Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa from Fatima bint al Mundhir that Asma bint Abi Bakr as-Siddiq said, "I went to A'isha, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, during an eclipse of the sun, and everybody was standing in prayer, and she too was standing praying. I said, 'What is everybody doing?' She pointed towards the sky with her hand and said, 'Glory be to Allah.' I said, 'A sign?' She nodded 'Yes' with her head."

She continued, "I stood until I had almost fainted, and I began to pour water over my head. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, praised Allah and spoke well of Him, and then said, 'There is nothing which I had previously not seen beforehand that I have not now seen while standing - even the Garden and the Fire. It has been revealed to me that you will be tried in your graves with a trial, like, or near to, the trial of the Dajjal (I do not know which one Asma said). Every one of you will have someone who comes to him and asks him, 'What do you know about this man?' A mumin, or one who has certainty (muqin) (I do not know which one Asma said), will say, 'He is Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, who came to us with clear proofs and guidance, and we answered and believed and followed.' He will then be told, 'Sleep in a good state. We know now that you were a mumin.' A hypocrite, however, or one who has doubts (l do not know which one Asma said), will say, 'I do not know, I heard everybody saying something and I said it.' "

Hudhaifa told that he asked God's messenger whether there would be evil after this good just as there was evil before it, and when he was told that there would he asked wherein protection lay and was told that it lay in the sword. He asked if any would be spared after the use of the sword and he replied, "Yes, there will be an amirate with specks in its eye and an illusory truce¹." He asked what would come next and he replied, "Then people who summon men to error will arise; and if God has in the earth a Caliph who flays your back and takes your property, obey him; otherwise die holding on to the stump of a tree." He asked what would come next and he replied, "Then the dajjal will come forth accompanied by a river and a fire. He who falls into his fire will certainly get his reward and have his load taken off him, but he who falls into his river will have his load retained and his reward taken off him." He asked what would come next and he replied, "Then a foal will be born but not ridden before the last hour comes." In a version he said, "An illusory truce and a community with specks in its eye." He asked God's messenger what the illusory truce meant and he replied, "The hearts of people will not return to their former condition." He asked whether there would be evil after that good and he replied, "There will be wrong belief which will blind and deafen men to the truth² in which there will be summoners at the gates of hell. If you, Hudhaifa, die adhering to a stump, it will be better for you than following any of them." Abu Dawud transmitted it. [1] This is a free translation of the words hudna 'ala dakhan which mean literally "a trace upon malice (or, evil disposition)," indicating a trace which is liable to ho broken at any time. [2] Literally, 'blind and deaf, wrong belief.

Qatada quoted the authority of Anas b. Malik who quoted the authority of Malik b. Sa'sa'a to the effect that God's prophet told them about the night when he was taken up to heaven, saying, "While I was lying down at al-Hatim[2] (but perhaps he said al-Hijr), someone came to me and made a split from here to here (meaning from the pit of his chest to the hair below his navel), then took out my heart. I was next brought a gold dish full of faith, and my heart was washed, then filled up and put back. (A version says the inside was washed with Zamzam water, after which it was filled with faith and wisdom.) I was then brought a beast smaller than a mule and larger than a donkey, which was white, was called al-Buraq, and stepped a distance equal to the range of its vision. I was mounted on it, and Gabriel went with me till he came to the lowest heaven. He asked that the gate be opened, and when he was asked who he was he replied that he was Gabriel. He was asked who was with him and replied that it was Muhammad. He was asked whether he had been sent for, and when he replied that that was so, the words were uttered, `Welcome; his coming is good,' and the gate was opened. When I entered Adam was there, and Gabriel said, `This is your father Adam, so give him a salutation. I did so, and when he had returned my salutation he said, `Welcome to the good son and the good prophet.' Gabriel then took me up till he came to the second heaven. He asked that the gate be opened, and when he was asked who he was he replied that he was Gabriel. He was asked who was with him and replied that it was Muhammad. He was asked whether he had been sent for, and when he replied that that was so, the words were uttered, `Welcome; his coming is good' and the gate was opened. When I entered John[3] and Jesus, who were cousins on the mother's side, were there, and Gabriel said, `These are John and Jesus, so give them a salutation I did so, and when they had returned my salutation they said, `Welcome to the good brother and the good prophet.' Gabriel then took me up to the third heaven. He asked that the gate be opened, and when he was asked who he was he replied that he was Gabriel. He was asked who was with him, and replied that it was Muhammad. He was asked whether he had been sent for, and when he replied that that was so, the words were uttered, `Welcome, his coming is good and the gate was opened. When I entered Joseph was there, and. Gabriel said, this is Joseph, so give him a salutation.' I did so, and when he had returned my salutation he said, `Welcome to the good brother and the good prophet.' Gabriel then took me up till he came to the fourth heaven. He asked that the gate be opened, and when he was asked who he was he replied that he was Gabriel. He was asked who was with him and replied that it was Muhammad. He was asked whether he had been sent for, and when he replied th at th at was so, the words were uttered, `Welcome; his coming is good,' and the gate was opened. When I entered Idris was there, and Gabriel said, `This is Idris, so give him a salutation.' I did so, and when he had returned my salutation he said, `Welcome to the good brother and the good prophet.' Gabriel then took me up till he came to the fifth heaven. He asked that the gate be opened, and when he was asked who he was he replied that he was Gabriel. He was asked who was with him and replied that it was Muhammad. He was asked whether he had been sent for, and when he replied that that was so, the words were uttered, `Welcome; his coming is good,' and the gate was opened. When I entered Aaron was there, and Gabriel said, `This is Aaron, so give him a salutation' I did so, and when he had returned my salutation he said, `Welcome to the good brother and the good prophet.' Gabriel then took me up till he came to the sixth heaven. He asked that the gate be opened, and when he was asked who he was he replied that he was Gabriel. He was asked who was with him and replied that it was Muhammad. He was asked whether he had been sent for, and when he replied that that was so, the words were uttered, `Welcome; his coming is good,' and the gate was opened. When I entered Moses was there, and Gabriel said, `This is Moses, so give him a salutation.' I did so, and when he had returned my salutation he said, `Welcome to the good brother and the good prophet.' Then when I passed on he wept, and when he was asked what was making him weep he replied, `I am weeping because more followers of a young man who was commissioned after my time will enter paradise than of mine.' Gabriel then took me up to the seventh heaven. He asked that the gate be opened, and when he was asked who he was he replied that he was Gabriel. He was asked who was with him and replied that it was Muhammad. He was asked whether he had been sent for and when he replied that that was so, the words were uttered, `Welcome; his coming is good.' When I entered Abraham was there, and Gabriel said, `This is your father Abraham, so give him a salutation.' I did so, and when he had returned my salutation he said, `Welcome to the good son and the good prophet.' I was then taken up to the lote tree of the boundary[4] and saw that its fruits were like the earthenware vessels of Hajar and its leaves like elephants' ears. He told me that this was the lote-tree of the boundary. I saw four rivers, two concealed and two apparent, and. when I asked Gabriel what these two pairs were, he replied, `The two concealed ones are rivers in paradise, and the two apparent ones are the Nile and the Euphrates.' After that I was shown the frequented house.[5] I was then brought a vessel of wine, a vessel of milk, and a vessel of honey, and when I took the milk he said, `It is the true religion[6] which you and your people follow.' Then fifty daily prayers were prescribed for me, but when I returned and passed Moses and on being asked by him what worship I had been commanded replied that I had been commanded to observe fifty daily prayers, he said, `Your people are not capable of observing fifty daily prayers. I swear by God that I have tested men before your time and have laboured most earnestly to prevail over the B. Isra'il, so go back to your Lord and ask Him to make things lighter for your people.' I did so, and when He had reduced them by ten, I returned to Moses. He said the same as before, so I went back, and when He had reduced them by ten, I returned to Moses. He said the same as before, so I went back, and when He had reduced them by ten, I returned to Moses. He said the same as before, so I went back, and when He had reduced them by ten and I had been ordered to observe ten daily prayers I returned to Moses. He said the same as before, so I went back, and when I had been ordered to observe five daily prayers I returned to Moses. He asked what I had been ordered, and when I replied that I had been ordered to observe 'five daily prayers he said, `Your people are not capable of observing five daily prayers. I have tested men before your time and have laboured most earnestly to prevail over the B. Isra'il, so go back to your Lord and ask Him to make things lighter for your people.' I replied, `I have asked my Lord till I am ashamed, but now I am satisfied and I submit.' Then when I passed on a crier called, `I have executed what I have made obligatory and have made things light for my servants'." 1. Literally 'the ascent'. The Prophet's night journey to heaven. 2. A semi-circular wall on the north-west side of the Ka'ba, the area between it and the Ka'ba being al-Hijr. 3. i.e., John the Baptist. 4. Cf. Quran; 53:14. 5. Cf. p. 929, n. 1. 6. Cf. Quran; 52:4. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

“The believers will be gathered on the Day of Resurrection, inspired or worried.” – Sa’eed was not sure – “And they will say: ‘If we seek someone to intercede for us with our Lord, we may find relief from our situation.’ So they will go to Adam and will say: ‘You are Adam, the father of mankind. Allah created you with His Hand and His angels prostrated to you. Intercede for us with your Lord, that He might grant us relief from our situation.’ He will say: ‘I am not the one,’ and he will mention to them and complain of the sin that he committed. He will feel too shy to do that (and will say): ‘Rather go to Nuh, for he is the first Messenger whom Allah sent to the people of earth.’ So they will go to him, but he will say: ‘I am not the one,’ and he will mention of how he asked of Allah that of which he had no knowledge.* He will feel too shy to do that (and will say): ‘Rather go to the Close Friend of the Most Merciful, Ibrahim.’ So they will go to him and he will say: ‘I am not the one. Rather go to Musa, a slave to whom Allah spoke and to whom He gave the Torah.’ So they will go to him and he will say: ‘I am not the one,’ and he will mention how he killed a soul, not in retaliation for murder (and will say): ‘Rather go to ‘Isa, the slave of Allah and His Messenger, the Word of Allah and a spirit created by Him.’ So they will go to him, but he will say: ‘I am not the one. Rather go to Muhammad, a slave whose past and future sins Allah forgave.’ So they will come to me and I will go with them.” – There was a similar report from Hasan who added (the Prophet (saw) said:) And I will walk between two rows of the believers.” Then he went back to the Hadith of Anas. – And he said: “And I will ask my Lord for permission and permission will be given to me. When I see Him I will fall down prostrating, and I will be left as long as Allah wills to leave me. Then it will be said: ‘Get up, O Muhammad. Speak, you will be heard; ask, you will be given; intercede, your intercession will be accepted.’ I will praise Him with praise that He will teach me, then I will intercede, and a limit will be set. Then they will be admitted to Paradise, and I will come back a second time. When I see Him I will fall down prostrating, and I will be left as long as Allah wills to leave me. Then it will be said: ‘Get up, O Muhammad. Speak, you will be heard; ask, you will be given; intercede, your intercession will be accepted.’ I will praise Him with praise that He will teach me, then I will intercede, and a limit will be set. Then they will be admitted to Paradise, and I will come back a third time. When I see Him I will fall down prostrating, and I will be left as long as Allah wills to leave me. Then it will be said: ‘Get up, O Muhammad. Speak, you will be heard; ask, you will be given; intercede, your intercession will be accepted.’ I will praise Him with praise that He will teach me, then I will intercede, and a limit will be set. Then they will be admitted to Paradise, and I will come back a fourth time and will say: ‘O Lord, there is no one left except those who are detained by the Qur’an.’” **

Qatadah (the Tabi'ee in the chain) would narrate after this hadith that Anas (ra) said "Those who said 'La illaha illa Allah' (there is no god except Allah) and had the weight of a grain of barley in good in his heart will come out of the Fire, and those who said 'La illaha illa Allah' and had a weight of a grain of wheat in good in his heart will come out of the Fire, and those who said 'La illaha illa Allah' and had a weight of a grain of dust in good in his heart will come out of the Fire."

Raja' said. "One day Mihjan and I went to the mosque of the people of Basra. Burayda al-Aslami was sitting there by one of the mosque doors. Inside the mosque there was a man called Sabka who used to make the prayers long. We came to the mosque door which had a fringed woollen cloth over it. Now Burayda was someone who made jokes. He said, 'Mihjan, don't you pray as Sabka prays?' Mihjan did not answer and went back. Mihjan said, 'The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, once took me by the hand and we went together to the top of Uhud. He looked down on Madina and said, "Woe to a town whose people will abandon it when it becomes very prosperous. Then the Dajjal will come to it and find two angels at each of its gates, so he will not enter it." Then he went down until we reached the mosque and the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, saw a man praying, prostrating and bowing. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, asked me, "Who is this?" and I began to praise him, saying, "Messenger of Allah, this is so-and-so and so-and-so." "Stop!" he said, "Do not let him hear or you will destroy him."'"

It is related that 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar reported that 'Umar went with the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, with a group to visit Ibn Sayyad. They found him playing with some children in the hills of Banu Maghala. Ibn Sayyad, who was approaching puberty, did not notice them until the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, patted him with his hand and then said to him, 'Do you testify that I am the Messenger of Allah?' Ibn Sayyad looked at him and said, 'I testify that you are the Messenger of the unlettered.' Ibn Sayyad said to the Prophet, 'Do you testify that I am the Messenger of Allah?' He refuted it and said, 'I have believed in Allah and His Messengers.' Then he said to him, 'What dreams do you have?' Ibn Sayyad replied, 'Both truthful people and liars come to me.' The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'You are in a state of confusion.' Then the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to him, 'I am concealing something from you.' Ibn Sayyad said, 'It is just smoke.' He said, 'Shame on you! You will not go too far.' 'Umar said, 'Messenger of Allah, let me cut his head off?' The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'If it is him (i.e. the Dajjal), you will not be able to get the better of him. If it is not him, there is no point in killing him.'"

The believers will gather together on the Day of Resurrection and will say: Should we not ask [someone] to intercede for us with our Lord? So they will come to Adam and will say: You are the Father of mankind; Allah created you with His hand, He made His angels bow down to you and He taught you the names of everything, so intercede for us with your Lord so that He may give us relief form this place where we are. And he will say: I am not in a position [to do that] - and he will mention his wrongdoing and will feel ashamed and will say: Go to Noah, for he is the first messenger that Allah sent to the inhabitants of the earth. So they will come to him and he will say: I am not in a position [to do that] - and he will mention his having requested something of his Lord about which he had no [proper] knowledge (Quran Chapter 11 Verses 45-46), and he will feel ashamed and will say: Go to the Friend of the Merciful (Abraham). So they will come to him and he will say: I am not in a position [to do that]. Go to Moses, a servant to whom Allah talked and to whom He gave the Torah. So they will come to him and he will say: I am not in a position [to do that] - and he will mention the taking of a life other that for a life (Quran Chapter 28 Verses 15-16), and he will feel ashamed in the sight of his Lord and will say: Go to Jesus, Allah's servant and messenger, Allah's word and spirit. So they will come to him and he will say: I am not in a position [to do that]. Go to Muhammad (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), a servant to whom Allah has forgiven all his wrongdoing, past and future. So they will come to me and I shall set forth to ask permission to come to my Lord, and permission will be given, and when I shall see my Lord I shall prostrate myself. He will leave me thus for such time as it pleases Him, and then it will be said [to me]: Raise your head. Ask and it will be granted. Speak and it will be heard. Intercede and your intercession will be accepted. So I shall raise my head and praise Him with a form of praise that He will teach me. Then I shall intercede and He will set me a limit [as to the number of people], so I shall admit them into Paradise. Then I shall return to Him, and when I shall see my Lord [I shall bow down] as before. Then I shall intercede and He will set me a limit [as to the number of people]. So I shall admit them into Paradise. Then I shall return for a third time, then a fourth, and I shall say: There remains in Hell-fire only those whom the Qur'an has confined and who must be there for eternity. There shall come out of Hell-fire he who has said: There is no god but Allah and who has in his heart goodness weighing a barley-corn; then there shall come out of Hell-fire he who has said: There is no god but Allah and who has in his heart goodness weighing a grain of wheat; then there shall come out of Hell-fire he who has said: There is no god but Allah and who has in his heart goodness weighing an atom. It was related by al-Bukhari (also by Muslim, at-Tirmidhi, and Ibn Majah).

Fatima, daughter of Qais told that she had heard God's messenger's crier calling to congregational prayer, so she went out to the mosque and prayed along with God's messenger. When he had finished his prayer, he sat on the pulpit laughing and told everyone to remain where he had said the prayer. He then asked them if they knew why he had assembled them, and when they replied that God and His messenger knew best, he said, "I swear by God that I have not assembled you for some pleasant purpose or because of fear, but I have assembled you because Tamim ad-Dari, a Christian who came and accepted Islam, told me something which agrees with what I was telling you about the antichrist. He told me that he had sailed in a ship along with thirty men of Lakhm and Judham and that they were storm-tossed for a month. They drew near to an island when the sun was setting and going into the ship's small boats they went ashore where they were met by a very hairy beast whose hair was so abundant that because of it they could not tell its front from its back. They said, `Woe to you! What can you be?' and it replied, `I am the Jassasa.1 Go to this man in the monastery, for he is anxious to get news of you.' He said that when it named a man to them, they were afraid of it lest it should be a she-devil so they went off quickly and entered the monastery where they found a man with the hugest and strongest frame they had ever seen with his hand joined to his neck and in irons from the knees to the ankles. They said, `Woe to you! Who are you?' and he replied that they had had the opportunity of knowing about him, so they must tell him who they were. They said they were Arabs who had sailed in a ship and after having been storm-tossed for a month had landed on the island where they were met by a very hairy beast which informed them that it was the jassasa and told them to go to this man in the monastery, so they had come to him quickly. He asked them to tell him about the palm trees of Baisan whether they were producing fruit, and when they told him that they were, he said they would soon cease to bear fruit. He asked them to tell him about the lake of Tiberias whether there was water in it, and when they replied that it contained a great quantity of water he said that its water, would soon disappear. He asked them to tell him about the spring of Zughar[2] whether there was any water in the spring and whether the people carried on agriculture with the spring water, to which they replied that it had a great quantity of water and that its people carried on agriculture with its water. He asked them to tell him what had happened to the prophet of the Gentiles and they told him he had left Mecca and settled in Yathrib. He asked whether the Arabs had fought with him and when they replied that they had, he asked how he had dealt with them and they replied that he had overcome those in his neighbourhood and they had obeyed him. Saying it would be best for them to obey him, he told them that he would now inform them about himself. He Poundaid he was the antichrist and would soon be permitted to come forth. He would then come forth and travel in the earth for forty nights, not leaving a town unvisited except Mecca and Taiba[3] both of which are forbidden to him, for as often as he wanted to enter one of them he would be faced by an angel with a drawn sword in his hand who would turn him away from it, and on every one of its mountain paths there would be angels guarding it." Then striking the pulpit with the end of his staff, God's messenger said, "This is Taiba, this is Taiba, this is Taiba (meaning Medina). Have J told you [a story like this]?" On their replying that he had, he said, "I assure you that he is in the Syrian sea or the Yemen Sea; no, on the contrary, it is towards the East that he is and he pointed his hand to the East. 1. The name of a beast which is to seek for news to take to the dajjal. 2. Different explanations are given of this name. It is said to have been a spring in the Balqa in Syria and to have been connected with a daughter of Lot. 3. A name for Medina. Muslim transmitted it.

I used to recite to ‘AbdurRahman bin ‘Awf, and he found me waiting for him. That was in Mina during the last Hajj performed by `Umar bin al-Khattab (رضي الله عنه) Abdur-Rahman bin `Awf said: A man came to `Umar bin al-Khattab and said: So and so is saying: If `Umar (رضي الله عنه) dies, I will swear allegiance to So and so. ʼUmar (رضي الله عنه) said: I will stand before the people today and warn them against these people who want to deprive them of their rights, `Abdur-Rahman said: I said: O Ameer al-Mu`mineen, do not do that, for the Hajj season brings together the riffraff and rabble among the people, and most of the people who gather around and listen to you will be of that type. Is you stand before the people, I am afraid that you will say something that they will spread and not understand it properly or interpret it properly. Rather wait until you come to Madinah, for it is the land of Hijrah and the Sunnah, and you will meet the most knowledgeable and noble people there, and you can say what you want to say with confidence; they wilt understand what you say and will interpret it correctly, `Umar (رضي الله عنه) said: If I reach Madinah safe and sound, I shall certainly talk to the people there in the first speech I deliver. When we came to Madinah at the end of Dhul-I-Iijah, it was a Friday. I set out early, ‘Umar did not care at what time he went out, because he did not pay attention to heat and cold and so on. I found Sa`eed bin Zaid at the right-hand corner of the minbar, he had got there before me. I sat down next to him, with my knee touching his knee, and it was not long before `Umar (رضي الله عنه)came. When I saw him, I said: He will certainly speak today on this minbar and say something that no one ever heard before. Sa`eed bin Zaid objected to that and said: What do you think he will say that no one said before? `Umar (رضي الله عنه)sat on the minbar, and when the mu`dhdhin fell silent, he stood up and praised and glorified Allah as He deserves, then he said: To proceed o people, I am going to tell you something that it has been decreed I should say. I do not know, perhaps it may signal my death. So whoever understands it and remembers it, let him narrate it to others wherever his mount takes him; whoever does not understand il, it is not permissible for him to tell lies about me. Allah, may He be blessed and exalted, sent Muhammad (ﷺ) with the truth and revealed the Book to him; among the things that were revealed to him was the verse of stoning [adulterers). We read it and understood it; the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stoned [adulterers] and we stoned adulterers] after him. But I fear that with the passage of time, some people will say: We do not find the verse of stoning in the Book of Allah, thus they will go astray by forsaking an obligation that Allah revealed. Stoning is the due punishment in the Book of Allah for those who commit zina, both men and women, if they have been married and if proof is established, or there is a pregnancy or a confession, And we used to recite: Do not claim to be the offspring of anyone other than your fathers, as it is disbelief (or ingratitude) on your part to claim to be the offspring of anyone other than your fathers, Verily the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: `Do not praise me excessively as `Eesa, the son of Maryam, was praised; rather I am the slave of Allah, so say, the slave of Allah and His Messenger.` I have heard that some among you are saying. If `Umar (رضي الله عنه) dies, I shall swear allegiance to So and so. No man should deceive himself by saying that the oath of allegiance to Abu Bakr was given suddenly and it was is successful. There is no doubt that this is the case, but Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, saved the to 2 people from its bad consequences and there is no one among you today who has the qualities of Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) What happened to us when the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) died was that ‘Ali, az-Zubair and those who were with them stayed behind in the house of Fatimah, the daughter of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and all the Ansar stayed behind and gathered in Saqeefat Banu Sa`idah, whilst the Muhajireen gathered around Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) I said to him; O Abu Bakr, let us go to our brothers, the Ansar. So we set out, looking for them, then we were met by two righteous men who told us what the people had done, and said: where are you going, O Muhajireen? I said: We are looking for these brothers of ours, the Ansar, They said. You should not go near them; do whatever you have already decided, O Muhajireen. I said: By Allah, we will go to them. So we carried on until we came to them in Saqeefat Banu Sa`idah, where we found them gathered and among them was a man wrapped up [in a garment. I said: Who is this? They said: Sa`d bin `Ubadah. ! said: What is the matter with him? They said: He is sick. After we sat down, their spokesman stood up and praised and glorified Allah, may He glorified and exalted, as He deserves, then he said: To proceed. We are the supporters (Ansar) of Allah and the majority of the Muslim army. You, O Muhajireen, are a small group among us. Some of you came to us, wanting to deny who we are and prevent us from attaining a position of authority. When he fell silent, I wanted to present a speech that I had prepared and that I liked in front of Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) I used to avoid provoking him and he was more forbearing and more dignified than me. But Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) said: Wait a while. I did not like to make him angry, and he was more knowledgeable and more dignified than me. By Allah, he did not omit any word that I liked in the speech I had prepared but he said something like it or better, speaking spontaneously, until he finished speaking. Then he said: To proceed. Whatever you have mentioned about your achievements and virtues, is correct. The Arabs would not acknowledge the leadership of anyone except someone from this tribe of Quraish, for they are the best of the Arabs in lineage and location. I am pleased to suggest to you one of these two men, whichever of them you want. Then he took hold of my hand and the hand of Abu `Ubaidah bin al-Jarrah, and I disliked nothing of what he had said apart from this, for by Allah, I would rather have my neck struck for no sin on my part than to become the leader of people among whom was Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) unless my own self suggested something at the time of death. One of the Ansar said: I am the post on which the camel with a skin disease scratches itself and I am like a high class palm tree [i.e., a noble]. [I suggest] a ruler from among us and a ruler from among you, O Quraish. - I the narrator said to Malik; What does ‘I am the post on which the cainc! with a skin disease scratches itself and I am like a high class palm tree` mean? He said:It is as if he is saying, I am the smart one who has the answer. - Then there was a great deal of clamour and raised voices, to such an extent that I feared there would be a conflict, so I said: Hold out your hand, O Abu Bakr. So he held out his hand and I swore allegiance to him, and the Muhajireen swore allegiance to him, then the Ansar swore allegiance to him. Thus we surrounded Sa`d bin ‘Ubadah. One of them said: You have killed Sa`d i said: May Allah kill Sa’d! And `Umar (رضي الله عنه) said: By Allah, we never encountered any problem greater than the swearing of allegiance to Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) . We were afraid that if we left the people without having sworn allegiance to anyone, they might swear allegiance after we were gone, so we would either follow in their footsteps and swear allegiance to someone we were not pleased with, or we would disagree with them and that would cause trouble. If anyone swears allegiance to a leader without consulting the Muslims, there is no allegiance for him and no allegiance to the one who swore allegiance to him, lest both of them be killed. Malik said: Ibn Shihab told me, from `Urwah bin az-Zubair, that the men whom they met were `Uwaim bin Sa`idah and Ma`n bin `Adiyy. Ibn Shihab said. Sa`eed bin al-Musayyab told me that the one who said, I am the post on which the camel with a skin disease scratches itself and I am like a high class palm tree, was al-lubab bin al-Mundhir.