Hadith No. 13
A group from the Ummah will always be upon the truth until Isa, son of Maryam 
, is sent down, and he is sent down to the Mahdi.
رَوَى مُسْلِمُ بْنُ الْحَجَّاجِ [ت261هـ] فِي «صَحِيحِهِ»[1]، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا الْوَلِيدُ بْنُ شُجَاعٍ، وَهَارُونُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، وَحَجَّاجُ بْنُ الشَّاعِرِ، قَالُوا: حَدَّثَنَا حَجَّاجٌ وَهُوَ ابْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ جُرَيْجٍ، قَالَ: أَخْبَرَنِي أَبُو الزُّبَيْرِ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ جَابِرَ بْنَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ يَقُولُ:
سَمِعْتُ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ: «لَا تَزَالُ طَائِفَةٌ مِنْ أُمَّتِي يُقَاتِلُونَ عَلَى الْحَقِّ ظَاهِرِينَ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ»، قَالَ: «فَيَنْزِلُ عِيسَى بْنُ مَرْيَمَ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَيَقُولُ أَمِيرُهُمْ: تَعَالَ صَلِّ لَنَا، فَيَقُولُ: لَا، إِنَّ بَعْضَكُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ أُمَرَاءُ، تَكْرِمَةَ اللَّهِ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةَ».
Translation:
Muslim ibn Hajjaj [d. 261 AH] has narrated in his Sahih, (in this manner that) he has said: Walid ibn Shuja‘, Harun ibn Abdullah, and Hajjaj ibn Sha‘ir narrated to us, they said: Hajjaj—meaning ibn Muhammad—narrated to us from ibn Jurayj, who said: Abu Zubair informed me that he heard Jabir ibn Abdullah say:
I heard the Prophet 
say: “A group from my Ummah will always fight steadfastly upon the truth until the Day of Judgment.” He said: “Then Isa, son of Maryam (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), is sent down. Then their commander says (to him): ‘Come and lead us in prayer.’ So he says: ‘No. Some of you are commanders over some others—a tribute from Allah to this Ummah.’”
Attestation No. 1
وَرَوَى أَبُو عَوَانَةَ [ت316هـ] فِي «مُسْتَخْرَجِهِ»[2]، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنِي مُضَرُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ عَمْرٍو الْحَرَّانِيُّ، قَالَ: قَرَأْنَا عَلَى مَعْقِلٍ، عَنْ أَبِي الزُّبَيْرِ، عَنْ جَابِرٍ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِمِثْلِهِ.
Translation:
Also, Abu Awanah [d. 316 AH] has narrated in his Mustakhraj and said: Mudar ibn Muhammad narrated to me, he said: Abd al-Rahman ibn Amr al-Harrani narrated to us, he said: We read to Ma‘qil from Abu Zubair, from Jabir, from the Prophet —a Hadith similar to this one.
Consideration
قَالَ الْمَنْصُورُ حَفِظَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: أَبُو الزُّبَيْرِ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ مُسْلِمٍ الْقُرَشِيُّ صَدُوقٌ عِنْدَهُمْ، وَلَمْ يَنْفَرِدْ بِهِ، بَلْ تَابَعَهُ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عُبَيْدَةَ وَالطُّفَاوِيُّ:
Translation:
Mansoor 
said: Abu Zubair Muhammad ibn Muslim al-Qurashi is truthful in their view. Yet, he is not alone in narrating it; rather, Abdullah ibn Ubaidah and al-Tufawi have narrated it alongside him:
Attestation No. 2
وَرَوَى عُثْمَانُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ الدَّانِيُّ [ت444هـ] فِي «السُّنَنِ الْوَارِدَةِ فِي الْفِتَنِ»[3]، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عَمْرٍو، حَدَّثَنَا عَتَّابُ بْنُ هَارُونَ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا الْفَضْلُ بْنُ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ زَكَرِيَّا بْنِ حَيَّوَيْهِ النَّيْسَابُورِيُّ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مَسْلَمَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي الْوَاصِلِ، عَنْ عُبَيْدٍ يَعْنِي الطُّفَاوِيَّ، قَالَ: قَالَ جَابِرُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «لَا تَزَالُ طَائِفَةٌ مِنْ أُمَّتِي تُقَاتِلُ عَنِ الْحَقِّ حَتَّى يَنْزِلَ عِيسَى بْنُ مَرْيَمَ عِنْدَ طُلُوعِ الْفَجْرِ بِبَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ، يَنْزِلُ عَلَى الْمَهْدِيِّ، فَيُقَالُ لَهُ: تَقَدَّمْ يَا نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ فَصَلِّ لَنَا، فَيَقُولُ: إِنَّ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةَ أَمِينٌ بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ لِكَرَامَتِهِمْ عَلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ».
Translation:
Also, Uthman ibn Sa‘id al-Dani [d. 444 AH] has narrated in the book al-Sunan al-Waridah Fi al-Fitan and said: Abdullah ibn Amr narrated to us, (he said:) Attab ibn Harun narrated to us, he said: Fadl ibn Ubaidillah narrated to us, he said: Yahya ibn Zakariyya ibn Hayyawayh al-Nishapuri narrated to us, he said: Muhammad ibn Yahya narrated to us, from Muhammad ibn Maslamah, from Abu Wasil, from Ubaid—meaning al-Tufawi—who said: Jabir ibn Abdullah said: The Messenger of Allah said: “A group from my Ummah will always fight for the truth until Isa, son of Maryam, is sent down at the breaking of dawn in Bayt al-Maqdis, and he is sent down to the Mahdi. Then it is said to him: ‘Go to the front, O Prophet of Allah, and lead us in prayer.’ So he says: ‘Some of this Ummah are trustees of some others—due to their honor in the sight of Allah, Exalted and Majestic.’”
Attestation No. 3
وَرَوَى الْخَطِيبُ الْبَغْدَادِيُّ [ت463هـ] فِي «تَالِي تَلْخِيصِ الْمُتَشَابِهِ»[4]، قَالَ: أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو الْحَسَنِ عَلِيُّ بْنُ يَحْيَى بْنِ جَعْفَرٍ إِمَامُ الْجَامِعِ بِأَصْبَهَانَ، أَخْبَرَنَا سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ أَيُّوبَ الطَّبَرَانِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ الصَّنْعَانِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا زَيْدُ بْنُ الْمُبَارَكُ، حَدَّثَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنِ عَقِيلِ بْنِ مَعْقِلِ بْنِ مُنَبِّهٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ وَهْبِ بْنِ مُنَبِّهٍ، عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ: «لَا تَزَالُ طَائِفَةٌ مِنْ أُمَّتِي عَلَى الْحَقِّ ظَاهِرِينَ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ».
Translation:
Also, Khatib al-Baghdadi [d. 463 AH] has narrated in the book Tali Talkhis al-Mutashabih and said: Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Yahya ibn Ja‘far—the Imam of the Grand Mosque of Isfahan—informed us, (he said:) Sulayman ibn Ahmad ibn Ayyub al-Tabarani informed us, (he said:) Ali ibn Mubarak al-San‘ani narrated to us, (he said:) Zayd ibn Mubarak narrated to us, (he said:) Ibrahim ibn Aqil ibn Ma‘qil ibn Munabbih narrated to us, from his father, from Wahb ibn Munabbih, from Jabir ibn Abdullah, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah say: “A group from my Ummah will always be steadfast upon the truth until the Day of Judgment.”[5]
