Hadith #53

Arabic Text

English Translation

ʿAbd al-Razzāq narrated to us, Maʿmar narrated to us, from al-Zuhrī, the nephew of Abū Ruhm informed me that he heard Abū Ruhm al-Ghifārī رضي الله عنه — who was among the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ who pledged allegiance beneath the tree — say: I went on the expedition of Tabūk with the Prophet ﷺ. When we set out, he traveled one night and I rode near him. Drowsiness overcame me and I would wake to find my riding camel had drawn close to his, and its closeness alarmed me lest I strike his foot in the stirrup, so I would pull my camel back. This continued until sleep overwhelmed me around midnight, and my camel bumped against his while the Prophet ﷺ's ﷺ foot was in the stirrup and struck his foot. I only awoke to his exclamation, 'Ḥiss!' I raised my head and said, 'Seek forgiveness for me, O Messenger of Allah.' He said, 'Ask.' Then he began asking me about those who had stayed behind from the Banū Ghifār, and I told him. He asked, 'What happened to the group of short, reddish-complexioned men — or he said short,' ʿAbd al-Razzāq was uncertain, 'who have cattle at Shaẓiyyat Sharkh?' I tried to recall them among the Banū Ghifār but could not, until I remembered a clan from Aslam. I said, 'O Messenger of Allah, what prevents any of those men — when he stayed behind — from mounting a willing man for the sake of Allah on one of his camels? Would that they had not stayed behind from the Muhājirūn of Quraysh, the Anṣār, Aslam, and Ghifār.' Yaʿqūb narrated to us, my father narrated to us, from Ṣāliḥ, Ibn Shihāb said: the nephew of Abū Ruhm al-Ghifārī informed me that he heard Abū Ruhm — who was among the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ who pledged allegiance beneath the tree — say: I went on the expedition of Tabūk with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. One night I slept near al-Akhṣar and rode close to him — and he mentioned the meaning of Maʿmar's hadith — except that he said: 'What happened to the group of short, dark, curly-haired men who have cattle at Shaẓiyyat Sharkh?' — thinking they were from the Banū Ghifār. Yaʿqūb narrated to us, my father narrated to us, from Ibn Isḥāq, and Ibn Shihāb mentioned, from Ibn Ukaymah al-Laythī, from the nephew of Abū Ruhm al-Ghifārī, that he heard Abū Ruhm Kulthūm ibn Ḥuṣayn — who was among the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ who pledged allegiance beneath the tree — say: I went on the expedition of Tabūk with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ — and he mentioned the hadith except that he said: I began pulling my camel back from him until sleep overwhelmed me. He said: 'What happened to the group of short, dark, curly-haired men?' I said, 'By Allah, I do not know these people among us.' Until he said, 'Those who have cattle at Shabakat Sharkh.' I recalled them among the Banū Ghifār but could not place them until I remembered that they were a clan from Aslam who were our allies. I said, 'O Messenger of Allah, those are a clan from Aslam who were our allies.'