English Translation

Abu Abdullah al-Hafiz informed us: Abu Sa'id Isma'il ibn Ahmad al-Jurjani narrated to us: Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Asqalani reported to us: Harmalah ibn Yahya narrated to us: Ibn Wahb reported to us: Amr ibn al-Harith informed me, from Sa'id ibn Abi Hilal, from Utbah — that is, Ibn Abi Hakim — from Nafi ibn Jubayr, from Abdullah ibn Abbas, that it was said to Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him): "Narrate to us a hadith concerning the affair of the Hour of Hardship (sa'at al-usrah)." Umar said: We set out to Tabuk in severe heat, and we halted at a place where thirst afflicted us until we thought our necks would be severed, so that a man would go seeking water and not return until he thought his neck would be severed, so that a man would even slaughter his camel, squeeze out [the fluid of] its stomach contents and drink it, and place what remained on his liver. Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O Messenger of Allah, Allah has accustomed you to good in supplication, so supplicate for us." He said: "Would you love that?" He said: "Yes." So he raised his hands, and did not lower them until the sky brought [clouds] and gave shade, then poured down; and they filled whatever they had. Then we went looking and did not find it [i.e., rain] beyond the army — it had passed over the army.