Sayyiduna Ka'b bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) intended to undertake a military expedition, he would use dissimulation. However, when the occasion of the Battle of Tabuk came, since it was the season of intense heat and the journey was long and through the desert, and also because they were to face a very large enemy army in terms of numbers, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) openly explained the entire situation to the Muslims so that they could prepare themselves to face their enemy.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ka'b bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) set out for the expedition of Tabuk on a Thursday.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdur Rahman bin Khabbab Salmi (may Allah be pleased with him) that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) intended to travel, he encouraged the people to help the army of hardship (Jaysh al-‘Usrah, referring to the expedition of Tabuk). Sayyiduna Uthman bin Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I will give one hundred camels along with their saddles and the felt placed under the saddles. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) further encouraged the people to help, and Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) again said: Another one hundred camels with their saddles and felts are upon me. After that, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) descended one step from the pulpit and encouraged further, so Uthman bin Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Another one hundred camels with their saddles and felts are upon me. I saw the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) moving his hand in this manner. ‘Abd al-Samad (one of the narrators of the chain of transmission) extended his hand in the manner of a person extremely delighted. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), while moving and shaking his hand in this way, said: After today, whatever Uthman does, there is no blame upon him.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdur Rahman bin Samurah (may Allah be pleased with him) that when the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) appealed to the noble Companions for help for the army of hardship, i.e., the Battle of Tabuk, Sayyiduna Uthman bin Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) brought one thousand dinars wrapped in a cloth and poured them into the lap of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) turned those dinars over and over in his hands and said: "After today, whatever deed Uthman does, it will not harm him." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) repeated this statement several times.