The acceptance of the repentance of the three

God's acceptance of the three was announced after the dawn prayer of the fiftieth night; the bearers of glad tidings ran to them, and Talha ibn Ubaydullah congratulated Ka'b. ¹

Ka'b said: then I prayed the dawn prayer of the fiftieth night on the roof of one of our houses, in the state God mentioned of us — the earth had narrowed for us despite its vastness, and my soul had narrowed for me; I had built a tent on the height of Sal' and used to stay in it. ² He heard the voice of a crier who had reached the top of Mount Sal' calling at the top of his voice: "Ka'b ibn Malik — rejoice!" He fell prostrate, knowing relief had come. ¹

The Prophet announced God's acceptance to the people when he prayed the dawn prayer; the people went to give them the tidings, and bearers went toward his two companions. A man spurred a horse toward Ka'b while a runner of Aslam hurried up the mountain — "and the voice was faster than the horse". ¹

When the man whose voice he had heard came bearing the tidings, Ka'b took off his two garments and clothed him in them for the glad news — they were all he owned that day — and borrowed two garments to wear. ¹

Then he set off toward the Prophet, the people meeting him with tidings — "rejoice in God's acceptance of you" — until he entered the mosque where the Prophet sat among the people. Talha ibn Ubaydullah stood to greet and congratulate him; no other man of the Muhajirun stood for him, and Ka'b never forgot it for Talha. ¹

When he had greeted him the Prophet said, his face gleaming with joy: "rejoice at the best day that has passed over you since your mother bore you." Ka'b said: is it from you, Messenger of God, or from God? He said: from God. When the Prophet rejoiced his face was like a piece of the moon. ¹

God sent down on them two verses Ibn Ishaq records: al-Tawba 117 and al-Tawba 118; his quotation ran to "and be with the truthful" — al-Tawba 119. ³

Ka'b said God's mention of their being "deferred" was not for their staying behind from the expedition, but for God's deferring them and postponing their case apart from those who swore to him, excused themselves and were accepted. ³

• What appears in the verses is referred to by citation number; their wording is not reproduced.
• The interpretation of "deferred" is Ka'b's in his account (p. 181), not the museum's.
• The "runner of Aslam" is not named.