Explanation of the words of Imam al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) regarding what he quoted: "

The Shaykh : Then the author (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned in a previous chapter, in the chapter on repentance, the hadith of Ka'b ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), who was one of the three who were left behind. They were: Ka'b ibn Malik, Hilal ibn Umayyah, and Murarah ibn al-Rabi' (may Allah be pleased with them). We will discuss this in the future, if Allah wills.
The reader: He said (may Allah have mercy on him): "And from 'Abd Allah ibn Ka'b ibn Malik, who was the guide of Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him) among his sons when he became blind, he said: I heard Ka'b ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrating his story when he lagged behind the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in the expedition of Tabuk. Ka'b said:

I never lagged behind the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in any expedition he led, except in the expedition of Tabuk. However, I did lag behind in the expedition of Badr, and no one who lagged behind was rebuked. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and the Muslims set out intending to intercept the Quraysh caravan, until Allah the Exalted gathered them with their enemy without any prior appointment. I certainly witnessed with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) the night of al-Aqabah when we pledged our allegiance to Islam. I would not wish to have the presence at Badr in exchange for that, even though Badr is more famous among people than it. And as for my story...

لم أتخلَّف عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم في غزوة غزاها قط إلا في غزوة تبوك ، غير أني قد تخلَّفت في غزوة بدر ، ولم يُعاتَب أحدٌ تخلف عنه ، إنما خرج رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم والمسلمون يريدون عير قريش حتى جمع الله تعالى بينهم وبين عدوهم على غير ميعاد . ولقد شهدت مع رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ليلة العقبة حين تواثقنا على الإسلام ، وما أحبُ أن لي بها مشهد بدر ، وإن كانت بدر أذكر في الناس منها ، وكان من خبري

".

The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful:
This hadith is the hadith of Ka'b ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) regarding the story of his lagging behind in the expedition of Tabuk. The expedition of Tabuk took place in the ninth year of the Hijrah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) campaigned against the Romans, who were of the Christian faith, when he learned that they were gathering against him. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) campaigned against them and stayed in Tabuk for twenty nights, but he did not encounter any stratagem or enemy, so he returned. This expedition took place in the days of heat when the fruits and dates were ripe. The hypocrites preferred the worldly life over the Hereafter, so they lagged behind in this expedition. They clung to the shade, the fresh dates, and the dried dates, and the journey was difficult for them, refuge with Allah. As for the sincere believers, they went out with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and neither the hardship nor the difficulty, nor the ripeness of the fruits, deterred their resolve. However, Ka'b ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) lagged behind in the expedition of Tabuk without an excuse, and he was among the sincere believers. For this reason, he said: In the expedition of Badr, Ka'b and others lagged behind because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) set out from Madinah not intending to fight. Therefore, only three hundred and a few men went out with him, because they intended to intercept a caravan of Quraysh, meaning a load of camels laden with goods that had come from Sham and was heading to Makkah, passing through Madinah. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) set out to intercept this caravan and take it, because the people of Makkah had expelled the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his companions from their homes and their wealth. So their wealth is lawful spoils for the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and it is permissible for him to go out to take it. There is no aggression in this from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and his companions; rather, this is taking part of their right.
The important point is that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) set out with three hundred and a few men, and they had only seventy camels and horses, meaning they had no equipment and the number was small. But Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, gathered them with their enemy unexpectedly, so that Allah might fulfill what He willed, Mighty and Majestic.
So Abu Sufyan, who was the leader of the caravan, heard that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had set out to intercept the caravan. So he deviated from his route to the coast and sent a messenger to Quraysh, crying out to seek their help and aid, saying: "O people, come and save the caravan!" So Quraysh gathered, and their leaders, chiefs, and nobles went out, numbering between nine hundred and one thousand men. They went out as Allah the Exalted said: . When they were on the way and learned that the caravan had been saved, they consulted among themselves and said: "The caravan has been saved, so what do we have to do with fighting?"
So Abu Jahl said: "By Allah, we will not return until we reach Badr, and we will stay there for three days, slaughtering camels, pouring wine, and eating food, so that the Arabs will hear of us, and they will continue to fear us forever". This is what he said, in arrogance and pride. But praise be to Allah, the Arabs came to speak of them with the terrible defeat that the Arabs had never tasted before, when they met the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). That was in Ramadan in the second year of the Hijrah, on the seventeenth day of it. They met, and Allah, Mighty and Majestic, revealed to the angels: : Look, this is firmness for the believers and casting terror into the hearts of those who disbelieved. How near is victory in this state! Terror in the hearts of the enemies, and firmness in the hearts of the believers. So Allah made the believers firm with great firmness, and He cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieved. Allah the Exalted said: : Every joint, strike; the command is easy for you. So the Muslims, praise be to Allah, struck them hard. They killed seventy men and took seventy men captive. Those who were killed were not from their outskirts; those who were killed were all from their nobles and leaders. And they took twenty-four men who were dragged and thrown into a well of the wells of Badr. They were dragged until they were thrown into the well as lifeless bodies. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stood over them and said to them: : He called them by their names and the names of their fathers, : They hear but do not answer, they are dead. And this, praise be to Allah, is a blessing upon us that we should thank Allah, Glorified and Exalted, for whenever we mention it. Allah gave victory to His Prophet and named this day the Day of Criterion: . On this day, Allah distinguished between the truth and falsehood with a great distinction. And look at the power of Allah, Glorified and Exalted, on this day: three hundred and a few men were victorious over about one thousand men, who were better equipped and stronger. And these had only a small number of camels and horses. But the victory of Allah, Glorified and Exalted, when it descends upon a people, no one stands before them. And to this Allah pointed in His saying: : Humble, you have nothing, .
And when the Muslims conquered Makkah and went out with twelve thousand men, with Hawazin and Thaqif before them, the Muslims were pleased with their number and said: "We will not be defeated today for being few." So three thousand and five hundred men defeated them; they defeated twelve thousand men, under the leadership of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Why? Because they were pleased with their number and said: "We will not be defeated today for being few". So Allah, Glorified and Exalted, showed them that their number did not benefit them. Allah the Exalted said: .
The important point is that Ka'b ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) did not witness Badr, but he lagged behind it because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not set out for fighting, but rather for the caravan. However, Allah gathered him with his enemy unexpectedly. Do you know what happened to the people of Badr? : Every sin they commit is forgiven, because the price was paid in advance in this expedition. It became a cause for all good.