Abu Qatada reported,

We were with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ on a journey when he said, "If you do not reach water by tomorrow, you will go thirsty." The bulk of the people rushed ahead seeking water, but I stayed close to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.The mount of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ began to lean as he dozed off, so I propped him up and he straightened. Then he leaned again, and I propped him up and he straightened. Then he leaned again until he was about to fall from his mount, so I propped him up. He woke and asked, "Who is this man?"I said, "Abu Qatada."He asked, "How long have you been traveling like this?"I said, "Since the beginning of the night."He said, "May Allah preserve you as you have preserved His Messenger." Then he said, "If only we could rest." He turned aside toward a tree and dismounted, then said, "Look, do you see anyone?"I said, "Here is one rider, here are two riders," until the count reached seven.He said, "Watch over our prayer for us." Then we slept, and nothing woke us but the heat of the sun. We woke up, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ mounted and rode on, and we rode with him for a short while. Then he dismounted and asked, "Do you have any water with you?"I said, "Yes, I have a small water vessel with a little water in it."He said, "Bring it." So I brought it to him, and he said, "Touch some of it, touch some of it." The people performed ablution from it, and a single gulp remained.He said, "Guard it well, Abu Qatada, for it will have a story." Then Bilal called the adhan, they prayed the two units before Fajr, and then they prayed Fajr. Then he mounted and we mounted.Some of them said to one another, "We have been negligent in our prayer."The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "What are you saying? If it concerns your worldly affairs, that is your business, but if it concerns your religion, then refer it to me."We said, "Messenger of Allah, we have been negligent in our prayer."He said, "There is no negligence in sleep. Negligence is only in wakefulness. So when that happens, pray it, and the next day pray it at its proper time." Then he said, "What do you think the people are doing?"They said, "You said yesterday, 'If you do not reach water by tomorrow you will go thirsty,' so the people are at the water."He said, "The people awoke to find their Prophet missing, and some of them said to one another, 'The Messenger of Allah ﷺ is at the water.'" Among the people were Abu Bakr and Umar, and they said, "People, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would not go ahead of you to the water and leave you behind. If the people obey Abu Bakr and Umar, they will be rightly guided." He said this three times.When the noon heat grew intense, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ came into their view, and they said, "Messenger of Allah, we are dying of thirst, our necks are cut off."He said, "No ruin will come upon you." Then he said, "Abu Qatada, bring the water vessel." So I brought it to him, and he said, "Untie my small drinking cup for me." I untied it and brought it to him, and he began pouring into it and giving the people to drink. The people crowded around him, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "People, take your turns properly. Every one of you will leave satisfied."So the people drank until none remained except me and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He poured for me and said, "Drink, Abu Qatada."I said, "You drink, Messenger of Allah."He said, "The one serving the people drinks last." So I drank, and he drank after me, and there remained in the water vessel about as much as had been in it before. They numbered three hundred that day.Abdullah said, Imran bin Husayn heard me as I was relating this hadith in the congregational mosque, and he said, "Who is this man?"I said, "I am Abdullah bin Rabah al-Ansari."He said, "People know their own narrations best. Be careful how you narrate, for I was one of the seven that night." When I finished, he said, "I never thought anyone but me had memorized this hadith."

حدثنا يزيد بن هارون أخبرنا حماد بن سلمة عن ثابت عن عبد الله بن رباح

عن أبي قتادة قال

كنا مع رسول الله ﷺ في سفر فقال إنكم إن لا تدركوا الماء غدا تعطشوا وانطلق سرعان الناس يريدون الماء ولزمت رسول الله ﷺ فمالت برسول الله ﷺ راحلته فنعس رسول الله ﷺ فدعمته فأدعم ثم مال فدعمته فأدعم ثم مال حتى كاد أن ينجفل عن راحلته فدعمته فانتبه فقال من الرجل قلت أبو قتادة قال مذ كم كان مسيرك قلت منذ الليلة قال حفظك الله كما حفظت رسوله ثم قال لو عرسنا فمال إلى شجرة فنزل فقال انظر هل ترى أحدا قلت هذا راكب هذان راكبان حتى بلغ سبعة فقال احفظوا علينا صلاتنا فنمنا فما أيقظنا إلا حر الشمس فانتبهنا فركب رسول الله ﷺ فسار وسرنا هنيهة ثم نزل فقال أمعكم ماء قال قلت نعم معي ميضأة فيها شيء من ماء قال ائت بها فأتيته بها فقال مسوا منها مسوا منها فتوضأ القوم وبقيت جرعة فقال ازدهر بها يا أبا قتادة فإنه سيكون لها نبأ ثم أذن بلال وصلوا الركعتين قبل الفجر ثم صلوا الفجر ثم ركب وركبنا فقال بعضهم لبعض فرطنا في صلاتنا فقال رسول الله ﷺ ما تقولون إن كان أمر دنياكم فشأنكم وإن كان أمر دينكم فإلي قلنا يا رسول الله فرطنا في صلاتنا فقال لا تفريط في النوم إنما التفريط في اليقظة فإذا كان ذلك فصلوها ومن الغد وقتها ثم قال ظنوا بالقوم قالوا إنك قلت بالأمس إن لا تدركوا الماء غدا تعطشوا فالناس بالماء فقال أصبح الناس وقد فقدوا نبيهم فقال بعضهم لبعض إن رسول الله ﷺ بالماء وفي القوم أبو بكر وعمر فقالا أيها الناس إن رسول الله ﷺ لم يكن ليسبقكم إلى الماء ويخلفكم وإن يطع الناس أبا بكر وعمر يرشدوا قالها ثلاثا فلما اشتدت الظهيرة رفع لهم رسول الله ﷺ فقالوا يا رسول الله هلكنا عطشا تقطعت الأعناق فقال لا هلك عليكم ثم قال يا أبا قتادة ائت بالميضأة فأتيته بها فقال احلل لي غمري يعني قدحه فحللته فأتيته به فجعل يصب فيه ويسقي الناس فازدحم الناس عليه فقال رسول الله ﷺ يا أيها الناس أحسنوا الملأ فكلكم سيصدر عن ري فشرب القوم حتى لم يبق غيري وغير رسول الله ﷺ فصب لي فقال اشرب يا أبا قتادة قال قلت اشرب أنت يا رسول الله قال إن ساقي القوم آخرهم فشربت وشرب بعدي وبقي في الميضأة نحو مما كان فيها وهم يومئذ ثلاث مائة قال عبد الله فسمعني عمران بن حصين وأنا أحدث هذا الحديث في المسجد الجامع فقال من الرجل قلت أنا عبد الله بن رباح الأنصاري قال القوم أعلم بحديثهم انظر كيف تحدث فإني أحد السبعة تلك الليلة فلما فرغت قال ما كنت أحسب أن أحدا يحفظ هذا الحديث غيري