A Night with the Prophet

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سَمِعْتُ الْبَرَاءَ بْنَ عَازِبٍ يَقُولُ

I heard al-Bara' ibn 'Azib say.

جَاءَ أَبُو بَكْرِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ إِلَى أَبِي فِي مَنْزِلِهِ

Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, came to my father in his house.

فَإِشْتَرَى مِنْهُ رَحْلاً

So he bought a pack-saddle from him.

فَقَالَ لِعَازِبٍ إِبْعَثْ إِبْنَكَ يَحْمِلْهُ مَعِي

He said to 'Azib, "Send your son to carry it with me."

قَالَ فَحَمَلْتُهُ مَعَهُ

He said, so I carried it with him.

وَخَرَجَ أَبِيُ يَنْتَقِدُ ثَمَنَهُ

And my father went out to haggle over its price.

فَقَالَ لَهُ أَبِي يَا أَبَا بَكْرٍ

So my father said to him, "O Abu Bakr."

حَدِّثْنِي كَيْفَ صَنَعْتُمَا حِينَ سَرَيْتَ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ

Tell me how you two behaved when you set out with the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace.

قَالَ نَعَمْ أَسْرَيْنَا لَيْلَتَنَا

He said, "Yes, we spent the night."

وَمِنَ الْغَدِ حَتَّى قَامَ قَائِمُ الظَّهِيرَةِ

And from the morning until the noon watchman stood up,

وَخَلاَ الطَّرِيقُ لَا يَمُرُّ فِيهِ أَحَدٌ

And the road lay deserted; no one passed along it.

فَرُفِعَتْ لَنَا صَخْرَةٌ طَوْيِلَةٌ

Then a long rock was raised for us.

لَهَا ظِلٌّ لَمْ تَأْتِ عَلَيْهِ الشَّمْسُ فَنَزَلْنَا عِنْدَهُ

It had a shade that the sun did not come upon, so we descended by it.

وَسَوَّيْتُ لِلْنَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَكَانًا بِيَدَيَّ يَنَامُ عَلَيْهِ

And I smoothed out a place with my two hands for the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, to sleep on it.

وَبَسَطْتُ فِيْهِ فَرْوَةً

And I spread in it a fur.

وَقُلْتُ نَمْ يَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ

And I said, 'Sleep, O Messenger of God.'

وَأَنَا أَنْفُضُ لَكَ مَا حَوْلَكَ فَنَامَ

And I was brushing off for you whatever was around you, so he slept.

وَخَرَجْتُ أَنْفُضُ مَا حَوْلَهُ

And I went out, shaking off what was around him.

فَإِذَا أَنَا بِرَاعٍ مُقْبِلٍ بِغَنَمِهِ إِلَى الصَّخْرَةِ

Then I came upon a shepherd approaching the rock with his flock.

يُرِيدُ مِنْهَا مِثْلَ الَّذِي أَرَدْنَا

He wants from her the same thing we wanted.

فَقُلْتُ لِمَنْ أَنْتَ يَا غُلاَمُ

So I said, 'Who do you belong to, O boy?'

فَقَالَ لِرَجُلٍ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْمَدِينَةِ أَوْ مَكَّةَ

Then he said to a man from Medina or Mecca.

قُلْتُ أَفِي غَنَمِكَ لَبَنٌ

I said, "Is there milk in your flock?"

قَالَ نَعَمْ

He said, 'Yes.'

قُلْتُ أَفَتَحْلُبُ

I said, "Shall I milk?"

قَالَ نَعَمْ

He said yes.

فَأَخَذَ شَاةً

Then he took a sheep.

فَقُلْتُ إِنْفَضِّ الضَّرْعَ مِنَ التُّرَابِ وَالشَّعْرِ وَالْقِذَى

I said, "Shake the udder free of dirt, hair, and grit."

قَالَ فَرَأْتُ الْبَرَاءَ يَضْرِبُ إِحْدَى يَدَيْهِ عَلَى الأُخْرَى يَنْفِضُ

He said: I saw al-Bara' strike one of his hands against the other and shake it off.

فَحَلَبَ فِي قَعْبٍ كُثْبَةً مِنْ لَبَنٍ

Then he milked into a small container a lump of milk.

وَمَعِي إِدَاوَةٌ حَمَلْتُهَا لِلنَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَرْتَوِي مِنْهَا

I had with me a waterskin that I had carried for the Prophet, may God send blessings and peace upon him, to drink from.

يَشْرَبُ وَيَتَوَضَّأُ

He drank and performed ablution.

فَأَتَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَكَرِهْتُ أَنْ أُوقِظَهُ

So I went to the Prophet, may Allah send blessings and peace upon him, and I was reluctant to wake him.

فَوَافَقْتُهُ حِينَ اِسْتَيْقَظَ

So I came upon him when he woke up,

فَصَبَبْتُ مِنَ الْمَاءِ عَلَى اللَّبَنِ حَتَّى بَرَدَ أَسْفَلُهُ

So I poured water over the milk until its bottom cooled.

فَقُلْتُ اِشْرَبْ يَا رَسُوْلَ اللَّهِ قَالَ فَشَرِبَ

So I said, "Drink, O Messenger of God." He said so, and he drank.

حَتَّى رَضِيتُ

Until I was satisfied.

ثُمَّ قَالَ أَلَمْ يَأْنِ لِلرَّحِيلِ

Then he said, "Is it not time to depart?"

قُلتُ بَلَى

I said, 'Yes.'

فَٱِرْتَحَلْنَا بَعْدَ مَا مَالَتِ اَلْشَّمْسُ

So we set out after the sun had inclined.

وَاِتَّبَعَنَا سُرَاقَةُ بْنُ مَالِكِ

And Suraaqah ibn Malik followed us.

فَقُلْتُ أَتَيْنَا يَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ

So I said, "We have come, O Messenger of Allah."

فَقَالَ لَا تَحْزَنْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَنَا

So he said, "Do not be sad; Allah is with us."

فَدَعَا عَلَيْهِ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَارْتَطَمَتْ بِهِ فَرَسُهُ إِلَى بَطْنِهَا

Then the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, prayed against him, and his mare struck him in the belly.

أُرَى فِي جَلَدٍ مِنَ الأَرْضِ شَكَّ زُهَيْرٌ

He was seen in a layer of earth, and Zuhayr doubted.

فَقَالَ إِنِّي أُرَاكُمَا قَدْ دَعَوْتُمَا عَلَيَّ فَادْعُوَا لِي

So he said, "I see that you two have prayed against me, so pray for me."

فَاللَّهُ لَكُمَا أَنْ أَرُدَّ عَنْكُمَا الطَّلَبَ

By God, I will withdraw the request from you both.

فَدَعَا لَهُ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَنَجَا

The Prophet prayed for him, and he was saved.

فَجَعَلَ لَا يَلْقَى أَحْدًا إِلَّا قَالَ كَفَيْتُكُمْ مَا هُنَا

So he arranged that whenever he met anyone, he would say, "I have taken care of you regarding what is here."

فَلَا يَلْقَى أَحَدًا إِلَّا رَدَّهُ

He would not meet anyone without sending him back.

قَالَ وَوَفَى لِنَا

He said, and he fulfilled for us.