80 Hadiths on the Prophet's ﷺ
Knowledge of the Unseen

[1]

Qadi Yusuf al-Nabahani said: First of all, you should know that knowledge of the unseen is the priviledge of Allah Most High, and that its appearance on the tongue of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and others comes from Allah (swt) either through revelation or through inspiration. The Prophet ﷺ said in the h.adith: "I swear it by Allah! Truly I know nothing except what my Lord taught me."1[] So everything that came to us from him ﷺ consisting in news of the unseen is nothing other than the Divine disclosure to him as a proof for the actuality of his Prophethood and its truth.

In other words, as expounded at length by Shaykh Ahmad Rida Khan, the Prophet's ﷺ ʿilm al-ghayb is partial (juz'i), non-exhaustive (ghayr ihati), bestowed (ʿata'i) and not independent (ghayr istiqlali) as established once and for all by the Qur'anic verse {the knower of the Unseen, and He reveals unto none His secret save unto every messenger whom He has chosen} (72:26-27).

Al-Nabahani said: The listing of the miracles in this chapter cannot be exhausted because of their large number and the fact that they took place at his hands ﷺ in most of his states, whether they asked him questions or not, whatever circumstances dictated. These are the most numerous of his stunning miracles ﷺ Al-Qad.i ʿIyad. said in al-Shifa': "His ﷺ knowledge of the unseen counts among those miracles of his that are known categorically and definitely, coming to us through mass transmissions with a vast number of narrators and congruent meanings."[2]

The Prophet's ﷺ familiarity with and knowledge of the unseen was a well-known and universally recognized fact among both the believers and the unbelievers to the point that one of them would say to the other, "Hush! By Allah, even if there is none among us to tell him, the very stones and pebbles would tell him."[3] Al-Bukhari narrated from Ibn ʿUmar (ra): "We kept away from conversation and leisurely talk to our women lest some revelation come down concerning us. After the Prophet ﷺ died we spoke more freely."[4] Al-Bayhaqi narrated from Sahl ibn Saʿd al-Saʿidi (ra): "I swear by Allah that some of us would refrain from doing something with his wife as he and she lay together under the same sheet for fear some Qur'anic revelation should come down concerning them."[5] ʿAbd Allah ibn Rawah.a said (ra):

Among us is the Messenger of Allah reciting His Book
As the radiant light cleaves the true dawn's sky.
He showed us guidance after blindness and our hearts
Now firmly know that all he says will take place.[6]

and H.assan ibn Thabit said (ra):

A Prophet who sees around him what others do not
And recites the Book of Allah in every assembly!
If he says something of a day which he has not yet seen
What he says is confirmed on the morrow or the next day.[7]

The above two quatrains put to rest the odd claim of the author of Taqwiyat al-Iman that the Prophet ﷺ did not know what would happen on the next day on the grounds that he ﷺ said, "Avoid saying this" to the slave-girl reciting poetry when she said, "Among us is a Prophet that knows what happens tomorrow."[8] The reason for this order is not because he did not know - since it is established that Allah (swt) is {the knower of the Unseen, and He reveals unto none His secret save unto every messenger whom He has chosen} (72:26-27) and that He revealed to the Prophet ﷺ knowledge of the future until the Day of Judgment and much of the Hereafter as well - but because knowledge of the unseen was attributed to him ﷺ in absolute terms when only Allah knows the unseen in absolute terms.[9] Coming from the mouth of a child not yet qualified to pray,[10] such an assertion was reminiscent of the popular belief unbecoming of a Prophet but typical of the false claims of seers, oracles, astrologers etc. that they could, of their own devices, know the future, to which Allah (swt) said (No soul knoweth what it will earn tomorrow) (31:34). Hence, the Prophet ﷺ, in one version, added by way of explanation, "Only Allah knows what happens tomorrow"[11] i.e. independently of anyone and with an absolute knowledge.

NOTES

1 When the camel of the Prophet ﷺ was lost during the Tabuk expedition he asked people for its whereabouts, whereupon one of the hypocrites [Zayd ibn al-Las.it al-Qaynuqaʿi] said, "Here is Muh.ammad to whom come news from the heaven and he knows not where his camel is." At this he praised Allah then said: "A certain man said such-and-such. Truly, I do not know anything except what my Lord taught me, and He has informed me that the camel is in such-and-such a vale with its reins entangled in a tree." The people ran and found it. Narrated from the Companions Mah.mud ibn Labid and ʿUmara ibn H.azim by Ibn Ish.aq in al-Maghazi as stated by Ibn Hisham in the Sira (5:203) and al-T.abari in his Tarikh (2:184); Ibn H.azm in al-Muh.alla (11:222) and Ibn H.ajar in Fath. al-Bari (1959 ed. 13:364) and al-Is.aba (2:619), while Ibn H.ibban cites it without chain in al-Thiqat (2:93). Also narrated by al-Taymi in Dala'il al-Nubuwwa (p. 137) citing Ibn Qutayba's report. The segment quoted by al-Nabahani is also narrated from ʿUqba ibn ʿAmir by Abu al-Shaykh in al-ʿAz.ama (4:1468-1469 #96714) as part of a longer narration that includes: "I shall inform you of what you came here to ask me about before you tell me and, if you wish, you can speak first then I will answer you... You came to ask me about Dhu al-Qarnayn...." The camel of the Prophet ﷺ was similarly lost and found in the expedition of H.udaybiyya.

2 ʿIyad., al-Shifa' (p. 413-414): "... and congruent meanings pointing to his familiarity with the unseen."

3 Spoken by Abu Sufyan ibn H.arb to ʿAttab ibn Usayd and al-H.arith ibn Hisham outside the Kaʿba on the conquest of Makka as the Prophet ﷺ was inside with Bilal. Cited by al-Kilaʿi in al-Iktifa' (2:230). Cf. al-Mawardi, Aʿlam al-Nubuwwa (p. 165).

4 Narrated from Ibn ʿUmar by al-Bukhari, Ibn Majah, and Ah.mad.

5 Narrated by al-T.abarani in al-Kabir (6:196 #5985) through Sah.ih. narrators per al-Haythami (10:284).

6 Narrated from Abu Hurayra by al-Bukhari in al-Tarikh al-S.aghir (1:23) and al-T.abarani in al-Ah.ad wa al-Mathani (4:38). Al-Qurt.ubi (14:100) and Ibn Kathir (3:460) cite it in their Tafsirs.

7 Narrated from Hisham ibn H.ubaysh by al-T.abarani in al-Kabir (4:48-50), al-H.akim (3:9-10) with a chain he declared sound, Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr in al-Istiʿab (4:1958-1962), al-Taymi in Dala'il al-Nubuwwa (p. 59-60), and al-Lalika'i in his Sharh. Us.ul Iʿtiqad Ahl al-Sunna (4:780). Cf. al-T.abari in his Tafsir (1:447-448) Ibn H.ibban in al-Thiqat (1:128) and al-Kilaʿi in al-Iktifa' (1:343). Also narrated from Abu Maʿbad al-Khuzaʿi by Ibn Saʿd (1:230-232) but this is mursal and Abu Maʿbad is a Tabiʿi as stated by Ibn H.ajar in al-Is.aba (#10545).

8 Narrated from al-Rubayyiʿ bint Muʿawwidh in al-Bukhari, the Sunan, and Ah.mad.

9 As stated by Ibn H.ajar in his commentary of this narration in Fath. al-Bari.

10 As stated by Ibn al-Qayyim in his marginalia on Abu Dawud' Sunan.

11 In Ibn Majah with a fair chain.

[2]

Imam Ahmad and al-Tabarani narrated from Abu Dharr radyAllahu ʿanh who said: "When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ left us there was not a bird that flies but he had informed us about it."[1]

Muslim narrated from ʿAmr ibn Akhtab [Abu Zayd] al-Ansari radyAllahu ʿanh who said: "The Prophet ﷺ prayed fajr with us then climbed the pulpit and addressed us until the time came for zuhr, then he descended and prayed. Then he climbed the pulpit and addressed us until the time came for ʿasr, whereupon he descended and prayed. Then he climbed the pulpit and addressed us until the sun set. He informed us about all that was to happen until the Day of Resurrection. The most knowledgeable of us is he who has memorized the most."[2]

Al-Bukhari and Muslim narrated from Hudhayfa radyAllahu ʿanh who said: "The Prophet ﷺ stood among us [speaking] for a long time and did not leave out one thing from that time until the rising of the Final Hour except he told us about it. Whoever remembers it remembers it and whoever forgot it forgot it. All those who are present know this. Some of it I might have forgotten, then I see it [happen] and remember it just as someone would remember a man who had been away and then appears before him and he instantly recognizes him."[3]

Muslim also narrated from Hudhayfa that he said: "The Prophet ﷺ informed me of all that would happen until the Day of Resurrection and there was nothing of it except I asked him about it, save that I did not ask him what would bring the people of Madina out of Madina."[4]

Abu Dawud also narrated from Hudhayfa that he said: "By Allah! I do not know whether my companions forgot or pretended to forget it,[5] but the Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not leave out a single instigator of sedition until the end of the world, each with a minimum of three hundred followers, except he mentioned each one of them for us by his own name, the name of his father, and the name of his tribe."[6]

Abu Yaʿla also narrated with a sound chain from Anas radyAllahu ʿanh who said: "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ came out angry and addressed the people, saying: 'Today you shall not ask me about anything except I shall tell you about it,' and we truly believed that Gibril was with him. Whereupon ʿUmar said: 'O Messenger of Allah, only recently were we in a time of ignorance. We beg you, do not expose our disgrace! Forgive us, and may Allah forgive you!'"[7]

Abu Yaʿla also narrated with a passable chain from Ibn ʿUmar radyAllahu ʿanhuma who said: "I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: 'This clan (hayy) of the Quraysh shall remain safe until they turn away from their Religion into apostates.' A man stood up saying: ʿMessenger of Allah! Will I be in Paradise or in Hellfire?' The Prophet ﷺ answered, 'In Paradise.' Another stood asking the same, whereupon the Prophet ﷺ answered, 'In Hellfire.' Then [he said], 'Say nothing to me as long as I say nothing to you. Were it not for fear that you would stop burying one another (lawla an la tadafanu) I should certainly tell you about a great number of those who will be in the Fire and you would know who they are. If I am ordered to do it I shall certainly do it!'"[8]

NOTES

1 Narrated by al-Tabarani in al-Kabir (2:155 #1647) with trustworthy narrators per al-Haythami (8:263-264), Ahmad, Abu Dawud al-Tayalisi, Ibn Saʿd in his Tabaqat (2:354), al-Bazzar in his Musnad (9:341 #3897), al-Tabari in his Tafsir (7:189) Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr in al-Istiʿab (4:1655), Ibn Hibban (1:267 #65 isnad sahih), and al-Daraqutni in his 'Ilal (6:290 #1148). Cf. al-Haythami, Mawarid al-Zam'an (p. 47). Also narrated from Abu al-Darda' by Abu Yaʿla in his Musnad (9:46 #5109 isnad sahih).

2 Thus narrated by Muslim and Ahmad.

3 Narrated from Hudhayfa by al-Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, and Ahmad; and from Abu Saʿid al-Khudri by al-Tirmidhi (hasan sahih) and Ahmad. Al-Bukhari narrated something similar from ʿUmar.

4 Narrated from Hudhayfa by Muslim and Ahmad with the wording: "until the rising of the Hour."

5 To prevent fitna. Al-Qari said in his commentary of al-Shifa': "to turn to what is more important."

6 Narrated from Hudhayfa by Abu Dawud.

7 Narrated from Anas by Abu Yaʿla in his Musnad (6:360 #3689) and its narrators are those of al-Bukhari and Muslim according to al-Haythami (7:188). A longer version is narrated in the Sahihayn. The phrase "And may Allah forgive you" expresses thanks and good wishes.

8 Narrated from Ibn ʿUmar by Abu Yaʿla in his Musnad (10:66 #5702) and, as part of a longer narration, by Ibn Abu Hatim in his ʿIlal (2:256 #2262).

[3]

ABU BAKR RADYALLAHU ʿANH

The Two Masters [al-Bukhari and Muslim] narrated from ʿA'isha radyAllahu ʿanha that the Prophet ﷺ said to her: "Call your father and brother [ʿAbd al-Rahman] here so I will put something down in writing, for truly I fear lest someone forward a claim or form some ambition, and Allah and the believers refuse anyone other than Abu Bakr."[1]

Al-Hakim narrated - declaring it sahih - from Ibn Masʿud radyAllahu ʿanh who said the Prophet ﷺ said: "A man from the dwellers of Paradise is about to come into your sight." Whereupon Abu Bakr came and sat among them.[2] The Prophet ﷺ had already given him the glad tidings of Paradise before that occasion. Meaning: When he ﷺ said: "Abu Bakr is in Janna, ʿUmar is in Janna, ʿUthman is in Janna, ʿAli is in Janna, Talha is in Janna, al-Zubayr [ibn al-ʿAwwam] is in Janna, ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn ʿAwf is in Janna, Saʿd [ibn Abi Waqqas], Saʿid [ibn Zayd ibn ʿAmr] is in Janna, and Abu ʿUbayda ibn al-Jarrah is in Janna."[3]

ABU BAKR AND ʿUMAR RADYALLAHU ʿANHUMA

Ibn Majah and al-Hakim narrated from Hudhayfa radyAllahu ʿanh that the Prophet ﷺ said, "Take for your leaders the two who come after me: Abu Bakr and ʿUmar."[4]

ABU BAKR, ʿUMAR, AND ʿUTHMAN RADYALLAHU ʿANHUM

Abu Nuʿaym, al-Bazzar, Abu Yaʿla, and Ibn Abi Khaythama narrated from Anas radyAllahu ʿanh who said: "I was with the Prophet ﷺ inside an enclosed garden when someone came and knocked on the gate. He said, 'Anas, let him in, give him the glad tidings of Paradise, and tell him he shall be my successor.' Lo and behold! It was Abu Bakr. Then another man came and knocked on the gate whereupon the Prophet ﷺ said, 'Let him in, give him the glad tidings of Paradise, and tell him he shall be my successor after Abu Bakr.' Lo and behold! It was ʿUmar. Then another man came and knocked on the gate whereupon the Prophet ﷺ said, 'Let him in, give him the glad tidings of Paradise, and tell him he shall be my successor after ʿUmar - and that he shall be killed.' Lo and behold! It was ʿUthman."[5]

Al-Hakim narrated - declaring it sound - and also al-Bayhaqi, from Safina radyAllahu ʿanh who said: "When the Prophet ﷺ built the Mosque Abu Bakr brought a stone and put it down; then ʿUmar brought a stone and put it down; then ʿUthman brought a stone and put it down. Whereupon the Prophet ﷺ said, 'These are the ones that shall govern after me.'"[6] There is in this narration an allusion to their order of succession - Allah be well-pleased with them! Indeed, it was mentioned explicitly in some narrations that he ﷺ was asked about it and replied, "These are the successors after me" while another narration has, "These are the ones who shall govern after me." Imam Abu Zurʿa [al-ʿIraqi] said, "Its chain is free of harm, and al-Hakim narrated it in the Mustadrak and declared it sound.[7]

Al-Bayhaqi and Abu Nuʿaym narrated from ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿAmr ibn al-ʿAs radyAllahu ʿanhuma who said: "I heard the Prophet ﷺ say: 'There shall be among you twelve caliphs. Abu Bakr al-Siddiq shall not tarry but little after me, while the Master of the Arabs shall live a blameless life and die a martyr.' Someone asked, 'Who is he, O Messenger of Allah?' He replied, 'ʿUmar ibn al-Khattab!' Then he turned to ʿUthman and said, 'As for you, they shall ask you to cast off a shirt that Allah vested you with. By the One Who sent me with the truth! Truly, if you cast it off, you shall not enter Paradise until the camel passes through the eye of the needle.'"[8]

Ibn ʿAsakir narrated from Anas radyAllahu ʿanh who said: "The delegation of Banu al-Mustalaq instructed me to ask the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, 'If we come next year and not find you, to whom should we remit our [obligatory] sadaqat?' I conveyed him the question and he replied, 'Remit them to Abu Bakr.' I told them his answer but they said, 'What if we do not find Abu Bakr?' I conveyed him the question and he replied, ʿRemit them to ʿUmar.' They asked again, 'What if we do not find ʿUmar?' He said, 'Remit them to ʿUthman, and may they perish the day they kill ʿUthman!'"[9]

Abu Yaʿla narrated with a sound chain from Sahl radyAllahu ʿanh that [Mount] Uhud trembled while the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, Abu Bakr, ʿUmar, and ʿUthman were on it, whereupon the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Be firm, Uhud! There is none on you but a Prophet, a Siddiq, and two martyrs!" After that, ʿUmar and ʿUthman were killed as martyrs and Abu Bakr died radyAllahu ʿanh.[10]

Al-Tabarani narrated from Ibn ʿUmar radyAllahu ʿanha that the Prophet ﷺ was inside an enclosed garden when Abu Bakr sought permission to enter. He said, "Give him permission and give him the glad tidings of Paradise." Then ʿUmar sought permission and he said, "Give him permission and give him the glad tidings of Paradise and martyrdom." Then ʿUthman sought permission and he said, "Give him permission and give him the glad tidings of Paradise and martyrdom."[11]

The Two Masters narrated from Abu Musa al-Ashʿari radyAllahu ʿanh that the Prophet ﷺ was inside [the garden of] the well of Aris one day and sat on the stone promontory of the well, in the middle, baring his shanks. "I [Abu Musa] said to myself: ʿSurely, today I shall be the Prophet's doorkeeper.' Then Abu Bakr came so I told him, ʿWait,' and went to tell the Prophet ﷺ, ʿThis is Abu Bakr asking permission to enter.' He replied, 'Give him permission and give him the glad tidings of Paradise.' Whereupon he entered and sat next to the Prophet ﷺ on the edge, dangling his legs. Then ʿUmar came and I said, 'This is ʿUmar asking permission to enter.' He replied, 'Give him permission and give him the glad tidings of Paradise.' Whereupon he entered and sat next to the Prophet ﷺ on his left, dangling his legs. Then ʿUthman came and I said, this is 'Uthman asking permission to enter.' He replied, 'Give him permission and give him the glad tidings of Paradise after a trial that shall befall him.' He entered but found no room to sit on the edge of the well, so he sat opposite them on the other side of the well and dangled his legs." Saʿid ibn al-Musayyib said: "I saw in this an allusion to their graves."[12]

Al-Tabarani and al-Bayhaqi narrated from Zayd ibn Arqam radyAllahu ʿanh who said: "The Prophet ﷺ sent me out, saying, 'Go and see Abu Bakr. You will find him sitting inside his house wrapped up in his cloth with his legs drawn up (muhtabyan). Give him the glad tidings of Paradise. Then go to the mountain until you find ʿUmar riding a donkey and his tall frame looming in the distance. Give him the glad tidings of Paradise. Then go to ʿUthman, whom you will find in the market selling and buying, and give him the glad tidings of Paradise after a harrowing ordeal.' I went and found them as the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had said, and I told them."[13]

ABU BAKR, ʿUMAR, AND ʿALI RADYALLAHU ʿANHUM

Al-Hakim narrated - declaring it sound - from Jabir radyAllahu ʿanh who said: "I walked with the Prophet ﷺ to [the house of] a woman who slaughtered a sheep for us. At that time he ﷺ said: 'Behold! A man from the people of Paradise is about to enter.' Whereupon Abu Bakr came in. Then he said: ʿBehold! A man from the people of Paradise is about to enter.' Whereupon ʿUmar came in. Then he said: 'Behold! A man from the people of Paradise is about to enter. O Allah, if You wish, let it be ʿAli.' Whereupon ʿAli entered."(14:) 2[14]

ABU BAKR, ʿUMAR, ʿUTHMAN, AND ʿALI RADYALLAHU ʿANHUM

Ahmad, al-Bazzar, and al-Tabarani in al-Awsat narrated from Jabir ibn ʿAbd Allah radyAllahu ʿanhuma who said: "The Prophet ﷺ went out to visit Saʿd ibn al-Rabiʿ. [There,] he sat down and we sat down with him. Then he said, 'A man from the dwellers of Paradise is about to come into your sight.' Whereupon Abu Bakr came. Then he said, 'A man from the dwellers of Paradise is about to come into your sight.' Whereupon ʿUmar came. Then he said, 'A man from the dwellers of Paradise is about to come into your sight.' Whereupon ʿUthman came. Then he said, 'A man from the dwellers of Paradise is about to come into your sight. O Allah, if You wish, let it be ʿAli.' Whereupon ʿAli came."[15]

ABU BAKR, ʿUMAR, ʿUTHMAN, ʿALI, TALHA, AND AL-ZUBAYR RADYALLAHU ʿANHUM

Muslim narrated from Abu Hurayra radyAllahu ʿanh that the Messenger of Allah was on Mount Hira' together with Abu Bakr, ʿUmar, ʿUthman, ʿAli, Talha, and al-Zubayr when the rock moved, whereupon the Prophet ﷺ said: "Be still! There is none on top of you but a Prophet, a Siddiq, or a martyr."[16]

Indeed, they all were killed as martyrs except Abu Bakr al-Siddiq - Allah be well-pleased with all of them! The trembling of the mountain repeated itself when he ﷺ was on top of it with some of his other Companions.

NOTES

1 Spoken in the last days of the Prophet ﷺ . Narrated from ʿA'isha by Muslim, Abu Dawud, and Ahmad.

2 Narrated from Ibn Masʿud by al-Tirmidhi (gharib) and al-Hakim (3:136=1990 ed. 3:146) who declared its chain sound. It is confirmed as authentic by identical narrations from (1) Jabir by Ahmad with four good chains, al-Tabarani - cf. al-Haythami (9:57-58; 9:116-117) - with several chains in al-Awsat (7:110 #7002; 8:41 #7897), Musnad al-Shamiyyin (1:375 #651), al-Muʿjam al-Kabir (10:167 #10343), al-Harith in his Musnad (2:889 #961), al-Tayalisi in his Musnad (p. 234 #1674), Ibn Abi ʿAsim in al-Sunna (2:624 #1453), Ahmad in Fada'il al-Sahaba (1:209 #233; 2:577 #977), and al-Muhibb al-Tabari in al-Riyad al-Nadira (1:301 #146); (2) Abu Masʿud by al-Tabarani in al-Muʿjam al-Kabir (17:250 #695); and (3) Ibn Masʿud by Ahmad in Fada'il al-Sahaba (1:104 #76). Its continuation in the latter and al-Tirmidhi states, "Then the Prophet ﷺ said the same thing and ʿUmar came" while all the others add ʿAli third, and al-Tabarani - in one narration - ʿUthman instead. Other versions by al-Tabarani mention ʿAli alone, cf. from Ibn Masʿud in al-Muʿjam al-Kabir (10:166-167 #10342, #10344), from Umm Marthad in al-Ahad wa al-Mathani (6:234 #3467) and al-Kabir (24:301 #764) cf. Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr, al-Istiʿab (4:1957 #4209), and from Jabir in Ahmad's Fada'il al-Sahaba (2:608 #1038) while one version from Ibn ʿAbbas in the latter (1:454 #732) mentions ʿUthman alone, cf. Kanz al-ʿUmmal (#36211). The Prophet ﷺ also said the same of the rest of the Ten Promised Paradise; ʿAbd Allah ibn Salam; the Muslim combatants of Badr, some specifically such as ʿAmmar ibn Yasir; the Pledgers of Hudaybiyya; Jaʿfar al-Tayyar; Bilal ibn Abi Rabah; the Bedouin who swore never to add to nor subtract anything from the Five Pillars; the Ansari exempt of envy; al-Husayn ibn ʿAli and his brother al-Hasan; Thabit ibn Qays; Malik, Abu Saʿid al-Khudri's father; Muʿawiya (in al-Firdaws 5:482 #8830 and Mizan al-Iʿtidal 2:243, 4:359); Hilal al-Habashi (Mawla al-Mughira ibn Shuʿba in al-Isaba 6:550 #8996 cf. Nawadir al-Usul #123 and Hilyat al-Awliya' 1985 ed. 2:81, the latter also mentioning Uways al-Qarani), Jarir (Nawadir #128), Sharik ibn Khubasha al-Numayri (Isaba 3:384 #3987), and al-Dahhak ibn Khalifa al-Ansari (ibid. 3:475 #4166).

3 Narrated from ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn ʿAwf and Saʿid ibn Zayd in the Sunan and Ahmad.

4 Part of a longer hadith narrated from Hudhayfa by al-Tirmidhi (hasan gharib), Ahmad in the Musnad with a sound chain according to al-Zayn (16:611 #23279) and in Fada'il al-Sahaba (1:187), al-Tahawi with several sound and fair chains according to al-Arna'ut in Sharh Mushkil al-Athar (3:256-257 #1224-1226, 3:259 #1233), Ibn Abi Shayba (12:11), al-Hakim (3:75-76=1990 ed. 3:79-80) with three sound chains as stated by him and al-Dhahabi, al-Bayhaqi in al-Sunan al-Kubra (8:153 #16352), al-Madkhal (p. 122), and al-Iʿtiqad (p. 340-341). Ibn Hajar in Talkhis al-Habir (4:190) declared that the chains of the hadith are good and firmly established as authentic.

5 Narrated from Anas by Abu Yaʿla in his Muʿjam (1:178), Ibn Abi ʿAsim in al-Sunna (2:557), Ibn ʿAdi in al-Kamil (4:91), and al-Khatib in Tarikh Baghdad (9:339), al-Bazzar, and Ibn ʿAsakir, all of them with a very weak chain because of Saqr ibn ʿAbd al-Rahman who al-Haythami (5:175) said "is a liar." The report is confirmed independently.

6 Narrated from Safina by al-Hakim (3:13=1990 ed. 3:14), Nuʿaym ibn Hammad in the Fitan, al-Bayhaqi in the Dala'il as well as Ibn ʿAsakir, and from ʿA'isha by al-Hakim (3:96-97=1990 ed. 3:103).

7 But al-Bukhari declares this narration "condemned" (munkar) cf. Ibn ʿAdi in al-Kamil (2:440) while al-Dhahabi in his marginalia on the Mustadrak (3:97) considers it forged and Ibn Kathir terms it "gravely anomalous" (gharib jiddan) in al-Bidaya. Ahl al-Sunna hold that the Prophet ﷺ did not appoint Abu Bakr as his successor but concur that he alluded to it by ordering him to lead the prayer.

8 Narrated from ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿAmr ibn al-ʿAs by al-Bayhaqi and al-Tabarani in al-Awsat (8:319 #8749) and al-Kabir (1:54 #12, 1:90 #142) - cf. al-Haythami (5:178) - and with a different chain in al-Ahad wa al-Mathani (1:96 #67) without the mention of ʿUthman, as does Ibn Abi ʿAsim in al-Sunna (2:558); as well as the segment "Abu Bakr al-Siddiq shall not tarry but little after me" in al-Ahad wa al-Mathani (1:73-74 #13), cf. Ibn Abi ʿAsim (2:548), Ibn al-Jawzi in Sifat al-Safwa (1:235-236) and - from him - al-Muhibb al-Tabari mursal from al-Zuhri in al-Riyad al-Nadira (1:408 #329). Al-Dhahabi declared it "completely defective" (wahin) in the Siyar (9:133=al-Arna'ut ed. 10:411) and "null and void" (batil) in his Mizan (4:443), cf. Ibn ʿAdi's Kamil (4:207), Ibn Hibban's al-Majruhin (2:42), and Ibn al-Qaysarani's Tadhkirat al-Mawduʿat (#1032). The narration is sound only in the wording: "O ʿUthman! It may be that Allah shall vest you with a shirt. If the hypocrites demand that you remove it, do not remove it." He repeated it thrice. Narrated from ʿA'isha with sound chains by al-Tirmidhi (hasan gharib), Ibn Hibban, Ahmad, Ibn Majah, and al-Hakim.

9 Narrated from Anas by Abu Nuʿaym in Hilyat al-Awliya' (1985 ed. 8:358) and Ibn ʿAsakir in Tarikh Dimashq (39:177). Cf. Kanz al-ʿUmmal (#36333).

10 Narrated from Anas by al-Bukhari, al-Tirmidhi (hasan sahih), Abu Dawud, al-Nasa'i, and Ahmad.

11 Narrated from Ibn ʿUmar by al-Tabarani in al-Kabir (12:327) with a weak chain: al-Haythami (9:73).

12 Narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim as well as (without Ibn al-Musayyib's comment) al-Tirmidhi and Ahmad. In one of Ahmad's versions ʿUthman walks to his seat saying, all the while, Allahumma sabran.

13 Part of a longer hadith narrated from Zayd ibn Arqam by al-Tabarani in al-Awsat (1:266-267 #868), al-Bayhaqi in the Dala'il, and al-Dhahabi in the Siyar, both indicating its weakness. If true, the events possibly preceded those of the narration of Abu Musa at Aris. Cf. al-Haythami (9:55-56) and Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya, section on Dala'il al-Nubuwwa, chapter on "His ( telling of unseen future matters."

14 See n. 2.

15 Narrated from Jabir by al-Tabarani without mention of ʿAli in al-Awsat (7:110 #7002, al-Haythami 9:57) and without mention of ʿUthman in Musnad al-Shamiyyin (1:375 #651). Cf. n. 2.

16 Narrated from Abu Hurayra by Muslim, al-Tirmidhi (sahih), and Ahmad.

[4]

ʿUMAR - ALLAH BE WELL-PLEASED WITH HIM

Ibn Saʿd and Ibn Abī Shayba narrated from Abū al-Ashhab, from a man from Muzayna [near Madīna], that the Prophet ﷺ saw ʿUmar wearing a certain shirt whereupon he asked him, "Is it new or has it been washed already?" 'Umar replied, "It has been washed already." The Prophet ﷺ said, "ʿUmar! wear new clothes, live a blameless life, and die a martyr!" This is a mursal report:[1]

The Two Masters narrated that ʿUmar ibn al-Khattāb asked one day: "Which of you remembers what the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said concerning the dissension that shall surge like the waves of the sea?" Hudhayfa said: "You need not worry about it, Commander of the Believers! For between you and it there is a gate closed shut" ʿUmar said: "Will the gate be opened or broken?" Hudhayfa said: "Broken." ʿUmar replied: "That is more appropriate than that it be let open." Later, Hudhayfa was asked who that gate was and he said: "That gate was ʿUmar." They asked him, "Did ʿUmar know that?" He replied, "Yes, as surely as night precedes day, and I was speaking to him unambiguously."[2]

Al-Bazzār, al-Tabarānī and Abū Nuʿaym narrated from ʿUthmān ibn Mazʿūn - Allāh be well-pleased with him - who said: "I heard the Messenger of Allāh say of ʿUmar: 'This is the bolt of dissension (ghalqu al-fitna). There shall not cease to stand between you and dissension a strongly shut gate as long as this man lives among you.'"[3]

Al-Tabarānī also narrated from Abū Dharr that the Prophet ﷺ said: "No dissension can reach as long as this man is among you," meaning ʿUmar.[4]

Khālid ibn al-Walīd addressed the people in al-Shām one day and a man said to him: "The dissensions have appeared!" Khālid replied: "As long as Ibn al-Khattāb is alive then no! That shall only happen after his time."[5] Khālid would not say such a thing of his own opinion, so it appears he heard it from the Prophet ﷺ or from whoever heard it from him.

ʿUTHMAN - ALLAH BE WELL-PLEASED WITH HIM

Al-Tabarānī narrated from Zayd ibn Thābit who said that he heard the Prophet ﷺ say: "ʿUthmān passed by me while one of the angels was with me and the latter said, 'This is a martyr, his people will kill him. Truly he puts us to shame.'"[6]

Al-Hākim - declaring it sound - and al-Bayhaqī narrated from Abū Hurayra that he said at the time ʿUthmān was besieged: "I heard the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ say: 'There shall be a dissension and strife.' We said, 'O Messenger of Allāh! What do you order us to do then?' He replied, 'Stay with the leader and his friends,' pointing to ʿUthmān."[7]

Ibn Mājah, al- Hākim - declaring it sound-, al-Bayhaqī, and Abū Nuʿaym narrated from ʿA'isha - Allāh be well-pleased with her: "The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ summoned ʿUthmān and then spoke to him confidentially, whereupon the face of the latter changed. The Day of the House [= when he was besieged] we told him, ʿWill you not put up a fight?' He said, ʿNo! The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ took a covenant from me [not to fight at the time of my martyrdom] and I shall fulfill it"[8]

Ibn ʿAdī and Ibn ʿAsākir narrated from Anas who said: "The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said: 'O ʿUthmān! You shall be given the caliphate after me but the hypocrites will want you to renounce it Do not renounce it but fast on that day so that you will break your fast with me.'"[9]

Al-Hākim - declaring it sound - and Ibn Mājah narrated from Murra ibn Kaʿb who said: "I heard the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ mention a trial, at which time a man cloaked in his garment passed by. He said: 'This man, at that time, shall follow right guidance.' I went to see him and it was ʿUthmān."[10]

Al-Hākim narrated from Ibn ʿAbbās - Allāh be well-pleased with both of them - who said that the Prophet ﷺ told them that drops from the blood of ʿUthmān shall fall on the verse (and Allah will suffice thee (for defense) against them( (2:137); and this is what took place.[11]

The hadīth Master al-Silafī narrated from Hudhayfa who said: "The beginning of dissensions is the murder of ʿUthmān and the last of them is the coming out of the Anti-Christ:[12] By the One in Whose Hand is my soul! None shall die with a mustard seed's worth of love for the killers of ʿUthmān except he shall follow the Anti-Christ if the latter comes in his lifetime and, if not, he shall believe in him in his grave." It is evident that Hudhayfa heard this from the Prophet ﷺ for it is not something that can be said on the basis of opinion.

Al-Tabarānī narrated with a sound chain from [Abū] Masʿūd who said: "We were with the Prophet ﷺ in some campaign at which time distress befell the people. I saw in their faces the signs of dejection while I saw happiness in those of the hypocrites. Seeing this, the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said: 'I swear by Allāh that the sun shall not set before Allāh first brings you some sustenance.' ʿUthmān understood that Allāh and His Prophet ﷺ would most certainly be confirmed, so he bought fourteen mounts loaded with food and conveyed nine of them to the Prophet ﷺ. The signs of joy could be seen on the faces of the Muslims and those of sadness on the faces of the hypocrites. I saw the Prophet ﷺ raising his hands until one could see the whiteness of his arm-pits, supplicating on behalf of ʿUthmān with a supplication I never heard him say for anyone before him."[13]

Al-Bayhaqī narrated from ʿUrwa that when the Prophet ﷺ alighted at Hudaybiyya he sent ʿUthmān to the Quraysh saying, "Tell them that we have not come to fight but only for the Minor Pilgrimage and invite them to Islām." He also ordered him to visit all the male and female believers of Makka and give them the glad tidings of impending victory and to tell them of the near appearance of his Religion in Makka, if Allāh wills so that the faith should no longer be derided there. He went to see the Quraysh and told them this but they refused and declared that they would fight. Then the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ summoned people to pledge their loyalty, whereupon someone called out: "Lo! Truly the Holy Spirit has descended upon the Messenger of Allāh" Then the Muslims pledged to him that they would never desert him. Allāh frightened the idolaters with this event so they released all the Muslims they had previously held and asked for a truce and treaty. The Muslims said, while at Hudaybiyya and before ʿUthmān got back, that the latter had reached the Kaʿba and circumambulated it The Prophet ﷺ said: "I do not think that he circumambulated it while we are under siege." When ʿUthmān returned they told him, "You circumambulated the House." He replied, "Perish your thought! By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, even if I had taken up residence there for one year with the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ at Hudaybiyya, I would not have circumambulated it until the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ did. The Quraysh invited me to circumambulate it but I refused." The Muslims said, "The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ is truly the most knowing of Allāh among us and the one with the best opinion."[14]

ʿALI - ALLAH BE WELL-PLEASED WITH HIM

Al-Tabarānī narrated from Salmā the wife of Abū Rāfiʿ - Allāh be well-pleased with both of them - who said: "I can see myself with the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ when he said: 'A man from Paradise is about to come into your presence.' Lo and behold! I heard the sound of footsteps and there was ʿAlī ibn Abī Tālib (kw)."[15]

Al-Hākim and al-Bayhaqī narrated from Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī who said: "We were with the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ one time when his sandal-strings broke, so ʿAlī stayed behind, mending them, after which the Prophet ﷺ walked a little and said: 'In truth there shall be, among you, one who shall fight over the interpretation of the Qur'ān just as I fought over its revelation.' Abū Bakr asked, ʿAm I he?' The Prophet ﷺ said no. ʿUmar asked: ʿAm I he?' The Prophet ﷺ said: 'No, but the sandal repairman (khāsif al-naʿl).'"[16]

Abū Yaʿlā and al-Hākim - who graded it a sound report - narrated from Ibn ʿAbbās - Allah be well-pleased with both of them - that the Prophet ﷺ said to ʿAlī: "In truth, you shall certainly experience great hardship after me." He asked: "With my Religion safe?" The Prophet ﷺ said yes.[17]

Al-Tabarānī narrated from ʿAlī who said: "The Prophet ﷺ took my pledge that I must fight traitors, deceivers, and renegades (al-nākithīn wal-qāsitīn wal-māriqīn)."[18]

Al-Humaydī, al-Hākim, and others narrated from Abū al-Aswad [al-Du'alī] who said: "ʿAbd Allāh ibn Salām came and said to ʿAlī as the latter had his foot in the stirrups: 'Do not go to the people of Iraq! If you do, the sword-blades shall fall on you there.' ʿAlī replied: ʿI swear it by Allāh: the Messenger of Allāh told me the same before you did.'"[19]

Abū Nuʿaym narrated from ʿAlī who said: "The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ told me: 'There shall be dissensions and your people shall argue with you.' I said, 'What do you order me to do?' He replied: 'Rule by the Book.'"[20] Al-Bayhaqī narrated from ʿAlī who said: "Fātima's hand was asked in marriage from the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ [but he refused], so a freedwoman that belonged to me at the time said to me: 'Did you hear that Fātima's hand was asked in marriage? Then what prevents you from going to see the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ about it?' So I went to see him, and the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ possessed great majesty and presence, so when I stood before him I froze. By Allāh! I could not say a word. The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said: 'What brings you?' I stayed silent He said: 'Perhaps you came to ask Fātima's hand?' I said yes."[21]

Al-Hākim - he declared it sound - and Abū Nuʿaym narrated from ʿAmmār ibn Yāsir - Allah be well-pleased with both of them - that the Prophet ﷺ said to ʿAlī: "The most criminal of all people is he that shall strike you here" - indicating his temple - "until blood soaks this" - indicating his beard.[22]

Abū Nuʿaym narrated something like it from Jābir ibn Samura and Suhayb. Al-Hākim narrated from Anas who said: "I went in with the Prophet ﷺ to see ʿAlī who lay sick while Abū Bakr and ʿUmar were visiting him. One of them said to the other, 'I do not think that he will survive,' whereupon the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said: 'In truth, he shall not die other than murdered and he shall not die until he is filled with bitterness.'"[23]

Al-Hākim narrated from Thawr ibn Mijzā'a who said: "I passed by Talha on the Day of the Camel as he was [lying on the ground and] about to expire. He said to me: 'What side are you on?' I replied, 'With the friends of the Commander of the Believers.' He said, 'Stretch out your hand so that I may pledge my loyalty to you.' I stretched my hand and he pledged his loyalty to me. Then his spirit came out I went back to ʿAlī and told him. He said, 'Allāh is greatest! The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said the truth: Allāh would not have Talha enter Paradise except firmly bound by his pledge of loyalty to me.'"[24]

Al-Bayhaqī narrated through Ibn Ishāq who said: "Yazīd ibn Sufyān narrated to me from Muhammad ibn Kaʿb that the scribe of the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ at that truce - meaning the truce of al-Hudaybiyya - was ʿAlī ibn Abī Tālib, at which time the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ told him: 'Write: These are the terms of the truce between Muhammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh and Suhayl ibn ʿUmar.' ʿAlī stalled and would not write anything less than 'Muhammad the Messenger of Allāh' Whereupon the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said: 'Write it, for truly you shall suffer something similar, and be treated unjustly.'"[25] This is what took place after the battle of Siffīn when the pact of arbitration was drawn between him and Muʿāwiya - Allāh be well-pleased with both of them and with the rest of the Companions of the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ. ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ahmad narrated in the appendices to the Musnad as well as al-Bazzār, Abū Yaʿlā, and al-Hākim from ʿAlī who said: "The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said to me: 'There is in you is a similarity to ʿIsā - upon him peace: the Jews hated him to the point that they calumniated his mother, and the Christians loved him to the point that they gave him the rank which is not his.'"[26] ʿAlī said: "Two types of people shall perish concerning me: a hater who forges lies about me, and a lover who over-praises me."[27]

Al-Tabarānī and Abū Nuʿaym narrated from Jābir ibn Samura who said, "The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said to ʿAlī: 'You shall be given leadership and caliphate; and truly, this shall be dyed red with this,' meaning his beard with [the blood from] his head."[28]

The Two Masters narrated from Salama [ibn ʿAmr] ibn al-Akwaʿ who said: "ʿAlī stayed behind due to ophtalmia when the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ was in Khaybar. He said: 'How can I stay behind and not go with the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ?' So he went out and caught up with him. The eve of the victory granted by Allāh the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said: 'I swear that, tomorrow, I shall give the standard to a man whom Allāh loves and also His Messenger, by means of whom Allāh shall grant victory.' Then, lo and behold! There was ʿAlī among us unexpectedly. They said, 'Here is ʿAlī!' so he gave him the standard and Allāh granted victory through him."[29]

[Al-Bukhārī and] Muslim also narrated it with a different wording from Salama ibn al-Akwaʿ[30] adding to the above: "Then he spat into his eyes and he was cured." Al-Hārith and Abū Nuʿaym narrated it with yet another wording from Salama adding: "Then ʿAlī took it [the flag] and planted it right under their fort, whereupon one of the Jews looked down at him from the top of the fort and said: 'Who are you?' He replied: ʿʿAlī' The Jew said: 'You will overcome (ʿulūtum), by the [Book] revealed to Mūsā!' ʿAlī did not return until Allāh granted victory at his hands."[31] Abū Nuʿaym said: "There is in it a sign of the advanced knowledge of the Jews, thanks to their books, as to who is sent to fight against them and shall be granted victory." The account was also narrated from Ibn ʿUmar, Ibn ʿAbbās, Saʿd ibn Abī Waqqās, Abū Hurayra, Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī, ʿImrān ibn Husayn, Jābir, and Abū Laylā al-Ansārī. Abū Nuʿaym narrated all of them, and they all contain the account of the spitting into the eyes and their healing.[32]

Al-Bayhaqī and Abū Nuʿaym narrated from Burayda that the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said: "I swear that, tomorrow, I shall give the standard to a man who loves Allāh and His Messenger, and who shall take it by force" at a time ʿAlī was not there yet. The Quraysh competed for it then ʿAlī arrived on his camel, eyes inflamed with ophtalmia. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Come near" then spat into his eyes - they were never sore again until he died - and gave him the flag.[33]

Ahmad, Abū Yaʿlā, al-Bayhaqī, and Abū Nuʿaym narrated from ʿAlī who said: "My eyes were never sore nor inflamed ever again after the Messenger of Allāh spat into my eyes the day of Khaybar."[34]

Ibn Ishāq narrated from ʿAmmār ibn Yāsir - Allāh be well-pleased with him - who said: "I and ʿAlī ibn Abī Tālib were teaming up in the expedition of al-ʿUshayra. When the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ alighted there we saw people from the Banū Midlaj working near one of theirs springs and in a date orchard. ʿAlī ibn Abī Tālib said, ʿAbū al-Yaqzān, what if we went to see those people and look at them working?' I said, 'If you like.' So we went to them and looked at them work for a while. Then we became sleepy so I and ʿAli went away until we found a low-lying sand-dune where we lied down. There, we slept By Allāh! Nothing woke us except the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ himself, moving us with his foot, and we were all covered in sand from the spot where we had slept That day, the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said to ʿAlī ibn Abī Tālib: ʿAbū Turāb! (Sand-Man)' - for he saw him covered in sand - then he said: 'Shall I not tell you of the two wickedest people ever?' We said, 'Do, O Messenger of Allāh!' He replied: 'The whitish man of Thamūd who hamstrung the she-camel, and the man who shall strike you on this, O ʿAlī' - he placed his hand on ʿAlī's temple - ʿuntil this gets soaked from it' - he touched ʿAlī's beard."[35] Later, what the Prophet ﷺ had said took place and Allāh Most High ordained the killing of ʿAlī in the exact way mentioned by the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ at the hand of the most wretched of latter-day men, ʿAbd al-Rahmān ibn Muljam al-Murādī. Al-Bayhaqī narrated from ʿAlī who said: "The Prophet ﷺ said: 'A boy shall be born to you after me whom I am giving my name and cognomen (kunya)'" - meaning Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyya.[36]

FATIMA - ALLAH BE WELL-PLEASED WITH HER

It was mentioned in the Sīra, as narrated from Ibn ʿAbbās - Allāh be well-pleased with both of them - who said: "When the Sūra (When comes the Help of Allah, and Victory( (110) was revealed, the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ summoned Fātima and said, 'My funeral was just announced,' whereupon she wept. Then he said to her, 'Do not weep, for you shall be the first to follow me,' whereupon she laughed. Some of the wives of the Prophet ﷺ saw her and asked her, 'O Fātima, we saugh you cry then laugh?' She replied, 'He told me that his funeral had just been announced, so I cried. Then he said to me, Do not cry, for you shall be the first to follow me, so I laughed.'"[37] Fātima - Allāh be well-pleased with her - lived on for six months after the Prophet ﷺ according to the most authentic reports.

AL-HASAN IBN ʿALI - ALLAH BE WELL-PLEASED WITH HIM

Al-Bukhārī narrated from Abū Bakrah who said: "The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said of al-Hasan: 'This son of mine is a leader of men (sayyid) and Allāh may use him to reconcile two great factions of the Muslims.'"[38] This took place exactly as foretold. When ʿAlī was killed, people pledged their loyalty to al-Hasan to the death. Their number was more than forty thousand and they were more obedient to him than they had been to his father - Allāh be well-pleased with both of them. He remained caliph for about seven months in Iraq, Khurasān, and Transoxiana, after which Muʿāwiya marched against him. When the two armies met near al-Anbār, al-Hasan realized that eventual fighting would wipe out a great number of the Muslims and so did Muʿāwiya. A group of people sued for peace among the two and they reached an agreement. Thus did Allāh stem the blood of the Muslims and thus did Allāh bring to pass the saying of His Prophet ﷺ : "This son of mine is a leader of men and Allāh shall use him to reconcile etc."[39] while another wording states [as above]: "and Allāh may use him to reconcile two great factions of the Muslims."40[]

AL-HUSAYN IBN ʿALI - ALLAH BE WELL-PLEASED WITH HIM

Al-Hākim and al-Bayhaqī narrated from Umm al-Fad.l bint al-Hārith (? who said: "I went in to see the Prophet ﷺ one day, carrying al-Husayn, whom I placed in his lap. Then when I turned to look at him again, lo! I saw the eyes of the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ brimming with tears. He said: 'Gibrīl just came and told me that my Community would kill this son of mine, and he brought me a handful of his resting-ground - red earth.'"[41]

Ibn Rāhūyah, al-Bayhaqī, and Abū Nuʿaym narrated from Umm Salama - Allāh be well-pleased with her that the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ lay down one day and woke up sluggish, holding a handful of read earth in his hand and turning it this way and that I said: "What is this earth, O Messenger of Allāh?" He replied: "Gibrīl informed me that this one - meaning al-Husayn - would be killed in the land of Iraq, and this is his resting-ground."[42]

Abū Nuʿaym narrated from Umm Salama (ra) who said: "Al-Hasan and al-Husayn were playing in my house when Gibrīl descended and said, 'O Muhammad, verily your Community shall kill this son of yours,' signaling to al-Husayn and bringing him [some of] his resting-ground; he smelled it and said, 'It smells of hardship (karb) and affliction (balā').' Then he said, 'If this soil turns to blood, know that my son has been killed.' So I kept it in a jar."[43]

Ibn ʿAsākir narrated from Muhammad ibn ʿAmr[44] ibn Hasan who said: "We were with al-Husayn at the river of Karbalā'[45] when he looked at Shimr ibn Dhī al-Jawshan and said, 'Allāh and His Messenger were right! The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said: "I can see a spotted dog drooling over the blood of the people of my House."' Shimr was a leper."[46]

Ibn al-Sakan, al-Baghawī, and Abū Nuʿaym narrated from Anas ibn al-Hārith who said, "I heard the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ say: 'Truly this son of mine' - meaning al-Husayn - shall be killed in a land called Karbalā'. Whoever among you is present then, help him!' Hence, Anas ibn al-Hārith went to Karbalā' and was killed there with al-Husayn."[47]

Al-Tabarānī narrated from ʿA'isha - Allāh be well-pleased with her that the Prophet ﷺ said: "Gibrīl told me that my son, al-Husayn, would be killed after me in the land of al-Taff [between Syria and Iraq], and he brought me this earth and told me that in it would be his resting-place."[48] Ahmad and Ibn Saʿd narrated it from ʿAlī in the wording: "We feel he shall be killed on the shore of the Euphrates."[49]

Al-Baghawī narrated in his Muʿjam as reported from Anas ibn Mālik who said: "The Angel of rain asked permission of his Lord to visit the Prophet ﷺ and he obtained it. He came to visit him during the day he usually spent with Umm Salama. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Umm Salama, keep the door closed and let no-one disturb us." As she reached the door, al-Husayn darted in and ran to the Prophet ﷺ who began to hugh him and kiss him. The angel said to him, "Do you love him?" He said yes. The angel continued: "Truly, your Community shall kill him and, if you wish, I shall show you the place where he shall be killed." He showed it to him and brought him some reddish earth [from it], which Umm Salama took and put in her robe. Thābit al-Bunānī - its narrator from Anas - said: "We considered that it was Karbalā'."[50]

In the narration of Mullā al-Mawsilī Umm Salama says, "The Prophet ﷺ handed me a handful of red earth, saying: 'This is from the ground on which he [al-Husayn] shall be killed. When it turns to blood, know that he has been killed.'" Umm Salama said that she placed it "in a jar that I had, and I used to apprehend the terrible day when it would turn to blood."[51] Al-Husayn was martyred as he ﷺ had said, in Karbalā', in Iraq, near al-Kūfa, in a place also known as al-Taff. This hadīth contains another stunning miracle of his ﷺ , namely, the disclosure that Umm Salama would live beyond the time when al-Husayn would be killed, as took place.

Wa Sallallahu ʿala Sayyidina Muhammadin wa Alihi wa Sallama Taslima.

[5]

A boy shall be born to you after me
A man from Paradise is about to come
A man from the dwellers of Paradise is about to come
A man from the people of Paradise is about to enter
A Prophet who sees around him what others do not (H.assān)
Abū Bakr al-S.iddīq shall not tarry but little after me
Abū Bakr is in Janna, ʿUmar is in Janna...
Abū Turāb! Shall I not tell you of the two wickedest people
Allāh has brought up the whole world before my eyes
Allāh would not have T.alh.a enter Paradise except firmly
Among us is the Messenger of Allāh reciting His Book (Ibn Rawāh.a)
Anas, let him in, give him the glad tidings of Paradise
Avoid saying this
Be firm, Uh.ud!
Be still [H.irā']! There is none on top of you but...
Call your father and brother so I will put something in writing
Come near - then he spat into his eyes
Dissension shall surge like the waves of the sea
Do not go to the people of Iraq
Do not weep for you shall be the first to follow me
Drops from the blood of ʿUthmān shall fall
Forgive us and may Allāh forgive you (ʿUmar)
Gibrīl informed me that al-H.usayn would be killed
Gibrīl just came and told me my Community would kill this son of mine
Gibrīl told me that my son, al-H.usayn, would be killed
Give him permission and give him the glad tidings
Go and see Abū Bakr. You will find him sitting inside his house
He (ʿAlī) shall not die other than murdered
He ﷺ blew on my eyes (ʿAlī)
He spat into his eyes and he was cured
He told us about all that would take place
from that very moment until the Rising
Hush! By Allāh, even if there is none among us to tell him
I can see a spotted dog drooling over the blood of the people of my House
I could certainly tell you about a great number of those who will be in the Fire
I do not know whether my companions forgot or pretended to
I do not think he circumambulated it while we are under siege
I know nothing except what my Lord taught me
I saw the Prophet ﷺ raising his hands supplicating
If this soil turns to blood, know that my son has been killed
Is it new or has it been washed already?
It smells of hardship and affliction
May they perish the day they kill ʿUthmān
(The) Messenger of Allāh ﷺ did not omit a single instigator
of sedition until the end of the world
(The) Messenger of Allāh ﷺ took a covenant from me
Messenger of Allāh, only recently were we in a time of ignorance (ʿUmar)
Most criminal of all people is he that shall strike you here
My eyes were never sore nor inflamed again (ʿAlī)
My funeral has just been announced
No [fitna] as long as Ibn al-Khat.t.āb is alive (Khālid)
No dissension can reach as long as this man is among you
No, it is the sandal repairman
None shall die with a mustard seed's worth of love (H.udhayfa)
O Allāh! If You wish, let it be ʿAlī
O Allāh! remove from him hot and cold
Perhaps you came to ask Fāt.ima's hand?
The Prophet ﷺ handed me a handful of red earth
The Prophet ﷺ informed me of all that would happen
until the Day of Resurrection
The Prophet ﷺ prayed fajr with us then climbed the pulpit
The Prophet ﷺ stood among us [speaking] for a long time
The Prophet ﷺ took my pledge that I must fight traitors
Remit them to Abū Bakr
Say nothing to me as long as I say nothing to you
Some of us would refrain from approaching his wife
Take for your leaders the two that come after me
Tell him he shall be my successor after ʿUmar
Tell him he shall be my successor after Abū Bakr
Tell them we have not come to fight but only for the Minor Pilgrimage
The Angel of rain asked permission to visit the Prophet ﷺ
The beginning of dissensions is the murder of ʿUthmān (H.udhayfa)
The sun shall not set before Allāh first brings you some sustenance
There is in you (ʿAlī) a similarity to ʿīsā (ʿaleihi salām)
There is no leader of one hundred or more except
The Prophet ﷺ named him for us
There shall be a dissension and strife
There shall be among you twelve caliphs
There shall be dissensions and your people shall argue with you
There shall be, among you, one who shall fight over
the interpretation of the Qur'ān
These are the ones that shall govern after me
This (ʿUmar) is the bolt of dissension
This clan of the Quraysh shall remain safe until
This man (ʿUthmān), at that time [fitna], shall follow right guidance
This son of mine is a leader of men
This son of mine (al-H.usayn)
Today you will ask me about nothing except I shall tell you about it
Tomorrow I shall give the flag to a man who loves Allāh and His Messenger
Tomorrow I shall give the flag to a man whom both
Allāh and His Messenger love
Two types of people shall perish concerning me (ʿAlī)
Umm Salama, keep the door closed
ʿUthmān! Allāh may vest you with a shirt
ʿUthmān passed by me while one of the angels was with me
ʿUthmān! You will be given the caliphate after me but the hypocrites
We feel he (al-H.usayn) shall be killed on the shore of the Euphrates
We held the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ in great awe and reverence
We kept away from conversation with our women
Were it not for fear that you would stop burying one another
What brings you?
When the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ left us there was not a bird
Write it, for truly you shall suffer something similar
You (ʿAlī) shall be given leadership and caliphate
You (ʿAlī) shall certainly experience great hardship after me

2023-04-05 vs.2.7 from 2002-01-17
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