Arabic (Original)
حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ حَدَّثَنَا أَيُّوبُ عَنْ أَبِي قِلَابَةَ عَنْ رَجُلٍ مِنْ بَنِي عَامِرٍ قَالَ كُنْتُ كَافِرًا فَهَدَانِي اللَّهُ لِلْإِسْلَامِ وَكُنْتُ أَعْزُبُ عَنْ الْمَاءِ وَمَعِي أَهْلِي فَتُصِيبُنِي الْجَنَابَةُ فَوَقَعَ ذَلِكَ فِي نَفْسِي وَقَدْ نُعِتَ لِي أَبُو ذَرٍّ فَحَجَجْتُ فَدَخَلْتُ مَسْجِدَ مِنًى فَعَرَفْتُهُ بِالنَّعْتِ فَإِذَا شَيْخٌ مَعْرُوفٌ آدَمُ عَلَيْهِ حُلَّةٌ قِطْرِيٌّ فَذَهَبْتُ حَتَّى قُمْتُ إِلَى جَنْبِهِ وَهُوَ يُصَلِّي فَسَلَّمْتُ عَلَيْهِ فَلَمْ يَرُدَّ عَلَيَّ ثُمَّ صَلَّى صَلَاةً أَتَمَّهَا وَأَحْسَنَهَا وَأَطْوَلَهَا فَلَمَّا فَرَغَ رَدَّ عَلَيَّ قُلْتُ أَنْتَ أَبُو ذَرٍّ قَالَ إِنَّ أَهْلِي لَيَزْعُمُونَ ذَلِكَ قَالَ كُنْتُ كَافِرًا فَهَدَانِي اللَّهُ لِلْإِسْلَامِ وَأَهَمَّنِي دِينِي وَكُنْتُ أَعْزُبُ عَنْ الْمَاءِ وَمَعِي أَهْلِي فَتُصِيبُنِي الْجَنَابَةُ فَوَقَعَ ذَلِكَ فِي نَفْسِي قَالَ هَلْ تَعْرِفُ أَبَا ذَرٍّ قُلْتُ نَعَمْ قَالَ فَإِنِّي اجْتَوَيْتُ الْمَدِينَةَ قَالَ أَيُّوبُ أَوْ كَلِمَةً نَحْوَهَا فَأَمَرَ لِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِذَوْدٍ مِنْ إِبِلٍ وَغَنَمٍ فَكُنْتُ أَكُونُ فِيهَا فَكُنْتُ أَعْزُبُ مِنْ الْمَاءِ وَمَعِي أَهْلِي فَتُصِيبُنِي الْجَنَابَةُ فَوَقَعَ فِي نَفْسِي أَنِّي قَدْ هَلَكْتُ فَقَعَدْتُ عَلَى بَعِيرٍ مِنْهَا فَانْتَهَيْتُ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ نِصْفَ النَّهَارِ وَهُوَ جَالِسٌ فِي ظِلِّ الْمَسْجِدِ فِي نَفَرٍ مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ فَنَزَلْتُ عَنْ الْبَعِيرِ وَقُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ هَلَكْتُ قَالَ وَمَا أَهْلَكَكَ فَحَدَّثْتُهُ فَضَحِكَ فَدَعَا إِنْسَانًا مِنْ أَهْلِهِ فَجَاءَتْ جَارِيَةٌ سَوْدَاءُ بِعُسٍّ فِيهِ مَاءٌ مَا هُوَ بِمَلْآنَ إِنَّهُ لَيَتَخَضْخَضُ فَاسْتَتَرْتُ بِالْبَعِيرِ فَأَمَرَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ رَجُلًا مِنْ الْقَوْمِ فَسَتَرَنِي فَاغْتَسَلْتُ ثُمَّ أَتَيْتُهُ فَقَالَ إِنَّ الصَّعِيدَ الطَّيِّبَ طَهُورٌ مَا لَمْ تَجِدْ الْمَاءَ وَلَوْ إِلَى عَشْرِ حِجَجٍ فَإِذَا وَجَدْتَ الْمَاءَ فَأَمِسَّ بَشَرَتَكَ.
English Translation
Isma'il narrated to us: Ayyub narrated to us, from Abu Qilabah, from a man of Banu Amir, who said: I was a disbeliever, and Allah guided me to Islam. I used to be far from water while my wife was with me, and ritual impurity would befall me, and this troubled me greatly. Abu Dharr had been described to me, so when I performed Hajj I entered the mosque of Mina and recognized him from the description: a well-known elderly man, brown-skinned, wearing a striped Qitri garment. I went and stood beside him while he was praying, and I greeted him with salam, but he did not return the greeting. Then he prayed a prayer, completing it beautifully and at length, and when he finished he returned my greeting. I said: "Are you Abu Dharr?" He said: "My family indeed claim that." He said: [I told him] I was a disbeliever, and Allah guided me to Islam, and my religion concerned me greatly; I used to be far from water while my wife was with me, and ritual impurity would befall me, and this troubled me. He said: "Do you know Abu Dharr?" I said: "Yes." He said: "I found Medina's climate unwholesome" -- Ayyub said, or words to that effect -- "so the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, ordered a small herd of camels and sheep for me, and I used to stay among them. I would be far from water while my wife was with me, and ritual impurity would befall me, and I thought I was doomed. So I mounted one of the camels and came to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, at midday while he was sitting in the shade of the mosque among a group of his Companions. I dismounted from the camel and said: 'O Messenger of Allah, I am doomed.' He said: 'What has doomed you?' So I told him, and he laughed, and called someone from his household. A black slave-girl came with a large bowl containing water, not full, sloshing about, so I hid myself behind the camel. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, ordered a man from the group to shield me, so I washed, then came to him. He said: 'Clean earth is a means of purification as long as you do not find water, even for ten years; but when you find water, then apply it to your skin.'"