It has reached me that your companion has ostracized you, and Allah has not placed you in a land of humiliation or degradation. Join us, and we will console you." I said when I read it: "This is also a form of trial," so I headed to the oven and burnt it in it.
When forty nights of the fifty had passed, the messenger of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) came to me and said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) commands you to separate from your wife." I said to him: "Do I divorce her, or what should I do?" He replied: "No, separate from her and do not approach her." He sent a messenger to my two companions with the same instruction. So I said to my wife: "Go to your family and stay with them until Allah decides regarding this matter." The wife of Hilal ibn Umayyah came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allah, Hilal ibn Umayyah is a very old man, helpless and has no servant. Do you dislike for me to serve him?" He said: "No, but he must not approach you." She said: "By Allah, he has no movement for anything. By Allah, he has not stopped weeping since this matter occurred until this day of his." Ka'b said: "Some of my family said to me: 'If you had asked the Messenger of Allah for permission regarding your wife, for he has given permission to the wife of Hilal ibn Umayyah.'" I said: "By Allah, I will not ask the Messenger of Allah for permission regarding her, for I do not know what the Messenger of Allah would say to me if I asked him, and I am a young man."
I remained like that for another ten nights until our fifty nights were complete from the time the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) forbade speaking to us. Then I prayed the morning prayer on the fiftieth night on the roof of one of our houses. While I was sitting in the state that Allah mentioned about us—the earth had become constricted for us despite its vastness, and my own soul had become constricted for me—I heard the voice of a herald who had ascended the mountain of Sala' at the top of his voice, saying: "O Ka'b ibn Malik, rejoice!" I fell down prostrating, for I knew that relief had come. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had announced Allah's acceptance of our repentance when he prayed the dawn prayer. So the people went to give us the good news, and heralds went to my two companions. A man spurred his horse toward me, and a runner from the tribe of Aslam raced and ascended the mountain, and his voice was faster than the horse. When the one whose voice I heard came to give me the good news, I took off my two garments and clothed him with them as a reward for the good news. By Allah, I owned nothing else that day. I borrowed two garments, put them on, and set off to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). The people came to me in groups, congratulating me and saying: "Congratulations to you on Allah's acceptance of your repentance." I entered the mosque, and there was the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) sitting with the people around him. Talhah ibn 'Ubayd Allah stood up and rushed toward me until he shook my hand and congratulated me. By Allah, no one stood up for me from the Emigrants (Muhajirun) other than him, and Ka'b
بَلَغَنِي أَنَّ صَاحِبَكَ قَدْ جَفَاكَ، وَلَمْ يَجْعَلْكَ اللَّهُ بِدَارِ هَوَانٍ وَلا مَنْقَصَةٍ، الْحَقْ بِنَا نواسيك فَقُلْتُ حِينَ قَرَأْتُهُ: وَهَذَا أَيْضًا مِنَ الْبَلاءِ فَتَيَمَّمْتُ التَّنُّورَ فَسَجَّرْتُهُ بِهَا.
حَتَّى إِذَا مَضَتْ أربعون ليلة من الخمسين، إذا رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَأْتِينِي فَقَالَ: إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَأْمُرُكَ بِأَنْ تَعْتَزِلَ امْرَأَتَكَ قَالَ:
: فَقُلْتُ لَهُ: أُطَلِّقُهَا، أَمْ مَاذَا أَفْعَلُ؟ قَالَ: لَا، اعْتَزِلْهَا وَلا تَقْرَبْهَا، وَأَرْسَلَ رَسُولا إِلَى صَاحِبِي بِمِثْلِ ذَلِكَ فَقُلْتُ لامْرَأَتِي: الْحَقِي بِأَهْلِكِ فَكُونِي عِنْدَهُمْ حَتَّى يَقْضِي اللَّهُ فِي هَذَا الأَمْرِ، وَجَاءَتِ امْرَأَةُ هِلالِ بْنِ أُمَيَّةَ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَتْ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، إِنَّ هِلالَ بْنَ أُمَيَّةَ شَيْخٌ كَبِيرٌ ضَائِعٌ لَيْسَ لَهُ خَادِمٌ، فَهَلْ تَكْرَهُ أَنْ أَخْدِمَهُ؟ قَالَ: لَا وَلَكِنْ لَا يَقْرَبْكِ، قَالَتْ: إِنَّهُ وَاللَّهِ مَا بِهِ حَرَكَةٌ إِلا شَيْءٌ، وَاللَّهِ مَا زَالَ يَبْكِي مُنْذُ كَانَ مِنْ أَمْرُهُ مَا كَانَ إِلَى يَوْمِهِ هَذَا، قَالَ كَعْبٌ: فَقَالَ لِي بَعْضُ أَهْلِي: لَوِ اسْتَأْذَنْتَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ فِي امْرَأَتِكَ، فَقَدْ أَذِنَ لامْرَأَةِ هِلالِ بْنِ أُمَيَّةَ، قَالَ: فَقُلْتُ: وَاللَّهِ لَا أَسْتَأْذِنُ فِيهَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، وَمَا يُدْرِينِي مَا يَقُولُ لِي: رَسُولُ اللَّهِ إِذَا اسْتَأْذَنْتُهُ، وَأَنَا رَجُلٌ شَابٌّ؟.
فَلَبِثْتُ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ عَشْرَ لَيَالٍ حَتَّى كَمُلَتْ لَنَا خَمْسُونَ لَيْلَةً مِنْ حِينَ نَهَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَنْ كَلامِنَا ثُمَّ صَلَّيْتُ صَلاةَ صُبْحِ خَمْسِينَ لَيْلَةً عَلَى ظَهْرِ بَيْتٍ مِنْ بُيُوتِنَا فَبَيْنَا أَنَا جَالِسٌ عَلَى الْحَالِ الَّتِي ذَكَرَ اللَّهُ منا، قد ضاقت علينا الأَرْضُ بِمَا رَحُبَتْ وَضَاقَتْ عَلَيَّ نَفْسِي، سَمِعْتُ صوت صارخ أوفى على جبل بأعلى سلع بأعلى صوته: يا كعب بن مالك، أَبْشِرْ فَخَرَرْتُ سَاجِدًا، وَعَرَفْتُ أَنْ قَدْ جَاءَ الْفَرَجُ وَأَذَنَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ- صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ- بِتَوْبَةِ اللَّهِ عَلَيْنَا حِينَ صَلَّى صَلَاةَ الْفَجْرَ، فَذَهَبَ النَّاسُ يُبَشِّرُونَنَا وَذَهَبَ قِبَلَ صَاحِبَيَّ مُبَشِّرُونَ وَرَكَضَ رَجُلٌ إِلَيَّ فَرَسًا وَسَعَى سَاعٍ مِنْ أَسْلَمَ، فَأَوْفَى عَلَى الْجَبَلِ، فَكَانَ الصَّوْتُ أَسْرَعَ مِنَ الْفَرَسِ، فَلَمَّا جَاءَنِي الَّذِي سَمِعْتُ صَوْتَهُ يُبَشِّرُنِي نَزَعْتُ ثَوْبَيَّ فَكَسَوْتُهُمَا إِيَّاهُ بِشَارَةً وَاللَّهِ مَا أَمْلِكُ يَوْمَئِذٍ غَيْرَهُمَا، وَاسْتَعَرْتُ ثَوْبَيْنِ فَلَبِسْتُهُمَا فَانْطَلَقْتُ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَتَلَقَّانِي النَّاسُ فَوْجًا فَوْجًا يُهَنُّونِي يَقُولُونَ: لَنُهَنِّكَ تَوْبَةَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكَ، حَتَّى دَخَلْتُ الْمَسْجِدَ فَإِذَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ جَالِسٌ حَوْلَهُ النَاسُ فَقَامَ إِلَيَّ طَلْحَةُ بْنُ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ يُهَرْوِلُ حَتَّى صَافَحَنِي وَهَنَّانِي وَاللَّهِ مَا قَامَ إِلَيَّ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ غَيْرُهُ فَكَانَ كَعْبُ
