1433 — Ja‘far ibn Abd Allah ibn Ya‘qub informed us in Rayy. He said: Muhammad ibn Harun al-Ruwayani informed us. He said: Mukram ibn Muhriz ibn Mahdi ibn Abd al-Rahman ibn Amr ibn Khuwaylid ibn Khalif ibn Munqidh ibn Rabi‘ah ibn Hizam ibn Hubaysh al-Khuza‘i narrated to us at Qudayd—he lived near the two tents of Umm Ma‘bad. My father informed me, from Hizam ibn Hisham ibn Hubaysh, from his father, from his grandfather, a Companion of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace:
“When the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, left Mecca as an emigrant, he set out together with Abu Bakr.”
Alternate chain:
1434 — Ja‘far informed us; Muhammad informed us.
⦗857⦘
1435 — Sulayman ibn al-Hakam al-‘Allaf narrated this to us at Qudayd. He said: My brother Ayyub ibn al-Hakam narrated to me, from Hizam ibn Hisham, from his father Hisham ibn Hubaysh ibn Khalid. Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Harun said: Alternate chain:
1436 — Abu Hisham Muhammad ibn Sulayman ibn al-Hakam narrated to us. He said: My uncle Ayyub narrated to us, from Hizam, from his father, from Hisham, from his grandfather Hubaysh. Alternate chain.
1437 — Muhammad ibn Abd Allah ibn al-Husayn al-Faqih informed us. He said: He said: Abu Muhammad al-Hasan ibn Ibrahim ibn Ishaq ibn Habib ibn Ya‘qub informed us, from Abd Allah ibn Waqid al-Himyari, in the year 319 AH. He said: Abu Hashim Muhammad ibn Sulayman ibn al-Hakam ibn Ayyub ibn Sulayman ibn Thabit ibn Yasar al-Ka‘bi al-Ri‘i al-Talidi narrated to us. He said: My uncle Ayyub ibn al-Hakam narrated to us, from Hizam ibn Hisham, from his father, from his grandfather Hubaysh, a Companion of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace:
When the Prophet left Mecca, he departed from it as an emigrant to Medina, accompanied by Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him; Abu Bakr’s freedman, Amir ibn Fuhayrah; and their guide, the Laythi, Abd Allah ibn Urayqit. They passed by the two tents of Umm Ma‘bad al-Khuza‘iyyah. She was a mature, hardy woman, seated wrapped in her garment in the courtyard of her tent, and she would offer people food and drink.
The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, noticed a ewe in one of the tents and asked, “What is this ewe, Umm Ma‘bad?”
She replied, “Exhaustion has kept her behind from the flock.”
He asked, “Does she have any milk?”
She said, “She is too exhausted even for that.” ⦗858⦘
He asked, “Will you permit me to milk her?”
She said, “Yes—may my father and mother be sacrificed for you. If you think that she has milk, then milk her.”
The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, had the ewe brought to him. He stroked her udder with his hand, mentioned the name of Allah, and supplicated for blessing for her sheep. The ewe spread her legs, her milk flowed abundantly, and she began to chew the cud. He called for a vessel large enough for a group to drink from and milked into it in a copious stream, until froth rose over it. He then gave Umm Ma‘bad to drink until she was fully satisfied, and gave his Companions to drink until they were satisfied. Then he drank last of them all. They drank their fill again, after which he milked a second time, just as he had at first, until the vessel was full. He left it with her, then accepted her pledge of allegiance, and they departed.
Before long, her husband Abu Ma‘bad came, driving thin, emaciated goats that swayed from weakness in the late morning, with scarcely any marrow in their bones. When Abu Ma‘bad saw the milk, he was astonished and said, “Where did this milk come from, Umm Ma‘bad, when the sheep are away and barren, and there is no milk-giving animal in the house?”
She replied, “No, by Allah—except that a blessed man passed by us, of such-and-such appearance and qualities.”
He said, “Describe him to me, Umm Ma‘bad.”
She said:
“I saw a man of radiant appearance, with a bright and open face, well-proportioned in form. No protruding belly detracted from him”—in al-Ruwayani’s version—“nor did a small head diminish him. He was handsome and finely featured. His eyes were dark, his eyelashes long and thick, his voice slightly husky, his neck long and elegant, and his beard full. His eyebrows were finely arched and nearly joined.
“When he was silent, dignity surrounded him; when he spoke, his stature rose and splendour enveloped him. From afar, he was the most striking and splendid of people; from near at hand, the finest and most distinguished of them. His speech was sweet and clear, neither scant nor excessive, as though his words were beads falling in perfect order from a string.
“He was of medium height: neither so tall as to weary the eye, nor so short as to be overlooked. He was like a branch between two branches, yet the most radiant in appearance of the three and the highest in rank. He had companions who surrounded him: whenever he spoke, they listened attentively to his words; whenever he commanded, they hastened to carry out his order. He was attended and surrounded, neither frowning nor lacking in sound judgment.”
Abu Ma‘bad said, “By Allah, this is the man from Quraysh whose affair was reported to us in Mecca. I had indeed thought of accompanying him, and I shall certainly do so if I can find a way.”
The next morning, a voice was heard loudly in Mecca. They heard it but did not know who was calling:
May the Lord of mankind grant His best reward
To the two companions who alighted at Umm Ma‘bad’s tents.
They came to her with guidance, and through him she was guided;
Successful indeed is one who spends the night as Muhammad’s companion.
⦗860⦘
O family of Qusayy, how great are the deeds and noble honour
That Allah has withheld from you—beyond all recompense.
Let Banu Ka‘b rejoice in the lodging-place of their young woman,
Whose dwelling stands in view for the believers.
Ask your sister about her ewe and her vessel;
If you ask the ewe, it will bear witness.
He called upon a barren ewe, and it poured forth for him
Pure, foaming milk from its full udder.
He left it with her as a pledge for the one who would milk her,
Taking her out and bringing her back again.
Let Abu Bakr rejoice in the good fortune of his lot:
Whoever Allah grants happiness through his companionship is truly happy.
In al-Ruwayani’s narration, Mukram dictated to us: Umm Ma‘bad’s name was Atikah bint Khalid ibn Khalif. He then repeated the hadith, and thereafter the two narrations agree in the account. When Hassan ibn Thabit al-Ansari, the poet of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, heard this, he composed verses in response to the caller:
A people whose Prophet departed from them have surely failed;
Blessed is he who journeys to them and follows him.
He departed from a people, and their minds departed from them,
And he came to another people with a renewed light.
After misguidance, their Lord guided them through him,
And whoever follows the truth is rightly guided.
Can the misguided, witless people compare
With those whose leaders guide every keen Indian sword?
The mounts of guidance from him came down among the people of Yathrib,
Arriving upon them under the happiest of auspices.
A Prophet who sees what people around him do not see,
And who recites the Book of Allah at every gathering.
If one day he speaks of something unseen,
Its confirmation comes that very day, or by the morning of the next.
⦗861⦘
Let Abu Bakr rejoice in the good fortune of his lot:
Whoever Allah grants happiness through his companionship is truly happy.
Let Banu Ka‘b rejoice in the lodging-place of their young woman,
Whose dwelling stands in view for the believers.
The wording is that of the hadith of al-Iskafi; al-Ruwayani’s wording is close to it, except for what I have indicated.