It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id (may Allah be pleased with him) or Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that when the Battle of Tabuk took place, the people were afflicted with severe hunger. They submitted: O Messenger of Allah! If you permit, we will slaughter our camels to arrange for food and fat. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to them: Alright. But Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) came and submitted: O Messenger of Allah! If the people slaughter their camels, the mounts will become few. Command them to bring their surplus food and drink, and you pray for blessing in it for them; it is hoped that Allah will bless it. So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had a leather dining cloth brought and spread it out, then called the Companions and said: Bring your surplus food. Someone brought a handful of corn, someone brought a handful of dates, and someone brought leftover pieces of bread, until some items were gathered on the dining cloth. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed for blessing upon those things and said: Now put this food into your vessels (and bags, etc.). So the Companions began to fill their vessels with this food, until they filled every vessel they found in the entire army, and they ate to their fill, but still much was left over. Seeing this scene, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and I am the Messenger of Allah. Whoever bears witness to these two things with a sincere heart, when he meets Allah, he will not be prevented from entering Paradise.

It is narrated from Sa'id bin Abi Rashid, he says: I met the envoy of Heraclius, Tanukhi, in Homs, whom Heraclius had sent to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. He was my neighbor, and he had become very old, or was close to extreme old age. I said to him: Can you inform me about the letters exchanged between Heraclius and the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him? He said: Why not! When the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, arrived at Tabuk, he sent Dihyah Kalbi, may Allah be pleased with him, as an envoy to Heraclius. When the letter of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, reached him, he summoned the Christian priests and leaders of Rome, closed the doors, and said: You see what status this man, meaning the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, has attained. He has sent me a message inviting me to three things: that I become his follower in his religion, or that I pay him my wealth as jizya and this land remains under our control, or that we prepare to fight him. By Allah, you have read in the books of Allah and know that he will surely take possession of this throne of mine. So come, let us follow him in religion, or decide to pay jizya for this land. Hearing this, all the leaders, overcome with intense anger, roared in unison, as if they would burst out of their clothes. They all said: Do you invite us to abandon Christianity and follow a Bedouin who has come from Hijaz? When he realized that if these people left here, they could incite and provoke the people of Rome against him, he did not argue with them, but encouraged them, saying: I only said this to test you, to see how firm you are in your religion. Then he called a man from the Arab tribe of Tayyib, who was appointed over the Arab Christians, and said to him: Bring me an Arab who knows Arabic well and is a responsible person, I want to send him with a reply to the letter of this man, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. He took me to Heraclius, and Heraclius handed me a letter and said: Take this letter of mine to that man. I have not forgotten anything he said to me, so when you go there, keep in mind these three things: (1) See if he mentions in any way the letter he wrote to me? (2) And see if, when he reads my letter, he remembers it at night? (3) And also see if you notice anything unusual on his back? I took Heraclius's letter and came to Tabuk. You were sitting cross-legged among the companions near a water spring. I asked: Where is the leader of the people? I was told: That is him. I walked and sat in front of you, peace and blessings be upon you, and handed you the letter. You, peace and blessings be upon you, placed it in your lap and asked: Which tribe are you from? I said: I am from the Tanukh tribe. You, peace and blessings be upon you, said: Do you have any inclination towards the religion of your spiritual father, Ibrahim, peace be upon him, the upright religion of Islam? I said: I am an envoy of a people and a follower of their religion. I cannot leave my religion until I return to my people. Hearing this, you laughed and said: {إِنَّکَ لَا تَہْدِی مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ وَلٰکِنَّ اللّٰہَ یَہْدِی مَنْ یَشَائُ وَہُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِالْمُہْتَدِینَ} … You cannot guide whom you love, but Allah guides whom He wills, and He knows best those who are guided. (Surah Al-Qasas: 56) Then you, peace and blessings be upon you, said: O Tanukhi! I wrote a letter to Kisra, he tore it up, Allah will tear him and his kingdom to pieces. And I wrote a letter to Najashi, he tore it up, by Allah, Allah will tear him and his kingdom to pieces. And I wrote a letter to your king Heraclius, he held it with respect. As long as his kingdom remains, people will continue to suffer from him. I thought to myself that of the three things my master had told me, this is one of them, and I took an arrow from my quiver and wrote this answer on the sheath of my sword. Then you, peace and blessings be upon you, gave that letter to a man sitting on your left. I asked: Who will read this letter? People said: Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah, may Allah be pleased with him. In my master's letter, it was written that you invite me to a Paradise whose width is like the heavens and the earth, prepared for the pious, so where is Hell? The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: Subhan Allah, what kind of question is this? When the day comes, where does the night go? Hearing this, I took an arrow from my quiver and wrote your answer on the sheath of my sword. When you finished reading the letter I had brought, you said: You are an envoy and you have a right. If I had anything to give you, I would certainly give it. We are on a journey and all our provisions have run out. Hearing this, a man from the group called out: I will give him a gift. He opened his belongings and brought a fine suit prepared in the region of Saffuriyya in Jordan and placed it in my lap. I asked: Who is the giver of this gift? I was told: This is Sayyiduna Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him. Then the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: Who among you will host him? An Ansari, may Allah be pleased with him, stood up and said: I will. The Ansari got up and I got up with him. When I had just left the group, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, called me and said: O Tanukhi! Come here. I quickly came to you, peace and blessings be upon you, and stood in the same place where I had been sitting before. Then you, peace and blessings be upon you, removed the sheet from your back and said: What you were told, come and see. I saw on your blessed back, near the shoulder, a large mark like the sign of cupping.

It is narrated from Saeed bin Abi Rashid, a slave of the family of Muawiyah, who then narrated a report similar to the previous narration, except that in this one it is also mentioned: The Christian priests and leaders said, "We will not follow him regarding religion, nor will we abandon our religion and the religion of our forefathers, nor will we accept to pay him tribute; however, we are ready to fight him." In this narration, it is also mentioned that Ubad said: I asked Ibn Khuthaym, "Did Najashi accept Islam? And did the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, not perform the (absentee) funeral prayer for him in Madinah when he informed the Companions of his death?" He said, "Yes, he was so-and-so, and this one was so-and-so." Ibn Khuthaym mentioned all their names, but I have forgotten those names. (In this narration, it is also mentioned that) the envoy of Caesar said: When I was about to return, the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, called me and said, "O Tanookhi, come here, and also do the task you were commanded to do." In fact, I had forgotten that task, so I circled around behind the people and came behind the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. The cloak that was on the back of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, he removed it, and I saw on his shoulder bone a large mark like the mark of cupping.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr bin Aas (may Allah be pleased with him) that in the year of the Battle of Tabuk, the Messenger of Allah stood for the night prayer, and the noble companions gathered behind him to guard him. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) finished the prayer and turned towards them, he said: Tonight, I have been granted five such distinctions that were not given to any prophet before me. I have been sent as a Messenger to all the people of the earth, whereas before me, prophets were sent only to their own people. I have been helped against the enemy through awe and fear, even if there is a distance of a month’s journey between me and him, he is still overcome with awe. Spoils of war have been made lawful for me, and I and my Ummah can consume this wealth. The entire earth has been made a mosque and a means of purification for me; wherever the time of prayer comes upon me, I can perform tayammum and offer prayer. Those before me were deprived of this distinction; they could only pray in their churches and designated places of worship. And as for the fifth distinction, what can be said! Allah Almighty has told me to ask (for something). Every prophet has already made a request to Allah Almighty, but I have postponed my request until the Day of Resurrection. This request of mine will be in your favor and in favor of every person who sincerely bears witness to the Oneness of Allah Almighty.

It is narrated from Abu Hammam Shabani, who says: A man from Banu Khath'am related to me that we were with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, in the Battle of Tabuk. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, stood in prayer at night, and the noble companions gathered near him. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: Allah Almighty has granted me tonight the two treasures of Persia and Rome, and has helped me through the red-colored kings of Himyar. Indeed, sovereignty belongs only to Allah Almighty. These kings will come and, taking Allah's wealth, will strive in the way of Allah. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said this three times.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Tufail (may Allah be pleased with him) that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) returned from Tabuk, he (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered a proclaimer to make an announcement, and he announced that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would take the upper path of the mountain, therefore no one else should take this path. Sayyiduna Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) was ahead of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and Sayyiduna Ammar (may Allah be pleased with him) was behind him. Some people, with their faces covered, suddenly arrived riding on camels and crowded around Sayyiduna Ammar (may Allah be pleased with him), who was driving the camel of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Sayyiduna Ammar (may Allah be pleased with him) began to strike at the mouths of the attackers’ camels. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Sayyiduna Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him): Enough, enough. Until the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) dismounted. When he (peace and blessings be upon him) dismounted, Sayyiduna Ammar (may Allah be pleased with him) returned. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Ammar! Did you recognize those people? He replied: I recognized most of the camels, but those people had their faces covered. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Do you know what their intention was? He replied: Allah and His Messenger know best. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Their intention was to separate the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and make him fall down. Sayyiduna Ammar (may Allah be pleased with him) quietly spoke to a companion and asked: I ask you by Allah, do you know how many people there were? He said: Fourteen. He (Ammar) said: If you are also among them, then the total is fifteen. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned the names of three men among them, who said: By Allah, we did not hear the announcement made by the proclaimer on behalf of the Messenger of Allah, nor did we know the intention of those people. Sayyiduna Ammar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I bear witness that the remaining fifteen among them are all opponents of Allah and His Messenger in this world and the Hereafter. Waleed said that Sayyiduna Abu Tufail (may Allah be pleased with him), while mentioning this expedition, stated that when the shortage of water was mentioned before the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), he (peace and blessings be upon him) told the people and had it announced that no one should go near the water before the Messenger of Allah. When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) reached near the water, he saw some people who had already arrived there before him. So on that day, he (peace and blessings be upon him) cursed them.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Humayd Sa’idi (may Allah be pleased with him) that on the occasion of the Battle of Tabuk, we set out in the company of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). When we reached Wadi al-Qura, there was a woman present in her orchard. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to the companions:“Estimate the yield of this orchard.”The people made their estimates. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) estimated it at ten wasqs, and he said to the woman:“Remember the yield you get from this orchard until I, insha’Allah, return to you.”He (peace and blessings be upon him) then departed from there and reached Tabuk. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:“Tonight there will be a very strong wind and storm. None of you should stand in the wind. Whoever has a camel should tie its leg rope tightly.”Sayyiduna Abu Humayd (may Allah be pleased with him) says: We tied the camels tightly. When night fell, a strong storm blew. A man stood in it, and the wind carried him away to the mountains of the tribe of Tayy. Afterwards, the ruler of Aylah came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and presented a white mule as a gift. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) gave him a cloak and wrote for him his settlement and territory. Then, on the return journey, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and we reached Wadi al-Qura. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) asked the woman:“How much fruit did you get from your orchard?”She replied according to the estimate of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that ten wasqs were obtained. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:“I am in a hurry. Whoever among you wishes to go quickly with me, get ready.”As we approached Madinah, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:“That is Madinah, Taybah.”Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) looked at Mount Uhud and said:“This is Mount Uhud. It loves us and we love it. Shall I not inform you of the best tribes of the Ansar?”We said:“O Messenger of Allah! Please do inform us.”The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:“The best among the tribes of the Ansar is Banu Najjar, then Banu Abd al-Ashhal, and then Banu Sa’idah. Then, there is goodness in all the tribes of the Ansar.”

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was returning from the Battle of Tabuk and approached near Madinah Munawwarah, he said: There are some people in Madinah Munawwarah such that wherever you traveled and whichever valley you crossed, even though they did not go with you, they shared equally with you in reward and merit. The noble Companions asked: O Messenger of Allah! While they remained in Madinah Munawwarah and did not set out for the journey? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: Yes, they remained in Madinah; in fact, the matter is that an excuse prevented them.

It is narrated from Sa'id bin Musayyib, he says: I said to Sayyiduna Sa'd bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him): I want to ask you something, but I am also afraid to ask you. He said: Nephew! Do not do that, when you know that I have knowledge of something, there is no need to fear me, ask. I said: On the occasion of the Battle of Tabuk, when the Messenger of Allah left Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) behind in Madinah, what did he say? Sayyiduna Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) said that on the occasion of the Battle of Tabuk, when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) expressed his intention to leave Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) behind in Madinah, he said: Are you leaving me here among the women and children who are staying behind from the battle? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Are you not pleased that your relation to me is like that of Harun (Aaron) to Musa (Moses)? He said: O Messenger of Allah! Yes, indeed. Then Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) returned so quickly that it is as if I can still see the dust rising from his feet. In another narration, it is stated: Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) returned quickly.

It is narrated from Amr bin Maymoon, he says: I was sitting in the company of Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) when nine men came to him. They said: O Abu al-Abbas! Either you get up and come with us, or let these people leave so we may have privacy. Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: I will get up and go with you. Amr bin Maymoon says: In those days, Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) was healthy; this was before he became blind. Amr says that those people began to speak, but we do not know what they said. After a while, Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) came back, dusting off his clothes, and he was saying: Alas! These people criticize the man who possesses ten distinctions. They object to the personality about whom the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: I will now send a man whom Allah will never let fail; he loves Allah and His Messenger. Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: Upon hearing this, many people raised their necks in anticipation, but the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Where is Ali (may Allah be pleased with him)? The informant said that he is in his tent grinding flour. Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: Now none of you does this work. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) came, and his eyes were hurting, and he could not see. The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) put his saliva in his eyes, then waved the flag three times and handed it to him. He returned victorious, and among the captives was Safiyyah bint Huyayy. Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent such-and-such a man with Surah al-Tawbah, then sent Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) after him. He went and took Surah al-Tawbah from him, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had said that this Surah should be taken by a man who is from me and I am from him. Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to his clan: Who among you will support me in this world and the Hereafter and remain with me? Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was also sitting there. The people refused, so Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I will remain with you in this world and the Hereafter. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: You are with me in this world and the Hereafter. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) turned away from him and addressed another man, saying: Who among you will support me in this world and the Hereafter? The people refused, so Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I will remain with you in this world and the Hereafter. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: You are my companion in this world and the Hereafter. Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: After Sayyidah Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her), he (Ali) was the first to accept Islam, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) took his cloak and covered Sayyiduna Ali, Sayyidah Fatimah, Sayyiduna Hasan, and Sayyiduna Husayn, and said: {اِنَّمَایُرِیْدُ اللّٰہَ لِیُذْھِبَ عَنْکُمُ الِّرجْسَ اَھْلَ الْبَیِتَ وَیُطَھِّرَکُمْ تَطْھِیْرًا} … Allah only wishes to remove impurity from you, O People of the House, and to purify you thoroughly. And Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) offered his life for the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) by wearing the Prophet’s clothes and sleeping in his place, while the polytheists were throwing stones at the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) came; Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was sleeping, and he thought it was the Prophet of Allah. He said: O Prophet of Allah! But Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet of Allah has gone towards Bir Maymoon (the name of a well); you may join him there. Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) also reached there, and he accompanied the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and entered the cave with him. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was also stoned in the same way as the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was stoned, and he kept turning under the blanket, hiding his head well inside the cloth, not bringing it out, until morning came. After that, he removed the cloth from his head, and the polytheists said: You are very humiliated; when we used to stone your companion, he did not turn like this, but you kept turning when hit by stones, and this seemed strange to us. And when the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) set out with the Companions towards Tabuk, Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I will also go with you. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) refused, he began to weep. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: Are you not pleased that your relation to me is like that of Harun to Musa, except that there is no prophet after me? When I go, you remain here as my caliph and deputy. And the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) further said to him: After me, you are the friend of every believer. He also said: Except for Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), all of you should close your doors to the mosque. Thus, Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) would enter the mosque even in a state of major ritual impurity, because he had no other way. Also, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whomever I am a friend to, Ali is also his friend. Allah Almighty has informed us in the Noble Qur’an that He is pleased with the Companions of the Tree, i.e., those who pledged allegiance to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) under the tree at Hudaybiyyah, and Allah knows what was in their hearts. Did Allah ever say after that He is now displeased with them? Also, when Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said about a man, Sayyiduna Hatib bin Abi Balta’ah (may Allah be pleased with him): O Messenger of Allah! Allow me to strike off his head. The Prophet of Allah said: Will you do so? Do you not know that Allah looked upon the people of Badr and said: Do as you wish, for I have forgiven you.