Ka'b al-Ahbar

Aḥbār is the plural of ḥibr/ḥabr, from the Hebrew ḥāver, a scholarly title referring to a rank immediately below rabbi as used by Babylonian Jews.

Little is known about Ka'b, but according to tradition, he came to Medina during the reign of Umar. He then accompanied Umar in his voyage to Jerusalem. 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.{{cite book |author= Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad ibn Jarīr al-Ṭabarī |title= The History of al-Ṭabarī |volume= 12: The Battle of al-Qādisiyyah and the Conquest of Syria and Palestine A.D. 635-637/A.H. 14-15 |translator= Yohanan Friedmann |series= Bibliotheca Persica, vol. 12 of History of al-Ṭabarī: Taʼrīkh al-rusul waʼl-mulūk, SUNY series in Near Eastern Studies |publisher=SUNY Press |year= 1992 |orig-year= 2007 |pages= 194–195 |isbn= 0791407349 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=kTiEmiQzo6EC&pg=PA194 |access-date= 19 March 2014}} 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) 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 caliph 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), which God revealed to his Prophet Moses".Yusuf ibn Abd-al-Barr - al-Istiab, v3, p1287 Printed in Cairo 1380 A.H 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.Tarikh al-Tabari vol. 4, p. 191, Cairo: Dar al-Maarif.

After Umar's death, Ka‘b vigorously supported Uthman. Subsequently, governor Mu'awiya asked Ka'b to become his counsel in Damascus, but he most likely chose to withdraw to Hims, where he died in AD 652-56, according to various accounts. His burial place is disputed. A son named Tubai survived him.{{cite encyclopedia |author=Gottheil, Richard |author2=Hirschfeld, Hartwig |title= Ka'b al-Ahbar |encyclopedia= Jewish Encyclopedia |year= 1906 |via= jewishencyclopedia.com |url= http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/9105-ka-b-al-ahbar |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170812094954/http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/9105-ka-b-al-ahbar |archive-date= 12 August 2017}}

According to Shia sources Ka‘ab was a Jewish rabbi, who moved from Yemen to Bilad al-Sham (Syria).Ibn Hajar Asqalani, Taqrib al-Tahdhib, op. cit. [which? Also: Taqrib al-Tahdhib is a book of his, so a book within a book? Makes no sense.], p. 135. He was of the clan of Dhu Ra'in or Dhu al-Kila. Ka‘b came to Medina during the time of Umar where he converted to Islam. He lived there until Uthman's era.{{cite web|title=The Companions and the Jewish Influence. Part 1|website=Al-Islam.org|url=http://www.al-islam.org/encyclopedia/chapter10/6.html|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061004124222/http://www.al-islam.org/encyclopedia/chapter10/6.html|archive-date=4 October 2006}}

Abd Allah ibn Abbas, a cousin of the prophet Muhammad, 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, vol. 1, pp. 62-63.

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'b in his History of the Prophets and Kings.See Tarikh al-Tabari vol. 4, p. 191; vol. 1, pp. 62-63. Cairo: Dar al-Maarif. Other Sunni authors also mention Ka'b and his stories with Caliphs Umar, Uthman and Muawiyah.See Shaykh Mahmud Abu Rayyah (d. 1970), in his book Aḍwā alā al-sunna al-Muhammadiyya ['Illuminations on the Sunnah of Muḥammad'], reported that Ibn Hajar Al-‘Asqalani, recorded in his book (Al-Isabah fi tamyiz al Sahabah, part 5, p. 323){{clarify |MISSING WORDS! See talk-page. |date= May 2025}}. Also, Yusuf ibn Abd-al-Barr, Al-Isti'ab fi ma'rifat al-ashab ['The Comprehensive Compilation of the Names of the Prophet's Companions'], vol. 3, p. 1287. Printed in Cairo 1380 A.H. (AD 1960/61).

Ka'b al-Ahbar is mentioned in some hadith canons such as Sahih Muslim[https://sunnah.com/muslim/1/398 Sahih Muslim, Book 1, Hadith 398] Sunnah.com and Muwatta Malik etc.[http://sunnah.com/urn/402420 Muwatta Malik, Book 5, Hadith 17] Sunnah.com A hadith reports that the Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab appointed him personally an amir over Muslims.[http://sunnah.com/urn/407990 Muwatta Malik, Book 20, Hadith 83] Sunnah.com

Within the Shia tradition Ka'b 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."{{Cite book |author=Muhammad al-Tijani |chapter= Is it "the Book of Allah and my Progeny" or "the Book of Allah and my Sunnah"? |title= The Shi'a: The Real Followers of the Sunnah |via= Al-Islam.org |url=http://al-islam1.org/real/20.htm |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070928011223/http://al-islam1.org/real/20.htm |archive-date= 28 September 2007}} Mohamad 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."{{cite book |last= Chirri |first= Muhammad Jawad |author-link= Muhammad Jawad Chirri |chapter= Did Muslims Other Than Shi'ites Borrow Religious Teachings from Jews? |title= The Shi'ites Under Attack |year= 1986 |publisher= Islamic Center of America |isbn= 0-942778-04-9 |via= Al-Islam.org |url= http://al-islam1.org/underattack/6.htm |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070928011313/http://al-islam1.org/underattack/6.htm |access-date= 28 September 2007 |archive-date= 28 September 2007}} Ka'b's influence is deprecated within the Shia tradition of Islam.

Ka'ab is intensively mentioned within Jewish sources as a rabbi who had influence over early Sunni Islam.{{cite book |author= Schwarz, Joseph |chapter= History of Palestine: 614-1096 C.E. From the Accession of the Mahomedans to that of the Europeans. |title= A Descriptive Geography and Brief Historical Sketch of Palestine |translator= Isaac Leeser |publisher= A. Hart |place= Philadelphia |year= 1850 |via= jewish-history.com |url=https://jewish-history.com/palestine/period2.html |url-status= live |access-date= 22 August 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170818090455/https://jewish-history.com/palestine/period2.html |archive-date= 18 August 2017}}{{cite web |title= Yakub of Syria (Ka'b al-Ahbar) Last Jewish Attempt at Islamic Leadership |publisher= Committee for Historical Research in Islam and Judaism |website= www.alsadiqin.org |url= http://www.alsadiqin.org/en/index.php?title=Yakub_of_Syria_(Ka'b_al-Ahbar)_Last_Jewish_Attempt_at_Islamic_Leadership |url-status= live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150513011205/http://www.alsadiqin.org/en/index.php?title=Yakub_of_Syria_%28Ka%27b_al-Ahbar%29_Last_Jewish_Attempt_at_Islamic_Leadership |archive-date= 13 May 2015}} Liran Yagdar of Yale University stated that "Christians and Jews adopted Ka‘b into their legends on the emergence of Islam, wishing to refute the credibility of the Qur’ān by referring to Jewish converts such as Ka‘b as those who corrupted Muḥammad’s scripture from within." See also #Twelver Shi'a view.

Liran Yadgar of Yale University stated in 2017 that "Christians and Jews adopted Ka'b into their legends on the emergence of Islam, wishing to refute the credibility of the Qur'ān by referring to Jewish converts such as Ka'b as those who corrupted Muḥammad's scripture from within."{{cite web |last= Yadgar |first= Liran |title= The Ka'b al-Ahbar Legends among Muslims, Christians, and Jews (lecture at the 17th World Congress of Jewish Studies. Jerusalem, August 6-10, 2017) |website= eventact.com |url= https://program.eventact.com/Agenda/Lecture/147652?code=2789485 |access-date= 12 May 2025}}

According to geographer and Holy Land explorer, Rabbi Joseph Schwarz (1804-1865), Ka'b is associated with the development of the Sunni "tradition", i.e. Hadith. R. Gottheil and H. Hirschfeld write in the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia that Ka'b belongs to the initiators of Muslim "tradition", and is among those who provided it with both "the method as well as many details of the Jewish Haggadah", i.e. lore, as opposed to legalistic exegesis, much like Abdallah ibn Salam, another even earlier Jewish convert. Together, write Gottheil and Hirschfel, the two created the base for "the legends which glorify Mohammed's youth and prophetic call."

Ka'b has stated that "the world will last six thousand years", a statement known from the Tractate Sanhedrin of the Babylonian Talmud ("R. Kattina said: Six thousand years shall the world exist", and "The Tanna debe Eliyyahu teaches: The world is to exist six thousand years.")The Talmud: [https://halakhah.com/sanhedrin/sanhedrin_97.html Sanhedrin, Folio 97a] at halakhah.com. Retrieved 12 zmay 2025.

It has been argued that Ka'b may be more of a legendary figure and accounts of his life and influence on Islam have been referred to as myths.{{cite book |last= Stroumsa |first= Sarah |author-link= Sarah Stroumsa |chapter= On Jewish intellectuals who converted in the early Middle Ages |title= The Jews of Medieval Islam: Community, Society and Identity. Proceedings of an International Conference held by the Institute of Jewish Studies, University College London 1992 |editor-last= Frank |editor-first= Daniel H. |series= Études sur le judaïsme médiéval (vol. 16) |year= 2021 |publisher= BRILL |quote= it must be said that the figure of Ka'b belongs more to the realm of myth than of history |pages= 179–197 [182] |isbn= 978-9004493230 |chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=PPD7EAAAQBAJ&pg=PA182}}

In the book Asceticism and Tenderness, Ka'b al-Ahbar said While the Children of Israel were praying in the Temple of Jerusalem, two men came. One of them entered and the other did not. He stood outside at the gates of the mosque and said: I am entering the House of God. No one like me enters the House of God. I have done such and such and such. And he began to weep but did not enter. Ka’b said: So it was written the next day that he was a truthful man{{Cite web |title=موسوعة الحديث : الزهد والرقائق لابن المبارك : 471 |trans-title= Encyclopedia of Hadith: Asceticism and Tenderness by Ibn al-Mubarak: 471 |website= hadith.islam-db.com |lang= ar |url=https://hadith.islam-db.com/single-book/25/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B2%D9%87%D8%AF-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%82-%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%A8%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%83/12133/471 |access-date=2024-08-29}}

In the book Comprehensive remembrance of the doctrines of the jurists of the countries; It was reported to him that Omar bin Al-Khattab wanted to go to Iraq, so Kaab Al-Ahbar said to him: Do not go there, O Commander of the Faithful, for there is nine-tenths of magic, and there are wicked jinn, and there is a fatal disease.{{Cite web |title=إسلام ويب - موطأ مالك - |trans-title=Muwatta' Malik |website= islamweb.net |lang= ar |url=https://www.islamweb.net/ar/library/index.php?page=bookcontents&ID=0&idfrom=2003&idto=2003&flag=0&bk_no=7&ayano=0&surano=0&bookhad=0 |access-date=2024-08-29}}

In several sayings, he referred to Egypt being superior to other countries.

• Abd Allah ibn Saba', 7th-century Yemenite Jewish convert to Islam

• Ka’b al-Ahbar, short biographical note on website of the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs of Qatar{{cite web|url=http://www.islamweb.net/emainpage/index.php?page=showfatwa&Option=FatwaId&Id=86343|title=Kab al-Ahbar|publisher=|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170818092128/http://www.islamweb.net/emainpage/index.php?page=showfatwa&Option=FatwaId&Id=86343|archive-date=18 August 2017}}

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