from Anas; he narrated the event and mentioned that Umm al-Sāʾib was an elderly blind woman. (1)
Al-Bayhaqī said: A second version of the report, transmitted mursal—that is, with a missing link—also comes from Ibn ʿAdī and from Anas ibn Mālik.
He then cited it through ʿĪsā ibn Yūnus, from ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAwn, from Anas, who said:
“I have witnessed in this community three things which, had they occurred among the Children of Israel, all the nations would have competed for them.”
We asked, “What are they, Abū Ḥamzah?”
He replied:
“We were in the Ṣuffah with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ when an emigrant woman arrived with her grown son. The Prophet lodged the woman with the womenfolk and placed her son among us. Before long he was struck by the fever of Madinah; he fell ill for several days and then died. The Prophet ﷺ closed his eyes and ordered that he be readied for burial. When we set out to wash him, he said,
‘O Anas, go to his mother and inform her.’
I did so, whereupon she came and sat at his feet, took hold of them and supplicated:
‘O Allah, I submitted to You of my own accord, abandoned idols out of disdain, and emigrated seeking Your pleasure. O Allah, do not let the idol-worshippers gloat over me, and do not burden me with this calamity beyond my strength.’
By Allah, her words were not yet finished when he moved his feet, pushed the cloth from his face, and lived on until Allah took the soul of His Messenger ﷺ and until his own mother passed away.
“Later, ʿUmar ibn al-Khattāb assembled an army and appointed al-ʿAlāʾ ibn al-Ḥaḍramī as its commander,” Anas continued. “I was with him on that campaign. When we reached our objective, we found that the enemy had learned of us and had obliterated all traces of water. The heat was fierce, thirst and fatigue overwhelmed us, and it was Friday. As the sun leaned toward setting, he led us in two rakʿahs, then raised his hand toward the sky, though we could see nothing there.
“By Allah, he had not lowered his hand before Allah sent a wind, formed clouds, and poured rain until the hollows and ravines were filled. We drank, watered our mounts, and filled our waterskins. Then we advanced on the enemy, who had crossed a sea inlet to an island. Al-ʿAlāʾ halted at the water’s edge and said:
‘O Most High, O Mighty, O Forbearing, O Generous!’
Then he said, ‘Cross, in the name of Allah.’
“We crossed, the water reaching no higher than our animals’ hooves. Shortly thereafter we overtook the enemy, slew them, captured prisoners, and carried off spoils. We returned to the inlet; he repeated his words, and again we crossed with only our mounts’ hooves getting wet.
“Not long afterward his bier was brought for the funeral. (2) We dug his grave, washed him, and buried him. When we had finished, a man came and asked, ‘Who is this?’ We replied, ‘The best of men—al-Ḥaḍramī’s son.’
“He said, ‘This land rejects the dead. If only you had carried him a mile or two to soil that receives the deceased.’
“We said, ‘How could we repay our companion by exposing him to the beasts?’ Yet we agreed to exhume him. When we reached the niche, our companion was nowhere to be found; instead the grave stretched as far as the eye could see, filled with shimmering light. We replaced the earth over the niche and then moved on. (3)