1020 — Abū Ahmad Hārūn ibn Yūsuf ibn Ziyād al-Tājir narrated to us, saying ⦗1497⦘: Mukram ibn Muhriz ibn al-Mahdī—who was affiliated with al-Azd and bore the teknonym Abū al-Qāsim—narrated this hadith to us in the market of Qudayd. Mukram said: My father narrated to me from Hizām ibn Hishām ibn Hubaysh—the Companion of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, who was slain at al-Bathā on the Day of the Conquest; Hizām was the transmitter—from Hubaysh ibn Khālid, the brother of Ātika bint Khālid, whose teknonym was Umm Ma'bad:
When the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, was driven from Mecca, he departed from it as an emigrant to Medina, accompanied by Abū Bakr—may Allah be pleased with him—Abū Bakr’s freedman Āmir ibn Fuhayra, and their guide, Abd Allah ibn Urayqit al-Laythī. They passed by the two tents of Umm Ma'bad al-Khuzā'ī and asked whether she had any meat or dates that they could buy, but they found none. The travelers had ⦗1498⦘ exhausted their provisions and were suffering from drought.
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, noticed a ewe at the side of the tent and asked, “What is this ewe, Umm Ma'bad?”
She replied, “Hardship has left her behind the flock.”
He asked, “Does she have any milk?”
She replied, “She is far too exhausted for that.”
He asked, “Will you permit me to milk her?”
She replied, “May my father and mother be your ransom! Yes. If you see that she has any milk, then milk her.”
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, had the ewe brought to him. He passed his hand over her udder, invoked the name of Allah—Majestic and Exalted—and prayed for her concerning the ewe. She spread her hind legs before him; ⦗1499⦘ her milk began to flow, and she chewed her cud. He called for a vessel large enough to satisfy a small party and milked copiously into it until froth rose over its brim. He first gave Umm Ma'bad to drink until she was satisfied, then gave his Companions to drink until they were satisfied, and finally drank after them all—peace and blessings be upon him. They then rested. After that first milking, he milked into the vessel a second time until he filled it, then left it with her, followed her, and they departed from her.
Before long, her husband Abū Ma'bad arrived, driving a few gaunt she-goats, all sharing the same emaciation and having little marrow in their bones. When Abū Ma'bad saw the milk, he was astonished and asked, “Where did you get this milk, Umm Ma'bad? The sheep are away and dry, and there is no milking animal in the tent.”
She replied, “No, by Allah! A blessed man passed by us, and such-and-such was his appearance and manner.”
He said, “Describe him to me, Umm Ma'bad.”
She said:
“I saw a man whose comeliness was manifest, with a bright ⦗1500⦘ face and a fine build. Neither gauntness marred him, nor did his fair complexion make him seem slight. He was handsome and well-proportioned. His eyes were intensely dark against clear whites, his eyelashes were long and curved, his voice was strong and resonant, his neck was stately and long, and his beard was thick. His long eyebrows met. When silent, dignity enveloped him; when he spoke, he rose in stature and splendor crowned him. From afar, he was the most beautiful of people; from near, he was the most delightful and handsome. His speech was sweet and decisive, neither meager nor rambling, as though his words were beads cascading from a string. He was of medium height—neither marred by excessive tallness nor looked down upon for shortness—a bough between two boughs. Of the three, he was the most pleasing to behold and the finest in stature. He had companions who surrounded him: when he spoke, they listened attentively, and when he commanded, they hastened to carry out his command. He was diligently served and surrounded by people, neither scowling nor overbearing.”
Abū Ma'bad said, “By Allah, he is the man of Quraysh whose affair we heard about in Mecca. I have indeed desired to accompany him, and I shall certainly do so if I find a way.”
The next morning, a loud voice was heard in Mecca. The people could hear it but did not know who its owner was. It said:
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⦗1501⦘
May Allah, the Lord of all people, grant His finest reward
To two companions who halted at Umm Ma'bad’s tents.
They alighted there bearing guidance, and through it she was guided;
Successful indeed is whoever becomes Muhammad’s companion—peace and blessings be upon him.
O descendants of Qusayy! How many matchless deeds
And how much nobility has Allah withheld from you through him!
Let Banū Ka'b rejoice in the station of their maiden
And in her seat, a watch-post for the believers.
Ask your sister about her ewe and her vessel;
Indeed, if you ask the ewe, it will testify.
He called for a barren ewe, and it yielded for him;
Its udder poured forth pure, foaming milk.
He left the ewe with her as a lasting pledge for any milker,
Who could draw from her repeatedly, upon departure and return.
He said: When Hassān ibn Thābit al-Ansārī—may Allah be pleased with him—the Prophet’s poet, peace and blessings be upon him, heard the caller’s cry, he answered the caller in verse, saying:
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Ruined indeed are a people whose Prophet has departed from them;
Blessed are those to whom he journeys and makes his way.
⦗1502⦘
He departed from a people whose minds went astray,
And settled among another people with a light renewed.
Through him their Lord guided them after misguidance
And directed them aright; whoever follows the truth is rightly guided.
Can the misguided men of a people, whom their blindness made foolish,
Equal a guide through whom every seeker finds the way?
Through him, a caravan of guidance came upon the people of Yathrib,
Alighting among them under the happiest auspices.
A Prophet who sees what the people around him do not see,
And recites the Book of Allah in every mosque.
If one day he speaks of something absent,
Its truth is confirmed that very day or by the next morning.
May Abū Bakr rejoice in his happy fortune through accompanying him;
Whoever Allah makes happy shall indeed be happy.
Let Banū Ka'b rejoice in the station of their maiden
And in her seat, a watch-post for the believers.
Mukram said: Her expression “large enough to satisfy the party” means that it would give them their fill. “Away” means absent from its people. A “dry ewe” is one for which a full year has passed without her producing milk or being approached by a male. His words “then they rested” mean that they took their ease. “Fair complexion” means a beautiful color; “handsome” means bright-faced; and “well-proportioned” means evenly formed. “Resonance” means the soundness ⦗1503⦘ and strength of the voice; “a stately neck” means a long neck; and “thickness” refers to density. “Long-browed” means having long eyebrows, while “joined-browed” means that the hair of the eyebrows meets. “Meager” means scant, while “rambling” describes someone who speaks excessively.