The expedition of Tabuk

Sayyiduna Imran bin Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that at the time of the Battle of Tabuk, which is called Jaysh al-Usrah (the Army of Hardship), he was present with Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded giving charity, providing strength, and lending support, because the Christians of the Arabs had written to Heraclius: "This man who has come out, who has claimed prophethood, is about to perish; drought has struck them, because of which their wealth has perished. So if you want to save your religion, now is the opportunity." So Heraclius sent one of his great chiefs, whose name was al-Dinad, and he sent forty thousand men along with this chief. When the news of this reached the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he sent letters to the various regions of the Arabs. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would sit on the pulpit every day and make this supplication: "O Allah, if You let this group (of Muslims) perish, You will not be worshipped on the earth." At that time the people had no strength. Sayyiduna Uthman al-Ghani (may Allah be pleased with him) had sent a caravan towards Syria, wanting to obtain provisions through it. He said: "O Messenger of Allah, here are two hundred camels with their saddles and saddle-cloths (which I offer), and along with them two hundred uqiyah (of silver)." So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) praised Allah Almighty for this, and the people said takbir. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stood up once more and commanded giving charity. So Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) stood up and said: "O Messenger of Allah, here are two hundred (camels) and two hundred uqiyah (of silver)." So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) proclaimed the greatness of Allah Almighty, and the people too raised the cry of takbir. Then Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) brought the camels and brought the charity (money) and placed it before the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Then I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: "No harm will come to Uthman even if he does no deed after this day."
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains al-Abbas bin al-Fadl al-Ansari, and he is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Hamzah bin Amr al-Aslami (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) set out to take part in the Battle of Tabuk, and during that journey I was assigned to serve him. I looked into the skin of ghee and saw that the ghee in it had run low. I prepared food for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), then I placed the ghee in the sun and went to sleep. I woke up when a sound came from that skin, so I got up and took hold of its mouth with my hand. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was watching me, and he said: "Had you left it, the whole valley would have been flowing with ghee."
Al-Tabarani recorded it through two routes, one of which will come later, with its chain, in the chapter on the signs of prophethood. The narrators of this report have been declared trustworthy.

Sayyiduna Abu Ruhm (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: We were travelling, and beside me was someone who would come close up against me at night; I did not recognise him. It was the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). He asked: "Who is this?" I said: "Abu Ruhm." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "What has become of those men who are tall, curly-haired and wheat-complexioned, who belong to Banu Ghifar? Is any one of them with us on this march?" I said: "No." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "What has become of those people who are wheat-complexioned, short, and snub-nosed, who belong to the tribe of Aslam? Is any of them marching with us?" I said: "No." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "What has become of those people who are red-complexioned and whose beards are sparse? Is any one man of them marching with us?" I said: "No." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "It is not so grievous to me that anyone of my household stays behind from me as it is grievous (to me) that anyone of the people of Quraysh, the Ansar, Aslam or Ghifar stays behind. When one of them has stayed behind, what prevents him from lending one of his camels to someone for temporary use? Then he would receive a reward like that of the one who goes out."
Al-Bazzar recorded it with two chains. Its chain contains the nephew of Sayyiduna Abu Ruhm (may Allah be pleased with him), whom I do not know; the rest of the narrators of one of the two chains are thiqat (trustworthy).

Abu Ruhm al-Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him), who was one of those Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) who pledged allegiance to him beneath the tree, narrates: I took part in the Battle of Tabuk with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) moved a little away from the people and travelled through the night, and I too travelled close to him. Then drowsiness began to overcome me, and then my eyes would open; I saw that my mount had come close to the mount of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Its being so close to him alarmed me; I feared that I might hurt his foot, which was in the stirrup, so I pulled my mount back, until at midnight sleep overcame me. Then my mount began to come close to the mount of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The foot of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was in the stirrup, and his foot was hurt, and I woke up at his words: "Ah!" I raised my head and said: "O Messenger of Allah, ask forgiveness for me." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Ask something (or: request something)." Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) began asking me about Banu Ghifar, and I told him about them. Then he asked me: "What is the condition of those people who are red-complexioned and tall, whose hair is short (the narrator is in doubt; perhaps the words are) who have sparse hair (this doubt belongs to the narrator named Abd al-Razzaq), those who have livestock in Shaziyyat Sharkh?" I thought of them among Banu Ghifar but could not recall them, until the people of the tribe of Aslam came to my mind. So I said: "O Messenger of Allah," (perhaps some words have been left out of the transmission here; the Prophet said:) "When one of them stays behind, what prevents him from giving his camel as a mount to someone taking part in fighting in the path of Allah? And of my household, the most grievous thing to me is that the Muhajirun, who belong to Quraysh, stay behind from me, or that the Ansar, or the people of the tribe of Aslam, or the people of the tribe of Ghifar stay behind."

In one report the words are: "What has become of those people whose stature is short, whose complexion is dark, and whose hair is curly?" I said: "O Messenger of Allah, they are allies of ours."
Ahmad and al-Tabarani recorded it; however, in place of the word "Ask something" they recorded the word "Keep travelling". Then he said: "What has become of those people whose complexion is dark, whose hair is curly, whose stature is short, and who have livestock in Shabakat Sharkh?" The narrator says: I tried to think of such people among Banu Ghifar, but they did not come to my mind, until it occurred to me that they are people belonging to the tribe of Aslam who had stayed behind. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "What prevented any one of them, when he stayed behind, from giving his camel as a mount to someone fresh and eager to take part in fighting in the path of Allah? Of my household, the most grievous thing to me is that the Muhajirun who belong to Quraysh, or anyone belonging to the Ansar, Aslam or Ghifar, should stay behind from me." The chain of both of these reports contains the nephew of Sayyiduna Abu Ruhm (may Allah be pleased with him), and I do not know him.

Sayyiduna Sa'd bin Khaythamah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I stayed behind from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). I entered a garden and saw there a shelter that had been sprinkled with water, and I saw my wife. I said: "This is not fair: the Messenger of Allah is in the heat, while I am in the shade and in comfort." Then I got up and went to my camel and made it ready; then I went to the dates and took them along as provision for the journey. My wife asked me: "O Abu Khuthaymah, where are you heading?" I set off to go to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Somewhere on the way Umayr met me, and I said: "You are a bold man, I know this. I am going to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and I am a sinful man, so stay behind me, until I can be alone with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)." So Umayr left me. When I came near the army and the people saw me, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Let it be Abu Khuthaymah." When I arrived I said: "O Messenger of Allah, I was close to being ruined." Then I told him about my situation, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) spoke words of goodness about me and prayed for me.
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains Ya'qub bin Muhammad al-Zuhri, and he is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Fadalah bin Ubayd (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) went out to take part in the Battle of Tabuk. At that time mounts were scarce, and the people complained of this to him. The narrator says: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) observed that the people had no mounts. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) looked at a narrow place through which the people were passing. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stopped there, and the people began to pass by. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) blew there, and then made this supplication: "O Allah, provide these people with mounts in Your path, for it is You who provides mounts for every strong and weak one, for the dry and the wet, on land and in the seas." The narrator says: Then the mounts began to move, and all the way to Madinah our condition was that we had to keep pulling at the mounts to hold them back (while they were going at a fast pace).
Al-Tabarani and al-Bazzar recorded it. Its chain contains Yahya bin Abdullah al-Babulti, and he is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Salam (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: During his journey to Tabuk, when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed by the place called "al-Julayhah", his Companions said to him: "O Messenger of Allah, let us halt here; there is shade here, and there is water too." The narrator says: In that place there were doum palms, and there was water too. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "This is a place of farming and of coolness; leave her be, for she is under command." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) meant his she-camel. The she-camel kept going until she knelt down beneath the "doum tree" that was in the mosque of Dhu al-Marwah.
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains a narrator who has not been named.

Sayyiduna Ubadah bin al-Samit (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) intended the Battle of Tabuk. The narrator says: after this he mentioned the full hadith.
Al-Tabarani recorded it, and the narrator named Ishaq did not live in the time of Sayyiduna Ubadah (may Allah be pleased with him).

Sayyiduna Abu al-Shumus al-Balawi (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: On the occasion of passing through the valley of al-Hijr, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade his Companions (from using the water of) the well there. So the one who had kneaded dough threw away his dough, and the one who had prepared hays threw away his hays.
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains Ya'qub bin Humayd, and he is da'if (weak); Ibn Hibban declared him trustworthy, and he said: he makes mistakes in one thing after another.

Sayyiduna Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) camped at the place called al-Hijr, and the people drew water from the well there. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) set off from there. When he halted, he ordered the people not to drink its water, not to perform ablution with that water, and that whatever dough had been kneaded with its water should be fed to the animals; and the people did so.
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat. Its chain contains Abd al-Rahman bin Bashir al-Dimashqi, whom Abu Hatim declared da'if (weak).

(The translation is not present in the book.)

Sayyiduna Abu Dharr al-Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that at the time of the Battle of Tabuk they were with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). They reached a valley, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to them: "You are in an accursed valley, so move quickly." Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) mounted his horse and left that place, and the people also left it. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever kneaded dough there, or whoever cooked a pot, should throw it away." Then we set off, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O people, of every person who is alive this day, if any such person is still alive after exactly one hundred years have passed, Allah Almighty will have no concern for him."
Al-Bazzar recorded it. Its chain contains Abdullah bin Qudamah bin Sakhr, whom I do not know; the rest of the narrators of this report have been declared trustworthy.

Sayyiduna Samurah bin Jundab (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: On the day of reaching the land of the people of Thamud, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade the people from using the water of the well that was at one side of the town, that anyone should drink from it or draw water from it for drinking; and he forbade us from entering the houses of those people.
Al-Bazzar recorded it. Its chain contains Yusuf bin Khalid al-Samti, and he is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Abu Kabshah al-Anmari (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: At the time of the Battle of Tabuk, the people began to hurry to enter the land of the people of al-Hijr. When news of this reached the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he had it announced among the people that everyone should gather. The narrator says: I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and at that time he was holding his camel and was saying: "You want to enter upon a people upon whom Allah Almighty sent down (His) wrath!" Then a man called out to him loudly: "O Messenger of Allah, we were marvelling at them." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Shall I not tell you of something more marvellous than that? A man from among yourselves tells you of what happened before you and of what will happen after you. So remain upright and keep to what is right, for Allah Almighty will not care in the least about punishing you; and soon people will come who will not be able to ward off anything from themselves."
Ahmad recorded it. Its chain contains Abd al-Rahman bin Abdullah al-Mas'udi, who had become confused (in his memory).

Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Do not ask about signs (the narrator is in doubt; perhaps the words are) do not ask your Prophet for signs, for the people of Sayyiduna Salih (peace be upon him) demanded of their Prophet that he bring them a sign. So Allah Almighty sent the she-camel to them. She would come by this path, drink their water on her appointed day, and then go back by this path. They disobeyed the command of their Lord and hamstrung the she-camel. Then it was said to them: 'You will be spared in your land for three days' (the narrator is in doubt; perhaps the words are) it was said to them: 'Within three days the punishment will come to you.' Then a mighty cry came upon them, and Allah Almighty destroyed those of them who were in the eastern and western parts of the earth. Only one man was saved, who was within the boundaries of the Haram, so the punishment of Allah Almighty did not befall him." The people said: "O Messenger of Allah, who was he?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Abu Righal." It was asked: "Who is Abu Righal?" He said: "The forefather of the tribe of Thaqif."
Al-Bazzar recorded it, and al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat; his wording will come later in the chapter on Surah Hud. Ahmad recorded a similar report. The narrators of Ahmad are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: It was said to Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him): "Tell us about the Battle of Tabuk." So Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: We set out with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) towards Tabuk; it was a season of intense heat. We camped at a place where severe thirst had overtaken us, so much so that we felt as though our necks would be severed, so much so that when one of us would go to relieve himself, before he returned he would feel that his neck would be severed, and so much so that when a man slaughtered his camel, he would squeeze out its dung and drink it and place it on his stomach.
Sayyiduna Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O Messenger of Allah, Allah Almighty has placed blessing in your supplication, so supplicate to Allah Almighty." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "O Abu Bakr, would you like that?" He said: "Yes." So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) raised both his hands, and his hands had not yet come down when rain began to fall from the sky, and so much rain fell that the people filled all the things they had with them. Then we looked around and found out that it had not rained anywhere except in the area of the army.
Al-Bazzar recorded it, and al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat. The narrators of al-Bazzar are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: At the time of the Battle of Tabuk the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) set out. News reached him that the water was scarce at the place the people had come to. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered a caller to announce among the people: "Let no one reach the water before me." But some people had already reached it before him, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) cursed those people.
Ahmad recorded it, and al-Bazzar recorded something similar. The narrators of Ahmad are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Abu al-Tufayl (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was returning from the Battle of Tabuk, he ordered a caller to announce that the Messenger of Allah was taking the mountain pass, so no one should go that way. While the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was going along, Sayyiduna Ammar (may Allah be pleased with him) was leading his animal and Sayyiduna Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) was driving it from behind. Meanwhile, some people came riding on various mounts, with their faces muffled. Those people surrounded Sayyiduna Ammar (may Allah be pleased with him), who was leading the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) animal. Sayyiduna Ammar (may Allah be pleased with him) began striking the faces of their mounts, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Sayyiduna Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him): "Lead on, lead on," until the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came down from it. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came down from it, he made camp, and Sayyiduna Ammar (may Allah be pleased with him) also came back. He asked: "O Ammar, do you recognise those people?" He said: "I would recognise most of their mounts, but the people had covered their faces with cloth." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "Do you know what they intended?" Sayyiduna Ammar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Allah and His Messenger know best." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Their intention was to take the Messenger of Allah aside and kill him." The narrator states: (In a later time) Sayyiduna Ammar (may Allah be pleased with him) once spoke privately with a Companion and said: "I ask you by Allah, how many were the men who came into the pass on that occasion?" He replied: "There were fourteen men." Sayyiduna Ammar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "If you were one of them, then they would have been fifteen." The narrator says: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had excused three of them; they had said: "By Allah, we did not hear the announcement of the Messenger of Allah's caller, nor did we know what the other people intended." Sayyiduna Ammar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I bear witness that the remaining twelve of them were people who waged war against Allah and His Messenger in the life of this world, and on the Day when the witnesses will stand as well." Abu al-Walid says: Abu al-Tufayl mentioned, regarding that expedition, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned to the people, or it was mentioned to him, that the water here was scarce. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered a caller, and he announced that no one should go to the water before the Messenger of Allah. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) reached that water, he found that some people had reached it before him, so on that day the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) cursed those people.
Ahmad recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.