The tired and hungry camel who wept and complained to the Prophet ﷺ

the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ seated me behind him ˹on his ride˺ one day, and told me secretly a thing asking me not to tell it to anyone. The place for easing dearer to the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ was a mound or host of palm trees by which he could conceal himself.

He entered the garden of a man from the Anṣār (Helpers). All of a sudden when a camel saw the Prophet ﷺ it wept tenderly producing a yearning sound and its eyes flowed. The Prophet ﷺ came to it and wiped the temple of its head and it calmed down. He then said, “Who is the owner of this camel? Whose camel is this?" A young man from the Ansar came and said “This is mine, O Messenger of Allāh ﷺ.” He said “Don’t you fear Allāh about this beast which Allāh has given in your possession? It has complained to me that you keep it hungry and load it heavily which fatigues it.”  

أَرْدَفَنِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ خَلْفَهُ ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ فَأَسَرَّ إِلَىَّ حَدِيثًا لاَ أُحَدِّثُ بِهِ أَحَدًا مِنَ النَّاسِ وَكَانَ أَحَبُّ مَا اسْتَتَرَ بِهِ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ لِحَاجَتِهِ هَدَفًا أَوْ حَائِشَ نَخْلٍ۔

قَالَ: فَدَخَلَ حَائِطًا لِرَجُلٍ مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ فَإِذَا جَمَلٌ۔ فَلَمَّا رَأَى النَّبِيَّ ﷺ حَنَّ وَذَرَفَتْ عَيْنَاهُ فَأَتَاهُ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ فَمَسَحَ ذِفْرَاهُ فَسَكَتَ۔ فَقَالَ: «مَنْ رَبُّ هَذَا الْجَمَلِ؟ لِمَنْ هَذَا الْجَمَلُ؟» فَجَاءَ فَتًى مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ فَقَالَ: لِي يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ۔ فَقَالَ: «أَفَلاَ تَتَّقِي اللَّهَ فِي هَذِهِ الْبَهِيمَةِ الَّتِي مَلَّكَكَ اللَّهُ إِيَّاهَا؟ فَإِنَّهُ شَكَى إِلَىَّ أَنَّكَ تُجِيعُهُ وَتُدْئِبُهُ۔»  

‘Abd Allaah bin Jafar said “The Apostle of Allaah ﷺ seated me behind him(on his ride) one day, and told me secretly a thing asking me not to tell it to anyone. The place for easing dearer to the Apostle of Allaah ﷺ was a mound or host of palm trees by which he could conceal himself. He entered the garden of a man from the Ansar(Helpers). All of a sudden when a Camel saw the Prophet ﷺ it wept tenderly producing yearning sound and it eyes flowed. The Prophet ﷺ came to it and wiped the temple of its head. So it kept silence. He then said “Who is the master of this Camel? Whose Camel is this? A young man from the Ansar came and said “This is mine, Apostle of Allaah ﷺ.” He said “Don’t you fear Allaah about this beast which Allaah has given in your possession. It has complained to me that you keep it hungry and load it heavily which fatigues it.” (Using translation from Abū Dāʾūd 2549)   

أَرْدَفَنِي رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ خَلْفَهُ فَأَسَرَّ إِلَيَّ حَدِيثًا لَا أُخْبِرُ بِهِ أَحَدًا وَكَانَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ أَحَبُّ مَا اسْتَتَرَ بِهِ فِي حَاجَتِهِ هَدَفٌ أَوْ حَائِشُ نَخْلٍ فَدَخَلَ يَوْمًا حَائِطًا مِنْ حِيطَانِ الْأَنْصَارِ فَإِذَا جَمَلٌ قَدِ أتَاهُ فَجَرْجَرَ وَذَرَفَتْ عَيْنَاهُ قَالَ بَهْزٌ وَعَفَّانُ فَلَمَّا رَأَى النَّبِيَّ ﷺ حَنَّ وَذَرَفَتْ عَيْنَاهُ فَمَسَحَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ سَرَاتَهُ وَذِفْرَاهُ فَسَكَنَ فَقَالَ مَنْ صَاحِبُ الْجَمَلِ؟ فَجَاءَ فَتًى مِنَ الْأَنْصَارِ فَقَالَ هُوَ لِي يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ فَقَالَ أَمَا تَتَّقِي اللهَ فِي هَذِهِ الْبَهِيمَةِ الَّتِي مَلَّكَكَهَا اللهُ إِنَّهُ شَكَا إِلَيَّ أَنَّكَ تُجِيعُهُ وَتُدْئِبُهُ  

[Machine] The Messenger of Allah ﷺ rode his camel, and I joined him as his companion. Whenever the Messenger of Allah ﷺ stopped somewhere, he would prefer the place where there was a target to aim at or date palms. He entered the house of a man from the Ansar, and there was a jar of water for him. When the Prophet ﷺ saw it, he felt affectionate and his eyes welled up with tears. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ descended from his camel, wiped his forehead and his arms, then he said, "Whose camel is this?" A young man from the Ansar came forward and said, "It's mine." The Prophet ﷺ said, "Don't you fear Allah regarding this animal that Allah has made you its caretaker? He complained to me and claimed that you starve him and exhaust him." Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ went into the wall of the house to relieve himself. He performed ablution and came back, with water dripping from his beard onto his chest. He whispered something to me that I am not to disclose to anyone. We put pressure on him to tell us, but he said, "I will not divulge the secret of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ until I meet Allah."  

رَكِبَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ بَغْلَتَهُ وَأَرْدَفَنِي خَلْفَهُ وَكَانَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ إِذَا تَبَرَّزَ كَانَ أَحَبَّ مَا تَبَرَّزَ فِيهِ هَدَفٌ يَسْتَتِرُ بِهِ أَوْ حَائِشُ نَخْلٍ فَدَخَلَ حَائِطًا لِرَجُلٍ مِنَ الْأَنْصَارِ فَإِذَا فِيهِ نَاضِحٌ لَهُ فَلَمَّا رَأَى النَّبِيَّ ﷺ حَنَّ وَذَرَفَتْ عَيْنَاهُ فَنَزَلَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ فَمَسَحَ ذِفْرَاهُ وَسَرَاتَهُ فَسَكَنَ فَقَالَ مَنْ رَبُّ هَذَا الْجَمَلِ؟ فَجَاءَ شَابٌّ مِنَ الْأَنْصَارِ فَقَالَ أَنَا فَقَالَ أَلا تَتَّقِي اللهَ فِي هَذِهِ الْبَهِيمَةِ الَّتِي مَلَّكَكَ اللهُ إِيَّاهَا فَإِنَّهُ شَكَاكَ إِلَيَّ وَزَعَمَ أَنَّكَ تُجِيعُهُ وَتُدْئِبُهُ ثُمَّ ذَهَبَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ فِي الْحَائِطِ فَقَضَى حَاجَتَهُ ثُمَّ تَوَضَّأَ ثُمَّ جَاءَ وَالْمَاءُ يَقْطُرُ مِنْ لِحْيَتِهِ عَلَى صَدْرِهِ فَأَسَرَّ إِلَيَّ شَيْئًا لَا أُحَدِّثُ بِهِ أَحَدًا فَحَرَّجْنَا عَلَيْهِ أَنْ يُحَدِّثَنَا فَقَالَ لَا أُفْشِي عَلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ سِرَّهُ حَتَّى أَلْقَى اللهَ  

[Machine] One day, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ approached me and whisperd in my ear a conversation that I should not share with anyone. He said, "Among the things that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ kept hidden was a target and a wall of palm trees. A man from the Ansar entered the wall and saw a camel. When the Prophet ﷺ saw him, he showed affection and his eyes teared up. The Prophet ﷺ then approached him and wiped the camel's hump and forehead. The Prophet ﷺ then said, 'Whose camel is this?' A young man from the Ansar came forward and said, 'It belongs to me, O Messenger of Allah.' The Prophet ﷺ told him, 'Do you not fear Allah regarding this animal that Allah has made you its owner? It has complained to me that you starve and overburden it.'"  

أَرْدَفَنِي رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ فَأَسَرَّ إِلَيَّ حَدِيثًا لَا أُحَدِّثُ بِهِ أَحَدًا مِنَ النَّاسِ قَالَ وَكَانَ أَحَبُّ مَا اسْتَتَرَ بِهِ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ هَدَفٌ وَحَائِطُ نَخْلٍ فَدَخَلَ حَائِطَ رَجُلٍ مِنَ الْأَنْصَارِ فَإِذَا جَمَلٌ فَلَمَّا رَأَى النَّبِيَّ ﷺ حَنَّ وَذَرَفَتْ عَيْنَاهُ فَأَتَاهُ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ فَمَسَحَ سَرَاتَهُ وَذِفْرَاهُ فَسَكَنَ ثُمَّ قَالَ «لِمَنْ هَذَا الْجَمَلُ؟» فَجَاءَ فَتًى مِنَ الْأَنْصَارِ فَقَالَ هُوَ لِي يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ فَقَالَ لَهُ «أَفَلَا تَتَّقِي اللهَ فِي هَذِهِ الْبَهِيمَةِ الَّتِي مَلَّكَكَ اللهُ إِيَّاهَا فَإِنَّهُ شَكَاكَ إِلَيَّ إِنَّكَ تُجِيعُهُ وَتُدْئِبُهُ»  

‘Abd Allaah bin Jafar said “The Apostle of Allaah ﷺ seated me behind him(on his ride) one day, and told me secretly a thing asking me not to tell it to anyone. The place for easing dearer to the Apostle of Allaah ﷺ was a mound or host of palm trees by which he could conceal himself. He entered the garden of a man from the Ansar(Helpers). All of a sudden when a Camel saw the Prophet ﷺ it wept tenderly producing yearning sound and it eyes flowed. The Prophet ﷺ came to it and wiped the temple of its head. So it kept silence. He then said “Who is the master of this Camel? Whose Camel is this? A young man from the Ansar came and said “This is mine, Apostle of Allaah ﷺ.” He said “Don’t you fear Allaah about this beast which Allaah has given in your possession. It has complained to me that you keep it hungry and load it heavily which fatigues it.” (Using translation from Abū Dāʾūd 2549)   

أَرْدَفَنِي رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ خَلْفَهُ فَأَسَرَّ إِلِيَّ حَدِيثًا لَا أُحَدِّثُ بِهِ أَحَدًا مِنَ النَّاسِ وَكَانَ أَحَبَّ مَا اسْتَتَرَ بِهِ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ لِحَاجَتِهِ هَدَفٌ أَوْ حَائِشُ نَخْلٍ يَعْنِي حَائِطَ قَالَ فَدَخَلَ حَائِطًا لِرَجُلٍ مِنَ الْأَنْصَارِ فَإِذَا فِيهِ جَمَلٌ فَلَمَّا رَأَى النَّبِيُّ ﷺ ذَرَفَتْ عَيْنَاهُ قَالَ فَأَتَاهُ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ فَمَسَحَ سَرَاتَهُ إِلَى سَنَامِهِ وَذِفْرَيْهِ فَسَكَنَ قَالَ مَنْ رَبُّ هَذَا الْجَمَلِ لِمَنْ هَذَا الْجَمَلُ قَالَ فَجَاءَ فَتًى مِنَ الْأَنْصَارِ فَقَالَ هُوَ لِي يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ فَقَالَ أَلَا تَتَّقِي اللهَ فِي هَذِهِ الْبَهِيمَةِ الَّتِي مَلَّكَكَ اللهُ إِيَّاهَا فَإِنَّهَا تَشْكُو إِلِيَّ أَنَّكَ تُجِيعُهَا وَتُدْئِبُهَا أَخْرَجَ مُسْلِمٌ أَوَّلَ الْحَدِيثِ فِي الصَّحِيحِ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أَسْمَاءَ