Ka'ab al-Ahbar

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<region> scholar
Medieval era
Name
name
Birth
Death 32 AH (652–653) [1]
School/tradition
Influenced by
Influenced Abu Hurairah [2]
Abd-Allah ibn Umar [2]
Abd-Allah ibn Amr [2]
Muawiyah I [2]

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Ka'ab al-Ahbar (Arabic: كعب الأحبار‎) was a prominent Jewish Rabbi from Yemen, from the clan of Thee Ra-een or Thee al-Kila [2]. He is counted among the Tabi‘in and narrated many Isra'iliyat [3].

His full name was Abu Ishaq Ka'ab ibn Mati` al-Humyari al-Ahbar, also known as Abu Ishaq

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

He moved from Yemen to Bilad al-Sham [4].

[edit] Umar's era

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He came to Medina during the time of Umar where he declared his Islam and resided there until the Uthman's era. [2]. He did not see Muhammad [3]

The story of his conversion as he reported: " As he was traveling to Syria from Yemen he passed near Medina where he met a Muslim friend of his. Kaab said jokingly " how are the musleman in the city" the man answered ( irritated) by reciting a verse of Quraan which says "isn't it time for the people of the Book (Jews and Christians) to convert? or are they waiting for a disaster to hit them or their faces turn backwords. Kaab laughed on the verse remark and continued traveling towards the north. However after 20 miles he started thinking of the verse and he got worried so he sped to a well to see if any thing happened to his face ( he was especially worried that his face get full of hair since he had a hairy neck!" Since he was of obcessive personality, he rushed back to Medina looking for the Muslim man that when he saw him he asked him how can he become Muslim. after which the man took him to Umar where he recited the Shahadah "Islam Testimonia" and became a good friend of Umar. When Umar asked him of his name , he replied "Ka'ab al-Ahbar" which sounds like a title meaning ( Cornerstone of the Rabbies (Kohanim)). Even though it was known that he was a rabbi, but Muslims were not sure if he was really the Head of Cohanim or he was just kidding. He had a lovely personality and a talkative person.

A narration reports:

“ Ka'b :Amir al-Muminin, you ought to write your will because you will die in three days.

Umar : How do you know that ?
Ka'b : I found it in the Book of God, the Taurat ( Old Testament ).
Umar : By God do you find Umar Ibn al-Khattab in the Old Testament ?
Ka'b : By God, no. But I found your description in the Old Testament and your time is coming to an end.
Umar : But I do not feel any pain or sickness

On the following day Ka'b came to Umar and said : Amir al-Mu'minin, one day has passed and you have only two more days.

The following day Ka'b came to him and said : Amir al-Mu'minin, two days have gone and you have only one day and one night remaining.

The following morning Abu Lulu appeared carrying a dagger with two heads and a handle in the middle. He hit Umar six times, one of them hit the Caliph in the navel, killing him. [5]

 ”

[edit] Uthman's era

He went to Syria to be one of Mu`awiyah's advisers. He died in Hims [1] during the Caliphate of `Uthman exceeding 100 years of age [4].

[edit] Sahaba's view of Ka'ab

A Shi'ite site, al-Islam.org writes:

“ Umar and a number of prominent companions had a very positive attitude towards Kaab. However the most knowledgable and the most farsighted among them, namely, Imam Ali ( as ) discredited Kaab. Kaab did not dare to come close to Imam Ali ( as ), despite the fact that the Imam was in Medina for the duration of Kaab's stay. It is reported that Imam Ali ( as ) said about Kaab : Certainly he is a professional liar ! [2] ”

A narration reports:

“ Ibn Abbas ( as ) was told:
Kaab says that on the day of the judgement the sun and the moon will be brought forth like two ( 2 ) stupefide bulls and thrown to hell !

Upon hearing this Ibn Abbas ( as ) was enraged and retorted three ( 3 ) times :

Kaab is a liar !
Kaab is a liar !
Kaab is a liar !

This is a Jewish notion, and Kaab wants to introduce it into Islam. Allah is free from the things they attribute to Him. He never punishes those who obey. Have you not heard that Allah says in the Quran :

And He has made subject you the sun and the moon, both diligently pursuing their course [Ibrahim 33]

Ibn Abbas further said : The word 'Daibain' used in this Verse denotes constant obedience to Allah.

Then he continued : How can He punish these two ( 2 ) heavenly bodies whom He Himself praises for obedience. God curse the Jewish Scholar and his learning ! What a shameless audacity to attribute Lies to Allah, and to impute guilt to the two ( 2 ) obedient creatures !

Having said this, Ibn Abbas said this three ( 3 ) times :

To Allah we belong and unto Him shall we return !
To Allah we belong and unto Him shall we return !
To Allah we belong and unto Him shall we return !

Then Ibn Abbas went on to narrate what the Prophet ( Peace and Salutations to his cleansed and Pure Progeny ) had actually said about the sun and the moon :

Allah created two sources of light ! That which He named the Sun was like the Earth, between the points of rising and setting. And that which He ordained to be lustreless at times, He called the moon and made it smaller than the Sun. And both of them appear to be small because of their height in the sky and their distance from the earth. [6]
 ”

[edit] Views

A narration attributed to Qais Ibn Kharshah al-Qaisi from Ka'ab al-Ahbar reports:

“ Every event that has taken place or will take place on any foot of the earth, is written in the Tourat ( Old Testament ), which God (Arabic: الله‎ Allāh) revealed to his Prophet Moses ( as ).[7] ”

[edit] Legacy

[edit] Building of Al-Aqsa Mosque

Kaab accompanied Khalif Umar in his voyage to Jerusalem (Al-Quds) He helped locate the foundations of the ancient Jewish temple where Umar built the Aqsa Mosque. He also helped later find the place of the Rock while he was looking for the Holy of Holies. Umar cleaned it from rubble and fenced it and an Umayyad Khalif later built the Dome of the Rock over it as an integral part of the Aqsa Mosque.

[edit] Hadith

Muslim, Abu Dawud and al-Tirmidhi have recorded his hadith [8].

None of his reports are in al-Bukhari. He has one narration in Muslim from Abu Huraira from him on the authority of al-A`mash from Abu Salih. [4]

Some of his hadith is included in the tafsir al-Qurtubi on the chapter of Ghafir.

[edit] Sunni view

Ibn Hajar Asqalani, a 14th century Sunni Shafi'i Islamic scholar

“ Ka`b Ibn Mati` al-Himyari, Abu Ishaq, known as Ka`b al-Ahbar, is trustworthy (thiqah). He belongs to the 2nd [tabaqah]. He lived during both Jahiliyyah and Islam. He lived in Yemen before he moved to Sham [~Syria]. He died during the Caliphate of `Uthman exceeding 100 years of age. None of his reports are in al-Bukhari. He has one narration in Muslim from Abu Huraira from him on the authority of al-A`mash from Abu Salih. [4] ”

For more on the Sunni view, see "Isra'iliyat".

[edit] Shi'a view

Muhammad al-Tijani, a 20th century Shi'a Twelver Islamic scholar writes:

“ He was a Jew from Yemen who pretended to have embraced Islam then went to Medina during the reign of Umar ibn al-Khattab. Then he went to Syria to be one of Mu`awiyah's advisers. [1] ”

Muhammad Jawad Chirri, a 21st century Shi'a Twelver Islamic scholar writes after having quoted a hadith:

“ This dialogue should alert us to the deceptive and successful attempt on the part of Ka'b to influence future events by satanic suggestions. It contains a great deal of deception which produced many harmful results to Islam and the Muslims. [9] ”

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c The Shi'a: The Real Followers of the Sunnah by Muhammad al-Tijani chapter "Is it "the Book of Allah and my Progeny" or "the Book of Allah and my Sunnah"?" on Al-Islam.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Al-Islam.org[1]
  3. ^ a b ::: 'ULUM AL-QUR'AN #3 - THE HISTORY OF TAFSIR :::
  4. ^ a b c d Ibn Hajar Asqalani, Taqrib al-Tahdhib, Op Cit., p. 135.
  5. ^ Tarikh al-Tabari v4, p191 Printed by Dar al-Maarif - Cairo
  6. ^ Tarikh al-Tabari European Edition v1, p62 - 63, quoted on Al-Islam.org[2]
  7. ^ Yusuf ibn Abd-al-Barr - al-Istiab, v3, p1287 Printed in Cairo 1380 A.H
  8. ^ On The Transmitters Of Isra'iliyyat (Judeo-Christian Material)
  9. ^ The Shi'ites Under Attack by Muhammad Jawad Chirri, chapter "Did Muslims Other Than Shi'ites Borrow Religious Teachings from Jews?" on Al-Islam.org