Umar bin Khattab was asked, "Tell us about the campaign of hardship."He said, "We set out for Tabuk during a severe heatwave. We camped at a place where thirst overcame us so badly that we thought our necks would be cut off. A man would go off searching for water and not return until we thought his neck would be cut off. A man would even slaughter his camel, squeeze out the contents of its stomach, drink the liquid, and place what remained on his liver to cool it.Abu Bakr al-Siddiq said, 'Messenger of Allah, Allah has accustomed you to good responses when you supplicate, so pray for us.'He replied, 'Would you like that?'Abu Bakr said, 'Yes.'So he raised his hands ﷺ, and he did not lower them until a cloud cast its shade over us and poured down rain. The people filled whatever vessels they had with water. Then we went to see how far the rain had reached, and we found that it had not extended beyond the camp."
أنه قيل لعمر بن الخطاب: حدثنا من شأن العسرة، قال: خرجنا إلى تبوك في قيظ شديد، فنزلنا منزلا أصابنا فيه عطش، حتى ظننا أن رقابنا ستنقطع، حتى أن الرجل ليذهب فيلتمس الماء، فلا يرجع حتى نظن أن رقبته ستنقطع، حتى أن الرجل لينحر بعيره، فيعصر فرثه، فيشربه ويجعل ما بقي على كبده، فقال أبو بكر الصديق: يا رسول الله! قد عودك الله في الدعاء خيرا، فادع لنا، فقال: أتحب ذلك؟ قال: نعم، فرفع يديه ﷺ، فلم يرجعهما، حتى أظلت سحابة، فسكبت، فملؤوا ما معهم، ثم ذهبنا ننظر، فلم نجدها جاوزت العسكر.
Ibn Hibban (1383), Bazzar in Kashf Astar (1841), Hakim (1/159), and Bayhaqi in Dalail (5/231) all narrated it from the hadith of Ibn Wahb, who said, Amr bin Harith informed us, from Saad bin Abu Hilal, from Utbah bin Abu Utbah, from Nafi bin Jubayr, from Abdullah bin Abbas, and he related it. Its chain is sahih. Hakim said, "Sahih according to the criteria of the two sheikhs."Note, "Utbah bin Abu Utbah" is missing from Ibn Hibban's chain.As for His saying, "Then He accepted their repentance" [Tawbah 9:117], He repeated the mention of repentance after having mentioned at the beginning of the verse, "Allah has certainly turned in mercy to the Prophet and the emigrants and the helpers" [Tawbah 9:117]. So He mentioned the repentance at the beginning of the verse for the Prophet ﷺ and for all his companions who set out on the expedition of hardship, and He mentioned the second repentance for those who had intended to hold back and turn away because of the severity of the moment, but then went forward and did not hold back.As for His saying, "Indeed, He is Kind and Merciful to them" [Tawbah 9:117], Allah concluded with this good tidings for all who went out on the expedition of hardship, that He accepted their repentance, and whoever Allah accepts the repentance of, He will never punish.As for His saying, "And [also] the three who were left behind" [Tawbah 9:118], they are Kaab bin Malik, Mararah bin Rabi Umari, and Hilal bin Umaya Waqifi, and the details of their story are in the hadith that follows.