Hadith #42

Arabic Text

English Translation

Sulaymān ibn Dāwūd al-Ṭayālisī narrated to us: Dāwūd ibn Ibrāhīm al-Wāsiṭī narrated to me: Ḥabīb ibn Sālim narrated to me, from al-Nuʿmān ibn Bashīr رضي الله عنه who said: We were sitting in the mosque with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and Bashīr was a man who would guard his speech. Abū Thaʿlabah al-Khushanī came and said: 'O Bashīr ibn Saʿd, do you remember the hadith of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about the rulers?' Ḥudhayfah said: 'I remember his sermon.' So Abū Thaʿlabah sat down. Ḥudhayfah said: the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: 'Prophethood will remain among you as long as Allah wills it to remain, then He will lift it when He wills to lift it. Then there will be a caliphate upon the way of prophethood, and it will remain as long as Allah wills it to remain, then He will lift it when He wills to lift it. Then there will be a biting kingship, and it will remain as long as Allah wills it to remain, then He will lift it when He wills to lift it. Then there will be a tyrannical kingship, and it will remain as long as Allah wills it to remain, then He will lift it when He wills to lift it. Then there will be a caliphate upon the way of prophethood.' Then he fell silent. Ḥabīb said: When ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz came to power, and Yazīd ibn al-Nuʿmān ibn Bashīr was among his companions, I wrote this hadith to him, reminding him of it, and I said to him: 'I hope that the Commander of the Faithful — meaning ʿUmar — is after the biting and tyrannical kingship.' My letter was brought to ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz, and he was pleased by it and delighted.