restrain myself, and I wept, then climbed back over the wall, out. Until, when fifty nights had passed from when the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, forbade people from speaking with us, I prayed the dawn prayer upon the roof of a house of ours, and sat there in the state that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, has described - the earth, despite its vastness, had become constricted for us, and our very souls had become constricted for us - when I heard a voice from the top of Sal' calling, "Rejoice, O Ka'b ibn Malik!" I fell down in prostration, and knew that Allah had brought us relief. Then a man came galloping on a horse to bring me the good news, but the voice reached me faster than his horse; so I gave him my two garments as a reward for the good news, and put on two other garments. Our repentance had come down upon the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, in the last third of the night, and Umm Salamah said that evening, "O Prophet of Allah, shall we not give Ka'b ibn Malik the good news?" He said, "If so, the people will overwhelm you and deprive you of sleep for the rest of the night." Umm Salamah had been good and considerate about my affair, grieving over my case. So I set out to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and there he was sitting in the mosque with the Muslims around him, and he was radiant like the radiance of the moon - for he used to become radiant whenever he was pleased about something. I came and sat before him, and he said, "Rejoice, O Ka'b ibn Malik, with the best day that has come upon you since the day your mother bore you." I said, "O Prophet of Allah, is it from Allah or from you?" He said, "Rather, from Allah, Mighty and Majestic." Then he recited to them: {Allah has certainly turned in mercy to the Prophet and the Muhajirun and the Ansar...} until he reached {Indeed, Allah is the Accepter of repentance, the Merciful}. He said: And concerning us was also revealed {Fear Allah and be with those who are truthful}. I said, "O Prophet of Allah, part of my repentance is that I shall speak nothing but truth henceforth, and that I shall divest myself of all my wealth as charity to Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and to His Messenger." He said, "Keep back some of your wealth - it is better for you." I said, "Then I shall keep my share that is in Khaybar." He said: Allah, Mighty and Majestic, never bestowed upon me a favor after Islam greater in my own estimation than my truthfulness to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, when I told him the truth, I and my two companions, so that we should not be as those who lied and thereby perished, as they perished. Indeed I hope that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, has not tested anyone in truthfulness the way He has tested me; I have not deliberately told a lie since, and I hope that Allah will preserve me in what remains of my life.