It is recorded in biographical works that Dharya’h B. Thâbet, and a number of men who were as great hypocrites as himself, waited during the march one day on the apostle of God—m. A. b., etc.—and conversed [in secret] among themselves as follows: ‘Just see, this man wants to conquer the forts and districts of the country of Syria, which is not very likely to happen.’ Then Ashja’yi, who was among them, said: ‘I swear by God that I should like each of us to receive one hundred lashes as a punishment for this opinion, and that some verses of the Qurân might be revealed with reference to us, and to our wicked conversation.’ Meanwhile the prince of existences had been divinely informed from the invisible world concerning the blamable sentiments of the hypocrites, and said to O’mmâr Yâser: ‘Save that company, for they are burning; ask them what they have just now said, and if they deny it, inform them of the words they have uttered.’ O’mmâr obeyed, and reported to those men what his holy and prophetic lordship had said, whereon they became confused and ashamed. They went to the apostle of God, begged his pardon, and Dharya’h B. Thâbet pretended that they had spoken in fun only. Hereon the blessed verse, ‘If you ask them, they will answer: We have been joking and playing. Say: You have derided Allah and His prophet,’* was revealed. It is related that Mohsan was among the number of those whom he [i.e., the prophet] forgave, and that he prayed to God to allow him to attain the honour of martyrdom, and that his grave should remain unknown. The arrow of this petition struck the target of response, for Mohsan was killed in the battle of Yamâmah, and his body was not found afterwards.
Another wonderful event [in the campaign of Tabuk] was that when the army of Islâm, who attended on the heaven-aspiring stirrups of his lordship the master of existences—u. w. b.—arrived in Wady-l-qara, and halted near the cave [lit. chamber] of Thamûd, that prince forbade the people to drink the water of that locality, or to perform therewith the religious ablution, and ordered them to tie up the knees of the camels. All the Musalmâns obeyed, except one individual of the Bani Sua’dah, who had gone away to answer a call of nature, and another of the same tribe who had left his tent and departed in search of a stray camel. The first suffered from suffocation, and the second was thrown by the wind on mount Ttây; whilst during that night the wind was blowing hard, the man who suffered from suffocation [asthma ?] was conveyed into the miracle-working presence of the best of men, and in consequence of the orisons of that prince, God the Most High and Glorious delivered him of his complaint. When the apostle of God—u w. b.—had returned to Madinah, the owner of the camel was, by the [people of Mount] Ttây, brought there as a present.
Another miracle was that when the Musalmâns had passed Hajar, and were complaining to his lordship that they had no water, he turned his face towards the Qiblah of prayer, lifted up his blessed hands, whereon in that clear atmosphere and hot weather clouds made their appearance in various directions, and having united with each other, poured forth water enough to slake the thirst of all the companions and to fill all the water-bags. On account of his great joy and gladness the apostle shouted the Takbyr, whereon the clouds again vanished, the sun appeared, and that prince exclaimed: ‘I testify that I am the apostle of Allah.’ It is related that on this occasion the Musalmâns said to a man who was a noted hypocrite: ‘Come, make a sincere profession of the Faith, for now thou hast no excuse.’ That shameless fellow, however, replied: ‘Is there anything extraordinary in a cloud passing and raining?’
Another miracle was that the camel of the apostle of God had been lost in a certain halting-place, and that when some companions searched for it in the desert they met a Jew of the Bani Qaynuqaa’, who had become a hypocrite after professing Islâm, and whose name was Zayd. In this halting-place O’mmârah B. Hozâm, who was a native of A’qâbah, and had been present at Bedr, said: ‘How is it that Muhammad gives news about heaven, and says that he is a prophet, but knows not where his she-camel is?’ That very moment the prince of the children of Adam was by the light of prophecy informed of the above words, repeated them in his august assembly, and said to O’mmârah: ‘By Allah, I know only that of which God the Most High informs me. Now God has revealed to me where my camel is. Go to such and such a Wâdy, for my camel is there, and its bridle is fixed to a tree.’ Several companions accordingly went to that Wâdy, and discovered the she-camel in the position described by his lordship. When O’mmârah returned to his dwelling, he narrated the event to the people of the station, and one of them said: ‘Before thy arrival Zayd had spoken such and such words [reviling the prophet].’ Hereon O’mmârah immediately struck Zayd with his fist, and exclaimed: ‘I was not aware that there was such a great calamity and wickedness in my house.’ After that he expelled Zayd from his habitation and no more associated with him.
Another miracle was that during this march his holy and prophetic lordship said one day: ‘To-morrow we shall reach the spring of Tabuk, but no one must touch the water thereof.’ Mu’adhar—A. r. h.—says: ‘The next day we arrived there in the forenoon, but two men had preceded us, had drunk, and had thereby caused the water to disappear. His lordship asked them: “Have you touched the water?” They said: “Yes.” Therefore the prophet—u. w. b.—reproved these two individuals and cursed them. After that he ordered a little water to be taken from the spring, and to be put into a vessel, in which he washed his glorious hands and mouth. Then he poured the water back into the spring, and the water, which had been extremely scanty before, became very copious by this proceeding, so that the thirst of the whole army was slaked therewith.’
Another miracle was the prediction uttered with reference to Abu Dhar Ghuffâry, which happened as follows: This man had departed to Tabuk after his holy and prophetic lordship—u. w. b.—but as his camel became disabled on the road, he took his luggage on his back and continued the journey. When the apostle of God was halting in the station of Tabuk, Abu Dhar having been perceived at a distance, the companions reported that they had seen him approaching, whereon the apostle of God said: ‘This is Abu Dhar.’ When he had come nearer, [also] the companions recognised him, and exclaimed: ‘We swear by God that this is Abu Dhar.’ On his entering the assembly, that prince rose, welcomed him and said: ‘May God the Most High have mercy on Abu Dhar, because he lives alone, will die alone, and will be buried alone.’ Then he inquired about the circumstances of Abu Dhar, who stated the reason of his tardy arrival. It is related that O’thmân sent, during the time of his Khalifate, Abu Dhar away from Madinah to Ryza—for a purpose which shall be related in these pages if it pleaseth Allah the Most High— where he lived alone, isolated and separated from his friends, until he was overtaken by a mortal disease, having no one with him except his wife and slave. He said to them: ‘When you have washed and shrouded my corpse, place it in a coffin on the public road, and say to the first company of camel-riders who shall happen to pass: “This is Abu Dhar, the companion of the apostle of God,” whereon they will aid you to bury me.’ His wife and slave obeyed his injunction, and the first company which passed the spot was one of Musalmâns, with A’bdullah B. Masu’d —u. w. b.—and a number of persons from E’râq, who were going on pilgrimage to Mekkah. A’bdullah asked about the bier, wept sore on being informed, and said: ‘The apostle of God has spoken the truth that thou wilt live alone, die alone, and be buried alone.’ Thereon some respectable men alighted from their camels and interred him. May God bless them all.
Another miracle was the prediction uttered with reference to A’bdullah Dhu Abajâdyn, who was an orphan boy possessing no worldly goods, but was taken care of by his uncle, who lived in Hajar. When he grew up he became a possessor of camels, sheep, as well as of male and female slaves. In the time of ignorance he was called A’bdu-l-u’zza, but was always very desirous to pronounce the formula of monotheism, and to be enrolled among the attendants on the exalted threshold of prophecy. The fear, however, of his uncle, who was an obstinate idolater, restrained him a long time [from carrying out his intention], but he waited patiently; and when his holy and prophetic lordship—u. w. b.—had terminated the campaign of Honayn and had again returned to Madinah, A’bdullah said to his uncle: ‘I have for a long time been expecting thee to make a profession of Islâm, but have hitherto perceived no signs of it. I for my part have no confidence in this perishable life, and I hope thou wilt allow me to utter the formula of the testimony, and to illuminate the casket of my heart with the light of monotheism.’ His uncle, however, replied: ‘I swear by God that if thou becomest a Musalmân and followest Muhammad, I shall take back everything I gave thee, and even deprive thee of thy Redâ and thy Izâr, and turn thee away naked.’ Dhu Abajâdyn said: ‘By Allah! I have abandoned idolatry, and I am going to be a Musalmân. I shall believe in Allah and His prophet, renouncing all worldly possessions, which we must at last abandon by compulsion. Take all my goods and chattels.’ After saying these words A’bdullah gave up all his property, threw away his Redâ and his Izâr from his body, and went naked to the house of his mother, to whom he revealed his anxiety to embrace Islâm, and asked for clothes. His mother gave him a striped carpet named Abajâ, which A’bdullah divided in twain, using one half as a Redâ and the other as an Izâr. Thus he turned his steps, with the purest and sincerest motives, to the threshold of his lordship the Mussttafa, and took rest in the mosque of the apostle of God. When his lordship had terminated his prayers he conversed as usual with the people, and, his joy-boding eyes alighting on A’bdullah, he asked him: ‘Who art thou?’ He replied: ‘I am called A’bdu-l-u’zza, of such and such a tribe.’ His lordship replied: ‘Thy name will be Dhu Abajâdyn. Lodge with us.’ Accordingly A’bdullah became a guest of that prince, and began to study the Qurân, which he used to recite in the mosque with a loud voice. One day O’mar B. Alkhattâb said: ‘O apostle of God, this Arab is reciting the Qurân aloud, and disturbs the readings and devotions of the people.’ But the prophet said: ‘Let him, O’mar, for he has come out as a confederate and exile for the sake of God and of His apostle.’ At the time when the Musalmâns were making preparations for the Ghazwah of Tabuk, A’bdullah entered the august assembly, and said: ‘O apostle of God, pray that I may become a martyr by fighting for the religion of God.’ His lordship said: ‘Go and bring a piece of bark.’ Thereon A’bdullah fetched a piece of bark from a date-tree, which the apostle tied to the arm of A’bdullah, saying: ‘O God Most High, I make his blood illicit to the infidels.’ A’bdullah said: ‘O apostle of God, that was not my request.’ His holy and prophetic lordship continued: ‘When thou marchest forth with the intention of combating for the religion of God the Most High, thou wilt become affected with a febrile distemper, which will take thee out of this world, and thus make thee a martyr.’ Accordingly, when A’bdullah proceeded in attendance on the heaven-aspiring stirrups of his lordship the apostle to Tabuk, and the army, arriving there, rested itself, he was attacked by fever, and died in a couple of days. On the day of his interment Ballâl the Muedhdhin held a lamp in his hand, the lord of existences stepped into the grave, and Ssiddyq with Fârûq lowered the corpse into it. After A’bdullah had been buried his lordship the refuge of termination—u. w. b.—said: ‘O God, I was pleased with him this night; be Thou also pleased with him.’ A’bdullah B. Masu’d, having heard these words, said: ‘Would to God I were the tenant of this grave.’ The author of this work says that the manifest signs and great miracles worked by his holy and prophetic lordship —u. w. b.—during the Ghazwah of Tabuk were so numerous that this compendium cannot contain them, but that whoever may be desirous of becoming acquainted with them all ought to peruse biographical works.