Ka'b tells the Prophet the truth

Ka'b told the Prophet truthfully that he had had no excuse for Tabuk, and the Prophet said to him: "as for this one — he has told the truth; arise until God decides your case." ¹

Ka'b said: when word reached me that the Prophet had set out homeward, my anxiety gathered; I began rehearsing lies — by what shall I escape his anger tomorrow? But when it was said he was nearly arrived, falsehood fell away from me and I knew I would only be saved by truth, so I resolved to tell him the truth. ¹

He came and greeted him; the Prophet smiled "the smile of one displeased", then said to him: come. He sat before him and he asked him: what kept you back? Had you not bought your mount? Ka'b said that had he sat before anyone of this world other than the Prophet he would think to escape his displeasure by an excuse — he had been given the gift of disputation — but he knew that if he told him a lie and he accepted it, God would soon make him displeased with him; and that if he told him the truth he would find fault with him, yet he could hope for a good end from God — and that he had no excuse. ¹

The Prophet said: "as for this one — he has told the truth; arise until God decides your case." ¹

Ka'b rose and men of Banu Salama stirred and followed him, saying: we never knew you to sin before this; your sin would have been absolved by the Prophet's asking forgiveness for you had you excused yourself as the others who stayed behind did. They kept at him until he nearly went back to deny himself. ²

Then he asked: has anyone besides me met this? They said: yes, two men said what you said and were told what you were told — Marara ibn al-Rabi' al-Amri of Banu Amr ibn Awf and [[person/hilal-ibn-umayya|Hilal ibn [Abi] Umayya al-Waqifi]]; they named for him two righteous men in whom was an example, and he was silent. ³

• "Hilal ibn [Abi] Umayya": the word "Abi" is an addition in brackets from manuscript (a), per the editors; elsewhere it is "Hilal ibn Umayya".
• Al-Zurqani's text adds, per the editors' note: "they had witnessed Badr — in them is an example for me" (p. 178 n. 2).
• The museum verified on the page image the forms "al-Amri" for Marara and "al-Waqifi" for Hilal.