Musnad Ahmad

It is narrated from Hazrat Abu Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with him) that once we were on a journey with the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "If you do not reach water, you will remain thirsty." So, the hasty people went out in search of water, and I stayed with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). During this, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) began to doze off and leaned from his mount, so I supported him without waking him up, until he became upright on his mount. Then he leaned again, and I straightened him without waking him, until he became upright on his mount. Then he leaned even more than before, until he was about to fall. I came again and supported him, so he raised his head and said, "Who is it?" I replied, "Abu Qatadah." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Since when have you been walking with me like this?" I replied, "I have been walking with you like this all night." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "May Allah protect you as you have protected the Prophet of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)." Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "I think we should camp." So, the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) reached near a tree and camped there. Then he said, "Do you see anyone?" I replied, "Here is a rider," until seven riders gathered. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "You take care of our prayer." So we slept, and only the heat of the sun woke us up. We woke up, and the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) rode off from there, and we also started walking slowly. When we reached a place, the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) camped and said, "Does any of you have water?" I replied, "Yes! There is a little water in my ablution vessel." The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Bring it." I brought that water, so the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Make ablution with it." So all the people made ablution, and some water was left. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Abu Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with him), "Take care of the ablution vessel, for soon a strange matter will appear from it." Then Hazrat Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) gave the call to prayer, then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) prayed two rak'ahs (Sunnah), then prayed the morning prayer. (After that) the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) mounted, and we also mounted with him. One of us said to another, "What will be the expiation for our mistake in prayer, that we did not wake up?" The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "What are you people saying? If it is a worldly matter, then fine, but if it is a religious matter, then tell me as well." We said, "O Messenger of Allah! We were negligent in prayer." The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "There is no negligence in sleep, but negligence is in wakefulness. If this happens to anyone, he should pray when he wakes up, and when the next day comes, he should pray at its time." Then he said, "What do you think the other people did?" They replied, "Yesterday you yourself said that if you do not reach water, you will remain thirsty, so people will be searching for water." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) himself said, "When the people woke up in the morning and did not find their Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said, 'The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) will be behind you. It is not befitting the status of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he would leave you behind and go ahead to the water.' If those people accept the words of Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), they will be guided." He said this three times. Then we reached the people when the day had advanced and the heat had increased. The people said, "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), thirst has destroyed us and our necks are breaking." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "You have not been destroyed." Then he said, "O Abu Qatadah, bring my small bowl." I brought it, and the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) then...