Ibn Ishaq said: When the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) returned from Ta'if, Bujayr b. Zuhayr b. Abī Sulmā wrote a letter to his brother Kaʿb b. Zuhayr, informing him that the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) had killed some of those in Mecca who had satirized and harmed him, and that among the remaining Quraysh poets, Ibn Zabāra and Hubayra b. Abī Wahb had fled in all directions. In his letter, he wrote:
"If you have any need for yourself (that is, if you wish to live), fly and go to the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him). For he does not kill anyone who comes to him in repentance. If you do not do this, seek a place to take refuge and take shelter there."
Kaʿb b. Zuhayr also said:
"Let someone deliver a letter from me to Bujayr: If you have no need for what you say, or if you will not do as we say, let us know. What compels you to this?
He is upon a character; I never saw his father like that for a single day.
You will not find a father like that in this matter.
If you are not one to do as I say, I will not be saddened.
If you stumble, I am not one to pray for your stumbling to be erased.
The trustworthy one (Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him) gave you to drink from a cup until you were sated; the trustworthy one (Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him) gave you the first and the second drink."
Ibn Hisham said: A scholar among the people of knowledge narrated to me this poem:
"Who will bring news from me to Bujayr? Is there no benefit for you in what I told you at Hayf (at the foot of the mountain)?
You drank deeply from a cup with the trustworthy one (Muhammad). The trustworthy one gave you the first and the second drink.
You opposed the means of hudā (guidance) and followed him.
How did you find him? You found him upon a character,
You found neither a mother nor a father upon it.
You did not find a brother upon it either. If you do not do as I say, I will not be saddened. If you stumble,
I am not one to say, 'May your stumbling be erased.'"
Ibn Ishaq said: Kaʿb b. Zuhayr sent this letter to Bujayr. When the letter reached Bujayr, he did not wish to conceal it from the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) and recited the poem to him. When the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) heard the words, "The trustworthy one gave you to drink from it," he said:
"He spoke the truth, but he is a liar. I am the trustworthy one."
And when he heard the words, "You are upon a character, you found neither a mother nor a father upon it," he said: "Yes, neither his mother nor his father was upon that character."
Then Bujayr said to Kaʿb:
"Who will inform Kaʿb whether there is any falsehood in what you reproach? Yet he is firmly bound only to Allah, not to al-ʿUzzā or Lāt. You will be saved if you accept Islam.
There is a day when no one among mankind will be saved except the Muslim whose qalb (heart) is pure.
Zuhayr's religion is nothing.
And the religion of Abū Sulmā is forbidden to me."
When this letter reached Kaʿb, the earth became constricted for him. He was distressed and feared for himself. Some of his enemies from his tribe frightened him with things he disliked, saying: "Kaʿb will be killed."
Finding no way out, he composed a qasīda (ode) containing praise of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him), in which he mentioned his fear and those enemies who denounced him and wished him harm. Then he set out and came to Medina. It is related that he stayed as a guest with a man from Juhayna with whom he had ties. That man took him early in the morning to the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him). He prayed the morning prayer with him, then showed him the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) and said:
- This is the Messenger of God! Go to him and ask for protection.
It is related that he went to the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him), sat down, and placed his hand in his. The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) did not recognize him. He said:
- O Messenger of God! Kaʿb b. Zuhayr has come in repentance and as a Muslim to seek your protection. If I bring him to you, will you accept?
- Yes.
- O Messenger of God! I am Kaʿb b. Zuhayr.
One of the Anṣār present there sprang up and said:
- O Messenger of God! Let me deal with this enemy of Allah and strike his neck.
- Leave him alone. For he has come to us in repentance and has shed kufr (disbelief).
At this, Kaʿb became angry with that group of the Anṣār, as one of them had tried to kill him. The Muhājirūn, however, had spoken nothing but good about him. When Kaʿb came to the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him), he recited his qasīda:
"Suʿād has departed and gone. My qalb (heart) is wounded today and therefore abased. It has felt her absence. It has not escaped captivity, it is bound.
When Suʿād departed at dawn, she was but a small gazelle with a nasal voice.
Her eyelids are closed, kohl-lined.
When she turns her face, her belly is thin, her armpits slender, when she turns her back, her hips are large, neither short nor tall is she to be complained of.
When she smiles, her moist and shining white teeth appear. As if she has drunk wine once and twice. She has drunk deeply from the pure water of the valley of Zī Shabam, cooled by the north wind.
The wind blows away the chaff from her, and in the morning, the white bubbles and foam formed by the raincloud's water rise and fill her.
What a noble friend she is, if she were true to her promise or accepted advice, surely her friendship would be most complete and her states most perfect.
But she is a friend in whom separation and other unpleasant things, as well as lying and breaking promises, have mingled with her flesh and blood.
This beloved woman does not remain in a regular state, she is unstable.
Like a woman called the greatest among the jinn, who changes color and state within her clothes.
The word she claims to keep is like water held by sieves.
Let not what she makes you hope for and promises deceive you, for vain hopes and dreams seen in sleep lead to error and waste of time.
The promises of ʿUrqub have become a proverb for the beloved.
Her promises are but baseless falsehoods.
I hope and expect the approach of her love.
I do not think that you will grant us a reunion from your side.
Suʿād spent the night in a place where no one else can reach her. Only noble, swift, and strong camels can bring her there.
No one else can reach her, only enduring camels galloping tirelessly can bring her.
From the hollow of her ear, every large camel that sweats profusely, whose ambition is to find the right path when the signs have faded and changed from frequent travel, seeks the unknown way.
In a place where a solitary white wild cow's two eyes shine among the many stones and rough sand heaps, you send her to high and lofty places.
The necklace mark on her neck is permanent. Her feet are thick. She is superior in creation to the she-camels tied to a breeding male.
Her neck is thick, her cheekbones large and strong. Her build is like that of male camels, broad on both sides, with a long neck.
Her skin is like that of a sea turtle.
On the side facing the sun, a wolf weakened by hunger tries to humble her, but cannot affect her, as her back is surrounded by sinew and flesh.
In strength and endurance, she is like a piece cut from a mountain.
Her mother, father, uncle, and maternal uncle are all noble camels.
Her back and neck are long, she is light and swift.
Wolves walk on her, but then her smooth, round chest and belly throw them off.
She is a she-camel resembling a wild donkey in speed, vigor, and endurance, with flanks hanging down. Her elbows are far from her ribs.
It is as if she has lost her eyes and the place of slaughter on her neck due to fatness.
Thus, from her face to her eyes, from her nose and the two jawbones ending above her lower teeth, she is like a long stone.
Like a leafless palm branch, she brushes her tail, with its fibrous hairs, against an udder, and the places where milk comes out do not diminish her.
One who knows how to care for that camel with a humped nose sees clear superiority in her ears. Her cheeks have softness and nobility.
With hands dry and tough as a spear, she walks swiftly on her light feet, catching up with camels that have gone before, her feet barely touching the ground.
The sinews or flesh of her feet, like wheat-colored spikes attached to the hooves, scatter the pebbles, and shoeing is unnecessary to protect them from stones on high ground.
The camel, sweating from the intense heat, and with mirage covering the small hills, changes her pace so quickly that on such a day, a lizard is burned by the sun's heat.
It is as if her side facing the sun is placed on hot ashes.
The greenish-black locusts, tired from flying in the heat, begin to move the pebbles with their feet as they prepare to land, and the camel driver tells his people to rest in the midday heat.
It is as if, at the hottest time of day, the speed of movement of the arms of a tall, middle-aged woman is seen, and women who have lost many children respond to her.
This woman is one who weeps much over her dead. Her sleeves hang down.
Thus, as her hands move, they are swift. When the messengers bring news of her first child's death, she loses her mind.
In that state, the woman feels neither fatigue nor hardship.
Likewise, this she-camel feels neither fatigue nor hardship in her walking.
That woman, having lost her mind, tears her shirt with her fingertips.
Thus, her shirt is torn from much cutting at her chest bones.
Thus, the camel, in her lack of perception, resembles this woman. Both are alike in their lack of awareness.
Thus, she does not feel the hardship and severity she encounters.
The troublemakers run on either side of her. Their words are:
O son of Abū Sulmā! You are threatened with death.
Every friend I hoped for help in calamitous days said:
I cannot console you. I am overwhelmed. Now look after yourself, for I cannot benefit you.
I said: Get out of my way, I have no policy for you. What the Merciful has decreed must be done.
Whether safety is prolonged or shortened.
Every human being one day rides upon the bier on which death is carried.
So when I perish, let no one rejoice and laugh over my death.
I heard that the Messenger of God threatened me with death. Yet pardon is hoped from him.
Grant a little respite. The one who has bestowed upon you the supererogatory recitation of the Qur'an, in which there are admonitions and clear distinctions between truth and falsehood, has increased your hudā (guidance).
Do not hold me accountable for the words of some informers.
For I have not sinned.
Even though there are many lies and slanders about me, I am innocent.
By God, I am present in an assembly where, if anyone heard and saw what I have seen and heard there,
He would surely begin to tremble, unless the Messenger of God, by Allah's permission, grants him security.
Finally, I placed my right hand in the palm of the one whose word is decisive, the possessor of vengeance.
I stand awaiting his command without dispute or argument.
Woe to me, there is something I say to myself that I fear: Words are attributed to you,
And if you are asked, 'Why did you do this?' what will you do?
He is like a lion whose lair is the forest, in a valley famous for its many fierce beasts and close-growing oaks. (That is, the Messenger of God is more awe-inspiring than a lion in a dense forest.)
He goes out early in the day to seek prey for his cubs.
He feeds his two cubs with meat. The sustenance of those two cubs is from the flesh of men.
This meat is thrown in small pieces on the ground. When that lion attacks a lion who resists in bravery, it is not lawful for him to leave that lion except if it is broken and in a new state. (That is, this lion does not attack the weak and cowardly, but only those with strength equal to his own.)
The beasts of the place called Jaww, or the wide valleys, or between heaven and earth, keep away from him.
No group of men walks in his valley. (Everyone fears and dreads him.)
In his valley, there is never a lack of brave men who trust in their own courage.
Those who are stained with blood and old clothes in battle are the food of this lion.
Truly, the Messenger is a light by which the truth is reached.
He is one of Allah's drawn swords, a Hind sword. (A Hind sword is the finest and best of swords.)
Among a group from Quraysh, when they became Muslims, their spokesman in the valley of Mecca said, 'Move and migrate' (that is, migrate from Mecca to Medina).
They migrated; neither the weak nor those without shields or swords, nor those who could not ride, nor the unarmed migrated.
They are men of high noses and courage. Their garments are coats of mail woven in the manner of Dāwūd.
Bright, untarnished armor, with rings interlocked but not joined, perfect and strong in construction.
If their spears reach a people, they do not rejoice greatly.
When they meet them, they are not in a state of great sorrow.
They walk like white male camels.
When a short, dark man flees from his peers and turns away from them, a single blow protects them.
The blows strike only their chests, not other parts.
For them, there is no turning back from the battlefield."
In his work "Dalāʾil al-Nubuwwa," Ḥāfiẓ al-Bayhaqī, through Abū ʿAbdallāh al-Ḥāfiẓ, narrates from ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, the son of Kaʿb b. Zuhayr:
"The sons of Zuhayr, Kaʿb and Bujayr, set out on a journey. When they reached the region of Abrak al-ʿAzzāf, Bujayr said to Kaʿb: 'Wait here. I will go and see this man (the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him) and hear what he says.'
Kaʿb waited there. Bujayr went to the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him), who invited him to Islam, and he became Muslim. When Kaʿb heard that Bujayr had entered Islam, he said:
'Let someone deliver a message from me to Bujayr: By what thing have you perished with the destruction of others? How did you find him?
He is upon a character. I never saw his father like that for a single day.
You will not find a brother upon it either.
Abū Bakr gave you to drink from a bowl until you were sated.
And the trustworthy one (Muhammad) gave you the first and the second drink.'"
When these verses reached the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him), he declared Kaʿb's blood lawful and said: "Whoever sees Kaʿb, let him kill him."
Bujayr informed his brother Kaʿb of this by letter, telling him that the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) had declared his blood lawful. He said: "Seek a place of refuge. I do not think you will be saved." He continued in his letter:
"Know that the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) accepts the testimony of anyone who comes to him, bearing witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and he forgives all previous wrongs and crimes. When this letter reaches you, become Muslim and come here."
Kaʿb became Muslim and recited his ode in praise of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him). Then he came to Medina, made his mount kneel at the door of the Messenger's mosque, and entered. The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) was sitting among his Companions (ṣaḥāba) as at a table, surrounded by them in a circle. He was in the middle of two circles, sometimes turning to one side to speak, sometimes to the other.
Kaʿb says:
- I made my camel kneel at the mosque door. I realized the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) was sitting at the Suffa. I entered, went to him, and sat down. I became Muslim and said: "I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that you are the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad. Grant me protection, O Messenger of God."
The Messenger of God asked:
- Who are you? I replied:
- I am Kaʿb b. Zuhayr.
- Are you the one who said such and such? Then he turned to Abū Bakr and asked:
- O Abū Bakr, how did he say it? Abū Bakr recited the poem:
"The trustworthy one (Muhammad) gave you to drink from a cup until you were sated,
The one commanded gave you the first and the second drink."
Kaʿb said:
- O Messenger of God, I did not say it like that.
- How did you say it?
- I said:
"The trustworthy one (trustworthy Muhammad) gave you to drink from a cup until you were sated,
The trustworthy one gave you the first and the second drink."
The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Yes, by Allah, I am trustworthy." Then Kaʿb recited his qasīda to him from beginning to end:
"Suʿād has departed and gone, my qalb (heart) is wounded today and therefore abased. It has felt her absence. It has not escaped captivity, it is bound..."
According to Abū ʿUmar b. ʿAbd al-Barr in his work "al-Istiʿāb," when Kaʿb reached the verse: "Truly, the Messenger is a light by which one is illuminated. He is a drawn, sharp (Hind) sword of Allah. I have been told that the Messenger of God has threatened me with death. Yet pardon is hoped from him,"
At this point, the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) signaled to his Companions (ṣaḥāba) sitting with him to listen. This was also narrated by Mūsā b. ʿUqba in his work "Maghāzī." Praise and gratitude belong to Allah.
I say: According to some reports, the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him), while Kaʿb was reciting his qasīda, gave him his own mantle (burda). Sarsar composed this in some of his panegyrics. Ibn Abī'l-Ḥasan b. Athīr also narrated this in his work "al-Ghāba," stating that the burda given to Kaʿb was the same as the one kept by the caliphs.
I say: This is indeed well-known, but I have not found a chain of transmission in the famous books that would satisfy my heart. Allah knows best.
It is narrated that the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him), when Kaʿb said, "Suʿād has departed," asked him:
- Who is Suʿād? Kaʿb replied:
- She is my wife, O Messenger of God. The Messenger of God said:
- Suʿād has not departed.
But this narration is not correct. It seems that Kaʿb, upon entering Islam, imagined that his wife had left him. The apparent view is that Kaʿb meant his wife had left him not legally but spiritually. Allah knows best.
Ibn Ishaq narrates from ʿĀṣim b. ʿUmar b. Qatāda:
When Kaʿb said, "When a short, dark man flees from his peers and turns away from them," he meant the Anṣār, because our companion had done what he did to him, and when he especially praised the Qurayshī Muhājirūn among the Companions (ṣaḥāba) of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him), the Anṣār became angry with him. But after becoming Muslim, he praised the Anṣār and, recalling the hardships they endured with the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him), said:
"Whoever wishes to live a noble life, let him live among a group of the righteous Anṣār.
They inherited the highest virtues and character from the greatest.
For only they and the sons of the virtuous are truly virtuous.
They are those who strive with their arms like the ornaments of long Hind swords.
They look with eyes not wearied, but glowing like embers,
On a day when throats are at each other's throats and attacks are made, they sacrifice their lives for their Prophet for the sake of death,
They cleanse themselves of what is stained with the blood of disbelievers and consider it an act of worship.
They have made it a habit, like lions with curved necks who have made hunting and attacking in a lion's den a habit.
If you seek refuge from them, you spend the night in the hiding places of mountain goats.
On the day of Badr, when they struck a blow at ʿAlī, all of Hizar gathered at that event.
If all the tribes knew what I know about them,
Those who contend with me would surely confirm me.
They are a people who, when the stars fall and rain does not fall during their descent, host and feed those who come to them at night as guests.
Digging at the foundation of a place in Ghassān is wearisome and tiring for the tool."
Ibn Hisham said: It is related that when Kaʿb recited his qasīda "Suʿād has departed...", the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him:
"If only you had mentioned the Anṣār with good, for they are worthy of it." Thereupon, Kaʿb recited these verses in his qasīda.
According to a report from ʿAlī b. Zayd b. Judʿān, Kaʿb b. Zuhayr recited his qasīda, beginning "Suʿād has departed with a distant departure. My qalb (heart) is wounded today," to the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) in the mosque.
Shaykh Abū ʿUmar b. ʿAbd al-Barr, after narrating part of the life of Kaʿb b. Zuhayr in his work "al-Istiʿāb fī Maʿrifat al-Aṣḥāb," said:
"Kaʿb b. Zuhayr was a poet. His poetry was beautiful and abundant. He was among the foremost poets of his class. His brother Bujayr was likewise, but Kaʿb was a greater poet than he. Their father Zuhayr was greater than both. One of Kaʿb's most beautiful poems is:
'If I were to admire anything, I would surely admire the striving of a youth whose destiny is hidden from him.
The youth strives for things he cannot attain. Life is one, but his ambition is spread in all directions. As long as a person lives, his hopes stretch forward. Until his appointed time ends, his gaze is always ahead.'
Then Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr narrated many poems of Kaʿb, which would take too long to mention here. He did not state when Kaʿb died. Abū'l-Ḥasan b. Athīr also did not mention the date of the poet's death in his work "al-Ghāba fī Maʿrifat al-Ṣaḥāba," but said that his father died a year before the prophetic mission. Allah knows best.
Suḥaylī said: One of the most beautiful poems of Kaʿb b. Zuhayr is his praise of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him):
'A living camel carries him swiftly. He is wrapped in his mantle, like the full moon. He illuminated the dark night.
Between his shoulders and within his mantle are the religion and generosity known only to Allah.'