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The Arrival of Ka‘b bin Zuhair bin Abi Sulma
Under category :
The Delegations
9802
2007/11/25
2024/11/15
Article translated to :
العربية
5-the arrival of ka‘b bin zuhair bin abi sulma: ka‘b who was a member of a family of poets, was considered one of the most poetic arab poets. he used to satirize the prophet [pbuh] when he wasn’t a muslim. in the eighth year of al-hijra and at the time that the messenger of allâh [pbuh] had already gone back from at-ta’if invasion, bujair bin zuhair wrote a letter to his brother ka‘b warning and advising him: "the messenger of allâh ([pbuh]) had killed some men in makkah who used to satirize and harm him, and that the other poets who had survived fled in all directions for their lives. so if you want to save your skin, hasten to the messenger of allâh [pbuh]. he never kills those who resort to him as repentant. if you refuse to do as i tell, it is up to you to try to save your skin by any means." the two brothers corresponded with one another for a long time till ka‘b was awkward and felt as if the earth had constrained on him. arriving in madinah, he stayed at a man’s house from juhainah as a guest. they performed the dawn prayer together; but when he was about to leave, the man suggested that he go to the messenger of allâh [pbuh]. he went there, sat by him, put his hand in his. the messenger of allâh [pbuh] who had never seen ka‘b before, did not recognize him. ka‘b then said: "o, messenger of allâh! ka‘b bin zuhair has come to you as a repentant muslim; will he be secure and forgiven if i fetch him?" the messenger of allâh [pbuh] said, "yes." "i am ka‘b bin zuhair," said he. upon hearing that one of the helpers rose to his feet and asked the messenger’s allowance to cut his throat. "leave him alone!" said the prophet [pbuh], "he has become a repentant muslim after his disposal of the past." ka‘b then recited his well-known poem "su‘ad appeared..." in which he praised the prophet [pbuh], thanked him and apologized for the wrongs he had done. he acknowledged muhammad’s mission. both emigrants and helpers were spoken of in this poem but differently. he praised the emigrants but criticized the helpers, for one of them demanded a prophet’s permission to kill him. later on ka‘b tried to compensate for that by praising the helpers too but that was in another poem.
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