Yūnus ibn Bukayr related—on the authority of Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq, from Buraydah ibn Sufyān, from Muḥammad ibn Kaʿb al-Qurazī, from ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd—who said:
When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ set out for Tabūk, men kept lagging behind. Each time it happened people would say, “Messenger of Allah, so-and-so has stayed back,” and he would answer,
“Leave him be. If there is good in him, Allah will join him to you; but if not, Allah has spared you from him.”
They continued in this way until someone said, “Messenger of Allah, Abū Dharr has fallen behind—his camel is slowing him down.” He responded,
“Leave him be. If there is good in him, Allah will join him to you; but if not, Allah has spared you from him.”
Abū Dharr kept coaxing his camel, and when it delayed him further he hoisted his belongings onto his own back and set out after the Messenger of Allah ﷺ on foot. The Prophet ﷺ had halted at one of his encampments when a lookout from among the Muslims caught sight of a man walking along the road and said, “Messenger of Allah, here is a man coming on foot.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ replied,
“Let it be Abū Dharr!”
When the people looked more closely they said, “Messenger of Allah, by Allah, it is indeed Abū Dharr.” The Prophet ﷺ then said,
“May Allah have mercy on Abū Dharr: he walks alone, he will die alone, and he will be resurrected alone.”
Time passed, and Abū Dharr was later sent to al-Rabadhah. When death approached, he instructed his wife and his servant: “When I die, wash me, shroud me during the night, then place me by the roadside. The first caravan that passes, say to them, ‘This is Abū Dharr.’” When he died they did exactly that. A party of travelers came upon him and knew nothing of the bier until their mounts nearly trampled it. ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd was among them, accompanied by a group from Kufa. He asked, “What is this?” They replied, “The funeral of Abū Dharr.” Ibn Masʿūd burst into tears and said, “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ spoke the truth: ‘May Allah have mercy on Abū Dharr—he walks alone, dies alone, and will be raised alone.’” He then dismounted and personally supervised the burial until he had laid him to rest.
Its chain of transmission is sound, though the two Ṣaḥīḥs did not record it. (1)
Imām Aḥmad (2) said: ʿAbd al-Razzāq narrated to us, reporting from Maʿmar, who reported from ʿAbdullāh ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAqīl concerning the Almighty’s words: “Those who followed him at the time of hardship” (Qurʾān 9:117).
He said: They set out on the expedition to Tabūk, two or three men sharing a single camel. They departed in intense heat, and one day thirst overtook them to such an extent that they slaughtered their camels, squeezing the stomachs so as to drink whatever liquid remained inside. It was hardship for water, hardship for provisions, and hardship for mounts.
ʿAbdullāh ibn Wahb said: ʿAmr ibn al-Ḥārith informed me, from Saʿīd ibn Abī Hilāl, from ʿUtbah ibn Abī ʿUtbah, from Nāfiʿ ibn Jubayr, from ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās that someone said to ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, “Tell us about the matter of the Hour of Hardship.” ʿUmar replied:
“We marched to Tabūk in fierce heat, halted at a certain spot, and thirst struck us so hard that we feared our necks would break. A man would go off searching for the camel-pack and would not return until he thought his neck would break; a man would even slaughter his camel …”