—and to the blessing that flowed from him. Thus ends the exact quotation dealing with Noah, peace be upon him.

The same story related by our shaykh is also reported by the ḥadīth-master Abū Bakr al-Bayhaqī in his work Dalāʾil al-Nubuwwa. His chain runs: from Abū Bakr ibn Abī al-Dunyā, from Abū Kuraib, from Muḥammad ibn Fuḍayl, from al-Ṣalt ibn Miṭar al-ʿAjlī, from ʿAbd al-Malik, the nephew of Sahm, from Sahm ibn Minjāb, who said, “We campaigned with al-ʿAlāʾ ibn al-Ḥaḍramī …,” and he mentioned the entire incident (1).

Al-Bukhārī also records it in al-Tārīkh al-Kabīr through another route. Al-Bayhaqī further transmits it on the authority of Abū Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who was with al-ʿAlāʾ and witnessed the event. He gives yet another isnād: through ʿĪsā ibn Yūnus, from ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAwn, from Anas ibn Mālik, who said:

“I have witnessed in this community three events which, had they occurred among the Children of Israel, no other nation would have shared them—and they would have been deemed truly astonishing.” (2)

We asked, “What are they, Abū Ḥamzah?” He replied:

“We were in the Suffah with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ when a woman who had emigrated came to him with her son, a lad who had reached puberty. The Prophet ﷺ lodged the woman among the womenfolk and placed her son with us. Not long after, the fever of Madinah struck him; he was ill for a few days and then died. The Prophet ﷺ closed his eyes and ordered that his body be prepared. When we were about to wash him, he said, ‘Anas, go to his mother and inform her.’ I did so. She came, sat by his feet, took hold of them and prayed: ‘O Allah, I submitted to You willingly and cast away idols; do not burden me in this calamity with more than I can bear.’ By Allah, she had not finished her words before he moved his feet, lifted the cloth from his face and came back to life. He lived until Allah took the soul of His Messenger ﷺ, and until his mother herself passed away.

“Later, ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb outfitted an army and placed al-ʿAlāʾ ibn al-Ḥaḍramī in command. I was with him on that expedition. When we reached our objective we found that the enemy had learned of us and had obliterated every trace of water. The heat was intense; thirst afflicted us and our mounts. It was Friday. When the sun began to decline, al-ʿAlāʾ led us in two rakʿahs, then raised his hands to the sky—though not a cloud was in sight. By Allah, he had not lowered them before Allah sent a wind, clouds formed, and rain poured until every hollow and ravine was filled. We drank, watered our mounts and replenished our skins.

“We then advanced until we reached the enemy, who had crossed an inlet of the sea to an island. Al-ʿAlāʾ halted at the shore and called out: ‘O Most High, O Mighty! O Forbearing, O Generous!’ Then he said, ‘Cross, in the name of Allah.’ We crossed, and the water barely reached our mounts’ hoofs. Before long we fell upon the enemy unawares, killed many, captured prisoners and seized spoils. We returned to the inlet; he repeated the same words, and we crossed back with the water only wetting our animals’ hoofs.

“He then spoke of al-ʿAlāʾ’s death and how we buried him in land that would not retain the dead. When we later reopened the grave to move him elsewhere, we found nothing inside, and the burial niche was shining with light. So we replaced the earth and went on our way.” (3)