Honesty saves: the story of the 3 who missed tabuk LIFE LESSONS

Do not procrastinate So if Ka'b (radhiAllahu anhu) faced no obstacles in terms of health and provisions, what then held him back from proceeding with the army? He put it 'on-hold‘ Something we do all the time when we need to do some good deed.

Do not procrastinate Allah says, وَسَارِعُوا إِلَىٰ مَغْفِرَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَجَنَّةٍ عَرْضُهَا السَّمَاوَاتُ وَالْأَرْضُ أُعِدَّتْ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ And hasten to forgiveness from your Lord and a garden as wide as the heavens and earth, prepared for the righteous. (Aal-'Imran 3:133).

Do not procrastinate The Prophet said: “Hasten to do good deeds before you are overtaken by one of the seven afflictions.” Then (giving a warning) he said, “Are you waiting for such poverty which will make you unmindful of devotion; or prosperity which will make you corrupt, or disease as will disable you, or such senility as will make you mentally unstable, or sudden death, or Ad-Dajjal who is the worst expected absent, or the Hour, and the Hour will be most grievous and most bitter.” (Tirmidhi).

Feeling of regret Indeed, 'I wish I had done so!'; a line of regret, familiar to our ears, our tongues and sometimes hidden away in our hearts. The greatest regret we will have is in the hereafter when we see our record of deeds and wish we had done better.

Hastening to do Good when Called to it When Allah opens for us a door of mercy and virtue, our immediate reaction should be to enter it. Otherwise, it is very possible that when such opportunities are ignored, we may find that the door has been shut on us, while we thought it would remain open forever.

See who your companions are If we do not hasten to befriend the righteous and be in their company, it is likely that we may find ourselves surrounded by their opposites.

Hastening to Accept the Truth after Knowing it Allah commands the believers: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اسْتَجِيبُوا لِلَّهِ وَلِلرَّسُولِ إِذَا دَعَاكُمْ لِمَا يُحْيِيكُمْ ۖ وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَحُولُ بَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَقَلْبِهِ وَأَنَّهُ إِلَيْهِ تُحْشَرُونَ O you who have believed, respond to Allah and to the Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life. And know that Allah intervenes between a man and his heart and that to Him you will be gathered. (al-Anfaal 8:24).

Speak the Truth at all times Ka’b’s faith in Allah led him to know and firmly believe that if he could escape the Prophet (pbuh) that day with a lie, he could not escape the punishment of Allah, the All-Knowing. Such thoughts of absolute certainty and faith, if established in our hearts, would ultimately lead us to give up everything that leads to the displeasure of Allah, even in the most dire of circumstances and to speak the truth at all times.

Being Punished for our sins in this world is far better than the punishment of the hereafter It is from Allah's Wisdom that He reprimands His righteous slaves for their misdeeds in this life, before the Hereafter. This makes the believer alert and conscious of their deeds. Anas reported that the Prophet (pbuh) said, “When Allah intends good for His slave, He punishes him in this world, but when He intends an evil for His slave, He does not hasten to take him to task but calls him to account on the Day of Resurrection.” (Al-Tirmidhi).

Unconditional Obedience The pain that Ka’b bin Malik felt and was the result of an act of disobedience to the Prophet (sallaAllahu alayhe wasallam). Today, he (sallaAllahu alayhe wasallam) is no longer among us to reprimand us if we turn away. But his commands, his sunnah, have been safely preserved for the purpose of our compliance. He (sallaAllahu alayhe wasallam) said: “All of my ummah will enter Paradise except those who refuse.” They said: “O Messenger of Allah, who would refuse?” He said: “Whoever obeys me will enter Paradise and whoever disobeys me has refused.” (Bukhari)

To Remain Steadfast in the face of calamity Ka'b bin Malik (radhiAllahu anhu) received an invitation from one of the Kings of Al-Shaam, an unbeliever, of a 'guarantee' of protection from the 'inferiority' he was assumed to be facing in Madinah. So, what was his response? When I read it, I said to myself, 'This too is a test.' Allah (subhanahu wata'ala) says, وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يَقُولُ آمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ فَإِذَا أُوذِيَ فِي اللَّهِ جَعَلَ فِتْنَةَ النَّاسِ كَعَذَابِ اللَّهِ And of the people are some who say, “We believe in Allah,” but when one [of them] is harmed for [the cause of] Allah, they consider the trial of the people as [if it were] the punishment of Allah. (al-'Ankabut 29:10).