Mu'jam Kabir Tabarani 6480 — When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ set out

Salit (may Allah be pleased with him) says: When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) set out on the journey of the Hijrah, with him were Sayyiduna Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him), Amir bin Fuhayrah, the freed slave of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), and Ibn Urayqit, who was guiding them on the way. He (peace and blessings be upon him) passed by Umm Ma'bad al-Khuza'iyyah, and she did not recognise him (peace and blessings be upon him). He (peace and blessings be upon him) said to her: "O Umm Ma'bad, do you have any milk?" She said: "No, by Allah, the goats have gone far off to pasture." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Then what is this goat that I see in the corner of the house?" She said: "It is a goat that has been left behind from the flock because of weakness." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Do you permit me to milk it?" She said: "By Allah, no male has ever covered it; it is up to you." So he (peace and blessings be upon him) passed his hand over its back and its udder, then called for a vessel large enough to quench the thirst of a whole group. He milked into it and it became full, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) gave his companions to drink until they were fully satisfied. Then he milked into it again and it became full too; he left it with Umm Ma'bad and set off. When her husband came in the evening, he asked: "O Umm Ma'bad, where has this milk come from, when there is no milking animal in the house and the goats have gone to pasture?" She said: "No, by Allah, it is only that a man passed by us who was very handsome, with a radiant face. His eyelashes were thick, the black of his eyes was deep, and there was a slight huskiness in his voice. (In height) he was like a branch between two branches (of medium height); you would neither dislike him for being tall nor look down on him for being short. He had neither corpulence nor the defect of a small head. It was as if his neck were a silver ewer. When he spoke, dignity and awe came over him, and when he was silent, gravity rested upon him. His speech was like a string of pearls. He was the most handsome of his companions in appearance and the best of them in face. He was attended (people gathered around him), neither foolish nor given to idle talk. His companions surrounded him; when he gave a command they hastened to carry it out, and when he forbade something they stopped at his prohibition." The husband said: "This is the description of that man of Quraysh. Had I seen him, I would surely have followed him, and I will surely strive to do so." The people of Makkah did not know in which direction the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had gone, until they heard a caller calling out these verses on (Mount) Abu Qubays (in the Tawil metre): "May Allah give a good reward, and the reward is in His hand, to the two companions who took their midday rest in the two tents of Umm Ma'bad. They stayed with righteousness and departed with righteousness; successful indeed is the one who became the companion of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) by evening. No she-camel has ever carried upon her saddle anyone more righteous and more faithful to his covenant than Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). He clothes others in the cold season without using (the garments) first, and gives abundantly to the empty-handed wandering traveller. So congratulations to Banu Ka'b on the place of their young woman, whose seat is in the sight of the believers."