The Book of Mosques and Places of Prayer

Shayban ibn Farrukh reported to us: Sulayman—Ibn al-Mughirah—reported to us: Thabit reported to us, from Abdullah ibn Rabah, from Abu Qatadah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) addressed us and said: ‘You will travel this evening and through the night, and tomorrow, if Allah wills, you will reach water.’ The people set out, each paying no attention to the others. Abu Qatadah said: While the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was traveling, deep into the night, and I was beside him, he became drowsy and leaned away from his mount. I came to him and supported him without waking him until he was upright on his mount. He continued traveling until the night had grown very late and again leaned away from his mount. I supported him without waking him until he was upright. He traveled on until the final part of the night before dawn, when he leaned more heavily than the first two times and nearly fell. I came to him and supported him. He raised his head and said: ‘Who is this?’ I said: ‘Abu Qatadah.’ He said: ‘How long have you been traveling beside me like this?’ I said: ‘I have been beside you like this all night.’ He said: ‘May Allah protect you as you protected His Prophet.’ Then he said: ‘Do you think we are hidden from the people?’ Then he said: ‘Can you see anyone?’ I said: ‘There is a rider.’ Then I said: ‘Here is another rider,’ until we gathered seven riders. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) turned off the road, rested his head, and said: ‘Watch over our prayer for us.’ The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was the first to wake, with the sun behind him. We rose in alarm. Then he said: ‘Mount up.’ We mounted and traveled until the sun had risen high. He dismounted, called for a small water vessel I had with me containing a little water, and performed an incomplete ablution from it. Some water remained. Then he said to Abu Qatadah: ‘Keep your water vessel safe for us; it will have an important story.’ Bilal called the prayer, and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prayed two units, then prayed the dawn prayer, doing what he did every day. He mounted, and we mounted with him. Some of us began whispering to one another: ‘What is the expiation for our negligence in the prayer?’ He said: ‘Do you not have an example in me?’ Then he said: ‘There is no negligence in sleep. Negligence is only when someone fails to pray until the time of the next prayer comes. Whoever does that should pray it when he wakes, and when the next day comes, he should pray it at its proper time.’ Then he said: ‘What do you think the people have done?’ He said: ‘The people woke and found their Prophet missing.’ Abu Bakr and Umar said: ‘The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) is behind you; he would not have left you behind.’ The people said: ‘If they obey Abu Bakr and Umar, they will be rightly guided.’ We reached the people when the day had lengthened and everything had grown hot. They were saying: ‘Messenger of Allah, we are perishing; we are thirsty.’ He said: ‘You will not perish.’ Then he said: ‘Bring me my small cup.’ He called for the water vessel, and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) poured while Abu Qatadah gave them water. As soon as the people saw water in the vessel, they crowded around it. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘Draw water carefully; all of you will be quenched.’ They did so. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) kept pouring and I kept giving them water until only the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and I remained. Then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) poured and said to me: ‘Drink.’ I said: ‘I will not drink until you drink, Messenger of Allah.’ He said: ‘The one who gives people water is the last to drink.’ I drank, and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) drank. The people came to the water refreshed and quenched. Abdullah ibn Rabah said: I was relating this hadith in the main mosque when Imran ibn Husayn said: ‘Look, young man, at how you relate it, for I was one of the riders that night.’ I said: ‘You know the hadith better.’ He asked: ‘Where are you from?’ I said: ‘From the Ansar.’ He said: ‘Then relate it; you know your own hadith better.’ I related it to the people, and Imran said: ‘I witnessed that night, and I do not know that anyone retained it as well as you have.’

Ishaq ibn Ibrahim reported to us: Sulayman ibn Harb reported to us: Hammad ibn Salamah reported to us, from Humayd, from Bakr ibn Abdullah, from Abdullah ibn Rabah, from Abu Qatadah, who said: When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stopped during a journey at night, he would lie on his right side. When he stopped shortly before dawn, he would prop up his forearm and rest his head on his palm.