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English translation
3453. 'Abdur-Raḥmān bin 'Abdullāh bin Ka'b bin Mālik narrated that his father said: "I heard my father Ka'b bin Mālik – who was one of the three whose repentance was accepted – say: 'The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ sent word to me and to my two companions saying: The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ commands you to keep away from your wives. I said to his envoy: Shall I divorce my wife, or what should I do? He said: No, just keep away from her, and do not approach her. I said to my wife: Go to your family and stay with them. So she went to them.'" (Ṣaḥīḥ)
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Commentary
1. 'Do not approach her' means do not copulate with her, etc. Talking to the wife was not forbidden. But Ka'b was concerned that in the event of staying near her, he might engage in sexual intercourse with her etc. He, therefore, asked his wife to go to her parent's house.
2. 'Those whose repentance was accepted': Going to the Campaign of Tabūk
had become an individual obligatory duty. Hence, those who did not participate were interrogated. The hypocrites saved face by telling lies, but became the fuel of Hellfire. Three sincere Muslims had also stayed back slothfully. They admitted their mistake. They did not contrive any excuse, and surrendered themselves to the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ. Allāh's Messenger ﷺ commanded the community to shun them. No one greeted or until the earth, despite all its vastness, had become too narrow for them, and their souls had become utterly constricted - but they remained loyal to the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ. Finally, after fifty days, the revelation of the acceptance of their repentance descended, and their ordeal ended. These venerable personages became the dwellers of Paradise by undergoing the most severe hardship. Their names are Ka'b bin Mālik, Murah bin Rabī'a, and Hilal bin Umayyah - May Allāh be pleased with them all. May Allāh shower His mercy upon them.
