Early and classical Sunni sources preserve reports that al-Ala ibn al-Hadrami may Allah be pleased with him and his force reached a place where water was unavailable and the army suffered severe thirst. Al-Ala prayed two rak'ahs and asked Allah to provide water. One early route says the group soon found flowing rain-water, while an Abu Hurayra parallel says a cloud appeared and poured rain so the people and their mounts could drink. The reports also preserve that the water was later gone, but the two route variants should remain distinct because their wording and chain quality differ.
The report preserved by Ibn Abi al-Dunya says that al-Ala prayed two rak'ahs and then asked Allah to provide rain or water for the army. In the route through Sahm ibn Minjab, the group soon came upon flowing rain-water. They drank, performed ablution, and filled their containers. The narration then adds an extraordinary aftermath: one of the men later returned to the place and found it as though no water had ever been there.
A parallel report through Abu Hurayra gives a different description of the same basic relief. In that version, a cloud like a shield appeared and poured rain, allowing the people and their mounts to drink. Al-Tabarani and Abu Nu'aym preserve this cloud-and-rain wording. The two versions should not be merged into one artificial scene: one emphasizes flowing rain-water found by the group, while the other describes a cloud appearing and raining directly upon them.
The principal Ibn Abi al-Dunya route runs through al-Salt ibn Matar, the nephew of Sahm ibn Minjab, and Sahm ibn Minjab. Sahm himself is a recognized trustworthy transmitter who narrated from al-Ala. The upper part of the chain is less secure, however, because al-Salt ibn Matar and the nephew identified as Qudama or Abd al-Malik have thinner documentation. The Abu Hurayra parallel also carries caution: al-Haythami notes an unknown narrator in that route while judging the remaining men trustworthy.
Later authors including al-Dhahabi and Ibn Kathir preserve al-Ala's answered-prayer water reports in biographical and historical works. Taken together, the sources support a coherent classical account in which an army faced severe thirst, al-Ala prayed, and water was then provided in an extraordinary way. Because the route families contain material chain limitations and differ over whether the relief is described as flowing rain-water or a cloud pouring rain, the event is best presented with medium confidence and explicit source-level caution.
Conclusion
Classical Sunni sources preserve a report that al-Ala ibn al-Hadrami prayed when his force was in severe need of water and that water was then provided, with later disappearance also reported. Multiple classical routes support the core event, while chain limitations and differing water descriptions warrant medium-confidence inclusion with caution.