that I had not lied to him and thereby destroyed myself as those who lied were destroyed. For Allah the Exalted said about those who lied, when revelation came down concerning them, the harshest words ever revealed about anyone: “They will swear to you by Allah, when you return to them, so that you may turn away from them. So turn away from them; they are filth, and their refuge is Hell—a recompense for what they have earned. They will swear to you so that you may be pleased with them; but even if you are pleased with them, Allah is not pleased with the defiantly disobedient people” (al-Tawbah 9:95–96).

Kaʿb continued: We three who were left behind differed from those whose excuses the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—accepted when they swore to him; he took their pledge and sought forgiveness for them, whereas he deferred judgment on us until Allah, Exalted is He, decided our case. Allah said: “And [He turned in mercy] to the three who were left behind” (al-Tawbah 9:118). What is meant by “left behind” is not that we stayed behind from the campaign itself, but that Allah left our matter pending and the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—postponed a ruling on us, unlike those who swore to him, offered excuses, and were excused. Agreed upon.

In one narration: “The Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—set out for the Expedition of Tabuk on a Thursday, and he liked to depart on Thursdays.”

Another narration states: “He never returned from a journey except during the daytime in the forenoon; when he arrived, he would go first to the mosque, pray two rakʿahs, and then sit there.”

[Commentary]
This is the hadith of Kaʿb ibn Mālik concerning his staying behind from the Expedition of Tabuk, which took place in the ninth year after the Hijrah.