I adjure you by Allah to tell me as to how many people from Aqaba were. The people said to him (Hudhaifa) to inform him as he had asked. We have been informed that they were fourteen and If you are to be counted amongst them, then they would be fifteen and I state by Allah that twelve amongst them were the enemies of Allah and of His Messenger ( ﷺ) in this world. The rest of the three put forward this excuse: We did not hear the announcement of Messenger of Allah ( ﷺ) and we were not aware of the intention of the people as he (the Holy Prophet) had been in the hot atmosphere. He (the Holy Prophet) then said: The water is small in quantity (at the next station). So nobody should go ahead of me, but he found people who had gone ahead of him and he cursed them on that day.

كَانَ بَيْنَ رَجُلٍ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْعَقَبَةِ وَبَيْنَ حُذَيْفَةَ بَعْضُ مَا يَكُونُ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ فَقَالَ أَنْشُدُكَ بِاللَّهِ كَمْ كَانَ أَصْحَابُ الْعَقَبَةِ قَالَ فَقَالَ لَهُ الْقَوْمُ أَخْبِرْهُ إِذْ سَأَلَكَ قَالَ كُنَّا نُخْبَرُ أَنَّهُمْ أَرْبَعَةَ عَشَرَ فَإِنْ كُنْتَ مِنْهُمْ فَقَدْ كَانَ الْقَوْمُ خَمْسَةَ عَشَرَ وَأَشْهَدُ بِاللَّهِ أَنَّ اثْنَىْ عَشَرَ مِنْهُمْ حَرْبٌ لِلَّهِ وَلِرَسُولِهِ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَيَوْمَ يَقُومُ الأَشْهَادُ وَعَذَرَ ثَلاَثَةً قَالُوا مَا سَمِعْنَا مُنَادِيَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَلاَ عَلِمْنَا بِمَا أَرَادَ الْقَوْمُ وَقَدْ كَانَ فِي حَرَّةٍ فَمَشَى فَقَالَ إِنَّ الْمَاءَ قَلِيلٌ فَلاَ يَسْبِقُنِي إِلَيْهِ أَحَدٌ فَوَجَدَ قَوْمًا قَدْ سَبَقُوهُ فَلَعَنَهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ

[Machine] When the Messenger of Allah, ﷺ , returned from the Battle of Tabuk, a caller ordered and announced that the Messenger of Allah had taken control of the Aqaba pass and that no one should take it. While the Messenger of Allah, ﷺ , was leading them, Hudhayfah was driving and 'Ammar was accompanying them. Suddenly, a group of masked men appeared on the coasts and attacked 'Ammar while he was driving the Messenger of Allah, ﷺ . 'Ammar fought back and struck the faces of the attackers. The Messenger of Allah, ﷺ , said to Hudhayfah, "Go and see who they are." Hudhayfah replied that he recognized most of them and that they were masked. The Messenger of Allah, ﷺ , asked, "Do you know what they wanted?" Hudhayfah replied, "Allah and His Messenger know best." The Messenger of Allah, ﷺ , said, "They wanted to rid themselves of the Messenger of Allah, ﷺ , and throw him off the cliff." 'Ammar then asked one of the companions of the Messenger of Allah, ﷺ , and said, "I swear by Allah, how many companions were there at the Aqaba pass?" The companion replied, "Fourteen." 'Ammar said, "If you were among them, then there were fifteen." The Messenger of Allah, ﷺ , pardoned three of them. They said, "By Allah, we did not hear the caller of the Messenger of Allah, ﷺ , and we did not know what the people intended." 'Ammar testified that the remaining twelve were fighters for the cause of Allah and His Messenger in this worldly life and on the Day of Judgment. Al-Walid (the narrator) mentioned that Abu Tufayl mentioned that during that battle, the Messenger of Allah, ﷺ , ordered the people not to approach the water before him. The Messenger of Allah, ﷺ , called out and announced that no one should drink the water before him. The Messenger of Allah, ﷺ , arrived at the water and found a group of people who had already drunk from it before him. The Messenger of Allah, ﷺ , cursed them on that day.

لَمَّا أَقْبَلَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ مِنْ غَزْوَةِ تَبُوكَ أَمَرَ مُنَادِيًا فَنَادَى إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ أَخَذَ الْعَقَبَةَ فَلَا يَأْخُذْهَا أَحَدٌ فَبَيْنَمَا رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ يَقُودُهُ حُذَيْفَةُ وَيَسُوقُ بِهِ عَمَّارٌ إِذْ أَقْبَلَ رَهْطٌ مُتَلَثِّمُونَ عَلَى الرَّوَاحِلِ غَشَوْا عَمَّارًا وَهُوَ يَسُوقُ بِرَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ وَأَقْبَلَ عَمَّارٌ يَضْرِبُ وُجُوهَ الرَّوَاحِلِ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ لِحُذَيْفَةَ قَدْ قَدْ حَتَّى هَبَطَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ فَلَمَّا هَبَطَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ نَزَلَ وَرَجَعَ عَمَّارٌ فَقَالَ يَا عَمَّارُ هَلْ عَرَفْتَ الْقَوْمَ؟ فَقَالَ قَدْ عَرَفْتُ عَامَّةَ الرَّوَاحِلِ وَالْقَوْمُ مُتَلَثِّمُونَ قَالَ هَلْ تَدْرِي مَا أَرَادُوا؟ قَالَ اللهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَعْلَمُ قَالَ أَرَادُوا أَنْ يَنْفِرُوا بِرَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ فَيَطْرَحُوهُ قَالَ فَسَأَلَ عَمَّارٌ رَجُلًا مِنْأَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ نَشَدْتُكَ بِاللهِ كَمْ تَعْلَمُ كَانَ أَصْحَابُ الْعَقَبَةِ فَقَالَ أَرْبَعَةَ عَشَرَ فَقَالَ إِنْ كُنْتَ فِيهِمْ فَقَدْ كَانُوا خَمْسَةَ عَشَرَ فَعَذَرَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ مِنْهُمْ ثَلَاثَةً قَالُوا وَاللهِ مَا سَمِعْنَا مُنَادِيَ رَسُولِ اللهِ وَمَا عَلِمْنَا مَا أَرَادَ الْقَوْمُ فَقَالَ عَمَّارٌ أَشْهَدُ أَنَّ الِاثْنَيْ عَشَرَ الْبَاقِينَ حَرْبٌ لِلَّهِ وَلِرَسُولِهِ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَيَوْمَ يَقُومُ الْأَشْهَادُ قَالَ الْوَلِيدُ وَذَكَرَ أَبُو الطُّفَيْلِ فِي تِلْكَ الْغَزْوَةِ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ لِلنَّاسِ وَذُكِرَ لَهُ أَنَّ فِي الْمَاءِ قِلَّةً فَأَمَرَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ مُنَادِيًا فَنَادَى أَنْ لَا يَرِدَ الْمَاءَ أَحَدٌ قَبْلَ رَسُولِ اللهِ فَوَرَدَهُ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ فَوَجَدَ رَهْطًا قَدْ وَرَدُوهُ قَبْلَهُ فَلَعَنَهُمْ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ يَوْمَئِذٍ

[Machine] Abu Tufayl said: There was a dispute between Hudayfah and a man from the people of al-Aqabah, which was something between the people. He said, "I swear by Allah, tell me about the people of al-Aqabah." So the people said to him, "Inform him," when he asked. He said, "We were informed that they were fourteen." Abu Nu'aym said, "The man said, 'We were informed that they were fourteen.'" He said, "If you are one of them," and Abu Nu'aym mentioned them, "then the people were fifteen." And I bear witness by Allah that twelve of them were warriors for the sake of Allah and His Messenger in this worldly life, and on the Day of Resurrection, the witnesses will stand. Abu Ahmad said, "The witnesses and our excuse are three." They said, "We did not hear the caller of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and we did not know what the people intended." Abu Ahmad said in his narration, "And he was in Harrah, so he left and said to the people, 'Indeed, the water is scarce, so let no one surpass me to it.' And he found a group who had surpassed him, so he cursed them that day."

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الطُّفَيْلِ قَالَكَانَ بَيْنَ حُذَيْفَةَ وَبَيْنَ رَجُلٍ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْعَقَبَةِ مَا يَكُونُ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ فَقَالَ أَنْشُدُكَ اللهَ كَمْ كَانَ أَصْحَابُ الْعَقَبَةِ؟ فَقَالَ لَهُ الْقَوْمُ أَخْبِرْهُ إِذْ سَأَلَكَ قَالَ إِنْ كُنَّا نُخْبَرُ أَنَّهُمْ أَرْبَعَةَ عَشَرَ وَقَالَ أَبُو نُعَيْمٍ فَقَالَ الرَّجُلُ كُنَّا نُخْبَرُ أَنَّهُمْ أَرْبَعَةَ عَشَرَ قَالَ فَإِنْ كُنْتَ مِنْهُمْ وَقَالَ أَبُو نُعَيْمٍ فِيهِمْ فَقَدْ كَانَ الْقَوْمُ خَمْسَةَ عَشَرَ وَأَشْهَدُ بِاللهِ أَنَّ اثْنَيْ عَشَرَ مِنْهُمْ حَرْبٌ لِلَّهِ وَلِرَسُولِهِ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَيَوْمَ يَقُومُ الْأَشْهَادُ قَالَ أَبُو أَحْمَدَ الْأَشْهَادُ وَعَذَرْنَا ثَلَاثَةً قَالُوا مَا سَمِعْنَا مُنَادِيَ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ وَمَا عَلِمْنَا مَا أَرَادَ الْقَوْمُ قَالَ أَبُو أَحْمَدَ فِي حَدِيثِهِ وَقَدْ كَانَ فِي حَرَّةٍ فَمَشَى فَقَالَ لِلنَّاسِ إِنَّ الْمَاءَ قَلِيلٌ فَلَا يَسْبِقْنِي إِلَيْهِ أَحَدٌ فَوَجَدَ قَوْمًا قَدْ سَبَقُوهُ فَلَعَنَهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ