حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي ثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ ثَنَا أَيُّوبُ عَنْ أَبِي قِلَابَةَ عَنْ رَجُلٍ مِنْ بَنِي عَامِرٍ (وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ: مِنْ بَنِي قُشَيْرٍ) قَالَ: كُنْتُ كَافِرًا فَهَدَانِي اللَّهُ لِلْإِسْلَامِ وَكُنْتُ أَعْزَبُ عَنِ الْمَاءِ وَمَعِي أَهْلِي فَتُصِيبُنِي الْجَنَابَةُ (وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ: فَلَا أَجِدُ الْمَاءَ فَأَتَيَمَّمُ) فَوَقَعَ ذَلِكَ فِي نَفْسِي وَقَدْ نُعِتَ لِي أَبُو ذَرٍّ فَحَجَجْتُ فَدَخَلْتُ مَسْجِدَ مِنَى فَعَرَفْتُهُ بِالنَّعْتِ فَإِذَا شَيْخٌ مَعْرُوقٌ آدَمُ عَلَيْهِ حُلَّةٌ قِطْرِيَّةٌ فَذَهَبْتُ حَتَّى قُمْتُ إِلَى جَنْبِهِ وَهُوَ يُصَلِّي فَسَلَّمْتُ عَلَيْهِ فَلَمْ يَرُدَّ عَلَيَّ، ثُمَّ صَلَّى صَلَاةً أَتَمَّهَا وَأَحْسَنَهَا وَأَطْوَلَهَا، فَلَمَّا فَرَغَ رَدَّ عَلَيَّ، قُلْتُ: أَنْتَ أَبُو ذَرٍّ؟ قَالَ: إِنَّ أَهْلِي لَيَزْعُمُونَ ذَلِكَ، قَالَ: كُنْتُ كَافِرًا فَهَدَانِي اللَّهُ لِلْإِسْلَامِ وَأَهَمَّنِي دِينِي وَكُنْتُ أَعْزَبُ عَنِ الْمَاءِ وَمَعِي أَهْلِي فَتُصِيبُنِي الْجَنَابَةُ (وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ: فَلَبِثْتُ أَيَّامًا أَتَيَمَّمُ) فَوَقَعَ ذَلِكَ فِي نَفْسِي (وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ: وَأَشْكَلَ عَلَيَّ) قَالَ: هَلْ تَعْرِفُ أَبَا ذَرٍّ؟ قُلْتُ: نَعَمْ، قَالَ: فَإِنِّي اجْتَوَيْتُ الْمَدِينَةَ، قَالَ أَيُّوبُ: أَوْ كَلِمَةً نَحْوَهَا، فَأَمَرَ لِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِذَوْدٍ مِنْ إِبِلٍ وَغَنَمٍ، فَكُنْتُ أَكُونُ فِيهَا فَكُنْتُ أَعْزَبُ عَنِ الْمَاءِ وَمَعِي أَهْلِي فَتُصِيبُنِي الْجَنَابَةُ فَوَقَعَ فِي نَفْسِي أَنِّي قَدْ هَلَكْتُ فَقَعَدْتُ عَلَى بَعِيرٍ مِنْهَا، فَانْتَهَيْتُ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ نِصْفَ النَّهَارِ وَهُوَ جَالِسٌ فِي ظِلِّ الْمَسْجِدِ فِي نَفَرٍ مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ فَنَزَلْتُ عَنِ الْبَعِيرِ (وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ: فَسَلَّمْتُ عَلَيْهِ فَرَفَعَ رَأْسَهُ وَقَالَ: ((سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ! أَبُو ذَرٍّ؟)) فَقُلْتُ: نَعَمْ وَقُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ! هَلَكْتُ، قَالَ: ((وَمَا أَهْلَكَكَ؟)) فَحَدَّثْتُهُ فَضَحِكَ فَدَعَا إِنْسَانًا مِنْ أَهْلِهِ فَجَاءَتْ جَارِيَةٌ سَوْدَاءُ بِعُسٍّ فِيهِ مَاءٌ مَا هُوَ بِمَلْءَ إِنَّهُ لَيَتَخَضَّخَضُ فَاسْتَتَرْتُ بِالْبَعِيرِ، فَأَمَرَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ رَجُلًا مِنَ الْقَوْمِ فَسَتَرَنِي، فَاغْتَسَلْتُ ثُمَّ أَتَيْتُهُ، فَقَالَ: ((إِنَّ الصَّعِيدَ الطَّيِّبَ طَهُورٌ مَا لَمْ تَجِدِ الْمَاءَ وَلَوْ إِلَى عَشْرِ حِجَّجٍ، فَإِذَا وَجَدْتَ الْمَاءَ فَأَمِسَّ بَشَرَتَكَ)) وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ: ((فَأَمْسِسْهُ بَشَرَتَكَ))
A man from Banu Amir (Amr bin Bajdan) says: I was a disbeliever, Allah Almighty guided me to Islam. I was far from water, while my wife was with me. Thus, I would become junub (in a state of major ritual impurity) and, due to the lack of water, I would perform tayammum. But a doubt arose in my heart, and I was told about Sayyiduna Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him). So I performed Hajj and entered the mosque of Mina, and I recognized him by his descriptions. He was an elderly man, thin and wheat-colored, and was wearing a Qatari cloak. So I walked until I stood beside him and greeted him with salam while he was praying, so he did not reply to my salam. He performed a complete, beautiful, and lengthy prayer. When he finished, he replied to my salam. I said: Are you Abu Dharr? He said: Yes, my family thinks so (that I am Abu Dharr). I said: I was a disbeliever, Allah Almighty guided me to Islam, but my religion has made me restless, and the situation is that I am far from water and my wife is with me, so I become junub and perform tayammum for several days, and this has caused a doubt in my heart. He said: Do you recognize Abu Dharr? I said: Yes. Then he said: The climate and atmosphere of Madinah did not suit me, so the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered for me some camels and goats, so I would be among them and far from water, while my wife was with me, and thus I would become junub. Because of this, a doubt arose in my heart, so I mounted a camel and reached the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). It was midday, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) was sitting in the shade of the mosque with a group of companions. So I dismounted and greeted him with salam. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) raised his head and said: Subhan Allah! Abu Dharr? I said: Yes, O Messenger of Allah! I am ruined. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: What has ruined you? I told him the whole matter. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) smiled and called a person from his household, so a black slave girl brought a large bowl of water, it was not full and water was spilling from it. So I made a screen with the camel, but the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered a man from the people to screen me, so I performed ghusl and then came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Indeed, pure earth is a purifier for you until you find water, even if you do not find it for ten years. Then when you find water, let it touch your skin.