Part of A summary of the Prophet’s biography (the series is complete)
· Lesson 163 of 182
Summary of the Prophet’s biography | Episode (186) | The number of the Muslim army in the Battle of Tabuk
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Transcript
Machine translation — may contain errors
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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
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Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.
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*The Abridgment of the Prophetic Biography (Seerah)*
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Authored by Sheikh Musa ibn Rashid al-'Azimi,
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May Allah preserve him.
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The size of the Muslim army
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that gathered under the command of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him):
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The two Sheikhs [al-Bukhari and Muslim] narrated in their *Sahih*s
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on the authority of Ka'b ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said:
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"The Muslims with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) were numerous,
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and no written register could contain them all."
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In another narration in *Sahih Muslim*,
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Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
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"And the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) set out on the expedition
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with a vast multitude of people,
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exceeding ten thousand,
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and no written register could record them all."
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Al-Hafiz [Ibn Hajar] stated in *Fath al-Bari*:
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"Al-Hakim reported in *al-Iklil* from the hadith of Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said:
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'We set out with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) on the Expedition of Tabuk,
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and we numbered more than thirty thousand.'"
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Ibn Ishaq affirmed this number with certainty,
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and al-Waqidi transmitted it through another connected chain of transmission.
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The appointment of Muhammad ibn Maslamah (may Allah be pleased with him) as deputy:
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Ibn Sa'd stated in his *Tabaqat*:
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"The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) appointed Muhammad ibn Maslamah (may Allah be pleased with him) as his deputy over Medina,
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which is more established in our view than the opinion of those who mentioned someone else."
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The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) leaving 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) behind in charge of his family:
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The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) left 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) behind in charge of his household,
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so 'Ali ibn Abi Talib did not witness the Expedition of Tabuk.
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The two Sheikhs narrated in their *Sahih*s on the authority of Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said:
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"The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) left 'Ali ibn Abi Talib behind during the Expedition of Tabuk,
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so 'Ali said, 'O Messenger of Allah, are you leaving me behind among the women and children?'
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The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) replied:
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'Are you not pleased to be to me as Aaron was to Moses,
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except that there will be no prophet after me?'"
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In another narration in the *Musnad* of Imam Ahmad with an authentic chain of transmission,
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on the authority of Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him), he said:
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"'Ali went out with the Prophet (peace be upon him)
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until he reached Thaniyyat al-Wada',
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and 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was weeping, saying:
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'Are you leaving me behind with those who stay back?'
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So the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
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'Are you not pleased to be to me as Aaron was to Moses,
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except regarding prophethood?'"
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Imam al-Nawawi said:
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"This hadith establishes a virtue for 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him),
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yet it contains no indication that he was superior to others or even equal to them,
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nor does it contain proof of his succeeding the Prophet in leadership afterward;
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because the Prophet (peace be upon him)
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only said this to 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him)
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when he appointed him as his deputy over Medina during the Expedition of Tabuk.
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This is further supported by the fact that Aaron (peace be upon him), to whom he was compared,
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was not a successor after Moses (peace be upon him);
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rather, he passed away during the lifetime of Moses (peace be upon him),
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approximately forty years before Moses passed away,
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according to what is well known among the scholars of historical accounts and chronicles."
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The departure of the Messenger (peace be upon him)
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and his passing by the dwellings of Thamud:
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The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) departed
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from the Prophetic city of Medina with his mighty army heading toward Tabuk.
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On their way, they passed by the dwellings of Thamud,
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so the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) spurred on his mount
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and encamped near the dwellings of Thamud.
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The two Sheikhs narrated in their *Sahih*s
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on the authority of 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he said:
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"When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) passed by al-Hijr,
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he said: 'Do not enter the dwellings of those who wronged themselves,
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lest there befall you what befell them,
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unless you enter weeping.'
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Then he covered his head and quickened his pace
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until he crossed the valley."
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The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) also commanded them
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not to drink from its wells nor to draw water from them.
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For the two Sheikhs narrated in their *Sahih*s
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from 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he said:
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"When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
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encamped at al-Hijr during the Expedition of Tabuk,
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he ordered them not to drink from its wells
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nor to draw water from them.
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They said, 'We have already kneaded dough with its water and drawn from it.'
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So he ordered them to throw away that dough
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and to pour out that water."
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In another narration in the two *Sahih*s,
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Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) said:
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"The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) commanded them
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to pour out the water they had drawn
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and to feed the dough to the camels."
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Imam Ibn al-Qayyim said: "Among the rulings is
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that the water found in the wells of Thamud
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is not permissible to drink, cook with,
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knead dough with, or use for ritual purification.
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However, it is permissible to water livestock
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from the well of the she-camel,
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which remained well-known and preserved
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up to the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him);
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people continued to recognize it
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century after century down to our present time,
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so no travelers stop to draw water at any well other than it.
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It is well-cased, firmly constructed,
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spacious on all sides,
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displaying evident signs of antiquity,
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and cannot be mistaken for any other."
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The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) continued
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his journey toward Tabuk,
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and the people's need for water became severe.
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The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) raised
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his hands toward the sky,
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and Allah, Glorified be He, sent down rain upon them.
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Ibn Hibban narrated in his *Sahih*
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and al-Hakim in his *Mustadrak* with an authentic chain of transmission
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on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that:
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It was said to 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him):
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"Tell us about the Expedition of Hardship (al-'Usrah)."
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He (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
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"We set out for Tabuk in intense, scorching heat,
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and we halted at a station where we were stricken by such thirst
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that we thought our necks
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would sever from dehydration. A man
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would go out in search of water
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and not return until we thought his neck would break,
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to the extent that a man would slaughter his camel,
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squeeze its entrails, and drink the fluid,
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placing the remainder over his liver."
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Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
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"O Messenger of Allah, Allah has accustomed you
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to answered prayers for good, so supplicate for us."
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The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) asked:
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"Would you like that?" He replied, "Yes."
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He said: "So he raised his hands,
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and did not lower them until
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a cloud overshadowed them and poured down rain,
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so they filled all their vessels.
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Then we went out to look,
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and we found that the rain had not extended beyond the encampment."
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Imam Muslim narrated in his *Sahih*
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on the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him),
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or on the authority of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him),
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who said: "During the Expedition of Tabuk,
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the people said, 'O Messenger of Allah,
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if only you would permit us to slaughter our water-carrying camels
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so that we may eat and use their fat for oil.'
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The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
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'Do so.'
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Then 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) came and said:
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'O Messenger of Allah,
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if you do that, our mounts will become scarce.
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Instead, instruct them to bring whatever leftover provisions they have,
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and then pray to Allah to bless them over it;
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perhaps Allah will bring about blessing through that.'
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The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
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'Yes.'
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He called for a leather mat and spread it out,
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then asked for the remnants of their provisions.
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One man would come with a handful of corn,
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another would come with a handful of dates,
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and another with a piece of bread,
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until there gathered upon the mat
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a very small amount.
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The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) supplicated
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over it for blessings,
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and then said:
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'Fill your vessels.'
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So they filled their vessels,
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until they had not left in the entire camp
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a single container without filling it.
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They ate until they were fully satisfied,
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and there was still food left over.
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The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) then said:
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'I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah,
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and that I am the Messenger of Allah;
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no servant meets Allah with these two testimonies, harboring no doubt,
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without being admitted to Paradise.'"
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Al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir said:
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"From this, the superior virtue of the Companions of Muhammad (peace be upon him),
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may Allah be pleased with them,
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over the companions of all other prophets becomes manifest
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in their patience, steadfastness, and lack of obstinate demands.
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Whenever they accompanied him on his travels and military expeditions,
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including the year of Tabuk
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amidst that scorching heat, severe hardship, and exhaustion,
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they never demanded miraculous disruptions of natural laws
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nor the sudden creation of resources,
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even though that was easy for the Messenger (peace be upon him).
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Rather, only when hunger overwhelmed them
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did they ask him to multiply their food;
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so they gathered what little was with them,
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which amounted to roughly the resting space of a goat,
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and he supplicated to Allah over it
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and commanded them, so they filled every single container they had.
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Likewise, when they were in desperate need of water,
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he asked Allah Almighty,
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and a cloud came and rained down upon them,
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so they drank, watered the camels,
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and filled their water skins;
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then they looked and saw that it had not passed beyond the camp.
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This represents the pinnacle of proper adherence:
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submitting to the decree of Allah
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by following the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
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An abridgment
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of the Prophetic biography (Seerah).
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