The three are Ka'b ibn Malik, Murarah ibn al-Rabi', and Hilal ibn Umayyah. The meaning of 'they were left behind' is that they were left behind from the expedition. It is said: about Abu Lubabah and his companions, as they were forgiven after them. And it is recited 'they were left behind', meaning they were left behind from the warriors in Medina, or they were corrupted from the meaning of 'left behind' and 'the change of the mouth'. [The term 'the change of the mouth' refers to its alteration: this is from the dictionaries.] Ja'far al-Sadiq, may Allah be pleased with him, read: 'they opposed'. Al-A'mash read: 'and upon the three who were left behind, with what spaciousness it has', meaning: with its vastness. This is a metaphor for their confusion in their matter, as if they found no place in it to settle, feeling anxious and distressed about what they were in. And their souls were straitened for them, meaning their hearts, which could not accommodate comfort or joy, because they were constricted from excessive loneliness and grief. And they thought and knew that there is no refuge from the anger of Allah except to seek His forgiveness. Then He turned to them so that they might repent. Then He accepted them with mercy time after time, so that they might be steadfast in their repentance and remain firm, and so that they might also repent in what is to come if a sin were to occur from them, knowing that Allah is the Accepting of Repentance for whoever repents, even if he returns a hundred times in a day. It is narrated that some believers lagged behind the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him. Among them was one who had a garden that was better than a hundred thousand dirhams, so he said: 'O my garden, nothing kept me back except your shade and waiting for your fruit; go, for you are in the way of Allah.' And another had nothing but his family, so he said: 'O my family, you did not delay me nor keep me back except for your love; by Allah, I will endure the hardships until I catch up with the Messenger of Allah.' So he mounted and caught up with him. And another had nothing but himself, no family or wealth, so he said: 'O my soul, nothing kept me back except the love of life for you; by Allah, I will endure the hardships until I catch up with the Messenger of Allah.' So he took his provisions and caught up with him. Al-Hasan said: 'Indeed, the believer repents from his sins and does not persist upon them.' And from Abu Dharr al-Ghafari: his camel lagged behind him, so he carried his belongings on his back and followed the trace of the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, walking. When the Messenger of Allah saw his shadow, he said: 'Be Abu Dharr.' The people said: 'That is he.' He said: 'May Allah have mercy on Abu Dharr; he walks alone, dies alone, and will be resurrected alone.' [This was narrated by Ibn Ishaq in the Maghazi, and by al-Hakim and al-Bayhaqi in the Dalail, who said: 'Buraidah ibn Sufyan narrated to me from Muhammad ibn Ka'b al-Qurazi from Abdullah ibn Mas'ud who said: 'When the Messenger of Allah set out for Tabuk, a man would continue to lag behind - and he mentioned it at length.'] And from Abu Khaythamah [This was narrated by Ibn Sa'd without a chain. Al-Waqidi mentioned in the Maghazi that Muhammad ibn Rifa'ah ibn Thalabah ibn Abu Malik narrated from his father from his grandfather that he asked Zayd ibn Thabit about the expedition of Tabuk. He mentioned the long story, and among it was that Abu Khaythamah, also called Abdullah ibn Khaythamah al-Salami, returned after the Messenger of Allah had traveled for ten days, until he entered upon two women of his in a hot day - and he mentioned it. Ibn Ishaq narrated it in the Maghazi, and al-Hakim and al-Bayhaqi from his route. Abdullah ibn Abu Bakr ibn Amr ibn Hazm narrated to me that Abu Khaythamah al-Salam - and he mentioned it. There is another route from al-Tabarani from Ibrahim ibn Sa'd ibn Khaythamah who narrated from his father that he lagged behind the Messenger of Allah in the expedition of Tabuk until the Messenger of Allah had passed, and he entered a garden - and he mentioned a similar narration.] It was said that he reached his garden, and he had a beautiful wife who spread for him in the shade, laid out for him the mat, and brought him fresh dates and cold water. He looked and said:

A shaded shade, and fresh moisture, and cold water, and a beautiful woman, and the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, in the sunlight and the wind. He means by saying "in the sunlight and the wind" that the sunlight is bright. And the mirage raises him up, as mentioned in the dictionaries. He said: This is not good. So he stood up, saddled his camel, took his sword and spear, and passed by like the wind. The Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, extended his hand toward the road, and there was a rider whose mirage raised him up. He said: Be Abu Khathimah, as if he was. The Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, was pleased with him and sought forgiveness for him. Among them were those who remained and did not catch up with him, including the three. Ka'b said: When the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, returned, I greeted him, and he responded to me as if he were angry after he mentioned me and said: I wish I knew what kept Ka'b behind? It was said to him: Nothing kept him behind except the beauty of his cloak and looking at his sides. He said: I swear by Allah, I know nothing except goodness and Islam. It was agreed upon from the hadith of Abdullah bin Ka'b bin Malik from Ka'b bin Malik at length. In it, a man from Banu Salamah said: His cloak kept him behind. Then Mu'adh bin Jabal said: What a bad thing you said. The narrator said: The mistake in it is from the compiler. Ahmad narrated it, and in it: A man from my people said, O Messenger of Allah, his cloak kept him behind and looking at his sides. Al-Waqidi informed in Al-Maghazi that the one who said that was Abdullah bin Qais. And he forbade us from speaking, O you three. The people turned against us, and no one spoke to us, neither near nor far. When forty nights had passed, we were commanded to separate from our wives and not approach them. When fifty nights were completed, I heard a call from the top of Sal' [UNTRANSLATED-LATIN: Sila']: Rejoice, O Ka'b bin Malik! I fell down in prostration, and I was as my Lord described me: The earth was constricted upon them despite its vastness, and their souls were constricted upon them. The good news continued, so I put on my clothes and went to the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him. He was sitting in the mosque surrounded by the Muslims. Talhah bin Ubaydullah came to me running until he shook my hand and said: Congratulations on the repentance of Allah upon you. I will never forget it for Talhah. The Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, while his face was illuminated like the moon, said: "Rejoice, O Ka'b, on the best day that has passed upon you since your mother gave birth to you." Then he recited the verse to us. And Abu Bakr the scribe was asked about sincere repentance, and he said: If the earth constricts upon the repentant despite its vastness, and their souls constrict upon them, it is like the repentance of Ka'b bin Malik and his two companions.