English translation
344. Narrated 'Imran رضي الله عنه : Once we were travelling with the Prophet ﷺ and we carried on travelling till the last part of the night and then we (halted at a place) and slept (deeply). There is nothing sweeter than sleep for a traveller in the last part of the night. So it was only the heat of the sun that made us to wake up ; and the first to wake up was so-and-so, then so-and-so and then so-and-so (the narrator 'Aūf said that Abu Raja' had told him their names but he had forgotten them) and the fourth person to wake up was 'Umar bin Al-Khaṭṭāb. And whenever the Prophet ﷺ used to sleep, nobody would wake him up till he himself used to get up as we did not know what was happening (being revealed) to him in his sleep. So, 'Umar got up and saw the condition of the people, and he was a strict man, so he said, "Allāhu-Akbar" and raised his voice with Takbīr, and kept on saying loudly till the Prophet ﷺ got up because of it. When he got up, the people informed him about what had happened to them. He said,
"There is no harm (or it will not be harmful). Depart!" So they departed from that place, and after covering some distance the Prophet ﷺ stopped and asked for some water to perform the ablution. So, he performed the ablution and the call for the Salāt was pronounced and he led the people in Salāt. After he finished from the Salāt, he saw a man sitting aloof who had not offered Salāt with the people. He ﷺ asked, "O so-and-so! What has prevented you from offering Salāt with us?" He replied, "I am Junub and there is no water." The Prophet ﷺ said, "Perform Tayammum with (clean) earth and that is sufficient for you."
Then the Prophet ﷺ proceeded on, and the people complained to him of thirst. Thereupon he got down and called a person (the narrator 'Auf added that Abū Rajā' had named him but he had forgotten) and 'Alī, and ordered them to go and bring water. So they went in search of water and met a woman who was sitting on her camel between two bags of water. They asked, "Where can we find water?" She replied, "I was there (at the place of water) this hour yesterday and my people are behind me." They requested her to accompany them. She asked, "Where?" They said, "To Allāh's Messenger ﷺ." She said, "Do you mean the man who is called the Ṣābī (with a new religion)?" They replied, "Yes, the same person. So come along."
They brought her to the Prophet ﷺ and narrated the whole story. He said, "Help her to dismount." The Prophet ﷺ asked for a pot, then he opened the mouths of the bags and poured some water into the pot. Then he closed the big openings of the bags and opened the small ones and the people were called upon to drink and water their animals. So they all watered their animals and they
(too) all quenched their thirst and also gave water to others and last of all the Prophet ﷺ gave a pot full of water to the person who was Junub and told him to pour it over his body. The woman was standing and watching all that which they were doing with her water. By Allāh, when her water bags were returned they looked like as if they were more full (of water) than they had been before. Then the Prophet ﷺ ordered us to collect something for her; so dates, flour and Sawīq were collected which amounted to a good meal that was put in a piece of cloth. She was helped to ride on her camel and that cloth full of food-stuff was also placed in front of her and then the Prophet ﷺ said to her, "We have not taken your water but Allāh has given water to us." She returned home late. Her relatives asked her: "O so-and-so what has delayed you?" She said, "A strange thing! Two men met me and took me to the man who is called the Ṣābī" and he did such and such a thing. By Allāh, he is either the greatest magician between this and this (gesturing with her index and middle fingers raising them towards the sky indicating the heaven and the earth) or he is Allāh's Messenger, in truth."
Afterwards the Muslims used to attack the pagans around her abode but never touched her village. One day she said to her people, "I think that these people leave you purposely. Have you got any inclination to Islām?" They obeyed her and all of them embraced Islām.
Abū 'Abdullāh said: The word Ṣabā' means "The one who has deserted his old religion and embraced a new religion." Abū 'Āliya said, "The Ṣābī'ūn are a sect of people of the Scripture who recite the Book (Psalms of Ṣabī'ūn) they used to live in 'Irāq. They were neither Jews nor Christians."
Arabic text
344 - حَدَّثَنَا مُسَدَّدٌ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنِي يَحْيَى بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا عَوْفٌ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو رَجَاءٍ، عَنْ عِمْرَانَ، قَالَ: كُنَّا فِي سَفَرٍ مَعَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَإِنَّا أَسْرَيْنَا حَتَّى كُنَّا فِي آخِرِ اللَّيْلِ، وَقَعْنَا وَقْعَةً، وَلاَ وَقْعَةَ أَحْلَى عِنْدَ المُسَافِرِ مِنْهَا، فَمَا أَيْقَظَنَا إِلَّا حَرُّ الشَّمْسِ، وَكَانَ أَوَّلَ مَنِ اسْتَيْقَظَ فُلاَنٌ، ثُمَّ فُلاَنٌ، ثُمَّ فُلاَنٌ - يُسَمِّيهِمْ أَبُو رَجَاءٍ فَنَسِيَ عَوْفٌ ثُمَّ عُمَرُ بْنُ الخَطَّابِ الرَّابِعُ - وَكَانَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذَا نَامَ لَمْ يُوقَظْ حَتَّى يَكُونَ هُوَ يَسْتَيْقِظُ، لِأَنَّا لاَ نَدْرِي مَا يَحْدُثُ لَهُ فِي نَوْمِهِ، فَلَمَّا اسْتَيْقَظَ عُمَرُ وَرَأَى مَا أَصَابَ النَّاسَ وَكَانَ رَجُلًا جَلِيدًا، فَكَبَّرَ وَرَفَعَ صَوْتَهُ بِالتَّكْبِيرِ، فَمَا زَالَ يُكَبِّرُ وَيَرْفَعُ صَوْتَهُ بِالتَّكْبِيرِ حَتَّى اسْتَيْقَظَ بِصَوْتِهِ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَلَمَّا اسْتَيْقَظَ شَكَوْا إِلَيْهِ الَّذِي أَصَابَهُمْ، قَالَ: «لاَ ضَيْرَ - أَوْ لاَ يَضِيرُ - ارْتَحِلُوا»، فَارْتَحَلَ، فَسَارَ غَيْرَ بَعِيدٍ، ثُمَّ نَزَلَ فَدَعَا بِالوَضُوءِ، فَتَوَضَّأَ، وَنُودِيَ بِالصَّلاَةِ، فَصَلَّى بِالنَّاسِ، فَلَمَّا انْفَتَلَ مِنْ صَلاَتِهِ إِذَا هُوَ بِرَجُلٍ مُعْتَزِلٍ لَمْ يُصَلِّ مَعَ القَوْمِ، قَالَ: «مَا مَنَعَكَ يَا فُلاَنُ أَنْ تُصَلِّيَ مَعَ القَوْمِ؟» قَالَ: أَصَابَتْنِي جَنَابَةٌ وَلاَ مَاءَ، قَالَ: «عَلَيْكَ بِالصَّعِيدِ، فَإِنَّهُ يَكْفِيكَ»، ثُمَّ سَارَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَاشْتَكَى إِلَيْهِ النَّاسُ مِنَ العَطَشِ، فَنَزَلَ فَدَعَا فُلاَنًا - كَانَ يُسَمِّيهِ أَبُو رَجَاءٍ نَسِيَهُ عَوْفٌ - وَدَعَا عَلِيًّا فَقَالَ: «اذْهَبَا، فَابْتَغِيَا المَاءَ» فَانْطَلَقَا، فَتَلَقَّيَا امْرَأَةً بَيْنَ مَزَادَتَيْنِ - أَوْ سَطِيحَتَيْنِ - مِنْ مَاءٍ عَلَى بَعِيرٍ لَهَا، فَقَالاَ لَهَا: أَيْنَ المَاءُ؟ قَالَتْ: عَهْدِي بِالْمَاءِ أَمْسِ هَذِهِ السَّاعَةَ وَنَفَرُنَا خُلُوفٌ، قَالاَ لَهَا: انْطَلِقِي، إِذًا قَالَتْ: إِلَى أَيْنَ؟ قَالاَ: إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، قَالَتْ: الَّذِي يُقَالُ لَهُ الصَّابِئُ، قَالاَ: هُوَ الَّذِي تَعْنِينَ، فَانْطَلِقِي، فَجَاءَا بِهَا إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَحَدَّثَاهُ الحَدِيثَ، قَالَ: فَاسْتَنْزَلُوهَا عَنْ بَعِيرِهَا، وَدَعَا النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِإِنَاءٍ، فَفَرَّغَ فِيهِ مِنْ أَفْوَاهِ المَزَادَتَيْنِ - أَوْ سَطِيحَتَيْنِ - وَأَوْكَأَ أَفْوَاهَهُمَا وَأَطْلَقَ العَزَالِيَ، وَنُودِيَ فِي النَّاسِ اسْقُوا وَاسْتَقُوا، فَسَقَى مَنْ شَاءَ وَاسْتَقَى مَنْ شَاءَ وَكَانَ آخِرُ ذَاكَ أَنْ أَعْطَى الَّذِي أَصَابَتْهُ الجَنَابَةُ إِنَاءً مِنْ مَاءٍ، قَالَ: «اذْهَبْ فَأَفْرِغْهُ عَلَيْكَ»، وَهِيَ قَائِمَةٌ تَنْظُرُ إِلَى مَا يُفْعَلُ بِمَائِهَا، وَايْمُ اللَّهِ لَقَدْ أُقْلِعَ عَنْهَا، وَإِنَّهُ لَيُخَيَّلُ إِلَيْنَا أَنَّهَا أَشَدُّ مِلْأَةً مِنْهَا حِينَ ابْتَدَأَ فِيهَا، فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «اجْمَعُوا لَهَا» فَجَمَعُوا لَهَا مِنْ بَيْنِ عَجْوَةٍ وَدَقِيقَةٍ وَسَوِيقَةٍ حَتَّى جَمَعُوا لَهَا طَعَامًا، فَجَعَلُوهَا فِي ثَوْبٍ وَحَمَلُوهَا عَلَى بَعِيرِهَا وَوَضَعُوا الثَّوْبَ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهَا، قَالَ لَهَا: «تَعْلَمِينَ، مَا رَزِئْنَا مِنْ مَائِكِ شَيْئًا، وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الَّذِي أَسْقَانَا»، فَأَتَتْ أَهْلَهَا وَقَدِ احْتَبَسَتْ عَنْهُمْ، قَالُوا: مَا حَبَسَكِ يَا فُلاَنَةُ، قَالَتْ: العَجَبُ لَقِيَنِي رَجُلاَنِ، فَذَهَبَا بِي إِلَى هَذَا الَّذِي يُقَالُ لَهُ الصَّابِئُ فَفَعَلَ كَذَا وَكَذَا، فَوَاللَّهِ إِنَّهُ لَأَسْحَرُ النَّاسِ مِنْ بَيْنِ هَذِهِ وَهَذِهِ، وَقَالَتْ: بِإِصْبَعَيْهَا الوُسْطَى وَالسَّبَّابَةِ، فَرَفَعَتْهُمَا إِلَى السَّمَاءِ - تَعْنِي السَّمَاءَ وَالأَرْضَ - أَوْ إِنَّهُ لَرَسُولُ اللَّهِ حَقًّا، فَكَانَ المُسْلِمُونَ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ يُغِيرُونَ عَلَى مَنْ حَوْلَهَا مِنَ المُشْرِكِينَ، وَلاَ يُصِيبُونَ الصِّرْمَ الَّذِي هِيَ مِنْهُ، فَقَالَتْ: يَوْمًا لِقَوْمِهَا مَا أُرَى أَنَّ هَؤُلاَءِ القَوْمَ يَدْعُونَكُمْ عَمْدًا، فَهَلْ لَكُمْ فِي الإِسْلاَمِ؟ فَأَطَاعُوهَا، فَدَخَلُوا فِي الإِسْلاَمِ، قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: " صَبَأَ: خَرَجَ مِنْ دِينٍ إِلَى غَيْرِهِ " وَقَالَ أَبُو العَالِيَةِ: «الصَّابِئِينَ فِرْقَةٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الكِتَابِ يَقْرَءُونَ الزَّبُورَ»
