Kaʿb al-Aḥbār ( ar, كعب الأحبار, full name Abū Isḥāq Kaʿb ibn Maniʿ al-Ḥimyarī ( ar, ابو اسحاق كعب بن مانع الحميري) was a 7th-century
Yemenite Jew Yemenite (Arabic: يماني, romanized: ''Yamāni'') is someone whose ancestors are from Yemen, or something that is linked to Yemen. It may refer to:
* Al-Yamani, a pre-messianic figure in Shia Islamic eschatology
* Yemenite Hebrew, dialect of ...
from the Arab tribe of "Dhī Raʿīn" ( ar, ذي رعين) who converted to Islam. He was considered to be the earliest authority on
Israiliyyat and
South Arabian lore.
According to Islamic tradition, he accompanied
Umar
ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb ( ar, عمر بن الخطاب, also spelled Omar, ) was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () as the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate ...
in his trip from Medina to Jerusalem, and afterwards, became a supporter of
Uthman
Uthman ibn Affan ( ar, عثمان بن عفان, ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān; – 17 June 656), also spelled by Colloquial Arabic, Turkish and Persian rendering Osman, was a second cousin, son-in-law and notable companion of the Islamic prop ...
. He died in
Hims
ar, حمصي, Himsi
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around 652-6AD.
[
]
Name
Aḥbār is the plural of ''ḥibr''/''ḥabr'', from the Hebrew ''ḥāver'', a scholarly title referring to a rank immediately below rabbi
A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...
as used by Babylonian Jews.[
]
Biography
Little is known about Ka'b, but according to tradition, he came to Medina during the reign of Umar
ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb ( ar, عمر بن الخطاب, also spelled Omar, ) was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () as the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate ...
. He then accompanied Umar in his voyage to Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
. It is reported that when Umar marched into Jerusalem with an army, he asked Ka‘b: "Where do you advise me to build a place of worship?" Ka‘b indicated the Temple Rock, now a gigantic heap of ruins from the temple of Jupiter. The Jews, Ka‘b explained, had briefly won back their old capital a quarter of a century before (when Persians overran Syria), but they had not had time to clear the site of the Temple, for the Byzantines (''Rūm
Rūm ( ar, روم , collective; singulative: Rūmī ; plural: Arwām ; fa, روم Rum or Rumiyān, singular Rumi; tr, Rûm or , singular ), also romanized as ''Roum'', is a derivative of the Aramaic (''rhπmÈ'') and Parthian (''frwm'') ...
'') had recaptured the city. It was then that Umar ordered the rubbish on the Temple 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, the Umayyad
The Umayyad Caliphate (661–750 CE; , ; ar, ٱلْخِلَافَة ٱلْأُمَوِيَّة, al-Khilāfah al-ʾUmawīyah) was the second of the four major caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. The caliphate was ruled by the ...
Caliph
A caliphate or khilāfah ( ar, خِلَافَة, ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; ar, خَلِيفَة , ), a person considered a political-religious successor to th ...
Abd al-Malik built the Dome of the Rock over the site as an integral part of the Aqsa compound. Until this day, the place is known as ''Qubbat al-Ṣakhra'' (the Dome of the Rock).
According to tradition, Ka‘b believed that "Every event that has taken place or will take place on any foot of the earth, is written in the Tourat (Torah
The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the ...
), 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‘b 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‘b vigorously supported Uthman
Uthman ibn Affan ( ar, عثمان بن عفان, ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān; – 17 June 656), also spelled by Colloquial Arabic, Turkish and Persian rendering Osman, was a second cousin, son-in-law and notable companion of the Islamic prop ...
. Subsequently, governor Mu'awiya
Mu'awiya I ( ar, معاوية بن أبي سفيان, Muʿāwiya ibn Abī Sufyān; –April 680) was the founder and first caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate, ruling from 661 until his death. He became caliph less than thirty years after the deat ...
asked Ka'b to become his counsel in Damascus, but he most likely chose to withdraw to Hims
ar, حمصي, Himsi
, population_urban =
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, where he died in 652-6 AD, according to various accounts. His burial place is disputed.[
According to Shia sources Ka‘ab was a Jewish rabbi, who moved from ]Yemen
Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...
to Bilad al-Sham (Syria).[ Ibn Hajar Asqalani, Taqrib al-Tahdhib, Op Cit., p. 135.] He was of the clan of Dhu Ra'in or Dhu al-Kila. Ka‘b came to Medina
Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the second-holiest city in Islam, and the capital of the ...
during the time of Umar
ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb ( ar, عمر بن الخطاب, also spelled Omar, ) was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () as the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate ...
where he converted to Islam. He lived there until Uthman
Uthman ibn Affan ( ar, عثمان بن عفان, ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān; – 17 June 656), also spelled by Colloquial Arabic, Turkish and Persian rendering Osman, was a second cousin, son-in-law and notable companion of the Islamic prop ...
's era.
Sunni view
Ibn Hajar Asqalani, a 14th-century Sunni Shafi'i
The Shafii ( ar, شَافِعِي, translit=Shāfiʿī, also spelled Shafei) school, also known as Madhhab al-Shāfiʿī, is one of the four major traditional schools of religious law (madhhab) in the Sunnī branch of Islam. It was founded by ...
scholar, wrote,
Ka`b Ibn Mati` al-Himyari, Abu Ishaq, known as Ka`b al-Ahbar, is trustworthy (thiqah
Hadith studies ( ar, علم الحديث ''ʻilm al-ḥadīth'' "science of hadith", also science of hadith, or science of hadith criticism or hadith criticism)
consists of several religious scholarly disciplines used by Muslim scholars in th ...
). He belongs to the 2nd abaqah He lived during both Jahiliyyah
The Age of Ignorance ( ar, / , "ignorance") is an Islamic concept referring to the period of time and state of affairs in Arabia before the advent of Islam in 610 CE. It is often translated as the "Age of Ignorance". The term ''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'b in his History of the Prophets and Kings. Other Sunni authors also mention Ka'b and his stories with Caliphs Umar, Uthman and Muawiyah.
On a website operated and owned by the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs (Qatar)
Ministry may refer to:
Government
* Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister
* Ministry (government department), a department of a government
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of the State of Qatar, one may find a fatwa on Ka’b al-Ahbar.
Mention in hadith canons
Ka'b al-Ahbar is mentioned in some hadith canons such as Sahih Muslim
Sahih Muslim ( ar, صحيح مسلم, translit=Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim), group=note is a 9th-century ''hadith'' collection and a book of '' sunnah'' compiled by the Persian scholar Muslim ibn al-Ḥajjāj (815–875). It is one of the most valued b ...
and Muwatta Malik
The ''Muwaṭṭaʾ'' ( ar, الموطأ, "well-trodden path") or ''Muwatta Imam Malik'' ( ar, موطأ الإمام مالك) of Imam Malik (711–795) written in the 8th-century, is one of the earliest collections of hadith texts comprising the ...
, etc. A hadith reports that the Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab
ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb ( ar, عمر بن الخطاب, also spelled Omar, ) was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () as the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate ...
appointed him personally an amir
Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or cer ...
over Muslims.
Twelver Shi'a view
Within the Shia tradition Ka'b is seen as an unreliable figure. Muhammad al-Tijani
Sayyid Muhammad al-Tijani al-Samawi ( ar, محمد التيجاني السماوي; born 2 February 1943) is a Tunisian ex-Sufi Twelver Shi'i scholar, academic and theologian.
Personal life
Al-Tijani was born in Tunisian Sunni Muslim family of M ...
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."[ The Shi'a: The Real Followers of the Sunnah by ]Muhammad al-Tijani
Sayyid Muhammad al-Tijani al-Samawi ( ar, محمد التيجاني السماوي; born 2 February 1943) is a Tunisian ex-Sufi Twelver Shi'i scholar, academic and theologian.
Personal life
Al-Tijani was born in Tunisian Sunni Muslim family of M ...
chapter
Is it "the Book of Allah and my Progeny" or "the Book of Allah and my Sunnah"?
" on Al-Islam.org 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." Ka'b's influence is deprecated within the Shia tradition of Islam.[
]
Accusation of Jewish bias
He has been accused in some traditions of introducing Jewish elements into Islam.[ For example, 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 has uttered an untruth!" three times, quoting the Quran that the sun and moon are obedient to Allah. He accused Ka'b of trying to introduce Jewish myths into Islam.][Tabari - History of al-Tabari, v1, p62 - 63]
Jewish-Christian legends
According to 19th-century , he is associated with the development of the Sunni tradition. Liran Yagdar of Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...
said that Ka'b did not have much influence on Sunni tradition and states "Christians and Jews adopted 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 Ka'b who corrupted Kaa scripture from within".
See also
*Abdullah ibn Saba'
ʿAbd Allāh ibn Sabāʾ al-Ḥimyarī ( ar, عبد الله بن سبأ الحميري) (sometimes also called Ibn Sabāʾ, Ibn al-Sawdāʾ, Ibn Wahb, or Ibn Ḥarb) was a 7th-century figure in Islamic history associated with a group of follower ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ka'ab Al-Ahbar
Tabi‘un
Tabi‘un hadith narrators
Isra'iliyyat narrators
Yemenite Jews
Converts to Islam from Judaism
650s deaths
Year of birth unknown
Place of birth unknown
7th-century Arabs
Converts to Islam
7th-century Jews