JIHAD SECTION · 173 – GIVING SOMETHING TO THE ANNOUNCER
Ka’b bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ would pray two rak'ahs in the mosque upon returning from a journey, and then sit to converse with the people.
The narrator Ibn Sirh transmitted the narration until its end. Ka’b said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade the people from speaking to us three (men) due to the boycott that lasted for me. My uncle's son, Abu Katada, was in his garden, so I climbed his wall and greeted him. I swear by Allah that he did not respond to my greeting. Then, I prayed Fajr on the roof of a house in our neighborhood on the morning of the fiftieth night, and I heard someone calling out, “O Ka’b bin Malik, good news!” When the person who called me came to me, he gave me glad tidings. I then removed my garments and dressed him with them both. [515] I went (to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ) and when I entered the mosque, I saw that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was sitting. Talha bin Ubaydullah got up and came running to me, shook hands with me, and congratulated me.
COMMENTARY:
This honorable hadith is narrated more extensively in Bukhari and Muslim. Eighty people did not participate in the campaign of Tabuk. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ took statements from all of them, and seventy-seven of them fabricated false excuses and escaped apparent anger of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. The remaining three men told the truth. They were Ka’b bin Malik, Murara bin Rabia, and Hilal bin Umayya.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ ordered them: “Go to your homes and wait until Allah reveals His judgment concerning you.” It was commanded that no one speak with these three men. The other two were elderly, and Ka'b bin Malik was young. This situation continued for fifty nights. On the fiftieth night, Allah Almighty revealed Surah At-Tawbah (Repentance), verse 118. Then, a herald came as mentioned in the hadith. I presented to him the two garments that were on me. This narration indicates that it is permissible in religion to offer gifts to messengers.