Why you MUST stop procrastinating: The Repentance Story of Ka’ab ibn Malik
We all know that it isn’t good to procrastinate, especially for long periods of time.
Delaying an assignment, application or other duty only increases the stress/ anxiety as there is less time to get it done.
Some procrastinate so much that they lose the opportunity altogether.
This is what happened with Ka’ab ibn Malik (ra), one of Prophet Muhammad’s (salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam), sahaba.
His procrastination caused him to miss Tabuk completely, and the repercussions of his actions affected him for the rest of his life.
Using Ka’ab’s story of repentance, you will find out how you can stop procrastinating whether it be in this world or the next.
After a brief summary of what happened, there will be a list of lessons you can take from the story.
(Disclaimer: The ‘lessons’ section of this post are my reflections. I am not a scholar or a learned person, just a normal person like you. So I don’t attempt to nor wish to make my own interpretations of this story as I am not knowledgeable enough. Therefore, the lessons are based off what I took away from the story. If there is any incorrect information, please send me a message and I am more than happy to listen and correct the information if necessary.)
You can also watch the full video of Ka’ab ibn Malik’s repentance here, along with over 150 other fascinating episodes of the stories of the sahaba!
Related:
How To Repent A Sin (As a Muslim)
How To Repent Our Sins (Including a Step-by-Step Guide)
How To Be Consistent As A Muslim
How To Be A Better Muslim (+ Centre Your Life Around Islam!)
Key Points of ‘The Story of the Repentance of Ka’ab ibn Malik’
Ka’ab ibn Malik never missed a major battle alongside the Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam in his life, except for the Battle of Badr (for which he wasn’t blamed) and the Battle of Tabuk. He (ra) didn’t miss Tabuk because of cowardice but because he fell behind.
Here’s how it happened.
Ka’ab ibn Malik had always lived in poverty and had a very hard life.
When it was around the time of Tabuk, he owned two camels at the same time for the first time in his life, and his crops were starting to grow. He was finally starting to feel some ease in his life.
The time for the Battle of Tabuk was approaching and the Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam reminded those who would join him to be ready repeatedly.
Instead of preparing, Ka’ab ibn Malik started procrastinating with his new comforts and told himself that he will get ready when the time came to leave.
Soon, it was almost time to leave and the Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and his companions were just about to set off, yet Ka’ab kept procrastinating and delaying.
Before he realised it, everyone had already left for Tabuk.
He became depressed after realising that he had been left behind with those unable to join the fight (due to poor health) and with the hypocrites while 20,000 sahaba had joined the Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.
When in Tabuk, the Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam asked his companions where Ka’ab ibn Malik was. A man from Bani Salama said that he got distracted with his newfound wealth and that was why he didn’t come. Mu’adh ibn Jabar (ra) immediately stood up and defended Ka’ab (ra), berating the man for making a negative assumption about such a righteous man.
When he knew they were returning from Tabuk, Ka’ab started thinking of a lie or excuse he could make to the Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam as advised by other people. But when the Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was just about to arrive, he decided to tell him the truth, as nothing would save him but the truth.
One by one, the men who stayed behind gave the Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam their excuses and the Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam took what they said at face value and left it to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala to decide what would happen with them.
When it came to Ka’ab’s turn, he told the Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam that he had no excuse for missing Tabuk. He was in the best position possible in his life when Tabuk started and he had the means to go, but he procrastinated and waited till the last minute until he missed out completely.
As the Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam waited for a decree from Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala regarding the people who didn’t go to Tabuk, Ka’ab was constantly being persuaded by others to go back to Muhammad salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and make up an excuse, and he was almost tempted but ultimately stood his ground.
While the Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam waited for the decree from Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala, he was given an order by Allah that forbade all Muslims from speaking to Ka’ab and the two other able sahaba who didn’t have an excuse for not attending Tabuk.
So the people avoided him and eventually started becoming hostile to him.
He stayed in a constant state of worry, crying all the time from the anxiety, fear and sadness of everyone ignoring him and wondering whether his repentance would be accepted.
Later, he received a letter from the Christians telling him to leave Islam where he was being ‘mistreated’ by Prophet Muhammad salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and told him to become Christian. Knowing this was a test, Ka’ab burnt the letter.
Eventually, his repentance was indeed accepted and all those who had lied and made excuses were revealed as hypocrites by Allah SWT.
40 years later, Ka’ab (ra) said that he still regretted his actions but accepted that this situation was decreed by Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala.
Lessons/ Reflections
Ka’ab ibn Malik (ra) missed a major moment in Islamic history, a time and place in which he should have been a part of.
This shows how important it is to stop procrastinating as procrastination can cause you to miss great opportunities in life.
There are many lessons to be learnt from this story (including staying firm to the truth and not being swayed etc.) but what takeaways are there regarding procrastination?
Prepare beforehand/ schedule your day
Ka’ab ibn Malik (ra) kept on thinking he had time to prepare before it was time to leave. He procrastinated and delayed it so much that there was no more time to prepare because everyone had already left by that point! That said, if you want to stop procrastinating, be organised by preparing beforehand and scheduling your day.
For salah, this may include doing wudhu a while before adhan so you are prepared to pray on time, or getting your books and stationary out beforehand to prep your for your Islamic studies.
Similarly, scheduling your prayers into your day and planning your day around the five prayers ensures that you prioritise it. Similarly, creating a set time each day to read the Qu’ran makes it more likely that you will actually read it everyday.
Remove temptations
What made Ka’ab procrastinate? His worldly goods.
Therefore, another way to stop procrastinating involves removing temptations around you that will make you delay your task.
So, if you realise that you procrastinate a lot before prayer and do your prayers late, figure out what distracts you. Is it your phone? Is it tiredness? Is it because there’s always something else that needs to ‘urgently’ be done?
Assess what causes you to procrastinate and then limit it or if possible, remove it entirely.
Prayer is most urgent, it is the first thing you will be asked about on the Day of Judgement so prioritise that above all.
Try to do what you can in the time you have left
Abu Khaythamah was another person who also didn’t leave on time for Tabuk (as he didn’t have the means to be with the army at first but somehow eventually found a way).
He left as soon as he could and managed to make it on time to Tabuk even though he had left later than everyone else and the Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was extremely happy to see him. This was one of the things that Ka’ab actually regretted not doing – leaving as soon as he could.
So the lesson here is, that if you have just a little time left after all the procrastinating you did, use it wisely. Rather than reading five pages of Qu’ran, read one. Do dhikr, watch a quick video, or simply go out for a walk and appreciate the magnitude and beauty of Allah’s creation. Do something rather than nothing at all.
When you start making use of whatever time you have left you will realise just how much you can actually get done in such little time. This makes you want to push yourself to do more and will hopefully help you stop procrastinating.
Learn from the situation & don’t make excuses
Ka’ab was tempted by many around him to lie to Prophet Muhammad salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, to dislike him and even to leave Islam!
But through it all, he stayed firm and did what was right. He kept to the truth, and this was what allowed his repentance to be accepted by Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala.
The things that caused you to procrastinate don’t have any hold over you. YOU let yourself get carried away with it, and it is only you that can take the control back.
Therefore, always do what is morally and Islamically right and don’t make excuses for the delayed or missed opportunities caused by your procrastination.
Learn from the situation so that you stop procrastinating next time, and learn about the pros and cons of doing certain actions.
For example, learning about the consequences of missing salah will hopefully prevent you from missing it.
This will help you to stop procrastinating as you begin to understand the importance of doing the action.
Try to prevent it from happening again
To stop procrastinating, you need to have a ‘why,’ a purpose behind doing the action.
What is the bigger reason you are doing anything at all? It is because you want to be a good Muslim and go to Jannah.
Remind yourself of that goal frequently, and you will naturally stop procrastinating and start doing.
Here are some posts that will help you stop procrastinating and become more productive:
The Five Before Five Hadith: Prophetic Advice That Will Change Your Life
Dunya and Deen – How to Balance Both (Part 2)
How To Build A Connection With Allah SWT
Start A Good Habit Using The Habit Loop
Are there any lessons that you learnt from this story? Comment down below what it is! : )
Key Points – Why you MUST stop procrastinating: The Repentance Story of Ka’ab ibn Malik
- Ka’ab ibn Malik (ra) missed a major moment in Islamic history (Tabuk), a time and place in which he should have been a part of. This shows how important it is to stop procrastinating as procrastination can cause you to miss great opportunities in life.
- Lessons from Ka’ab’s (ra) story of repentance – if you want to stop procrastinating, be organised by preparing beforehand and scheduling your day.
- Lessons from Ka’ab’s (ra) story of repentance – Assess what causes you to procrastinate and then limit it or if possible, remove it entirely.
- Lessons from Ka’ab’s (ra) story of repentance – if you have just a little time left after all the procrastinating you did, use it wisely. Do something rather than nothing at all.
- Lessons from Ka’ab’s (ra) story of repentance – The things that caused you to procrastinate don’t have any hold over you. YOU let yourself get carried away with it, and it is only you that can take the control back. Therefore, always do what is morally and Islamically right and don’t make excuses for the delayed or missed opportunities caused by your procrastination. Learn from the situation so that you stop procrastinating next time, and learn about the pros and cons of doing certain actions.
- Lessons from Ka’ab’s (ra) story of repentance – To stop procrastinating, you need to have a ‘why,’ a purpose behind doing the action.
