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“So you cut yourself off from every path of guidance and followed him—
Alas, upon what, pray tell, did someone other than you misdirect you? -
You embraced a creed that neither mother nor father of yours had ever held,
A creed on which you never found even a single brother to stand with you.”
When these verses reached the Prophet ﷺ, he declared Kaʿb’s blood licit. Bujayr therefore wrote to his brother, warning, “Save yourself, though I do not think you will escape.” He sent another letter saying, “Know that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ never turns away anyone who comes to him bearing witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; he will accept that testimony and wipe away everything that came before it.”
Kaʿb accepted Islam and composed the ode in which he praises the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He then travelled to Medina, tethered his mount at the entrance of the Prophet’s Mosque, and went inside. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was sitting with his Companions in the place where food was usually set, the people gathered around him in concentric circles. He would turn to one group and speak with them, then turn to another and speak with them.
Kaʿb recounts: “I tethered my mount and entered. I recognized the Messenger of Allah ﷺ by his description, made my way through the circles until I sat before him, and said, ‘I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that you are the Messenger of Allah. Grant me sanctuary, O Messenger of Allah.’
He asked, ‘And who are you?’ I replied, ‘I am Kaʿb ibn Zuhayr.’
He said, ‘The one who said…?’ Then he turned to Abū Bakr and asked, ‘How does it go, Abū Bakr?’ He then recited:
‘Abū Bakr gave you a brimming cup to drink,
And the commander finished you off with its dregs, leaving you to chew them.’
I said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, I did not say it like that.’ He asked, ‘How did you say it, then?’ I replied, ‘I said only:
And the Trusted One finished you off with its dregs, leaving you to chew them.’
He said, ‘The Trusted One—indeed, by Allah!’
Then he recited:
‘Suʿād has departed, and my heart today is distracted—
Love-struck in her wake, never before so enchained.’