Majma al-Zawaid — Hadith 14106

Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) equipped an army against the polytheists, among whom were Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave his orders to the two of them and to all the people, saying to them: "You must travel swiftly, for between you and the polytheists there is a watering place. If the polytheists reach that place first, it will be hard on the people, and the people will suffer severe thirst: you, your animals and your riding camels will all suffer thirst." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stayed behind with eight people, he himself being the ninth. He said to his Companions: "Would you like us to halt for a little while at night, and then we will catch up with the people?" The people said: "Very well." They halted at night, and they woke up from the heat of the sun. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions woke up, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Get up and relieve yourselves!" They did so, then they came back to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Does any of you have water?" A man said: "O Messenger of Allah! There is a vessel with a little water in it." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Bring it!" That man brought it to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed both his palms over it and prayed for blessing, then he said to his Companions: "Come forward and perform ablution!" The people came, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) began pouring water for them until they had performed ablution. One of them gave the adhan and the iqamah, then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) led them in prayer. Then he said to the man with the vessel: "Look after your vessel carefully; something remarkable will come of it." Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions mounted, ahead of the people. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to his Companions: "What do you think the people have done?" They said: "Allah and His Messenger know best." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Among them are Abu Bakr and Umar, and they will guide the people." Then they reached the people. The polytheists had already reached the water first; this was hard on the people, and they were suffering severe thirst, and their riding camels and animals were thirsty too. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Where is the man with the vessel?" He said: "O Messenger of Allah! Here he is." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Bring your vessel!" He brought it, and there was a little water in it. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to all of them: "Come forward and drink!" The narrator says: Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) began pouring water for them, until all of them had drunk, had watered their riding camels and animals, and had filled every vessel and every small and large water-skin they had. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions set out towards the polytheists. Allah Almighty sent a wind which drove the polytheists back. Allah Almighty sent down His help and made it possible to turn them back in flight. The Muslims killed many of them, took many prisoners, and gained much spoils of war from them. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the people returned, they had abundant goods and were in good condition.
Abu Ya'la recorded it. Its chain contains Sa'id bin Sulaym al-Dabbi, whom Ibn Hibban declared thiqah (trustworthy), and he says: He makes mistakes; others declared him da'if (weak). The remaining narrators of this narration are the narrators of the Sahih.