Fath al-Rabbani

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Fadala bin Ubaid Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: We participated in the Battle of Tabuk in the company of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), there was a great shortage of mounts. When the Companions complained about this to the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he led them to a narrow path. The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) walked on that path and said: Pass through here taking the name of Allah. People passed by the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) with their mounts, and he would blow on their mounts and supplicate: O Allah, use this in Your path, You alone are the One who gives strength to the strong and the weak. And You alone have power over land and sea, that is, over dry and wet, and over everything fresh and dry. Sayyiduna Fadala (may Allah be pleased with him) says that until our return to Madinah Munawwarah, our camels would pull their reins from us. This was the blessing and result of the supplication of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding the strong and the weak. But I could not understand the meaning of "fresh and dry" here, what could be meant by it? When we went to the land of Sham and fought the battle of Cyprus in the sea, and I saw boats moving and entering the seas, then I understood the reality of the supplication of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Kabsha Anmari (may Allah be pleased with him) that during the journey of the Battle of Tabuk, people hurried towards the (dwellings of Thamud) Hijr and began to enter them. When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came to know of this, he made an announcement among the people: "As-Salatu Jami‘ah (the prayer is congregational)." He says: When I came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), while he had stopped his camel and was saying: "Why do you enter upon a people upon whom Allah’s wrath has descended?" A man said: "O Messenger of Allah! We are amazed by them, so we go to them." The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Shall I not warn you of something more astonishing than this? Among you is a man who informs you of the affairs of those who have passed before you and of those matters which will happen after you. So remain upright and continue upon the right path, for indeed Allah will not care about your punishment, and soon there will come people who will not be able to ward off anything from themselves."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Tufail Amir bin Wathila (may Allah be pleased with him) that Sayyiduna Mu’adh (may Allah be pleased with him) informed him that he set out on a journey with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) on the occasion of the Battle of Tabuk. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would combine the Zuhr and Asr prayers, and the Maghrib and Isha prayers. He (peace and blessings be upon him) delayed the prayer and came out from the tent and performed the combined Zuhr and Asr prayers, then went inside, then came out again and performed the combined Maghrib and Isha prayers. Then he said: If Allah wills, tomorrow you will reach the spring of Tabuk in broad daylight. Whoever among you reaches there should not touch the water until I arrive. When we reached there, two men had already arrived before us, and a thin stream of water, like a shoelace, was flowing from the spring, and the water was coming in a very small amount. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) asked both of them: Did you touch the water? They replied: Yes. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) scolded them severely and said to them whatever he could say. After that, the companions gathered a little water from the spring with their hands and collected some water in a vessel. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) washed his blessed face and hands in it and poured that water back into the spring. Then a large amount of water began to flow from the spring, and the people drank to their fill. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: O Mu’adh! If you live long, you will see that this desert will be filled with gardens.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id (may Allah be pleased with him) or Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that when the Battle of Tabuk took place, the people were afflicted with severe hunger. They submitted: O Messenger of Allah! If you permit, we will slaughter our camels to arrange for food and fat. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to them: Alright. But Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) came and submitted: O Messenger of Allah! If the people slaughter their camels, the mounts will become few. Command them to bring their surplus food and drink, and you pray for blessing in it for them; it is hoped that Allah will bless it. So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had a leather dining cloth brought and spread it out, then called the Companions and said: Bring your surplus food. Someone brought a handful of corn, someone brought a handful of dates, and someone brought leftover pieces of bread, until some items were gathered on the dining cloth. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed for blessing upon those things and said: Now put this food into your vessels (and bags, etc.). So the Companions began to fill their vessels with this food, until they filled every vessel they found in the entire army, and they ate to their fill, but still much was left over. Seeing this scene, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and I am the Messenger of Allah. Whoever bears witness to these two things with a sincere heart, when he meets Allah, he will not be prevented from entering Paradise.