Light On the Muhammadan Sunnah Or Defence of the Hadith

Ka'b and Mu'awiyah:

I have stated before 332  that Umar ibn al-Khattab forbade Ka'b al-Ahbar from narrating hadith, threatening him with exile should he relate any of his Jewish traditions (Israeliyyat), or what he used to claim as being reported from the Prophet (S) after taking notice of his deceit and evil intention. As a consequence to this threat, no alternative was left before Ka'b but to surrender unwillingly and angrily. Then he started to work stealthily for attaining the purposes for which he embraced Islam, finding no access to this but through getting rid of this violent rock impeding his way, and preventing him from reaching his goal. So soon it was opportune that chance of the plot hatched by an underground society to murder Umar, in which he collaborated, fanning its fire!

With murder of Umar, he felt free and safe, giving the reins to himself to disseminate whatever the Jewish deception would let him, of the superstitions and Jewish fabricated traditions that spoiled and defamed religion, aided in this task by his senior disciples like: Abd Allah ibn `Amr, Abd Allah ibn Umar and Abu Hurayrah.

He was not sufficed with that, nor content with seeing no opponent to his plans, or to find through Muslims' negligence and aid of rulers someone to listen to or appreciate his fabricated traditions. Rather, he kept on his cunning seizing every opportunity to direct to Islam one of his malicious stabs.

We suffice here with citing only one example for this case: When fires of riot erupted during the last days of Uthman's reign, and heated up till causing murder of Uthman inside his house, this crafty priest never missed this chance, rushing to fan its flames and contributing with his Jewish stratagem as much as he could. Among the deceit he added to this sedition, was his claim that caliphate after Uthman would go to Mu`awiyah!

Wukay' reported from al-A‘mash, from Abu Salih,

333  that a singer was chanting in regard of Uthman saying:

The emir after him shall be Ali,

And al-Zubayr has a pleasant morality.

Threat Ka'b al-Ahbar said: Never, but he (the emir) will be verily the owner of the gray she-mule! (meaning Mu'awiyah), as he used to see him riding a she-mule. On hearing this, Mu'awiyah came to him saying: O Abu Ishaq, what for do you utter this! while Ali and al-Zubayr and Companions of Muhammad (S) are present here! He (Ka'b) said: You are verily its (real) owner. He might have added by saying: I found this (recorded) in the first book!!

In recognition of this favour, Mu'awiyah started to overwhelm Ka'b with his kindness. From history of this priest, it is learnt that during the era of Uthman he moved to the Sham, living under care of Mu'awiyah, who brought him nearer, making him among his favourites, for narrating as many falsities and Jewish traditions as he could in support of him (Mu`awiyah) and reinforcing pillars of his rule. In al-Isabah Ibn Hajar al-Asqallani reported that it was Mu'awiyah who ordered Ka'b to relate tales in the Sham. 334  Sufficient be the aforementioned traditions, and the narrations he falsified in respect of preferring the Sham and its people. 335

Our wonder is raised when knowing that these Israeliyyat are still nowadays believed and rather sanctified by some people. When enlightening and asking those people to give them less importance, some of contemporary knowledge claimants, particularly the grandsons and flatterers of the Umayyads, would rise and object us, giving reins to themselves in slandering and abusing us, out of bigotry and idiocy.

This was only one example we cited, of Ka'b’s standpoints with Mu`awiyah in particular, and the misfortunes that befell Islam due to his stratagem and cunning in general. All this was due to the fact that Ali was the cousin of the Prophet (S) for whom these priests prepared and amassed all their might and forces to combat and fight his Shari'ah. Had I intended to cover all the stratagem and evil intended by this priest against Islam and Muslims, this would have required me to dedicate a separate full book, as I did in regard of his most eminent disciple Abu Hurayrah. 336

We should never forget that Ali used to say about Ka'b that he was verily a liar. 337

  1. See section on this subject in this book.

  2. Al-Maqrizi in Treatise: Al-Niza' wa al-takhasum fima bayna Bani Umayyah wa Bani Hashim, p. 51.

  3. See Vol. V, p. 323.

  4. See p. 171 and following pages of this book (Arabic).

  5. Refer to my book Shaykh al-mudirah.

  6. Refer to section: "Companions Belie Ka'b".