Manifestation of God’s attribute of al-Sattar
Utai bin Damrah states that he said to Ubayy (ra) bin Kaab:
“What is the matter with the Companions of the Holy Prophet (sa) ; we come from far off places so we can listen to incidents and accounts from you and so we can learn. However, when we come to you, you brush us aside as if we have no standing in your eyes.” Upon this, Ubayy (ra) bin Kaab said, ‘By God! If I am alive until next Friday, I will reveal something to you and I care not whether after listening to what I have to say, you then wish to kill me or let me live.’”
The narrator states, “On the following Friday, I went to Medina and to my surprise, I saw huge crowds of people walking through the streets. I asked the people what was going on, to which one person said, ‘Are you not from this city?’ I replied in the negative. He then said, ‘Today, one of the leaders of the Muslims, Ubayy (ra) bin Kaab has passed away.’”
The narrator then said, “By God! I have not witnessed the manifestation of God’s attribute of Al-Sattar [covering one’s shortcomings] as much as I did for him.” I.e. referring to Ubayy (ra) bin Kaab.
(Ibn Saad, Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, Vol. 3 [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, 2017] 380)
As he had vowed on oath that he would say something after which he was unsure as to how he would be treated in return for saying that. From what the narrator stated, it seems as though Allah the Almighty saved Hazrat Ubayy (ra) from saying something which, deep down, he did not want to say. Aside from this Allah knows best what is meant by this statement.
Nonetheless, upon hearing of his demise, the narrator stated, “I have not witnessed the manifestation of Gods attribute of Al-Sattar as much as for him (i.e. referring to Ubayy (ra) bin Kaab).”