Era Medieval era Name Ka'ab al-Ahbar | Died 652 AD, Homs, Syria | |
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Main interests Schools of Islamic theology Influenced Abu Hureyrah, Abdullah ibn Umar, 'Abd Allah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'As, Muawiyah I | ||
Ka ab al ahbar
Ka‘ab al-Aḥbār (Arabic: كعب الأحبار, full name Abū Iṣḥaq Ka‘b ibn Mati‘ al-Humyari al-Aḥbār) was a rabbi from Yemen who was one of the earliest Jewish converts to Islam. It has been argued that Ka'ab maybe more of a legendary figure and accounts of his life and influence on Islam have been referred to as myths. He is counted among the Tabi'in and narrated many Isra'iliyat. He was an influential figure in the reigns of Umar, Uthman and Muawiyah. According to Rabbi Joseph Schwarz he is associated with the development of the Sunni tradition,. Liran Yagdar of Yale University said that Ka'b did not have much influence on Sunni tradition and states "Christians and Jews adopted [sic] ka'b into their legends on the emergence of Islam, wishing to refute the credibility of the Quran by referring to Jewish converts such as Kab who corrupted Muhammads scripture from within". Ka'ab's influence is deprecated within the Shia tradition of Islam.
Contents
- Ka ab al ahbar
- Biography
- Scholarly disputes
- Sunni view
- Mention in hadith cannons
- Shia view
- Jewish view
- References
Biography
According to Shia sources Ka‘ab was a Jewish rabbi, who moved from Yemen to Bilad al-Sham (Syria). He was of the clan of Dhu Ra'in or Dhu al-Kila. Ka‘ab came to Medina during the time of Umar where he converted to Islam. He lived there until Uthman's era. Ka‘ab did not meet Prophet Muhammad.
Ka‘ab accompanied Umar in his voyage to Jerusalem (Al-Quds). It is reported that when Umar marched into Jerusalem with an army, he asked Ka‘ab: "Where do you advise me to build a place of worship?" Ka‘ab indicated the Temple Rock, now a gigantic heap of ruins from the temple of Jupiter. The Jews, Ka‘ab explained, had briefly won back their old capital a quarter of a century before (when Persians overran Syria and Palestine), but they had not had time to clear the site of the Temple, for the Rums (Byzantines) had recaptured the city. It was then that Umar ordered the rubbish on the Ṣakhra (rock) to be removed by the Nabataeans, and after three showers of heavy rain had cleansed the Rock, he instituted prayers there. Umar is said to have fenced it and, some years later, an Umayyad Khalif built the Dome of the Rock over the site as an integral part of the Aqsa Mosque. Until this day, the place is known as ḳubbat al-ṣakhra, the Dome of the Rock.
According to tradition, Ka‘ab believed that "Every event that has taken place or will take place on any foot of the earth, is written in the Tourat (Torah), which God revealed to his Prophet Moses". He is said to have predicted the death of Umar using the Torah. According to one narration, Ka‘ab told Umar "you ought to write your will because you will die in three days." Umar responded "I do not feel any pain or sickness". Abu Lulu assassinated Umar two days later.
After Umar's death Ka‘ab went to Syria and became one of Mu‘awiyah's advisers. He died in Hims during the Caliphate of Uthman, said to have been over 100 years of age.
Scholarly disputes
Abd Allah ibn Abbas disputed a view attributed to Ka'ab that "on the day of the judgement the sun and the moon will be brought forth like two stupefied bulls and thrown to hell". According to Al-Tabari, Ibn Abbas responded "Kaab is a liar!" three times, quoting the Quran that the sun and moon are obedient to Allah. He accused Ka'ab of trying to introduce Jewish myths into Islam.
Sunni view
Some Sunnis believe Ka'ab is seen as a trustworthy scholar. Ibn Hajar Asqalani, a 14th-century Sunni Shafi'i scholar, wrote,
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.
Al-Tabari quoted intensively about Ka'ab in his History of the Prophets and Kings. Other Sunni authors also mention Ka'ab and his stories with Caliphs Umar, Uthman and Muawiyah.
On a website operated and owned by the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs (Qatar) of the State of Qatar, one may find a fatwa on Ka’ab al-Ahbar.
Mention in hadith cannons
Ka'ab al-Ahbar is mentioned in numerous authentic hadith canons; Sahih Muslim [1], Muwatta Malik [2] etc. One reports that the Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab appointed him personally an amir over Muslims; [3].
Shi'a view
Within the Shia tradition Ka'ab is seen as an unreliable figure. Muhammad al-Tijani a 20th-century Shi'a scholar writes that "He was a Jew from Yemen who pretended to have embraced Islam then went to Medina during the reign of Umar ibn al-Khattab." Muhammad Jawad Chirri 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."
Jewish view
Ka'ab is intensively mentioned within Jewish sources as a rabbi who had influence over early Sunni Islam. Liran Yagdar of Yale University said that "Christians and Jews adopted [sic] ka'b into their legends on the emergence of Islam, wishing to refute the credibility of the Quran by referring to Jewish converts such as Kab who corrupted Muhammads scripture from within".