Abu Qatada reported,

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ continued traveling, and when the night was well advanced and I was beside him, he began to doze and leaned over from his mount. I came up and steadied him without waking him until he straightened up on his mount.Then he traveled on until well into the night, when he leaned again from his mount. I steadied him without waking him until he straightened up on his mount.Then he traveled on, and at the last part of the night he leaned over more sharply than the two previous times, almost falling. I came and steadied him. He raised his head and asked, "Who is this?"I said, "Abu Qatada."He asked, "How long have you been traveling beside me like this?"I said, "I have been traveling this way since the beginning of the night."He said, "May Allah protect you for protecting His Prophet."Then he asked, "Do you think we are hidden from the people?"Then he said, "Do you see anyone?"I said, "Here is a rider." Then I said, "Here is another rider," until we had gathered seven riders.The Messenger of Allah ﷺ turned aside from the road, laid his head down, and said, "Watch over our prayer for us."The first to wake was the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, with the sun on his back. We rose alarmed. Then he said, "Mount up." So we mounted and rode on until the sun was high, when he stopped.He called for a small water vessel I had with me, which contained a little water. He performed a light ablution from it, and some water remained. Then he said to Abu Qatada, "Guard your water vessel for us, for it will have a story."Then Bilal called the prayer, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ prayed two units. Then he prayed the morning prayer, doing as he did every day.The Messenger of Allah mounted and we mounted with him. We began whispering to one another, "What is the expiation for our negligence regarding our prayer?"Then he said, "Do you not have an example in me?" Then he said, "There is no negligence in sleep. Negligence lies only with the one who does not pray a prayer until the time of the next prayer comes. Whoever does that, let him pray it when he becomes aware of it, and on the next day let him pray it at its proper time."Then he said, "What do you think the people have done?" He said, "The people awoke and missed their Prophet. Abu Bakr and Umar said, 'The Messenger of Allah ﷺ is behind you. He would not leave you behind.' And the people said, 'The Messenger of Allah ﷺ is ahead of you.' If they obey Abu Bakr and Umar, they will be rightly guided."We reached the people when the day had grown long and hot, and they were saying, "Messenger of Allah, we are perishing from thirst!"He said, "There is no destruction upon you." Then he said, "Bring me my small cup." He called for the water vessel, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ began to pour while Abu Qatada gave the people to drink.When the people saw the water in the vessel, they crowded toward it. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Take your turns properly. All of you will be quenched."So they did. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ kept pouring while I gave them to drink, until no one was left except myself and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ poured and said to me, "Drink."I said, "I will not drink until you drink, Messenger of Allah!"He said, "The one who serves the people is the last of them to drink."So I drank, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ drank. The people came to the water fully satisfied and quenched.Abdullah bin Rabah said, I was narrating this hadith in the congregational mosque when Imran bin Husayn said, "Look here, young man. Be careful how you narrate, for I was one of the riders that night."I said, "Then you know the hadith better."He asked, "Whom do you belong to?"I said, "From the Ansar."He said, "Narrate it, for you know your own narrations best."So I narrated to the people. Imran said, "I witnessed that night, and I did not know that anyone had memorized it as you have memorized it."

عن أبي قتادة قال

فبينما رسول الله ﷺ يسير حتى ابهار الليل وأنا إلى جنبه. قال: فنعس رسول الله ﷺ فمال عن راحلته. فأتيته فدعمته من غير أن أوقظه حتى اعتدل على راحلته. قال: ثم سار حتى تهور الليل، مال عن راحلته. قال: فدعمته. من غير أن أوقظه. حتى اعتدل على راحلته قال: ثم سار حتى إذا كان من آخر السحر مال ميلة أشد من الميلتين الأوليين. حتى كاد ينجفل. فأتيته فدعمته. فرفع رأسه فقال: من هذا؟ قلت: أبو قتادة قال: متى كان هذا ميسرك منيي؟ قلت: ما زال هذا مسيري منذ الليلة. قال: حفظك الله بما حفظت به نبيه. ثم قال: هل ترانا نخفى على الناس؟ ثم قال: هل ترى من أحد؟ قلت: هذا راكب. ثم قلت: هذا راكب آخر. حتى اجتمعنا فكنا سبعة ركب. قال: فمال رسول الله ﷺ له عن الطريق. فوضع رأسه. ثم قال: احفظوا علينا صلاتنا. فكان أول من استيقظ رسول الله ﷺ والشمس في ظهره. قال: فقمنا فزعين. ثم قال: اركبوا فركينا. فسرنا حتى إذا ارتفعت الشمس نزل. ثم دعا بميضاة كانت معي، فيها شيء من ماء. قال: فتوضأ منها وضوءا دون وضوء. قال: وبقي فيها شيء من ماء. ثم قال لأبي قتادة: احفظ علينا ميضأتك، فسيكون لها نبا. ثم أذن بلال بالصلاة. فصلى رسول الله ﷺ ركعتين. ثم صلى الغداة، فصنع كما يصنع كل يوم. قال: وركب رسول الله وركبنا معه. قال: فجعل بعضنا يهمس إلى بعض: ما كفارة ما صنعنا بتفريطنا في صلاتنا؟ ثم قال: أما لكم في أسوة؟ ثم قال: أما إنه ليس في النوم تفريط، إنما التفريط على من لم يصل الصلاة حتى يجيء وقت الصلاة الأخرى، فمن فعل ذلك فليصلها حين ينتبه لها، فإذا كان الغد فليصلها عند وقتها. ثم قال: ما ترون الناس صنعوا؟ قال: أصبح الناس فقدوا نبيهم. فقال أبو بكر وعمر: رسول الله ﷺ بعدكم. لم يكن ليخلفكم. وقال الناس: إن رسول الله ﷺ بين أيديكم. فإن يطيعوا أبا بكر وعمر يرشدوا. قال فانتهينا إلى الناس حين امتد النهار وحمي يقولون: يا رسول الله! هلكنا عطشنا فقال: لا هلك عليكم. ثم قال: أطلقوا لي غمري… قال: ودعا بالميضأة. فجعل رسول الله ﷺ يصب وأبو قتادة يسقيهم. فلم يعد أن رأى الناس ماء في الميضأة تكابوا عليها. فقال رسول الله ﷺ: أحسنوا الملا، كلكم سيروى. قال: ففعلوا. فجعل رسول الله ﷺ يصب وأسقيهم. حتى ما بقي غيري كل شيء. وهم وغير رسول الله ﷺ قال: ثم صب رسول الله ﷺ فقال لي: اشرب. فقلت: لا أشرب حتى تشرب يا رسول الله! قال: إن ساقي القوم آخرهم شربا قال: فشربت. و شرب رسول الله ﷺ. قال: فأتى الناس الماء جامين رواء. قال: فقال عبد الله بن رباح: إني لأحدث هذا الحديث في مسجد الجامع إذ قال عمران بن حصين: انظر أيها الفتى أعلم كيف تحدث. فإني أحد الركب تلك الليلة. قال، قلت: فأنت بالحديث. فقال: ممن أنت؟ قلت: من الأنصار. قال: حدث فأنتم أعلم بحديثكم. قال: فحدثت القوم. فقال عمران: لقد شهدت تلك الليلة وما شعرت أن أحدا حفظه كما حفظته.