By Allah, I will not untie them until the Messenger of Allah unties me. As for the other, he turned to his orchard, which he had stayed behind for while it was bearing fruit, and made it a charity. As for the other, he traversed the deserts and the rugged land until he reached the Prophet of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and his feet were streaming with blood.

10088 - Abd Allah ibn Sa'id al-Ashajj told us, al-Muharibi told us, from Juwaybir, from al-Dahhak, regarding "And [He has also forgiven] the three who were left behind," he said: It means they were left behind from the repentance; repentance was not accepted from them until Allah accepted the repentance of Abu Lubabah and his companions.

• It was narrated from Abu Malik that he said: They were left behind from the repentance.

THE SECOND ASPECT:

10089 - Ali ibn al-Husayn told us, Ahmad ibn al-Sabah told us, al-Khaffaf told us, from Abu Amr, from Ikrimah ibn Khalid al-Makhzumi, that he used to read it as: "And upon the three who were left behind" (read in the accusative case, i.e., those who stayed behind after Muhammad [peace and blessings of Allah be upon him] and his companions).

His saying, the Almighty: "Until the earth, despite its vastness, became constricted for them, and their souls became constricted for them," the verse.

10090 - Muhammad ibn 'Uzayr al-Ayli told us, Salamah ibn Rawh told us, 'Aqil told us, saying: I asked Ibn Shihab about the matter of Ka'b ibn Malik when he stayed behind from the expedition of Tabuk. Muhammad ibn Muslim informed me that Abd al-Rahman ibn Abd Allah ibn Ka'b informed him that Abd Allah ibn Ka'b—who was the guide of Ka'b—said: I heard Ka'b ibn Malik say: While I was sitting in the state that Allah mentioned about us, my soul had become constricted for me and the earth had become constricted for me despite its vastness, I heard a shouter who had ascended a mountain at the highest point of Sal' at the top of his voice saying: O Ka'b ibn Malik, rejoice! So I fell down prostrating.

His saying, the Almighty: "And they thought that there is no refuge from Allah except in Him."

10091 - Abu Sa'id told us, 'Uqbah ibn Khalid told us, from Isra'il, from Jabir, from Mujahid, who said: Whatever 'thought' (Zann) is mentioned in the Quran, it is certainty (Yaqin).

His saying, the Almighty: "Then He turned to them so that they might repent."

10092 - My father told us, Abu Salih told us, Mu'awiyah ibn Salih told us, from Ali ibn Abi Talhah, from Ibn Abbas, regarding His saying: "Then He turned to them," meaning: He initiated the repentance from Allah so that they might repent. "Indeed, Allah is the Ever-Relenting, the Merciful," meaning: if they remain upright. And it was narrated from al-Dahhak: something similar.