Hadith #355
Arabic Text
حَدَّثَنَا حَسَنُ بْنُ مُوسَى حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادُ بْنُ زَيْدٍ عَنِ الْمُجَالِدِ عَنِ الشَّعْبِيِّ عَنْ مَسْرُوقٍ قَالَ كُنَّا جُلُوسًا عِنْدَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ وَهُوَ يُقْرِئُنَا الْقُرْآنَ فَقَالَ لَهُ رَجُلٌ يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ هَلْ سَأَلْتُمْ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَمْ تَمْلِك
ُ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةُ مِنْ خَلِيفَةٍ فَقَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مَسْعُودٍ مَا سَأَلَنِي عَنْهَا أَحَدٌ مُنْذُ قَدِمْتُ الْعِرَاقَ قَبْلَكَ ثُمَّ قَالَ نَعَمْ وَلَقَدْ سَأَلْنَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ اثْنَا عَشَرَ كَعِدَّةِ نُقَبَاءِ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ
Isnad Chain
حسن بن موسى
حماد بن زيد
المجالد
الشعبي
مسروق
English Translation
It was narrated from 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (رضي الله عنه) — via Hasan ibn Musa, from Hammad ibn Zayd, from al-Mujalid, from al-Sha'bi, from Masruq — that he said: 'We were sitting with 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud as he was teaching us the Quran. A man said to him: O Abu 'Abd al-Rahman, did you ask the Messenger of Allah ﷺ how many caliphs this ummah would have? 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud said: No one has asked me this since I came to Iraq before you. Then he said: Yes — we did ask the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about it, and he said: Twelve, equal in number to the tribal leaders [nuqaba'] of Banu Isra'il.'
Quran References
Reference: Musnad Ahmad, Book 11, Hadith 355
Sunnah.com ref: Musnad Ahmad 3593
Islam.wiki ID: IWH-39983